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Wake Up People: It's Right in Front of Your Eyes...
donjn
Member UncommonPosts: 816
I consider myself an MMO vet as I first started with Ultima online in 1997. I have tried it all, and my thirst for the perfect MMO could not be found...nor will it ever be found. Recently I have noticed that the MMORPG.COM community has been thirsting for something. A lot of us hardcore gamers want a sandbox MMO. Sandbox MMO's are hard to find and the list is small.
There have been three times I have begun a new MMO and went "wow".
The first was Ultima Online in 1997. I rushed down to my local CompUSA to replace my 33.6 modem with a 56k modem. Upon first logging in, I was thinking the possibilites are endless, and these are actual other players walking around. The whole industry was just so fresh.
The second was World of Warcraft, for never had I seen a game so amazingly polished. The interface, the performance, and just about everything was so finely tuned it was great, and the game felt epic. The artwork and lore still are to this day top notch.
I have been missing this feeling lately. Until recently, it happended again.
I think I had perhaps heard of the Saga of Ryzom a couple years ago but I remember that it was not advertised anywhere. Recently, in search of a "sandbox" game, I was saddened to see this game get completely shut down. I had heard and read what a cult favorite this game was, and was very interested. Well, now it is back online for free, and I decided to try it.
That feeling is back...
Upon logging in I was treated to a world without Orcs and Goblins; it definitely feels like Fantasy/ScI-Fi, which is a nice change. With the graphics cranked up, this game actually looks quite good and runs flawlessly. The Interface is complicated but logical. More importantly, the game does not make you feel like a complete and utter idiot because you actually have to figure some things out for yourself. God forbid! No typical hand-holding that most MMO's try to do these days.
The crafting system is without a doubt the best I have seen since Ultima Online. If you want to make a pair of boots, you have to choose what to place in the stuffing part of the shoe, what to line it with, etc. You can stuff shoes with various types of dirt; the shoe wont be good quality, but you can do it. This is a small example of what you can do. You can even design your own spells by combining actions. How about a spell that buffs you and heals you at the same time? The amount of creativity here is litterally endless. Be warned though, there is a steep learning curve in this process.
You can't have a great MMO with a good combat system and Ryzom does not dissapoint. I love games where you can "preload" your next move. Like a game of chess, you can think a move ahead of time. This is not "twitch" combat however, so be prepared to click on your action, and then see it happen seconds later, even if it is an action melee manouver.
Ryzom feels like a living, breathing planet, which it is. The environment is alive as creatures are aware of your pressence and sometimes friendly ones come up real close to "check you out". Some creatures move in herds and some do not. Make no mistake, this is part game, part environment simulator. I love the fact that there are seasons that affect the gameplay. In fact, some resources can't be harvested during certains seasons or certain weather! The community so far is the best I have seen since Lord of the Rings Online. The learning curve seems to have chased the inmature, A.D.D, 15 year olds away. There are plenty of quests in the begining area, and I am told that once I hit the mainland, the quests are few and far between. I do not know how I will feel about this until I get there. I am sure once I get into a guild we will have plenty of things to do.
The game can be played for free right now. I suggest you to all open your eyes and look as this gem that is right in front of you..
Comments
Well.. you've convinced me to check it out. I've been seeing the name pop up quite a bit on these forums recently, haven't payed much attention.. we'll see how it goes.
Waiting for Fallen Earth, World of Darkness, Old Republic, FFXIV
I tried it but the lore is crap and the art style is really bland, the game world doesn't speak to me and I think the races look lame. The game had no music when i tried it out which put me off too because I like ambient music in mmorpgs and I dunno everything just felt like college kids made the game.
Theres a reason it hasn't done well and thats because the game just isnt good.
the only thing thats keeping me from downloading the game is the 7gigs of file size. im currently in a country where dial up modems are still being sold and if you ask for T1, the isp's would reply "whats that? terminator one?"
It has mucis, and a built in MP3 player. The rest is opinion, and im not going to try and change it. I just dissagree.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Well, I tried it but I did't really like it. But taste differs so go ahead guys.
I think it was the graphics and artstyle mainly but it just didnt do it for me.
I too just started Ryzom, and am blown away. Where have I been all these years? Never even heard of this game until recently. As far as 'missions' go, I left the newbie island and went to the mainland last night. Within a few feet of where you zone in there are tons of missions, way more than you can fit into your mission log. So if following missions is your thing, there are plenty available from what Ive seen so far. Of course, since you can get 2500 skill points = 250 skill levels in 42 different skill branches, no amount of missions will carry you to end game. But who cares? This game is just sheer fun.
There is nothing wrong with the graphics in my view...not at all, and I can play Vanguard, AoC, and Lotro on highest settings. I was actually quite suprised at how good the graphics are for this game....which came out when? 2004?
But this game is not about the graphics or the music. Its about deep and complex character development through robust and highly ciustomizable melee, magic, crafting, and harvesting systems. If you are interested in substance this game has it in spades. If you merely want some pretty sights while you zoom along on rollercoaster ride in a theme park, you wont like it at all.
The lore is not "crap" it is actually quite deep and is at least unique in comparison to other MMO's out there. For a link to the LORE clicky here. As far as the art style, I'm not sure where you get bland from as it is really quite colorful, full of contrast and vivid where it needs to be. If you consider Ryzom to be bland I would hate to think of what you feel about WoW, EQ, EQ2, LotRO, DDAC, and many others. They all possess their own unique styles geared towards immersing you into that world. I fail to see where Ryzom doesn't deliver.
There is music in the game, though it only plays at certain times, such as entering cities. Most MMO's require ambient music simply because they don't go to the effort of filling the world with atmospheric sound. Take a trip to the Trove in the Majestic Garden and listen to the croaks or the hum of Atys. How about the local wildlife? Ryzom is filled with sound and focuses primarily on the world, rather than covering it up with some over-dramatic score.
Ryzom, once you play it long enough you come to see where they truly succeeded and where they may have failed. These are hardly areas where I feel they have dropped the ball. Oh... and I have yet to see a college project pulled together as nicely as Ryzom.
The world style also do not match my taste. About the music there is ingame player. You just have to place your favorite music in the proper folder and the music is here
. And last words: I dont think the game isnt good, its just very different and unique, and also its a great sandbox game.
Where themepark games try to hide that they are copying WOW, games like Mortal Online and Darkfall make no attempt to hide their inspiration
______\m/_____
LordOfDarkDesire
Ryzom intrigues me. Unfortunately I was only able to play one day and then I could no longer log in. I keep getting an error to upgrade my subscription, even though it's supposed to be free at the moment as I understand it.
I tried uninstalling the game and reinstalling. I fired off an email to customer support over a week ago with no response.
I guess I'm waiting for Warhammer Online then....
I'd have to agree with you.
I'm wondering what kind of business model they are going to go with, has anyone heard any speculations?
My download was 1.8 gigs. Not sure where you got 7 from..
IMO, all "lore" is crap. I never read that stuff anyway, since it has no effect on the game.
Sounds pretty cool overall, especially if it has good PvP, but I can't get past the artwork, which I don't care for. If I'm going to be playing in a world a lot, the characters have to look good.
All things considered, I think the art style is quite good and I am an artist. I find the colors in EQ2 to be the true definition of bland..
The game has music in the cities. The game also has "sounds" which are atmospheric effects that almost sound like music.
I've never read a review that swayed me to check something out as much as this one did.
Well written OP, gonna have to check it out.
"The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius."
-Oscar Wilde
Ok, I have a few questions.
Why do you call it a "sandbox"? Is it just because it's skill based? What other elements does it have to make it so?
What kind of difference is there in ability between advancement? For example, in WoW there is a godlike difference between high levels and medium. Are you an instant kill to anyone of high skill before you also get there?
Can you drop items on the ground? Can you write books or discs, or anything like that? Are spawns static?
Once upon a time....
I was in the closed beta for ryzom. Even then it was certainly interesting to play. I'm glad to see it being revived. Not sure that I want to play it again but I hope that many others do. It is a good game and worth at least trying. Especially for free.
The Rysom ring for one. You can create scenarios in the editor, and let others run through it. Consider it akin to Old school DnD modules made by your GM.
Its also a first for an MMO.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
The Rysom ring for one. You can create scenarios in the editor, and let others run through it. Consider it akin to Old school DnD modules made by your GM.
Its also a first for an MMO.
Very interesting feature. I might have to try the game just for this.
But why doesn't most of the artwork look like this? The actual screens I've seen of Ryzom are not very pleasing to the eye, IMO.
Not sure if you read my whole post but this paragraph pretty much qualifies the game as a sandbox:
If you want to make a pair of boots, you have to choose what to place in the stuffing part of the shoe, what to line it with, etc. You can stuff shoes with various types of dirt; the shoe wont be good quality, but you can do it. This is a small example of what you can do. You can even design your own spells by combining actions. How about a spell that buffs you and heals you at the same time? The amount of creativity here is litterally endless. Be warned though, there is a steep learning curve in this process.
Levels of skills are 1 to 250. I was harvesting and got one shotted.
Spawns are dynamic and I dont think you can drop anything on the ground. Sadly, that is a missing feature in many MMOs.
Viral Marketing. End of discussion.
Nope, nice try.
I have been an MMORPG member for quite some time. Check all my posts. Last month, I thought Ashen Empires was the game for me.
However I will accept your opinion as a compliment, it must have been written will to be considered an advertisement..
??
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
I jsut started playing thsi 2 days ago...The download is only 1.7 gigs not 7 as someone said earlier...Tis a nice change from the easy mode MMOs that are flooding the market atm......You actually have to pay attention to most fo the quests in this game or you will have trouble with them.....I'd recommend this over LoTRo or EQ2 anyday.
i used the torrent posted on the Ryzom forums (so i could pause the download) and it was compressed into 1.3 gigs. i suggest you try it out (i got to 40% on dial-up (i went over my limit on broadband) after 6ish hours of downloading)
as for the OP he hit the nail on the head. one thing that also snagged me was the scenery, it is both dense and filled with life that moves around. animals migrate according to seasons and predators hunt in packs. its a living breathing world with enough scenery to keep me happy (i hate how sparse some of these games are like WoW and Lineage2)
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
I didn't like the art style or the character style.
I installed the game, played for a few minutes and then uninstalled it. While the guts of the game does sound amazing if I cannot get 'into' my character I just can't play it. Same problem I have with eve online.