Many of the people who have expressed disdain for this game have done so with very valid reasons. You say that you don't understand why people would hate on a game that is successful, highly polished and fun, but many of us disagree wholeheartedly that the game actually IS fun. I tried to like the game... I really did. I just found it to be very boring and repetitive. I also found it to lack any real depth.
Sure, it looks very good and the gameplay is polished, but it really offers nothing new to the genre and nothing that has not already been done much better in other games. The classes and gear are very cookie-cutter and lack anywhere near as many customization options as are found in other games. The quests are extremely bland and generic and there is not even enough of them for a character to reach end game through. Instead we are forced to mob grind for large periods of the game... which I personally think has no place in MMOs at this point.
Your argument about how things are not a grind and are simply 'challenging' instead is rubbish. Challenge and tedium are not the same thing. What is challenging about doing tedious and repetitive tasks over and over and over again to grind levels or crafting?? That is not a challenge... that is merely a huge and unnecessary timesink. It is only there because the developers were too lazy to create enough interesting content to naturally progress players throughout the experience. They use the grind, as many have before them, to create a synthetic barrier to the end game. After all, if they had not done this, players would more quickly realize that the game is an empty shell with pretty paint and quit as I have.
And the PvP ends up being nothing but huge player mob gankfests in the Abyss. You either roam around and gank outnumbered players or are ganked in turn when you are the one outnumbered. When you actually do get a good group on group battle going, huge level imbalances (due to the Korean grind) completely screw any semblence of balance. And really, what else is there to do in the game once you reach near end game? The game lacks anything for people who are not interested in this shallow PvP.
It is also far too early to say that the game is successful. It has only been out for a short period and already people are leaving in droves. This would not be the case if the game had the wide appeal that you seem to assume it does. It would seem instead that many people feel as I do and do not think that the game is worth a continued subscription.
And finally, just because many of us don't enjoy this game does not mean that we are lying. I personally played until only level 32, but I could not stand to go any further. The bottom line is that games should be fun... if they are not fun, they are not worth the money or the time required to play them. This game simply is not fun in my opinion. I know many others feel the same. Before you tell me to just simply not play the game if I don't like it, don't worry... I won't. But I will defend my reasoning for not doing so when questioned. This thread specifically targets people like me who do not enjoy the game and it asked for a response.
I really wonder why so many in the MMORPG community think they need to bash a game mostly based on wrong assumptions! I knew already this would happen... because yeah the game is from NCSoft, and its from Korea - and thus it will be viewed very sceptical. Actually thats a good thing, because that reduced the amount of hype the game generated... and thats also why I think this game will grow even more over time, instead of the large initials drops we saw in many other overhyped MMOs. We all know Korea will have a hard time successeding here... but its also the first time they made a totally polished, highly detailed new MMO with super smooth graphics... full of lovely details in every area (gestures, NPC idle animations, char creation, see steel rake instances, some of the areas backgrounds etc.....)... ! So many people were totally surprised on how well Aion runs. That leads us to one of the biggest problem in todays MMOs -> Bots
Yes the game has bots - which game doesnt have them? But its NCsoft, so we know from L2, they will not ban them - even though Aion has nothing to do with L2.... Actually I dont know why people are telling lies about the game... but you dont need to buy Kinah for anything - this game is NOT l2 - we have bound items, we have quest rewards, we have abyss gear which you can only aquire via abyss points - there isnt more need for Kinah than you needed in WoW at the beginning.... Also if people would read the blogs of the devs, then you would see that they are working on GM 24/7 support and that they are already banning more and more bots . Surely they are still under staffed because of the underestimation of the games success. But I am very sure that it will getting better over time (at least be patient and give them time they need)... Most people like me rarely encounter bots anyway, because if you do instances, abyss, group quests in elite areas you will never encounter a bot. The seconds thing I read is that some say its a grind in every place... which is so wrong again. Just because its not WoW where you get everything feeded into your mouth (bless god). In Aion crafting etc. actually means something. It needs dedication yes, but on the other side the items you can craft can be as valuable as the highest instance drops etc. ! Oh and I for one never needed to grind 1 bit (I am 42 now) - there are so many group missions and quests especially in elite areas etc. - surely if you play solo and run out of quests you have to grind to get higher - well I dont mind that, the game is a MMO not a solo game. There is really enough to do to mostly avoid grinding. But yes if you want max level in a week and best gear in another week, then please go back where you came from, but dont bash the game for being a grinder, just because there are so many things to work for. So I really hope people's stop lying to potential customers who finally want to try another MMO, by telling them wrong informations. Give them a chance and let them try the game by themselves - nearly ALL of my friends didnt regret it and still love the game, so I really wonder why some people made it to their prime hobby to convince them not to play Aion? But I am pretty sure its just because they are afraid to see Aion succeeding... ridiculous...
To sum it up - People will actively troll the newest MMO out. Once a new one comes out, they move to that one, and the Aion forums will be a much cleaner place.
Forums are a bad place to get decent ratings for MMO's. That's like logging in to any other MMO game out there and asking the opinion on it - you have a variety of people who play the game, people who play other games and will obviously favor that one, and loads of people who never even played the game and still talk trash about it.
It's more of a hobby that people look at whichever forums are the most popular (or had recent comments) and they troll those.
That said, when it comes to Aion, I can guarantee that at least half of the people here havent even played it enough to judge how it -really- plays. Heck, this week it isnt even the same game as it was last week. This week has BY FAR been the most active week when it comes ot PvP and major battles. Likely related to more people reaching higher levels. There are more people, they are FAR more organized, and are starting to figure strategies and team work out better. People are -just- figuring out how the AP generation works as well, and realizing "Zergs" offer crap AP rewards and generate very few Medals in fort sieges.
As people get higher and higher to the average population reaching max level, it will be evolving more and more as well. That's when we will get some "real" reviews on how good the game is.
People can say "I can know an hour in to the game if I am having fun or not", but that just shows they have not given enough time to experience what the game is really about. If you log in to WoW, Eve, UO, AC, heck any MMO for an hour, you wont experience anything it has to offer, nor even understand how the game really works. Like I said, the game is STILL evolving as people learn it, even a month in. Goes to show that even with this much time in game, people are still learning how to play it properly - and as people learn to play it, the overall gameplay will change for everyone. Weeks ago there was very litte rift PvP and the few who tried to organize fell apart in minutes - nowdays there is constant rift PvP where some battles last for hours of intense battle taking out eachothers kiosks etc. MMO's evolve, as people level, as people do different things, and as people learn to play, and some people simply dont understand that.
People generally compare the "new game" in low levels, to their end-game gameplay of their last MMO - which is just silly. But, who cares, let them ruin the game for themselves, they will never know how much fun they could have had if they kept going.
I really wonder why so many in the MMORPG community think they need to bash a game mostly based on wrong assumptions! I knew already this would happen... because yeah the game is from NCSoft, and its from Korea - and thus it will be viewed very sceptical. Actually thats a good thing, because that reduced the amount of hype the game generated... and thats also why I think this game will grow even more over time, instead of the large initials drops we saw in many other overhyped MMOs. We all know Korea will have a hard time successeding here... but its also the first time they made a totally polished, highly detailed new MMO with super smooth graphics... full of lovely details in every area (gestures, NPC idle animations, char creation, see steel rake instances, some of the areas backgrounds etc.....)... ! So many people were totally surprised on how well Aion runs. That leads us to one of the biggest problem in todays MMOs -> Bots
Yes the game has bots - which game doesnt have them? But its NCsoft, so we know from L2, they will not ban them - even though Aion has nothing to do with L2.... Actually I dont know why people are telling lies about the game... but you dont need to buy Kinah for anything - this game is NOT l2 - we have bound items, we have quest rewards, we have abyss gear which you can only aquire via abyss points - there isnt more need for Kinah than you needed in WoW at the beginning.... Also if people would read the blogs of the devs, then you would see that they are working on GM 24/7 support and that they are already banning more and more bots . Surely they are still under staffed because of the underestimation of the games success. But I am very sure that it will getting better over time (at least be patient and give them time they need)... Most people like me rarely encounter bots anyway, because if you do instances, abyss, group quests in elite areas you will never encounter a bot. The seconds thing I read is that some say its a grind in every place... which is so wrong again. Just because its not WoW where you get everything feeded into your mouth (bless god). In Aion crafting etc. actually means something. It needs dedication yes, but on the other side the items you can craft can be as valuable as the highest instance drops etc. ! Oh and I for one never needed to grind 1 bit (I am 42 now) - there are so many group missions and quests especially in elite areas etc. - surely if you play solo and run out of quests you have to grind to get higher - well I dont mind that, the game is a MMO not a solo game. There is really enough to do to mostly avoid grinding. But yes if you want max level in a week and best gear in another week, then please go back where you came from, but dont bash the game for being a grinder, just because there are so many things to work for. So I really hope people's stop lying to potential customers who finally want to try another MMO, by telling them wrong informations. Give them a chance and let them try the game by themselves - nearly ALL of my friends didnt regret it and still love the game, so I really wonder why some people made it to their prime hobby to convince them not to play Aion? But I am pretty sure its just because they are afraid to see Aion succeeding... ridiculous...
Well, if you go by the WoW hating quotient
, (the more flamed and hated a game is on these boards, the more successful it is) then this game is going to dominate soon :P
Many of the people who have expressed disdain for this game have done so with very valid reasons. You say that you don't understand why people would hate on a game that is successful, highly polished and fun, but many of us disagree wholeheartedly that the game actually IS fun. I tried to like the game... I really did. I just found it to be very boring and repetitive. I also found it to lack any real depth. Sure, it looks very good and the gameplay is polished, but it really offers nothing new to the genre and nothing that has not already been done much better in other games. The classes and gear are very cookie-cutter and lack anywhere near as many customization options as are found in other games. The quests are extremely bland and generic and there is not even enough of them for a character to reach end game through. Instead we are forced to mob grind for large periods of the game... which I personally think has no place in MMOs at this point. Your argument about how things are not a grind and are simply 'challenging' instead is rubbish. Challenge and tedium are not the same thing. What is challenging about doing tedious and repetitive tasks over and over and over again to grind levels or crafting?? That is not a challenge... that is merely a huge and unnecessary timesink. It is only there because the developers were too lazy to create enough interesting content to naturally progress players throughout the experience. They use the grind, as many have before them, to create a synthetic barrier to the end game. After all, if they had not done this, players would more quickly realize that the game is an empty shell with pretty paint and quit as I have. And the PvP ends up being nothing but huge player mob gankfests in the Abyss. You either roam around and gank outnumbered players or are ganked in turn when you are the one outnumbered. When you actually do get a good group on group battle going, huge level imbalances (due to the Korean grind) completely screw any semblence of balance. And really, what else is there to do in the game once you reach near end game? The game lacks anything for people who are not interested in this shallow PvP. It is also far too early to say that the game is successful. It has only been out for a short period and already people are leaving in droves. This would not be the case if the game had the wide appeal that you seem to assume it does. It would seem instead that many people feel as I do and do not think that the game is worth a continued subscription. And finally, just because many of us don't enjoy this game does not mean that we are lying. I personally played until only level 32, but I could not stand to go any further. The bottom line is that games should be fun... if they are not fun, they are not worth the money or the time required to play them. This game simply is not fun in my opinion. I know many others feel the same. Before you tell me to just simply not play the game if I don't like it, don't worry... I won't. But I will defend my reasoning for not doing so when questioned. This thread specifically targets people like me who do not enjoy the game and it asked for a response.
This is all in your opinion though. I don't find the PVP shallow - and in fact - we had so much fun taking/defending artifacts I lost track of time and realized I should be in bed sleeping given I have work in the morning. Not to mention I AM outleveled by most but it really doesn't matter. You get a big group like that and its very entertaining.... Yes - I like the "zerg" and yes you're right most times it is large scale PVP (imagine that - from a PVP game?) There STILL is small scale PVP though... mainly in the form of rifts. Usually they are small numbers (5-6 members on average from what I've seen) and this is incredibly fun. I saw a ranger trying to pick off a lowbie in Morheim last night and quickly jumped in to take care of him. It was great actually... none of this "2 shots your dead" nonsense... was a great battle where I was rooted, slept and he tried to return before being pulled to me and getting crushed. Needless to say - I had a great time.
Also - one last comment before I leave your post alone. The game certainly isn't losing players "by the droves". The large voice on these forums is a very small percentage of the player population. My legion is heathly and thriving - we lost maybe 5-6 players total... everyone in the guild is having an absolute blast - its only the few that hate it who are VERY vocal for why they hate it so much - as the OP said - Im not even sure why this is.... they refuse to believe Aion can (and will) succeed... so - while there are definitely some people who stopped playing - there are very many who love the game and will keep playing. We aren't talking "WoW" type numbers - but to think "50% of the population is leaving" is not only ignorant is flat out a lie.
To the OP - fantastic post. Im surprised even to see such logic on these forums (there are a few exceptions - not all posters are haters or narrow minded). I have to say though... Aion certainly isn't for everyone. People who don't like PVP - who want to rush to end game ASAP - and who don't like themepark style MMO's will NOT enjoy Aion - in fact - Im sure they'll absolutely hate it. Leveling up ISNT about getting to 50 - and as soon as you break that terrible mentality you'll have a ton more fun with it. I was loving the fact I could fight with people 10 levels higher than me in the abyss and still stand a chance. Ya - I still got kills or assisted on kills even while being "gimped" as so many people like to call it. It was a blast - can't wait to do it again tonight.
TL;DR version... Aion isnt for everyone - research and see if it appeals to you. If you give a fair chance you may be very surprised by it. Those who need to see that XP bar move every few minutes should pick up something else. The haters should just leave - as yes - we know you don't like Aion and truthfully we don't really care. You speak for a very small minority of the player base - and the numbers speak for themselves. The first month is over and wow - again - the sky is NOT falling. Most servers are heavily populated and mine is booming (and Im on a low pop server - go figure)...
OP - great post and counter arguments... very well done
It has nothing new at all. Flying auto attack is the same as ground auto attack just in the air. I am just sick of the same old BS being churned out by MMO companies. Thank god for fallen earth.
Is Aion more polished then fallen earth.......of coarse it is but a polished turd is still just a turd.
Currently Playing: Fallen Earth Played and liked: TCOS, Vanguard, Guild Wars, DDO Played and didn't like: CO, MO, STO, DF, AoC, WAR, WoW, EQ2, EVE, most f2p Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, Secret World
It has nothing new at all. Flying auto attack is the same as ground auto attack just in the air. I am just sick of the same old BS being churned out by MMO companies. Thank god for fallen earth.
Is Aion more polished then fallen earth.......of coarse it is but a polished turd is still just a turd.
You just HAD to throw that last line in eh? Which makes you lose any credibiility you may have had.
What don't you get? People LIKE Aion... maybe I should go to the fallen earth forum and start bashing it lawl...
Seriously get a life - you can not like Aion for any reason you see fit - but don't spew off stupid BS nonsense and try to make yourself look good. It doesn't work - and in fact - it makes you look like you have no idea what your talking about. Speaking of which - have you even played aion? I'm gonna vote no
This is all in your opinion though. I don't find the PVP shallow - and in fact - we had so much fun taking/defending artifacts I lost track of time and realized I should be in bed sleeping given I have work in the morning. Not to mention I AM outleveled by most but it really doesn't matter. You get a big group like that and its very entertaining.... Yes - I like the "zerg" and yes you're right most times it is large scale PVP (imagine that - from a PVP game?) There STILL is small scale PVP though... mainly in the form of rifts. Usually they are small numbers (5-6 members on average from what I've seen) and this is incredibly fun. I saw a ranger trying to pick off a lowbie in Morheim last night and quickly jumped in to take care of him. It was great actually... none of this "2 shots your dead" nonsense... was a great battle where I was rooted, slept and he tried to return before being pulled to me and getting crushed. Needless to say - I had a great time. I'm glad you are enjoying it. I really wanted to like it. I have been looking for a good PvP-oriented game for a long time and have been consistently disappointed. I personally prefer more evenly matched encounters and some opportunity for politics in a PvP MMO. That said, I hope you continue to be as enthusiastic about Aion's PvP as the game matures. Depending on what they change, I may eventually come back and give it another shot.
Also - one last comment before I leave your post alone. The game certainly isn't losing players "by the droves". The large voice on these forums is a very small percentage of the player population. My legion is heathly and thriving - we lost maybe 5-6 players total... everyone in the guild is having an absolute blast - its only the few that hate it who are VERY vocal for why they hate it so much - as the OP said - Im not even sure why this is.... they refuse to believe Aion can (and will) succeed... so - while there are definitely some people who stopped playing - there are very many who love the game and will keep playing. We aren't talking "WoW" type numbers - but to think "50% of the population is leaving" is not only ignorant is flat out a lie. The game may not be losing players in droves, but that has been my perception. I was actually the last one of my friends to leave, so my view may be a little skewed. We had 6 of my RL friends and guildmates in Aion and all of them left before I did. To me, it certainly seemed as though people were leaving in droves.
I also didn't originally mention the botters and spammers in Aion. That REALLY bothered me. I tried to overlook it for a while, but it definitely wears on you when you are constantly bombarded with Kinah seller spam messages while you play. Even if you put people on ignore or close the chat channels completely, they start whispering you... it just drove me crazy. And the bots are all over the place... it really seems like NCSoft is purposefully doing nothing to control it.
Coming from other games where the devs put in real time and effor to curb this kind of behavior, I just couldn't overlook this. Any way you shake it, there is no excuse for NCSoft's inaction in this regard.
The seconds thing I read is that some say its a grind in every place... which is so wrong again. Just because its not WoW where you get everything feeded into your mouth (bless god).
Soooo, let me get this straight....
Your asking people not to bash Aion, but yet you are bashing another game. The post lost all credibility to me at this point.
Why am I seeing more and more people on here that are pro-Aion, and have garbage links or scam-looking sites as their signature? Then theres all the broken engrish. Not saying everyone, but it sure seems like there is some shady shit going on with and around Aion in general.
Katsma is Lithuanian for 'he who drinks used douche fluid'.
Originally posted by altairzq Guess this is where the hate comes from, if others felt something like that.
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
It has nothing new at all. Flying auto attack is the same as ground auto attack just in the air. I am just sick of the same old BS being churned out by MMO companies. Thank god for fallen earth.
Is Aion more polished then fallen earth.......of coarse it is but a polished turd is still just a turd.
You just HAD to throw that last line in eh? Which makes you lose any credibiility you may have had.
What don't you get? People LIKE Aion... maybe I should go to the fallen earth forum and start bashing it lawl...
Seriously get a life - you can not like Aion for any reason you see fit - but don't spew off stupid BS nonsense and try to make yourself look good. It doesn't work - and in fact - it makes you look like you have no idea what your talking about. Speaking of which - have you even played aion? I'm gonna vote no
lol i love how angry people get on these forums its hilarious. Something tells me you take gaming a little too seriously.
Currently Playing: Fallen Earth Played and liked: TCOS, Vanguard, Guild Wars, DDO Played and didn't like: CO, MO, STO, DF, AoC, WAR, WoW, EQ2, EVE, most f2p Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, Secret World
Aion is a good game at its core, however it does really remain shallow as there isnt a whole lot new or a whole lot to do once you hit the level cap.
Sure there isnt much grinding..till you hit around 35 and the quests start to dwindle so you are forced to do both group quests and some grind in order to progress.
PvP to me is pointless. Sure flipping artifacts is fun, the first 100 times you do it, then its just the same thing of killing npc's with the occasional opposing faction that shows up. More times than not my guild has flipped Arti's with zero opposition from the other side, this isnt pvp, its pve in a pvp zone. Fortress sieges resort to nothing but zerg vs zerg and it just equals out to whoever has the most numbers wins. This compiled with the crysystem.dll crashes that a huge amount of the community is having that makes a lot of people not show up to sieges in the first place as we will just crash out of the game despite how good our systems are. NCsoft was so bold as to go on forums and try to blame people for it saying their drivers were out of date or their system specs were to low...clearly they didnt even bother to read what people were saying.
Next you have bots. Botting is a horrific problem in this game, and dont even say "well all games have them" because thats just a blatently stupid cop out of the real issue. NCsoft is doing way below nothing on removing these guys. There is a single bot on my server that I have reported since the newbie area at least 20 times, as I move towards lvl 40 he is still around. They also launched a game with no live gm support or ticket system..are you kidding me? Theres also been the same bots in Sanctum for weeks with gold selling messages that have not been removed.
Like I said, Aion is fun, but its extremely shallow and it really does nothing new for the genre. I know from at least my guilds perspective, they are all playing it simply because it works when compared to launches such as Warhammer and AoC, but as soon as something new comes out thats different, they are all gone.
Originally posted by altairzq Guess this is where the hate comes from, if others felt something like that.
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
Thank you for your kind words, really appreciate them, it's not something that happens to often in a forum, at least to me... wonder why
Yes I bought Aion, even the collectors edition, and really liked for a month but slowly the little things that annoyed me finally won over the good things. It's a pity. But at some point it was clear to me that I was playing it only because I had spent 60 euros on it, so that was it. I cancelled and felt relieved. But now I kind of miss my templar heh.
Aion is just like any other MMO. At first it looks like something fresh,new,eyecandy something that might just be IT but.. its Same ideas, go kill, gather, gain exp and go gank. All mmo's are similar theres nothing ground breaking about a new graphics engine, more details, cooler animations. MMO in general ... isn't a very good gendre... yes it is interesting when you have ACTUAL friends to play with you while you chat around, socialise. But if not... its a very time consuming,sometimes addicting, repetitive JOB. "Why so much hate at a successful, highly polished and fun game?" - maybe its because it isnt what people expexted - something new. I really dont see anything new coming out ever. In the end it will just be a re-skined,pimped mmo which will lose its glitter once you see into it deeper.
The reason is simple: overhyping a product as something it isn't.
This game was hyped as "Truly Next Gen" and "The next great game to come along" and on and on.
The truth is that it is just another shallow Asian grinder in a shiny new package.
I played it some, on a friend's acct. Once you get past the graphics and the flying and the early levels, it becomes quite obvious that it is the same old grinder in the later levels.
I will grant that it is relatively well polished and technically tight, especially for recent releases, but that's about as much as I can give it.
It becomes shallow at a certain point and the amount of grinding required for the later level is beyond silly (80-100 hours for some of the later levels, by several accounts).
If people like it in Korea, more power to them. But to me, who has played other grinders before, it is just more of the same.
The game didn't live up to the hype and the current lack of server queues (after having to wait hours when released) is a testament that the word is out on what Aeon is, and what it isn't.
To the OP: The reason is simple: overhyping a product as something it isn't. This game was hyped as "Truly Next Gen" and "The next great game to come along" and on and on. The truth is that it is just another shallow Asian grinder in a shiny new package. I played it some, on a friend's acct. Once you get past the graphics and the flying and the early levels, it becomes quite obvious that it is the same old grinder in the later levels. I will grant that it is relatively well polished and technically tight, especially for recent releases, but that's about as much as I can give it. It becomes shallow at a certain point and the amount of grinding required for the later level is beyond silly (80-100 hours for some of the later levels, by several accounts).
If people like it in Korea, more power to them. But to me, who has played other grinders before, it is just more of the same. The game didn't live up to the hype and the current lack of server queues (after having to wait hours when released) is a testament that the word is out on what Aeon is, and what it isn't. Simple as that.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Originally posted by altairzq Guess this is where the hate comes from, if others felt something like that.
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
Thank you for your kind words, really appreciate them, it's not something that happens to often in a forum, at least to me... wonder why
Yes I bought Aion, even the collectors edition, and really liked for a month but slowly the little things that annoyed me finally won over the good things. It's a pity. But at some point it was clear to me that I was playing it only because I had spent 60 euros on it, so that was it. I cancelled and felt relieved. But now I kind of miss my templar heh.
I like Aion for a reason not really that common. While I do play it myself off and on, I bought it for my gf. She loves the game, it keeps her entertained and allows me peace while I am playing Fallen Earth or DDO. Basicly, Aion is the greatest game of all time because it keeps my old lady from complaining about my gaming habit as she is addicted herself
This is all in your opinion though. I don't find the PVP shallow - and in fact - we had so much fun taking/defending artifacts I lost track of time and realized I should be in bed sleeping given I have work in the morning. Not to mention I AM outleveled by most but it really doesn't matter. You get a big group like that and its very entertaining.... Yes - I like the "zerg" and yes you're right most times it is large scale PVP (imagine that - from a PVP game?) There STILL is small scale PVP though... mainly in the form of rifts. Usually they are small numbers (5-6 members on average from what I've seen) and this is incredibly fun. I saw a ranger trying to pick off a lowbie in Morheim last night and quickly jumped in to take care of him. It was great actually... none of this "2 shots your dead" nonsense... was a great battle where I was rooted, slept and he tried to return before being pulled to me and getting crushed. Needless to say - I had a great time. I'm glad you are enjoying it. I really wanted to like it. I have been looking for a good PvP-oriented game for a long time and have been consistently disappointed. I personally prefer more evenly matched encounters and some opportunity for politics in a PvP MMO. That said, I hope you continue to be as enthusiastic about Aion's PvP as the game matures. Depending on what they change, I may eventually come back and give it another shot.
Also - one last comment before I leave your post alone. The game certainly isn't losing players "by the droves". The large voice on these forums is a very small percentage of the player population. My legion is heathly and thriving - we lost maybe 5-6 players total... everyone in the guild is having an absolute blast - its only the few that hate it who are VERY vocal for why they hate it so much - as the OP said - Im not even sure why this is.... they refuse to believe Aion can (and will) succeed... so - while there are definitely some people who stopped playing - there are very many who love the game and will keep playing. We aren't talking "WoW" type numbers - but to think "50% of the population is leaving" is not only ignorant is flat out a lie. The game may not be losing players in droves, but that has been my perception. I was actually the last one of my friends to leave, so my view may be a little skewed. We had 6 of my RL friends and guildmates in Aion and all of them left before I did. To me, it certainly seemed as though people were leaving in droves.
I also didn't originally mention the botters and spammers in Aion. That REALLY bothered me. I tried to overlook it for a while, but it definitely wears on you when you are constantly bombarded with Kinah seller spam messages while you play. Even if you put people on ignore or close the chat channels completely, they start whispering you... it just drove me crazy. And the bots are all over the place... it really seems like NCSoft is purposefully doing nothing to control it.
Coming from other games where the devs put in real time and effor to curb this kind of behavior, I just couldn't overlook this. Any way you shake it, there is no excuse for NCSoft's inaction in this regard.
I can agree with some of your comments - and I have to say at least there's solid arguments in your complaints... more than I can say for most forum posters around here.
What I don't agree with is your comment that NCSoft does "nothing" about spammers/botters. Simply not true. In fact - they have been really on the ball - spam is almost completely gone - rest assured - Bots are next in line to get banned. Just because NCSoft developed L2 - it doesn't mean Aion will suffer the same fate. Maybe they LEARNED from that? I mean - Christ - its only been a month on this side of the globe - they are very well aware of that issue... if this is still a problem 6 months or a year down the road, then ya... I can agree they aren't doing their best to fix the problem. However, a month after release and people want to hang the entire dev team because of one (although pretty major) issue? It just sounds like the sky is falling once more - the same way it was from the lag, private stores, queues, etc. Everyone wants to complain and whine as soon as something isn't completely rosey - it doesn't mean that NCSoft doesn't care or that the player/fan base is completely blind. Believe me - we all get it... but truthfully most of us ignore it and go play with our Legion - get into some heavy PVP - run an instance, etc. We don't care enough to have it ruin our game play.
There is PLENTY to do and all can be done while ignoring bots. My biggest problem with Bots is what it does to the economy - but that's another topic for debate. I have full faith it'll be address in the next 2-3 months - and then what? People will STILL complain about "insert X issue here" - even when the game matures and all the annoying problems are resolved. My point? People will STILL complain because they don't like aion so they need to make sure everyone else knows their feelings on the issue. Aion could be the best game ever made but if someone has it in their head from the start the game is trash - then of course they won't get any enjoyment out of it. Simple as that.... Those who are open minded, patient, and understand that NCSoft don't just "rush" a new patch out with 100 fixes but actually takes time to QA their work, submit it, and then work on the next batch of issues will certainly pay off. I don't care how many crybears there are here (not saying your one of them so no flaming) - I know many who DO enjoy it though - Im sorry you don't feel the same but as long as your arguments are solid and objective we can agree to disagree No harm in that...
There is PLENTY to do and all can be done while ignoring bots. My biggest problem with Bots is what it does to the economy - but that's another topic for debate. I have full faith it'll be address in the next 2-3 months - and then what? People will STILL complain about "insert X issue here" - even when the game matures and all the annoying problems are resolved. My point? People will STILL complain because they don't like aion so they need to make sure everyone else knows their feelings on the issue. Aion could be the best game ever made but if someone has it in their head from the start the game is trash - then of course they won't get any enjoyment out of it. Simple as that.... Those who are open minded, patient, and understand that NCSoft don't just "rush" a new patch out with 100 fixes but actually takes time to QA their work, submit it, and then work on the next batch of issues will certainly pay off. I don't care how many crybears there are here (not saying your one of them so no flaming) - I know many who DO enjoy it though - Im sorry you don't feel the same but as long as your arguments are solid and objective we can agree to disagree No harm in that...
Agreed.
Knowing me, I will be back in a few months to try the game again. I will be happy to give it another shot if NCSoft has addressed some of my issues by then. For now, I'll be passing my time with Dragon Age.
I think NCSoft gets a bad rep for botters/spam is because of the following:
1 - They have a history of letting this go in the past (L1, L2)
2 - There has been very little communication detailing how they are going to fix certain issues (bots/crashing/etc).
3 - They are an asian company and those companies in the past have a history of allowing this stuff in their games.
You can say that they are doing something about it, but honestly they don't even have adequete GM support. Every day people post screenshots of bots in game that are allowed to roam free for weeks after being reported. Then you wonder why it's a problem for alot of people.
To the OP: The reason is simple: overhyping a product as something it isn't. This game was hyped as "Truly Next Gen" and "The next great game to come along" and on and on. The truth is that it is just another shallow Asian grinder in a shiny new package. I played it some, on a friend's acct. Once you get past the graphics and the flying and the early levels, it becomes quite obvious that it is the same old grinder in the later levels. I will grant that it is relatively well polished and technically tight, especially for recent releases, but that's about as much as I can give it. It becomes shallow at a certain point and the amount of grinding required for the later level is beyond silly (80-100 hours for some of the later levels, by several accounts).
If people like it in Korea, more power to them. But to me, who has played other grinders before, it is just more of the same. The game didn't live up to the hype and the current lack of server queues (after having to wait hours when released) is a testament that the word is out on what Aeon is, and what it isn't. Simple as that.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Simple as that.
All I see is blah blah blah no real defense from a fanboi.
Want to know why I was playing on a borrowed acct? Because they guy who bought it thought it was crap and was canceling. I had to agree and was glad I saved myself the $. Maybe Korean college students or gold farmers can take that much grinding, but I already have a job.
Some people claim to have leveled to 50 in 12 days, but only if they run a bot 24/7. Or play 18 hours a day. But I already have a job.
What is amusing is that fanbois keep hyping this thing as something new, when all it is a new GRINDER.
The only thing about there being no server queues, is that many, many fewer playing now, than when things kicked off. Is that better or worse? I don't know, and don't care, either.
Grinders loaded with bots suck, no matter how pretty they are.
To the OP: The reason is simple: overhyping a product as something it isn't. This game was hyped as "Truly Next Gen" and "The next great game to come along" and on and on. The truth is that it is just another shallow Asian grinder in a shiny new package. I played it some, on a friend's acct. Once you get past the graphics and the flying and the early levels, it becomes quite obvious that it is the same old grinder in the later levels. I will grant that it is relatively well polished and technically tight, especially for recent releases, but that's about as much as I can give it. It becomes shallow at a certain point and the amount of grinding required for the later level is beyond silly (80-100 hours for some of the later levels, by several accounts).
If people like it in Korea, more power to them. But to me, who has played other grinders before, it is just more of the same. The game didn't live up to the hype and the current lack of server queues (after having to wait hours when released) is a testament that the word is out on what Aeon is, and what it isn't. Simple as that.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Simple as that.
All I see is blah blah blah no real defense from a fanboi.
Want to know why I was playing on a borrowed acct? Because they guy who bought it thought it was crap and was canceling. I had to agree and was glad I saved myself the $. Maybe Korean college students or gold farmers can take that much grinding, but I already have a job.
Some people claim to have leveled to 50 in 12 days, but only if they run a bot 24/7. Or play 18 hours a day. But I already have a job.
What is amusing is that fanbois keep hyping this thing as something new, when all it is a new GRINDER.
The only thing about there being no server queues, is that many, many fewer playing now, than when things kicked off. Is that better or worse? I don't know, and don't care, either.
Grinders loaded with bots suck, no matter how pretty they are.
Simple as that.
Bots level slower than people do. They can grind all day and night , which means they would hit 50 earlier in real time, but it would be MUCH HIGHER play time.
Furthermore, your responding to my post where I did not say it was "something new", I said it was one of the only modern MMO's that offer an end-game of world PvP.
When it comes to server queues, they were gone on most servers within a week, only persisted on Elyos side on a couple servers for maybe 2-3 weeks after. Hell, Siel-Asmodian only had a decent queue on the first day of pre-release, after that was max a 5min queue.
Are you trying to claim that brand new games are not more popular then games that have been out for awhile? That happens in any new game lol. It's common sense - loads of ppl take off from work and near-100% of the population is playing as much as they could the first couple days.
Therefore, bringing up no queues (which is a GOOD THING) and trying to claim there are so few players serves no purpose except trolling. Anyone who actually plays knows that there are no population problems in game. It's just one of the troll-favorites of mis-information to spread on the forums.
Actually, your post is a perfect compilation of mis-information that are troll-favorites.
Comments
Perfect example of a brain dead MMO gamer...move on dude, nothing to see here lol
Sure thing Fred.
Many of the people who have expressed disdain for this game have done so with very valid reasons. You say that you don't understand why people would hate on a game that is successful, highly polished and fun, but many of us disagree wholeheartedly that the game actually IS fun. I tried to like the game... I really did. I just found it to be very boring and repetitive. I also found it to lack any real depth.
Sure, it looks very good and the gameplay is polished, but it really offers nothing new to the genre and nothing that has not already been done much better in other games. The classes and gear are very cookie-cutter and lack anywhere near as many customization options as are found in other games. The quests are extremely bland and generic and there is not even enough of them for a character to reach end game through. Instead we are forced to mob grind for large periods of the game... which I personally think has no place in MMOs at this point.
Your argument about how things are not a grind and are simply 'challenging' instead is rubbish. Challenge and tedium are not the same thing. What is challenging about doing tedious and repetitive tasks over and over and over again to grind levels or crafting?? That is not a challenge... that is merely a huge and unnecessary timesink. It is only there because the developers were too lazy to create enough interesting content to naturally progress players throughout the experience. They use the grind, as many have before them, to create a synthetic barrier to the end game. After all, if they had not done this, players would more quickly realize that the game is an empty shell with pretty paint and quit as I have.
And the PvP ends up being nothing but huge player mob gankfests in the Abyss. You either roam around and gank outnumbered players or are ganked in turn when you are the one outnumbered. When you actually do get a good group on group battle going, huge level imbalances (due to the Korean grind) completely screw any semblence of balance. And really, what else is there to do in the game once you reach near end game? The game lacks anything for people who are not interested in this shallow PvP.
It is also far too early to say that the game is successful. It has only been out for a short period and already people are leaving in droves. This would not be the case if the game had the wide appeal that you seem to assume it does. It would seem instead that many people feel as I do and do not think that the game is worth a continued subscription.
And finally, just because many of us don't enjoy this game does not mean that we are lying. I personally played until only level 32, but I could not stand to go any further. The bottom line is that games should be fun... if they are not fun, they are not worth the money or the time required to play them. This game simply is not fun in my opinion. I know many others feel the same. Before you tell me to just simply not play the game if I don't like it, don't worry... I won't. But I will defend my reasoning for not doing so when questioned. This thread specifically targets people like me who do not enjoy the game and it asked for a response.
To sum it up - People will actively troll the newest MMO out. Once a new one comes out, they move to that one, and the Aion forums will be a much cleaner place.
Forums are a bad place to get decent ratings for MMO's. That's like logging in to any other MMO game out there and asking the opinion on it - you have a variety of people who play the game, people who play other games and will obviously favor that one, and loads of people who never even played the game and still talk trash about it.
It's more of a hobby that people look at whichever forums are the most popular (or had recent comments) and they troll those.
That said, when it comes to Aion, I can guarantee that at least half of the people here havent even played it enough to judge how it -really- plays. Heck, this week it isnt even the same game as it was last week. This week has BY FAR been the most active week when it comes ot PvP and major battles. Likely related to more people reaching higher levels. There are more people, they are FAR more organized, and are starting to figure strategies and team work out better. People are -just- figuring out how the AP generation works as well, and realizing "Zergs" offer crap AP rewards and generate very few Medals in fort sieges.
As people get higher and higher to the average population reaching max level, it will be evolving more and more as well. That's when we will get some "real" reviews on how good the game is.
People can say "I can know an hour in to the game if I am having fun or not", but that just shows they have not given enough time to experience what the game is really about. If you log in to WoW, Eve, UO, AC, heck any MMO for an hour, you wont experience anything it has to offer, nor even understand how the game really works. Like I said, the game is STILL evolving as people learn it, even a month in. Goes to show that even with this much time in game, people are still learning how to play it properly - and as people learn to play it, the overall gameplay will change for everyone. Weeks ago there was very litte rift PvP and the few who tried to organize fell apart in minutes - nowdays there is constant rift PvP where some battles last for hours of intense battle taking out eachothers kiosks etc. MMO's evolve, as people level, as people do different things, and as people learn to play, and some people simply dont understand that.
People generally compare the "new game" in low levels, to their end-game gameplay of their last MMO - which is just silly. But, who cares, let them ruin the game for themselves, they will never know how much fun they could have had if they kept going.
Well, if you go by the WoW hating quotient
, (the more flamed and hated a game is on these boards, the more successful it is) then this game is going to dominate soon :P
A witty saying proves nothing.
-Voltaire
This is all in your opinion though. I don't find the PVP shallow - and in fact - we had so much fun taking/defending artifacts I lost track of time and realized I should be in bed sleeping given I have work in the morning. Not to mention I AM outleveled by most but it really doesn't matter. You get a big group like that and its very entertaining.... Yes - I like the "zerg" and yes you're right most times it is large scale PVP (imagine that - from a PVP game?)
There STILL is small scale PVP though... mainly in the form of rifts. Usually they are small numbers (5-6 members on average from what I've seen) and this is incredibly fun. I saw a ranger trying to pick off a lowbie in Morheim last night and quickly jumped in to take care of him. It was great actually... none of this "2 shots your dead" nonsense... was a great battle where I was rooted, slept and he tried to return before being pulled to me and getting crushed. Needless to say - I had a great time.
Also - one last comment before I leave your post alone. The game certainly isn't losing players "by the droves". The large voice on these forums is a very small percentage of the player population. My legion is heathly and thriving - we lost maybe 5-6 players total... everyone in the guild is having an absolute blast - its only the few that hate it who are VERY vocal for why they hate it so much - as the OP said - Im not even sure why this is.... they refuse to believe Aion can (and will) succeed... so - while there are definitely some people who stopped playing - there are very many who love the game and will keep playing. We aren't talking "WoW" type numbers - but to think "50% of the population is leaving" is not only ignorant is flat out a lie.
To the OP - fantastic post. Im surprised even to see such logic on these forums (there are a few exceptions - not all posters are haters or narrow minded). I have to say though... Aion certainly isn't for everyone. People who don't like PVP - who want to rush to end game ASAP - and who don't like themepark style MMO's will NOT enjoy Aion - in fact - Im sure they'll absolutely hate it. Leveling up ISNT about getting to 50 - and as soon as you break that terrible mentality you'll have a ton more fun with it. I was loving the fact I could fight with people 10 levels higher than me in the abyss and still stand a chance. Ya - I still got kills or assisted on kills even while being "gimped" as so many people like to call it. It was a blast - can't wait to do it again tonight.
TL;DR version... Aion isnt for everyone - research and see if it appeals to you. If you give a fair chance you may be very surprised by it. Those who need to see that XP bar move every few minutes should pick up something else. The haters should just leave - as yes - we know you don't like Aion and truthfully we don't really care. You speak for a very small minority of the player base - and the numbers speak for themselves. The first month is over and wow - again - the sky is NOT falling. Most servers are heavily populated and mine is booming (and Im on a low pop server - go figure)...
OP - great post and counter arguments... very well done
I am not playing Aion for a very simple reason.
It has nothing new at all. Flying auto attack is the same as ground auto attack just in the air. I am just sick of the same old BS being churned out by MMO companies. Thank god for fallen earth.
Is Aion more polished then fallen earth.......of coarse it is but a polished turd is still just a turd.
Currently Playing: Fallen Earth
Played and liked: TCOS, Vanguard, Guild Wars, DDO
Played and didn't like: CO, MO, STO, DF, AoC, WAR, WoW, EQ2, EVE, most f2p
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, Secret World
You just HAD to throw that last line in eh? Which makes you lose any credibiility you may have had.
What don't you get? People LIKE Aion... maybe I should go to the fallen earth forum and start bashing it lawl...
Seriously get a life - you can not like Aion for any reason you see fit - but don't spew off stupid BS nonsense and try to make yourself look good. It doesn't work - and in fact - it makes you look like you have no idea what your talking about. Speaking of which - have you even played aion? I'm gonna vote no
I also didn't originally mention the botters and spammers in Aion. That REALLY bothered me. I tried to overlook it for a while, but it definitely wears on you when you are constantly bombarded with Kinah seller spam messages while you play. Even if you put people on ignore or close the chat channels completely, they start whispering you... it just drove me crazy. And the bots are all over the place... it really seems like NCSoft is purposefully doing nothing to control it.
Coming from other games where the devs put in real time and effor to curb this kind of behavior, I just couldn't overlook this. Any way you shake it, there is no excuse for NCSoft's inaction in this regard.
Soooo, let me get this straight....
Your asking people not to bash Aion, but yet you are bashing another game. The post lost all credibility to me at this point.
Why am I seeing more and more people on here that are pro-Aion, and have garbage links or scam-looking sites as their signature? Then theres all the broken engrish. Not saying everyone, but it sure seems like there is some shady shit going on with and around Aion in general.
Katsma is Lithuanian for 'he who drinks used douche fluid'.
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
I'm wondering how popular the game would be if they redesigned it such that the women toons were forced to be fully clothed.
You just HAD to throw that last line in eh? Which makes you lose any credibiility you may have had.
What don't you get? People LIKE Aion... maybe I should go to the fallen earth forum and start bashing it lawl...
Seriously get a life - you can not like Aion for any reason you see fit - but don't spew off stupid BS nonsense and try to make yourself look good. It doesn't work - and in fact - it makes you look like you have no idea what your talking about. Speaking of which - have you even played aion? I'm gonna vote no
lol i love how angry people get on these forums its hilarious. Something tells me you take gaming a little too seriously.
Currently Playing: Fallen Earth
Played and liked: TCOS, Vanguard, Guild Wars, DDO
Played and didn't like: CO, MO, STO, DF, AoC, WAR, WoW, EQ2, EVE, most f2p
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, Secret World
Aion is a good game at its core, however it does really remain shallow as there isnt a whole lot new or a whole lot to do once you hit the level cap.
Sure there isnt much grinding..till you hit around 35 and the quests start to dwindle so you are forced to do both group quests and some grind in order to progress.
PvP to me is pointless. Sure flipping artifacts is fun, the first 100 times you do it, then its just the same thing of killing npc's with the occasional opposing faction that shows up. More times than not my guild has flipped Arti's with zero opposition from the other side, this isnt pvp, its pve in a pvp zone. Fortress sieges resort to nothing but zerg vs zerg and it just equals out to whoever has the most numbers wins. This compiled with the crysystem.dll crashes that a huge amount of the community is having that makes a lot of people not show up to sieges in the first place as we will just crash out of the game despite how good our systems are. NCsoft was so bold as to go on forums and try to blame people for it saying their drivers were out of date or their system specs were to low...clearly they didnt even bother to read what people were saying.
Next you have bots. Botting is a horrific problem in this game, and dont even say "well all games have them" because thats just a blatently stupid cop out of the real issue. NCsoft is doing way below nothing on removing these guys. There is a single bot on my server that I have reported since the newbie area at least 20 times, as I move towards lvl 40 he is still around. They also launched a game with no live gm support or ticket system..are you kidding me? Theres also been the same bots in Sanctum for weeks with gold selling messages that have not been removed.
Like I said, Aion is fun, but its extremely shallow and it really does nothing new for the genre. I know from at least my guilds perspective, they are all playing it simply because it works when compared to launches such as Warhammer and AoC, but as soon as something new comes out thats different, they are all gone.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
Thank you for your kind words, really appreciate them, it's not something that happens to often in a forum, at least to me... wonder why
Yes I bought Aion, even the collectors edition, and really liked for a month but slowly the little things that annoyed me finally won over the good things. It's a pity. But at some point it was clear to me that I was playing it only because I had spent 60 euros on it, so that was it. I cancelled and felt relieved. But now I kind of miss my templar heh.
Aion is just like any other MMO. At first it looks like something fresh,new,eyecandy something that might just be IT but.. its Same ideas, go kill, gather, gain exp and go gank. All mmo's are similar theres nothing ground breaking about a new graphics engine, more details, cooler animations. MMO in general ... isn't a very good gendre... yes it is interesting when you have ACTUAL friends to play with you while you chat around, socialise. But if not... its a very time consuming,sometimes addicting, repetitive JOB. "Why so much hate at a successful, highly polished and fun game?" - maybe its because it isnt what people expexted - something new. I really dont see anything new coming out ever. In the end it will just be a re-skined,pimped mmo which will lose its glitter once you see into it deeper.
To the OP:
The reason is simple: overhyping a product as something it isn't.
This game was hyped as "Truly Next Gen" and "The next great game to come along" and on and on.
The truth is that it is just another shallow Asian grinder in a shiny new package.
I played it some, on a friend's acct. Once you get past the graphics and the flying and the early levels, it becomes quite obvious that it is the same old grinder in the later levels.
I will grant that it is relatively well polished and technically tight, especially for recent releases, but that's about as much as I can give it.
It becomes shallow at a certain point and the amount of grinding required for the later level is beyond silly (80-100 hours for some of the later levels, by several accounts).
If people like it in Korea, more power to them. But to me, who has played other grinders before, it is just more of the same.
The game didn't live up to the hype and the current lack of server queues (after having to wait hours when released) is a testament that the word is out on what Aeon is, and what it isn't.
Simple as that.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Simple as that.
Nah the hate on here mostly comes from people that never touched the game
I know this is a thing that most people say and it's cherised by the fans of the game but how do you actually know that?
I never criticise anything I haven't tried before, and often I have been wrongly accused of not having tried what I'm criticising and honestly I think it's just because it's a good argument to "disarm" the other person but nothing else.
altairzq, I dont really post a lot on these boards, but I read them often. I sit back and read comments and from the information said, I can tell who has played a game I have also played and who hasnt. I then disregard those who are talking on misinformation. You are one I enjoy reading posts from, because I may not always agree with your view, but I know I am getting an honest opinion about a game you have put time into. I honestly wish others would follow your lead when it comes to that. Thank you for providing me with honest opinions during the last few years I have been reading this site and your posts.
And if anyone wants to say I am kissing his ass, I am not. I actually disagree with his views on Aion, but you can tell he actually has played it. I rather read an honest well informed negative view of a game I like than an insane fan boi lovefest post that doesnt address the game issues.
Thank you for your kind words, really appreciate them, it's not something that happens to often in a forum, at least to me... wonder why
Yes I bought Aion, even the collectors edition, and really liked for a month but slowly the little things that annoyed me finally won over the good things. It's a pity. But at some point it was clear to me that I was playing it only because I had spent 60 euros on it, so that was it. I cancelled and felt relieved. But now I kind of miss my templar heh.
I like Aion for a reason not really that common. While I do play it myself off and on, I bought it for my gf. She loves the game, it keeps her entertained and allows me peace while I am playing Fallen Earth or DDO. Basicly, Aion is the greatest game of all time because it keeps my old lady from complaining about my gaming habit as she is addicted herself
I also didn't originally mention the botters and spammers in Aion. That REALLY bothered me. I tried to overlook it for a while, but it definitely wears on you when you are constantly bombarded with Kinah seller spam messages while you play. Even if you put people on ignore or close the chat channels completely, they start whispering you... it just drove me crazy. And the bots are all over the place... it really seems like NCSoft is purposefully doing nothing to control it.
Coming from other games where the devs put in real time and effor to curb this kind of behavior, I just couldn't overlook this. Any way you shake it, there is no excuse for NCSoft's inaction in this regard.
I can agree with some of your comments - and I have to say at least there's solid arguments in your complaints... more than I can say for most forum posters around here.
What I don't agree with is your comment that NCSoft does "nothing" about spammers/botters. Simply not true. In fact - they have been really on the ball - spam is almost completely gone - rest assured - Bots are next in line to get banned. Just because NCSoft developed L2 - it doesn't mean Aion will suffer the same fate. Maybe they LEARNED from that? I mean - Christ - its only been a month on this side of the globe - they are very well aware of that issue... if this is still a problem 6 months or a year down the road, then ya... I can agree they aren't doing their best to fix the problem. However, a month after release and people want to hang the entire dev team because of one (although pretty major) issue? It just sounds like the sky is falling once more - the same way it was from the lag, private stores, queues, etc. Everyone wants to complain and whine as soon as something isn't completely rosey - it doesn't mean that NCSoft doesn't care or that the player/fan base is completely blind. Believe me - we all get it... but truthfully most of us ignore it and go play with our Legion - get into some heavy PVP - run an instance, etc. We don't care enough to have it ruin our game play.
There is PLENTY to do and all can be done while ignoring bots. My biggest problem with Bots is what it does to the economy - but that's another topic for debate. I have full faith it'll be address in the next 2-3 months - and then what? People will STILL complain about "insert X issue here" - even when the game matures and all the annoying problems are resolved. My point? People will STILL complain because they don't like aion so they need to make sure everyone else knows their feelings on the issue. Aion could be the best game ever made but if someone has it in their head from the start the game is trash - then of course they won't get any enjoyment out of it. Simple as that.... Those who are open minded, patient, and understand that NCSoft don't just "rush" a new patch out with 100 fixes but actually takes time to QA their work, submit it, and then work on the next batch of issues will certainly pay off. I don't care how many crybears there are here (not saying your one of them so no flaming)
- I know many who DO enjoy it though - Im sorry you don't feel the same but as long as your arguments are solid and objective we can agree to disagree 
No harm in that...
Agreed.
Knowing me, I will be back in a few months to try the game again. I will be happy to give it another shot if NCSoft has addressed some of my issues by then. For now, I'll be passing my time with Dragon Age.
I think NCSoft gets a bad rep for botters/spam is because of the following:
1 - They have a history of letting this go in the past (L1, L2)
2 - There has been very little communication detailing how they are going to fix certain issues (bots/crashing/etc).
3 - They are an asian company and those companies in the past have a history of allowing this stuff in their games.
You can say that they are doing something about it, but honestly they don't even have adequete GM support. Every day people post screenshots of bots in game that are allowed to roam free for weeks after being reported. Then you wonder why it's a problem for alot of people.
Never saw a bot in EQ2, pre-cu SWG, CoH, CoV, etc.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Simple as that.
All I see is blah blah blah no real defense from a fanboi.
Want to know why I was playing on a borrowed acct? Because they guy who bought it thought it was crap and was canceling. I had to agree and was glad I saved myself the $. Maybe Korean college students or gold farmers can take that much grinding, but I already have a job.
Some people claim to have leveled to 50 in 12 days, but only if they run a bot 24/7. Or play 18 hours a day. But I already have a job.
What is amusing is that fanbois keep hyping this thing as something new, when all it is a new GRINDER.
The only thing about there being no server queues, is that many, many fewer playing now, than when things kicked off. Is that better or worse? I don't know, and don't care, either.
Grinders loaded with bots suck, no matter how pretty they are.
Simple as that.
It was never hyped as "truely next gen", it was just hyped as the first polished game to be released in years.
I also find it kind of amusing that you have only played it on a friends account, yet you feel you know the game in later levels. 80-100 hours per level is in no way true, unless the person was not actively xp'ing at all during most of that time. People have been hitting 50 in 12 days playing time, so do the math and see how far off you are. 12 days play time is comparable to most MMO's at release - INCLUDING how long it took 1-60 in WoW at release - just do a search of the guides at release and they used to SELL guides telling ppl how to do it in 12 days.
What Aion really is, is an MMO with a full end-game based around factional world PvP. The only other competition out there for that type of game atm is Warhammer, which is fun in lower levels but fails at high levels - they are still trying to get their fort sieges working correctly. Compared to Aion - Aion is nowhere near as newbie friendly, but performs much better at endgame.
The fact that you mention lack of server queues as a negative thing, shows your true intent, and shows how hard you are trying to knock the game.
You would have had much more credibility if you left all those comments out.
Simple as that.
All I see is blah blah blah no real defense from a fanboi.
Want to know why I was playing on a borrowed acct? Because they guy who bought it thought it was crap and was canceling. I had to agree and was glad I saved myself the $. Maybe Korean college students or gold farmers can take that much grinding, but I already have a job.
Some people claim to have leveled to 50 in 12 days, but only if they run a bot 24/7. Or play 18 hours a day. But I already have a job.
What is amusing is that fanbois keep hyping this thing as something new, when all it is a new GRINDER.
The only thing about there being no server queues, is that many, many fewer playing now, than when things kicked off. Is that better or worse? I don't know, and don't care, either.
Grinders loaded with bots suck, no matter how pretty they are.
Simple as that.
Bots level slower than people do. They can grind all day and night , which means they would hit 50 earlier in real time, but it would be MUCH HIGHER play time.
Furthermore, your responding to my post where I did not say it was "something new", I said it was one of the only modern MMO's that offer an end-game of world PvP.
When it comes to server queues, they were gone on most servers within a week, only persisted on Elyos side on a couple servers for maybe 2-3 weeks after. Hell, Siel-Asmodian only had a decent queue on the first day of pre-release, after that was max a 5min queue.
Are you trying to claim that brand new games are not more popular then games that have been out for awhile? That happens in any new game lol. It's common sense - loads of ppl take off from work and near-100% of the population is playing as much as they could the first couple days.
Therefore, bringing up no queues (which is a GOOD THING) and trying to claim there are so few players serves no purpose except trolling. Anyone who actually plays knows that there are no population problems in game. It's just one of the troll-favorites of mis-information to spread on the forums.
Actually, your post is a perfect compilation of mis-information that are troll-favorites.