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Rift = Next Generation
Rift builds upon what has been successful in other MMOs and has added to it some functionality that was not possible in the game engines of its older siblings. I would argue that it delivers on its "next-gen" promise.
Adding mobs that also change the environment as they roam around, grow, spread and spawn invasions was not possible before. The way these rfit/invasion events track kill participation in order to make sure everyone gets a air share of the loot was previously unheard of. Its only been 5 years so how much more should we expect MMOs to change?
So if its next-gen then why does it have many of the features of older games? That's easy - the same reason why we grow up to be just like our parents, "the apple didn't fall far from the tree" as they say. Game engines are the DNA so there is only so much the developers can do with what they inherited.
Its pretty smart to take what's popular in every MMO and shove all the good parts into your own. Works for me.
I do have an issue with the graphics, however, as those do not appear to be next-gen, not even close to what AoC offers. That being said, AoC grinds to a halt when there are too many objects to draw in an area and I did not notice this problem at all in Rift.
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If you like rift and want it to succeed. Please don't use the term "next generation". People are having enough fits about it just from hyping themselves out of nothing, no need to feed them.
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I'd call it an iteration of the same gen. I don't think anyone would call WAR next gen, but PQs moved the genre forward. Rift is just broadening the usage of PQs. GW2 will further broaden the usage by making the PQs part of the story and world(rather than randomly generated)
Next gen, in my opinion, would somehow change the core gameplay so it didn't just feel like a copy of every game in the past 5-10 years.
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
I also think that our conversations about Rift will be better spent if we didnt use the term "next-generation", though the CEO has used that as a corner-stone in his promotional talking-points in the past.
Next-generation, as a term, I think, is too often considered as a 'dramatic' shift in technology or form. I dont think that that term was intentionally used to portray Rift as a 'dramatic' shift or forward thrust in genre evolution.
'Next generation'.
The original meaning, or it's translation, is irrelevant. It has become a buzz word people slap on MMOs in order to promote, hype, or generate further interest in a new release. Nothing more.
True
If people say, "I like Rift because is a better Warhammer" no one would have anything to argue about.
People are not arguing over other people personal taste but on the definition of "next gen" MMO and the fact that it should not look so similar to Warhammer but a tiny bit more original.
So... you think Rifts quests are "building upon" previous mmorpgs?
You think their crafting system builds upon previous mmorpgs?
You think their capital cities build upon previous scales seen in previous mmorpgs?
The answer is simply that no "building upon" is going on. They are building UNDER but not UPON.
Rift is NOT next gen in any way shape or form.
Have you played Tabula Rasa or Dark and Light? NPCs spawning with waypoints and capture points is not particularly "new".
Rifts are a good feature, dont get me wrong, but they carry most of the game. Rift is not next gen, it doesnt try to be. The next gen claim is coming from their marketing attempts, not actual design.
Oh yes please, mince words to make sure you make everyone happy. Stifle your point of view to conform to the masses and make sure your always 100% politically correct in order to preempt negative comments.
Eff that. I prefer real journalism, a real honest point of view and tell it as you see it. Trion is taking the public quest system and adapting it into their own style of play.
Its the "Next Generation of Public Questing."
LOL, I life Rift because it is fun.
lol...ohhh-boy....here we go again.
I've been testing Rift and DCUO and DCUO is a much more polished game. And more fun I might add
The problem with saying a game is "Next Generation" is that it leaves the definition open to interpretation. Everyone will fill in the blank with what they want, not what the developer meant. If you have "classic" MMO features run by a next generation engine, then the MMO is "Next Gen", just not the kind of "Next Gen" most people think of.
This is kind of a problem with most of the information we get about MMO's before they launch. Much of what is said is open to interpretation by the readers. I will give Trion credit in that they did give more factual information than I'm used to. I played the beta and I wasn't really surprised by how it played or what was made available to me.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
It is fun but its just not what we'd call next-gen.
This is not a game.
oh snap. Rift just went 4g.
Theres a difference between "taking the good" or mimicing other games... and flat out ctrl+c 'ing their code.
Here is the link to site that describes why they are using the term "Next-Gen" http://venturebeat.com/2010/04/26/trion-worlds-reveals-slate-of-online-games-to-disrupt-video-game-industry/ read the section on new technology
Quote from article:
"With this blend of server and client processing, Trion can create what it calls “dynamic worlds.” It can make changes in the parts of the game running in the servers and — presto — the game world can change overnight. Instead of a cheery town, it can turn an environment of the world into ruins. Buttler believes this is the key to creating games worthy of the “next generation” moniker."
As we have seen in the beta they can force invasion spawns. These invasion spawns then do what is in the quote. I'm not quite sure they can just presto chango a city into existance. They can however alter the state of places already in existence.
I'm sure I've played other games that could make changes to the game of the fly(ie without rebooting the servers and installing new code). Maybe not as extensively, because it wasn't built into the core design (cities/hubs with different states)
I'd actually like to see this next-gen bit in action. If the implementation is just rifts setting up footholds and the like...meh.
---
Correct me if I'm wrong (and I am a lot), but don't many/most games offload different parts of the game to different servers? ie, chat server, item server (ffxiv), zone server...etc.
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
This.....
I'll post what I wroye on the rift forums as well.
I want to talk a bit about Trion's use of these words to describe this game and people's hopes and miss-conceptions therein.
I have been waiting for 2 fantasy MMO's this coming year, Rift and GW2. Both have a different take on dynamic content. I don't expect them to be the same, I actually like the fact that they are not the same. For all you people that want every single element in a game to be nex-gen, that is a pipe-dream, just stop right now. Determine whether you can like this game for what it is or just go on waiting.
Anyone that had put a little time into reading or viewing dev video would have known that this game would be a traditional MMO in it's roots, but with a twist. Most did not do their homework and went bats when they heard the words Nex-Gen in the beta video. You all thought it would have every single quest as dynamic I guess. Could they have done that, yes. It's not hard to make all quests into public events, then chain them into a big loop of sequencial content, it's just a hell of a lot of work! It seems Trion has chosen a different route. Trion plans on doing dynamic content, just not in the same way that GW2 will do it.
If you were online during the massive events Trion held, you would realize what was happening at that moment is what they meant by nex-gen. That those servers could stand up to 500 people onscreen in one spot while 100's of mobs were spawned in, is Trions little trick in a bag. Yes there were some crashes and some people had lag, but it was minimal compared to today's games! I myself had no lag whatsoever.
Watch the video's on their server architecture and how it differs from the norm. It is probably the key reason why we could have a gazillion rifts on one map, on the special event test. When Trion says this game is next-gen, I think it is this Architecture they are REALLY talking about. The Rifts are all part of this, but it is the structure that allows much of the possibilities of what we see now.
Stop a minute and think about what this means for pre-scripted events thrown into the system, not to mention world pvp. What about server side changes to the world that we do NOT have to download? Think a little more and then more. Are you all getting it? If not then keep waiting for EQNext or GW2. It's as simple as that.
Now that does not mean that people will like the game at it's core. Yes, questing still needs work, yes combat and other systems do as well. How many beta's have run this smooth without nary a crash of the servers? This is why Scott is practically giddy on that Rift podcast, despite some bad feedback. He knows what his team just accomplished. The game still needs work and it may never be a GW2, but they have other things in their bag for the future. I believe this game is a stepping stone. They have their server architecture, now we need to see what else is possible with it. I doubt we even have enough time in beta left to see what their little meniachal minds have thought up! In fact, I doubt they themselves know what is fully possible yet.
This game may not be the be-all-end-all for everyone, but it is an immense step in the right direction, as well as into the future. The servers are stable, the content is fairly polished. Work continues. You have a team that is willing to change things to make the game as good as it can be, that is willing to work with their customers to make the experience better. They actually communicate with us and listen at the same time. That is a gem in itself. I myself plan to be here to see the evolution.
Also, it's a hand-held easy walk-in-the-park journey to the max level and then grind the end game for next 1,5 years. No thanks, I rather spend my money to drinks and fast women.
There is definately big crowd of people that have thier own interpretation of what next gen is.
This is not uncommon since the Next Gen tag line has been used alot. First time I remember it being used was with Everquest 2.
Basically anything new that a game does or a new take on something that is considered the the devolopers or the industry as a whole as a step forward is Next Gen.
In this reguard we have a few things that are new.
1. Servers that can balance 600 or more players in a small area with no noticable slow down server-side. This is huge because many many games have had an experiance that is tarnished when more players are in an area by longer wait times to perform normal actions such as walking, opening bank, inventory, trading, fighting, casting spells...basically all aspect can be hurt by servers that can't handle the load of players. This game is the first I have played with that many people that can balance the load without destroying the gamer's experiance.
2. Rifts are new. There is only one other game that had anything similar, but that game had locked down locations. Those locations couldn't move or be created by players or take over an entire area. Rifts are therefor a new take and a great advancement.
These two are the main things this game does that is Next Gen.
There are many others that are very notable. The HD part of things....means it will look alot better with the fasted single video card and the fastest dual core out there at the highest setttings on a screen that is 1900 by 1200. This is a nice advancement since many games stop looking better at 1600 by 1080. So you can put in on a high end gaming rig at max settings connected to a 1080p tv and it will look great since that is what it was designed for, but it scales down nicely to whatever rig you have almost.
Another thing this does is pulling together all the elements that make a fairly great game all around and easy to get into to start with but builds upon it and I am sure will have great dungeon raiding and other elements that will challenge even the hardcore raiding community at the higher levels.
So this game has a little bit for every type of gamer from PvE, to PvP, to Raiders, to Role Players, to crafters, to collecters, to questers, soloers, groups, casual, hardcore, peope who need an easy learning curve, to those that want more challenge.
It is obviously closest to World of Warcraft in it's combination of all good things in one package. You either want another experiance with all the familiar GUI, and gameplay mechanics....which offers a polished and enjoyable new world with fun new customization and interesting lore......or you don't want that in which case there are many other games out there. This game is basically for people like me that enjoyed World of Warcraft but didn't like the cartoony graphics and want a new world and new experiance.
Next-Gen, huh? So which generation is it? Fifth? Sixth? How can it be a new generation when it's nine tenth like the old generation?
Next Generation has been diluted into a marketing slogan and nothing more. Over and out, ka-ching.
Next generation has no meaning in the pc world. It's a term used for consoles. Ps1 - ps2 - ps3.
Pc games just slowly evolve so stop using that term.
So it is, according to you, next generation because of two reasons:
AI mobs roam, grow, spread and spawn invasions
It tracks event participation and rewards accordingly
The first one, if true, sounds quite innovative. But the second one is nothing new, I know atleast one game (WAR PQ system) that did that, so that is nothing new.
So one new feature I would hardly qualify as "next gen MMOG". Even if it "works for you".
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The game seemed like it was fun during beta and the "GM Event" was a blast. The only "Next Gen" feature that I am looking for... is that the game launch in a state worthy of a released game. If they can actually do this... they will certainly be breaking the recent tradition of launching 1/2 complete (or worse) shovelware in the hopes that players will "support" them while they actually make a game.
And... if they do NOT deliver on that, I certainly will not be buying the game no matter what "Gen" it might be.
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Rift is about the same generation as WoW, and don't you forget it hot shot...you silly kids.
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That is not next generation. Rifts are nothing more than random spawns, nothing new there. There are also already games where the environment can change, and has been for some time, chopping down trees and leaving stumps for example....housing even, that alone changes environments. I'd also throw out there a boss mob in WoW that would grow stronger as it killed, again, nothing new there.
I'm sure you like Rift and will be buying it but please don't mislead people who haven't played into believing it's next generation because I played Rift and there's nothing about it that's next generation.
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