Home › Game Forums › Rift
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
What's the appeal of this game?
This discussion has been closed.
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
If you're looking for something on the cutting edge breaking the boundries, look elsewhere. Rift is a cookie cutter MMO with a few interesting bits thrown in.
However, having played Open Beta 7 for the last few days, it's a surprisingly fun MMO, even with the cookie cutter aspect. Although it's much more fun when you're guilded. I started playing solo, then went to check the TOG website (The Older Gamers; http://www.theoldergamers.com) and found that they had a presence in Rift. Once I joined in with TOG, the game took on a much more fun aspect.
TOG had at any one time 15-20 members online during the beta, and the feeling is there will be more players joining after release. So for anyone over the age of 25 looking for a mature and fun loving guild, check us out. (end plug).
You'll find levelling a breeze in Rift, so most of the content will happen at endgame. You can join a PVP server, or if you prefer to selectively choose when you want to PVP, join a PVE server, which allows you to flag yourself for PVP at any time.
I played a PVE server and found there was enough action with "rifts" opening (as mentioned above, rifts are in game events often controlled by the GM's to some degree) and invasion forces to defend against to keep me busy almost for half of my gaming time. If you enjoy questing, there are so many quests you'll find yourself leaving some behind as you level.
Another interesting aspect is in-game puzzles, where you have to touch a bunch of points in sequence to get a reward, which could be a green, blue, or purple item. Items are colour coded the same as WoW, with grey being vendor trash, white being an item with no stats, green an item with stats, blue a buffed item, and purple being a rare item.
It's a decent game overall. However, the main aspect of Rift that puts it apart from other (un-named) MMO's is the class system. There are 4 classes, each with the ability to have 8 specialisations ("souls") with up to 3 of those souls able to be active at any one time. You can switch between sets of 3 souls, which means you can be a warrior set up as a tank with one combo, dps with another, and pvp with yet another.
Some players in TOG through experimentation found that a Rogue could make a very good tank with the right set of souls, as an example of how the class based system is set apart from the crowd. Mages are your healing class, as well as having available offencive souls. And every class, Mage, Rogue, Warrior, and Cleric, has at least one soul which allows players to cast a pet. I used "Beastmaster" as my main soul with my Warrior, and having the pet meant I was able to solo three mobs that were a level higher than me without too much trouble. So, good for solo play. Most classes are balanced such that you can take care of mobs 2-3 levels higher than yourself without using pots.
Making gold is almost too easy in Rift, so there's little chance that gold farmers will take over, and indeed I never saw one single spam for gold in game. I did hear of one person who saw advertised "1 gold for $10", and considering you can make 1g from a level 10 vendor trash item, I dare say not many people will part with $10 for 1g.
Mounts are available at any level, so long as you have the ~2 platinum 55 gold available for one. 1 platinum is 100 gold, and you could easily make 255 gold by level 15 if you only sell vendor trash. Add to that the crafting system, which allows you to make items that are actually worth having, and you could easily make enough for a mount using the AH by level 10.
Level 10 takes about 3-5 hours of in-game play, depending on how much time you spend on other activities.
Like I said, it's a surprisingly fun game to play, with some interesting aspects that will take you some deep thought and experimentation to familiarise yourself with, and has some interesting game-play mechanics that, while cookie cutter based, are good enough to keep your interest for more than just a few minutes.
I'd suggest trying the game after release if you're looking for something laid back and releatively easy to play, something that's fun and interesting, and has a reasonably decent community.
As always there are some nubs in game, but they're easily ignored once you get into a good guild.
Hope this helps!
/Oscarian
I disagree with your statement in RED.
Then again, I would disagree that WoW, LotRO, WAR, DAoC, and several other games have the same gameplay.
Of those four, I never played DAoC - it never had any appeal and there were games out at the time that I felt were better (was playing UO, AC, and even AO at the time). I found WAR to be clunky, but the PQs were interesting to an extent. I found LotRO to be tedious, but the graphics were definitely nifty with the DX10 client (kind of like DDO's DX10 client, etc). I hate WoW's Fisher-Price graphics, but prior to Cata - I enjoyed pugging BGs (had not raided since Vanilla). WoW's pre-Cata 4.0 started WoW's death for me, and wasting the money on Cata sealed the deal.
Currently, I am subscribed to CoX. I do that once or twice a year for a few days, having forgotten how much I hate the game. I like the idea of a superhero game (CO was a gross insult to gamers and DCUO is a port of a console brawler).
I have lost track of how many games I have played over the years since UO.
But oh well, that is neither here nor there...and I really do disagree with the statement in RED.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
The thing I'm wondering is what "new and exciting" gameplay are people looking for really? There are plenty of MMO's out there that break the mold, and do stuff differently. EVE for example is about as different as one can get from WoW...maybe the people who don't like Rift should go play it?
Or what about Age of Conan, with it's graphic use of blood and nudity, combined with the rich lore of Conan, and a much more interactive combat experience? Maybe that's your cup of tea instead.
Or how about Vindictus? Again, combat is completely different than "wow clones", maybe that would tickle your fancy instead.
All I know is that I became hooked to Rift once I got into the Freemarch...and started seeing shit happen all the time....ALL THE TIME around me. There were Rifts, invasions, encampments, quests, a dungeon....so much crap for me to do.
That's what's different with Rift...the feel of actually having fun...in the game world...and not in an instance. There's nothing like that in WoW...nothing. And I've leveled several characters to around level 20 or so, just trying out different souls and combat styles...all with the same starting zone...and none of it is getting old.
I will admit, that the first time I played Rift, I didn't get into it. Granted, I only played about 10 minutes, but once I started gaining levels, figuring out the Soul system...and of course experiencing Rifts for the first time, I then found out what all the hype was about.
Rift is bringing the Multiplayer back to MMO. Not contstant dungeon queues, or zoning into Raid dungeons. Sure, Rift will have some of that, but given the emphasis on Rifts and the rewards they net, the game world will be full of life..something WoW cannot say.
But if you played in beta, did Rifts, dungeons, and learned the Soul system...and you STILL aren't having fun, then there's nothing I, or anyone else will be able to say to convince you otherwise.
I, on the other hand, have already preordered...and am currently suffering from a bad case of Riftdrawls
Rift is a very polished game. Intresting class mechanics. Intresting rift mechanics. It is true that rifts would get boring. As would questing, as would crafting. Everything will get boring.
One thing I like in games is gear. I enjoy questing for gear. I enjoy pvping for gear. Rifts offer a whole new currency to spend at planar vendors. The invasions offer the same currency. Each zone has unique rift types and rift currency. So what you have here, is something for grinders to farm. The same farm that pvpers will do for their gear.
On the currency not, you also have currency for pvp, currency for collections, currency for tradeskills, faction based vendors and dungean currency.. To some this is asinine. To me, it offers different reasons to do things.
I no longer quest just to quest. I quest so I can buy stuff at the faction vendors. I do collections so I can buy that 110% runspeed mount. I do dungeans for loots and for dungean tokens to buy even more loots, I do pvp for pvp loots. I run rifts and invasions for planar goods.
I really enjoy that about the game. I find that whenever I get bored of something, I can just switch gameplay modes and still work for a rewarding goal.
I also really enjoy the fact that I can switch play styles at the push of a button aswell. I can have a role for hanging with my friends. I can have another role for soloing. I can have a role for experimentation. I can also have a role for pvp.
No one claims this game to be a whole new primary color, invented by some mad scientist to blow your fucking mind. Rift is just a painting consisting of red and blue and all shades in between. It is somethign you have seen before, but its one hell of a beautiful painting.
When we judge a game for being so similar to other games, I cant help but think about what game is in fact so differnt. I look at eq2, wow, ddo, lotro, vangaurd, aoc, aion, ffxiv, and I wonder just how ground breaking they really are.
If nothing else, RIFT is beautiful, plays hella smooth even when all shit hits the fan, has almost zero bugs and a very solid themepark ride. If you buy it, you will get your free months worth for sure. Saddly, thats about all we can ask for these days with mmos. I myself already bought a 6 month sub at the discounted prices. Ever preorderd the collectors edition.
I can only respond to this by saying, why do people who read books enjoy reading fantasy novels over, say, mystery books. Or vice versa. Et cetera et cetera.
Sure, if you haven't played WoW, LotRo, WAR, DAoC, etc, you might find them enjoyable. But if you have, then when something new comes along most people who enjoy fantasy based games (although there's a bit of steampunk stuff in Rift as well) might find Rift enjoyable merely because it's what they enjoy most.
I was critical of the game for probably the first 12 hours of playing, only to find myself looking out the window to see the sun coming up. So that's when I decided there must be "something" about Rift that I actually enjoyed. It's got that "x factor", somehow.
/Oscarian
For me it's the class system. Is beyond any of those games. It's beyond anything I have seen.
I'm sure this game is fun. It has new pretty graphics to look at, dynamic classes. it's the staying power that I am concerned about. I am sick of paying $50 + $10-$15/mo. for a game that has little staying power. I never regret any of my WoW purchases because I know it will ALWAYS be there, ALWAYS be playable and POSSIBLY enjoyable at times. I never have to worry about logging in to an abandoned game.
But I really don't want to play WoW anymore. It's time for something new that I won't be wasting my money on.
Dragnon - Guildmaster - Albion Central Bank in Albion Online
www.albioncentralbank.enjin.com
I could sum the game up by saying this:
Rift is a glass half full.
/Oscarian
No man should ever tell you how to spend your money. I think the VAST majority of players realize one thing very earrly on. This game is here to stay. It is not going anywhere. This is no aion. This is no war. This is no ffxiv. This game will not defeat wow, but we all know this game is gonna stick around even when gw2, tera, and that new star wars releases.
While I am sure this means something to you, could you perhaps elaborate for the rest of us?
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
They have some decent people behind the game, behind the company, etc. They did a nifty job of getting the VC's involved for financing something that did not exist until relatively recently. There are definitely going to be folks looking for a decent ROI.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
See my above posts for a more thorough overview on my thoughts about the game.
/Oscarian
Its class/souls system is pretty unique. if you like pvp or instance raid, it is the game for you. if you like solo it is the game for you too.
you can level your char by doing quest, or pvp, or instance. if you want to get best gear you need do all of them together since each part gives different currency to buy different part for your gears. if you like crafting, it is game for you too. crafting will give craft currency.
in general it is a good polished mmo game made in california.
A glass half full could mean many things (ignoring the obvious contrast offered by half empty). A glass half full is not a full glass. Then again, does the glass need to be full? What is in the glass? Etc, etc, etc.
Even going through and reading your other posts does not elaborate on the vague statement that RIFT is a glass half full.
edit: Does not matter though - I do not have time for games like this on forums.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
If you want some sort of security that the game will be around for awhile I don't think anyone here is in a position to give you a worthy answer on that.
Who knows how successful the game will be, but my guess is that it will be something along the lines of every other western MMO that's not WoW, and that is, somewhat successful.
If you really think about it, based on passed "WoW killer" releases, this game will probably sit around 200k-500k users. Which is enough to keep a dozen populated servers.
The game will probably be around for awhile, but no one can say for certain.
The great appeal and fun of Rift for me is that unlike any other MMO I have played, this one actually encourages players to cooperate (dealing with Rifts and Invasions), as opposed to encouraging players to compete with each other. Now, it is true I prefer PvE over PvP, but it seems Rift also allows the kind of PvP most want (PvP servers vs. PvE servers).
But I think a great majority of players want the ability to cooperate together without having to form pre-planned groups. And that is defintely what appeals to me. Also, it is a stable and solid game. Better than any "released" games I have played. And I have played just about all of them (with a few exceptions, such as games designed for PvP such as Darkfall).
Just my opinion.
You're right, DAoC isn't like WoW LotRO or WAR because those 3 games are nearly identical and very primitive, whereas DAoC was a GOOD MMO and one of the most innovative and influential ones to ever release.
Rift, AoC, LotRO, WoW, WAR, Aion, all more or less the exact same game. I'm tired of it. So very tired. It wouldn't be so bad if they were modelled after a good game, but they're modeled after WoW, which has so many flaws that the devs have to bandaid it with instance over instance over instance to fix the design flaws.
The gameplay of DAoC is the same as WoW and the others... press hotkey, perform ability. DAoC had things like positional and linked abilities but it's pretty much the same thing.
Note, I'm talking actual gameplay, and not other content/features such as frontiers etc.
Marketing 101 basics says.......Due its release timing and the sheer number of people looking for something newer for a fresh start, add the fact that 3 of the biggest anticipated games coming out , maybe late this year were in fact due out last year and arent, and you get a total that equals Success. The numbers of subs needed for a game like this to be doing fine VS the number of anticpated players who will play it, if nothing else while waiting for other major games to release, Ensures this game will be a Winner!
Other then that stated above, i also happen to like the game .
To others who Scream its just a Clone.... i guess all fantasy mmorpgs are somewhat clones, kinda like saying my f150 truck is a clone of the old model T since they both got 4 wheels, seats, doors, windshields, brakes, engines, use gas, and on and on i could go....... but that doesnt mean i am not going to buy or drive my f150 truck just because it is a clone of an old model T < by clone gaming standards as many would have us believe >, in fact i still love it too! Just my 2 cents worth......
Due to a lot of people at my work planning on playing, I decided to purchase Rift and I was able to participate in the last beta event.
At first, I was amazed at how similar the game is to Warhammer in terms of art style, quest hubs, PQs/Rifts, even highlighting other people and npcs. However, if anybody played Warhammer during their beta (and launch for that matter) they know that there were so many things about Warhammer that just weren't....right. In other words, the game's core was good, but it lacked polish.
Not with Rift. In Rift, I don't have problems with my abilities syncing with my character's movement. In Rift, I can jump over that fence. In Rift, my keybindings actually don't reset upon logging out. In Rift, I was able to get my collectors edition items on time (and this is beta!). In Rift, the mailbox actually opened the second I clicked on it. In Rift, crafting is actually useful.
Rift, is the game I was looking for three years ago. I will be playing it come release.
Thanks for proving you have no idea what you're on about. WoW is a linear game with quest based leveling, no persistant PvP, non flexible classes, and the single goal of the game is to level up and get loot.
You're saying that's the same as DAoC? That had no quest based leveling, no instances (for a while), massive PvP goals, massive open world raids, almost no focus on gear gathering (it was done for fun if anything) a healthy and robust crafting system, naval warfare, is the same game as WoW? Good lord the MMO genre has brainwashed some people.
So by saying the "gameplay" you mean... the combat system? Seriously? You think these games are all the same because they have slightly similar combat systems? No, sorry, there's so much more to a game than that. The truth is, DAoC had a ton of its own features. WoW and all its clones? They share the EXACT same features.
There is a stickied thread here for these kinds of comparison discussions. Please use it. We are trying to cut down on thread redundancy as to allow discussion of the game itself.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/306250/READ-The-Rift-World-of-WarcraftWarhammerEtc-Comparison-Thread.html - Continue or repost there if you'd like.
To give feedback on moderation, contact mikeb@mmorpg.com