The game is the very definition of "meh." The setting is interesting but the execution is not. The voice acting is passable at best but the cutscenes and conversations are ridiculously long! If you hated SWTOR's long winded conversations, this is like SWTORx7. The sad thing is that despite these long conversations, most of them fail to explain what's going on. The quests are the your usual MMO fare, nothing groundbreaking. The animations are clunky at best and the combat needs lots of work. Sure, you can move and attack but what's the point if you still get hit? The overall story is worse than GW2's and I hate GW2's stories. You're a nobody, then you swallow a fly and all of a sudden you're being headhunted by the Templars?
This game's only redeeming factor is the music, it's absolutely fantastic. The zone design is also very nice, albeit lifeless. Some NPCs also look great, which is kind of sad because player characters are ugly.
I give this game 6/10 and I'm off to play Path of Exile which also is having an open beta weekend tonight and is an absolute blast, compared to this POS.
PS: this game needs at the very least 3 more months of development time. If Funcom releases it next month, it'll be a complete disaster.
If it weren't for GW2, I'd probably be buying this game at launch. I'm wary of Funcom, so I'm actually glad that I don't feel a need to rush in. I'm really hoping this game will have legs though and I'll almost certainly play it later this year, if it doesn't turn out to be a dud.
As to the animations, I'd have to see them to pass judgement. GW2 has skill use on the run as well and with a single exception everything looked good, smooth and natural during my 38 hours of testing during the last weekend event. IF TSW animations have issues that GW2 doesn't, then the Funcom excuse just won't be very valid. Many animations in AoC were stiff and un-natural, so it really wouldn't surprise me if there were simlar issues in TSW.
I really hope this game is good, though, there appears to be some innovation here and I love the concept for the game.
"Making animations for over 500 abilities is quite the task, therefore we have to use some placeholder animations on some of the abilities when showing a game still in production. We are working on it, and it will be amazing "
i just logged out from beta (being playing several hours). I LOVE the aBLood Magic. I have been expecting an mmo that includee Blood magic since i played Dragon Age. So far my combo is Blood magic + shotgun, and sometimes switch the shotgun for elemental. Gonna try sword + chaos later on. I agree with Suzie that the Rifle sounds like kids toy gun and its annoying.
I like so far the game setting, but today there were times that i felt no progression at all since theres no levels. After couple hours of questing in Kingsmouth i felt the grinding for AP / SP as deep as any korean grinder mmo. However the variety of quests and tier format makes it feel more fresh at times too. They need to work on animations more (in both cinematics and gameplay but more in gameplay).
The idea of playing a main character that doesnt know how to speak (not even in cinematics) in an mmo that HAS speaking npcs is beyond me.... Funcom, thats a huge loss.
Another thing that really bothered me is the entire map where kingsmouth is located has a small variety of monsters and all quest that requires killing something makes the game feels beyone repetitive. I hope outside kingsmouth area map there are different stuff to kill.
I am considering to buy the game after launch although in my very personal opinion its not worth a sub. ill play the first 30 days just like i did with Rift, Swtor, Tera, AoC (before f2p).
I've been playing the Beta and have found it to be slow and boring. The combat is uninspired.
this is just my opinion and I thought since the game was such a disapointment to me I would cancel my preorder with Funcom...which they had charged me in full a month ago.
Well guess what they said no I can not have a refund as they consider beta access as receiving the game. So I have now wasted $65 on a game I don't like that isn't even out yet because unFuncom have decided to treat me (And a lot of other people) with a lot of disrespect.
So as a warning DO NOT preorder games from Funcom unless you are 100% sure the game is what they say it is and you don't mind loosing your money if it isn't.
The Editor's note addition for character creation was a given I was thinking we were just offered a demo there, because it was quite poor. The update on animations is nice to know
So... the prize we have to pay for the separate body parts animations are... clunky combat? So he's basically saying his animators suck... other game pull it off just fine, why can't TSW?
After trying the beta and being disapointed. I attempted to cancel my preorder with Funcom to be told basically nahnahnnah we have your money and you can't have it back.
No refunds because playing in the beta is the same as receiving the game. So no refunds.
I personally found the game lackluster and the combat boring.... I guess it's a $65 lesson learnt to not trust Funcom.
I got burnt with AoC and was silly enough to believe they would not make the same mistakes.
In my opinion the graphics are subpar, quests are limited to find x and kill y.
If you enjoyed it and wasn't bored more power to you.
Animations look cheap, the hp bar stays almost at full when being attacked, the rooms look "boxy" and plastic like. The ui isnt nice looking. The gameplay videos simply has the effect on me that I dont want to play TWS. A miracle has to happen if this game makes game of the year.
If I want to ignore animations to simply follow the story I buy a sound book instead.
^ I have to agree with Mimzel.
I just cannot get over the fkup combat gameplay, character ui and the animations.
Hope their fans can enjoy the games cos TSW is not meant for me.
i just logged out from beta (being playing several hours). I LOVE the aBLood Magic. I have been expecting an mmo that includee Blood magic since i played Dragon Age. So far my combo is Blood magic + shotgun, and sometimes switch the shotgun for elemental. Gonna try sword + chaos later on. I agree with Suzie that the Rifle sounds like kids toy gun and its annoying.
I like so far the game setting, but today there were times that i felt no progression at all since theres no levels. After couple hours of questing in Kingsmouth i felt the grinding for AP / SP as deep as any korean grinder mmo.
.....
Regarding the progression, the amount of xp you get from quests and mobs increase as you take on harder quests and mobs further into the game. The amount of xp needed for one full xp bar (3AP, 1SP) stays fixed.
What does this mean? Well, you get Anima Points and Skill points a lot faster further into the game so it gets much easier to experiement with new builds or to snatch up passives from other weapons to get just the build you want.
I really liked the game so far and most likely will buy it.Animations was also my main concern but if thats the price to pay to avoid another static combat MMO , so be it. I am still hoping they'll polish it further eventually.
Edit: Another "genius" move is forcing players to use google to find solutions to puzzles instead of having them solveable ingame. Every time you take someone out of the game, it makes it that more likely they'll stay out.
There is a browser in-game.
Makes no difference. Whether the browser is ingame or not, simply opening that browser throws you back into the "real" world and takes you away from the game.
Now had they done something along the lines of GTA IV where it had computers that could access fake ingame websites and such, not only would it have maintained "immersion" but it also would have allowed a bit of creativity, such as "hacking" into an Illuminati web server for info, etc.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
After trying the beta and being disapointed. I attempted to cancel my preorder with Funcom to be told basically nahnahnnah we have your money and you can't have it back.
No refunds because playing in the beta is the same as receiving the game. So no refunds.
Wrong. Until they release an actual product, you have not recieved the product you pre-ordered and are entitled to a refund. If Funcom doesn't want to give it to you, a simple phone call to your credit card company will get you the money back easily as they will do a charge back against Funcom.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I thought I read something (now I cant find) that all the animations were place holders for other better animations. That may very well be Funcom double speak but I know the articel I read stated that. Wish I could find it now ;P.
Dare I say this but....WHY would you keep placeholders in the game for its first showing with massive numbers of people? That just does NOT make sense to me.
And, yes, animations and sound are my biggest issues but, IMO, those are HUGE issues. Most of us are sensory beings and to -see- crap combat/movement and -hear- sounds that are just off is...disconcerting.
So, You would like that the weapons sounded like the Action Movies in the 80s? Huge noise!!! If you played Battlefield 3 for example u would notice that not all Assault Rifles sound like a M60! :P
Edit: Another "genius" move is forcing players to use google to find solutions to puzzles instead of having them solveable ingame. Every time you take someone out of the game, it makes it that more likely they'll stay out.
There is a browser in-game.
Makes no difference. Whether the browser is ingame or not, simply opening that browser throws you back into the "real" world and takes you away from the game.
Now had they done something along the lines of GTA IV where it had computers that could access fake ingame websites and such, not only would it have maintained "immersion" but it also would have allowed a bit of creativity, such as "hacking" into an Illuminati web server for info, etc.
THey actualy placed "fake" websites on the real internet, you use the ingame browser and it will bring up "fake" websites that were created for the game.
Alot of nay sayers out there, and hey if the animations really bother you that is your perogative no biggie.
For me this game is hitting all the things I really wanted, quests that you have to actually think about, yeah sure you can always google the answer from spoiler sites or ask in chat for someone to give you the answer but if you don't do those things you actually have to use alittle bit of criticle thinking which is GREAT and has been missing from every MMO ever. A modern day theme. Conspieracy theories abound. HP monsters awesome, and this is just the very first area for one of the factions. It can only get better. Open skill sets, you can "make a mistake" in your build cause you can change it to what ever you want.
I will say the crafting aspect is pretty lame but again I wasn't really able to delve into it at all, so who knows maybe it will be decent
But one thing that really bothers me about this game is that I was not able to map and action buttons to my mouse. While it is not a complete deal breaker it is a huge set back for me.
But even with that I am pre-ordering, unfortunatlly I won't be able to play since I am leaving on deployment before release but at least it will be here when I get back :-)
Have fun everyone, and if it isn't for you no worries, just move on no need to bash something just because you don't like it.
I realise it's early days and a little way to go till launch, but I'm also concerned with much of how the game looks/feels.
I'm not keen on the character creation so far (I've noted they say that's going to improve). The the cut scene animations are so cringe-makingly bad I find it hard to sit through them. The game areas are amazing but the character animations are terrible.
For me, part of playing an mmo is really liking the character I'm playing and getting caught up in the story. Personalising my toon is REALLY important to me. If I have to make a big effort to forget I'm sitting at my desk playing a game, I'm not going to spend my monthly cash on it.
I've been tracking The Secret World for years, and I desperatly want to love the game. But like others here, I'm not convinced they've got time to make the game as polished as it should be at launch. By now, those making mmos SHOULD KNOW how important it is to make a bang when they release a game. Second best just doesn't cut it. It's not good business sense and I think it's insulting to the people who buy the game (esp those who pre-order - more fool me!) Funcom, more than most, should know all this.
I'm crossing my fingers they'll sort it all out, but I'm not holding my breath while I do.
"The Secret World doesn’t make fighting monsters just another walk in the park. You have to think when you’re in battle. Monsters don’t just run at you and stay in front allowing you to take them down. They come fast. They come in packs. They move. They hit damn hard too."
Out of the entire article this one paragraph made me laugh, the game has some of the worst AI I have ever seen. The mobs DO just run at you and stay in front, using pistols felt like a joke, because they all stayed in my line of fire and let me shoot them. But other than that one little paragraph, the rest was spot on.
I'm about 20 hours into this game and I am very very disappointed. I use a pistol (the pop-pop sound is terrible) with a elementalist backup. Firstly, the mouse sensitivity is, in my opinion, the worst part of the game (with no option to adjust). If enemies get behind you, which they always do immediately, it takes far to long to just spin your character around. Basically, to turn my character around, I have to drag my mouse across my desk. Secondly, the "puzzle quests" which are this games supposed bread and butter, are not puzzles at all. They are "alt-tab to google" or "ask in general chat" puzzles. NOBODY on earth would know these "answers".
There's a browser built-in to the game so you don't have to Alt-Tab. They added it precisely because they expected you to do research to solve some of the puzzles - it was one of the design concepts.
I gave the game a very honest go for a few hours. Having never read into the game and not really knowing what it was about other than the overall setting and basic gameplay aspects (and funcom..), I jumped in with very low expectations.
Overall I share many of the thoughts with this article about the initial experiences; it felt very... wrong. The combat feels extremely dated and a mirror opposite of the fast paced and fluid GW2 combat for example, and honestly felt nailed to the ground both in controls and animations.
The 'story' of the tutorial zone left me very much with a thought of "wtf is this". I very honestly had no clue what was going on. My character passed out from watching a puppet, fine, he gets a 'flash back'? Honestly the game doesn't tell me this is a flash back, my initial thought was that the events I was seeing, where actually happening right now, so the ending of the 'flash back' was even more confusing to me.
One could argue it's because I haven't researched about the game enough, but I'd counter with the fact one shouldn't have to do research about games when it comes to the basic starting experience and plot, the game should do a beter job delivering this information to me.
So that was your TSW Tortage experience, nice and stuff, then after some trippy-as-fuck flying tree's with robots teleport system (honestly, what the fuck was that, give me whatever the designers were smoking when they came up with this one), you get to the first proper zone.
First quest? Kill 6 zombies.
At this point I lost all interest in the game. I logged out for a few hours, and tried it again with a 'maybe it gets beter' mentality. No, the next quest sends me to collect a bunch of papers and turn them in. Great, fetch and collect quests accompanied by a combat system that makes me think WoW had a more fluid one.
Oh but the game has voice overs and a story guys. Yeah. The same shit that made SWTOR so 'awesome'.
Sorry Funcom, I gave it a honest attempt, but your game is not for me.
Comments
The game is the very definition of "meh." The setting is interesting but the execution is not. The voice acting is passable at best but the cutscenes and conversations are ridiculously long! If you hated SWTOR's long winded conversations, this is like SWTORx7. The sad thing is that despite these long conversations, most of them fail to explain what's going on. The quests are the your usual MMO fare, nothing groundbreaking. The animations are clunky at best and the combat needs lots of work. Sure, you can move and attack but what's the point if you still get hit? The overall story is worse than GW2's and I hate GW2's stories. You're a nobody, then you swallow a fly and all of a sudden you're being headhunted by the Templars?
This game's only redeeming factor is the music, it's absolutely fantastic. The zone design is also very nice, albeit lifeless. Some NPCs also look great, which is kind of sad because player characters are ugly.
I give this game 6/10 and I'm off to play Path of Exile which also is having an open beta weekend tonight and is an absolute blast, compared to this POS.
PS: this game needs at the very least 3 more months of development time. If Funcom releases it next month, it'll be a complete disaster.
If it weren't for GW2, I'd probably be buying this game at launch. I'm wary of Funcom, so I'm actually glad that I don't feel a need to rush in. I'm really hoping this game will have legs though and I'll almost certainly play it later this year, if it doesn't turn out to be a dud.
As to the animations, I'd have to see them to pass judgement. GW2 has skill use on the run as well and with a single exception everything looked good, smooth and natural during my 38 hours of testing during the last weekend event. IF TSW animations have issues that GW2 doesn't, then the Funcom excuse just won't be very valid. Many animations in AoC were stiff and un-natural, so it really wouldn't surprise me if there were simlar issues in TSW.
I really hope this game is good, though, there appears to be some innovation here and I love the concept for the game.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
For those talking about the 'placeholder' animations, this is something that's been discussed in the official forums. There are some responses from Martin - the lead designer here: http://forums.thesecretworld.com/showthread.php?t=26959&highlight=animation
"Making animations for over 500 abilities is quite the task, therefore we have to use some placeholder animations on some of the abilities when showing a game still in production. We are working on it, and it will be amazing
"
and:
"
Quote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrzpL...eature=related
Animations from another fc game. I think the animations will be just fine.
Fun fact: I and a guy called Ketil Støren designed all of these. Good times
__________________
Martin Bruusgaard
Lead Designer - The Secret World"
(the Youtube link is showcasing AoC animations)
i just logged out from beta (being playing several hours). I LOVE the aBLood Magic. I have been expecting an mmo that includee Blood magic since i played Dragon Age. So far my combo is Blood magic + shotgun, and sometimes switch the shotgun for elemental. Gonna try sword + chaos later on. I agree with Suzie that the Rifle sounds like kids toy gun and its annoying.
I like so far the game setting, but today there were times that i felt no progression at all since theres no levels. After couple hours of questing in Kingsmouth i felt the grinding for AP / SP as deep as any korean grinder mmo. However the variety of quests and tier format makes it feel more fresh at times too. They need to work on animations more (in both cinematics and gameplay but more in gameplay).
The idea of playing a main character that doesnt know how to speak (not even in cinematics) in an mmo that HAS speaking npcs is beyond me.... Funcom, thats a huge loss.
Another thing that really bothered me is the entire map where kingsmouth is located has a small variety of monsters and all quest that requires killing something makes the game feels beyone repetitive. I hope outside kingsmouth area map there are different stuff to kill.
I am considering to buy the game after launch although in my very personal opinion its not worth a sub. ill play the first 30 days just like i did with Rift, Swtor, Tera, AoC (before f2p).
I've been playing the Beta and have found it to be slow and boring. The combat is uninspired.
this is just my opinion and I thought since the game was such a disapointment to me I would cancel my preorder with Funcom...which they had charged me in full a month ago.
Well guess what they said no I can not have a refund as they consider beta access as receiving the game. So I have now wasted $65 on a game I don't like that isn't even out yet because unFuncom have decided to treat me (And a lot of other people) with a lot of disrespect.
So as a warning DO NOT preorder games from Funcom unless you are 100% sure the game is what they say it is and you don't mind loosing your money if it isn't.
Angrah
http://abyssmgc.com
couldn't even finish the videos.
The Editor's note addition for character creation was a given
I was thinking we were just offered a demo there, because it was quite poor. The update on animations is nice to know 
So... the prize we have to pay for the separate body parts animations are... clunky combat? So he's basically saying his animators suck... other game pull it off just fine, why can't TSW?
After trying the beta and being disapointed. I attempted to cancel my preorder with Funcom to be told basically nahnahnnah we have your money and you can't have it back.
No refunds because playing in the beta is the same as receiving the game. So no refunds.
I personally found the game lackluster and the combat boring.... I guess it's a $65 lesson learnt to not trust Funcom.
I got burnt with AoC and was silly enough to believe they would not make the same mistakes.
In my opinion the graphics are subpar, quests are limited to find x and kill y.
If you enjoyed it and wasn't bored more power to you.
[mod edit]
Angrah
http://abyssmgc.com
^ I have to agree with Mimzel.
I just cannot get over the fkup combat gameplay, character ui and the animations.
Hope their fans can enjoy the games cos TSW is not meant for me.
Am moving on to the next game.
Pardon my English as it is not my 1st language
Hmm, it is sad to hear things are looking grim. I love the premise of the game and its setting, and that it has an intellectual element of sorts.
I can see myself waiting to see what happens but quietly rooting for Funcom that they pull this together.
Regarding the progression, the amount of xp you get from quests and mobs increase as you take on harder quests and mobs further into the game. The amount of xp needed for one full xp bar (3AP, 1SP) stays fixed.
What does this mean? Well, you get Anima Points and Skill points a lot faster further into the game so it gets much easier to experiement with new builds or to snatch up passives from other weapons to get just the build you want.
Is the third faction for people who are not pyshcos? Or are all 3 pyschos?
I really liked the game so far and most likely will buy it.Animations was also my main concern but if thats the price to pay to avoid another static combat MMO , so be it. I am still hoping they'll polish it further eventually.
Makes no difference. Whether the browser is ingame or not, simply opening that browser throws you back into the "real" world and takes you away from the game.
Now had they done something along the lines of GTA IV where it had computers that could access fake ingame websites and such, not only would it have maintained "immersion" but it also would have allowed a bit of creativity, such as "hacking" into an Illuminati web server for info, etc.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
Wrong. Until they release an actual product, you have not recieved the product you pre-ordered and are entitled to a refund. If Funcom doesn't want to give it to you, a simple phone call to your credit card company will get you the money back easily as they will do a charge back against Funcom.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
So, You would like that the weapons sounded like the Action Movies in the 80s? Huge noise!!! If you played Battlefield 3 for example u would notice that not all Assault Rifles sound like a M60! :P
THey actualy placed "fake" websites on the real internet, you use the ingame browser and it will bring up "fake" websites that were created for the game.
Alot of nay sayers out there, and hey if the animations really bother you that is your perogative no biggie.
For me this game is hitting all the things I really wanted, quests that you have to actually think about, yeah sure you can always google the answer from spoiler sites or ask in chat for someone to give you the answer but if you don't do those things you actually have to use alittle bit of criticle thinking which is GREAT and has been missing from every MMO ever. A modern day theme. Conspieracy theories abound. HP monsters awesome, and this is just the very first area for one of the factions. It can only get better. Open skill sets, you can "make a mistake" in your build cause you can change it to what ever you want.
I will say the crafting aspect is pretty lame but again I wasn't really able to delve into it at all, so who knows maybe it will be decent
But one thing that really bothers me about this game is that I was not able to map and action buttons to my mouse. While it is not a complete deal breaker it is a huge set back for me.
But even with that I am pre-ordering, unfortunatlly I won't be able to play since I am leaving on deployment before release but at least it will be here when I get back :-)
Have fun everyone, and if it isn't for you no worries, just move on no need to bash something just because you don't like it.
I realise it's early days and a little way to go till launch, but I'm also concerned with much of how the game looks/feels.
I'm not keen on the character creation so far (I've noted they say that's going to improve). The the cut scene animations are so cringe-makingly bad I find it hard to sit through them. The game areas are amazing but the character animations are terrible.
For me, part of playing an mmo is really liking the character I'm playing and getting caught up in the story. Personalising my toon is REALLY important to me. If I have to make a big effort to forget I'm sitting at my desk playing a game, I'm not going to spend my monthly cash on it.
I've been tracking The Secret World for years, and I desperatly want to love the game. But like others here, I'm not convinced they've got time to make the game as polished as it should be at launch. By now, those making mmos SHOULD KNOW how important it is to make a bang when they release a game. Second best just doesn't cut it. It's not good business sense and I think it's insulting to the people who buy the game (esp those who pre-order - more fool me!) Funcom, more than most, should know all this.
I'm crossing my fingers they'll sort it all out, but I'm not holding my breath while I do.
[quote]
Originally posted by Beerninja
^This
Especially if you are here just to help people get refunds. Be MORE open minded
Lets stop with all the "it's just beta" fantasy bullshit. This is the same game you will be playing when it launches in june.
There's no Toothfairy, no free lunch, and no Miracle Patch.
Sorry, but sometimes reality hurts.
"The Secret World doesn’t make fighting monsters just another walk in the park. You have to think when you’re in battle. Monsters don’t just run at you and stay in front allowing you to take them down. They come fast. They come in packs. They move. They hit damn hard too."
Out of the entire article this one paragraph made me laugh, the game has some of the worst AI I have ever seen. The mobs DO just run at you and stay in front, using pistols felt like a joke, because they all stayed in my line of fire and let me shoot them. But other than that one little paragraph, the rest was spot on.
"Basically, it becomes more difficult to structure animations that always look perfect when the characters can't move during the animations."
Typo "can't" for "can" I believe
There's a browser built-in to the game so you don't have to Alt-Tab. They added it precisely because they expected you to do research to solve some of the puzzles - it was one of the design concepts.
I gave the game a very honest go for a few hours. Having never read into the game and not really knowing what it was about other than the overall setting and basic gameplay aspects (and funcom..), I jumped in with very low expectations.
Overall I share many of the thoughts with this article about the initial experiences; it felt very... wrong. The combat feels extremely dated and a mirror opposite of the fast paced and fluid GW2 combat for example, and honestly felt nailed to the ground both in controls and animations.
The 'story' of the tutorial zone left me very much with a thought of "wtf is this". I very honestly had no clue what was going on. My character passed out from watching a puppet, fine, he gets a 'flash back'? Honestly the game doesn't tell me this is a flash back, my initial thought was that the events I was seeing, where actually happening right now, so the ending of the 'flash back' was even more confusing to me.
One could argue it's because I haven't researched about the game enough, but I'd counter with the fact one shouldn't have to do research about games when it comes to the basic starting experience and plot, the game should do a beter job delivering this information to me.
So that was your TSW Tortage experience, nice and stuff, then after some trippy-as-fuck flying tree's with robots teleport system (honestly, what the fuck was that, give me whatever the designers were smoking when they came up with this one), you get to the first proper zone.
First quest? Kill 6 zombies.
At this point I lost all interest in the game. I logged out for a few hours, and tried it again with a 'maybe it gets beter' mentality. No, the next quest sends me to collect a bunch of papers and turn them in. Great, fetch and collect quests accompanied by a combat system that makes me think WoW had a more fluid one.
Oh but the game has voice overs and a story guys. Yeah. The same shit that made SWTOR so 'awesome'.
Sorry Funcom, I gave it a honest attempt, but your game is not for me.