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Newsletter, Issue 1: Game of the Week
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
This week, we took a brief look at Horizons. We've looked at the game twice now. Have you seen it? Do you have an opinion on this Tulga Games offering? Let everyone know.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I played the free trial like 6 months ago and the engine lag was horrendous. The game would randomly speed up and slow down, it was unplayable.
I started playing Horizons the day it came out, and played it solidly for a year. The first year of release saw a lot of changes - the original combat system was replaced to fix the horrendous battle lag, and there was a great sense of community spirit as new events were released and people helped to free the two new races released since the game came out. Then things started to sour as many of the power players left to find other games, usually citing "no content" or "outdated graphics". Basically without as many players in the game it became a bit hard to group or sell goods. Then came server consolidation, which brought several servers down to two, which IMHO was a good thing, as it meant the worlds seemed more populated. Since then they have introduced massive amounts of new land, but not nearly enough new range in the mobs and NPC quests. It's not bustling world in there anymore, but I still like it.
One of the main gripes I have is that it is usually reviewed by someone who wants to (a) play only as a dragon, or (b) doesn't like crafting. This game is ALL about crafting, with the battle side of things a little less complex. Houses have a brilliant positioning and plot mangement system, with plans to introduce further customisations to the housing itself. The trade interface is still one of the most intuitive I've seen in MMORPG's - good distinction between products, the ability to multi select, view icons or details views - it all adds to the overall polish to the system.
The graphics are outdated to a degree, but still hold up against many current games. The community spirit is also still present, which is the most important feature of any online game - people who are there want to be there.
Forum signatures are stupid and annoying. I've turned mine off.
I also played since the beginning. I held a beta account for the last three weeks of beta then of course bought it at retail.
The game had its lag issues, but a great crafting system. I also liked the multiclass ability and the ways you leveled up. The over all playability was easy...and relaxing.
When I played for the first 6 mos I felt that there was a total lack of community (people didnt talk much or group much) and so I left. I came back twice and only felt that the community aspects had gotten better the last time.
Its still an enjoyable game in my opinion, but its not one that seems to have that "omg I cant wait to get home and play Horizons" feel that some mmo's create.
I too played it from Beta through the first year. By the end of the first year the player base had dropped way too much.
Best crafting system I had ever seen. One problem was you had to be a high level fighter to get the better materials to craft. The main problem with crafting though was that everone could reach high levels in all crafting areas if they were willing to put in the time. This devalued or made useless those of us that wanted to mainly craft versus fight. Get to be uber stonecutter, well so is everyone else, etc.
The lose of the player base made it even worse to try and accomplish goals, and get tasks completed.
I thought it had promise, but it died on the vine.
i played the trial of this game for a few hours. this was a few months ago.
great customization options, great idea, but apparently something went wrong and no one playsit anymore. i saw 1 person the whole time i played the trial. if there is no community, there is no game as far as mmorpgs go.
The ongoing problem with Horizons ... is the ongoing negative hype.
What I'm reading here is what I respect most in mmorpg boards - honest pros & cons from good gamers who've 'actually' played the Title
... not the 'complain for the sake of complaining' types, who've never even stepped inside the game world they're trashing. 
There was a time when a lot of the criticisms were well-earned.
Tulga is the company who inherited the mess that once was Horizons. They're an awesome Team of devs who are also passionate Gamers; & they really work hard to keep improving the game mechanics, as well as listen to their Player-Community. Granted, there's still some (at times) annoying lag issues; but no where near what it used to be.
The storyline keeps getting deeper, with many new surprises on the 'Horizon'.
And Horizons is one of the few mmorpgs that really caters to those of us who prefer to be Crafters. That being said, I also enjoy taking breaks from crafting by going into my Adventuring mode, & joining a hunting party. That's the beauty of a game like Horizons - as a player, I'm not 'locked' into having only one playing style. The game is very much alive & still evolving. I also enjoy playing a Dragon, as one of my alts. There's a richness in the char creation that's up there with more recent titles.
Since I still play Horizons, I stay very current on what's going on inside Istaria. The Player Community is still excellent, & most of the time I still find the old-timers very willing to help true New Players get a true feel for the game. A lot of the Player base are older, seasoned online vets; so that really makes a positive difference in the attitudes.
The folks behind the Title (Tulga) are as passionate about healthy Community building as we players are. One example of how much they truly care about their Player-Community is the fact that when they learned one of their subscribers became a stage-4 Cancer Patient, & had to be under permanent Hospice care- Tulga set up a special account for that Player to be able to play for Free, to help take their mind off the pain, chemo, etc. They lightened the hearts of that Player & the Player's Loved Ones beyond measure. Where else are you going to find that kind of hardcore loyalty & concern from an online game company??? It happens very rarely nowadays, when the unfortunate bottom-line in most other Titles is profit over quality. Tulga & the Gaming Community keep making Horizons better, from the inside out. So, if you haven't visited Istaria lately, it might be time to give Horizons a fair try.
Happy Holidays, Everybody! 
I think the responses here are interesting. It's nice to see that the game does in fact still have a following. I've considered giving it another shot several times but I don't think the crafting system is quite enough to keep me intrigued. I can definitely agree with what was said above, that the game has to be judged by someone that likes that type of game. I enjoy crafting, but I still expect it to be second to adventuring and fighting. Maybe that is where the game lost me.
And for simple clarification, my mini rant above about companies not paying attention to the player base was not really directed at Horizons the finished product. I certainly was not involved enough in the game to know much there, and some of the changes I've seen would indicate that some attention is at least paid. The rant was more at the changes made to the plan before the game came out. I still think that the original idea for Horizons is the game that I am waiting for. Hopefully someday someone will make it. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.