[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
And yet again, I am forced to admit defeat. Part of it is my total lack of motivation with virtually all RTS games, and partly it is the insane amount of time I have to spend at work, but I don't think the review for Age of Empires is going to happen right now. Fear not, my fellow Budgeteers! I will not quit! They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREE GAMES! I will have a review for you soon! It will be less-than-humble! I WILL FORGE ON! Just, not on Age of Empires. For now, thanks for your readership, and keep looking for those missed diamonds of games that are out there!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
faster, Faster, FASTER WOULD BE BETTER!!!
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
Alas and alack, my fellow gamers, I have failed you. Due to a radical shift in my work requirements, a change in location, my son cutting several teeth at once, and the release of Torchlight II, I have lost all sense of responsibility and have not played Age of Empires for several weeks. So it will be a little bit longer on the next review. For all my readers, whether new or long time, I appreciate you choosing to spend your time with me, and would humbly ask for your patience. For now, it's time to dig in and get back to the game!!! So expect a review soon, and keep your guard up! Here there be Dragons!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Alas and alack, my fellow gamers, I have failed you. Due to a radical shift in my work requirements, a change in location, my son cutting several teeth at once, and the release of Torchlight II, I have lost all sense of responsibility and have not played Age of Empires for several weeks. So it will be a little bit longer on the next review. For all my readers, whether new or long time, I appreciate you choosing to spend your time with me, and would humbly ask for your patience. For now, it's time to dig in and get back to the game!!! So expect a review soon, and keep your guard up! Here there be Dragons!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Moon Breakers Review #2
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
Making the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, and pulling Titan's Turn on my way to your computer screen, I am NoCashReq, This is Flat Broke Gamer Review, and we are coming back again to continue the review of Moon Breakers!
A QUICK REMINDER
The last time we were here, we looked at the Playability (3/5) and Atmospherics (3/5) of the game. My first few trips out of the Hangar Bay were met with a lot of explosions, but having persevered, I found my groove and started pulling hairpin turns and blowing up other pilots.
And now, onwards we go!
BLUF: Continued play has reconfirmed that although this game is lacking a lot of the personalization and variety, it is a lot of fun to play and well worth your time. The Community is rather small right now, so occasionally you will have no one to play against, but the game only released in May and the company is still working to improve the game and expand it, so I would expect it to turn into a great game with a steady following.
Here's the Trailer, most of which is actual screenshot video, so you can see what I'm talking about!
SCORES
Learning Curve: 4/5 The ships are all upgradable, and the skills required for playing truly set apart the Top Guns from the rest of us pilots. Lacking the ability to personalize your play further than the upgrades and the limited number of ships/variety of weapons is the only thing that holds their score from a 5.
Community: 4/5 Although there will be times where there aren't enough people to play with, the people who play have been polite, friendly, and helpful. We'll have to watch as this game expands its player base to see if it stays the same.
Support: 5/5 Even the download was quick and smooth. No issues playing it at all, and the forums (http://moonbreakers.userecho.com/) includes the developer's changes and plans for the future.
Cash Shop: 3/5 Only the ships are available for purchase, and the prices are a little bit higher than I think they should be, but they have it right that the actual play improvements are available only through flying well and earning them.
Overall: 22/30 Still in its infancy, this game has a lot of fun gameplay, and a lot of potential. Hopefully it grows into a great game, as it is already a really fun time.
LOAD UP YOUR PHOTON TORPEDOES
Continuing where we left off, I decided to keep the pedal to the metal, and have logged in several more hours of flight time. There are three types of game styles and three maps.
Seek and Destroy: Kills, kills, kills. This is your typical deathmatch, where the only thing that matters is getting the other pilots before they get you.
Capture the Flag: On the "top" of the carriers are a transmitter that you can fly over to pick it up, and by bringing it to your carrier, your team can shoot for the high score. There is a value to killing the other pilots, but you won't get the highest creds available that way.
Carrier Assault: The easiest way to rid the skies of your enemies is to give them nowhere to go back to. Destroy the turrets and drive torpedoes into the sides of your opponent's carrier to win.
The Broadsides map places the carriers barely separated by an asteroid field. It is a lot of fun for all of the play types, and allows for any type of ship to be effective.
Playing on the Broken Moon map is harder, as there is literally the remains of a moon inbetween the carriers. Light fighters don't do as well near the opponent's carrier, as they are very exposed, but the other types do better.
The final map is called Rockfield, and is similar to Broadsides, save for the distance between the carriers. This is probably my favorite map for Seek and Destroy, but my least for Capture the Flag.
In addition to earning creds, playing well will earn you a bounty. Kill streaks, stealing the flag, blowing turrets and hitting with torpedoes will earn you a bounty that other players can cash in, and the longer you keep the streak going without being blown out of the sky pushes the value up more and more. This is probably the first time I've seen a reward for taking out a hot player that wasn't restricted to your current match, and I like it! It's so fun to see everyone swarm someone when that "BOUNTY" appears over their name.
The longer you play, the higher your level will go, and at the beginning of the game, you will see bars next to your name, giving a rough idea to the other players of your skill.
NOCASHREQ TO TOWER, REQUESTING A FLYBY
The game designers have a forum (link here) where they keep you up to date on the new patches, plans for the future, and responses to legitimate posts. The game plays well, and with them listing the future for all to see and respond to, this game seems to be on the right track, support-wise.
The community is still really small, and there have been three times where there were NO other players to strafe, but when there is someone to play with, most of them are freindly, talkative, and will help you get better. If the game expands and grows the way they are talking about, the community should grow too. now, that could be as much good as bad, possibly drawing form wretched hives of scum and villany as much as it brings in true followers of the Force, but we'll have to see.
2,000 UP FRONT, 15,000 ONCE WE GET TO ALDERAN
The only thing you can get in the cash shop is He3, Helium 3, the currency of the universe of the game. You can use this to unlock all of the ships, but in my opinion the ships are too expensive. $50, the largest amount of money they have an exchange rate for, will buy you one of each of the classes, and a few others, but you could buy a new game for that much, and this still leaves you short a few models. If the prices were a little lower, I'd consider it a better price. All improvements for your ships are only available for Creds earned in matches, so they got that part right.
YOU ARE CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, GHOSTRIDER
So is it worth it? Yes, this game is a lot of fun, if still a little small and limited. Keep an eye on it, and I think you will watch a good game grow into a great one. That's all for this review, come on back next time when we go after Age of Empires Online, until then, keep your six clear of Tie Fighters and your phasers set to stun! See Ya!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Making the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, and pulling Titan's Turn on my way to your computer screen, I am NoCashReq, This is Flat Broke Gamer Review, and we are coming back again to continue the review of Moon Breakers!
A QUICK REMINDER
The last time we were here, we looked at the Playability (3/5) and Atmospherics (3/5) of the game. My first few trips out of the Hangar Bay were met with a lot of explosions, but having persevered, I found my groove and started pulling hairpin turns and blowing up other pilots.
And now, onwards we go!
BLUF: Continued play has reconfirmed that although this game is lacking a lot of the personalization and variety, it is a lot of fun to play and well worth your time. The Community is rather small right now, so occasionally you will have no one to play against, but the game only released in May and the company is still working to improve the game and expand it, so I would expect it to turn into a great game with a steady following.
Here's the Trailer, most of which is actual screenshot video, so you can see what I'm talking about!
SCORES
Learning Curve: 4/5 The ships are all upgradable, and the skills required for playing truly set apart the Top Guns from the rest of us pilots. Lacking the ability to personalize your play further than the upgrades and the limited number of ships/variety of weapons is the only thing that holds their score from a 5.
Community: 4/5 Although there will be times where there aren't enough people to play with, the people who play have been polite, friendly, and helpful. We'll have to watch as this game expands its player base to see if it stays the same.
Support: 5/5 Even the download was quick and smooth. No issues playing it at all, and the forums (http://moonbreakers.userecho.com/) includes the developer's changes and plans for the future.
Cash Shop: 3/5 Only the ships are available for purchase, and the prices are a little bit higher than I think they should be, but they have it right that the actual play improvements are available only through flying well and earning them.
Overall: 22/30 Still in its infancy, this game has a lot of fun gameplay, and a lot of potential. Hopefully it grows into a great game, as it is already a really fun time.
LOAD UP YOUR PHOTON TORPEDOES
Continuing where we left off, I decided to keep the pedal to the metal, and have logged in several more hours of flight time. There are three types of game styles and three maps.
Seek and Destroy: Kills, kills, kills. This is your typical deathmatch, where the only thing that matters is getting the other pilots before they get you.
Capture the Flag: On the "top" of the carriers are a transmitter that you can fly over to pick it up, and by bringing it to your carrier, your team can shoot for the high score. There is a value to killing the other pilots, but you won't get the highest creds available that way.
Carrier Assault: The easiest way to rid the skies of your enemies is to give them nowhere to go back to. Destroy the turrets and drive torpedoes into the sides of your opponent's carrier to win.
The Broadsides map places the carriers barely separated by an asteroid field. It is a lot of fun for all of the play types, and allows for any type of ship to be effective.
Playing on the Broken Moon map is harder, as there is literally the remains of a moon inbetween the carriers. Light fighters don't do as well near the opponent's carrier, as they are very exposed, but the other types do better.
The final map is called Rockfield, and is similar to Broadsides, save for the distance between the carriers. This is probably my favorite map for Seek and Destroy, but my least for Capture the Flag.
In addition to earning creds, playing well will earn you a bounty. Kill streaks, stealing the flag, blowing turrets and hitting with torpedoes will earn you a bounty that other players can cash in, and the longer you keep the streak going without being blown out of the sky pushes the value up more and more. This is probably the first time I've seen a reward for taking out a hot player that wasn't restricted to your current match, and I like it! It's so fun to see everyone swarm someone when that "BOUNTY" appears over their name.
The longer you play, the higher your level will go, and at the beginning of the game, you will see bars next to your name, giving a rough idea to the other players of your skill.
The game designers have a forum (link here) where they keep you up to date on the new patches, plans for the future, and responses to legitimate posts. The game plays well, and with them listing the future for all to see and respond to, this game seems to be on the right track, support-wise.
The community is still really small, and there have been three times where there were NO other players to strafe, but when there is someone to play with, most of them are freindly, talkative, and will help you get better. If the game expands and grows the way they are talking about, the community should grow too. now, that could be as much good as bad, possibly drawing form wretched hives of scum and villany as much as it brings in true followers of the Force, but we'll have to see.
2,000 UP FRONT, 15,000 ONCE WE GET TO ALDERAN
The only thing you can get in the cash shop is He3, Helium 3, the currency of the universe of the game. You can use this to unlock all of the ships, but in my opinion the ships are too expensive. $50, the largest amount of money they have an exchange rate for, will buy you one of each of the classes, and a few others, but you could buy a new game for that much, and this still leaves you short a few models. If the prices were a little lower, I'd consider it a better price. All improvements for your ships are only available for Creds earned in matches, so they got that part right.
YOU ARE CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, GHOSTRIDER
So is it worth it? Yes, this game is a lot of fun, if still a little small and limited. Keep an eye on it, and I think you will watch a good game grow into a great one. That's all for this review, come on back next time when we go after Age of Empires Online, until then, keep your six clear of Tie Fighters and your phasers set to stun! See Ya!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Moon Breakers Review #1
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
"GGGUUUUURRRR!"
"I don't care what [the review] smells like, GET IN THERE!"
Welcome Back to FBGR, I'm your less-than-humble host, NoCashReq, and this is the first portion of the review for:
Moon Breakers is a Space Flight Combat Simulator developed by IMBA Entertainment and published by Uber Entertainment in 2012.
BLUF: Having not completed the whole review, I will caveat my Bottom Line Up Front by saying that I will likely change my opinion, but for now: The Physics on this flyer suprised me, as there is so much drift in the ships (which is appropriate to space flight) that I pulled a "bootlegger" without even realizing I could. without a tutorial or any training, it was frustrating the first few tries out, but I soon got the hang of flight, and have enjoyed the last few forays.
SCORES
Playability: 3/5 The controls are fairly intuitive, but with no tutorial or training, being thrown into matches straight against anyone in the same server group (including some very skilled pilots) will leave you frustrated early on.
Atmospherics: 3/5 The look of the game is nicely balanced between space opera and Space: Above and Beyond's attempt at realism, but does come off a little generic and hard to tell the difference between the classes of fighters. Not being able to rework your ship's paint job/build/design is a let-down though.
So jam the tractor beams, get your coolest helmet out of storage, and let's get to flying!
FEELIN' THE NEED FOR SPEED (BACKSTORY)
In the future, two sides fight for control of the only thing that matters anymore, Helium 3. This resource is fuel and currency both, and the government forces and pirate rebels battle to control it.
AAAaaand, that's all she wrote. The backstory information says the game is based off an alternate WWII history, but never explains more than that, and leaves you feeling that it doesn't really matter who wins. there are no cutscenes, no lore or major characters, the only voices you'll hear are either a snarky control tower radar jockey, or the ones that live in you head (at least I think they do, they might just be sending thoughts across the alien device the government stuck in there).
JUST LIKE HITTING A WOMP RAT, IF YOU'RE THE RAT
After one of the quickest downloads I have ever had, I fired up my game, made an account, and went to find the tutorial. Umm, hello? helloo... helloo... hello... Anybody there? There... They're... Their... I was as shocked as a Droid in a Jawa transport to find there is no tutorial. OK, no one panic, then they must have a good level-based system of matching people up, right? RIGHT? Nope, the computer balances the teams as best it can, but expect there will be a space shark in your asteroid field, waiting to gobble up the newbie chum. I died almost without fail as soon as I made contact with the enemy forces. More specifically, their missiles.
Needless to say, I did find my balance in the game, and after having watched the pilots who drove me to distraction drift turns better than the bootleggers they were named for, I realized that the physics of this game were actually impressively thought out; contrary to several iterations and attempts by Star Wars games, in space your inertia and the direction of your thrust will make radical changes in direction possible, bombs do not make any sense as a weapon since they won't fall, radar would only help in a spherical display, and leading your enemies is not just recommended, it's required. The first couple of days playing you are allowed to test-pilot any of the several ships in all four of the classes:
1. Light Fighter: Swift, agile, and really light on armor, these puppies are great for capture the flag or defending your carrier, but don't get too cocky, kid, these things blow up real nice.
2. Medium Fighter: The workhorse of the fighter fleet, these bad boys are interceptors, designed for drawn out combat away from the cover of carrier cannons. Still maneuverable enough to leave the big boys in their wakes, but armored enough to take a few hits without becoming a smoking wreck.
3. Heavy Fighter: You wanna mess with the bull? Here's the horns. These things are as armored and armed as you can make them and still call them fighters. Nowhere near as maneuverable as the smaller crafts, these things are designed to take out enemy ships AND be able to take a whack at carrier cannon mounts, without much more than a scratch in the paint.
4. Bombers: Despite their misnomer, these behemoths actually are armed with space torpedoes. There is a required arming distance, and carrier turrets will destroy them long before they do much damage, but these beasts are armored up to survive the runs necessary to do the job.
Once the free trial is over, you have access to one light flyer and one bomber, but fear not! Additional ships can be bought, with or without cash, and all ships are upgradable with earned in-game currency. The only thing that you can't do is build your own ships, or at least repaint the ships you buy. But hey, if the only thing missing are aesthetic changes, that's fine by me.
TALK TO ME GOOSE...
Flying by the seat of my pants, and doing fine, be here next time when we pick up again on the review of Moon Breakers. Liked what I had to say, got more to add or want to disagree with me? Leave a comment! Till next time!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
"GGGUUUUURRRR!"
"I don't care what [the review] smells like, GET IN THERE!"
Welcome Back to FBGR, I'm your less-than-humble host, NoCashReq, and this is the first portion of the review for:
BLUF: Having not completed the whole review, I will caveat my Bottom Line Up Front by saying that I will likely change my opinion, but for now: The Physics on this flyer suprised me, as there is so much drift in the ships (which is appropriate to space flight) that I pulled a "bootlegger" without even realizing I could. without a tutorial or any training, it was frustrating the first few tries out, but I soon got the hang of flight, and have enjoyed the last few forays.
SCORES
Playability: 3/5 The controls are fairly intuitive, but with no tutorial or training, being thrown into matches straight against anyone in the same server group (including some very skilled pilots) will leave you frustrated early on.
Atmospherics: 3/5 The look of the game is nicely balanced between space opera and Space: Above and Beyond's attempt at realism, but does come off a little generic and hard to tell the difference between the classes of fighters. Not being able to rework your ship's paint job/build/design is a let-down though.
So jam the tractor beams, get your coolest helmet out of storage, and let's get to flying!
FEELIN' THE NEED FOR SPEED (BACKSTORY)
In the future, two sides fight for control of the only thing that matters anymore, Helium 3. This resource is fuel and currency both, and the government forces and pirate rebels battle to control it.
AAAaaand, that's all she wrote. The backstory information says the game is based off an alternate WWII history, but never explains more than that, and leaves you feeling that it doesn't really matter who wins. there are no cutscenes, no lore or major characters, the only voices you'll hear are either a snarky control tower radar jockey, or the ones that live in you head (at least I think they do, they might just be sending thoughts across the alien device the government stuck in there).
JUST LIKE HITTING A WOMP RAT, IF YOU'RE THE RAT
After one of the quickest downloads I have ever had, I fired up my game, made an account, and went to find the tutorial. Umm, hello? helloo... helloo... hello... Anybody there? There... They're... Their... I was as shocked as a Droid in a Jawa transport to find there is no tutorial. OK, no one panic, then they must have a good level-based system of matching people up, right? RIGHT? Nope, the computer balances the teams as best it can, but expect there will be a space shark in your asteroid field, waiting to gobble up the newbie chum. I died almost without fail as soon as I made contact with the enemy forces. More specifically, their missiles.
Needless to say, I did find my balance in the game, and after having watched the pilots who drove me to distraction drift turns better than the bootleggers they were named for, I realized that the physics of this game were actually impressively thought out; contrary to several iterations and attempts by Star Wars games, in space your inertia and the direction of your thrust will make radical changes in direction possible, bombs do not make any sense as a weapon since they won't fall, radar would only help in a spherical display, and leading your enemies is not just recommended, it's required. The first couple of days playing you are allowed to test-pilot any of the several ships in all four of the classes:
1. Light Fighter: Swift, agile, and really light on armor, these puppies are great for capture the flag or defending your carrier, but don't get too cocky, kid, these things blow up real nice.
2. Medium Fighter: The workhorse of the fighter fleet, these bad boys are interceptors, designed for drawn out combat away from the cover of carrier cannons. Still maneuverable enough to leave the big boys in their wakes, but armored enough to take a few hits without becoming a smoking wreck.
3. Heavy Fighter: You wanna mess with the bull? Here's the horns. These things are as armored and armed as you can make them and still call them fighters. Nowhere near as maneuverable as the smaller crafts, these things are designed to take out enemy ships AND be able to take a whack at carrier cannon mounts, without much more than a scratch in the paint.
 |
| Flying by the seat of your pants only works if you have rocket pants. |
Once the free trial is over, you have access to one light flyer and one bomber, but fear not! Additional ships can be bought, with or without cash, and all ships are upgradable with earned in-game currency. The only thing that you can't do is build your own ships, or at least repaint the ships you buy. But hey, if the only thing missing are aesthetic changes, that's fine by me.
TALK TO ME GOOSE...
Flying by the seat of my pants, and doing fine, be here next time when we pick up again on the review of Moon Breakers. Liked what I had to say, got more to add or want to disagree with me? Leave a comment! Till next time!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Thursday, August 30, 2012
We Interrupt This Broadcast....
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
It is with great regret that I inform you that Maplestory just DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY. Regardless of what I have tried, this game refuses to load properly or play, so I will have to shelve it in the far corner of the review Queue, back behind the cobwebs and left of the moldy sandwich (at least, I think it's a sandwich) and move on to another game, Moon Breakers. Having stumbled onto this little gem in my never ending wanders through the inter-webs, the idea of space flight combat intrigues me enough to push it straight to the front. So expect some bad impersonations of Han, Chewie, references to Space: Above and Beyond (bonus points for knowing what I'm talking about) and Babylon 5, and lots and lots of digs on Top Gun. Later!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
It is with great regret that I inform you that Maplestory just DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY. Regardless of what I have tried, this game refuses to load properly or play, so I will have to shelve it in the far corner of the review Queue, back behind the cobwebs and left of the moldy sandwich (at least, I think it's a sandwich) and move on to another game, Moon Breakers. Having stumbled onto this little gem in my never ending wanders through the inter-webs, the idea of space flight combat intrigues me enough to push it straight to the front. So expect some bad impersonations of Han, Chewie, references to Space: Above and Beyond (bonus points for knowing what I'm talking about) and Babylon 5, and lots and lots of digs on Top Gun. Later!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Stronghold Kingdoms Review #1
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
.....bawwitabawdebangdebangdiggydiggydiggysaid the boogie said up jump the boogie! bawwitabawdebangdebangdiggydiggydiggysaid the boogie said up jump the boogie!
And we're off again! Welcome all you purveyors of the refined gaming experience, you hunters of the inexpensive electronic entertainment, you kings among men! I am NoCashReq, and this is Flat Broke Gamer Review. Let's get started.
Going for the brass ring this time is:
Stronghold Kingdoms is a Persistent Real-Time Strategy MMO developed by Firefly Studios and released in 2010. It is available online through a variety of sources, including their own website, Steam, and Amazon.com.
BLUF: An interesting concept piece, and definitely helpful in interesting young people in history, this game falls short with unbelievably slow development of your castle, town, forces, architecture, etc., and is not Free-To-Play, it falls definitively in the Pay-To-Win category.
SCORES
Playability: 1/5 A poorly written tutorial that prompts you through only the bare bones of the game, little to no logic to the myriad of menus you have to use, and an unclear goal in your development starts this game off on the wrong foot.
Atmospherics: 3/5 The look of the game is neither inspiring nor hideous, but fits into the overall theme of boring and pedantic.
Learning Curve: 3/5 The fact that you should (note the hesitance in my usage of the word should) be able to win as many points in the game throwing banquets and developing priests as you would in destroying you neighbor's castle is a nice idea, but the sheer mass of choices leaves you with no real idea how to get to either endgame.
Community: 2/5 I had no interaction with the other players aside from several offers to let me become someone else's vassal, and no real clear idea why I would want to do that. This does not seem like the game that you would have the opportunity to get online and actually interact with fellow players much.
Support: 4/5 No issues with the game's play, a regular newsletter that keeps you up to date on the game developments and other players/factions actions, the people at Firefly Studios seem to run the game well.
Cash Shop: 0/5 The only way to develop quickly enough to actually let you play for long periods of time is to buy premium tokens, unlocking queues for your research and building projects, and in-game cards that speed your production/give you resources/improve your playing make this a Definite PTW.
Overall: 13/30 This game is not worth your time. It is boring and slow, and really, I wouldn't even expect you to finish this review, let alone try this game. History buffs might get into it, but those are about the only people I can think of that would.
BACKSTORY AND TUTORIAL
Ever read any European history book? Good! Then you already know the backstory to this game, as it takes place in Medieval Europe, with you as the next up and coming landowner. You are given charge of a new town in a random parish, and are given just enough resources to start a town and castle. From there, you are led by one of your peasants to build a woodcutter's hut, stone quarry, and apple orchard to provide for your building needs and food for the villagers. He will walk you through one of your many options for research, show you all the menus that you'll have to get used to, and then depart as soon as a random marauder group decide to take you down a notch. After that, you are on your own, and with NO hints or prompts, it is really up to you to figure out how to do anything else. Want to build a bigger castle? No problem, just go to the castle tab, and oh wait, you don't have the knowledge to build in stone, or build bigger structures, gotta go to the research page, oh wait which option lets you build more? Architecture? Defenses? Combat? Wait, we'll need more wood and stone for that, how do I get more? Oh that's right, I need more woodcutter's huts and quarries, but I don't have any more people to put to work there, how do I...? And so on, and son on, until you are left bewildered and frustrated, which is right about when your complimentary Premium token will expire and you will only be allowed to build one building at a time, and only one research project can be set up. I was mad before this, and that just pushed my little candy-like red button.
FURTHER ON, GOOD SQUIRE
I kept going though, convinced that the game would pick up after I got to attack someone, even if it was only the local wolf den. But wait, you haven't developed enough to build weapons yet! AAAAAUUUUGH! FINE! I researched and built a weapon factory, started building bows, and that's when I realized that the number of people in my village to be recruited for Archery duty was not something I could directly control, I only got new move-ins on the game's time, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Fine, I waited for a day to calm down, rubbed my ears and said "Woo-sah," a few thousand times, and dove back in. Got my archers, got some scouts, got some villagers with pitchforks, and set out to kill me some wolves. Then my neighbor set out on horseback with knights that moved twice as fast as me and killed them all before I got there.
And that was when my head exploded.
Seriously!?! I get hosed out of killing anything? Nope, that's it. research the rest of the game, write it off, and move on. The support for this game seemed solid, the Community seemed non-existant and non-communicative, and the Cash Shop, well.....
SOUND THE DEATH KNELL
Premium tokens that speed your development up, allow queues for building and research, and generally allow you to develop five times as fast, cards that can be played for any number of advantages, and everything that someone with a lot of disposable income could buy to beat you senseless means that the final nail in this coffin was set.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even if you wanted to drop your hard earned sawbucks on this game, I would encourage you to try any, ANY other game first, as this game will simply bore you to tears, frustrate you to violence, and then irritate you into getting the sledgehammer and "hitting any key" repeatedly. Do not waste your time.
Like I have.
Next time on FBGR, I will tackle into Maplestory ( I found another avenue to download it that worked) and hopefully the only suffering will be the soreness of my fingertips from playing far too long. Until then, Get in the pit and try to LOVE SOMEONE!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
.....bawwitabawdebangdebangdiggydiggydiggysaid the boogie said up jump the boogie! bawwitabawdebangdebangdiggydiggydiggysaid the boogie said up jump the boogie!
And we're off again! Welcome all you purveyors of the refined gaming experience, you hunters of the inexpensive electronic entertainment, you kings among men! I am NoCashReq, and this is Flat Broke Gamer Review. Let's get started.
Going for the brass ring this time is:
BLUF: An interesting concept piece, and definitely helpful in interesting young people in history, this game falls short with unbelievably slow development of your castle, town, forces, architecture, etc., and is not Free-To-Play, it falls definitively in the Pay-To-Win category.
SCORES
Playability: 1/5 A poorly written tutorial that prompts you through only the bare bones of the game, little to no logic to the myriad of menus you have to use, and an unclear goal in your development starts this game off on the wrong foot.
Atmospherics: 3/5 The look of the game is neither inspiring nor hideous, but fits into the overall theme of boring and pedantic.
Learning Curve: 3/5 The fact that you should (note the hesitance in my usage of the word should) be able to win as many points in the game throwing banquets and developing priests as you would in destroying you neighbor's castle is a nice idea, but the sheer mass of choices leaves you with no real idea how to get to either endgame.
Community: 2/5 I had no interaction with the other players aside from several offers to let me become someone else's vassal, and no real clear idea why I would want to do that. This does not seem like the game that you would have the opportunity to get online and actually interact with fellow players much.
Support: 4/5 No issues with the game's play, a regular newsletter that keeps you up to date on the game developments and other players/factions actions, the people at Firefly Studios seem to run the game well.
Cash Shop: 0/5 The only way to develop quickly enough to actually let you play for long periods of time is to buy premium tokens, unlocking queues for your research and building projects, and in-game cards that speed your production/give you resources/improve your playing make this a Definite PTW.
Overall: 13/30 This game is not worth your time. It is boring and slow, and really, I wouldn't even expect you to finish this review, let alone try this game. History buffs might get into it, but those are about the only people I can think of that would.
Ever read any European history book? Good! Then you already know the backstory to this game, as it takes place in Medieval Europe, with you as the next up and coming landowner. You are given charge of a new town in a random parish, and are given just enough resources to start a town and castle. From there, you are led by one of your peasants to build a woodcutter's hut, stone quarry, and apple orchard to provide for your building needs and food for the villagers. He will walk you through one of your many options for research, show you all the menus that you'll have to get used to, and then depart as soon as a random marauder group decide to take you down a notch. After that, you are on your own, and with NO hints or prompts, it is really up to you to figure out how to do anything else. Want to build a bigger castle? No problem, just go to the castle tab, and oh wait, you don't have the knowledge to build in stone, or build bigger structures, gotta go to the research page, oh wait which option lets you build more? Architecture? Defenses? Combat? Wait, we'll need more wood and stone for that, how do I get more? Oh that's right, I need more woodcutter's huts and quarries, but I don't have any more people to put to work there, how do I...? And so on, and son on, until you are left bewildered and frustrated, which is right about when your complimentary Premium token will expire and you will only be allowed to build one building at a time, and only one research project can be set up. I was mad before this, and that just pushed my little candy-like red button.
I kept going though, convinced that the game would pick up after I got to attack someone, even if it was only the local wolf den. But wait, you haven't developed enough to build weapons yet! AAAAAUUUUGH! FINE! I researched and built a weapon factory, started building bows, and that's when I realized that the number of people in my village to be recruited for Archery duty was not something I could directly control, I only got new move-ins on the game's time, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Fine, I waited for a day to calm down, rubbed my ears and said "Woo-sah," a few thousand times, and dove back in. Got my archers, got some scouts, got some villagers with pitchforks, and set out to kill me some wolves. Then my neighbor set out on horseback with knights that moved twice as fast as me and killed them all before I got there.
And that was when my head exploded.
Seriously!?! I get hosed out of killing anything? Nope, that's it. research the rest of the game, write it off, and move on. The support for this game seemed solid, the Community seemed non-existant and non-communicative, and the Cash Shop, well.....
SOUND THE DEATH KNELL
Premium tokens that speed your development up, allow queues for building and research, and generally allow you to develop five times as fast, cards that can be played for any number of advantages, and everything that someone with a lot of disposable income could buy to beat you senseless means that the final nail in this coffin was set.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even if you wanted to drop your hard earned sawbucks on this game, I would encourage you to try any, ANY other game first, as this game will simply bore you to tears, frustrate you to violence, and then irritate you into getting the sledgehammer and "hitting any key" repeatedly. Do not waste your time.
Like I have.
Next time on FBGR, I will tackle into Maplestory ( I found another avenue to download it that worked) and hopefully the only suffering will be the soreness of my fingertips from playing far too long. Until then, Get in the pit and try to LOVE SOMEONE!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Friday, August 17, 2012
Technical Difficulties... Please stand by
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
NO GOOD STINKIN ROTTEN BLASTER TWO TOED SON OF A HAIRLESS WOMBAT! Oh, uh, hi there. How long have you been standing there? No matter, things are doing their best to get in the way here. I had reported that my next review was going to be on Maplestory, but due to some as of yet unknown reason my computer will not download it. So, in order to try and keep you ravening hordes outside my blog at bay and satiated, I will move on to one of the other games on my list: Stronghold Kingdoms. Expect more soon! Now where did I put that sledge.....
{NoCashReq has left the room.]
NO GOOD STINKIN ROTTEN BLASTER TWO TOED SON OF A HAIRLESS WOMBAT! Oh, uh, hi there. How long have you been standing there? No matter, things are doing their best to get in the way here. I had reported that my next review was going to be on Maplestory, but due to some as of yet unknown reason my computer will not download it. So, in order to try and keep you ravening hordes outside my blog at bay and satiated, I will move on to one of the other games on my list: Stronghold Kingdoms. Expect more soon! Now where did I put that sledge.....
{NoCashReq has left the room.]
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Forsaken World Review #3
[NoCashReq has entered the room]
And now, watch as I pull the end of a review out of this... ummm... hat! yeah, that's where I got it from! For those of us just joining in, I've been regaling you with stories of my exploration of Forsaken World, an RPGMMO from developers Perfect World. So far we have looked at four of the six scores, and here is what you missed:
SCORES
Playability: 4/5 A very solid tutorial system, easily used and modifiable keysettings, and a good HUD makes this game easy to learn and fun to play.
Atmospherics: 4/5 Beautiful design went into most of what you see, from the characters to the scenery, and although I think that some of the character designs are a bit too frou-frou (frou-frou: From the pig-latin freoua-freoua, meaning sissy or weak. See also: namby-pamby and pansy-boy) for my tastes, there can be no denying that they are visually stunning.
Learning Curve: 3/5 Character development is smooth, even, but narrow and ultimately did not allow me to try my own style of play due to the strict adherence to class roles. The fact that all races had only some of the classes available to them was annoying, and the amount of options within the role was not enough.
Community: 2/5 No interaction, despite attempts to reach out, ask for help, or at least talk to others. Everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing, and with the combat system being so easy to wipe out most enemies without trying, I can see why.
And now the final two scores, Support and Cash Shop:
Support: 5/5 Not once did I have any reason to submit a trouble ticket, and with a regularly updated game and constant attention, I don't see that you would have reason to save for Deus Ex Machina type events.
Cash Shop: 0/5 There's permanent stat boosts in them thar shops, and I ain't havin' none of it! Huge amounts of Pay-to-Win violations put this score into the bay with cement shoes.
OVERALL: 18/30 Overall the game is solid, but not my cuppa tee in combat, style, limited development paths, and definintely this game is not a true Free To Play (FTP) game.
If you want to go back and read the reviews that led up to here, here's the links:
http://flatbrokegamerreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/forsaken-world-review-1.html
http://flatbrokegamerreview.blogspot.com/2012/08/forsaken-world-review-2.html
On with the rest!
SUPPORTING YOUR GAME
Perfect World does a dynamite job of keeping all of their games up to date, well supported for problems, and in general they really do care about your experience. You may have read my earlier review of their brawler, Rusty Hearts, and there I did need to submit a trouble ticket with quick results, but this game ran like a sharp knife through hot butter. I will definitely be reviewing more of their games in the future for this fact alone.
IS IT FTP OR PTW?
The biggest stumbling block that this game has is the fact that there are clearly permanent boosts available in the shop. As this game is driven by your equipment, and the fact is that you can buy equipment improvement in the cash shop in ABUNDANCE means that this game gets the first goose egg in the Cash Shop category.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you like Pina Coladas, go listen to Jimmy Buffet. If you like a simple, easily, heavily structured game with visually complex and brightly patterned characters, play Forsaken World. But if you like a challenging game, where your pocketbook does not define your success, with enjoyable character depth and variety, then look elsewhere.
That's it! I finished one of the new Reviews, and it only took me... way too long. Seriously, thank you to all of you who keep coming back for more (you masochists) and keep your ear to the ground (or follow my missives by one of the options on the right) for my review of : Maplestory! Till that uncertain time, Stand Up, Hook Up, and Shuffle To The Door, Jump Right Out And Shout "We Waanntt mmmoooooorrrre........"
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
And now, watch as I pull the end of a review out of this... ummm... hat! yeah, that's where I got it from! For those of us just joining in, I've been regaling you with stories of my exploration of Forsaken World, an RPGMMO from developers Perfect World. So far we have looked at four of the six scores, and here is what you missed:
Playability: 4/5 A very solid tutorial system, easily used and modifiable keysettings, and a good HUD makes this game easy to learn and fun to play.
Atmospherics: 4/5 Beautiful design went into most of what you see, from the characters to the scenery, and although I think that some of the character designs are a bit too frou-frou (frou-frou: From the pig-latin freoua-freoua, meaning sissy or weak. See also: namby-pamby and pansy-boy) for my tastes, there can be no denying that they are visually stunning.
Learning Curve: 3/5 Character development is smooth, even, but narrow and ultimately did not allow me to try my own style of play due to the strict adherence to class roles. The fact that all races had only some of the classes available to them was annoying, and the amount of options within the role was not enough.
Community: 2/5 No interaction, despite attempts to reach out, ask for help, or at least talk to others. Everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing, and with the combat system being so easy to wipe out most enemies without trying, I can see why.
And now the final two scores, Support and Cash Shop:
Support: 5/5 Not once did I have any reason to submit a trouble ticket, and with a regularly updated game and constant attention, I don't see that you would have reason to save for Deus Ex Machina type events.
Cash Shop: 0/5 There's permanent stat boosts in them thar shops, and I ain't havin' none of it! Huge amounts of Pay-to-Win violations put this score into the bay with cement shoes.
OVERALL: 18/30 Overall the game is solid, but not my cuppa tee in combat, style, limited development paths, and definintely this game is not a true Free To Play (FTP) game.
If you want to go back and read the reviews that led up to here, here's the links:
http://flatbrokegamerreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/forsaken-world-review-1.html
http://flatbrokegamerreview.blogspot.com/2012/08/forsaken-world-review-2.html
On with the rest!
SUPPORTING YOUR GAME
 |
| Her aim, flawless. Her fashion sense, mmm not so much. |
The biggest stumbling block that this game has is the fact that there are clearly permanent boosts available in the shop. As this game is driven by your equipment, and the fact is that you can buy equipment improvement in the cash shop in ABUNDANCE means that this game gets the first goose egg in the Cash Shop category.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you like Pina Coladas, go listen to Jimmy Buffet. If you like a simple, easily, heavily structured game with visually complex and brightly patterned characters, play Forsaken World. But if you like a challenging game, where your pocketbook does not define your success, with enjoyable character depth and variety, then look elsewhere.
That's it! I finished one of the new Reviews, and it only took me... way too long. Seriously, thank you to all of you who keep coming back for more (you masochists) and keep your ear to the ground (or follow my missives by one of the options on the right) for my review of : Maplestory! Till that uncertain time, Stand Up, Hook Up, and Shuffle To The Door, Jump Right Out And Shout "We Waanntt mmmoooooorrrre........"
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Forsaken World Review #2
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
Here I come to save the Da-ay! Or at least interject a little mild entertainment, which for my hectic life is about the same. It is I, NoCashReq, here with another look into the MMO Forsaken World. In our last installment, i forgot to include my BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) and put the scores at the end of the article, two things I wanted to keep at the beginning so if you only wanted to know a 30 second shot of my opinion, you could get it, and if you wanted the full experience that is FBGR, you could happily read on. I am returning to that format, and so you will find these parts at the beginning of each of the postings regardless of whether I am posting a full review or the new format of several posts for one review. But enough about that, back to the game...
When we left our story last, I had managed to create two characters for this game, a dwarf sharpshooter and a stoneman defender, and had made it through the basic levels early in the game, and headed out into the world to stake my claim to GLORY!
And then I became a florist.
BLUF: The games strict adherence to classes leaves you a single path for your character, and although the game mechanics do allow for choosing which skills you have on quick keys, there isn't enough room to find your own path. The community largely ignored me, and I them, as there were no real reasons to involve them in my questing.
SCORES
Learning Curve: 3/5 Character development is smooth, even, but narrow and ultimately did not allow me to try my own style of play due to the strict adherence to class roles. The fact that all races had only some of the classes available to them was annoying, and the amount of options within the role was not enough.
Community: 2/5 No interaction, despite attempts to reach out, ask for help, or at least talk to others. Everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing, and with the combat system being so easy to wipe out most enemies without trying, I can see why.
BEYOND THE TRAINING
Wait, wait wait wait, did you say a florist? Yes,this game allows your character to have multiple little side jobs like herbalist, cook, potionmaker, etc. and gives you little tasks to teach you the basics for all your jobs. Little stuff like this allows for a more rich game experience, creates little projects for you to do while questing, and basically gets ignored as you search for monsters to kill. Or at least it did by me. Seriously, I wanna shoot something, not go throw stuff in a pot and go "BLAM!"
The regular story-driving quests that follow the initial training grounds involved an inordinate amount of running to and from Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to have long drawn out discussions about your quest, the meaning of life, and other stuff that I, in my infinite wisdom and extremely finite attention span, mostly glossed over once I realized that there was no important information. Really, why should I carry on long preset conversations with the computer unless the script is filled with useful information, or is at least entertaining with ribald chicanery and offbeat sarcasm? The auto-direct saved me from wandering forever on these runaround quests, as finding anyone by chance seemed impossible, and skipping the dialog saved my sanity. What's left of it, anyway.
Combat never got any more challenging than in the first few levels. Now yes, I did add some new and exciting tricks to my character's repertoire, and yes, some of the graphics for those attacks were cool, but when I can spam every special attack on one enemy, wait for the cooldowns, and then do it again on the enemy RIGHT NEXT TO THE ONE I JUST KILLED without a major scratch in my armor, it's too easy.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
My experiences with online gaming have ranged from the positive, supportive fun of finding new friends and allies, to the acidic, simpleton-level, foul mouthed wit of twelve year olds who think that a DSL line gives them enough protection to use language that I would box their ears for (and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and second cousins for letting them end up that way), but until I played this game, I had never experienced a solo MMO before. Seriously, there are other people playing this game? WHERE? The few other players I ran into ignored me like I was a NPC, despite my several attempts to engage them, try to strike up a band of merry men, insult their goats (see pic), etc. All attempts to interact were ignored, and so I continued on. After a while though, I realized that the majority of them were ignoring me because they didn't need anyone else to help them along. Now, maybe the PVP servers are different, maybe there people join together to keep from getting smashed flat by rival teams, but there just was no response from other players on the PVE server I was on.
There you go, a little more of my less-than-humble opinion, expect the final installment of this review soon, but please don't hold your breath. Blue just isn't your color. Till then, keep gaming for the stars!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Here I come to save the Da-ay! Or at least interject a little mild entertainment, which for my hectic life is about the same. It is I, NoCashReq, here with another look into the MMO Forsaken World. In our last installment, i forgot to include my BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) and put the scores at the end of the article, two things I wanted to keep at the beginning so if you only wanted to know a 30 second shot of my opinion, you could get it, and if you wanted the full experience that is FBGR, you could happily read on. I am returning to that format, and so you will find these parts at the beginning of each of the postings regardless of whether I am posting a full review or the new format of several posts for one review. But enough about that, back to the game...
When we left our story last, I had managed to create two characters for this game, a dwarf sharpshooter and a stoneman defender, and had made it through the basic levels early in the game, and headed out into the world to stake my claim to GLORY!
BLUF: The games strict adherence to classes leaves you a single path for your character, and although the game mechanics do allow for choosing which skills you have on quick keys, there isn't enough room to find your own path. The community largely ignored me, and I them, as there were no real reasons to involve them in my questing.
SCORES
Learning Curve: 3/5 Character development is smooth, even, but narrow and ultimately did not allow me to try my own style of play due to the strict adherence to class roles. The fact that all races had only some of the classes available to them was annoying, and the amount of options within the role was not enough.
Community: 2/5 No interaction, despite attempts to reach out, ask for help, or at least talk to others. Everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing, and with the combat system being so easy to wipe out most enemies without trying, I can see why.
BEYOND THE TRAINING
Wait, wait wait wait, did you say a florist? Yes,this game allows your character to have multiple little side jobs like herbalist, cook, potionmaker, etc. and gives you little tasks to teach you the basics for all your jobs. Little stuff like this allows for a more rich game experience, creates little projects for you to do while questing, and basically gets ignored as you search for monsters to kill. Or at least it did by me. Seriously, I wanna shoot something, not go throw stuff in a pot and go "BLAM!"
The regular story-driving quests that follow the initial training grounds involved an inordinate amount of running to and from Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to have long drawn out discussions about your quest, the meaning of life, and other stuff that I, in my infinite wisdom and extremely finite attention span, mostly glossed over once I realized that there was no important information. Really, why should I carry on long preset conversations with the computer unless the script is filled with useful information, or is at least entertaining with ribald chicanery and offbeat sarcasm? The auto-direct saved me from wandering forever on these runaround quests, as finding anyone by chance seemed impossible, and skipping the dialog saved my sanity. What's left of it, anyway.
Combat never got any more challenging than in the first few levels. Now yes, I did add some new and exciting tricks to my character's repertoire, and yes, some of the graphics for those attacks were cool, but when I can spam every special attack on one enemy, wait for the cooldowns, and then do it again on the enemy RIGHT NEXT TO THE ONE I JUST KILLED without a major scratch in my armor, it's too easy.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
 | |
| Yes, you get to ride goats. No, you don't get to name them Mr. Fluffykinwooodlesmoochie. |
There you go, a little more of my less-than-humble opinion, expect the final installment of this review soon, but please don't hold your breath. Blue just isn't your color. Till then, keep gaming for the stars!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
Friday, July 27, 2012
Forsaken World Review #1
[NoCashReq has entered the room.]
New format, new game, Same old me. Welcome back to Flat Broke Gamer Review, and the first part of the review for:
Forsaken World is a MMORPG developed and produced by Perfect World in October 2010.
BACKSTORY
Like many of the MMOs out there, the start of Forsaken World's story are with the gods. Dyos the creator and Nyos the destroyer, opposites in a balanced universe, these two followed and fought each other, until Dyos came upon the world of Eyrda, and found a tree with a giant star wheel at the top. He and other gods built up the world of Eyrda, and his children Tytan, Illyfue and Vyda created the races of the world. When Nyos arrived, Dyos had left, leading Nyos to chase him yet again. Nyos left behind a new god, Mylvada, with all the power to destroy Eyrda. Several wars ensued between the gods and their followers, destroying two continents in the process.
GETTING STARTED
Character creation follows a fairly simple progression of option pages: Race, Class, Male or Female, facial and hair options, etc. I chose to try out two of the races available, but here is the full rundown.
Human: Just exactly what you'd expect from an MMO, Humans are more adaptable than most other races, and can be Warriors, Assassins, Mages and Priests.
Elves: Falling definitely on the Anime side of the Elf scale, these over dressed, prissy, pointy eared people fall easily into the stereotypes for design. Elves can be Warriors, Priests, and Bards.
Kindred: Instead of sparkly skin, we get outlandish sparkly clothes for these vampires. Created by one of the Demigods, Kindred can be Assassins, Mages, or Vampires (don't strain your brain on this too much, but yes, vampire race has a vampire class), but always "Fab-ulous!"
Dwarves: Dwarves only have one class available, Sharpshooter. Steampunk inspired rifles are this race's claim to fame, and any game where I get to break out a matchlock is worth trying.
Stonemen: Not only does this race have only one class, because they are created by magic, only Male Stonemen exist. These rocky dudes are Protectors, Forsaken World's hammer-wielding, armored-out-the yin-yang Tank class.
You do not have the option of joining the side of evil and trying to destroy the world, but your options are fairly good, and I think most people will find a character they'll like. Avoiding the cliched and over done, I built a Dwarf and a Stoneman. There is enough variety in the face/hair/jewelry department to find a look all your own, but not so much that you spend too long getting to the game.
TUTORIAL
The tutorial area of the world is actually pretty big, and specific to your race, with several quests that run you through the gamut of learning your skills, how to auto attack, interacting with the locals, etc. Most monsters ignore you until you attack, so I found it WAY too easy to annihilate them, especially since they don't even help each other after you attack. once you've unlocked some of your special attacks, you can usually string two or three together and kill the monsters before they even get a swat or two in. Those rare monsters that will attack you on sight have a small marker overhead, so you can either avoid them or try to take them out at your leisure. I found that the setup for the controls were comfortable, adaptable, and most importantly, easily understood. This is a user-friendly game, and the HUD is easily read and understood. One good feature the game has is the auto-direct function. On your quest menu, if you click on someone's highlighted name, the game will automatically guide you to them, which is really good since the areas are huge and the onscreen map is a little hard to follow. You train in the beginner's area until reaching level ten, and then have the option to head to Freedom Harbor, there to rub elbows with the other races and take your place in the fight to protect Eyrda.
SCORES
Playability: 4/5 A very solid tutorial system, easily used and modifiable keysettings, and a good HUD makes this game easy to learn and fun to play.
Atmospherics: 4/5 Beautiful design went into most of what you see, from the characters to the scenery, and although I think that some of the character designs are a bit too frou-frou (frou-frou: From the pig-latin freoua-freoua, meaning sissy or weak. See also: namby-pamby and pansy-boy) for my tastes, there can be no denying that they are visually stunning.
So there's the first part of Forsaken World's Review, tune in next time to see what I thought about developing your character beyond the newbie ranks and the community of players! For now this is NoCashReq, signing off!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
New format, new game, Same old me. Welcome back to Flat Broke Gamer Review, and the first part of the review for:
BACKSTORY
Like many of the MMOs out there, the start of Forsaken World's story are with the gods. Dyos the creator and Nyos the destroyer, opposites in a balanced universe, these two followed and fought each other, until Dyos came upon the world of Eyrda, and found a tree with a giant star wheel at the top. He and other gods built up the world of Eyrda, and his children Tytan, Illyfue and Vyda created the races of the world. When Nyos arrived, Dyos had left, leading Nyos to chase him yet again. Nyos left behind a new god, Mylvada, with all the power to destroy Eyrda. Several wars ensued between the gods and their followers, destroying two continents in the process.
GETTING STARTED
Character creation follows a fairly simple progression of option pages: Race, Class, Male or Female, facial and hair options, etc. I chose to try out two of the races available, but here is the full rundown.
Human: Just exactly what you'd expect from an MMO, Humans are more adaptable than most other races, and can be Warriors, Assassins, Mages and Priests.
Elves: Falling definitely on the Anime side of the Elf scale, these over dressed, prissy, pointy eared people fall easily into the stereotypes for design. Elves can be Warriors, Priests, and Bards.
Kindred: Instead of sparkly skin, we get outlandish sparkly clothes for these vampires. Created by one of the Demigods, Kindred can be Assassins, Mages, or Vampires (don't strain your brain on this too much, but yes, vampire race has a vampire class), but always "Fab-ulous!"
Stonemen: Not only does this race have only one class, because they are created by magic, only Male Stonemen exist. These rocky dudes are Protectors, Forsaken World's hammer-wielding, armored-out-the yin-yang Tank class.
You do not have the option of joining the side of evil and trying to destroy the world, but your options are fairly good, and I think most people will find a character they'll like. Avoiding the cliched and over done, I built a Dwarf and a Stoneman. There is enough variety in the face/hair/jewelry department to find a look all your own, but not so much that you spend too long getting to the game.
The tutorial area of the world is actually pretty big, and specific to your race, with several quests that run you through the gamut of learning your skills, how to auto attack, interacting with the locals, etc. Most monsters ignore you until you attack, so I found it WAY too easy to annihilate them, especially since they don't even help each other after you attack. once you've unlocked some of your special attacks, you can usually string two or three together and kill the monsters before they even get a swat or two in. Those rare monsters that will attack you on sight have a small marker overhead, so you can either avoid them or try to take them out at your leisure. I found that the setup for the controls were comfortable, adaptable, and most importantly, easily understood. This is a user-friendly game, and the HUD is easily read and understood. One good feature the game has is the auto-direct function. On your quest menu, if you click on someone's highlighted name, the game will automatically guide you to them, which is really good since the areas are huge and the onscreen map is a little hard to follow. You train in the beginner's area until reaching level ten, and then have the option to head to Freedom Harbor, there to rub elbows with the other races and take your place in the fight to protect Eyrda.
SCORES
Playability: 4/5 A very solid tutorial system, easily used and modifiable keysettings, and a good HUD makes this game easy to learn and fun to play.
Atmospherics: 4/5 Beautiful design went into most of what you see, from the characters to the scenery, and although I think that some of the character designs are a bit too frou-frou (frou-frou: From the pig-latin freoua-freoua, meaning sissy or weak. See also: namby-pamby and pansy-boy) for my tastes, there can be no denying that they are visually stunning.
So there's the first part of Forsaken World's Review, tune in next time to see what I thought about developing your character beyond the newbie ranks and the community of players! For now this is NoCashReq, signing off!
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
RESPAWNING in 3... 2... 1...
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I LIIIIIVE! MWAHAHahahaha, (cough, COUGH) ack.... hairball. Sorry bout that. But contrary to popular belief, I am not dead yet. In fact I think I'll go out for a walk!
Flat Broke Gamer Review is not going anywhere either, so for those of you who have been waiting for more, it is on the way. And for those of you who stumbled onto this little nugget of low-cost online games and general shenanigans, WELCOME! We always like new additions to the House of Budgeteers. (Not sure if I just made that word up, but I like it!) Anywho, the simple story of where I went is that everything in my life has just changed, except for my wife, who is the loveliest and strongest grounding force in the hurricane that is my existance right now. New Son, new job, new home, and very little reliable internet connections for the last few months. So, I failed to keep up anything resembling what I promised.
But now that I'm settling in to all this newness, its time to bring back some of the old. Specifically, it is time to revive this blog, follow up on my promises, and give you, my discerning readers, what you want: My Less-than-humble opinion on what games are worth your time. So, expect my next post soon! I have not played Forsaken World in quite a while, so to do it justice, I will start from scratch, and get to cracking on the review. For now, I'm NoCashReq, and you're not. Laters!
[NoCashReq has left.]
I LIIIIIVE! MWAHAHahahaha, (cough, COUGH) ack.... hairball. Sorry bout that. But contrary to popular belief, I am not dead yet. In fact I think I'll go out for a walk!
Flat Broke Gamer Review is not going anywhere either, so for those of you who have been waiting for more, it is on the way. And for those of you who stumbled onto this little nugget of low-cost online games and general shenanigans, WELCOME! We always like new additions to the House of Budgeteers. (Not sure if I just made that word up, but I like it!) Anywho, the simple story of where I went is that everything in my life has just changed, except for my wife, who is the loveliest and strongest grounding force in the hurricane that is my existance right now. New Son, new job, new home, and very little reliable internet connections for the last few months. So, I failed to keep up anything resembling what I promised.
But now that I'm settling in to all this newness, its time to bring back some of the old. Specifically, it is time to revive this blog, follow up on my promises, and give you, my discerning readers, what you want: My Less-than-humble opinion on what games are worth your time. So, expect my next post soon! I have not played Forsaken World in quite a while, so to do it justice, I will start from scratch, and get to cracking on the review. For now, I'm NoCashReq, and you're not. Laters!
[NoCashReq has left.]
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Epiphany
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BOOOOOOM! Yes, for those of us who are more literate than the others, you may have guessed it, but that was the sound of my mind exploding. Because I had a thought (Warning: This is one of the signs of the Apocalypse, start building your world-escaping device/portal/vehicle now) and that thought was this: Rather than putting in play-by-play posts leading up to the main review, what if I posted each part of the review on different days of the week, with a wrap up at the end. I could lead off with a backstory summary, hit each of the major scoring points, and then put it all together in a regular full-on review at the end, with the cumulative score and BLUF portions. It would still be a longer process for each review, but it would be more coherent, and that way you'd get a more in-depth review of each of the scores.
My opinion is to give this a try, but what do you think? Post your vote and thoughts on the comments board, I will review them and post the results next week. This is your chance to truly change this blog, so let your voice be heard!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
BOOOOOOM! Yes, for those of us who are more literate than the others, you may have guessed it, but that was the sound of my mind exploding. Because I had a thought (Warning: This is one of the signs of the Apocalypse, start building your world-escaping device/portal/vehicle now) and that thought was this: Rather than putting in play-by-play posts leading up to the main review, what if I posted each part of the review on different days of the week, with a wrap up at the end. I could lead off with a backstory summary, hit each of the major scoring points, and then put it all together in a regular full-on review at the end, with the cumulative score and BLUF portions. It would still be a longer process for each review, but it would be more coherent, and that way you'd get a more in-depth review of each of the scores.
My opinion is to give this a try, but what do you think? Post your vote and thoughts on the comments board, I will review them and post the results next week. This is your chance to truly change this blog, so let your voice be heard!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
First Impressions: Forsaken World
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Gamers and friends, it is I, NoCashReq, with the first of a new type of update, the play-by-play. I will still delight and amaze (or at least babble on incessantly) with a complete review like those you've seen me do so far, but since those will only be coming every other week, the rest of the time will be filled with my thoughts of the game or games that I'm playing or review as they happen. They will not be on a regular schedule, so expect them to hit out of the blue. If you haven't already, I'd suggest following me either as a Blogger member, or via email (both are available on the right side of the screen).
Enough of all that trash, let's get to the matter at hand: my impressions as I fire up Forsaken World for the first time!
CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE
Forsaken World is a fantasy style MMORPG. It was developed, and is currently produced, by Perfect World, and was released in October 2010.
CHARACTER CREATION
The character creation page reminds me of several other MMOs, starting with a simple click and choose between races and the sex of your character. One of the suprising things is that each race has specific classes for it, rather than an open choice. Dwarves and Stonemen only have one class each, Elves and Kindred (kind of a vampire race) have three, and Humans have the most at four. All of the characters have a very bright, anime style to them, all very grandiose and colorful. I've started two characters to see how they work, a Dwarf Sharpshooter and a Stoneman Protector. The choices for originality are rather limited, with face, hair, skin color, and flair (facial markings, tattoos, jewelry, etc.) but the overall designs are pretty nice. The odd thing that the game adds is it asks for a birthdate.
The beginning quests are tutorial in nature, and so far are pretty easy. Combat is not automatic, you have to engage a monster for it to even notice you.
So far, it's an interesting game, we'll see how it does.
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Gamers and friends, it is I, NoCashReq, with the first of a new type of update, the play-by-play. I will still delight and amaze (or at least babble on incessantly) with a complete review like those you've seen me do so far, but since those will only be coming every other week, the rest of the time will be filled with my thoughts of the game or games that I'm playing or review as they happen. They will not be on a regular schedule, so expect them to hit out of the blue. If you haven't already, I'd suggest following me either as a Blogger member, or via email (both are available on the right side of the screen).
Enough of all that trash, let's get to the matter at hand: my impressions as I fire up Forsaken World for the first time!
CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE
Forsaken World is a fantasy style MMORPG. It was developed, and is currently produced, by Perfect World, and was released in October 2010.
CHARACTER CREATION
The character creation page reminds me of several other MMOs, starting with a simple click and choose between races and the sex of your character. One of the suprising things is that each race has specific classes for it, rather than an open choice. Dwarves and Stonemen only have one class each, Elves and Kindred (kind of a vampire race) have three, and Humans have the most at four. All of the characters have a very bright, anime style to them, all very grandiose and colorful. I've started two characters to see how they work, a Dwarf Sharpshooter and a Stoneman Protector. The choices for originality are rather limited, with face, hair, skin color, and flair (facial markings, tattoos, jewelry, etc.) but the overall designs are pretty nice. The odd thing that the game adds is it asks for a birthdate.
The beginning quests are tutorial in nature, and so far are pretty easy. Combat is not automatic, you have to engage a monster for it to even notice you.
So far, it's an interesting game, we'll see how it does.
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Monday, April 30, 2012
AAAAACCCCK!
[NoCashReq has entered the room]
Life is what happens while your busy making plans... or when God decides to remind you of his sense of humor. Needless to say, Real Life has reared his ugly head, I am overwhelmed with work, a two month old, and getting ready to uproot and change everthing. So, in order to play long enough to make my posts fair and entertaining, for the nearby future, I will be changing my official Reviews to once every two weeks, postponing the monthly reviews, and to keep you interested, will instead start posting smaller, bite-size bits of my playing experiences as I go. You'll get to see the work product that goes into my reviews, some of the insanity that is currently my life, and I will have the time to put together a quality review every two weeks! Until my next gaming time, this is NoCashReq, and that's the way the cookie crumbles!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Life is what happens while your busy making plans... or when God decides to remind you of his sense of humor. Needless to say, Real Life has reared his ugly head, I am overwhelmed with work, a two month old, and getting ready to uproot and change everthing. So, in order to play long enough to make my posts fair and entertaining, for the nearby future, I will be changing my official Reviews to once every two weeks, postponing the monthly reviews, and to keep you interested, will instead start posting smaller, bite-size bits of my playing experiences as I go. You'll get to see the work product that goes into my reviews, some of the insanity that is currently my life, and I will have the time to put together a quality review every two weeks! Until my next gaming time, this is NoCashReq, and that's the way the cookie crumbles!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Next on the Monthly Hit Parade...
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Thanks to the handy-dandy list of review scores, you may have already realized the next month long review target, but for those who don't know what I'm talking about: Out of every four reviews, I continue to play the one with the highest score for a month. And for the current set, the winner is: Dragon Nest! So tune in in about four weeks to see what else I have to say about the game, and keep coming back until then for four more looks at the Free-to-Play games out there! Later!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Thanks to the handy-dandy list of review scores, you may have already realized the next month long review target, but for those who don't know what I'm talking about: Out of every four reviews, I continue to play the one with the highest score for a month. And for the current set, the winner is: Dragon Nest! So tune in in about four weeks to see what else I have to say about the game, and keep coming back until then for four more looks at the Free-to-Play games out there! Later!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Just Under the Wire...
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...and with seconds to spare this week's review made it in as promised. I apologize to my faithful readers for the delay (if I have any) and promise that I will make a more concerted effort to post in a more regular schedule than what I have so far.
[NoCashReq has left the room]
...and with seconds to spare this week's review made it in as promised. I apologize to my faithful readers for the delay (if I have any) and promise that I will make a more concerted effort to post in a more regular schedule than what I have so far.
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Rise of Immortals Review #1
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They may take our lives, but they will
never take OUR FREE GAMES!!!!! Fellow Cheapskates, we are back in
action at FBGR, and we are off and running with the MOBA:
Rise of Immortals was developed and
produced by Petroglyph Games, and was released only seven short
months ago in September, 2011. It is currently available via the
Steam Store.
BLUF: Although the game developers
claim that the persistent character growth is a feature, having to
train every character you want to play until they are viable is not
something I want. This game definitely has better casual player
appeal, with several PVE maps in addition to the PVP maps, but it is
a second tier game in comparison to the benchmark, League of Legends.
SCORES
Playability: 2/5 If you've played
similar titles, you'll pick this game up easily. If not, the short
tutorial, easily ignored reminders for skill tree and artifact slot
unlocks, and easily missed clicks due to a very tight aiming device
will frustrate you.
Atmospherics: 4/5 The game has a
consistent style to the maps, interesting character designs, and the
background music is nice. The optional skins for the champions
leaves something to be desired, as they are mostly color changes,
with no real difference from the original.
Learning Curve: 4/5 Each character has
a unique style of gameplay, and can be customized for the player's
preferences, allowing you to find your optimum build and strategy.
Community: 4/5 PVE matches do not
differentiate according to character level, so it was common for me
to follow someone around in the match 20+ levels above me, and just
from that you can learn a lot. No real complaints about language or
rude behavior, but no real hands held out to newbies either.
Support: 4/5 I had no issues with the
game, and the crew at Petroglyph run regular updates and add new
content at least once a month.
Cash Shop: 3/5 Prices seemed fair and
reasonable, especially since the game hasn't been out long enough to
have a huge number of characters available.
OVERALL: 21/30 There are a few things
I found annoying, but overall I felt this was a good game. I think I
will retry it in about a year, if it's still up and running at that
point, to see how it has matured.
Backstory
Rise of Immortals is based in the same
world as Petroglyph's game, “Guardians of Graxia,” released 2010
both as a board game and online game. Graxia is a world of floating
continents, connected by portals from one to the next. The original
game was a turn-based strategy game, featuring the races of Graxia as
your armies. Rise of Immortals takes place several centuries later,
when the crystals that power the magic of the world and keep their
continents afloat start to lose power and die. After the crash of
one continent, the people of Graxia find out that nothing can be done
to permanently stop the decay of the crystals. Destroying one of the
crystals, however, sends its charge to the other crystals, and war
breaks out, as every faction fights to protect their crystals while
destroying everyone else's. In a desperate bid to stem the tide of
death, champions, called Immortals, are chosen from among the races
and out in the world to d battle. The losing forces watch as their
crystals are destroyed by the victors.
Each Immortal has their own backstory,
and each has their own reasons for fighting, but in the long run, it
all comes down to survival.
TUTORIAL
The tutorial starts you with Kyrie, a
Melee DPS Immortal that excels at single target attacks. The
announcer walks you through getting around, the various abilities
that Kyrie has, and the major objectives of the match. What I found
lacking was that there was no persistent gear tutorial or guide. In
other games, there is at least a pop-up window that says, in effect,
“Hey! Look over here! There's stuff you've earned that you need to
look at or you will be left behind by your competitors.” In this
game, the icons for your skills improvement flashes, but that icon is
tiny on the screen, and the flash is barely noticeable. I stumbled
onto the artifact page by accident, just in trying everything out.
MATCH ME UP
After you have learned the basics, your
next choice is Immortal selection. This decision is more important
here than in other games, because of one simple thing: Each Immortal
must be leveled up independently. In other MOBA games, you level up,
unlocking persistent skill or gear slots, and you can assign them to
any character you choose. Rise of Immortals, however, ties
progression directly to the Immortal, meaning that if you start with
Kyrie, and decide that she isn't your style, you'll have to start
from scratch on the next immortal you try. There are currently 21
Immortals to choose from, and each is labeled as to their role in the
game (DPS, Support, Tank, etc.). Oh, and that's one role per
Immortal, these guys are not designed to be flexible enough to cover
more than one.
Once you have chosen your Immortal, you
will be sent to The Hub, a non combat map where Immortals hang out in
between matches. You'll be able to see other players, their level,
if they are in a group, and if they are queued up for a match. This
is also where you have access to your skill tree and artifact page,
the two persistent stat bonuses each immortal has. Skills unlock
every level, where the artifacts unlock in groups every ten levels,
to a level cap of 50. You also have access to the global
marketplace, where you can buy artifacts, various buffs, skins, etc.
Artifacts and Immortals can be bought with earned points from the
matches, but all other purchases are cash.
At any time in the hub you can change
immortals or queue up for a match. There are currently four match
options available: 1v1 PVE, 2v2 PVP, 3v3 PVE, and 5v5 PVP. Each has
its own map and goals, and each awards different amounts of permanent
EXP to your Immortal. You can see the number of people in the
queues, which is nice to know so you aren't waiting forever for a
match, and 1v1 PVE is always available as a practice venue. While I
played, I saw no one enter the 2v2 queue, but there were plenty of
players in the 3v3 and 5v5 maps. Solo and team match-ups in PVP are
done by level, but not all players are in the same level bracket.
Rather, each team is given an equal amount of players at about the
same level. In the last 5v5 game I played, each team had one player
at level 17, several players around 6 or 7, and I think we each had
one player at level 1. needless to say, the team fights were
anything but balanced. If your high level player was there, you
dominated until the other team's leader showed up. It's nice that
they want to let everyone play without waiting until there are enough
lvl 50's on to make a match for them, but this system is not
balanced.
PVE matches are a lot of fun, and will
really appeal to the casual player, as even the lowest level player
will be able to contribute. The 3v3 Map includes two in-lane
monsters that stop you and your creeps (NPC low level forces that
auto-spawn and head down the lane until they meet resistance) until
you are high enough in level to kill them off, and a dragon that is
released from the enemy base once you destroy it. The dragon heads
straight down the map to your base, ignoring all terrain, and only
attacking if it is attacked, until it either dies or destroys your
base.
YOU ARE A UNIQUE SNOWFLAKE...
Just like most MOBA games, there are a
variety of maps, Immortals, and team compositions to try. The
differences in this game are where it succeeds or fails:
Persistent Immortal Growth: Fail.
Having to train every single one of them to get their skills and
artifacts sets filled up is slow and annoying, whereas other games
you develop as a player and unlock the slots you need, then apply
them to every character you choose to play.
PVE maps: Success. Having separate,
interesting, fun challenges to do that don't require players on the
other side means you have a great way to learn your character in an
easier environment.
Larger Maps: For the PVE, larger maps
are a success as they allow more exploration, more minion camps, and
more opportunities to have some fun. For PVP, it's a failure, as it
means it is far more easy to steamroll a team that doesn't pull
together fast enough for a team fight.
FINAL VERDICT
This game is good, but just not good
enough yet. In comparison to other MOBA titles, it has some
originality, but where it matters most, the PVP matches, it doesn't
compare well enough for a seat at the big table.
That's it for this review, join us next
time as we take a crack at the MMO Forsaken World. Till then,
goodnight you kings of Mainstream, you princesses of New Content!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Meanwhile, in another galaxy...
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Fellow Cheap-Ass Gamers! I am not going on hiatus, stopping the reviews, or quitting this project! That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm going to postpone the next review until I am back home with my wife and son, which means for this week, no review. I am diligently playing several games in preparation for reviewing, and will be back on schedule next week. But while I finish up the temporary assignment I am currently on in real life, my time is limited. So, tune in next week for the review of Rise of Immortals, and get the word out about FBGR! Thanks!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Fellow Cheap-Ass Gamers! I am not going on hiatus, stopping the reviews, or quitting this project! That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm going to postpone the next review until I am back home with my wife and son, which means for this week, no review. I am diligently playing several games in preparation for reviewing, and will be back on schedule next week. But while I finish up the temporary assignment I am currently on in real life, my time is limited. So, tune in next week for the review of Rise of Immortals, and get the word out about FBGR! Thanks!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Saturday, April 7, 2012
DC Universe Online Month-In Review
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Fellow Budgeteers! It is time for the one month review! For those of you who are new to the site, over the course of a month (four weeks, actually, but who’s counting), I review four games with Free-to-Play content, trying to help you know if they are worth your time. At the end of those reviews, the one that got the highest review score earns a second, month long review.
Now, normally the month review would have been awarded to League of Legends, as it had far and away the highest score of the first month. However, as I stated in last month’s wrap-up, I’ve been playing LoL for so long, that the review I posted for it was both a first blush and long review. So, the review was awarded to: DC Universe Online!
[cue applause]
Now, there will be two distinct differences between the weekly and monthly articles. First, I won’t be posting a score for the monthly ones. If I felt that the game deserved a change to its score in one area or another, I will let you know, but normally the scores will stay the same. The second major difference will be that I will allow myself a small budget to spend on the game. I figure that $20 is more than enough to try out some of the DLC content. But if it is only cosmetic offerings, chances are I will refrain from dropping any greenbacks. Now on to the game!
PREVIOUSLY ON FBGR…
When I left DC Online, I had two characters, the hero at level 15, and the villain at 17. They had both completed a number of quests, gathered some pretty good gear, and were a lot of fun to play. Now that I was going back, I wanted to not only push them all the way to the level cap, I also wanted to experiment with the other powers and weapon styles, and really see what I could come up with, both stylistically and actual gameplay development.
TO LEVEL THIRTY…
Getting to the level cap can be a race, a crawl, or simply an enjoyable stroll. It is possible, though I don’t know why you’d want to, to get to Level 30 in less than half a day. In order to get there that fast, you’re going to need a group to party with, and just tear through every major quest as they become available, ignoring all PVP matches, races, investigations, collections, etc., and anything else that isn’t a major XP gain. However, by so doing, you may have a less powerful character than someone who does all the “side quests” on their way to the cap. Now, you’re probably asking how that can possibly make sense, and here’s the answer: feat points. Accomplishing certain goals, like completing all the races of a certain challenge rating (Introductory, Rookie, Adept, Skilled and Expert), exploring the cities, completing quests without getting knocked out, etc, etc, etc, will net you 10, 25, or 50 Feat points, and each 100 points earns you an extra skill point. And there are over 500 feats to be completed, with more being added in the major updates. I stumbled onto this little fact, and started doing any little side thing I could find, expanding my skill points very quickly.
Several other items can be earned along the way as well. Investigations (marked with a green ? icon) give you gear that is about the same level as the quest you find them near to. Collections and briefings (blue and yellow ? icons, respectively) give you style tokens, many of which styles are not available at creation. So do platinum finishes in the races all over town. Exobits (marked with a glowing ring icon) can be gathered and then converted into Exobytes, used in the design of gear enhancers, consumables, and other useful equipment. PVP Arena and PVP Legends reward you with Marks and Influence that act as a secondary currency for style tokens, Legendary exobyte data, and Level 30 Tier 1 PVP Gear. Not to mention the fact that all these activities can be fun! I personally found that taking my time to complete investigations, running races, and just enjoying the process was not only rewarding, it let me learn my abilities and skills better.
AND BEYOND!
The question running around in the back of my little skull like a rabid ferret was “What is there to do after you hit the level cap?” The answer was, thankfully, quite a lot. There are a plethora of repeatable Quests that unlock at 30, as well as Duos (two player versions of some of the earlier quests on “hard mode”), harder Alerts, and Raids (the hardest PvE Quests available, and only at high CR levels).
At level 30, The focus shifts from leveling up to improving your Combat Rating (CR). Your CR is determined by the average level of your gear, and sets your access to the endgame content. In order to get better gear, you will have to earn not only cash, but some of the secondary currency types, called Marks. There are several types of Marks, each is earned by completing specific content that opened up at 30, and each is used for a specific type (PvP or PvE) and level of gear.
Marks are slow to earn, but Duos, Alerts, and Arena PVP each offer a Daily Challenge, marked with a star that earns you extra Marks. Occasional Marks can also be found in the Vault. Each earning event can be done once per day, so my suggestion is if you have a group, run them in order as a team. If, like me, you don't really have anyone to rely on, hang out in the Watchtower or Hall of Doom, and post a Looking For Group (LFG) request while watching for the opposite GLF requests that come by.
There have also been several updates and DLC packs added to the game, with more planned for later. Each of these has added playable areas, quests, alerts, and options, so it looks like no matter how long you play, there will be new things to try.
CHANGING YOUR LOOKS
In the original review I said that character design was somewhat limited, and so I gave the Atmospherics score of 3/5. After having played further, and designed several new characters, I have to say that I should adjust my score to a 4/5. the reason for this is that although the INITIAL options are somewhat limited, the options you can unlock are tremendous. There are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Unique, Iconic, and Casual styles available for most of the gear you wear, so the chance to find something that fits the look you wanted is out there. One of my characters actually owns Batman Boxers! LOL!
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
With three mentors, three movement modes, nine powers, and ten weapon sets, finding your style of play is relatively easy. Just experimenting with each of them can be fun, but there are certain combinations that work better than others, and not just for individual preference. Movement Modes each have bonuses to your defence against certain crowd control effects. Superspeed can give you Knockback and Restraint resistance, Flight helps against Restraint and Stuns, and Acrobatics give you Stuns and Knockback resistance. Each has a variety of abilities that can be unlocked via skill points, and improve your ability to get around or are used as another power-based ability on your loadout for combat. My personal preference falls to Acrobatics, but really it is up to you and what you like.
The real synergy comes from the Weapon and Power interactions, and what role you want to play. Each of the weapons have innate bonuses that are unlocked either as a bonus when you pick up a certain attack, or as a straight bonus that can be bought up to three times, and are found in the last two levels of the skill tree. These bonuses are always on, even if you aren't using that weapon style, so picking up multiple weapon styles also means picking up additional stat bonuses that stack. When you look at your choice of Power and Weapon, as yourself if you are staying in the damage role, or if you ant to play one of the alternate roles: Tank, Healer, or Controller. Then look at what stats will help you the most for that role, and you'll find that one or two weapon styles will be the best choice for you to take because of the bonuses you get.
DROPPING CASH
It was with reluctance that I spent $15 of my budgeted $20 for some DLC on this game. I have to say that it was worth it. In spending money, ANY money, you move from the Free level of membership to Premium, and with that your character count goes up, your cash limit increases, and you get some great new options. I bought an extra character slot and the Lightning Strikes DLC pack, unlocking Lightning as a power option, opening up Central City as an endgame option for all of my characters, and adding some style options and bounties for some of the most famous heroes and villains of The Flash comic series. Each DLC pack is similar, and with the rate that they have released them, you could open up each of the DLC packs as they come out, and still spend less in a year than you would on one new game from the store. The major draw to getting a Legendary Membership that I can see is that all of the DLC, styles, etc. is unlocked, and you can create a League ( other games call this a Guild) with other players, but for me, I'm more than happy to stick with my frugality, and buy it piecemeal.
THE VERDICT
I stand by my initial review, and say that this game is WORTH IT. It is worth your time, and some of your money, depending on how much you play it. For me, I'll stick to the DLC packs and playing 7-10 hours a week, so if you're out there in Metropolis or Gotham, and need some help, just /Shout “Help me NoCashReq!” and if I'm on, I'll swoop in to save the day! (Or crush the fools, whichever is more appropriate.)
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Comments are now OPEN!
[NoCashReq has entered the room]
I was discussing my little project with my wife last night, and mentioned that I never seem to get any comments. She, having kept a blog on Blogger.com for far longer than I have (as well as being smarter and way out of my league in cuteness) asked me, "Well, did you change the settings to allow anyone to comment, or is it on the default setting of only members can comment?" Buh Wha? Yup, sure enough, I had never even looked at the settings, and have kept many of you from saying what you thought because I am a dumbass. I have taken a knee, punched myself in the face, and changed the settings so that anyone can comment. For right now, I'm leaving off the moderation function. If I get a lot of spammers, I'll readjust that, but for now, you can leave me all the opinions, comments, questions, fart jokes, and smart-ass remarks you want!
So, let's start this off with a prompt: What game are you currently addicted to? What electronic entertainment motivates you to get up in the morning, work all day, put up with the annoying and frustrating grind of a day, just so you can afford your digital escape? Free or not, online or not, what is the game that you can't get enough of? Lemme know!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
I was discussing my little project with my wife last night, and mentioned that I never seem to get any comments. She, having kept a blog on Blogger.com for far longer than I have (as well as being smarter and way out of my league in cuteness) asked me, "Well, did you change the settings to allow anyone to comment, or is it on the default setting of only members can comment?" Buh Wha? Yup, sure enough, I had never even looked at the settings, and have kept many of you from saying what you thought because I am a dumbass. I have taken a knee, punched myself in the face, and changed the settings so that anyone can comment. For right now, I'm leaving off the moderation function. If I get a lot of spammers, I'll readjust that, but for now, you can leave me all the opinions, comments, questions, fart jokes, and smart-ass remarks you want!
So, let's start this off with a prompt: What game are you currently addicted to? What electronic entertainment motivates you to get up in the morning, work all day, put up with the annoying and frustrating grind of a day, just so you can afford your digital escape? Free or not, online or not, what is the game that you can't get enough of? Lemme know!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Monday, April 2, 2012
Fallen Earth Review #1
[NoCashReq has entered the room]
Computer? Check. Network connection? Check. Caffeinated soda of choice within reach? Double check. Then we are ready and it is time! Welcome again to the one-man-show that is Flat Broke Gamer Review! The Blog that tries to help you in your low-cost attempt to find decent online games. I am your less-than-humble host, NoCashReq, and this week we shine our floodlights on:
Fallen Earth is a MMORPG originally developed by Icarus Studios and Fallen Earth, and now by Reloaded Productions, and was converted to its new FtP style as a part of its purchase by GamersFirst in Aug 2011.
BLUF: This game tries to be too many different things at once, and is frustrating because of it. By trying to be a First Person Shooter (FPS)/Role Playing Game (RPG) hybrid, it fails at both, and although it has a really deep crafting and skill system, most people will not find this game to be their cup of tea.
SCORES
Playability: 1/5 Having to constantly switch from walk/interact mode to combat mode, lousy camera control outside of combat, and so many Heads-Up Display (HUD) windows makes this game frustrating to outright overwhelming. Casual players will not enjoy this game, unless their OCD kicks in and forces them to play through the initial pain until they get what Ctrl+K does and how to rapid swap between weapons.
Atmospherics: 3/5 This game has a great, if rather monochrome, look. Most of the terrain and characters look like they are straight out of Mad Max, but there is no real background music, and the movement, especially during combat, is stiff and robotic.
Learning Curve: 3/5 The sheer volume of the crafting system and skill system had me hopeful, as well as the six sided faction wheel, but because of the limitations on FtP players, unless you spend some cash you will take a LONG time leveling up, and even longer if you try to play one of the non-combat oriented styles of characters.
Community: 4/5 I had a lot of trouble trying to figure the game out, and the community was great about trying to answer questions and help me out. FtP players do not have access to the global chat, so you are a little bit limited, but the players I interacted with were great.
Support: 4/5 No real issues, and a regular update patten that adds more content, albeit mostly to the cash shop makes this a stable game.
Cash Value: 3/5 Buying the in-store cash at a rate of 800 G1C for $10 is a little lower than most games, but the items available all seem fairly well priced. Added to that is the First Time Buyer's Bonus, a veritable bag o' swag you get for the first purchase you make. The memberships are available at three different levels, and offer bonuses to leveling, crafting, and at the highest level, an AOE buff for you and all players with you. The downside is that not spending cash actually penalizes you.
OVERALL: 18/25 This game is not a bad game, but could do better with a lot less. FPS players will probably find it enjoyable, RPG players will find it annoying but manageable, but casual players will not make it past the first few level-ups.
BACKSTORY
Fallen Earth Takes place in and around the Grand Canyon, and one of the nice details that the game designers took in is the the topography is actually based on real imaging data from the world's biggest pothole. The world has been devastated by both nuclear war and a deadly pandemic, known as the Shiva Virus. Shortly before the world fell apart, the company GlobalTech creates the first fully functional cloning system, interconnected with a neural mapping program. This tech virtually guarantees the cloned person immortality. But with the collapse of modern society, the company ends up controlling what appears to be the only bastion of humanity, the Grand Canyon Province. As with any power system, several factions rise to try and claim dominance, and the competition soon falls apart into outright combat. There is a fairly rich and diverse play of characters included into the history of this game, the only one that I had a real problem buying into is that one of the last presidents of the USA is supposedly a member of a recognized terrorist group. No really, they have that in there.
Your character is one of the lucky people to have been plugged into the LifeNet Cloning system, and so up until the end of the world, you would have potentially survived forever. But the best laid plans of mice and men...
TUTORIAL
The creation process for your character starts with a choice of skin tones, hair, tattoos, face-paint, piercings, etc, basically how you look. There isn't a huge amount of options, none of your choices affect gameplay, and most of what you're offered can be changed later, so I chose some random stuff and launched the game.
You start playing by waking in a cloning facility with a woman's voice talking you through the first bit of the game. She introduces herself as Elena Winters, explains that the Hoover Dam Facility where you're at has been harvesting clones for various unsavory reasons, and that you have to do whatever it takes to get out. The game then tries its best to guide you through using one of the clunkiest, overloaded, overly complicated interface systems I have ever seen in a game. Seriously, this game could streamline down the controls and eliminate a lot of the HUD windows, increase the size of the text, and they would have so much more success at attracting players. Just eliminating the need to swap between walk/interact mode and combat mode would be an improvement that would make most people happy. That fact that I can be walking around trying to click on something on the ground, not see an enemy in all the clutter of the overhead map, and get killed before I can get off an attack was frustrating enough I quit after an hour of playing to calm myself. The first mission briefly introduces you to several people from what you will later learn are the six major factions of the game, lets you try both melee and ranged combat, and has you fight a bunch of nuclear mutant monsters that overwhelmed me before I could switch to combat mode. You then save the day by driving an ATV out of the facility, saving everyone and blowing yourself up in the process.
Yeah, you're dead...
Thanks for playing!
Only kidding, only kidding. Instead of being greeted by angels (or devils as the case may be) you go to a cut-scene that talks about the cloning process, how you are virtually immortal, and then flips to Elena hijacking the system. She tells you that you've been out for four years, and that the LifeNet core has been destroyed, and with it, all of the data for the clones. Your data was rerouted through a backup, but the data was damaged, so you'll eventually die now. Unless you find the alpha clones and integrate their DNA with your own.
And with that, you are given the choice of eight starter towns, and off you go! Each town has bonus skills,gear, and a horse for you, and they can all be visited, you aren't limited to only going to the one you choose. You're given quests by various NPCs you'll run into, and they are designed to help you try out most of the major functions in the game: combat, crafting, learning skills, maneuvering around the world, using your mutations, etc. Oh, didn't I mention that. Yeah, in addition to being a clone you are also a mutant. The Shiva Virus that nearly killed everyone also mutated the DNA of humans allowing us to have some special abilities. These are not enough to use solely for combat, no blades coming out of your hands or telekinesis, but they do provide a series of buffs and debuffs you can use. One of the first quests sends you off to get familiar with the Disrupt ability, which turns your next attack into a stunning blow (works best with melee). There are eleven different mutations, each with its own abilities. Using a mutation uses your Gamma energy, which replenishes over time or from consumables.
Playing through the first few quests, I found the questing process to be annoying. Every step of the way, two or three windows wanted to open, telling me my next goal, wanting me to click if I understood, detailing how to get the next part done, etc. Really, you could cut that down, get rid of some of the clutter, and it would function better. The rest of the HUD was the same. The chat window, while useful as most of the community was very helpful to me, can also be distracting and annoying. The upgrade button will minimize from covering the screen when you load up to a small reminder at the bottom of the screen, but it won't go away! Your ability bar at the bottom, the map on the right, everything is just too much clutter in your visual space, and everything is too crowded in it's own right. The map is USELESS, there is no way to tell one colored dot from any other dot of the same color, nothing is labeled, so you're almost better off without it.
Adding to the frustration were the controls. Not only do you have to switch from walk/interact mode to combat mode, but the number of key combinations to open windows, use skills, use abilities, and generally play the game almost calls for an extra hand or two. Shift+, Ctrl+, Alt+, and then just the regular keys, are you kidding me?
Next problem: The combat graphics looked more like old Goldeneye animations than what games come up with today. The characters barely bend as they move, their fighting is stiff and unresponsive, and it just didn't impress me at all. A simpler interface and controls, and more accurate physics in your animations would bring more people around to playing. But enough about what I didn't like. Let's get to the good stuff, that being the skill system and the crafting system.
LEARNING AND TRAINING
In addition to the quest and sales NPCs you're expecting in town, there are also trainers in all five of the major skill sets that allow you to refine your character as you progress. Skills are improved by spending Advancement Points (AP) which are earned from combat, leveling up, and other various activities. Combat is one of the easier ways to earn your AP, but if you are dead set on playing that pacifistic healer that keeps all your friends alive, there are ways to do it. Each skill set has a limit of how high it can go, based on percentages of your attribute scores. These are fairly straightforward stats that are also raised through spending AP but where skills are raised at a one to one rate, attributes go up at a five to one rate. As a base, three AP are earned every 1/10th of a level you raise. The idea behind this system is to allow you more control over who your character becomes, so if you want a really customizable character design system, here it is. You can be either a specialist in a few skills or have some ability with all, and there is no defining class or role that funnels you into one path or another. It would be altogether possible to have completely opposite skills in one character, go for all of the skills at once, or a more traditional approach from another game. Personally, I like having a role in the group laid out for me, as it allows me to automatically know what people will expect me to do, but I can also see the freedom with this system.
All along the way towards the level cap, which is a healthy 55 I might add, you have the chance to refine or broaden your character, either through AP spending or aligning with factions and sub-factions (which will be covered very shortly), but the main idea is that just like a real human, you should have the option to explore whatever takes your fancy. I think it was an ambitious goal, and I think that they left it a little too open, but I do applaud their efforts to allow you to craft your own character, whoever you think that character should be.
IF YOU BUILD IT
The other wide open system that's in this game is the crafting system. Literally anything that can be used in the game can be crafted, from weapons to armor, food, ammunition, even vehicles. Various vendors sell the recipes you'll need to be able to craft, and each crafting job takes time, but the nice thing is that that time is real time and keeps going while you do other things, INCLUDING logging off and spending time with the family. That's right, you can start a crafting project, leave it running overnight, come back the next day, collect whatever you built, start something new, and while you roam around in the game, the item is being built. It is actually possible to reach the level cap by being a merchant! That is, if you have enough time. FtP players are limited to only eight hours of crafting every 24 hour period, so unless you shell out some cash at some point, your crafting will be slower. There are other limitations on playing strictly sans cash, but I’ll get to them later.
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE
Upon reaching level 10, you have the option to join a faction. There are six, and they are arranged in a wheel pattern, with two allies, two enemies, and one arch rival. You start out as a Neutral, and can remain such for as long as you want, but while you will be able to go anywhere, and interact with any of the groups, you won't be able to do as much at any of the locations as if you join a faction. You also will get access to faction specific equipment and quests. There are even sub-factions with in the main six, some exclusive, some not, that allow you to further go down the rabbit hole of one ideal or another. The factions are:
Children Of The Apocalypse (CHOTA): Anarchists that blame society for the destruction of the world, they want nothing to do with restructuring technology or society. Their allies are the Vista and Travelers, enemies to the Techs and Lightbearers, and their arch rival are the Enforcers.
Travelers: Think gypsies, traders, and hippies rolled into one, this group specializes in crafting and trading. Their allies are CHOTA and Techs, the Vista and Enforcers are their enemies, and they hate with a fervent passion the ritualistic Lightbearers.
Techs: the last of the engineers and scientists, Techs want to reestablish the world through the advancement of science and learning. Techs ally themselves with the with the Enforcers and the Travelers, Butt heads with the Lightbearers and the CHOTA, and find no common ground with the Vista.
Enforcers: A military-style organization, the Enforcers believe in law and order, and want to build a world government to restore the earth. Their allies are the Techs and Lightbearers, their enemies are the Vista and the Travelers, and the CHOTA hold a special place in their cross-hairs.
Lightbearers: A blending of spiritualism and martial arts make the Lightbearers both the healers and sages of the new world. They practice various healing arts and the use of mutations. Lightbearers get along with Enforcers and Vistas, argue with Tech and CHOTA, and throw down against the Travelers.
Vista: Eco-centric beliefs lead the Vista to try to restore the natural world first. They believe that Man's role is as caretaker and protector of the Earth. They ally with CHOTA and Lightbearers, their enemies are the Enforcers and Travelers, and their main rival are the Techs.
Having this many sides to choose from, or none at all, means that you should find your spot in the world that you like, whether you hug trees, build robots, lead an army, or break it all down, there's a spot for it. Each of the factions bring their own specialized gear, skills, and various benefits to the table, as well as faction specific quests that will open up for you when you choose a side.
CASH SHOP
The cash shop is both a good thing and a bad thing for this game. If you spend any money, it is automatically a good thing, in that there is a “New Buyers Package” that gets tacked onto whatever you bought, with a hodge-podge mix of consumables and items from the store included. I also found that although the rate of exchange was a little lower than other games (800 G1C to $10), the prices were reasonable enough that it really was a wash. The membership levels are also reasonable and staggered so that however much of your paycheck you want to part with, you can probably find a plan that works for you.
The bad news is that if you spend no money at all, you face a penalty. We already mentioned the crafting limit of eight out of every 24 hours, well there is also a 25% loss in EXP, crafting is slower by 20% you only get one character slot, no global access for the chat system, and your customer support is limited to the online database. You can find the full list of limits and benefits of the memberships here:
http://www.gamersfirst.com/sites/www.gamersfirst.com.fallenearth/files/F2PMatrix.png
So unlike other games that just limit your access to certain content pieces, this game actually docks you for not paying. Not exactly what I would call a truly FtP experience.
THE FINAL SAY
So if you want a truly open ended design system, the ability to make your own ATV, and you like the feel of the world after the end of civilization, you might want to try this game. If you don't like complicated and frustrating interfaces and controls, no real direction laid out for you to start with, and you don't want to spend anything, then I would recommend that you keep looking. As for me, I do not see myself playing this one again on my own time.
That's all I wrote on this one, join us on Thursday for the month-long review of DC Universe Online, and be back next Monday for the MOBA Rise of Immortals. Until then, have a safe and enjoyable week of games, and I'll see you online!
[NoCashReq has left the room]
Computer? Check. Network connection? Check. Caffeinated soda of choice within reach? Double check. Then we are ready and it is time! Welcome again to the one-man-show that is Flat Broke Gamer Review! The Blog that tries to help you in your low-cost attempt to find decent online games. I am your less-than-humble host, NoCashReq, and this week we shine our floodlights on:
Fallen Earth is a MMORPG originally developed by Icarus Studios and Fallen Earth, and now by Reloaded Productions, and was converted to its new FtP style as a part of its purchase by GamersFirst in Aug 2011.BLUF: This game tries to be too many different things at once, and is frustrating because of it. By trying to be a First Person Shooter (FPS)/Role Playing Game (RPG) hybrid, it fails at both, and although it has a really deep crafting and skill system, most people will not find this game to be their cup of tea.
SCORES
Playability: 1/5 Having to constantly switch from walk/interact mode to combat mode, lousy camera control outside of combat, and so many Heads-Up Display (HUD) windows makes this game frustrating to outright overwhelming. Casual players will not enjoy this game, unless their OCD kicks in and forces them to play through the initial pain until they get what Ctrl+K does and how to rapid swap between weapons.
Atmospherics: 3/5 This game has a great, if rather monochrome, look. Most of the terrain and characters look like they are straight out of Mad Max, but there is no real background music, and the movement, especially during combat, is stiff and robotic.
Learning Curve: 3/5 The sheer volume of the crafting system and skill system had me hopeful, as well as the six sided faction wheel, but because of the limitations on FtP players, unless you spend some cash you will take a LONG time leveling up, and even longer if you try to play one of the non-combat oriented styles of characters.
Community: 4/5 I had a lot of trouble trying to figure the game out, and the community was great about trying to answer questions and help me out. FtP players do not have access to the global chat, so you are a little bit limited, but the players I interacted with were great.
Support: 4/5 No real issues, and a regular update patten that adds more content, albeit mostly to the cash shop makes this a stable game.
Cash Value: 3/5 Buying the in-store cash at a rate of 800 G1C for $10 is a little lower than most games, but the items available all seem fairly well priced. Added to that is the First Time Buyer's Bonus, a veritable bag o' swag you get for the first purchase you make. The memberships are available at three different levels, and offer bonuses to leveling, crafting, and at the highest level, an AOE buff for you and all players with you. The downside is that not spending cash actually penalizes you.
OVERALL: 18/25 This game is not a bad game, but could do better with a lot less. FPS players will probably find it enjoyable, RPG players will find it annoying but manageable, but casual players will not make it past the first few level-ups.
BACKSTORY
Fallen Earth Takes place in and around the Grand Canyon, and one of the nice details that the game designers took in is the the topography is actually based on real imaging data from the world's biggest pothole. The world has been devastated by both nuclear war and a deadly pandemic, known as the Shiva Virus. Shortly before the world fell apart, the company GlobalTech creates the first fully functional cloning system, interconnected with a neural mapping program. This tech virtually guarantees the cloned person immortality. But with the collapse of modern society, the company ends up controlling what appears to be the only bastion of humanity, the Grand Canyon Province. As with any power system, several factions rise to try and claim dominance, and the competition soon falls apart into outright combat. There is a fairly rich and diverse play of characters included into the history of this game, the only one that I had a real problem buying into is that one of the last presidents of the USA is supposedly a member of a recognized terrorist group. No really, they have that in there.
Your character is one of the lucky people to have been plugged into the LifeNet Cloning system, and so up until the end of the world, you would have potentially survived forever. But the best laid plans of mice and men...
TUTORIAL
The creation process for your character starts with a choice of skin tones, hair, tattoos, face-paint, piercings, etc, basically how you look. There isn't a huge amount of options, none of your choices affect gameplay, and most of what you're offered can be changed later, so I chose some random stuff and launched the game.
You start playing by waking in a cloning facility with a woman's voice talking you through the first bit of the game. She introduces herself as Elena Winters, explains that the Hoover Dam Facility where you're at has been harvesting clones for various unsavory reasons, and that you have to do whatever it takes to get out. The game then tries its best to guide you through using one of the clunkiest, overloaded, overly complicated interface systems I have ever seen in a game. Seriously, this game could streamline down the controls and eliminate a lot of the HUD windows, increase the size of the text, and they would have so much more success at attracting players. Just eliminating the need to swap between walk/interact mode and combat mode would be an improvement that would make most people happy. That fact that I can be walking around trying to click on something on the ground, not see an enemy in all the clutter of the overhead map, and get killed before I can get off an attack was frustrating enough I quit after an hour of playing to calm myself. The first mission briefly introduces you to several people from what you will later learn are the six major factions of the game, lets you try both melee and ranged combat, and has you fight a bunch of nuclear mutant monsters that overwhelmed me before I could switch to combat mode. You then save the day by driving an ATV out of the facility, saving everyone and blowing yourself up in the process.
Yeah, you're dead...
Thanks for playing!
Only kidding, only kidding. Instead of being greeted by angels (or devils as the case may be) you go to a cut-scene that talks about the cloning process, how you are virtually immortal, and then flips to Elena hijacking the system. She tells you that you've been out for four years, and that the LifeNet core has been destroyed, and with it, all of the data for the clones. Your data was rerouted through a backup, but the data was damaged, so you'll eventually die now. Unless you find the alpha clones and integrate their DNA with your own.
And with that, you are given the choice of eight starter towns, and off you go! Each town has bonus skills,gear, and a horse for you, and they can all be visited, you aren't limited to only going to the one you choose. You're given quests by various NPCs you'll run into, and they are designed to help you try out most of the major functions in the game: combat, crafting, learning skills, maneuvering around the world, using your mutations, etc. Oh, didn't I mention that. Yeah, in addition to being a clone you are also a mutant. The Shiva Virus that nearly killed everyone also mutated the DNA of humans allowing us to have some special abilities. These are not enough to use solely for combat, no blades coming out of your hands or telekinesis, but they do provide a series of buffs and debuffs you can use. One of the first quests sends you off to get familiar with the Disrupt ability, which turns your next attack into a stunning blow (works best with melee). There are eleven different mutations, each with its own abilities. Using a mutation uses your Gamma energy, which replenishes over time or from consumables.
Playing through the first few quests, I found the questing process to be annoying. Every step of the way, two or three windows wanted to open, telling me my next goal, wanting me to click if I understood, detailing how to get the next part done, etc. Really, you could cut that down, get rid of some of the clutter, and it would function better. The rest of the HUD was the same. The chat window, while useful as most of the community was very helpful to me, can also be distracting and annoying. The upgrade button will minimize from covering the screen when you load up to a small reminder at the bottom of the screen, but it won't go away! Your ability bar at the bottom, the map on the right, everything is just too much clutter in your visual space, and everything is too crowded in it's own right. The map is USELESS, there is no way to tell one colored dot from any other dot of the same color, nothing is labeled, so you're almost better off without it.
Adding to the frustration were the controls. Not only do you have to switch from walk/interact mode to combat mode, but the number of key combinations to open windows, use skills, use abilities, and generally play the game almost calls for an extra hand or two. Shift+, Ctrl+, Alt+, and then just the regular keys, are you kidding me?
Next problem: The combat graphics looked more like old Goldeneye animations than what games come up with today. The characters barely bend as they move, their fighting is stiff and unresponsive, and it just didn't impress me at all. A simpler interface and controls, and more accurate physics in your animations would bring more people around to playing. But enough about what I didn't like. Let's get to the good stuff, that being the skill system and the crafting system.
LEARNING AND TRAINING
In addition to the quest and sales NPCs you're expecting in town, there are also trainers in all five of the major skill sets that allow you to refine your character as you progress. Skills are improved by spending Advancement Points (AP) which are earned from combat, leveling up, and other various activities. Combat is one of the easier ways to earn your AP, but if you are dead set on playing that pacifistic healer that keeps all your friends alive, there are ways to do it. Each skill set has a limit of how high it can go, based on percentages of your attribute scores. These are fairly straightforward stats that are also raised through spending AP but where skills are raised at a one to one rate, attributes go up at a five to one rate. As a base, three AP are earned every 1/10th of a level you raise. The idea behind this system is to allow you more control over who your character becomes, so if you want a really customizable character design system, here it is. You can be either a specialist in a few skills or have some ability with all, and there is no defining class or role that funnels you into one path or another. It would be altogether possible to have completely opposite skills in one character, go for all of the skills at once, or a more traditional approach from another game. Personally, I like having a role in the group laid out for me, as it allows me to automatically know what people will expect me to do, but I can also see the freedom with this system.
All along the way towards the level cap, which is a healthy 55 I might add, you have the chance to refine or broaden your character, either through AP spending or aligning with factions and sub-factions (which will be covered very shortly), but the main idea is that just like a real human, you should have the option to explore whatever takes your fancy. I think it was an ambitious goal, and I think that they left it a little too open, but I do applaud their efforts to allow you to craft your own character, whoever you think that character should be.
IF YOU BUILD IT
The other wide open system that's in this game is the crafting system. Literally anything that can be used in the game can be crafted, from weapons to armor, food, ammunition, even vehicles. Various vendors sell the recipes you'll need to be able to craft, and each crafting job takes time, but the nice thing is that that time is real time and keeps going while you do other things, INCLUDING logging off and spending time with the family. That's right, you can start a crafting project, leave it running overnight, come back the next day, collect whatever you built, start something new, and while you roam around in the game, the item is being built. It is actually possible to reach the level cap by being a merchant! That is, if you have enough time. FtP players are limited to only eight hours of crafting every 24 hour period, so unless you shell out some cash at some point, your crafting will be slower. There are other limitations on playing strictly sans cash, but I’ll get to them later.
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE
Upon reaching level 10, you have the option to join a faction. There are six, and they are arranged in a wheel pattern, with two allies, two enemies, and one arch rival. You start out as a Neutral, and can remain such for as long as you want, but while you will be able to go anywhere, and interact with any of the groups, you won't be able to do as much at any of the locations as if you join a faction. You also will get access to faction specific equipment and quests. There are even sub-factions with in the main six, some exclusive, some not, that allow you to further go down the rabbit hole of one ideal or another. The factions are:
Children Of The Apocalypse (CHOTA): Anarchists that blame society for the destruction of the world, they want nothing to do with restructuring technology or society. Their allies are the Vista and Travelers, enemies to the Techs and Lightbearers, and their arch rival are the Enforcers.
Travelers: Think gypsies, traders, and hippies rolled into one, this group specializes in crafting and trading. Their allies are CHOTA and Techs, the Vista and Enforcers are their enemies, and they hate with a fervent passion the ritualistic Lightbearers.
Techs: the last of the engineers and scientists, Techs want to reestablish the world through the advancement of science and learning. Techs ally themselves with the with the Enforcers and the Travelers, Butt heads with the Lightbearers and the CHOTA, and find no common ground with the Vista.
Enforcers: A military-style organization, the Enforcers believe in law and order, and want to build a world government to restore the earth. Their allies are the Techs and Lightbearers, their enemies are the Vista and the Travelers, and the CHOTA hold a special place in their cross-hairs.
Lightbearers: A blending of spiritualism and martial arts make the Lightbearers both the healers and sages of the new world. They practice various healing arts and the use of mutations. Lightbearers get along with Enforcers and Vistas, argue with Tech and CHOTA, and throw down against the Travelers.
Vista: Eco-centric beliefs lead the Vista to try to restore the natural world first. They believe that Man's role is as caretaker and protector of the Earth. They ally with CHOTA and Lightbearers, their enemies are the Enforcers and Travelers, and their main rival are the Techs.
Having this many sides to choose from, or none at all, means that you should find your spot in the world that you like, whether you hug trees, build robots, lead an army, or break it all down, there's a spot for it. Each of the factions bring their own specialized gear, skills, and various benefits to the table, as well as faction specific quests that will open up for you when you choose a side.
CASH SHOP
The cash shop is both a good thing and a bad thing for this game. If you spend any money, it is automatically a good thing, in that there is a “New Buyers Package” that gets tacked onto whatever you bought, with a hodge-podge mix of consumables and items from the store included. I also found that although the rate of exchange was a little lower than other games (800 G1C to $10), the prices were reasonable enough that it really was a wash. The membership levels are also reasonable and staggered so that however much of your paycheck you want to part with, you can probably find a plan that works for you.
The bad news is that if you spend no money at all, you face a penalty. We already mentioned the crafting limit of eight out of every 24 hours, well there is also a 25% loss in EXP, crafting is slower by 20% you only get one character slot, no global access for the chat system, and your customer support is limited to the online database. You can find the full list of limits and benefits of the memberships here:
http://www.gamersfirst.com/sites/www.gamersfirst.com.fallenearth/files/F2PMatrix.png
So unlike other games that just limit your access to certain content pieces, this game actually docks you for not paying. Not exactly what I would call a truly FtP experience.
THE FINAL SAY
So if you want a truly open ended design system, the ability to make your own ATV, and you like the feel of the world after the end of civilization, you might want to try this game. If you don't like complicated and frustrating interfaces and controls, no real direction laid out for you to start with, and you don't want to spend anything, then I would recommend that you keep looking. As for me, I do not see myself playing this one again on my own time.
That's all I wrote on this one, join us on Thursday for the month-long review of DC Universe Online, and be back next Monday for the MOBA Rise of Immortals. Until then, have a safe and enjoyable week of games, and I'll see you online!
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