Mortal Online Info Overload
The Mortal Online team released a very informative presentation to the public today containing a wealth of knowledge for anyone remotely interested in the game to sink their teeth into.  …
The Mortal Online team released a very informative presentation to the public today containing a wealth of knowledge for anyone remotely interested in the game to sink their teeth into.  …
Well let me tell you, I have the flu and that statement is a bold-faced lie.  The flu is far more... okay sorry I couldn't resist. I think I counted…
I managed to squeeze in a little bit of game time this past week. It feels like last semester all over again, except this time the exams are actually difficult. …
Any step in the right direction for Darkfall right now is a huge boost to player morale. Today's patch focused on adding exactly the type of things I, and many…
I made mention in yesterday's entry and subsequent comments that I feel the pacing in Darkfall is off. I want to expand more on why I believe this to be…
Let's get right down to it: Darkfall was a swing and a miss. The game definitely had the right idea. The sentiment of a hardcore pvp game with action influence…
In Darkfall! I finally took the plunge and burned through my enormous surplus of faction. I was somewhere over +50 and dropped down to -40 something in just an hour…
I finally got around to viewing the newest Mortal Online trailer. I liked what I saw and I like what I hear.  Open PvP, full loot, action oriented, mounted combat,…
Since I receive dozens of “what do you think about this” requests every day, I thought I would try to answer as many of them as I can think of in one post. If I think of any more then I will edit them in.
Scale: Fantastic, Great, Good, Mediocre, Bad, Lousy, Total Crap.
Totally subjective. Totally my take based on how I play the game.
Skill-based system
I expected: Fantastic
They delivered: Mediocre
Reason: The system is susceptible to macroing and sets aside the value of earning skills with the value of accruing them. Example: Instead of hitting mobs with spells to earn skillups, you just spam them into the sky. The skill system could have been taken an alternate root with skill trees, skill progression and unlocks, choices between skills via branches or pools, etc.
Combat
I expected: Good
They delivered: Great
Reason: I expected Oblivion with a lot of issues translating such a real-time system to the mmorpg gameplay. Aventurine surprised by actually pulling it off with just a few quirks that can be worked out.
Crafting
I expected: Fantastic
They delivered: Mediocre/Bad
Reason: It’s not what they advertised it to be. I’m not even knocking them for simplicity or tedium. I’m knocking them here for allowing stupid stuff to make it into launch such as only having to make the very first item from 1-100. Seriously, why craft anything but Goblin Axes from 1-100 when they take the least materials and you can skill up on them just as easily as something that takes 100x the mats? The system earns points with me for really requiring players to work at something, rewarding them with a player-driven economy, and having much of the game in general center around crafting. [Additional points added today for making the gathering system more in-line with what it should be in today’s patch with resource nodes being global.]
Melee Abilities and Weapons
I expected: Great
They delivered: Lousy
Reason: Whether you’re using a dagger or a polearm, the abilities are all the same. You get a Seize (draw in), Knock back, Whirlwind, and power attack. Zero thought went into this. Additionally, combat with certain weapons doesn’t make sense or it’s not polished. Polearms do the most damage, have the most range, and the widest arc while the only drawback is they use the most stamina. Arguably using anything else is inferior. There are subtle differences, but weapons should really stand out as having their unique benefits and drawbacks. It’s too simple. Ranged Combat falls into this for much of the same reasons.
Read ‘more’ for the rest! (more…)
This past weekend has been somewhat of a turning point for me in Darkfall in terms of seeing the side of the game that will be considered the "end-game" by…