I really didn't hear much about this game before now, and it's almost to market. I probably wasn't paying attention, because I was so focused on Cataclysm. Last night a friend was going on about it. He had played in some of the earlier beta events, and he likes it. So, I finally started looking at it more closely, and it does have me interested. I hate to get any hopes up after Warhammer. That said, I noticed some of the folks who were helpful when I tried out Aion (Dunes, Sprawl) seem to be giving it some positive reviews, so I'm thinking I may try it for a few months. I just wonder if there's any there, there. The rift invasions are kind of neat, but Wow did it on a smaller scale--and it was gimmicky and got old pretty quick. So I'm curious what else the game has to offer. I confess, I don't know anything about Trion. I do like the spec system (I think they're called souls?) and possible combinations look very interesting. Plus you can be a bard!

I think I read you get a beta key with a pre-order, so I think I'll drop $5 before the next event on Jan. 25th and try it then.

Anybody else going to give Rift a shot?

Random Beta Gameplay Vid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tevzEc6IBaE&hd=1

locked - you now have an on topic outlet for this discussion

http://vnboards.ign.com/rift_general_forum/b23470/p1

I'll be tryin it on the basis of i just dont care anymore. $50 for tryin out somethin new is better than $15 playin somethin old to me these days.

 

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I only got 2 toons up to level 11 in the last beta event, so take it all with a large grain of salt... Indeed, the highest level anyone has gotten is 27 (out of 50) so we haven't even seen half the content yet.

With that said... the game is pretty clean and bug free, and they are executing their beta test well. The graphics are great, but remember that this doesn't make a game, particularly not an MMO. You'd need a very up to date computer to get top of the line graphical preformance.

The talent system (I mean soul system) is good, and varied, and should provide for wide variety in characters. However, with that said, each talent tree (I mean soul tree) looks very similar to WoW pre 4.0. Spend points, get 3% more damage or add 2% to damage reduction. Some talents could have been quite literally lifted from WoW.

I also believe, based only on speculation, that they will be facing serious balance issues at higher levels. My level 11 Mage had no less than FOUR different instant cast spells. 2 had no cooldowns other than the global. One had an addition pushback effect. One had an additional DoT effect. This is in addition to 2 regularly cast spells with larger damage. I didn't even get the main focus of my chosen talents (I mean souls) which was going to be AE CC spells. Oh yeah, and I also had a pet. Based on this, I forsee serious, serious balance problems.

The much ballyhoo-ed Rifts are actually identical to Public Quests in Warhammer. Stages, kill smaller mobs in early stages, working towards a boss to close the rift. It's a better execution of this mechanic than WAR, but just wanted to be clear on what they actually were.

Everything will feel very familiar to WoW fans. The options interface is disturbingly similar - right down to individual options and checkboxes. Crafting, at least the gathering professions, are identical - yes, it takes 75 points to reach the next skill level.

I made 2 different toons of different races with the Horde (I mean Defiant). Both of them progressed through the same starter area, which uses the same questing system as Cataclysm. That is to say, it's directed, and you follow a path of quests through the content. I doubt that they use any sort of phasing technology, but it's definitely directed gameplay.

I am not sure if they intend to have different starter areas for each race, but again, my two toons did the same area, and exactly the same quests. This would be a major downfall for long term viability.

Character creation was quite good I thought, there is almost infinite variability in character appearances, and lots of control over your look.

To me it seems like what Trion is doing is trying to do what Blizzard did 6 years ago: take all the good stuff out of current games and put it together in a new package with new shiny colours. It's a very close mashup of WAR and WoW. WAR contributes the public quests and feeling of constant war in the world, WoW contributes a lot of systems, talent trees, crafting, and general interface.

 

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Good summary, EM. I agree with most of it. So far it is a solid enough feeling game, definitely. Some friends who quit WoW a while ago are playing in Beta as well and loving it. I enjoyed my time in beta so far, though am annoyed at how they are managing beta as a series of small time frame invitiation only events. This worries me that they really haven't yet got much deep bug testing by users, as everyone is limited to only a long weekend of playtime, only when those come around. I would much prefer they were already at the point where you could log in and play any time you wanted, by now (meaning as close as they now are to release).


Very much a WoW clone. same as Warhammer felt in beta. They have borrowed liberally, for sure. Not that it's a bad thing. But I have a hard time figuring out how it will distinguish itself and stay viable after the first couple of months of newness factor. But then, being level capped and limited in duration of beta testing each pass, hard to say.


I do like the talent system (I make no attempt to stop calliing it talent system!) especially since I think Blizzard went way overboard in the latest revamp of talents in WoW, and leave far too little under the player's control to customize as they choose.


So far, I like the game ok, but I have not felt compelled to go pre-order it. Perhaps I'm through being burned by Star Trek Online, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, all looking very strong in Beta, then failing miserably to live up to any potential. Gonna wait and see if this has staying power.

 

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All Rift needs to be is a WoW clone with this very feature and it will be superior to WoW


With that said (to the OP), lots of people here will be trying Rift when it comes out. Stayed tuned for lots of drama!

 

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Actually, several members of my guild are in the beta and that's exactly what they're saying it is... a clone of WoW and Warhammer. Many, many of the aspects of Rift are straight take-offs of WoW and Warhammer. That said, they're saying it's the best running beta they've ever tested, and is going to be a solid time killer until GW2 comes out.

The majority of the guild is excited about Rift, and the new souls/roles system it has in place... allowing you to almost instantly change your entire character's makeup in order to adapt to a variety of situations you find yourself in or group makeups you find yourself in.

 

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Which I think also solves the linear nature of the quests. In WoW, alts sucks because everything after level 80 is on rails.

In Rift, you don't need any alts because your one toon can be so many things.

Plus you don't look like clown vomit in your gear.

Win/win.

 

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Wow, thank you for posting that. I was pondering Rift, my guild wasn't sure. I loved the PQs in War and thought they had added progress to the MMO genre. Sounds like they have a lot going; if they can't get the balance right for a PvP game, it's gonna hurt.


I would love to get back to a game that has something closely resembling an RvR-experience where communities actually impact their world. For all the problems that War had (not DAoC2), I had a lot of fun in the T2-T3 battles (both SC and open world).


If they can also pull off a decent crafting system, that will have a definite appeal.


Rift looks more and more like something worth investigating, particularly if they can pull it off with quality and polish.

 

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My latest review on the game is here.

http://zsprawl.com/wp/2010/12/ign-rift-the-closed-beta-experience/

 

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The Hybrid specing is what has my interest the most, so many ways to go with it. What worries me about it however is some players are very creative, I just hope to heck it does not end up a giant nerf fest due to that creativity.