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Aion

Archive: 10 posts

I've become interested in a new game that should be released in Australia in around 1 months time. It's called Aion, it's a PC based MMO.

Why am I interested? This game has some very fascinating points to it. The back story looks good. There are three races. To keep things simple, there are angelic humans, demonic humans, and NPC dragons. Each side is at war with the others, and have been doing so for centuries. Set in an inverted globe, you can look up and see what appears to be stars, but is actually the other side of the planet and it's various cities glowing faintly.

One of Aion's big claims to fame is the power of flight. It's not just a means of transport, but it actually plays a part in combat. You can develop a character that gets very good at flying, but at the cost of sacrificing some of the stronger ground attack options. It's not at the endgame that flight comes into play either. At level 10 you awaken to realise you are not just an ordinary human, but have been granted the power to sprout wings and fly, and this can be done at any time. In case you are wondering, level 50 is the level cap at release.

The game looks incredible. From character models to landscape to NPCs and monsters, it's truly a beautiful game to look at. The game runs on the Crytek engine, the engine that was built for Far Cry (the first game). It's relatively heafty on requirements, but the results are visually stunning.

Finally, this game is being made by the people who have made Lineage 1 and 2. I have never played those games, but I understand they are highly popular. The pedigree of the development house suggests that they know what they are doing, and are going to be creating a great game.

I enjoy a good MMO. I dabbled in Everquest 1 for a short while, and played WoW quite a bit. Aion looks interesting, fresh, deep and beautiful. I look forward to seeing just how good a game they actually make.

This game has been out on Asian servers for a while now. It's being translated and should be released to English speaking countries (US, Europe, Australia and NZ) in around one months time.

So... comments, feedback, thoughts? Anyone else getting this, looking forward to it, or have any questions?

Let me see if I can add a Youtube video as well. This one gives a brief look at all the classes avaliable in the game.

YouTube - Aion Classes - High Quality		2009-08-23 03:57:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280

If this game is like WOW, then i will never give it a chance...
I hate farming and grinding.		2009-08-24 20:16:00

Author:
Flame Dragon
Posts: 312

Well, it's a MMORPG. I would imagine farming and grinding would be part of the gameplay, but so would the story telling, interacting with other players, and exploring a new world.

Farming and grinding are part and parcel of any role playing game, and you do see it as well in things like strategy games and even FPS. A game with a trophy to "win 1,000 online matches" or "beat 10,000 players" is asking you to grind just as much as any MMORPG is. A repetition of a task in and of itself can indeed be boring, but the challenge is to enjoy the adventure and the journey you are undertaking, rather than get stuck focusing on the repetition you are undertaking.

As for it being like WoW, I can't really say until I have actually played the game. From what I can see there are elements that are similar to WoW, but that's like saying every FPS is the same, or every platformer is identical. I'm not considering this game because it is or not related to WoW, I am interested in the game in it's own right. Let it stand on it's own feet and be evaluated in it's own right, rather than compared to something similar and bringing baggage both good and bad with it.

It's an old argument in gaming, that being "It's like game xyz, so therefore it must be terrible/unoriginal/lame". If we only stick to one game of a genre, then we will never innovate or learn or find new things. MMORPGs are far from finding the perfect example of their genre. WoW is the most popular in the English speaking world, but it is by no means a perfect game, and not everyone enjoys it.

Ah well, enough waffle. Anyone else care to comment?

Just one more note before I post. I have hopefully gotten access to the public beta which should be running very soon. This should give me a chance to try out the game and see if I can enjoy it or not.

And a few web episodes from the English development team to get you thinking, to stop people falling asleep from my long diatribes.

YouTube - Aion Video Podcast Episode 1: The World & Lore HD

YouTube - AION : Classes and Customization Video Podcast Episode 2 HD		2009-08-25 08:50:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280

Is the game going to be free or cost money? Will there be a trial of sorts? Looks interesting to say the least.2009-08-25 09:03:00

Author:
Whalio Cappuccino
Posts: 5250

You have to buy the initial software, and then you need to pay a monthly fee. At the moment I am not aware of any temporary trial offer, but purchasing the software gives you one month's free gameplay.

I don't know about other countries, but if you pre-order in Australia you can get access to the public beta. They haven't opened those yet (at least, I don't think they have) but that could be one way of seeing the game without actually buying it. Theoretically you could pre-order, try the beta, and then cancel the pre-order if you are not happy with what you see, but some stores might not be too happy with that idea.

With EB games (the store I am pre-ordering from) they do not allow the return of PC games, especially online ones which have account codes attached to them, as they cannot resell the product again. So if you buy the game and then do not like it, well, unfortunately you are stuck with it.

I don't know of any deals to have free trials at the moment. The game has not been officially released yet in English, so it might be a bit too early to tell. :blush:		2009-08-25 10:00:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280

Some more news about this game.

The closed beta has officially ended and the open beta will be running from the 6th to the 13th of September.

If you preorder then you can get access to the servers two days before the game is released as a head start to other people.

I read that Fileplanet was giving away free access to the open beta to members, including new people that signed up. I'm not sure if that is still being offered, however, so I can't guarentee it.

The client though is a 8-9gb (yes, that's right, it's gigabytes) download, so not a small one by anymeans. You can get it from fileplanet, as a bit torrent file, or from NCSoft and their updating system.

You can also purchase, including pre-ordering, the game online. I'm not sure who is providing this but apparently you can purchase this game online and download the client in preparation for the open beta and the pre-release.

I hope that helps for people who are more interested in trying this game out and gives people a few different ways to consider doing so.

I believe I'm in the open beta and have the client fully downloaded and installed. Australia will be using the North American servers, so I'll likely be popping up there some where.

So feel free again to ask further questions or post comments. I won't link any more videos though. There are plenty around and the ones I have already linked should give you a taste. 		2009-09-03 07:08:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280

I know this is a triple post. Multiple days have past though between each post, and there are relevant updates in each one though.

The Open Beta is indeed open and I have managed to get access to it. I think it's up to about 11-12gb download now with all the patches they have, so it's certainly not one for dial up users. O_o

The open beta can indeed be accesses by anyone it seems. Go to this (http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/aion/beta/?_cmpid=fp191) site for North American players, or find out the appropriate link here (http://eu.aiononline.com/uk/news/more-european-open-beta-keys-are-on-their-way.html) if you live in Europe.

My 3 year old laptop is able to run it at 15-30fps, which I find quite fine. Some of the cutscenes can get a bit stutterry, but in game everything works well enough. I haven't got everything graphically maxed out, but it still looks very beautiful and everything runs smoothly enough to play.

Some impressions. It's definitely a beautiful game. Everything looks great and the fighting system is quite interesting. It uses a "chain" system, where the bigger and more powerful attacks and abilities are only accessible after executing the earlier and less powerful parts of the chain. The chains can branch out giving different options as well. On the warrior which I have now gotten to level 10, I have one chain attack that can branch to either a high damage attack or else one that puts up a defensive damage shield, so I can use different abilities for different opponents and situations.

I've also gotten a level 6 mage as well. Although the skills are not as developed, the timing and skill is quite good. I'm enjoying the combat system and options that I can see so far and that are potentially avaliable in the future.

Let me explain breifly about the different character classes in game.

There are four main classes (Warrior, Mage, Priest, Scout) which branch into specialisation at level 10.

The Warrior can become a Gladiator - a high melee dps fighter with high armor and hit points, or a Templar, the ultimate tank in the game which uses defense as offense by using shield bashes and powerful taunts.

The Mage can become a Sorceror, a powerful ranged dps caster with some of the strongest direct damage spells and most powerful crowd control in the game. The other choice is the Spirit Master, who can summon one of four elemental pets to fight alongside them. The elements do different things, like melee or ranged, tank or CC options. They also have strong dps and debuff abilitities.

The Priest can become a Cleric, the ultimate healer. They have the most powerful healing spells in the game and is able to buff the party as well. They can also wear chain armor and a shield, making them not soft in melee. Soloing, they use ranged magical attacks to bring down opponents. The Chanter, the other Priest specialisation, has the strongest group buffs avaliable. They are better at melee dps than ranged dps, and though they don't have the outright healing powers of the Cleric, they are still respectable healers in their own right.

Finally, Scounts can become Rangers. These are masters of the bow, able to do ranged damage and set up traps for unwarry opponents as well as other CC options. They can also shape shift and gain additional powers as well. Lastly, Scouts could instead choose to become an Assassin, the masters of stealth and the class with the highest single target dps in the game. They can do incredibly powerful combos and are able to stun opponents as well. They are not so good at direct confrontations, however, and so are always careful to keep the element of surprise. I haven't tried it personally, but I understand that they can eventually gain the ability to cloak, fly, attack and then cloak again, leaving PvP opponents guessing.

All servers are "PvP", if I can use a WoW term. In reality though, it's PvPvE. Let me explain.

All starting realms and main cities are safe from attack by human opponents. As far as I can work out, you can't just walk an unlimited distance and cross the continent, it's more complex than that.

You can as you level eventually choose to level in a safe zone where only PvE challenges occur, or in a zone where "rifts" semi-randomly appear and allow players to cross over to the opposing sides zone, or allow other players to come to them.

From level 25 you can also choose to level in the Abyss. There you could meet anyone, friend, foe, or computer controlled third opponent, that might help you, hinder you, or do their own thing. This zone is not for the weak of heart though. The key idea is to capture fortresses, which will require strong and well balanced PvE type groups with proper tanks and healers, as well as being able to defend off incoming attackers both other player and AI controlled. I haven't been there, and it sounds like a very challenging but potentially rewarding place.
Someone mentioned WoW as well before. I use to play WoW a fair bit, but it just got hard to spend 4 hours a day every day, just to meet minimum levelling/raiding/PvP/guild requirements. So I'll mention a few things different to WoW.

The game overall is relatively similar. You quest and level and so on. The basic mechanics are still there. A few differences though:

The map and questing system is extremely logical. When you get a quest (and when it sits in your quest journal) you can see blue hyperlinks, which will show you on a map exactly where you need to go next. This makes questing as a whole so much more easier to do and plan ahead, and it's very easy to work out and line up a bunch of quests to do in the one area.

In game you will see multiple cut scenes, some of which you can interact with. It's nice to see what lies ahead in a dramatic and well shot fashion, so you know what to expect.

I haven't seen any add ons. Although I did use add ons in WoW, the add on market for that game pretty much got to the level of cheating. Here it feels like everything you need is in game and making sense, without having to put in 5 add ons just to make the game work properly.

The combat system is graphically impressive. You don't have two people standing still hitting each other with sticks. Special moves come every few seconds and always looks spectacular and sweeping.

The classes are very balanced, and you don't have the "jack of all trade" thing that you see in WoW. There is one clear tanking class, and one clear primary healer class. Other classes can fill these rolls to an extent, as anyone can take damage theoretically, but there does not feel like the "I'm a tank!" claim or "I'm a healer" from multiple classes. I really appreciate that, and it should really help cut down class envy.

The healers are not wimps in this game. Clerics wear chain mail, carry shields, and have their own CC, so they are less instant fodder. Chanters are decent melee fighters in their own right. As a former WoW priest, it's something I look forward to trying. I hear Priests/Clerics are quite soloable in their own right.

As each server has the potential for PvP, you can only be one race on each server. I beleive that the other race speaks gibberish to you, so you can't directly communicate with your opponents through text.

Something I find very cool is the ability to set up your own shop. You select items in your inventory, set a price, and type in an optional sentence to attract customers that everyone can read. The computer then takes over and people can browse what you are selling and make transactions with you without your input, it automatically takes the items and gives you the money in exchange. So if you are taking a break in a crowded place, you can set up shop and make a bit of money on the side selling stuff to other people. Very nice indeed.
Some other things I have heard of but have yet to try:

Apparently the stealth mechanics are on a timer. So you can't cross an entire zone remaining in stealth.

The flight controls are limited to certain zones, and even then you are on the starting off timer of a 1 minute limit. So you can't just fly anywhere you want. I've only just gained the ability to fly myself so I can't comment more than that.

I can't really speak about group mechanics either. I haven't been in a dedicated and balanced group yet. I don't know how well aggro control is or how easy it is to heal a group. I have no idea how PvP would play out or general group dungeon crawls, for that matter.

I haven't tried the AH system yet. I suspect it's a bit more limited than what WoW offerred, but given the amount of abuse and bots that system created, a simplified system sounds good to me. I think you must be level 10 (6+ hours gameplay) before you can get to the AH. No level 1 AH bots here!

I haven't tried the mail either, but apparently you can send mail to anyone anywhere, and if you are prepared to pay a premium (I think 40% of the items value or something like that) you can even send it directly to the players where ever they are. An NPC appears before them and hands them the mail personally. You can also automatically trade items between characters by using a communal section of your accounts banking space, which should cut down on unnecessary posts.

So I hope that helps for people who are interested in finding out more about the game. You can try it yourself if you can bear with the download size by checking out those links I mentioned before.

I know I'm glad I have pre-ordered this. It's just what I've been looking for. 		2009-09-09 06:38:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280

iv been playing this game a lot. done all the closed betas and have got 3 lvl 25 odd characters on the open beta. love it so far. have preordered my collectors edition.2009-09-10 01:38:00

Author:
mohagan
Posts: 1

Downloading this game right now.. 51% already.. 9gb..
This might take awhile.		2009-09-10 04:41:00

Author:
Count
Posts: 315

Well, the Open Beta is over half way over now and will be finishing this Sunday.

Do people have any specific plans about servers, factions and classes?

My thoughts on servers...

I'm not really fussed about servers, to be honest. They are all set in American time zones which are way off from Australian ones. I'll just pick one that is not full and has a cool name, unless I can be pursuaded otherwise.

My thoughts on factions...

I must admit though I much more enjoyed the Elyos questing than the Asmodian stuff. Both start you off as a mercenary, but the Asmodian came across as more a greedy back stabbing lot while the Elyos were more kinder and nobler, which suits my personality more. Also, that whole hair on the back thing the Asmodians have is not cool. Their claws are cool, their back hair is not. :eek:

So to sum up, I'll likely focus on Elyos but still do a bit of stuff with the Asmodians on the side.

My thoughts on classes...

I've managed to get to level 10 a warrior, priest and mage. I've ascended for them all and chosen classes, but I haven't really had a chance to explore what it was like to be specialised.

I think for Warrior specialisation I would prefer a Templar, for Priest it would be a Cleric, and for Mage I would choose Sorceror. The Scout felt really fiddly. With the 700ms lag that is standard for Australians playing MMOs, trying to get behind a monster to do the best damage when you only have a 2 second stun is really hard. Often you would hit the button to stun, have to wait for the effect, then move into position... at which point the enemy is out of the stun and facing you again. The lag is not as bad as it sounds for normal gameplay, but with the precise positioning that is required for Scouts/Assassins, it's just really hard to get it done right. If I had to chose a specialisation for a Scout, it would likely be the Ranger class which should be a whole lot less fiddly.

I don't know which one I would specialise with come launch. I've enjoyed the different classes for different reasons. I love the slow defensive work of a Warrior turning Templar. I love the healing, buffing and ranged casting aspects of the Priest/Cleric class. I've also loved the buckets of damage that a Sorceror can do. I'm not a huge fan of big numbers, but I really appreciate some of the intelligent range of options that class brings to the table. I'll just have to see how I feel on the day, much like as what I'm doing now.

I'll just add one more aspect that people are often thinking about. My thoughts on flight...

Flying is heaps scary for me. You have two flight options. One is normal, controlled flight, where you can basically move in the third dimension in a controlled fashion. You need to be in a specific flight zone to do this, and I have yet to be in one. You can keep flying until your flight timer runs out. For starting characters, that is a total of 1 minute, though with a lot of hard work I believe it can get to as high as 10 minutes. The thing is, once your flight timer runs out, you can't fly any more, and are on a cooldown until you can fly again. And yes, in case you are wondering, if that timer runs out and you are too high up, you can indeed fall to your death. :eek:

The second and more common mode of flying is called gliding, and can be done anywhere. You go to a high point, jump off and spread your wings, and can keep swooping along until you hit the ground and land or run out of timer. I have experienced this mode, and it sure is scary. They animate the way you fly so realistically, you do really feel like a bird flapping around looking for updrafts to keep soaring. But for some reason that scares me immensly. You do move far faster in this mode than if you are walking though, so I'm sure with time I'll get use to it.

To summarise, flying is heaps cool. It is limited in a sense, but it is realistic and it is fun. It's also lethal too. I dread the day I have my first flight timer death. :blush:

I'm wondering if other people have plans for any of these areas. Feel free to add your own thoughts or questions.

And for those that don't like/can't be bothered to read all my ramblings, here is another video for you. It's the third one in the series of video podcasts that I have linked to before. It just got released today, so I can't exactlly link any more until they are released.

YouTube - Aion: Podcast #3 - East meets West		2009-09-12 16:52:00

Author:
Elbee23
Posts: 1280


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