Well its not long until AO reaches its one year mark, and I think this was as good as time as any to reflect on the year of AO gaming time.
I was in Mirc when we started talking about first thoughts about the game I will share mine.
I was at the time playing EQ but had readched the point where I was wanting something new from a game. Thats when I came across a review for AO, was interested by the future setting a change from the fansty world most role playing games are set in.
I looked at the promise from the games adverts and number caught my eye which lead me to believe the game was something special.
The points in " " are funcoms words from the box of the box
"The idea of a story arc which could be shaped by indivdual actions", of course I never expected to be the hero of a story but heck even to be a small part would be something. But just the idea of a story, a game in which the background would change. I expected each time I log on to find events around me would be different. I would have to read a sort of newspaper type mediuum in order to keep up with the changes.
"in addition to player generated quests" wow I had like the idea of being a sort of DM type person in a on-line game would be cool and its quite clear this is what was ment.
I had to import the game as at the time it was not on sale where i lived, when i arrived a read the manual from cover to cover. I was excited by the classes on offer, gripped with the idea of being a crat' walking the halls of power. The desciption hinted that if would make a difference being a human crat' as only these had an real power on the planet.
This lead me to think the crat class had a job, a role a carrer, I thought it will entail doing special jobs, field work, that I would have an office, attend special meetings etc. I fully expected each class to have a different role in the world and story.
Also I looked at the detailed back ground to the two sides, the personal described as part of the story. I thought this would be important, that the story would unfold around these few people. I expected to see them, I expected to be affected by them, I expected to learn about them as you would in a story.
As the game unfoled I got caught up in character creation, the planet was big detailed and had many different aspects. I was not bothered about quick leveling or P V P. I was blown away with the size of the place the unqiue monsters, the fact you had your own room.
It was not longbefore I ran accross one of the clubs where I fell into a group of roleplayers and spent many a great night acting out a role for myself and making new friends.
But all was not well lagg, problems with zoning, people cheating duping items extra was a pain, but in all I was not to bother at the start. I never questioned where the other things where, I fully expected them to be fixed soon.
After 3 months I did start to wonder when the story would start I was looking for a change the slog of leveling had kicked in and the parties at baboons was just one focus but I need to set it against other aspects to.
The first story event was great, the videos set the night up, the dark strange sky and the first pumpkin head attacking was a trill. That was the best night I have had in game ever a group of us rushing around trying to kill pumpkins to get a teddy bear for the mission.
Sure it was a small place and odd for a story start but well it was so unexpected and well thought out, little did I know it was down hill from there.
The story over the next few months unfolded before us in video form, I loved the bits about Radiman and Ross, but I just could not have cared less about miss Oak and her truck.
Why, well it had nothing to do with me, and that was the problem we had slipped into the story being told outside the game, while inside very little had changed.
I was not sorry to see the videos go as I expected the story to move heavly in game. Sadly this never happened in fact 3 months after the story started it stopped almost completely.
It was then I started to notice other things, like the appartment bug we had in July was still with us, trade skills did not work and most of the guild commands where bugged.
WE had the game director talk in posts about new appartment housing, about guild buildings, I was filled with these ideas laid out for us expecting them to be just months away. After 7 months from these first ideas they still have not been seen.
In fact now I think back there is so much that never happened, the player generated quests still dont work.
There is no real story and it is not shapped by anything let alone player actions.
The appartment bug still only allows 10 items and we have not heard a damn thing about the new appartment system talked about 6 months ago.
The guild system has been improved greatly but the guild housing we expected 4 months ago still has not turned up.
The vast trade skills are next to a waste of time and upwards of 40% of these skills dont even work.
Not to mention the idea of quests many are still broken and they brough in the bad idea of spawn limites and camping so hated in EQ.
A game will never meet up to the high goals we set for it, or even those the developers set down. But one year on is this game much different from EQ ?. I still find my character stuck in a level trend mill, with out really having much else to do.
The dymanic background of the story never got going, I dont feel any need to try and keep up with the story. Far from it I dont even know who the main characters are in the story let alone if there is any real plot.
After nearly a year I feel let down by this game, that is not to say it has been a waste of money, no far from it. But I have been worn down by the "GOOD Ideas" which have never been delivered. To say we have been lied to is strong but it does feel that way to me. I think we should have had those things promised to us, i did not expect them right away but from them to not exist after a year !!!! You have to question the focus of the game.
So what to the future, I would say it looks bright with the expansion pack, and talked about new features. But hang on they have yet to impletement the features from the released version do they expect me to pay for the stuff in game I should already have.
No the future is not so bright, I feel as if the trust I had in AO and FC is gone, I fully expect them to make promises and ideas but to never carry them out, we have seen the half baked story line and videos given up on when the going got hard.
I have seen the way the actions are defend, they say they are sorry but as yet no firm action or dates as to when stuff is going to be fixed. Its the same old line of soon, which in fact means never in FC terms for a lot of stuff.
Working as I do in an office world if FC where my contracted suppliers I would have ditched them long ago, perhaps even sued them for a clear breach in contract. But this is not the office but I am looking around for a change of supplier.
AO is not beyond hope, there is still time to rescue it but that work has to start now, before SWG comes out. I make no bones about saying I fully expect well over 50% of AO's population to jump ship then.
Time is running out FC, your game time clock is ticking, !!!!
Well ok tell me about what your hopes for the game was, did AO meet these and what do you feel about AO and FC. Also what do you think about the future of the game.
Of course you dont have to be as down beat as me, try to think of the good points to.
Kirrana
AO is A-OK
Its just a shame that theres no kinda place where all the snippets from this kinda news is put...oh sod it I might end up putting that on the IRN if it wasn't for all the rumour and stuff...will see if I can find a good way to impliment that.