Free Re-Trial Opinion: It's the Missions, FunCom!

[____________Betawulf]

This is the CONSTRUCTIVE opinion of someone who bought the game the day it came out and played it for three months straight. I gave up then because of all the usual stuff, but mostly because of the missions.

FunCom,

Anarchy Online is a great game! It is a lot of fun, but it has one fatal flaw (IMO) ... the missions. I came back for my free trial to see if ANYTHING had been done about the missions. Nothing. They are EXACTLY the SAME as they were when the game came out! With all the other positive changes you have implemented in the game I simply can't believe you would ignore the single most important and common element of gameplay!

THE PROBLEM:

1. Missions are the ONLY viable way to advance your character because missions are the only reliable source of MONEY and occasionally equipment. Plus, the tokens are are simply mandatory.

2. Money is FAR more important than experience. Even the most gimped, non-combat oriented character can make it from level 1 to level 20 in a handful of hours... especialy if they go hunting in a team... the problem is the lack of funds for equipment, and ESPECIALLY IMPLANTS... which are not an option. A character without implants is no good to anyone after level 20... and implants are extremely expensive.

3. The imbalance between the aquisition of money and tokens from missions and the speed at which experience is aquired leads people to SELF-TERMINATION SPREES! This is the single most annoying aspect of the game mechanics. To create a viable character requires repeatedly killing yourself after a mission in order to increase your "money and token" to "experience" ratio!

4. Doing mission after mission after mission is extremely repetitive mostly because of the LIMITED SELECTION OF MAP LAYOUTS available. This is really the last nail in the coffin for me... especially since I've seen all the wonderful new interior layouts for the new bars and dance clubs! They are very nice... but WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? Why aren't your world builders putting all that effort into the MISSIONS INSTEAD OF THE BARS!

THE SOLUTION:

1. Please add new layout styles for the missions! This can't be that hard. The random map generator is obviously constructing the layout from pre-fabricated modules! Add more modules! Have your world-builders create new room and complex styles on an ongoing basis so there is ALWAYS something new with every patch!

2. Create NEW KINDS OF MISSIONS. Instead of going to a complex of rooms, have a mission to kill a certain number of a particular type of monster! (Kill 20 blubbags for instance). Create missions that require speaking to / delivering messages between those various NPCs that walk around the various towns. There should be a variety of ideas I'm sure you've already thought of that really need to be implemented!

3. GET TEAM MISSIONS WORKING ASAP! Enough said.

4. Increase the payout. I know you've already done that to an extent... but really, more is needed... much, much more... not everyone wants to "twink".

CONCLUSION:

I really want to be a part of this game and this community, if you improve the missions or provide more ways to make money (via trade skills, gambling, or whatever) then I will be happy to return as a paying customer. As it is... the time investment is just too much for me right now. I have better things to do than run around in the same little mazes over and over and over again, just to kill myself when I'm done.

[Mustafo]

Missions at low levels are pretty much all the same until about level 8. After that missions outside the cities vary quite a bit in size and layout. While there are only about 8 or 9 basic layouts, the side rooms vary alot. At 52 I get some missions that are so big(with the same basic layouts) that it takes more than an hour to clear it all.

Missions at lower levels rarely have more than a few extra side rooms, and are really a bore if you have a decent character.

I suggest you try different mission terminals to get different types of missions. I seem to get alot to the same area from 1 terminal or another, and this seems to give a very limited change in the basic layout. Try going to avalon to get missions, or get missions from Borealis. This will vary the range and type. You should see that distance can make a difference in the rewards given, but the mission location will also make a difference in they type and layout of the mission as well.

[______________Scorus]

And don't forget story missions! I don't mind the same layout if I feel like I am doing something more useful than determining if Omni really does have the technology to create a Q45 Paper Hammer.

"OF COURSE THEY DO! EVERYBODY DOES! HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO WIN THIS WAR IF YOUR INTELLIGENCE DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER THEY CAN CREATE A FREAKIN' WORTHLESS PAPER HAMMER?!?"

Okay, I feel better now.

Scorus

[______________dire11]

I absolutely agree with everything you've said. It is one of my biggest complaints about the game too.

Making team missions is absolutely essential. At the moment, missions are not utilised by groups - groups prefer to hunt outdoors because of the continuity of XP, and the fact that missions do not give a good enough reward for everyone in the team. Doing missions solo is a bore!!