Character Pigeonholes and Lame Items
First time poster, and 1 month player, but long history with these types of games, and paper'n'pencil RPGs. Here are my two bits.
Having made a half-dozen characters, taken all to at least level 20, a few to 30, and one to 56, I'm convinced that what Funcom, or any other company pursuing a game of this sort, is a little variety. Allow me to explain..
Put simply, I mean that there is only one way to make your character and still stand any sort of a chance in this game. Every NT is a carbon-copy of the next, excluding trivial stuff like pillows, leets, and garb/armor. They function precisely the same in combat at any given level, and to stray from that means you'll be worthless. Soldiers? Nova-Flow. It's just the best gun for them, and anything different (like my dual-pistol soldier) is a death sentence, because there is no room for being different, or cultivating a unique character (without sucking.) I need not talk about Fixers and the Mausser, but what else are they going to use? Dual-wield Kang Tao's? Ha. Half of the professions owe their lives to the Vektor ND. Hand to hand? Dual Rider Executioners, because there is only one best way, and that's a crock. Blunt? Beam or hammer. Hammer or beam.
That's a really contrived revue, but I think you get my point. Instead of creating a variety of weapons that all have inherent values and benefits, FC has provided us with a linear tier system of weapons, and if you don't wanna run the market for that ONE certain kind that works, you can kiss yourself goodbye. And with professions that can only fight to advance, items become the centerpiece of a character's life. Why does this matter to me?
Good question. It matters because I've been playing for a month, and I'm sick of it already. And that's playing through a number of professions, because they all lack depth (largely because the items lack depth), with one exception - The Meta-Physicist.
I'm not sure if they used a different team for the MP, but I envy the amount of options someone has when playing one in terms of equipment and powers. Not to mention their great buffs for NP and Nano skills which, for some reason, an NT has no access to in any capacity. Summoned weapons, summoned shields, pets...what's not to love? I've never played one myself, because of how many there are. Clearly everyone else like the depth the MP brings to the table, I just wish it weren't such an anomaly in this game.
There should be more options in the way of good weapons. There should be arenas of operation so that if you wanted to gravitate towards an agent who prefers quieter, easily-concealed, perhaps less damaging weapons, there'd be a place to do so. There isn't though. You have to run through Aegean on a mission, fight the same monsters as the next guy using a sub-standard weapon if you want to maintain any shred of pride in your uniqueness, and you'll die for your trouble.
So this little post has taken a strange turn, but let me sum it up since it's gotten a little mucked up.
1.) Items need to be looked at. Alter dmgs, attributes, range, speeds, benefits, etc. Make it so we're not required to be clones to live. That's no fun, ESPECIALLY in an RPG.
2.) Look into the professions actually fulfilling job roles, instead of everyone really being an adventurer in the end, running dungeons, mossy caves, and the occasional city. FC is almost cheating themselves out of what uniqueness the professions do have, by making them all do the same thing.
3.) This third one isn't part of my summary, but it's a point of interest. I haven't found a single person in this game that I've had a successful group outting with. Every time I try to go exp with other people, they turn out to be morons. I am speaking from a solo players PoV, because that's all I've ever done. Maybe there's some solace for someone like me, who wants to play a role, in a group, but I haven't found it yet. Take the rest of this msg for what it's worth, I'm sure everyone will disagree. I feel better now though, and I'm gonna go play some more AO.
-J
********* EDIT *********
I got up to grab soem water, and the truth occurred to me (convenient, eh?)...it's not the game, it's the people playing. Gamers, not roleplayers. The stage is set for a load of variety, but not many people care much about that. If someone wants to just do max dmg, they can, but it's their choice. I just wish there were more people like myself who want to experience the richness of the world, not the wonder of the math behind it. Hit rolls, damage, dodge, blah. Of course, there still is an abundance of 100% silly, useless weapons in the game, but I guess that's part of what makes the other ones so good. Or something.
