It makes you think when it now gets player reviews like "amazing", 10 out of 10, "best MMOG out there!" that why was the game released so early? Or better yet, why isn't it getting re-reviewed.
Just look at the dates of the comments people have made in the 2 links i posted, look how they have improved so much over time. Has anyone seen this and thought "why hasn't this game been re-reviewed?
Well I don't know why tho. L2 chronicles are a lot bigger than what most other games dare to call "exansion packs" and even charge mony for, yet even that lousy bit of etra maps and maybe 2 new "units" or whatever gets more marketing attention than L2 ever has.
Remember the pics of the Japanese C4 release event? No big surprise L2 NA has not more players.
Well I don't know why tho. L2 chronicles are a lot bigger than what most other games dare to call "exansion packs" and even charge mony for, yet even that lousy bit of etra maps and maybe 2 new "units" or whatever gets more marketing attention than L2 ever has.
Remember the pics of the Japanese C4 release event? No big surprise L2 NA has not more players.
Cal
Well.. we have gotten more players recently (heck.. Hindemith shows up as full now!!!).
But many things in those reviews still hold true...
There is still a grind. Sure.. it's easier 1-20 but there is still a grind.
Things cost quite a bit... especially at higher lvls.
Still open pvp so a new player can get pk'ed at the whim of another.
Their really isn't a lot more to do though fishing has added a nice bit of depth to the game. Still, the fishing is just another type of grind. However... it's different and anyone can do it.
But if you read those early reviews they still address issues that quite frankly IS the very nature of L2.
The game is what it is. It's like complaining that there is too much wind on your face when you ride a motorcycle. Sure there is ... that is what happends because it's a motorcycle!!!
Remember guys youre paying for this game... monthly. Got this "why are you even playing?" thread pruned yet?
A review should of course not only show the bright sides of the game, otherwise you'd call it advertisement. But considering how many people don't even know the name "Lineage2" almost every publicity is good publicity. :p
Many of the points that were complained got addressed. You can hardly call 1-40 grind anymore. And if not most people would try to reach engame within two weeks "wow style" most of the other problems would be gone, too.
But I'm not much surprised... at the moment L2 addresses mainly people who consider themselves "hardcore pvp'er" aka 1337-*****-kids. That's also the main reason for the very hostile atmosphere on the servers.
In asia a good part of the people play this game with their girldfriends to relax after work. Not epecting to PWN everyone within 2 weeks. Probably the type of gamer who would also buy Sims Online. Poor example but you get what I'm trying to say I guess.
Ok, so then why doesn't NcSoft write up a review of the game and pay to put it in the magazines with that small little "this is a paid for advertisement" in the bottom of the pages. I see this more and more in my trade mags and other mags, so this is not unheard of.
I am simply amazed that L2 is so unheard of. Look in the back of Computer Gamer and it isn't even listed as to being reviewed any more.
I would love to see more press on this. Hell, the screwup that sony did to Star wars has more press than our maturing game, but do they even give us the time of day, noooooo..
A review should of course not only show the bright sides of the game, otherwise you'd call it advertisement. But considering how many people don't even know the name "Lineage2" almost every publicity is good publicity.
well theres a good point
i remeber about a month ago gustin got flooded with newbs
nearly everyone of them said "i heard how bad it is for bots, grinding and pkking but i was after something abit more hardcore and think i can handle it"
so sounds like those guys joined because of the bad press
I see alot of people coming back to L2 (teon) but not so many noons. And if they're asked why its usually because the other MMO's were "too easy" and didn't have enough realism/ hardcore feeling to them or sustainability. L2 is a game that you will be able to play for years (going on a year myself) and when you achieve something, it feels great because of the work put into it.
There is still a grind. Sure.. it's easier 1-20 but there is still a grind.
I have to say that has to be the one term i am tired of hearing about, all games have a grind in one form or manner. So how this can be held as a vaild point i never will understand.
So many people are judging this game when it hasn't even reached its halfway point yet. If anything this game breaks the mold when it comes to games of this genre, so it shouldn't be viewed as all games.
I have no problem with grind.. heck.. I"m in my 70's and I quite enjoy it. I will also go as far as to say that I am highly dissapointed that they made 1-20 easier than it used to be.
However, there are people who don't like "grind" at all. Cal says 1-40 is not grind anymore. That is opinion. I know people who would die at the 1-20 range. it's all subjective.
Point is, this game does have a harsher leveling curve than other games. This I like... a lot. .. but it has to be discussed and new players told this. Otherwise they will come from EQ2 or WoW or whatever and think.. "hey... what a beautiful game... can't wait to dive into cool quests and experience all that the game has to offer".
Only to discover that it gets harder and harder, money is an issue, they get pk'ed over and over.. scammed etc.
This is mostly their fault because they don't read up on the game. They don't realize it is "hardcore".
If I was to write a review I would sing many of L2's praises but I would still say that there is a "harsh grind" in comparison to other games, money is an issue for some ("well... then they need to learn how to play because it is not". Screw that... the manor is annoying and tedious, and many people don't want to dedicate their lives to the economics of a game.. they want to wage into battle and go on quests. It has nothing to do with anything other than some like it some don't some learn to deal)
There are external elements that bother people as well and players need to be told about this.
After all is said and done, if they still want to come then more power to them and "welcome to the jungle". But the game is not going to win converts by glossing over it's more "stern" gameplay elements and luring people to try it who would never like it in the first place.
Sort of like being a guy, going out with a great woman who has an amazing personality, superb sense of humor, lots in common and then learning "she" was a man. Some might not care... some might care a lot.
Thanks to you I will now feel dirty everytime I log in to grind :mad: I like my man very much thank you. And in game quests are cool when you read the text; it's just that some a REAL pain in the behind to even finish. :p
Thanks to you I will now feel dirty everytime I log in to grind :mad: I like my man very much thank you.
Uh... huh?
And in game quests are cool when you read the text; it's just that some a REAL pain in the behind to even finish. :p
No arguemtn there... excpet when you finally finish the quest and find out you now have to run to a completely different place because the person who is the quest give "forgot" that they gave the reward to someone else and you have to track them down to get it.
Quests should be straight forward, you should know what your reward will be and they should be based in the area you receive them.
If you are sent to another part of the map then you should be able to complete the quest AT that area and not have to go all the way back to the first quest giver.
Too much running. And in some cases to many variables. I now just sell the items for the reagent quest because once I learned what that was about I was done.
I don't know why people bring up the farmers, being pk'd or scammers as bad things to do with Lineage II. Every mmorpg ever made has had hundreds of farmers and many scammers, those that allow free pvp also had hundreds if not thousands of pk's.
People so often write those things as a Lineage II problem, it's not.. all games have it. It's an industry problem.
Lineage II has it's own area in the market, all to itself. No other game caters for those who want to spend a long period of time playing one game, building a set of characters in this world. It also caters to pvpers more than other games.
It has it's flaws, but as someone above said, if everyone stopped trying to get to the endgame within 2 weeks like they have been taught is possible in WoW the game would be far more cheat free and far more fun.
So many people don't have the patience or will to grow a character over a long period of time, these people should not throw up excuses like "I don't have time" and then bot or ebay. They should move to a game where it's easy to achieve the max within the rules. Sure they might say L2 is better than the others, then they should play L2 like L2 and not like something else.
Every developer is slow to fix some bugs, delays releases, has PR issues and community communication issue's in one form or another, so don't think of bringing that kind of thing against NC either.
This games main fault is the players who flaunt the rules.