how casual can a Korean MMO be???

[gerrykeen19]

If combat / grinding requires some form of intelligence past the click hotkey 1-3 ill be happy, but i still stand by hte point of partying teaches players the basics before going into higher level party play.

Soloing, no matter how strategic it might be to win the fight, is different to a party situation.

For instance, a cleric soloing would utilize self buffs and regen on himself and go face to face with the mob. A cleric or healer usually never melees and focuses soloely on healing and buffs on the party.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Mark

If you guys need someone to party with I'll probably always be lonely and available. I like soloing just as much as the next guy, maybe moreso than him considering I played GuildWars almost all the way through with NPC bots, but AION seems like certain places...certain UNNECESSARY places, but interesting places, will require parties to survive.

When I'm not Cynthe's Healbot I can be yours. ;D

[Jest]

Originally Posted by Calindor

I wouldnt want a game that can be done with only soloing, thats what wow is and it has such a lonely feeling. L2 on the other hand, you cant do a single thing without a clan...hopefully Aion will have some balance

actually no... WoW is designed so that during the last 10 levels you really have to instance to gain a decent amount of xp to lvl. I think they designed it that way so as to prepare you for the endgame raids. Sort of get you used to working in parties.

I want the ability to solo when I want to for a couple reasons.

1. I keep weird hours. In WoW I rarely grouped with my guild (most of which were same time zone as me) because I was simply on MUCH later than the vast majority of them. That seriously hindered my ability to run instances and get groups for things that need groups.

2. I'm not really concerned about getting ganked by outnumbering enemies. I expect it to happen and I expect to be camped...imo this just forces you to learn how to strategize to get out of the situation.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Jest

actually no... WoW is designed so that during the last 10 levels you really have to instance to gain a decent amount of xp to lvl. I think they designed it that way so as to prepare you for the endgame raids. Sort of get you used to working in parties.

I want the ability to solo when I want to for a couple reasons.

1. I keep weird hours. In WoW I rarely grouped with my guild (most of which were same time zone as me) because I was simply on MUCH later than the vast majority of them. That seriously hindered my ability to run instances and get groups for things that need groups.

2. I'm not really concerned about getting ganked by outnumbering enemies. I expect it to happen and I expect to be camped...imo this just forces you to learn how to strategize to get out of the situation.

I hate campers, haha, my 35 hunter got camped earlier today by this 52 rogue, so I went on my 70 rogue and camped him for over an hour, then he tried to get his buddies to protect him when he revived, but I would just 1 hit him then vanish, then run away, restealth, and wait. Lol.
But yea, that's part of the game, and you have to eventually get used to it, even if you don't wanna. ):

[VendorTrash]

Originally Posted by Jest

You may not like WoW...but that doesn't qualify WoW players as "Carebears."
Personally... I like some personality in my games. I'd rather not have to grind mobs from lvl 1-99 just to be able to experience the game. That gives me a feeling of work and I don't play games to "work," I play games for fun. Hell...I think that's why l2walker is so popular on the retail...because there's many people who want to get to the fun part without the dreadful painstaking grind.

Now I definitely don't want the lvling process to be too easy/quick but I would certainly rather have it be a bit easier than be a bit harder. Now I don't think it will be a problem because the some of the most rewarding grind areas are in The Abyss...which is open pvp. Also a pvp death results in a loss of exp...so the odds of your leveling being a completely smooth ride aren't too high. Chances are you will get ganked and lose exp somewhere along the way.

The thing you need to understand is that Aion is Not Lineage. If you're looking for the next Lineage...I heard that L3 is coming out in '09 (don't know if this is true) and that will surely satisfy your craving. Sure Aion is from NCsoft...but so is Guild Wars, Tabula Rasa, and Exteel. Those games aren't L2 clones so I wouldn't expect this one to be either.

Now..it may borrow certain concepts...but it's clear from the info provided that it borrows from a few games. Now maybe that's not what you're looking for and if it's not, that's too bad because Aion certainly appears to be what I'm looking for and the more players the better. However if you don't like what you're seeing, I wish you luck on finding your next MMO.

QFT
right on

[dagan]

you guys didnt get the point right... i dont wanna discuss if L2 or WoW is better, everyone knows L2 is hehe...

point is even if they say that it will be casual and many WoW players now focus on this game hoping it could be their next carebear dream with stunning graphics arent they very mistaken???
i mean this game is still Korean... and the definition of casual from a Korean should be very else then from a western... and the defintion harder then WoW but easier then L2 says nothing... almost every game is harder then WoW and easier then L2 :P

this game has to satisfy the needs of asien players more then those of the western players... Asia is still biggest market for NC...
and those ppl over there are sick... they play MMOs all fcking day

and further many L2 players will be playing this game... and we know how much L2 players hate WoW cuz it is simply way to easy... so a WoWlike game would fail bad...

although this isnt so bad for the western market... L2 wasnt that big here but it may effekt alot the Korean realese cuz it is likly that every AION player there is a ex L2 player... and i really dont think that a Korean L2 is much better then the average Western one... would even say they are more fanatic

my point is
yes AION will have a good portion of grind
maxlvl will take u at least half a year
and there will be uber +10 items that are impossible to pay
and u surly wont reach maxlvl solo

so WoW players dont get wet in ur dreams yet... this game could be more than u can handle

[Kyne]

Originally Posted by dagan

my point is
yes AION will have a good portion of grind
maxlvl will take u at least half a year
and there will be uber +10 items that are impossible to pay
and u surly wont reach maxlvl solo

Where are you getting this information? Making daring conclusions without any firsthand experience or a reliable informant at the least is generally a bad decision.

If you're going to share an opinion (which is what I'm guessing all of this is), take the time to lay out the foundation of your argument in an understandable manner -- I don't see where you put the credibility of being 'in the know' with the East Islandic gaming community on your shoulders. Is this indisputable fact you're listing, or just speculations? Using words like "I think" or "I hope" as a preface to these kinds of statements will do a lot to solidify your position. Be careful not to mislead others and you will go far.

[Jest]

Originally Posted by dagan

you guys didnt get the point right... i dont wanna discuss if L2 or WoW is better, everyone knows L2 is hehe...

point is even if they say that it will be casual and many WoW players now focus on this game hoping it could be their next carebear dream with stunning graphics arent they very mistaken???
i mean this game is still Korean... and the definition of casual from a Korean should be very else then from a western... and the defintion harder then WoW but easier then L2 says nothing... almost every game is harder then WoW and easier then L2 :P

this game has to satisfy the needs of asien players more then those of the western players... Asia is still biggest market for NC...
and those ppl over there are sick... they play MMOs all fcking day

and further many L2 players will be playing this game... and we know how much L2 players hate WoW cuz it is simply way to easy... so a WoWlike game would fail bad...

although this isnt so bad for the western market... L2 wasnt that big here but it may effekt alot the Korean realese cuz it is likly that every AION player there is a ex L2 player... and i really dont think that a Korean L2 is much better then the average Western one... would even say they are more fanatic

my point is
yes AION will have a good portion of grind
maxlvl will take u at least half a year
and there will be uber +10 items that are impossible to pay
and u surly wont reach maxlvl solo

so WoW players dont get wet in ur dreams yet... this game could be more than u can handle

That entire post is opinion but let me first say one thing. No one has turned the subject to "What's better L2 or WoW" in this thread except you...along with your constant insulting of WoW's player base. You may not like the game...and that's fine, however insulting the player base is quite pointless and shows your social shortcomings.

Hell if you had even bothered to research this game at all you would notice that in interviews the devs (Ken Choi specifically) acknowledge that they're designing this game for worldwide consumption, not "for Korean's with the option to release in other markets."

You have every right to hope for whatever features you like most in an MMO to be included in this game, but making generalizing statements like that, especially posing as if they're facts just makes you look like a jerk.

[Fleiva]

As much as I like L2, Wow was better commercially, and the fact is that blizzard got a nice share in the asian market aswell, korean players do play a lot, and there are people who have been playing wow for 4 years non-stop, just because you dont need to dedicate 90% of your ingame time to kill mobs doesnt mean a game is over.

A game needs content, and Aion is promising content that may keep you entertained, of course, in the end team play will prevail over solo play since, endgame wise, clans and factions will need to know how to play together in order to dominate the abyss, but i'd expect aion to be a game where being level 49 doesnt mean non-valid for endgame content, like in L2, where you can't pvp unless you've been a hardcore grinder, or where you cant do **** unless you have the freshly released level 80 imba skills, and a game where the expansion's content is other than setting the level limit higher and adding more mobs to achieve that level.

[Kyne]

Originally Posted by Jest

in interviews the devs (Ken Choi specifically) acknowledge that they're designing this game for worldwide consumption, not "for Korean's with the option to release in other markets."

For the 10th installment of the Ken Choi interview series the topic question is "What makes Aion different from what is perceived as an 'Asian Grinder'?", and additionally for the 9th installment the topic question is "How will you try to make Aion appeal to both casual and hardcore players?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3cy77U9yBs&feature=related

YouTube - The Episodes of Ken Choi - 10

YouTube - The Episodes of Ken Choi - 10

These are what I believe you are referring to and they address most everything this thread could possibly hope to address without going off-topic. I've taken the effort to list them for you since I'm sure you'd like others to watch them as well.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by dagan

my point is
yes AION will have a good portion of grind
maxlvl will take u at least half a year
and there will be uber +10 items that are impossible to pay
and u surly wont reach maxlvl solo

.... Have you read anything into this game?
I'm surprised you even know the name.
You can quest the entire way to 50. (Current Lvl Cap.) Or PvP all the way to 50.
No grinding required.
They already said a hardcore player can reach the level cap in 2 months.
No information has been released on +ing items. So we don't even know if it'll be in there.
You can reach max level solo, but it will be considerably more difficult.

[Jest]

Originally Posted by Kyne

For the 10th installment of the Ken Choi interview series the topic question is "What makes Aion different from what is perceived as an 'Asian Grinder'?", and additionally for the 9th installment the topic question is "How will you try to make Aion appeal to both casual and hardcore players?"

YouTube - Ken Choi on AION THE TOWER OF ETERNITY Part 9
YouTube - The Episodes of Ken Choi - 10

These are what I believe you are referring to and they address most everything this thread could possibly hope to address without going off-topic. I've taken the effort to list them for you since I'm sure you'd like others to watch them as well.

Thank you! You've actually had really good posts in pretty much every thread I've seen you in. And you get bonus points for the Gaspar avatar. Kudos!

[Aseenus]

ur seeing this all wrong mate, u see.. in games such as runescape/lineage 2 where its very very very hard to reach max level the "hard part" of the game isnt the game its self its to see how many hours a day u can put into grinding and how long u can stay at it..

games like wow and even more "guild wars" typed games require much more skill then lineage 2..

in guild wars max level is 20 and reaching it takes about 3-4 days, thats not the hard part though, guild wars is a pvp based game in which u go to arenas and do 8v8 gvg or party vs party and use skill/tactic/build to beat the other team, games like lineage if u have good gear/high level and a little skill u will beat ur opponent..

if it takes 1 month or so to reach max level in aion but pvp/raiding etc is hard then i guarantee that grinding wont be an issue

[dagan]

ye sorry for my language...
thats a sideeffekt of spending 4yrs on L2 forums
dont wanna insult anyone just dont take it too serious

i hear alotta WoW players talking bout AION and say oh its great looks so awesome and it will be sooo sh1t easy like our wow the devs said so... so every noob can be uber with no efforts... so my wife and my daughter can finally own in pvp...

thats the moments when i just think lol...
u dont know what company u guys talking bout... NC invented the grind :P
u will get more L2 than u may like...

just dont believe that a Korean NC made game can ever be for casuals...
Korean players will burn the Company if it would...

Devs can say alot... especially NC devs lol... i just use my logic and sure that AION will have casual parts but still will be for hardcore players...

Dont expect AION to be much else from L2 not after the huge success it had especially in Korea

[Fleiva]

Why would they split their players base? In korea, L2 is pretty alive still, making another grind-a-thon they would attract the players that are already paying them monthly instead of acquiring new ones.

NC has developed 2 games only, setting that as prejudice leads nowhere good since Aion isnt part of the Lineage franchise.