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That's my point: English District 1 is like AP on Freedom. If you don't play on Freedom, why would you stay in English District 1?|
Originally Posted by ShadowsBetween
I don't play on Freedom, never have. I played around with the chat window options in Guild Wars, and I never found any way to disable a single channel - if there is such a thing, it's certainly not in an intuitive place. I don't see why I should have to flee the area because other people are morons.
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As for removing broadcast from chat, as I recall it's just a checkbox when you open the chat window fully (default key: ~)
(Edit: If you're standing near someone when they send a message to broadcast, you can still see their speech bubble pop up over their heads, but it doesn't show in your chat window, and only happens for people you're close to)
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Originally Posted by Master-Blade
I realized all I was doing was standing in one place all day clicking the same object over and over and over and over, and there were so many other people using "Runebot" to skill their way up without any effort
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I remember I played Runescape way back when the Crafter's Guild was members-only, and members didn't have anything west of White Wolf Mountain. I was there when they introduced the thieving skill to members, with an entire town pretty much devoted to grinding away at it, full of people stealing cakes from NPC bakers, getting caught, and attacked by town guards.
But yeah, despite the improvements RS has made in recent years, I still wouldn't recommend it.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
I would suggest Dark Age Of Camelot.
At this time you can download the entire engine and all their upgrade releases at no cost, and since you would be a new customer, you can play 10 days for free. Thus cost you nothing and you can decide if you like it or not. Incidentally DAOC has one of the best PvP set ups in the industry as well.
Dark Age Of Camelot is based on Arthurian Mythos, so if you like Knight stuff, its your game, but the setting is after Arthur's death and due to magic storms, the terrain of England has changed much and the Faerie has access to England, an thus one of the PvP realms to engage against, but the Vikings also has access to England as well, so Nordic cultures are there to engage against.
You can play an Albian, Arthurian Knight, Paladin, Cleric etc; Hibernian, Elf and assorted other faerie races with as many classes you can imagine; and finally Midgardian, the Viking based lore folk...
DAOC has a very good PvE system as well, and breath taking maps and scenery if you are into those kinda things.
Being for free, why not try it
Giggles
Stormy
And again, I would have to recommend against the game. DAoC is from the same developers as Warhammer Online. And it is widely regarded as having been abandoned by the developers so they could focus on WAR. It's also TOTALLY based on PVP, which I seem to remember was something that the original poster was trying to avoid. If you didn't like WAR, I can almost guarantee you won't like DAoC any better. Yes, there are PVE missions. But just like in WAR, the endgame is almost completely devoted to the Realm vs Realm combat. The only advantage it offers over its successor is that there are three factions instead of two - whichever is the strongest tends to become the automatic target of the other two, which apparently tends to smooth out faction imbalances a little.
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I don't remember which shard I was on. Probably the default. However, I ultimately found very little about Guild Wars that I enjoyed. I found it to be less effort to simply not play it, thus avoiding the idiots and the awful gameplay in a single stroke.
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Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
That's my point: English District 1 is like AP on Freedom. If you don't play on Freedom, why would you stay in English District 1?
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Like the OP, I'm also looking for another MMO to try out. Although I'm a veteran wargamer (both on the board and on the PC) and RPG'er (dating back to the original P&P 20-sided dice D&D), CoX is the first and only MMO I've played to date.
From all the responses I've read so far, D&DO and LotRO look like what I'd be most interested in next, and perhaps STO when it comes out. What I'm looking for are:
1. A wide range of archetypes/classes and associated powers/capability combinations to choose from, with plenty of 'alt' space in the account
2. Full early/mid game content as well as open-ended end game content (more the journey than the destination, or even no destination)
3. A logical, balanced and robust game mechanics and combat resolution system, with a reasonably intelligent (possibly player-adjusted for difficulty) AI.
4. Ease of solo ability as well as online team play.
5. Varied, multi-branched quests, storylines, campaigns/arcs, with choices even at the lower levels.
6. An integrated economy and crafting/building capability, but not so dominant that it detracts too much from play time or becomes a requirement to create an effective character at their relative level
7. Difficulty level adjustable by player (from easy to impossible, least to most, with more than one variable)
8. Design-your-own (DYO) quests/battles/missions/maps/enemies
9. Preference to buy game, then play free or buy/download game, then play a flat subscription fee without having constantly pay for extras to improve/enhance characters (i.e., how good your characters can be/look does not depend on paying RL money for extras).
One reason I've stayed with (and will continue to stay with) CoX for almost a year now is that it provides for all of these things in one way or another.
Question, then: How do the other MMO's (including D&DO and LotRO) stack up given these 9 criteria?
(edited to add criteria)
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I generally agree with that, although I'll note that Runescape has some very fun quests.
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Originally Posted by Master-Blade
I don't recommend Runescape to anybody. I started back when it was brand new (same server ran the website, forum, and game), and seeing 300 people online was a busy night. I played for a couple years and was a top player (#1 cook, top 5 crafter, and top 5 overall skill total). Then I realized all I was doing was standing in one place all day clicking the same object over and over and over and over, and there were so many other people using "Runebot" to skill their way up without any effort (maybe that's why I don't like doorsitting in CoH). It's not a game, It's a hamster wheel! lol. I just got tired of it and couldn't stand it anymore. Well.. To each his own.
At least this game you get to move around and do stuff, and there is more of a story and a lot more action. I'm not really saying Runescape is a horrible game... but it's a certain downgrade from CoH. |
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It does and is has grown so much that you can level up everything through questing. Many of the sidegames they implemented to stop farmers and bots give great rewards and are fun in themselves.|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I generally agree with that, although I'll note that Runescape has some very fun quests.
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RuneScape is a very, very different game than when it started out.
There's a fun treasure map minigame where you sometimes get maps as loot and you run to specific spots in the world (sometimmes talking to NPCs to answer a riddle, sometimes spawning an enemy, etc) for a treasure.
I played it originally and it was pretty sad. But after the changes it's very different. And has several million active accounts so it's not empty either. The free servers are often full. I had a lot of fun with it. You can grind if you want to, but there isn't a need for it. Just keep finding and doing quests and enjoying the minigames.
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
1. A wide range of archetypes/classes and associated powers/capability combinations to choose from, with plenty of 'alt' space in the account
*LOTRO has 10 classes (and 4 races), each of which have various "specializations" you can use to focus (a damage heavy caster vs a pet caster, for example).
*LOTRO comes with 5 character slots (Shadows of Angmar version) per server, with 2 more available (per server) with Mines of Moria (currently -the- available box), and 2 more (per server) upcoming with the Adventurer's Pack.
*DDO has 11 classes (2 of which you have to pay for), and 7 races (2 of which are purchasable) with the option to multiclass (fighter/rogue, bard/sorcerer).
*DDO you get 2 slots to start per server with the option to buy more. If you subscribe you get 4 slots with the option to buy more (up to 10 total)
2. Full early/mid game content as well as open-ended end game content (more the journey than the destination, or even no destination)
*LOTRO has 4 "starting" areas, depending on race, unique "flavors" of quest for each race (hobbits tend to have kinder, gentler quests, while dwarves have burly goblin-smashing quests). You cannot outlevel quests in LOTRO (however XP is negligible if the quest is grey) and there are multiple deeds to achieve in each area. There are raids for those who like that, but they're not necessary to succeed in the game. There are also daily quests, bounty quests, and raid quests that keep high level characters playable with purpose.
*DDO starts everyone in the same area, with the same quests. After you progress into the city proper, there are multiple levels of stuff to do (with purchasable quest packs available).
3. A logical, balanced and robust game mechanics and combat resolution system, with a reasonably intelligent (possibly player-adjusted for difficulty) AI.
*LOTRO is getting an overhaul of its combat system with Siege of Mirkwood, and it makes combat very fast, very dynamic, and pretty interesting. The AI is fairly sharp, if predictable.
*DDO is real time combat. Your enemy fires an arrow - react quick enough to duck behind a box, and the arrow won't hit you. Blocking and tumbling have an effect on combat. DDOs AI is also sharp, given that it's the same company.
4. Ease of solo ability as well as online team play.
*LOTRO is very soloable with certain classes, and difficult soloability with other classes. When creating a character there's a nice little "Solo ability" label with each. Grouping is easy, but not required, and there is a built in voice for those that use it (personally, I don't).
*DDO is much less soloable, but it's still possible. Some objectives may require certain classes due to the nature of the game (quests with multiple, deadly traps needing someone with a disarm traps skill, for example). Multiclassing and other options are available to get around or just bullrush through some things.
5. Varied, multi-branched quests, storylines, campaigns/arcs, with choices even at the lower levels.
*LOTRO, again, has 4 starting zones and no race is required to stay in their starting zone. You can make an elf and immediately travel to the Shire to do the hobbit lowbie quests. Although the storyline roughly parallels the journey of the Ring, it's not a straight and narrow. For the Tolkien fan, LOTRO brings the Middle-Earth to life, not just the areas dealing with the path of the ring.
*DDO is pretty much restricted to Stormreach. While there are areas outside of it, they tend to be for higher level/group/raid types. Also, many are now restricted from those who have not purchased that particular pack.
6. An integrated economy and crafting/building capability, but not so dominant that it detracts too much from play time or becomes a requirement to create an effective character at their relative level
*LOTRO has multiple crafting paths, from weaponsmithing to cooking to woodworking and more, with items that make sense to use (ash wood to make an ash bow). Items made by crafting CAN be better than items received as random drops from mobs, but as the system itself is easy and fun, just about anyone knows someone who is a Grand Master XXXX who will make something for them. The market is generally used by those who are looking for quest items, raw materials or recipes, rather than finished product, although it is possible to find high-grade items for reasonable prices. It also doesn't take long to figure out when something is over priced. Auctions have a set period of time, chosen by the person placing the item up.
*DDO doesn't have crafting the way LOTRO does, however there is a sort of system involving these shards that you can take to a certain place in Stormreach, combine them, and hope you get something lucky, even though it takes thousands of shards to really get anything useful. There is also an auction house which is mostly haphazard and useless.
7. Difficulty level adjustable by player (from easy to impossible, least to most, with more than one variable)
*LOTRO does not have "difficulty" levels. The closest it comes to such is that the quests are rated in the universal con colors (purple for the ones way over your level, and gray for those way under). If you really want a challenge, taking red or orange quests will provide. Quests will also be rated as solo, small fellowship (3 people) or full fellowship (6 people).
*DDO does allow you to run through a quest multiple times at increasing difficulties, depending on your team size. If you are a solo player, you'd need to first run a quest at solo or normal difficulty, then again at hard, then again at elite to do them all. There are experience bonuses for completing a mission the first time on a certain level which helps to aid the repetitiveness of it. Larger teams will automatically have access to the hard and elite options.
8. Design-your-own (DYO) quests/battles/missions/maps/enemies
*LOTRO, with the release of Siege of Mirkwood, will introduce the ability to create skirmishes to play. You can play them any time, from anywhere, via a slash command interface. You can choose the type and kind of skirmish, but that's about all. You cannot make missions for other people to play. Think of it as a newspaper/radio mission generator with control over where and what you fight.
*DDO does not have any kind of quest customization.
9. Preference to buy game, then play free or buy/download game, then play a flat subscription fee without having constantly pay for extras to improve/enhance characters (i.e., how good your characters can be/look does not depend on paying RL money for extras).
*LOTRO has multiple pricing options including an occasional lifetime subscription option that runs at 199 which, in my opinion, is more than worth it. Prices are typical of the average MMO, from 10 - 15 dollars a month depending on your deal. The current bundle includes Mines of Moria (the first expansion). Siege of Mirkwood is a digital expansion and will be out in December. The Adventurer's Pack is a bundle of goodies including a mount, 2 character slots, and shared bank slots. There are frequent book updates, which equate to CoH's free issues.
*DDO is free, however you would need to pay if you wanted to play certain races, certain areas, or get certain items - none of which are REQUIRED to play and enjoy the game. The stuff that is bought is not so incredibly uber it makes game drops worthless, nor the free play quests less fun. Alternatively, you can get VIP access to DDO for 14.95 a month which will give you access to everything the free player would have to purchase. In addition, you earn coin that can be spent in the DDO store to purchase things (quest packs, items, races, classes) instead of using cash/subscribing. VIPs get a certain amount per month, free players can earn coin by earning faction or purchasing coin bundles.
I hope this sufficiently answers the questions, at least in regards to these two MMOs *whew*.
What SunGryphon said. I was getting ready to respond, but then read SG's post and it pretty much sums it up.
The only modification I would make is to clarify that LOTRO has 5-7 character slots *per server* for those who like to play on more than one server.
I'm a LOTRO Founder and lifetimer, although my wife and I didn't go lifetime until the Christmas after LOTRO came out; we didn't have the funds at launch. Made nice Christmas presents, though. No regrets. I highly recommend the game.
I have tried pretty much all of the MMOs except Lord of the Rings, but since CoH is the first one I played alot of I just can't seem to enjoy the other games, I will try LOTRO though but I am with CoH untill the game shuts down
Triceth LVL 50 Ice/Storm Controller
Ghost Scrapper LVL 50 MA/reflexes Scrapper
Gespin LVL 44 Spine/Regen Scrapper
Treal LVL 41 Emp Defender
Radill LVL 41 Ill/Rad Troller
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Ah yes, I forgot to specify that, thanks |
Originally Posted by lionheart_fr
The only modification I would make is to clarify that LOTRO has 5-7 character slots *per server* for those who like to play on more than one server.
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I question "several million" and "active" together. I know that stats for RS list it's number of players in the millions (#2 after WoW, according to MMOGChart.com), but since the majority of its accounts are free to play, and pay to play accounts drop to free to play when the subscription expires, I suspect their "active" numbers are lower than their reported numbers. Particularly since accounts don't get deleted; hell, the account I created oh-so-many years ago before members had anything west of White Wolf Mountain (when the game was still isometric 2D, rather than true 3D) still exists, and is theoretically playable if I could remember the password (or the email I registered it with)
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Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
And has several million active accounts so it's not empty either.
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http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
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Yep. I remember for example the chopping wood. They changed it so you only had to click once and it would try 10 times or something automatically. It's a lot better than clicking Use Axe, then click on the Tree every time over and over, but it was still silly for them to make it automatic. What if I only needed/wanted 1 log? It ends up filling my inventory for no reason and/or dropping to the ground. |
Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
To be fair to Runescape, some time after they went full 3D they changed it so you don't have to click each time to repeat an action (ex: click once to begin mining, not click once for each swing of the pickaxe), and they added in random events to those style of actions to help prevent botting.
I remember I played Runescape way back when the Crafter's Guild was members-only, and members didn't have anything west of White Wolf Mountain. I was there when they introduced the thieving skill to members, with an entire town pretty much devoted to grinding away at it, full of people stealing cakes from NPC bakers, getting caught, and attacked by town guards. But yeah, despite the improvements RS has made in recent years, I still wouldn't recommend it. |
Hmmm. Let's see what I remember..
Crafting Guild and such would have been fairly NEW to me when I stopped playing. I started playing when they added Draynor Manor, and I made my first fortune selling the Oil Can from the basement for 100 gp to anybody who couldn't seem to figure out the order of switches to pull. There was no such thing as a members version back then, and the highest/best armor was a Steel Plate, and the Gold Pieces (or any other stackable item) capped at about 65k (65,535).
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Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
I question "several million" and "active" together. I know that stats for RS list it's number of players in the millions (#2 after WoW, according to MMOGChart.com), but since the majority of its accounts are free to play, and pay to play accounts drop to free to play when the subscription expires, I suspect their "active" numbers are lower than their reported numbers. Particularly since accounts don't get deleted; hell, the account I created oh-so-many years ago before members had anything west of White Wolf Mountain (when the game was still isometric 2D, rather than true 3D) still exists, and is theoretically playable if I could remember the password (or the email I registered it with)
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I still have an old party hat and Santa hat. They worth anything anymore? They used to be the most expensive thing in the game at one point. Last I saw was like 15 Million or so I think. lol
Oh yeah, back when I started, the only way you knew what combat lvl you were was to ask somebody else to click on you and tell you (or click on foes to see if they were White, Green, or Red to you). I made a site dedicated to a Combat lvl calculator, which let you input your stats so it would tell you what Combat lvl you were. Most people used it to see what lvl of which skills they would need to get to reach certain Combat lvls and/or to "game" the system by having extremely high Strength, but a low Combat lvl.. so they would be the best in PK (Player-Killing). My site reached 1 million hits on May 09, 2004.
Also, here is a screenshot of the last day I played seriously (May 27th, 2002). I quit after hitting 1300 skill total (which was #5 overall in the game at the time). I went back a couple of times just messing around with people or friends, but I never stayed long.
On a side note, it's nice to see they finally expanded the game screen from that little box. A shame so many people got Statwiped (all stats to lvl 1) for using a 3rd party program that did that for you. lol
"Remote linking forbidden" 
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
I suggest Hello Kitty Online.
Yes it exists.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
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Dam old site.. I used to run the popular forum called Dragonstone Forums (before dragonstone existed in the game) and had my own space with a bunch of crap on it. lol |
Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
"Remote linking forbidden"
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*Fixed the image above
Hmm I wonder what's the oldest picture I can find. haha
BTW, I was just talking to a friend of mine (who is now an in-game mod for that game), and he let me know about a Pricechecker option that tells you how much your items are worth (last traded for or something). The Santa hat is worth over 29M, which is very steep for an item that does nothing. I just killed a Black knight and only got 35gp. lol
Also.. a far as Highscores...
I'm still currently top 7,300 in Cooking. Out of Millions of players, I'm doing pretty good for not playing in over 7 years! lol
I've dropped from #5 to #620,000 Overall Skill Total though. lol
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A little expansion on this:| *DDO is free, however you would need to pay if you wanted to play certain races, certain areas, or get certain items - none of which are REQUIRED to play and enjoy the game. The stuff that is bought is not so incredibly uber it makes game drops worthless. Alternatively, you can get VIP access to DDO for 14.95 a month which will give you access to everything the free player would have to purchase. In addition, you earn coin that can be spent in the DDO store to purchase things instead of using cash. VIPs get a certain amount per month, free players can earn coin by earning faction or purchasing coin bundles. |
Free players have 2 character slots per server. If you ever spend any money (either monthly sub, buying a game box, buying shop points), you go up to 4 slots. Monthly is 10 while active.
On subscribing: it's been suggested on the DDO forums that doing microtransactions in the online shop is better. Why? Because everything you buy, you'll have always. Subscribe for 3 months ($45) and you get it all..... for those three months, then everything relocks. Spend $45 on points, and everything you buy is there permanently. (Yes, it'll take more than $45 to get everything.... but you don't need to buy stuff til you'll use it, and you don't need to buy 100% of the races/classes/adventures/account options, realistically.)
Oh, and some things can be unlocked via time/effort - gain enough total "favor" with the various factions in the game (completing quests earns favor. higher difficulties earn more), and you can unlock one of the extra races, one or two of the extra classes, and some other features.
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Not EXACTLY true. Some classes are more soloable than others and multi-classing, like in D&D proper, is possible. Also, quests with multiple deadly traps do not require a rogue if you have a character with high saving throws or "protection from..." potions/scrolls/spells, which are common. The same can be said of many things: a locked door can be opened with a rogue's theiving abilities or a wizard's knock spell. I've yet to find a quest where the main objective couldn't be completed by any one class. I've seen several, however, where optional objectives required something my character doesn't have.|
Originally Posted by SunGryphon
*DDO is much less soloable, but it's still possible. Some quests require certain classes due to the nature of the game (quests with multiple, deadly traps require a rogue, for example).
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| *DDO is free, however you would need to pay if you wanted to play certain races, certain areas, or get certain items - none of which are REQUIRED to play and enjoy the game. The stuff that is bought is not so incredibly uber it makes game drops worthless. Alternatively, you can get VIP access to DDO for 14.95 a month which will give you access to everything the free player would have to purchase. In addition, you earn coin that can be spent in the DDO store to purchase things instead of using cash. VIPs get a certain amount per month, free players can earn coin by earning faction or purchasing coin bundles. |
My wife spent $10 because she wanted a drow. She spent the rest of her coin after the drow to buy some equipment she wanted from the store.
The pay options are very, very optional
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Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
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Whew, indeed! Thanks a lot for your informative insights into both of the games I asked about. From all you posted, LotR sounds most like what I'd like to play. I've read all of Tolkien at least several times over and I love his lore. I think I'd like the game system as you described it. The D&D online game (established from v3.5[?] rules) also sounds fun, although it has its limitations. I GM'd a few custom campaigns and dungeon sets with the basic Gygax rules back in '75 and still have the maps and index cards for all of it - hundreds of hours of careful game and story design to satisfy the players, all friends.|
Originally Posted by SunGryphon
I hope this sufficiently answers the questions, at least in regards to these two MMOs *whew*.
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I appreciate your taking the time to take each of the criteria I suggested and lay it all out for both games based on your experience. Good post, and thanks again.
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The oldest I can find is the first map of the "new area" (now known as Asgarnia), which I made by running along the edge of the border fence taking screenshots of the minimap, then splicing them together in Paint.|
Originally Posted by Master-Blade
Dam old site.. I used to run the popular forum called Dragonstone Forums (before dragonstone existed in the game) and had my own space with a bunch of crap on it. lol
*Fixed the image above Hmm I wonder what's the oldest picture I can find. haha |
Also, your cooking skill seems to have fared better than my firemaking skill (I was in the top 50; now I'm #377,513).
Probably my favorite thing from Runescape was when someone found a glitch in the map that would let you climb up to the second floor outside the walls. I parked a number of spare accounts up there, and would occasionally amuse myself by having one of them wander around the upper level of Varrock, confusing the newbies and being mysterious. It's too bad they all got moved to Lumbridge with the upgrade to 3D.
This thread makes me want to try out LOTRO again. I tried the trial about a year or so ago and liked it, though I ended up playing with the music system more than the combat system.
Maybe when that Mirkwood thing comes out, I'll give it another go.
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I found several screenshots of the server high score list (that showed #1 player currently on the server, before there were multiple servers).|
Originally Posted by Katie V
The oldest I can find is the first map of the "new area" (now known as Asgarnia), which I made by running along the edge of the border fence taking screenshots of the minimap, then splicing them together in Paint.
Also, your cooking skill seems to have fared better than my firemaking skill (I was in the top 50; now I'm #377,513). Probably my favorite thing from Runescape was when someone found a glitch in the map that would let you climb up to the second floor outside the walls. I parked a number of spare accounts up there, and would occasionally amuse myself by having one of them wander around the upper level of Varrock, confusing the newbies and being mysterious. It's too bad they all got moved to Lumbridge with the upgrade to 3D. |
I found some screenshots of my characters' banks, back when we used "mules" to carry items we could not fit into our inventory.
I also found a map of the Player Houses that never opened. rofl
Another funny thing I found was screenshots from the wedding of M Oldfield and Lady Medusa, which was performed by Paul Gower (brother of Andrew and Ian, who all program the game). It's funny that weddings were later made against the rules because people started giving out personal information. lol
I was the official photographer of the wedding, and here was the quick site I made to display the pictures:
February 14, 2002 - Wedding of M Oldfield and Ladymedusa
If you do decide to give Guild Wars a whirl, I would actually suggest starting with Nightfall, the second expanshalone, for a couple reasons. First, you get access to heroes, which are like the AI henchmen only a) you can fully customize their skillsets and b) they are not quite such morons. You also have more control over their behavior. Second, it's probably got the best balance between story progression and mechanical progression.
Prophecies (the original game) is slooooooooooooow as hell when it comes to handing out the good stuff and suffers from a certain monotony of visual design (Pre-Searing Ascalon is lovely. Post-Searing Ascalon is a uniform smear of brown that goes on for a billion years. Then you get a uniform smear of blue-white mountains that takes another billion years, then some greeny-brown swamps that are almost a relief but still take a billion years, then a uniform tan desert full of beetles that eat all your enchantment spells (for a billion years), and then uniform blue-white mountains again, and then uniform grayish black punctuated with lava (also horrible firey death). Nightfall, to be fair, also contains quite a lot of brown, but there are many more shades of it and it's broken up by expanses of greens and blues and such). I think it's really best experienced with a character who's already completed one of the other campaigns, which also lets you skip the first two post-tutorial areas entirely.
Factions (the first expanshalone) I actually like quite a lot in most ways, but it slingshots you forward at warp speed by comparison--you will likely be level 15-16 by the time you exit the tutorial island, and you can get access to most of the available non-elite skills shortly after. It's also quite brutal if you're a raw beginner.
The game is a nice mixture between "real" sandbox type play and "standard" theme-park mission controlled play. It's got a strong and reasonably complex crafting element, and a skill-based levelling progression.
I don't want to paint it up as a perfect game, because it's certainly not without problems.
One of the biggest that I've seen, in my opinion at least, is that the economy stinks and (for now at least) nothing ever really wears out so there's no turn over in equipment / demand for pure crafters.
The game also has quite a few bugs and some performance issues, but those are at least being addressed, if not quite at what I would consider an acceptable speed (but I'm picky so I cut them some slack there).
They just recently had a free trial period over the Halloween days, and hopefully will do some more free trials soon.
Personally, I will never again buy a new MMO without having had a trial period on it [after being burned too many times], so I won't say to just go out and get it. But, if you can get onto a free trial, I'd definately recommend you give it a shot.
It's got potential, it just remains to be seen if it lives up to that potential as time goes on.
I got to see every aspect of the game, and I have to say, I wouldn't spend any money on it. It's a game I wanted to like alot, but ultimately doesn't hold up.