Sick of Wow

[Strothus]

I am sick of World of Warcraft. Would this be a good choice for awhile? I have never played Asheron's Call or AC2. To play AC1 ToD do I just need to get the ToD box?

[Yula_the_Mighty]

That will work. The Throne of Destiny box is the complete Asheron's Call game and allows you access to all released content.

Yula the Mighty - HG

[Strothus]

How are the graphics? Kinda dated I would think.

[Yula_the_Mighty]

Since you have been playing WoW, AC is not going to measure up in the graphics department. I believe the game development started about ten years ago. Asheron's Call has been live since fall of 1999. It is coming up on its sixth birthday.

The game did receive a beautification project as part of the expansion - Throne of Destiny. The full impact of which has unknown. The highest level of the graphics has not been released yet. Even when this last improvement arrives it will not have the beauty of WoW.

Yula the Mighty - HG

[CrazyPoster]

I did check out WoW, and don't think the graphics are "better". They are more advanced yes, but better - no. I always liked AC1 graphics due to the simple and at the same time soft and well color balanced graphics that an average video card could run without any difficulties. I think games like WoW looks less realistic than AC and more like Donald Duck & Co (just look at TV - thats really bad "graphics", and still we think its very realistic).

The best graphics I think is in AC2 followed by SWG. Just pity AC2 is a pretty contentless game compared to AC1.

[Strothus]

Well, I hate to say it then, but maybe I should just wait until Vanguard Saga of Heros comes out. The graphics look stunning on that game and the content is supposed to be excellent.

[Chrono]

You'll be short changing yourself. The appeal and beauty of graphics lasts how long? a few days before you get used to them and they are just the same old same old? Works in reverse too, you will get used to them. The gameplay experience is what matters, and there is NOTHING else like AC1 out there, period. There probably never will be again either..

[Strothus]

What sets it apart?

Can you build a house in the middle of nowhere? Does the game have democracy? Can you build and manage a ship and transport other players from continent to continent? Is travel real time or like most other MMORPG's? What is the endgame like? Get old after a bit? Are there instances like so many today or is that handled differently. And then yes are the graphics like taking a step back in time, square edges and such?

Well depending on your answers. it could full well be that no other online game is like AC1 nor will ever be. However, it is more than just a possiblity that a game will be better, in fact it is currently in the works.

[burzum]

What sets it apart?

Can you build a house in the middle of nowhere?

nope

Does the game have democracy?

no, just a bunch of cliques formed on the vnboards

Can you build and manage a ship and transport other players from continent to continent?

only 1 continent, so no. there are smaller islands, but you can portal there easily...or have some bot do it for you.

Is travel real time or like most other MMORPG's?[QUOTE]

um...sure...you portal and in real time appear where you wanted to go. since there arent any boat rides, travel is faster, but still in real time

[QUOTE]What is the endgame like? Get old after a bit? Are there instances like so many today or is that handled differently.

endgame...hmmm. You can...grind for xp, or...um...no, that's it. There are no instanced dungeons, or high level raid type dungeons. The cap is quite silly (275), enough to where 1 person (maybe 2 now) have reached it in the near 6 years of game...one reason there isnt any endgame.

And then yes are the graphics like taking a step back in time, square edges and such?

yes. they are updated, but whether better or not is up for debate. some people seem to lag more. the trees look better, at least =|

Well depending on your answers. it could full well be that no other online game is like AC1 nor will ever be. However, it is more than just a possiblity that a game will be better, in fact it is currently in the works.

vanguard (which you mentioned) will be nothing like ac1. ac1 is for people who prefer to solo, yet dont mind grouping up to benefit xp flow, and maybe do a quest. vanguard will be for the EQ minded, group oriented player, period. big difference.

[Danilo Thann]

The way in which AC 1 works a better game is unlikely to match it for a while.

AC1 is more complicated in many ways than other games, especially as a mage.
AC1 has a loot generation system without rival.
The world landmass is MASSIVE.

There are no ships or mounts or pets.
There are portals and spells that make travel very fast once you know where you are going.

There is housing on the landscape but you cannot build it you need to find it.

Travel is real time.

It does not get old until you have been here for years and even then it does not get old depending on the person ( I have been playing since retail in 1999 )

The community is fantastic.

There are no instances.

There is a MASSIVE amount of content and varied quests. There is not alot of go there fetch/kill x number of y and come back.

The Lore is huge. AC's story line is one of the best.

We get content added monthly ( except earlier this past year durning the expansion ).

Graphics are not horrid but they are not WoW/SWG/AC2. Check out some of the new screenshots.

AC1 is cheaper than the other game to buy as well.

Edit: In regards to the above poster's comments

AC is very soloable but the Allegiance system ( if you are in a good one ) allows for alot of grouping and fun quests.

Allegiances can own Mansions that everyone can meet at and have functional devices at.

[Strothus]

Hmm.....interesting. However, what is the future? AC2 was discontinued. Kinda sets the tone. Of course my original question was if this was a good place to call home for "awhile". So per my own question who cares about the future of it. lol

[hippiechick64]

Dont forget to warn him about buffing. You HAVE to buff every hour, 50+ spells each time, give or take a few if you dont need armor protects or a few others but you HAVE to do this every single hour or you cant hunt level appropriate stuff. If you are a mage or a 3school [weapon] (the 3 school is the ONLY viable template unless you want to level SUPER slow and not be able to do all the stuff your friends who outlevelled you are doing.) you can buff yourself, if you arent a mage or mage with [weapon] you either have to have someone else buff you every hour or you will play a MUCH slower game than everyone else. I will confess, I dont miss this. Not ONE iota.
mj

[Gyes]

50+ spells? That's ridiculous. 30 spells tops (10ish in each school), each taking 5 seconds to cast. I rarely cast that many because of my equipment and because I buff according to what I am going to fight. Anyone who casts 50+ spells per buff (or takes more than 5 minutes to buff, for that matter) is either underskilled or is overcautious.

[VitaminX]

I did check out WoW, and don't think the graphics are "better". They are more advanced yes, but better - no.

Are you blind man?

[Abdul]

WoW is a beautiful game...the trouble is it lacks depth. I played it for 2 months and came back to AC which I have been playing going on 6 years now.

You think level grinding is bad in AC, WoW will just kill you. Sure they disguise it by giving you a ton of quests that say go kill 10 of such and such a creature and get an xp reward but it is the same thing over and over again.

What really killed me in WoW was the way it took you 10-15 mins to get where you wanted to go on a stupid bird or ship. Looked great the first few times, then it just became one giant time sink.

[Chrono]

Buffing used to be a lot more horrid than it is now. Yes, when you are high level, once an hour. I am a life spec archer (3 school) and have low evades so I rely greatly on my heavy HP pool and my armor (and thus buffs to my armor and natural protections) I do not spend more than a minute.. 2 tops buffing. Magic plays a much more important role in this game than in others..

This game is content monger's paradise. There's 497 dungeons in this game.. 80-90% of them have a quest attached to them. This isn't to mention the roughly 7-800 square kilometers of pure OPEN space with no zone borders.

Marvel at the map (but beware 56k, 5.5 megs in size)

http://ac.warcry.com/atlas/maps/themap/derethmap_2005_08_28.png

[hippiechick64]

WoW is a beautiful game...the trouble is it lacks depth. I played it for 2 months and came back to AC which I have been playing going on 6 years now.

You think level grinding is bad in AC, WoW will just kill you. Sure they disguise it by giving you a ton of quests that say go kill 10 of such and such a creature and get an xp reward but it is the same thing over and over again.

What really killed me in WoW was the way it took you 10-15 mins to get where you wanted to go on a stupid bird or ship. Looked great the first few times, then it just became one giant time sink.


Yet one of the complaints in AC is that its TOO FAST to get to places. That since Turbine made it so easy to portal everywhere the "thrill of exploring and running miles thru the lands to get somewhere" was lost and the portals dumbed down the game. I have seen WAY more people say something along these lines than the other way around. So, its al relative man.

mj

[bertman]

This is a troll thread. The title, sick of wow, is a sure hook for anyone hoping that someone might be quitting WoW for AC instead of the other way around. Then asking if AC is a good game to call home, as if not knowing anything about it, then proceeding to criticize the graphics as "dated," are further evidence of this supposition. And throw in the thing about "no other game like it," which only an AC player would say, which gives lie to the pretense of innocence. Several thinly veiled but negative comments, pointing to the decision not to join AC, and finally a plug for another game which does not yet exist. Obviously a troll thread.

[whitestormlc]

This is a troll thread. The title, sick of wow, is a sure hook for anyone hoping that someone might be quitting WoW for AC instead of the other way around. Then asking if AC is a good game to call home, as if not knowing anything about it, then proceeding to criticize the graphics as "dated," are further evidence of this supposition. And throw in the thing about "no other game like it," which only an AC player would say, which gives lie to the pretense of innocence. Several thinly veiled but negative comments, pointing to the decision not to join AC, and finally a plug for another game which does not yet exist. Obviously a troll thread.


LoL

[Elistra]

AC's graphics are dated, but other than that there's no comparison whatsoever.

In WoW, you're just mindlessly herded through with the rest of the hero wannabes, and the whole forced instance grouping thing makes it extremely difficult (if not impossible) to actually earn your stuff. I prefer either finding my things myself, or trading for it on a competitive market... not being reduced to mindlessly zerging and relying on the charity of others not to roll on the loot I need.

Even solo on the overland, the quests are so simple, so basic, and so elementary that everything's just practically handed to you. Add the fact that you can hit the hard level cap in half a month, and what do you get?

WoW = MMO's for Dummies.

[rathrot]

Asheron's Call is a great game. thats my opinion.

dont focus on how fast you can level or how fast you can travel, graphics quality or any of the stuff that is purely of opionion. Focus on the facts of the game.

From the beginning of the game, you gain experence by killing stuff, as well as a little from using the skills you have trained. you gather unassigned experence while you play, which is used to raise your attributes or skills. Raising attributes gives specific benifits to any skill that uses them. raising skills increases the effectiveness of the said skill. over 95% of the experence you gain while playing the game, can be added to your skills or attributes.

weapons and armor are earned through quests and as loot. though loot items have a lot more function than the quest items do. We have tinkering skills to increase most every aspect of an items statistics. as well as lower its weight, raise or lower its value(sell value to merchant - effects drop on death as well) increase damage. bonus to defenses, as well as many other things. You can equip yourself purely from killing stuff right away in the game.

quests are not so complex in this game. there are some that require a LOT of steps, but the game doesn't actually tell you how to do it. a beginner character could get a quest to fetch and item from a dungeon as a specific coord. which will result is a little experence and a little pyreals (in came currency).

The community is lacking in numbers, you can go to a town and never see anyone. Though it also depends on what time of day you play, as i personally usualy only play at night. there are tons of people who play. just not nearly as many as there were when the game first came out.

chat systems added recently are global. LFG, General, Trade, as well as an RP chat that isn't open automatically.

if you deside to try out the game, read the book, read skill discriptions, and just have fun figuring out what to do. its more fun than rushing through levels trying to get to 100+. unless you like to power level, then level up as fast as you want. lol

give us a try, and let us know what you think about the game. =)

[CrazyPoster]

Are you blind man?

You read my whole post? I repeat: WOW looks like Donald Duck & Co when it comes to colors. Look at the grass in WOW, even at best setting you see one-two straws of grass sticking up, while rest of the low vegatation is all flat. Compare this to e.g. Star Wars Gallaxies, and you see some much better graphics. And as I (tried to) said in my post, high resolution graphics does need to mean its REALISTIC. Look at the characters i WOW. Even Goofy looks more realistic ... not to mention toons and characters in AC.

But non of the mentioned games comes even close to GOOD and REALISTIC graphics when we compare with ... EVE Online.


WOW is a game that apeals our younger people, beause of that fact of the cartoon like graphics. How strange it might sound, it seems young people of today has LESS imagination that the little older ones (imagination is seeing the a game / graphics from other points of view than just the actual pixels).