[Cetero]

First I'd like to state that if you won't read this whole post, don't bother posting, also I would like to state to not be a fanboy and say all the obnoxious crap since I am positively serious with this post.

Oh, and no I am not 80 and bitching about no raid content.

I'd like to start off of where I come from with MMOs. I've played five MMOs (this included) that lasted over a month of gameplay, otherwise I've probably played about ten. These were, in chronological order: Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, WoW, EQ2 and AoC.

AoC is the first MMO I've played at the beginning of release, Asheron's Call was roughly a couple years after it was released, DAoC when Shrouding Isles was released (2002 I believe), EQ2 around 2005-2006 and WoW roughly four months after release.

I do understand the difference between a few months and a month after release of a new MMO, but for some reason, I just can not keep my attention on this game. I was a big fanboy of this game, I waited for this for about a year, and completely dismissed WAR as an adequate MMO. So I figured AoC would be the end-all be-all of MMOs.

Now, here I am, over a month after release, and I can barely click the "Play" button on the patcher. Why is this?

The other four MMOs I played lasted quite a few months before I got bored, DAoC and WoW being in the years section of me playing before I got bored. Granted, with WoW I took month-long breaks, same with DAoC, but all that aside, I've probably played four years with DAoC and about two and a half years with WoW.

I stopped playing WoW completely in August, probably even longer if you account that I only opened WoW up for another month to see the Paladin changes. I went back to DAoC around June or July of last year and stopped playing that once again in December. I figured after having a five-month break from any MMO, I'd be fresh and ready to go with AoC, right?

Well, I guess I was wrong. There's reasons that amplify this feeling, I'll list them off:
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1) No PvP system

I was not completely aware how long this would take, but considering it probably won't be until Fall, really doesn't help matters.

WoW had some sort of a PvP system a few months after release, and WoW was a PvE-focused game, how does a supposed PvP-focused game not have a PvP system at launch? I almost feel like I was lied to, it seems as if AoC focuses more on PvE than PvP.

DAoC had a PvP system, in the form of realm points and realm abilities. This, though, gave a reason to PvP (or RvR) even more-so than just killing people for gratification. At this point there really is no point at PvPing.

2) The game has a strong "unfinished" feel

Now, I know MMOs are never really finished, but what I mean is, I feel like they decided to rush out the game instead of adding more content to the game. For the record, I'm not stating end-game, I'm stating zones to level in and to explore.

Currently, everyone will have to level in the same exact zones no matter what, there just is no selection as to where you want to go, (not including Conall's Valley, Kophesh and WLoZ) and even after when they add the supposed 50 and 30's zone, you still won't have a selection of zones to level in. No matter what, you'll end up leveling all your characters nearly the same way... Same quests, same environments, same everything.

WoW right off the bat had many zones to level in, and it never really felt like you were confined to a specific zone to level in, (Until Burning Crusade, that is) and I think that was the main reason as to why I never got utterly sick with WoW, even if it was a very basic MMO. It had selection.

I never explored EQ2 enough, but I got a feel of a very large and expansive world, but I understand it can't be compared because of all the expansions. DAoC, (before EZMode leveling) had quite a few places and dungeons to level in, to where it didn't feel so confined as AoC does, and DAoC had extremely boring and weak PvE.

Asheron's Call obviously had a lot of zones to level in, especially considering you never really stopped leveling, so I can't fairly compare them.

3) Nothing fresh that any other MMO hasn't done (minus the combat system)

This might be my biggest gripe. I could probably deal with no PvP system, and a very linear feeling of leveling up, but when you do quests that have you "go kill this, go get this, go explore this", you get the feeling of another generic MMO.

The combat system is hella fun, and possibly the most fun I've had with in any MMO next to DAoC, but even that can't hold my interest when you're using it to grind on mobs and doing basic, boring quests.

The simple fact is, I did this PvE-grinding in other MMOs, why can't the fantasy-medieval games ever be more interesting in questing than this basic rehash? After seven years of MMO playing, I just don't have the patience.

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Even though I don't have the patience for the basic quests, I feel as if I could open up my DAoC account, and not get bored for another three months, even though all I do is PvP in Cathal Valley (45-49 BG) solo. Maybe it's because there's a rewarding system involved when I kill players, or maybe it's just me.

I get more enjoyment out of Half-Life 2: Deathmatch currently. The odd thing is, I enjoyed AoC for the first three weeks more-so than other MMO, yet it seems to crash down like an avalanche.

So, this is my question to you, is this game truly boring, or am I the only one who feels this way?

[SeaLife]

Yup it is missing any kind of 'hook'.

[vincredible]

I'm too tired to give you a lengthy response, but in short, yes. It is boring.

[Nakita]

...its only 1 month old....

[SeaLife]

Originally Posted by Nakita ...its only 1 month old....

and???? What does that have to do with the price of pickles? (quote from me Grandma), and to get technical AoC is 3-4 yrs old no?

[Cetero]

Originally Posted by Nakita ...its only 1 month old....

As I stated in my post, I understand the difference between a month and a few months after an MMO has been released. In fact, I stated the same stuff to other people, now here I am questioning the same thing they questioned.

Even though it's only one-month old, it feels so incomplete that it would take many months to get up to a playable state, to where it won't be a burn-out so fast. This is my point with the other MMOs, they had more zones, DAoC had more reason to PvP (straight out of release, as well), and every MMO did the same basic questing.

This is the base of the game, and even though it can only be built up from here, it can also not change its course. Think of it as a pillar, it goes straight up, but it also stays on the same course, it does not bend or change... Therefore, I can only think that possibly, this is only the beginning of the same.

[DeafLeper]

Originally Posted by Cetero So, this is my question to you, is this game truly boring, or am I the only one who feels this way?

Well, some certainly find AoC boring, and others obviously don't.
But I think there's one thing we can all agree on.
It's not nearly as boring as this thread.

[Hyborian2007]

What can I say other then you are correct. There is nothing fresh about AOC other then the graphics and the combo system, which I am not particularly fond of the latter anyway. It is essentially the same as any other MMO combat system, only it takes 5 button presses to make a combo instead of 1. More clicking, does not equal more fun in my opinion.

Regarding quests, this is the first MMO I have seen that has cutscenes and fully voiced dialogue that changes based on your reply. This is usually only seen in single player games, and it's wonderful, until you get out of Tortage and it disappears.

What I would like to see is more options. The one instance that comes to mind is during the Mage Destiny quest, when you have to "Neutralize Strom's 3 Guards". You have the option of killing them outright, or you can get them so drunk that they pass out. I enjoy quests that aren't fixed with only one way to complete them.

Overall, yes, the game brings little to the table in the way of new ideas. It is a bit of a bore. That is one of many reasons I am anxiously awaiting the release of Warhammer. They are bringing many new concepts to the MMO genre, and it should be exciting to play.

[Pyrhos]

Why are you asking ME if it's boring for YOU? That is the question. Want validation that it bores some others? Of course it does.

[Kisai]

the linear leveling is basically what kills this game. One of the good things about other mmos who are freshly released and lack content at the upper curve is replayability. This game has absolutely NONE. Once you take one character through Tortage, thats it, you've experienced everything you could possibly have experianced in the 1-20 range. Every alt you create from this point on has to go through the exact same quests, exact same dialogues, exact same zones etc etc etc. This continues on once you leave Tortage as well.

No matter which starting zone you start off your post 20 leveling you are STILL forced to do the other 2 as well due to this horridly designed leveling path Funcom implemented. So just as 1-20 is exactly the same, so is 20-40 for every character because all you have is Khopsef, Connals and Wild lands. Thats it. Then it goes down hill. You have 2 zones for 40-50, then one zone for 50-60 etc, you see my point. In WoW there were what? over 50 unique zones. Each race had their own 5 or so zones to level in for the first 20-30 levels or so before being funneled in to the main zones. Each time you started an alt its like you were playing a completely different game. Not so with AoC. This, more than anything is what drives people to quit, no replayability whatsoever.


Funcom basically shot themselves in the foot by making the leveling so utterly linear AND THEN not having enough content for people to actually lvl to the cap, which in turns causes lots of ALTitis. Its like a double edged sword really: Not enough content to lvl up with, combined with no replayability for ALT's = boredom = cancellations.