Adventure Log 12/15

You can call me Queen... Queen of The Screenshots... 

Picking back up on my adventures in Neverwinter, this time I've brought Dire along. I'm also sharing some adventures in some lesser known MMO games in open beta today. click past the break to read on!


That photo up top makes me think of Fable 3, is it just me? Anyhow.... It's nice to be playing Neverwinter with Dire. I've been a bit lazy with my main, the paladin, only making it to around 62, while Dire has passed me up. He's currently sitting at 65. 60+ becomes a bit grindy when compared to 1-60 content. It isn't terrible, just different. And things slow down a lot. He's learning the ropes, really enjoying the GWF (great weapon fighter) class. He's yet to really play with any alts much.

I on the other hand have been puttering around with the main, sometimes questing, other times doing some events in the guild stronghold (which is fun!) as well as playing my alts. This is one game where I love my alts. I've been working on a hunter ranger, an interesting class with mechanics that allow the player to switch between melee and ranged. Very unique and fun. That's something I really like about Neverwinter, the classes have a unique feel with the way they play. I'm working on a TR as well (trickster rogue), I hear they are very strong and fun. Stealth mechanics and all that.

I do wish Neverwinter still allowed you to gain Astral Diamonds from the daily foundry, hate that change. And leadership no longer rewards them. I don't group much besides guild stronghold stuff, so I don't end up making many AD, which sometimes gets under my skin. I think that is something that should be addressed after the changes.

Other than that, it really is a nice game. But it can get expensive if you let it. On my alts I don't have any extra bags, not shelling out anything else. On the upside there was a sale when we started and were able to pick up subscriptions for five bucks. You get a key a day, so that is really nice.

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On Dec 2 a new game went into open beta- Sphere 3, Enchanted World. I sometimes look around for games that are very mainstream and have more classic feeling/play/style, or even those with unique and fun classes. It is also nice to try something new, to explore new areas, see new things. Thus I ended up trying this game out.

It is very old school. The graphics are very reminiscent of Runes of Magic. It won't appeal to everyone. While it sports action combat, it is still has a much more classic feel than most games you'll see releasing these days.

The game needs some polish. I haven't run into any real problems though. They also don't have permanent mounts, but you can pick up a seven or thirty day mount in the cash shop. I suppose the equivalent of a monthly subscription. You get a free mount which lasts around 24 hours, but after that, there is a LOT of running to do. I think the designers need to reel in people with other ways before trying to shove the cash shop on them. Things like no chat channels need to be looked into, mob density and respawn time is also crazy in some areas. But it isn't in your face, the shop, just the lack of a mount that will last sits with you.

The game offers PvP as a main selling point. I was surprised to find they also offered a PvE server. It's a quaint game, charming in it's own way. I do enjoy playing. So far I am playing a Necromancer, with a tomb mummy pet, heh. There are a lot of classes to pick from. Even a hunter type character with a pet. I don't know why, but I really enjoy playing this game. It is quiet and relaxing.

I do wonder how it will fare. While the game is EU based (Russian game) the servers don't seem to lag for me, other players report delays in actions. The community is small, at least on the PvE server. I don't run into too many people after leaving the first area. But I see players still. The forums are very quiet too. I'd like to see this little game do well, but only time will tell. I think the developers need to look into a few things, smooth some stuff out.

If you're looking for something with that old school feel, give it a try, this is a no frills game where you can focus on what the next level will bring. The official site is here, you can play through the downloaded client or through steam.

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I also checked out Black Gold Online. It's a PvP oriented game, which is why I wasn't very excited about it when open beta released. On my search for something interesting and new (at least to me) I decided to give it a try.

I've played to around 15 on both factions. One is fantasy based, the other is steam punk. The game is really nice to look at, it reminds me of Tera in many ways. So many little touches were added to the scenery, it is really a good looking game. So far the gameplay has been fun, I like the classes and the game mechanics. There are siege vehicles which you can use in regular combat, which is awesome. They do some big damage. You can stow them away to heal up or use a currency to heal them it seems. I also was given a free mount on each character for playing to level ten. Loved that. Many gifts for leveling.

I hear the endgame is very much pay to win. The game isn't popular I also I read, nothing new on the website, and the forums are spammed with garbage for pages upon pages. I have read with many horrible reviews, some not lining up with my time in the game. I suppose either you like it or you don't. Most of these were first impression reviews. I can understand the end game reviews, if the need for cash is as bad as people claim. I don't know what is going on. The reviews are terrible, but just playing around with the game on the side, I thought it was very fun for something to dabble with. It has some really unique things about it, if you're tired of the same ol' same ol' it is a nice change. Though the questing is linear and there is auto pathing to quests (turn this on in the options). The game also offers classic use of the mouse (think how you interact with the UI and combat in WoW) or action combat much similar to Tera, TESO or Neverwinter. Choices are nice!

I have not seen one person yet. Though I haven't made it to any type of major hub or capital city. Another fun game to putter around with if you're looking for something interesting. You can check out the website here. IMO it's really cool, feels fluid, looks great and has some awesome ideas.

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I leave you with many, many screenshots. It's always nice to pull up the blog and look back on my shots :) Enjoy!


Neverwinter

Sphere 3

Black Gold Online