Curse

RuPee · Sep 23, 2006, 04:23 AM // 04:23

<3 NF

. i wish i could play more but the fact that everything accomplished is gonna be deleted stops me from advancing. the last 4 hours feels like a total waste of time.

but anet is definitely gonna have my money for NF in oct.

lord_shar · Sep 23, 2006, 04:29 AM // 04:29

The Elonian terrain I've seen so far feels much more open and spacious when compared to the cramped, restricted, and often gloomy Canthan environment.

arcanemacabre · Sep 23, 2006, 04:41 AM // 04:41

First Impression - From playing it for four hours (the first hour was trying to work through the major bugs with the Hero/crashing), I can say I like it, a lot. I've got a much better feeling about Nightfall now than I did with Factions. At one point I started to get that relaxed and 'at-home' feel I used to get with Diablo II.

The heroes are definately reminiscent of DII's hirelings. I feel like they are an extension of my character, a partner of sorts, compared to the pet-like feeling of henchmen. When a henchie dies, you kinda think to yourself "Pssh, figures"... when a hero dies you tend to think of them as more like a human player and think "Ahh damn!" and quickly res.

The flag/waypoint system was a little bugged (for me anyway) earlier, but it seems the kinks are mostly worked out now, and I like it. Once I get used to it, and assign a few hotkeys, I'm sure it will kick mucho ass. It gives the game a bigger sense of strategy in PvE, I think.

There does seem to be an inordinate amount of quests so far, similar to the mass amounts of Kaineng quests. I think the idea behind this is to give a sense of "you don't have to complete every quest". For people who love questing, or if you're in the mood, they're there, but they're not needed. You can XP just as well by killing things, which they made a little faster with the res shrine scouts that give xp boosts.

Also, about the quests, they're actually pretty creative. Like the food one where you have to find collectible drops to give to certain collectors for certain foods, which you then return for the quest reward. And the Impressive Warthog one where you help an NPC to charm a warthog and show off to a couple of other NPCs (because she can't find and charm a Black Moa, hilarious!).

Little to no locked gates FTW. As far as I can tell, there are none. I think someone said they hit one, but it might be just a preview event blocker or sorts. If this is the case, then taking multiple characters through Elona might be fairly painless. --I hope so!--

I'm loving the Paragon, so far (I plan on saving the Dervish for release). I like being able to help my teammates, but also supplying a good chunk of damage. I went P/E, and I've thrown in Ward Against Melee into the mix. It works well as a nice guard if any melee gets to close to the mid/back-line.

The only problems I have, aside from the obvious bug issues, is that there is a lot added in this installment, and I almost feel like I'm learning a new game. I was a bit confused on how to work with the Hero, and I feel that they should've had a tutorial on Koss the moment you got him, not later in the next city. Though I think a lot of the problems I was having was due to bugs, I'm not sure.

That issue is easily remedied by simply playing around a little while longer. I think when I get the hang of all the new features, it will be super-fun. That being my only real complaint, I think it's safe to say I'm having a ball and I'm gonna love Nightfall. Way to go, Anet!

EDIT: Forgot one more thing I'm loving about Nightfall - the quest rewards are some of the coolest ideas ever! So creative and generally are related to either the NPC or the quest itself. They actually make sense now. Though I do wish we had some skill quests, I'm holding mybreath in hopes that they make it into the final release...

Monk Mystic · Sep 23, 2006, 04:49 AM // 04:49

fo sho. im looking forward to NF, its a lot slower(in a good way) than factions was, ie i havent finished it yet lol. and the voice acting seems to be MUCH better!

WhiteZombie · Sep 23, 2006, 05:11 AM // 05:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kha

First mission is timed based, second has a bonus to it.

as does the one after that

Omega X · Sep 23, 2006, 05:22 AM // 05:22

ITs funny to read responses where people get all worked up about the most stupidest things.

Anyway, I thoroughly went through a lot of the preview and I am impressed. Anet managed to improve EVERYTHING across the board. There are still tons of bugs but I expect those to be worked out by Halloween. I also like that characters in NF have a lot more personality regardless of how vain some people can be.

Pros:

-Hero System:

I don't care where they got it from, all I know is it works very well. It brings in a new dimension to the world of henchmen. IT also won't affect team making or paring up with a human player since people who have used henchmen exclusively in the past won't have any need to change their habit, Or become disgusted with the game because they were forced to team up with humans.

-Music / Battle Music:

Jeremy Soule decided to give ANET the good stuff this time around. Maybe they upped his pay. But whatever they did, it allowed him to put personality into the music. There is also the addition of battle music that triggers when you cast a spell in battle. Its very catchy and it CHANGES depending on conditions in battle. That was a nice surprise. Its very blood charging and makes battling much more fun.

-Environment:

It looked good from the screen shots and looks even better in game. Plenty of Egyptian influence on the island. Flora and even the monsters themselves look very original. I did notice a couple of plants from Maguuma Jungle but it was completely dominated by the landscape. The New portal animations are a very nice touch and makes the game look current. The environment is much more immersive than both post sear Tyria AND Cantha.

-Cutscenes:

Cutscenes so far have been pretty good to experience. Its Nothing like the random emotes from Factions And its even better thrown together than in Prophecies. The moving jaws on the characters are a nice touch. The voice acting talent is just as good as ever, but THIS time they decided to DIRECT THEM LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. Good to finally see you guys on your job Voice Directors.

Cons:

-Quests:

The quests are just as weird and mundane as ever. Go do this, bring me that, fetch this, protect that, bring this, visit that. I haven't seen any REAL departure from the norm in the quests yet. Maybe they get better further in the game, but its pretty much the same.

-Outpost Layout:

The outposts so far are very WEIRDLY laid out. ITs very easy for a low level person to wander into an area with groups of very dangerous creatures. This can be easily fixed by rethinking the nature of the the placement of monsters and their power levels or get the player evenly matched for the next area.

-Henchmen AI

I applaud the Hero system but the AIs are another subject. When placing markers for them to perch on, they become very fidgety and bugged. Like they were on some extreme version of speed. Every time you move, they attempt to move with you but the programming keeps them there which makes them display kind of a flicker. They also know no fear so they will not easily retreat from a battle if you leave the area. IT can probably be fixed, but right now its garbage.

Mixed Reactions:

-Professions:

I have a mixed reaction about the new professions. Its most likely because I have yet to see what they are really capable of. I do tend to favor the Paragon since their abilities can greatly affect the performance of your team. Dervishes on the other hand are a complete mystery to me at the moment so they will most likely take more time getting used to. Its the same like Mesmers were to me back in the gap. But I love Mesmers now, so I bet all it takes is time.

-Title Grinding:

This is also another area of murky water. The title grinding is a bit confusing to me. Maybe this is supposed to bring a sense of accomplishment to new players. I mostly see title earning an optional thing to do. Or something you do after you beat the game. Not something that actively affects progression into the storyline. IF this is necessary or needed for the story, it needs to be balanced with varied storyline events and feel like fun, not kill a species until its extinct.

Final Thoughts:

I have much praise about Nightfall so far. I had quite a few doubts and worries about Factions which actually materialized. But, I have hardly ANY doubts about Nightfall. Guild Wars really feels NEW to me again with NF. Its a bigger experience than Factions. Its like a more stylized and interesting Tyria. It doesn't feel like they are trying to rush you through the game. The new graphics are much smoother and modern.

IF you didn't buy Factions then you MUST buy Nightfall.

Kook~NBK~ · Sep 23, 2006, 05:29 AM // 05:29

I didn't like the "bog-down" of getting 10,000 faction points before moving on in Factions, and I'm not liking the "bog-down" of getting all those points for the 30 extra attribute points, even though the double XP + points guys are a nice touch. (Kinda surprised me that they're available at the lower levels)

The artwork is excellent! I'm liking the wide-open feel to the areas, even the places with trees aren't claustrophobic. It has the same feel as Propechies, which is a huge improvement over Factions. Most of the monsters are pretty cool looking - those drakes are very well done!

I didn't get the "rushed" feeling that some did. For a lark, I went through the tutorial & all that. I like the way they set up quests from the various commerce related NPC's. I think it's a creative way to give people XP while at the same time introducing new players to the game.

The Female Paragon's dance is just "OMG WTF?" I didn't even watch the whole sequence before I decided that I wouldn't be using that emote! The "music box dancer" thing the female Dervish has is so-so, but it fits with the armor they wear.

I didn't look at the Dervish characters, but I didn't see anything wrong with the female paragon's faces - except the one with the silver lipstick - YUCK! The hairstyles were fine, there were 2 or 3 that I was debating on before I made my pick.

I liked the many different quests - I hope that food I've got in my belt pouch doesn't go bad before I find that drake meat so I can finish that quest!

I also had fun finding some of them - I thought it was kinda funny when I was hunting for that meat, when I see: "Psst, Hey you. Come here." I'm going to wait to level up before tackling that mime again!

Heros? Meh, whatever. I do like the option to flag them to keep them back while I aggro. I do like the fact that I can set up their skill bars, but I don't want to be bothered by using their skills for them. I'm treating them like henchies. Hopefully, when grouping up in PUGs and whatnot, people will honor any requests to leave the heros behind.

I'd like to see skills given out as quest rewards. Getting trained in the skills is just as important for character developement as levling up.

The first mission was fun - a bit on the easy side, but getting to blow stuff up is always a bonus!

I didn't like the fact that it was timed, regardless of how fast it can be done. I HATED HATED HATED the timed missions in Factions, and I don't like the idea of them turning up in Nightfall. That's a sure way to give people the "rushed through" feeling and was, IMHO, one of the big reasons for the dislike of Factions.

milias · Sep 23, 2006, 05:34 AM // 05:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteZombie

as does the one after that

Awesome! That's exactly what I wanted to hear

So far it's a 9.5/10 or 10/10 for me.

Lone_Prodigy · Sep 23, 2006, 05:54 AM // 05:54

Taking a long time to download the maps, though. Currently going PvP. But I definitely like it. Can't wait to buy it when GW4 comes out and it goes on sale!

(Guess I'll be getting Factions in October, eh?)

Lordhelmos · Sep 23, 2006, 05:58 AM // 05:58

Delight comes to mind when I think about how much destruction I can rain down on this new world with my prophecies and factions maxed characters... Simple its an expansion, and if you play regularly its a no brainer to grab it. From the preview its a damn good one. I agree with nightfall being able to instill that fresh epic feeling factions somehow lost... With games like this its all the same...

We want better weapons, more armor, more destructive skills... and this is a good answer.

On the hero system, I like it. It elimates the horrors of relying on pure random pugging. Koss proved to be smarter than the average Wammo... and thats always a good thing. He healing hands'd me! OMFG he broke the wammo taboo! Get a ban! Ban him quick before "they" find out!

Lone_Prodigy · Sep 23, 2006, 06:02 AM // 06:02

Gee, from what I'm hearing, maybe I should just "skip" buying Factions and just wait for Nightfall.

Opeth11 · Sep 23, 2006, 06:07 AM // 06:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lone_Prodigy

Gee, from what I'm hearing, maybe I should just "skip" buying Factions and just wait for Nightfall.

Probably o.o

On another note: Has anyone seen any gates that have blocked off the cities yet?

Chronos the Defiler · Sep 23, 2006, 06:07 AM // 06:07

Factions was a let down for me....i play Proph about 100x more than Factions, the only thing i like from Factions is the 15k Kurz Helm :/

NF is looking wonderful and is a definate purchase from me

Ryo Azuro · Sep 23, 2006, 06:12 AM // 06:12

I am loving NF. I already have my CE paid off. Glad to know it will be for naught.

- Ryo

xXa1 · Sep 23, 2006, 06:13 AM // 06:13

My Comments on Nightfall:

i like the new faces and the new haristyles, the moving mouths in the cinematics and the darker skin choices ... the choice of blue eyes are off though.
i love the details on the necromancers skin or is that armor? the reddish hues stains, the vein details, teh facial paint, the mini wings ...
the hero system reduces the need for people to interact in this game ... seriously anti-social but it does help when you wish to avoid idiotic pug's so it works both ways i guess.
big let downs: timed missions (what gives? can't think of good sub-plots?) and the size of elona - it is small, roughly similar in size to cantha ...

i'll be holding back on purchasing for a while, i never liked timed missions and the boringness of cantha.

arcanemacabre · Sep 23, 2006, 06:14 AM // 06:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lone_Prodigy

Gee, from what I'm hearing, maybe I should just "skip" buying Factions and just wait for Nightfall.

At this point, I'd see only three reasons to get Factions if you don't already have it:

1) Skills & profs

2) Items & Armor

3) The ability to start a PvE character and have it level 20/both 15 point att quests and ascension in 3 hours or less with almost any skillset you would want, if that appeals to you.

Lord Palidore · Sep 23, 2006, 06:15 AM // 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteZombie

as does the one after that

Slightly OT: You can get to mission number 3?

Anyways, I agree, so far I'm liking Nightfall a lot, and I also absolutely love the hero system

.

I know I'll be purchasing it in any case

.

I still think some of your guys' opinions might be a bit premature though. The features definitely seem better/improved, but what really will matter along with that is if the campaign isn't too short, and left with a lot of gaps like Factions was.

If it is, it wouldn't really matter how good some of the new features are if the game itself can be completed in a short amount of time.

BenO_Under · Sep 23, 2006, 06:16 AM // 06:16

well besides the fact it took me 5 hours to get to level 7...

(in prophocies i got to like lvl 11 in 4)

its good

took me an hour b4 i found out there was a place you could farm for the promotion points

level 8 with glads def FTW

not having any monk skills FTL (seriously my monk sucked)

some guy · Sep 23, 2006, 06:16 AM // 06:16

I really liked the customized hero, but the scout-killing thing is just too easy to farm exp and points. Second thing is I like how you can order your henchies arround to avoid random agro, u can make them stay in 1 spot, so you can solo

Kha · Sep 23, 2006, 06:28 AM // 06:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXa1

and the size of elona - it is small, roughly similar in size to cantha

Nightfall has the same "space-saving" system as Factions did. Some quests bring you back into the places where missions took place. It makes for a more compact world but still full of plenty of things to do. I personally like this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXa1

big let downs: timed missions

The second mission had a bonus to it, not a time limit to get masters. Nightfall might combine the two throughout the whole campaign and hopefully come up with other creative ways.