Post by mireigi on Jul 14, 2015 7:20:00 GMT -5
First off, the setting, and much of the changes implemented on the server are really great. Gone is the tediousness of classes, and endless grinding of monsters to gain XP. Persistent player housing is also a great boon, as well as the different gambling systems. It's obvious that a lot of care and work have gone into getting the server where it currently is.
That said, however, I have noticed a few issues.
Combat early on
Considering that one of the loading screen tips is to take abilities that accent your character, I find combat extremely unbalanced. For my first character, I went with an unarmed fighter, then rather quickly figured out that to have any chance of completing Ser Helen's quest, I had to switch to a club or shotgun to even put a dent in the bandits. I do not like that as it messes with how I perceive my character, and I accumulate points in skills my character would not use.
So far nothing has changed. Fists are still laughably inferior, as is a club, or even a dagger, to larger weapons or pistols. So far I have been fighting wolves when travelling between the city and Beggar's Cross, as well as some beetles in a cave. Both are areas I would consider starter areas. Wolves, bettles, and the bandits of the prologue should not have any sort of damage reduction at all, or at most one or two points. It is extremely tedious to spend five minutes to defeat a lone Mangy Wolf due to the damage reduction offered them by the combat system.
Direction
Getting through the prologue, barring combat issues for some builds, is relatively easy. Mechanics are presented at a leisurable speed, although I think some of them could be presented much earlier. There is certainly room for it in the prologue areas.
However, once past the prologue areas, and arriving in the city, there is little direction of what to do or where to go. The guy handing out passes by the East Gate, mention that the PC should go visit someone to get started, however there is no mention of where to find this person in the Journal. So far I have been in all the areas I can find a node for on the map, as well as an unmarked one (beetle caves). Generally, however, there doesn't appear to be much to do at all, as the city is mostly a ghost town, the Docks an empty shell, and everywhere else is closed off, with the exception of the path to Beggar's Cross.
Adding town criers, or news stands to direct new players towards areas that will help get them started once out of the prologue would be a great help. I can see from other posts here on the forums that some players have been fighting skeletons in a crypt somewhere. So far I have not found this place.
Wealth
There seem to be no clear way to make money in the game from what I can tell. You can try your hand at one of the gambling tables, which are easy to use, but that is just as likely to ruin you. Aside from selling all the junk you managed to scrape together in the prologue, assuming you could carry it all, I haven't found any method by which to generate an income. Being able to skin dead wolves, or pick pinchers/shells from beetles would be a welcome addition.
Concluding thoughts
My overall impression is that Engines of Ascension has a lot of potential, but due to a lack of direction and combat inbalances that border on the absurd, it is a far cry from being ready to launch. I know it is currently in the beta stage, but I would expect far more easily accessible content for it to be considered such. At most I would deem the server to be in the alpha or proof-of-concept stage.
If anyone can point me towards something to do, I would welcome it, of course. But as it is, I feel that I have seen almost all the server currently has to offer, and that within only five or six hours of playing, most of which were spent in the prologue.
That said, however, I have noticed a few issues.
Combat early on
Considering that one of the loading screen tips is to take abilities that accent your character, I find combat extremely unbalanced. For my first character, I went with an unarmed fighter, then rather quickly figured out that to have any chance of completing Ser Helen's quest, I had to switch to a club or shotgun to even put a dent in the bandits. I do not like that as it messes with how I perceive my character, and I accumulate points in skills my character would not use.
So far nothing has changed. Fists are still laughably inferior, as is a club, or even a dagger, to larger weapons or pistols. So far I have been fighting wolves when travelling between the city and Beggar's Cross, as well as some beetles in a cave. Both are areas I would consider starter areas. Wolves, bettles, and the bandits of the prologue should not have any sort of damage reduction at all, or at most one or two points. It is extremely tedious to spend five minutes to defeat a lone Mangy Wolf due to the damage reduction offered them by the combat system.
Direction
Getting through the prologue, barring combat issues for some builds, is relatively easy. Mechanics are presented at a leisurable speed, although I think some of them could be presented much earlier. There is certainly room for it in the prologue areas.
However, once past the prologue areas, and arriving in the city, there is little direction of what to do or where to go. The guy handing out passes by the East Gate, mention that the PC should go visit someone to get started, however there is no mention of where to find this person in the Journal. So far I have been in all the areas I can find a node for on the map, as well as an unmarked one (beetle caves). Generally, however, there doesn't appear to be much to do at all, as the city is mostly a ghost town, the Docks an empty shell, and everywhere else is closed off, with the exception of the path to Beggar's Cross.
Adding town criers, or news stands to direct new players towards areas that will help get them started once out of the prologue would be a great help. I can see from other posts here on the forums that some players have been fighting skeletons in a crypt somewhere. So far I have not found this place.
Wealth
There seem to be no clear way to make money in the game from what I can tell. You can try your hand at one of the gambling tables, which are easy to use, but that is just as likely to ruin you. Aside from selling all the junk you managed to scrape together in the prologue, assuming you could carry it all, I haven't found any method by which to generate an income. Being able to skin dead wolves, or pick pinchers/shells from beetles would be a welcome addition.
Concluding thoughts
My overall impression is that Engines of Ascension has a lot of potential, but due to a lack of direction and combat inbalances that border on the absurd, it is a far cry from being ready to launch. I know it is currently in the beta stage, but I would expect far more easily accessible content for it to be considered such. At most I would deem the server to be in the alpha or proof-of-concept stage.
If anyone can point me towards something to do, I would welcome it, of course. But as it is, I feel that I have seen almost all the server currently has to offer, and that within only five or six hours of playing, most of which were spent in the prologue.
