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[Suggestions/Review] A veteran MMO player's Opinion on what NW needs!
draconerus1
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 26 Arc User
Before I start I would like to ask that no flaming occurs from these suggestions or my constructive criticisms for this game. I understand some readers will not completely agree with my opinions in these matters, but they are simply that, OPINIONS. I am a veteran MMO player, I have been playing since they began, and I don't mean since WoW lol! I have been in the best of the best guilds for many games and at other times casual. Currently in my life I play more casually, but the elitist/hardcore MMO player in me still exists. I simply ask that you read these and respond in a professional and courteous manner. Now to the novel of a thread I am about to create.
Overall Rating: 7/10
The reason I chose a 7 is due to many of the imbalances currently in game, there is still time to fix them, however since they have been in since alpha I would not get my hopes too high. I did see in the upcoming balance patch a great effort was put forth to resolve these issues, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. This game has great visuals and ambiance currently, however it feels very linear and the role-play potential/immersion is hurt due to this. This is a D&D game and as such the role-play and immersion is VERY important. There are many things be done right and others that need improved.
I will be breaking down my opinions/suggestions into categories for easier viewing.
Specs/Classes: Currently the classes need balancing as far as threat, dmg, and healing go. Some classes are a little OP atm, TR's and CW's being at the top of the list as far as OP goes. The healing for Cleric's is a little weaker then it should be IMO, and the threat gen is too high. GWF need more damage/off tank potential. The self healing debuff also feels unnecessary, or at the very least should not be as large as it is with the current healing output. GF's need better threat gen, more survive-ability/mobility.
We should also be able to save different specs/load-outs. For example, I use certain abilities when leveling/farming and others when healing and so forth. I would LOVE the ability to just swap my specs out of combat rather then reassigning all my abilities each time.
ADD MORE CLASSES!
Combat: Combat is pretty fluid and fast paced. I like it, however I do feel we could use 1 or 2 extra ability slots rather then just the 3 we currently have. This would add for more combinations/specs available to our current setup. I also feel EVERY class should have a dodge/roll ability for more mobility. Limiting it to certain classes is odd.
Companions: I imagine I will get a lot of hate for this, but I honestly feel that it breaks the immersion and functionality of dungeons with everyone having pets. I can understand being able to summon one if the group is not full or out in the world while questing, but in dungeons they just make things more complicated. People use tank pets which rip aggro off the true tank and healing is more difficult when you have a cluster of pets added in with the already ridiculous cluster of add spawns.
Another thing that bothers me about them is how will it be balanced for pet classes like a ranger, druid, or necromancer? Everyone having pets in the instance will take away from one of the perks of the class and add even MORE adds/companions for us to deal with.
Please make companions ONLY available inside dungeons for pet classes or if a group member is missing.
As far as customization goes, I would LOVE for the ability to use a character creator on my companion as well for humans to make them more unique. That is all.
Prices Currently I feel the prices in the cash shop are ridiculous. Also the variety available for items is lacking. I would be MUCH more willing to spend $10 for a mount or companion versus the current $40 price tag and so forth. Cash shops often make the game P2W or kill the game. Currently I can see that happening here if the prices are not reduced. The advantages for owning certain pets, mounts, or consumables from the cash shop are definitely P2W in my opinion.
Customization: The item appearances are lacking. Almost all armours look the same. The ability to change armour appearance similar to that of Champions Online with costumers would be great. More variety in customization for characters, companions, mounts, and more is ALWAYS better.
Crafting: Crafting is creative in this game. I like what was done and honestly feel like the gathering system was done nicely as well. Not much to complain about here besides the time involved to craft items or do the missions.
Quick Travel: There needs to be places to buy teleport scrolls, or the ability to teleport to OTHER locations from more towns or hubs in the game. I shouldn't have to run all the way across the map to quick travel to another location via the door if I did not buy the town scrolls at the ridiculous price they are currently.
Swimming: I would LOVE the ability to swim in deep water, dive, and so forth. Underwater zones or dungeons would be great fun and allow for more exploration and immersion within the game. Could also make for cool water breathing/walking spells or potions.
Weather Effects: I would love to see random weather effects appear. Not the scripted ones currently, but actual random weather fitting for the zone we were in.
Day and Night cycles: I understand the zones were made the way they were for the cinematic feel but I would still like to have day and night cycles for the immersion purposes alone.
Raids: You got to have large group end game content. Even if there are people who say "This isn't WoW!" none stop and don't want it. Just because they don't like having to do raids in large groups does not mean others don't. If they don't want to they don't have to! Us competitive players and guilds need these to stick with the game. The small dungeons are fun, but for those of us with 8-20 core players that like the challenge and tiers the 5 man's aren't enough.
Boss Mechanics: SPAWN ADDS AND THEN SPAWN MORE ADDS AND HAVE THE ADDS SPAWN ADDS!!! That is currently pretty much what every boss in the game does that you currently have. This is not creative or original at all. Some bosses should do this, but others should not. There needs to be variety for each boss. Some should have special abilities or phases without adds. Look at WoW and Rift for examples of how dungeon bosses and raids should be!
PvP: Again, class balancing needs to be done. The que system for PvP also needs an overhaul. Often the teams are imbalanced or filled with too many of a certain class. Look at any of the other MMO's out there for PvP match types and ideas.
Dynamic Events: This game has very minor dynamic events. Each zone has a quest or event that will appear from time to time which is cool, however I would really like to see more variation within the dynamic events. Have world bosses spawn, raids against the towns, etc. Announce it in server chat so people can come help.
Mobility: Honestly I think every class should be able to dodge/roll and have a sprint. There needs to be more mobility for all classes. The guardian fighter should still have a block, but they should also be able to roll out of the way when needed. There is no need to limit dodging to certain classes in my opinion. Look at ESO, Tera, and DCUO! Dodging is available for all, and in some cases such as DCUO, so is blocking.
Exploration: For a D&D game the exploration is lacking. I would love to be able to dive under water, find hidden caves, quests, and so forth. Jumping puzzles and other forms of exploration would add greatly to the immersion and exploration of the game.
Item Preview: If more customization is added for items I would really like the ability to preview the items. Currently you are out of luck in this department.
Well, that is all for my review. If these suggestions are taken to heart I feel this game could become a 9 or even a 10. In order to compete in today's current MMO market and survive with the new MMO's on the horizon such as ESO this game needs to be polished. It has great potential, but potential will only get you so far.
Overall Rating: 7/10
The reason I chose a 7 is due to many of the imbalances currently in game, there is still time to fix them, however since they have been in since alpha I would not get my hopes too high. I did see in the upcoming balance patch a great effort was put forth to resolve these issues, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. This game has great visuals and ambiance currently, however it feels very linear and the role-play potential/immersion is hurt due to this. This is a D&D game and as such the role-play and immersion is VERY important. There are many things be done right and others that need improved.
I will be breaking down my opinions/suggestions into categories for easier viewing.
Specs/Classes: Currently the classes need balancing as far as threat, dmg, and healing go. Some classes are a little OP atm, TR's and CW's being at the top of the list as far as OP goes. The healing for Cleric's is a little weaker then it should be IMO, and the threat gen is too high. GWF need more damage/off tank potential. The self healing debuff also feels unnecessary, or at the very least should not be as large as it is with the current healing output. GF's need better threat gen, more survive-ability/mobility.
We should also be able to save different specs/load-outs. For example, I use certain abilities when leveling/farming and others when healing and so forth. I would LOVE the ability to just swap my specs out of combat rather then reassigning all my abilities each time.
ADD MORE CLASSES!
Combat: Combat is pretty fluid and fast paced. I like it, however I do feel we could use 1 or 2 extra ability slots rather then just the 3 we currently have. This would add for more combinations/specs available to our current setup. I also feel EVERY class should have a dodge/roll ability for more mobility. Limiting it to certain classes is odd.
Companions: I imagine I will get a lot of hate for this, but I honestly feel that it breaks the immersion and functionality of dungeons with everyone having pets. I can understand being able to summon one if the group is not full or out in the world while questing, but in dungeons they just make things more complicated. People use tank pets which rip aggro off the true tank and healing is more difficult when you have a cluster of pets added in with the already ridiculous cluster of add spawns.
Another thing that bothers me about them is how will it be balanced for pet classes like a ranger, druid, or necromancer? Everyone having pets in the instance will take away from one of the perks of the class and add even MORE adds/companions for us to deal with.
Please make companions ONLY available inside dungeons for pet classes or if a group member is missing.
As far as customization goes, I would LOVE for the ability to use a character creator on my companion as well for humans to make them more unique. That is all.
Prices Currently I feel the prices in the cash shop are ridiculous. Also the variety available for items is lacking. I would be MUCH more willing to spend $10 for a mount or companion versus the current $40 price tag and so forth. Cash shops often make the game P2W or kill the game. Currently I can see that happening here if the prices are not reduced. The advantages for owning certain pets, mounts, or consumables from the cash shop are definitely P2W in my opinion.
Customization: The item appearances are lacking. Almost all armours look the same. The ability to change armour appearance similar to that of Champions Online with costumers would be great. More variety in customization for characters, companions, mounts, and more is ALWAYS better.
Crafting: Crafting is creative in this game. I like what was done and honestly feel like the gathering system was done nicely as well. Not much to complain about here besides the time involved to craft items or do the missions.
Quick Travel: There needs to be places to buy teleport scrolls, or the ability to teleport to OTHER locations from more towns or hubs in the game. I shouldn't have to run all the way across the map to quick travel to another location via the door if I did not buy the town scrolls at the ridiculous price they are currently.
Swimming: I would LOVE the ability to swim in deep water, dive, and so forth. Underwater zones or dungeons would be great fun and allow for more exploration and immersion within the game. Could also make for cool water breathing/walking spells or potions.
Weather Effects: I would love to see random weather effects appear. Not the scripted ones currently, but actual random weather fitting for the zone we were in.
Day and Night cycles: I understand the zones were made the way they were for the cinematic feel but I would still like to have day and night cycles for the immersion purposes alone.
Raids: You got to have large group end game content. Even if there are people who say "This isn't WoW!" none stop and don't want it. Just because they don't like having to do raids in large groups does not mean others don't. If they don't want to they don't have to! Us competitive players and guilds need these to stick with the game. The small dungeons are fun, but for those of us with 8-20 core players that like the challenge and tiers the 5 man's aren't enough.
Boss Mechanics: SPAWN ADDS AND THEN SPAWN MORE ADDS AND HAVE THE ADDS SPAWN ADDS!!! That is currently pretty much what every boss in the game does that you currently have. This is not creative or original at all. Some bosses should do this, but others should not. There needs to be variety for each boss. Some should have special abilities or phases without adds. Look at WoW and Rift for examples of how dungeon bosses and raids should be!
PvP: Again, class balancing needs to be done. The que system for PvP also needs an overhaul. Often the teams are imbalanced or filled with too many of a certain class. Look at any of the other MMO's out there for PvP match types and ideas.
Dynamic Events: This game has very minor dynamic events. Each zone has a quest or event that will appear from time to time which is cool, however I would really like to see more variation within the dynamic events. Have world bosses spawn, raids against the towns, etc. Announce it in server chat so people can come help.
Mobility: Honestly I think every class should be able to dodge/roll and have a sprint. There needs to be more mobility for all classes. The guardian fighter should still have a block, but they should also be able to roll out of the way when needed. There is no need to limit dodging to certain classes in my opinion. Look at ESO, Tera, and DCUO! Dodging is available for all, and in some cases such as DCUO, so is blocking.
Exploration: For a D&D game the exploration is lacking. I would love to be able to dive under water, find hidden caves, quests, and so forth. Jumping puzzles and other forms of exploration would add greatly to the immersion and exploration of the game.
Item Preview: If more customization is added for items I would really like the ability to preview the items. Currently you are out of luck in this department.
Well, that is all for my review. If these suggestions are taken to heart I feel this game could become a 9 or even a 10. In order to compete in today's current MMO market and survive with the new MMO's on the horizon such as ESO this game needs to be polished. It has great potential, but potential will only get you so far.
Post edited by draconerus1 on
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Comments
The adds are everywhere. In the trees, the pits, our crypts and dungeons. Good men and women can't even afford the gear and potions and their cries go ignored. It's chaos out there. I'm not as young as I once was. But I know what I have to do.
I have to make this right. I have to do what's right... by me.
(Sorry, but that's what I think when I hear veteran MMO player and see these threads. I actually pretty much agree with everything you're saying. Except ESO. Ew, not looking forward to that.)
--Part 1: Spells and Coin (NW-DHM3XQVQK)
--Part 2: A Blind Eye (NW-DI3QTHZGJ)
--Part 3: Dodo's Dinner (NW-DHPA8O253)
-One Shots
--The Wizard of Eldeur (NW-DRKQNE4S7)
Some comments though...
specs and classes: all classes should have 3 paragon paths and each of those will have 3 - 5 sub-specs or more based off choices made in the options under the paths. Also more classes are coming.
companions: you may not like them but if a tank pet is able to out-tank the tank, then the human tank is BAD. (this would be assuming the aggro issues are fixed, of course). And so what if it does? The pet will DIE in moments, and the true tank, continuing to build aggro, recovers the mobs AND with any luck the pet soaked up some damage to give the tank a chance to heal or a small break. Hooray. I am ok with saying the (combat) pets need to go in groups, fine. But this logic is not supportive of that goal.
Prices: some are too high. Good think we don't need most of the eye candy to play, else we would all be out $300 by now.
customization .... I suspect it is coming. Just not a top priority feature.
quick travel: if you are willing to spend 4k on a scroll, you can buy one anywhere, anytime. The handy dandy zen store and AD store can be tapped at any time, any place, from the bar on top of the screen. The AH can be used from there as well. The other issues are that hubs don't have a mailbox and there are no quick travels within zones... but that is minor. The biggest zone, probably mount hotnow, is still only about 60 seconds from anywhere to the zone door on horseback. That is nothing for MMO travel times. I have spent 20 min flying across the game that shall not be named on a couple of the worst routes, and another game I play has 20 min long travel routes as well. This game is tiny, and travel is not bad at all. I would not mind seeing some improvement (travel clicky at all base camps would be nice) but I would rather see other stuff more.
I agree with the rest of it a lot.
If you guys want the guy to survive in this kind of market you need to fix a lot of stuff and add some more variety in the classes/races. The game is pretty good right now but people are going to get very quickly bored. Your player base might be dead on arrival before launch.
Oh and seriously fix this thing where I pay you 10 actual dollars to respec a character. That is <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>. I would rather play a subscription based MMO where I pay them per month and get free respecs (yes, it's actually a game breaker).
It is very much a gamer breaker. I am giving them til the "official 20th" launch to see the other paragons etc. Depending on that will determine my future with NWNO
I'm guessing you play TR or CW otherwise you would not have used the phrase "Little OP" honestly as far as mmo's go, this review is too nice. It's a terrible mmo, but it has the foundry and a decent crafting mini game so I've gotten my kicks out of those, though I could have done the same as a single player game
It's called rebalancing because it's an iterative process, you change and change until things get to a harmonious point. No one will care if you overnerf their class if you do another rebalance in 1-2 weeks and try to get things right again. The more often you do this, the better. Currently, the game is seeing it's first major rebalance effort and it's taken a few months to get there. Even if it's a good patch, no one patch fixes everything ever. This needs to be looked at and reevaluated constantly and it needs to happen a lot more often than you are doing. People don't stick around for months or years to wait for a game to see if it's going to get better. This isn't Everquest where people will tough it out. Even in the free-to-play market, people have a lot of very good options these days and they don't need to pay you or anyone else to play a very high quality game. You have to either deliver that or you'll quickly be forgotten.
I can say categorically from watching games come and go for decades now that if you do not rebalance well and often your game will be in the trashcan in 6 months time.
I disagree with classes being too OP. For PVP - yes - but considering this is a DnD roleplaying / immersion kind of game (or at least the devs claimed they wanted to make it into one), you need to balance classes to fit the ROLE - NOT against each other. Clerics need better heals - definitely - especially with the broken targeting system that 'soft locks' onto a target and does not allow people to target anything behind the said target (which really needs priority fixing if you ask me). GFs definitely need better threat gen, and GWF do need more off tank / in your face potential - though the last two points have been attempted to be addressed in the last patch - except that GWF seem to have been simply buffed in every aspect damage wise instead. The pure damage classes, however, need to remain doing damage.
Agreed, though a minor point if you ask me, and more classes have already been announced.
So, companions work slightly differently than in other games. I don't know whether I prefer pure 'pet' classes vs. everyone having a companion, but it is currently designed as such because the game has a heavy solo-play aspect to it with regards to the main quest. Nobody announced that there would be dedicated 'pet classes' in the first place. Quite frankly, I have no problem with a game trying to do something different with regards to companions rather than the generic "pet class vs non-pet class" game. Considering, this IS neverwinter after all, it makes sense to have it the way it currently is. And yes, it would be nice to customise companions.
Again, I don't see anything wrong with this. Just means that more people focus more on in-game advancement instead of getting everything via real money. Keeps the population and the interest levels high. Currently, you can get every single thing (other than the founder pack items) through in-game means. It would just take more time, and farming - incidentally, about as much time and effort spent in-game as with a lot of other MMOs for similar rewards. If you could get everything that you possibly need for $50 or $100, you would get bored, the playerbase would diminish, and in-game currency and loot would become worthless - thus removing any sense of accomplishment a player would otherwise have. If you are a "veteran MMO player" as you claim, you would know exactly what I am talking about.
Ability to change every armor removes the unique-ness of the said armor, breaking role-playability and immersion. However, so does having all armor look the same - as you rightfully pointed out. There definitely needs to be a lot more variety. There definitely should not be the ability to change how every single item looks - unless you are crafting it (which would make sense, and be a neat feature).
Agreed that it's a very nice system. And the timing is fine - considering you eventually end up with 9 slots where you could be crafting 9 items simultaneously, with significant reduction to the length of time through better professionals (who also actually matter BECAUSE it takes a while)
God please no. There's enough games where travel is meaningless, and everyone just ends up where they need to be with one mouse click. The distances in this game are short enough to where you can still get from point A to point B within a couple of minutes, but meaningful enough to add dimension to the world, and that you have to sometimes work through spawns to get to that point. Yes, it's not always 'easy', but that is exactly what adds depth to a game.
If anything, I would love for there to be MORE travel, except that there NEEDS to be some sort of a (fairly high) 'miss chance' for your enemies when you are galloping a horse past them - instead of the current volley homing arrows that dismount you. Maybe even a separate hit-box for your mount along with stamina and further customisation and training of the said mount - as with companions. We both know that will never happen, but as for current travel arrangements, it is more than fine.
Agreed.
Agreed x2. It's also fairly meh that it's ALWAYS night in certain zones, ALWAYS raining in certain zones, ALWAYS sunny and warm in others etc.
As above. Would also give the opportunity to add certain types of enemies spawning or inheriting bonuses during the day or night. Just as it would have in DnD. If anything, it is almost an expectation for a DnD based MMO. Currently, it feels more like a single player campaign with other 'things to do'. And even in single player games, a lot make use of this feature.
I think the main issue here is the server load / lag for such implimentations. It is easy enough to do with a stat and ability based MMOs, but puts significant loads on servers (and client connections) in Action MMOs. This is the reason a lot of Co-Op fps type games, likewise, don't have large parties. I suspect they are planning something along these lines. I also suspect it would be a very gradual introduction (eg. start with 2 groups, then 3 etc.)
Agreed x100. Pretty much every single fight is about killing the adds before you get mobbed and before more spawn, while dodging whatever abilities the enemy throws at you. Thank god the foundry allows people to provide the community with enjoyable boss content (sorry, but after you fight the same sequence of adds + more adds + more adds for the 50th boss fight, it stops being enjoyable or unique). But this is by far, the one main problem with Neverwinter. In fact, dare I say, currently pretty much every single boss fight is only as challenging as the number of adds you mobbed with. I know the devs can do way better than that.
Unfortunately, if every single suggestion you mentioned went live tomorrow, I would uninstall and never play the game again - simply because it would become exactly the same as every other game out there. As the above demonstrates, I agree that half of the points razed are really good points, and the others are game-killing ones.
I feel less optimistic about the game.
The last patch adressed alot of itching issues (like the Need-roll).
However, i'm wondering why i would even still play the game being an DPS-class wich seems to be obsolete (CW).
Almost EVERY 5-man dungeon i enter is a full DPS-group, lacking a cleric or tank (real tank, not GWF) keeps disbanding an uncountable number of times, till they ever get it right to start............THAT is the most frustrating thing in the entire game !!!!!!
Your lvl 60 almost full Tier 1 (moslty purchased, because getting in a grp who has a chance to kill any boss, with tons of adds is almost nowhere to be found)=> WHAT is left iff you don't like to PVP and do routine Daily's wich give no AD ???
Why do i need any guild ? (no real guildcontent, what can be done with a guild ?, 1 20-man PVP, thats it ?)
Why would i keep crafting ? (The green Resources like craftsmen and tools you need, are very hard to come by without paying alot of Zen, wich results in alot of junk assets, instead of resources)=> No way to get greens normally = No way to EVER get blue or Epic.
I found myself lacking of any reason to logon anymore, because there's no progress (iff there would, not enough higher goals, or in numbers of goals).
I know, as sad as it sounds, a game can't be all things to all people, and it is a shame for someone my age to wish this games play-style honored the works of Greenwood, Salvatore and Cunningham (among many others) but let me be blunt, without the WotC IP, I may as well play the games I left, with Characters stacked with gear and cash.
As an MMO, I can say the posters above me have clearly had insightful points, I hope any clever GM would pick up on (insert PW person as you may) because some of us learned years ago, regardless of the effort or passion you create a game with, if you don't engage the players, you don't have people coming back.
Now I am aware, the youth of this hobby, crave reward for turning up, and I'm not saying I walked to and from work uphill in the snow, but are we just checking how many of us reminiscing statesmen/women are curious at what technology can do for the D&D genre, or are we just waving Founders packs, and in game stuff at the public like Snake-oil salesmen?
I really should stop posting or drinking, well frankly, avoid the combination of the two.
I, like most that read this, have an interest in this game going well, and with a few positive changes all the passion and effort of the people who made this game won't be wasted by the others that don't fondly revel in the spirit of a 2013 Dungeons and Dragons MMO.
But I did take note of one thing that caught my eye and I TOTALLY agree with; when you walk around town and everyone and their dog looks the same, it becomes monotone and boring! Armour may appear differently in design but it's not like we can even focus in and out on someone to see details. I would prefer to see everyone looking different and not like I'm walking into a mirror the second I arrive in the Enclave!
I agree with almost everything of the opening post of this thread, but not everything. I rather not have yet another MMO that is exactly the same as all others. So stealing too much from other MMOs (or being 'inspired' by them, for a more friendly pov) would not be ideal. Feedback from the community as it stands is good to look into. Many seem to come from different origins (MMO players, ad&d DMs, programmers, level designers, etc, etc). There is a lot of creative input that can be used more liberally.
As a 'healer' in about 99% of the games I've played, I actually quite enjoy the DC. Yes, the healing debuff on 'self' is too much. Yes, the agro is too high (and addressed, I know). And, yes, I would be very happy if I could actually heal the guy that is getting smushed instead of the random dude that just happens to jump between me and the smushed at the exact moment I fire off one or the other healing spell.
DC feels fresh to me, though. I'm not complaining I need to run all over the map to keep myself and my team alive/ reposition to be able to get that heal to fire and land correctly. It also feels pretty darned epic to be able to pull all of the tasks off a DC is demanded to pull off and have things go right in some or the other mysterious manner.
Personally, I don't need 0% agro, mouse over heals, click and heal, stand in a corner only looking at HP bars and pick nose while no one is taking damage. A little balance between how it is now and the 'amg healing is so booooring' would go a long way for me.
[/my two cents]
[SIGPIC]http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=98570189&dateline=1372572330[/SIGPIC]
NW-DCJV53UTU
[Open for play, link to spotlight thread]
and also the featured satirical comedic adventure "A Call for Heroes".
There is no necromancer class in 4th edition D&D so don't have to worry about that. Rangers and Druids aren't pet classes in 4th edition. The Martial Power book does add a pet builds for the ranger but I don't see that build being translated into a class here in Neverwinter.
NOTE: Added some more formatting and a combat section.