Profile: zantax
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• • anti-virus for gamers!?

  • Originally posted by skeaser
    

    Norton sucks. I prefer Avast!, AVG is good too, but I just like Avast! better. Both are free and both just plain work. Unfortunatley, Vista has issues with some programs and I've been forced to use Microsoft OneCare, and I HATE it.

    
     

    Sorry just have to ask this, What programs does vista not like in reference to antivirus.  I have run Vista x64 ultimate since release with Avast loaded on it and never had one issue, well ok only 1 issue but that is with a very old game.  For some reason Asheron's Call doesn't like almost ANY antivirus on Vista, but I am working with the Avast team to get that fixed.

    As for myself I use Avast, for the simple reason it seems like the first one that was x64 compatible, took me 2 days to find it after x64 xp came out and I haven't looked back.  Other then that AVG looks good but I personally don't like it for some reason.  All the other AV programs out there just seem to tank a system to bad, they affect performance and that bothers me, I hardly know Avast is running until it updates.

  • Posted: 6/25/08 10:37 AM
    General Discussion
• • Explain "Levels" in AC

  • This may be a bit more info then you need but here is a link to a website that explains what your looking for...
    http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/guides/ac_gg/p1_01.html

    Reading this thread was great, I remember the great crystal in the PVP dungeon on all servers.  It was part of some story arc quest and on every server except 1 the crystal was killed within a week or 2.  Except on one server where a PvP guild decided instead of killing it, defend it, and sacrafice yourselves to it.  The results were that these guys kept letting the crystal kill them and eventually it would level up becomming tougher and tougher.  They would also defend the crystal from all quest goers in an attempt to alter the outcome of the story on that server.  Unfortunatly after like 25 days of holding down the fort the servers had a problem and needed a reboot, which then reset the crystal and the guild could not log in quick enough to save it.  It was an amazing month...

    To answer your question in my own words let me just say if AC didn't have a "Level" in it I believe it would be considered the best "Sandbox" style mmo out on the market today.  Read that link above if you still don't get it ask again I would be more then happy to give my own thoughts on the system and explain it to the best of my ability.

     

  • Posted: 6/24/08 3:36 PM
    Asheron's Call
• • ----------->What ever happaned to Sandbox MMO's?

  • Originally posted by Zorndorf
    

    NEW element : important:

    ....

    All good designed MMORPG have sandbox elements in them. Whether you like it or not.

    No use bending this.

    But it is trivial to discuss this because the total implementation of a real sandbox game is NON existent.

    Why?

    Look at Conan TODAY on these forums: they finally found out now that in allowing 100 people to ONE zone made the game not even playable. Immens FPS drops of course due to the laughable data manipulations needed to annimate the thing in the "sandboxes of siege sytems".

    Guess what happens with so called "real real real sandbox games" where the players are totally FREE to change the worlds.

    So I only see the evolution of SOME elements of sandboxes. Like crafting a house or a keep BUT VERY WELL preprogrammed AND controlled by the developpers.

    Now keep on dreaming and look what I always stated : I believe in polished prepared MMORPG's with proper analysed gameplay (and here and there sandbox elelements).

    All the rest is: PERSONAL definitions.

     

    
     

    Zorndorf, I have read alot of this thread and I must say your points are like looking at medow through a forest of Trees.  You have only ever scratched the surface of what a true "Sandbox MMORPG" is, for further description go back to I think page 26 of this post and read my post.  You really don't know what your talking about I hate to say it, you either:

    a) are just messing around trying to tick people off hence your a troll

    b) Really believe this crap that you are posting and don't know any better

    c) your a moron that has no idea what he is talking about.

    Well to me I think you fall in to the b category, so why don't you sign up for more games then WOW, and see what real MMO's are like.  EQ is still around do there free trial, why not try Asheron's Call out, even Second Life and EVE.  Don't put in 2 hours on each, finish the trials and play them as much as you played WOW.  If by the end of that you still don't understand then I guess you can stick to your Linear based MMO's.

    For the rest of us we have played most of these games and fully understand the evolution of MMO's today and if you start saying AOC or WOW are the pinicale of MMO's then I feel very sad for the imagination of todays youths.  I was only in final Beta for AOC and I can say that game was definatly not a "Sandbox", I played WOW from Beta for about a year and I know that game is not a "Sandbox".  You are right on one thing though, every MMO out has "Sandbox" elements in it in some way shape or form, except for 1.

    That is right there is only 1 true full blown "Sandbox MMORPG" out there right now, and its name is Second Life.  Unfortunatly I don't qualify it as a game at all though because there is nothing to strive for at all, and that is why I don't play it.  Entertainment factor of a game means that there has to be something to strive for a goal at some point.  That is the first step back into a Linear MMO, and that step is shown in EVE.  Eve is the closest thing to a True "Sandbox MMORPG" that we have out on the market, the only problem as I have stated in a previous thread is the skill system, it is a linear based learning curve, this moves it away from a "Sandbox MMORPG".

    Now I have gone through this all before so I will address a different part of this post, your statement, "Look at Conan TODAY on these forums: they finally found out now that in allowing 100 people to ONE zone made the game not even playable. Immens FPS drops of course due to the laughable data manipulations needed to annimate the thing in the "sandboxes of siege sytems"."  Many MANY  games have allowed more then 100 people into one zone for an event or PvP battle, Funcom has even had this issue before, anyone remember the Open Beta for Anarchy Online?  The point I am making is back in the day with Asheron's Call I can remember 200 or more easy people all battling it out on the PvP server right at the newb login areas.  I mean it was mass chaos.  Back then that game was not state of the art but it pushed your machine, and they were able to do it no problem, so why haven't companies like Funcom learned from others on how to do things like no instancing properly?

    Anyways another issue your doing is comparing WOW to "Sandbox" by saying "At end game" Whoa right there, we are not talking End game to begin with.  We are talking the game as a whole, not just one portion of the game.  Besides even WOW's End game is not a "Sandbox" you are still pigoen holed into a class, and 1 of 3 talent trees or a mixture.  Not to mention some people won't even allow you into there Raids if your not a specific talent spec.  Your progression at End game is to find better gear that is it, and the fact that there is an "end game" is another issue with WOW not being a Sandbox.  Let me ask you this, can you be effective logging in for the first time and getting invited into an Onyxia Raid?  No you can't it just disqualified itself as a "Sandbox MMORPG" right there, but 1 or 2 elements of "Sandbox" are there.  You can pick a direction and start running right from login, will you get far probably not but it is your choice to do that.  Do you have to quest at all in the game, no you don't that is your choice.  That is where the "Sandbox" Title ends with WOW, the rest of the game is a Linear Spoon Feed Game no different then the RPG's of old like "Pools of Radiance"  The only difference is there is a chat engine to converse with others.

  • Posted: 6/19/08 11:38 AM
    General Discussion
• • ----------->What ever happaned to Sandbox MMO's?

  • 

    Originally posted by Hrica
    

    -----------------> What ever happend to Sanbox MMOs?

    one word

     

    CATS!

     

    seriously though, sandbox mmos are kinda a niche nowadays, people like hand holding.

    
     

    ROTFLMAO BEST POST EVER!!!!

     

  • Posted: 6/18/08 5:49 PM
    General Discussion
• • ----------->What ever happaned to Sandbox MMO's?

  • I think everyone is getting bogged down in a definitive definition of the phrase, "Sandbox MMORPG".  While I agree a true Sandbox game would have no barriers, and no levels everyone would be able to do anything, hence the "game" Second Life.  The only TRUE to the meaning of "Sandbox MMORPG" is Second Life.  Eve isn't true to the meaning, but it is very close, the reason being is the progression of skills, that is the only thing holding back Eve from being a full meaning of "Sandbox MMORPG".

    Now before I go any further I have to say that I used to be a bigger pencil and paper RPG'er back in the day.  I played D&D, AD&D, Robotech, Rifts, Hero's...etc.  These games were not even true Sandbox style games, yes you could go where you wanted, yes you could do what you wanted, but you were limited by your level and your skills.  At some point you had to find a way to make experience to advance a skill, an example of this is in the Robotech RPG if you succesfully perform a skill you can get a % of a point into that skill.  I forget the full wording in the book, but if you did backflips useing your gymnastics skill over and over your Backflip skill could max out at 98%.  Either way you had to spend the time to get to that point.  From that point on if you decided to go do a backflip then you were sure to succeed.

    Now to cross this with a game that is not as adaptive as a Human powered brain GM is quite difficult, because a human GM can taylor quests to your character and your skill sets.  Also they can adapt creatures so that you stand a chance if they made them to tough.  A video game can't do this right now, and I really don't know when one will.  Until that time we have to make due with what we can create to make a fun experience for everyone.

    So the MMORPG is born, and in some cases they are based alot on the Linear progression of the Pencil and paper MMO like, WOW, and in some cases they are loosely based on the Linear progression like Eve, and in one case not based on any linear progression at all, Second Life.  So where does that leave us for our Sandbox MMORPG's??

    Well we have to take the best of all the worlds that we can, some games have tried this and failed, others have succeded but not to the finacial standing of WOW.  Also we can't just look at End Game, that is just stupid because the whole point of an RPG is to live out a fictional life there is no real end to it.  So to me the best mix of "Sandbox", "MMO", and "RPG" would be this.  The freedom to go anywhere as a newb, that's right if I want to go into the heart of darkness I should be able to try, I probably shouldn't be able to get there but I could try.  I should be able to design my character not based on templates but on my personal choice, so a skill system not a tree system not a feat syste and not a talent system, a skill system where I choose to be an axe weilder that can throw a fireball but not dodge anything.  I should also be able to progress those skills, not over time but instead through my actions, like the classic RPG's of old, if I do something heroic I should gain experience that should be able to be distributed to my attributes and skills so that I can shape my characters strengths and weaknesses.  I should be able to craft anything I want not by buying a recipe but by trial and Error, there should be bonuses I can randomly find by substituting Ceder wood for Ebony Wood while trying to creat a bow.  I should be able to sell my wares freely and make a living selling them, and progress in my crafting by performing difficult but useful crafts.  And finally I should be able to interact with hundreds if not thousands of people anytime I wish, I should not be pigeon holed into a private place to level, and quests or "GM" written RPG arcs should be in the game for anyone to complete, but should not be spoon fed to you.  You should have to search these quests out.

    I know I will get alot of Flak over this next part but I have to admit the best cross between games that would fit all of my personal thoughts on "Sandbox MMORPG" are the following...

    Asheron's Call - Character system, you design your own character and pick your own skills and advance them with the experience you earn ie: change your attributes/skills to shape your character

    Asheron's Call - World, No instancing you can go anywhere at any time, I will qualify this with another statement "Certain epic or extreme quests should be designed so that others can not steal the ending on you, like the Aerifall quest line, you have to fit certain requirements to get into the final dungeon."

    Eve - Economy, I won't deny the Economy in Eve it is the best by far.

    SWG - Player houseing - Amazing is all I can say

    Eve - Crafting (with qualifier) - Although the crafting in Eve yeilds good items I am not sure how they are fully created but from what I understand it is pretty much a good system.

    Asheron's Call - Experience system, as you gain experience through killing MOBS or doing quests that experience can be placed anywhere in your character see "Character system"

    So there it is what I think a True "Sandbox MMORPG" is and what the closest thing to it that we will ever get should be, and still be fun.

  • Posted: 6/18/08 12:16 PM
    General Discussion