Alganon adding PvP functionality

What, no abusive armchair quarterbacking?

Derek Smart vs. David Allen didn't count as PvP?

I chuckled a little when I saw that picture. Almost looks like he got himself stuck in that armor and can't get out.

I've been playing this game since beta, and if you haven't tried it or have not given it a look for a while, go check it out now. I promise, despite all the chit chat about drama that has nothing to do with the beautiful world, this game is a lot of fun.

It's free-to-playISH, but is well worth it. :)

Beau

-Beau's odd fascination notwithstanding, as someone that's been there longer the game is of a lower grade and won't be worth it until they improve what's there instead of adding new features. Even on their own forums 5 of the last 7 posts this week (averaging one post a day total) relate directly to performance issues and difficulties with the game, which is common.

I'm not saying don't try it, as everyone should make their own mind up regarding games. I'm just offering this as a counterpoint to Beau's rose-colored glasses for this title. The scenery was beautiful before the management change and was never a problem. The coding and attitude, however has and continues to be an issue. Due to recent changes in the game mechanics, i recommend you don't try it out as a new magus. The class is very difficult to level with and have fun in its current state.

Jergis

Will they be introducing a graphic overhaul after Cataclysm comes out?

PVP with who or what?. I have been playing on and off since beta "yes I have no life". There still is a averge of at most 10 people on at anyone time. Chck it out some time just click the "social button" and you will see all that is on for your race.

There still is and will always be preformance issues with the game, till they re-work the network code. You can be standing there doing nothing with no one in the same zone and your FPS will go from 40+ to 7 or less then back up. This has been like this since beta and continues on patch after patch. Lots of stuff added but the core stuff is being ignored. I guess they are thinking that if we add everything that the other mmo's are adding, that they might get more players.

Oh well, try the game. You might like it!. There are worst things that you could do with you time..... or is there?

I think most people would agree that a necessary prerequisite for "player vs. player" is that you have more than one player simultaneously playing the game. From what I hear, Alganon doesn't actually achieve this precondition very often.

A few months ago, I decided to give the game an honest try. I truly enjoyed the game, but also found it rife with issues and almost completely barren (the most players I've ever see online during my varied playtimes was < 20 for my race). After experiencing the limitations of playing F2P and analyzing the revenue model, I felt it, too, was deeply flawed.

How will PvP affect the game? It's tough to say, but I don't think it's necessarily a good thing. There are so many other issues that need addressing before PvP, IMO. On top of that, the population is currently so small that makes PvP essentially moot except for dueling with your friends/guildmates.

Also, I truly believe the current revenue model skews towards pay-to-win. In a PvE game, it doesn't really matter if one can buy a +1 Sword of UberInstantPwnage, but when PVP is introduced, it definitely matters. Case-in-point, I compared the in-game gear on my Level 30 ranger that I earned through questing, looting and auction buying to a Level 30 Ranger Full Gear set from the Tribute Market (http://is.gd/gYih7). As you can see, the purchased set is generally much better than my normally acquired gear. Add in the pieces that are missing from the purchased set and the stats are even more impressive. On top of that, you can purchase random boxes with Epic gear that's even better, assuming you can use the piece you get...

There's even more one can purchase (Talismans, for example) that could boost stats enough to give a significant advantage during a one-on-one PvP battle. Higher Attack Power, dodging, defense and significantly higher HP are all possible to obtain through the Tribute Market.

What do I mean by significantly higher HP? The purchased set has 71 End, 54 more than my same set pieces at level 30. A character gains 10 HP/End point, which means a level 30 ranger with the purchased set would have 540 more HP from the same gear slots than I would! That's a big deal, considering my Level 30 ranger only has 970 HP. Jumping from 970 to 1510hp is huge and could absolutely impact the outcome of a PvP match.

So, who is PvP for? Is it intended to attract new players? Great, except that the game is still a buggy mess with crappy animations. The character creation screen alone is enough to turn off many new players. I don't see PvP attracting too many new players and I definitely don't see it retaining players. Ultimately, I foresee PvP appealing to a niche crowd of core fans with purchased gear.

~Ripper