The MMO Report: Where the mobs raid you

@Mcsniper

Agreed :)

@PhelimReagh

LOL, the same thing crossed my mind :)

@psycros

It's already been a year, and the thing is still going fairly strong.... (not compared to WoW, of course, but Trion claims it's still profitable)

@psycros

Why? You want to play the game but you are such a cheapstake that you're waiting for it to go f2p??
I got news for you buddy: ain't gonna happen that soon.

@Gaugamela

Unlikely. But probably getting free kicks by trolling instead.

@psycros

Camping's Law: the more concrete a deadline posted for an event, the more likely it will arbitrarily be extended.

"No, NEXT year is the rapture! not last weekend like I've been saying for the previous 12 months, that's silly. NEXT year for sure!"

@(Unverified)

Got to add to that sentiment. The mood and enthusiasm and even how they can sift through and look at certain suggestions and consider the merits is nice.

Still have yet to try the free Rift trial and see if they ever fixed the problems I and others went through after their pre-launch 4-day event (wherein they didn't listen to a segment complaining it affected certain videocard set ups; hopefully this has changed).

But you know, the world isn't *that* compelling to me. Races tend to be the same across factions and pretty much "human". The world colors are also a bit drab and bleary and not so bright and cartoony. While there are people that complain about "cartoony and bright" worlds and I do have a selection of dark/black colors in my closet to wear, it kinda is a downer and doesn't motivate me personally to keep playing.

RIFT is a good standard fantasy world, much like your common cars: It's a good workhorse of a world and a standard, nice setting in a fantasy world, but... I sorta want more. Again, I still have to spend more time in it (other than my Open Beta time, wherein my video card worked at that time). There needs to be, IMO, non-humanoid races for player characters or more fantastic choices, even if it is a Minotaur-guy (or animal-head guy. I mean, we are talking parallel dimensions, bring in those "Egyptian god" types at least).

I still hold out hope for more MMOs to give me a "wild body", like LoTRO's "Monster Play" and put it into the main context of the world (and I know...modeling armors will add more leg-work, but you can skimp a bit with some basic armors). But...I am getting off topic (or am I?).

@Space Cobra

The visuals are a matter of preference. Me, I hated looking like a cartoon in WoW, and I love the realism that Rift brings to the game. I find it's easier for me to get into my character's mindset when I look like an actual person and not Bugs Bunny's long-lost cousin. On a side note, If you're looking for color, you should go to (or look up screenshots of) Ember Isle; it's a very vibrant zone.

I also gotta disagree with your statement of a "good standard fantasy world." I think both the world of Rift and Trion themselves bring something unique to the table, with their dynamic world content and even adjusting the overall storyline of the game as raid groups take down the major bosses presented in instances. In my opinion, Rift is far more than a good workhorse.

But, that's just me. Rift fits exactly what I want out of an MMO, and I realize that my personal preferences are just that--mine.

@(Unverified)

Exactly, it's just preference. To bring up another example, LotRO had a nice color palette to its world and still remained "realistic". How long can one stay in Ember Isle? I do remember breaking out of the initial start area and the world wasn't too bad, but I dunno. Again, for some reason, although I am not playing LotRo for the immediate moment, I prefer LotRO over RIFT and I realize LotRO has even less racial variety.

Again, I will try to return to it (and hopefully the launch problem is gone) but my taste tends to be either even more "fantastic" for a world setting or more "Sci-Fi" than what is out there from most MMOs, gameplay aside. purely from my own perspective.

@Space Cobra

You pretty much hit the nail on the head for how I feel about the game.

Watching this video makes me like Trion even more; I would love to keep subbing and giving them my money. But the game world is too drab and boring for me (at least freemarch and stonefield). I don't want to have to play though another 25 levels of boring world to get to Ember Isle. And the lack of creature type races (ala like the Horde) is almost a deal breaker for me.

Other things that made me lose interest are the very slow unmounted run speed, and casting/action animations that almost look like they're moving in slow motion. My character looks like he's casting underwater.

Finally, I just never really got intensely attached to my class. I understand that people love the soul system, because it seems like you can inevitably build your own class. But frankly, I like being more of a class purist. Mixing a fire mage and warlock (Wow equivalents) to me feels like wearing clashing clothes. I like picking a class, taking the good with the bad, and feeling like I'm a part of the community of WoW Warlocks, or SWTOR Operatives, etc. You get my point.

I haven't given up on this game. I'm still gonna keep it on the shelf. But I'm just not sure if I can get past all my dislikes.