Sam

I found the admission of needing more players to be refreshingly honest, but no jaw droppingly so. Personally, what I think they need is to attempt to incorporate advancements from other games, past and present, to make the game more accessible in terms of PVP. For instance, auto-leveling for certain content might work. Sure, the low-level players will essentially be mooks for high level playerns to go through (lack of skills and such), but its still something, you know? Enough low-level players could beat a high-level player, but in the meantime the high-level player could also go through them Dynasty Warriors style. Giving low-level players a long-cooldown weapon that could actually hurt a high-level player if it hits (maybe not seriously) would be interesting if there's enough players throwing volleys at them.

Looks good. Sort of like OfficeMax's paper bag special - everything you can fit into a paper bag from the Sunday paper gets x% off. Anyhow, from NCSoft's press release, its sounds like each cube has so many slots in it, and you put stuff in. Which is nice, but my question is will it be 1 item/stack per slot as is MMO norm? Or will it be more like inventory Tetris, where some items take up more than one slot (Diablo, Torchlight, Dungeon Runners, etc).

Also, I wonder if the NCoin I have purchased will carry over from Lineage II to Aion or not? I Know Paragon Points don't carry over to Lineage II, so I'm not expecting them to carry over to Aion, either.

I don't know if going crazy with the existing framework is the right answer - two primaries? Can't see that, sorry. But, having a roll-your-own for players like the AE? I can see that . I'm not sure what restrictions or safeties would need to be added to such a system (to prevent hobbled characters and min/maxed monsters), but its a thought.

Smart move. Reintegrated them now so when its open to everyone the servers aren't completely and totally slammed. Also, I'm sure they're hoping these returning players will play, like what they see, and try to recruit their friends. Nice move.

@Oskiee
It'd be interesting to see - have everything be persistent and dynamic for massive battles. Certainly, I know some folks are hoping for a "higher level" game, where groups can hire themselves out to mercs, ally with specific houses, manage group resources, etc. It wouldn't quite be unlike what CCP is wanting to do with EVE and Dust, since Battletech/Mech Warrior does have that, with Battletech (ground), Aerotech (air/space, complete with fighters, dropships, etc), plus the big picture of territory.

@JuliusSeizure
Maybe? I'm really not familiar with the artist at all, so given L2's art, I'm wondering how things will look? The Lingerie Elves are a little embarrassing :p

@JuliusSeizure
The comments here are reminding me of an article my friend suggested I read: http://kotaku.com/5868595/nerds-and-male-privilege

Also note: that B-grade stuff you got from the Path to Awakening? You might want to double check, but it may be time-limited (30 days). I suspect the reason is to give you some help advancing, but to also encourage you to work towards getting something permanent. Now, if you're whizzing through levels? No biggie, you'll get the next tier of stuff soon enough, but ultimately its just the game giving you a hand at learning the game.

I hope you get a chance to try out the organized PVP at some level soon! And please, keep wandering around... there's nothing like finding something really cool out in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason, but is there none-the-less.

As for grades: http://www.lineage2.com/en/game/the-library/items/

Instead of having the normal level requirements for items, where if you're not level X you can't use a weapon at all, Lineage 2 gives you a penalty for using something you're too low level for yet (which makes more sense to me, honestly), allowing you to "grow" into it. B-grade items require you to be level 52 or higher, but right now you can use C-grade items/equipment with no penalty, or just go ahead and take the hit with the B-grade (no idea which would be better, honestly), knowing its still good and you won't have to worry about it for a bit.

Glad you're enjoying yourself! :D

@Saucelah
I'd say the $15/month is more like paying for cable/dish television. You're paying for it, there's way more content than you can actually enjoy, and when you stop paying? You lose access to your entertainment (stations, PPV, on demand, etc).