Wildstar


Video Games

Sovereign Court

I participated in the beta stress test last weekend. It was really fun. I like everything about the game.
Especially the fact that you can pay the monthly subscription with in game money.

Silver Crusade

I really want to try it out. Will probably buy it. Looks like WoW, but with sci fi. Be something to play till a better game comes out.

Scarab Sages

2 people marked this as a favorite.

It looks like a decent game, but it's NCSoft, so I won't be playing it. I will never give them another cent after killing City of Heroes.


Imbicatus wrote:
It looks like a decent game, but it's NCSoft, so I won't be playing it. I will never give them another cent after killing City of Heroes.

I like the visuals, and the trailers were hilarious, but yeah. This. Sorry Carbine, but NCSoft makes this a no-go. :(


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

I know that feeling, as I am kind of on the fence.
On the one hand, it's NC Soft and I don't want to give them a lick of my money for the treatment of City of Heroes either. It looks like there will be a free-to-play format that would allow you to trade in-game gold for time - per stated here.

The NDA has been lifted, so if you have participated in Beta you can now talk about it by the way. It is a definitely got some WOW roots in terms of play style and design. There's are several tropes classic of MMOs to be found that may make you groan or be annoyed. The background info and mythology is a mess, despite their best efforts to give it some weight.

But some things that do look interesting and appealing. First off, while these guys have developed a lot of mechanics and designs for the game - maybe too many things that have been "front-loaded" to really take in - they have created a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. Uber-climbers and grinders may jump in, but the game does want everyone to have fun. They are very self-effacing about they play style; sci-fi genre; and general tropes are played for humor. The fact that some of races (Mordesh and Aurin for example) are clearly copying/satirizing WOW's races is part of that I suspect. Some may find the character style too "cartoony," it does match the sense of goofiness the game looks to bring.

The second thing - and it took me getting used to it - is the combat system. The concept of mapping area of effect and giving "tells" of opponents to better enhance the combat experience is a good change from the standard ability button press while facing a foe. It is the kind of thing that makes you want to have a controller to use more effectively. Mind you - I didn't get too deep into to speak to more than basic tactics.

Lastly - and I can't speak from direct experience on this one - is that it looks like they are trying to create flexible end-game content with different types of high-level events. The idea is to create more than just raid content for uber-characters.

Bottomline - it looks to be a fun sci-fi MMO with some new ideas about how to play that type of game. But I wonder if it can operate as something other than WOW in space or if the new mechanics hold-up. And then yea - I am having a hard time embracing the fact that NC Soft is managing this. If it isn't popular after a year, they might pull it just like they have other games.


I have a number of friends trying this game, but I don't think I can get past the cartoon graphics. Warcraft got too cartoony and it's just not for me. Been there, done that, I strongly prefer "realistic" graphics now.

The combat is different, but I think ground and cone based heals won't be that fun for the healer, it will be stressful and annoying after awhile. I don't think anyone will want to heal. Either that or it will force the tank to not move, which is boring in it's own way.

The questing is horrible.

The big upside to this game is that the end game looks very complete and if they can get enough subscribers, the game should be successful.


I went as far as level 10 in the beta and I enjoyed that much of the game

but I am still very bitter over City of Heroes.

There is a lot of interesting content I want to try out like the Adventure stuff that apparently reacts to the choices made by your group and the Warplots PVP where players on opposing sides design half the BG and then smash them together.

...
..
.but I am still very Bitter over City of Heroes

Liberty's Edge

Jason S wrote:

I have a number of friends trying this game, but I don't think I can get past the cartoon graphics. Warcraft got too cartoony and it's just not for me. Been there, done that, I strongly prefer "realistic" graphics now.

The combat is different, but I think ground and cone based heals won't be that fun for the healer, it will be stressful and annoying after awhile. I don't think anyone will want to heal. Either that or it will force the tank to not move, which is boring in it's own way.

The questing is horrible.

The big upside to this game is that the end game looks very complete and if they can get enough subscribers, the game should be successful.

I can definitely see your point over the graphics. The game has a lot of humor in it. However, Wild Star does mix in some darkness in the narrative as well (especially Exiles). Still like it or hate it, the goal seems to be to create an alien environment that helps to suspend belief.

All roles increase in difficulty in Wild Star. Healing and Tanking just remain the most difficult of course. I found Wild Star to be a nice change from overly dumbed down games. Btw, I am not a fan of NCsoft but giving the game a try anyways.


The biggest thing about the game is this:

1) The questing is bad and it takes forever to level. For a lot of people, this just kills the game for them, sometimes even before level 10. It gets harder to level as you gain more levels.

2) The (levelling!) dungeons are extremely hard and unforgiving for the average player. If people are failing at the levelling dungeons (which are normally not that hard in most games), imagine how hard the end-cap dungeons and raids will be? Only the best of the best will be able to do them.

I predict this game will not do well in a few months due to it being too difficult. Every other game that I've seen that was difficult has eventually become a niche game. They will either dumb their game down or become niche imo.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

Interesting take on Wildstar here

Having played Beta and now giving the first week a try, I think you are right about the fact that this is a challenging MMO. Unless it becomes more new player friendly, I can see it having a limited base.

The thing about Wildstar is that it's goal seems to be to build an MMO for the MMO fanatic. That may seem obvious, but I guess I am saying that (despite the hype) this game doesn't look interested in attracting casual gamers or weekend players. Their goal is to attract the long-time, hard-core fan of the genre by giving them more and more of the styles and tropes of your standard MMO: more questing; more crafting/customization; housing concepts; and more raid-types.

Maybe the goal is to pull in all those former WOW fans that have said enough to that game. Guys like Scott (in the article) are certainly going to find that Wildstar scratches that particular style of MMO itch. The problem with this (and the whole idea of a subscription fee) is that the MMO genre no longer has to adhere to that singular model. There are other approaches (and some of which are dumb-downed) that allow for just as much of a social element and gameplay - if that is what you are trying to achieve.

Scarab Sages

Alex Martin wrote:

Interesting take on Wildstar here

I read the linked review, and it makes the game very attractive...

But I still can't get over the fact that it's NCSoft. With so many other options available, I can get a great MMO without supporting a company I loathe.

If it were being operated by any other company I would try it, but as it is, I'm still on the fence.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber
Imbicatus wrote:
But I still can't get over the fact that it's NCSoft. With so many other options available, I can get a great MMO without supporting a company I loathe.

And that is a part of it that bugs me as well. I was given a copy of Wildstar, and it starts with a 30 day free play. Given NC Soft's history plus some of the challenges discussed in this thread, I am very hesitant to make a long-term commitment.

The sad part is that I like the developers at Carbine Studios - they clearly are excited and knowledgeable about their product and want MMO fans to play and enjoy it. They seem to have a good plan and willing to work to make interesting changes. They're "Dev Speak" videos certainly add to that impression.

But at the end of the day, they are tethered to a distributor/owner that has a lousy track record for MMO commitment and could pull the plug if it doesn't meet their expectations. And - unless Carbine signed a different kind of contract to keep the IP - could take the whole thing a shove it into a vault never to be played again.

Liberty's Edge

Alex Martin wrote:
Imbicatus wrote:
But I still can't get over the fact that it's NCSoft. With so many other options available, I can get a great MMO without supporting a company I loathe.

And that is a part of it that bugs me as well. I was given a copy of Wildstar, and it starts with a 30 day free play. Given NC Soft's history plus some of the challenges discussed in this thread, I am very hesitant to make a long-term commitment.

The sad part is that I like the developers at Carbine Studios - they clearly are excited and knowledgeable about their product and want MMO fans to play and enjoy it. They seem to have a good plan and willing to work to make interesting changes. They're "Dev Speak" videos certainly add to that impression.

But at the end of the day, they are tethered to a distributor/owner that has a lousy track record for MMO commitment and could pull the plug if it doesn't meet their expectations. And - unless Carbine signed a different kind of contract to keep the IP - could take the whole thing a shove it into a vault never to be played again.

NCSoft is an issue there is no doubt. However, NCSoft has kept Guild Wars 1 up and running thou. I do not why Guild wars is treated differently than CoH was. I am also not sure what level of success a Western game must have to keep running under NCSoft's banner. I can only hope for Carbine's success.

Also, the learning curve in WildStar is pretty steep. However, people do learn or quit pretty fast. You actually get a nice feeling after beating a dungeon. There is no face rolling through dungeons. For myself, the challenge level is nice. You will have to think and learn to succeed in WildStar.

The challenge level couple with the humor is what makes up WildStar. These factors plus the paths (explorer / scientist fan here) is what makes the game unique and fun for me. I was surprised at how much I have enjoyed the game so far.


Joined a couple of days ago.

Currently playing as Boulderfist, a Granok Engineer/Settler, on the RP-PvE server of Evindra.

Will try out a Chua Gunslinger after lunch. Also tempted to try out the Warrior for tanking.

Sovereign Court

Dominion rules!


Recently quit because I couldn't handle the bad music and sound effects. So super annoying and unpleasant.

The questing and storyline was also horrible of course, but I'm guessing most people don't care about that. Also, the game practically requires you to take a Diablo 3 view of the action in dungeons, hardly immersive.

Anyway, some people definitely like it and it has exceeded expectations, so that's cool. I want to like it, just can't do it.


My experience was pretty close to Jason's.

The game had a lot of neat ideas and stuff I love and want to support, but I just couldn't keep my interest so far in. The questing honestly really turned me off and felt pretty grind-y after awhile. Pity cause I really wanted to like it, but just didn't.

Plus NCsoft...


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

If anyone is still interested in what's going on over at Wildstar and Carbine studios, looks NC Soft is back to vague restructing. I know the game has seen a downturn since the summer ended - for reasons good and bad that people had mentioned - but this kind of activity is why my faith in any new NC Soft game outside Guild Wars is highly skeptical.

Sovereign Court

Two main reasons I stopped playing.

Subscription

Sound. Oh god the sound is terrible.


Hama wrote:

Two main reasons I stopped playing.

Subscription

Sound. Oh god the sound is terrible.

Same here. It's not a horrible game, but it isn't worth a subscription.

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