Details (http://www.riftgame.com/en/promo/freetoplay.php)
Personally I think this is awesome news! I still think that Rift is the best theme park-style MMO around and I still occasionally resub. I didn't get around to buying the Storm Legion expansion so it's nice to see I won't have to now, in order to explore the new continents.
And for once in my miserable life, I'll actually have VIP status in a F2P MMO. :)
I just might jump back in, once this goes through. I got Defiance and it was alright, but a bit flavorless. Rift had a lot more flavor and was fun, but not enough to justify the monthly cost.
World of Tanks is getting a bit old and Mechwarrior Online never really clicked with me so will likely give Rift a try!
Out of all the theme park MMO's I liked Rift the best. When I played after it was first released, it was similar enough to WoW (which I was into heavily at the time) but different enough that I didn't feel like I was playing the same game. Unlike SWTOR, which was basically WoW (almost the same game mechanics) but with a SW theme.
Quote from: Kushan on May 14, 2013, 02:25:17 PM
When I played after it was first released, it was similar enough to WoW (which I was into heavily at the time) but different enough that I didn't feel like I was playing the same game.
I agree completely, it was what first drew me in. It's such a lovingly crafted game too, and as I recall it had by far the most polished and issue-free launch of any MMO I've played. Also the sheer amount of content the team have continued to pump out puts other MMOs to shame.
If any of you play on the European server Icewatch I'd be happy to start a guild.
After years of Everquest, then WoW, I've been playing Lord of the Rings Online for the last year. I enjoy the atmosphere and the general level of maturity on the RP servers. I've also played Age of Conan, City of Heroes, Star Trek Online, Fallen Earth and The Secret World, all had their good points and bad. My enjoyment of a MMO is generally keyed to the freedom of movement enjoyed, the lack of griefing, and the ability to solo. I also love to explore, so graphics and story are pretty vital to my sticking around.
Quote from: Steelgrave on May 14, 2013, 04:16:47 PM
I also love to explore, so graphics and story are pretty vital to my sticking around.
You should try Rift (if you haven't already, which is the impression I got). It's a beautiful game, and while some say its story is no better than any other, I found myself getting sucked into the lore. Rift is the pinnacle of this kind of MMO as far as I'm concerned. The only reason I've played more Guild Wars 2 than Rift for the last year is that GW2 was free. Now that Rift will be, I can't see myself logging back into GW2 for a long time.
By the way, explorers are specifically catered for; there are artifact sets to collect all over the world, some very difficult to find. I forget what you get for each complete set but it's fun to find them all. :)
Quote from: Huw the Poo on May 14, 2013, 04:42:17 PM
Quote from: Steelgrave on May 14, 2013, 04:16:47 PM
I also love to explore, so graphics and story are pretty vital to my sticking around.
You should try Rift (if you haven't already, which is the impression I got). It's a beautiful game, and while some say its story is no better than any other, I found myself getting sucked into the lore. Rift is the pinnacle of this kind of MMO as far as I'm concerned. The only reason I've played more Guild Wars 2 than Rift for the last year is that GW2 was free. Now that Rift will be, I can't see myself logging back into GW2 for a long time.
By the way, explorers are specifically catered for; there are artifact sets to collect all over the world, some very difficult to find. I forget what you get for each complete set but it's fun to find them all. :)
Oooohhhhh, I like the last part of your comments, Huw. I think you just locked me into giving Rift a try.
Quote from: Steelgrave on May 14, 2013, 05:23:16 PM
Oooohhhhh, I like the last part of your comments, Huw. I think you just locked me into giving Rift a try.
Ya got nothing to lose! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)
I think Rift has the best character advancement and customization system I have seen in any MMO. It is truly outstanding.
BUT...
The gameplay was nothing but WoW with a couple of wrinkles. I lost interest in a week. I hope game developers, sooner rather than later, move on from chasing after and copying WoW.
Quote from: Swatter on May 14, 2013, 07:26:17 PM
I think Rift has the best character advancement and customization system I have seen in any MMO. It is truly outstanding.
BUT...
The gameplay was nothing but WoW with a couple of wrinkles. I lost interest in a week. I hope game developers, sooner rather than later, move on from chasing after and copying WoW.
Try Champions Online then.
That is the game with THE best character customization around. :)
+1 on giving this a try. I liked WoW for quite some time...bu I was never into the dungeons...My daughter loves WoW and does play the dungeons...but I'd like to give this a go...F2P is a bonus
Quote from: Tpek on May 15, 2013, 02:53:58 AM
Try Champions Online then.
That is the game with THE best character customization around. :)
I believe you have to pay to open up full customization and skill lines nowadays. Otherwise, the free noobs are just stuck with a few pre-made templates.
I played EverQuest and Lord of the Rings Online before they went Free-to-Play. By playing them before and after, I decided that I prefer the subscription based models. Also, World of Tanks has cost me as much as it would have if it had been a subscription based game so that only reinforces my conclusion.
Rift may be all that it's cracked up to be, but a look at the Details (http://www.riftgame.com/en/promo/freetoplay.php) makes me think that if I do give Rift a try, I will at least buy the base game somewhere cheap in order to get the extra character and bag slots.
Quote from: Greybriar on May 15, 2013, 11:55:14 AM
I played EverQuest and Lord of the Rings Online before they went Free-to-Play. By playing them before and after, I decided that I prefer the subscription based models.
Same here. The cash shop stuff is just so convoluted and increasingly confusing. I mean.. how many separate currency systems does
Neverwinter have, for example? Three? It just seems like a lot of extra needless BS to parcel stuff out bit by bit.
Unfortunately the pay-by-piece model may have devalued the straight "premium" monthly fee, in some cases, and even require extra expenditures for stuff that was given in a full-featured sub before (extra bag space?).
Incidentally, you can play for free right now courtesy of Rift Lite (sic). It lets you play for free to level 20 and I'm pretty sure the character limit is 5, so altogether that gives you more than enough scope to try out the different callings and souls to get a feel for how you want to play.
I recommend a Cleric to begin with, as I think it's the most versatile calling. And as for faction, I recommend Defiant - this is purely personal; I think that the Defiants have the better lore and capital city. :)
I had to (briefly) queue to get in this evening! :o Clearly word has spread quickly. It brought a tear to my eye to see so many people in a low-level zone working together to fight off an invasion!
Rift has gone free to play early for anyone who already owns a copy.
I've been playing all week and I'm smitten all over again. There are now players everywhere! It feels like a freshly-launched game! I've rarely closed a rift by myself, and when the zone events occur I find myself in a raid group before I can blink. Swarms of us, tearing across the (beautiful) countryside, fighting off invaders and defending wardstones. Oh god it's glorious.
I've said it many times before and I'll say it again - Rift is best in its class. No theme-park-style MMO comes close in my opinion. It has the beautiful world, the lore, the fantastic soul system, plenty of loot, customisable as hell, etc etc. Everything you'd expect from a modern MMO...and, in contrast to the otherwise-excellent Guild Wars 2, skills that are actually a joy to use. None of this "blind your enemy for a whole second" crap here, no, this is powerful stuff that allows you to take out groups of mobs at a time in spectacular ways if you play correctly.
I'll post more thoughts/answer any questions if there's any interest.
I love this game. :)
hes gone - lost to an MMO again!
Join me Geek!
Quote from: Huw the Poo on June 08, 2013, 04:07:06 AM
Rift has gone free to play early for anyone who already owns a copy.
I've been playing all week and I'm smitten all over again. There are now players everywhere! It feels like a freshly-launched game! I've rarely closed a rift by myself, and when the zone events occur I find myself in a raid group before I can blink. Swarms of us, tearing across the (beautiful) countryside, fighting off invaders and defending wardstones. Oh god it's glorious.
I've said it many times before and I'll say it again - Rift is best in its class. No theme-park-style MMO comes close in my opinion. It has the beautiful world, the lore, the fantastic soul system, plenty of loot, customisable as hell, etc etc. Everything you'd expect from a modern MMO...and, in contrast to the otherwise-excellent Guild Wars 2, skills that are actually a joy to use. None of this "blind your enemy for a whole second" crap here, no, this is powerful stuff that allows you to take out groups of mobs at a time in spectacular ways if you play correctly.
I'll post more thoughts/answer any questions if there's any interest.
I love this game. :)
Couldn't have said it better myself Huw. Downloading now. The soul system is the best class system in any MMO IMO. IIRC I have characters on two servers, two clerics and a rogue. Going to start a new character from the beginning though. If anyone wants to start a grogheads guild in the NA region let me know.
Haven't read through this whole thread, but what is their new business model? From what I've read they are not going to let players pay to win. So I'm assuming they are going the GW2 route and selling cosmetic items? XP boosters and the like probably as well.
Huw has converted me....downloading now. :)
Just a warning, free to play doesn't properly begin until June 12 if you haven't previously bought the game. However you can still play for free to level 20 until then.
GetGamesGo has Rift for $3.74, I'm thinking of picking it up. http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/rift (http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/rift)
Quote from: republic on June 08, 2013, 09:15:24 AM
GetGamesGo has Rift for $3.74, I'm thinking of picking it up. http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/rift (http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/rift)
Do it! The portion of the 30 days that are unused when Rift goes free to play will be converted into some sort of loyalty reward.
I'm on the Seastone server.
Guardians:
Alalla - 47 Cleric
Frejya - 1 Warrior
Venir - 1 mage
Defiant:
Alatheia - 50 Cleric
For some reason, I enjoyed the Guardian side more than Defiant despite the latter having a less traditional storyline.
Can't recall what server my characters were on, but I'll probably fire it up soon to get my bearings again.
Quote from: Nefaro on June 08, 2013, 08:25:01 PM
For some reason, I enjoyed the Guardian side more than Defiant despite the latter having a less traditional storyline.
So did I. I normally play the "bad" faction in MMO's. Played Horde characters on WoW, Sith in SWToR. But for some reason the Defiant storyline never really clicked with me.
Well after 4 level 80 characters, 400 crafting in all areas, 100% map completion, 600 honor badges in WvW, I'm pretty much done with Guild Wars 2. Been looking for something new, now that I didn't to pick up CMFI/Gustav, I'll have to give Rift a try later this week.
I dunno. The same 'ole same fantasy MMO stuff just isn't tickling my whiskers at the moment.
I think I'm gonna do some SW:TOR instead. While the character system isn't as flexible, at least I get to shoot people with a blaster.
You guys are spread out all over the Rift servers, too. Will someone be having a guild, here, at some point?
I'd be quite happy to set up a Grogheads guild, but it would have to be on Icewatch which is a European server.
I couldn't even log in tonight; free to play finally happened and the servers got absolutely hammered.
Nef, good luck with SW:TOR. Have you played it before? I found it boring as hell - one of the worst MMO's I've played in fact (still better than WoW though).
Quote from: Huw the Poo on June 12, 2013, 06:04:04 PM
I'd be quite happy to set up a Grogheads guild, but it would have to be on Icewatch which is a European server.
I couldn't even log in tonight; free to play finally happened and the servers got absolutely hammered.
Don't think I wanna mess with EU servers.
Quote
Nef, good luck with SW:TOR. Have you played it before? I found it boring as hell - one of the worst MMO's I've played in fact (still better than WoW though).
Yes, I had pre-ordered it so got some time in.
While the voice-over stuff was interesting.. the pve certainly gets dull & repetitive after a bit. Things is.. all MMOs do. I
did enjoy the PvP in SW:TOR, however and I've read mention that they've been fixing up the open-area PvP stuff over time so figured I'd try to check it out (if my patience for pve holds long enough that is).
That's one thing I
need in an MMO.. a well done open PvP zone in end-game where you can have faction warfare with an acceptable ruleset. I've not seen many of them do it well, however.
Guild Wars 2 has that and you don't even need to do any PvE to get there.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on June 13, 2013, 06:04:46 AM
Guild Wars 2 has that and you don't even need to do any PvE to get there.
Meh. I wasn't as into GW2 as others. I think part of it was the "lore" and gfx style. The whole style in general. The first GW also rubbed me the wrong way in a similar sense. The relatively few choices in skillsets and such also didn't help. So I didn't end up playing it very long.
One big issue I have with
Rift is that the gfx engine is pure sheeit. I've heard it looks better on Nvidia cards but it looks & runs terrible on my desktop's AMD one. It doesn't have proper AA, so I either get that crappy anti-aliasing that looks like smeared vaseline over the whole screen or big jagged edges on everything. The post-processing just makes it look even worse with or without AA, too. Don't get me wrong, Rift has it's good points but it's just as grindy and repetitive as the rest and I don't think it's much different than most of the other "theme park" MMOs. Actually, it pretty much took the good concepts from most that came before it - probably why it did fairly well.
I've been burned out on MMOs for awhile now, but since many of them are FtP these days, it's easier to tinker about in them here & there to see if I'm serious. That's usually not the case for long.
Huw you cant switch regions in Rift. On the login screen (where you type your username, PW, and authenticator code...not the character screen), go to settings and you can switch between Europe and North America.
GW World vs World vs World PvP was fun, when you could get into it. I didn't care for the rest of the game. Liked the grahic style but the skill system was the most boring thing I've ever seen. It was reminiscent of the early days of WoW (and early Rift launch) when you could macro one key to be all your attack skills.
I downloaded and played a little Rift, still not sure I like it yet, need to give it more time. It's a big change coming from Guild Wars 2, still don't understand a lot of things, the graphics are a real step down and I don't like the kill or resource stealing. Your fighting some one to mine a resource and a higher level player runs in kills everything and takes the resource or how higher level players can run in take over an event, before your low level character can kill anything.
It is a theme park MMO, remember, with all that entails. It just happens to be the best of them. :)
SgtRock, there are plenty of things GW2 does better than any other MMO, but what killed it for me was the spectacularly boring skills. I'll take Rift over GW2 any day because combat is so much better.
Quote from: Kushan on June 13, 2013, 09:50:47 AM
Huw you cant switch regions in Rift. On the login screen (where you type your username, PW, and authenticator code...not the character screen), go to settings and you can switch between Europe and North America.
I didn't know that, thanks. I'm not likely to switch to a NA server though. :)
Rift is claiming that it's totally free-to-play, and that there are no content limits.
I haven't browsed through the cash shop, or looked for specifics yet. Actually.. there's a good amount of screen junk they've added since release that I"m not familiar with. It's like all the additions and free-to-play stuff kicks the learning curve up a ways, when you return. ???
So.. does Rift have any good open end-game PvP now? It didn't at release.
I haven't tried Rift's PvP in a long time so I don't know. It's definitely totally F2P though; the entire world is open. The only limitation is the Storm Legion souls; to use them you must either buy SL or, I believe, buy souls separately (a better choice for me, since I know I'll never use the warrior souls for example).
^ So if I previously purchased Storm Legion and played as a subscriber, then everything is open to me?
Is there even any subscription option?
That's right, you should have access to everything. You can still buy a sub which gives you patron status - priority in server queues and regular rewards.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on June 14, 2013, 07:31:28 AM
That's right, you should have access to everything. You can still buy a sub which gives you patron status - priority in server queues and regular rewards.
Ohh, so that's their plan, pay just be able to get into the game? :P I tried a few times last night and got nothing but, 1 hour plus wait times on every server in the list . I think I'll need to let things settle down, seems be combo of old players coming back and new player's trying it out. I did the dailies in GW2 instead and noticed it seemed empty, I wondered where all the players went?
Yeah, I haven't been able to log in at all since it was opened to the great unwashed. The same thing happens with any launch though; it'll improve.
Also they just retired my server and created two new ones, so maybe I'll have better luck tonight.
Just tried to login. All the servers are full, wait time is 20+ minutes. Wasn't even this bad at launch.
Really? You were lucky then - it was at least this bad at launch on Icewatch.
Happily, what Trion have done for the European servers worked; Icewatch is now just a trial server and I was able to log into my new server pretty much instantly (was 3 in the queue and I was in before the clock even appeared).
Picked up my pile of loyalty rewards which included a 110% speed mount and a dimension key, both of which would've cost me serious plat! 8)
Rift, lvl15 Elf Ranger, What am I not getting?
Loot System, 7 out of 10 items just give more quests, I don't need more quests, I want loot!
Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc), venders don't sell any, creatures don't drop any, I've only had 2 armor drops, no weapon drops from level 1 - 15. The game seems to be little more than find the next quest that will give you the next boot, belt, weapon upgrade.
RuneCraft - how the hell do you find enough stuff to runebreak? It's only after I upgrade an armor piece, I have something to runebreak.
Quests/Combat - it's seems way too easy to kill something than just stand there until it re-spawns, kill it again & repeat to get 5-6 things for a typical quest.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 16, 2013, 01:10:28 PM
7 out of 10 items just give more quests
Don't be silly, it's nowhere near that number.
QuoteEquipment (Armor, Weapons, etc), venders don't sell any, creatures don't drop any, I've only had 2 armor drops, no weapon drops from level 1 - 15. The game seems to be little more than find the next quest that will give you the next boot, belt, weapon upgrade.
Yes, loot tends to come mainly from quest rewards, but it does drop from mobs too - especially if you do things like rifts and instant adventures. You can craft gear and also buy it on the auction house.
QuoteRuneCraft - how the hell do you find enough stuff to runebreak? It's only after I upgrade an armor piece, I have something to runebreak.
I can't help you there, sorry. I haven't done any runecrafting.
QuoteQuests/Combat - it's seems way too easy to kill something than just stand there until it re-spawns, kill it again & repeat to get 5-6 things for a typical quest.
This seems to happen more frequently now than it used to - probably tied to the number of active players, to save people from having to wait for everything to respawn so that they can finish the quest. But yeah, it happens, as it does in any theme park MMO.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 16, 2013, 01:10:28 PM
Equipment (Armor, Weapons, etc), venders don't sell any, creatures don't drop any, I've only had 2 armor drops, no weapon drops from level 1 - 15. The game seems to be little more than find the next quest that will give you the next boot, belt, weapon upgrade.
Just like in every MMO, gear doesn't come from normal monster drops or normal vendors. You will occasionally get something decent from a monster drop but normal its crap. The "good" stuff comes from quest rewards, dungeons, and high end event vendors. TBH I've always wonder why normal vendors are even included in these games, no one ever uses the weapons/armor they sell.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 16, 2013, 01:10:28 PM
Quests/Combat - it's seems way too easy to kill something than just stand there until it re-spawns, kill it again & repeat to get 5-6 things for a typical quest.
How fast/many spawns there are is tied to how many people are in that area of the zone/on that quest. Will be this way until the population starts to even out a bit, either by people quitting or reaching max level.
Quote from: Kushan on June 16, 2013, 01:45:47 PM
TBH I've always wonder why normal vendors are even included in these games, no one ever uses the weapons/armor they sell.
I've always wondered this too! There must be some reason because they're in every game, but I'm damned if I can think what it is. I don't think I've ever used one for anything other than selling loot.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on June 16, 2013, 01:48:58 PM
Quote from: Kushan on June 16, 2013, 01:45:47 PM
TBH I've always wonder why normal vendors are even included in these games, no one ever uses the weapons/armor they sell.
I've always wondered this too! There must be some reason because they're in every game, but I'm damned if I can think what it is. I don't think I've ever used one for anything other than selling loot.
I figured it was for the rare occasion someone screws up and accidentally trashes/sells one of their items and needs filler until they get a replacement. *shrug*
Quote from: Nefaro on June 16, 2013, 03:10:56 PM9
I figured it was for the rare occasion someone screws up and accidentally trashes/sells one of their items and needs filler until they get a replacement. *shrug*
When my WoW account was first hacked a few years ago, I used the vendor trash to attempt to do some quests while I waited for Blizz to get my stuff back to me. Had a bunch of guildies who gave me money so I could buy AH gear for the raid that night.
Is there a manual for this game, I can't find one?
Why are characters down-leveled after returning from an instant adventure? If a start an Instant Adventure for my level 17 thief, gets down leveled to 14 and when I leave the adventure my thief stays at level 14, I have to log off and log back on to get my thief back to level 17.
What do I do with Artifacts?
Why do I get coin-locked after every login? This is getting old fast, I wait 10-15mins to login then have to go through this coin-lock crap.
I keep getting a message about you can only have 10 rewards, What is this?
Quote from: SgtRock on June 18, 2013, 06:14:14 PM
What do I do with Artifacts?
They are hidden items in zones. Collecting all the items in a set will give you some bonus or comsetic item. For example I think one set gives you a 20 slot bag, etc.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 18, 2013, 06:14:14 PM
Why do I get coin-locked after every login? This is getting old fast, I wait 10-15mins to login then have to go through this coin-lock crap.
Not sure about this. I was coin locked when I first logged back in, after that it hasn't come back. Maybe contact a GM or go to the Rift web site and contact a tech support rep via the chat feature. Probably quicker to go via the web site TBH.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 18, 2013, 06:14:14 PM
Why do I get coin-locked after every login? This is getting old fast, I wait 10-15mins to login then have to go through this coin-lock crap.
That
should usually happen when you login from a different computer, but with Rift I think it also does that when you haven't logged in for awhile or even when your IP address changes (which most people's do). That crap drives me bonkers, too, and I regularly get it when playing Rift.
I had to do the same thing with SW:TOR recently, but only because I was playing it both on the ultrabook and the desktop. Fortunately it eventually figured out the pattern and stopped pestering me.
Quote from: SgtRock on June 18, 2013, 06:14:14 PM
Why are characters down-leveled after returning from an instant adventure? If a start an Instant Adventure for my level 17 thief, gets down leveled to 14 and when I leave the adventure my thief stays at level 14, I have to log off and log back on to get my thief back to level 17.
This doesn't happen to me, but I think it's your "mentor level" which you can adjust by right-clicking your portrait.
The cash shop in this game is fantastic, for two reasons:
1. There is an insane amount of stuff in there; I've never seen anything like it.
2. Prices are very reasonable. Aside from some premium stuff, you can buy almost anything - with change - by purchasing the smallest number of credits available (1,125 at £5). Many items, such as decoration for your dimensions, cost as little as 1 credit.
As of last night, Rift has the distinction of being the first F2P game I have ever spent money on.
Three pictures of my new cleric, Eloanna. (http://imgur.com/a/WbJyk) She's modelling two costumes (cosmetic armour/clothing you can display whilst retaining the stats of your "real" armour) and also an armoured warhorse I got as a loyalty bonus. It has +130% speed and auto-scales to my fastest mount!
Clarics were always my favorite class. Did you buy that costume from the Rift store?
Quote from: Kushan on June 22, 2013, 04:25:40 PM
Clarics were always my favorite class.
Mine too. I think they're the most versatile, and the Cabalist and Inquisitor souls are excellent for both solo and group play.
QuoteDid you buy that costume from the Rift store?
Yeah they're both from the store. I think they cost about 680 credits each. Of course I could've bought them with in-game currency (if I'd had enough).
Another new soul to be added to each calling with the 3.0 update! \o/
And apparently dimensions are going to be more interactive! \o/
Sorry for the Thread-Necromancy, but is anyone here still playing Rift?
I stopped a long time ago.