Cult of Jared

I'd hit it - Vindictus.

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Is anyone playing Vindictus? You should play Vindictus, and you should skip all cutscenes and dialog.

Some thoughts:

-Wham! Biff! Pow! Woo!

-Plot is bad. So bad. So bad.

-Not really an MMO: there is no persistent world. At least not in the first 5 levels.

-Made by the 'Maple Story'* people. It is hard to imagine the same people working on both games. There is probably an acquisition or a story behind the difference.

-Still unsure what to think about the free to play model. I wouldn't be playing if it immediately cost money, but the store button looms over a game I'm trying to enjoy.

-It downloads an executable, but insists on running it through a browser window. I guess that is theoretically more accessible?

*Terrible South Korean ultragrind game.

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I played through the first few missions and leveled up a few times, and while it seemed fun to play an online RPG with an actual combat system, it didn't really draw me in

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i've played up to about halfway through the second boat which puts me at about level 18 or so. i really don't have anything constructive to say about it. but fighting the gnoll chieftan with my brother was fun.

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I played through the first few missions and leveled up a few times, and while it seemed fun to play an online RPG with an actual combat system, it didn't really draw me in

Fair enough. The launcher should have a -noAnimes switch, which would skip dialog and superimpose a paper bag over the face of all NPCs.

One thing I really like is that increasing your strength allows you to pick up and toss larger rocks. Makes the game less of a spreadsheet management engine. More games should show your strength outside the character and inventory screens (looking at you Fallout).

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This game looks pretty intense. I haven't heard about this before now somehow, I thought Nexon was working on their version of Counter-Strike first. They seem to have something going on with Valve though.

I've played Mabinogi and Combat Arms from Nexon and both were very enjoyable, so I will probably try this as well for as long as my attention holds up.

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I thought Nexon was working on their version of Counter-Strike first. They seem to have something going on with Valve though.

Counterstrike? Huh. Forget Peter Molyneux, journalists should be looking to interview these folks.

Actually, counterstrike might be hilariously close to a grindy Korean MMO.

Speaking of which, I noticed the grind in Vindictus. The game expects you to play and replay the same set of areas to completion, while doing little to change the experience between runs. Maps are linear, with few enemy types and no randomization.

The thing is: it is still fun to replay. I guess the moral is that good, expressive basic mechanics are the best thing you can do for replayability.

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Counterstrike? Huh. Forget Peter Molyneux, journalists should be looking to interview these folks.

Actually, counterstrike might be hilariously close to a grindy Korean MMO.

MW and every other multiplayer FPS these days are grindy, Counter-Strike has other problems.

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I've been playing this lately. Currently at level 10-ish. I have to say, from an MMO perspective it has quite the polish and attention to detail. It's really fun, and while the plot is meh, it does provide some base between each dungeon/area. As I have played Maple Story, Combat Arms and Mabinogi from Nexon - I can definitely see some characteristics shinning through.

The linearity of the maps has me concerned though. In Mabinogi, to prevent this, there is a rogue-like element where the maps are randomly generated (but in a Torchlight-like fashion). I think the same should of been done here; however, I suspect the source engine was the limiting factor there.

The Marketplace system is brilliant. It automatically tells you the current average economic value, and allows you to sell all your stuff globally instead of at a point-by-point basis like many other MMO's.

I feel so good after boss battles, I love the little angled photography style finishers, it's so satisfying.

Funny story: Very rarely, when hitting pots or other objects you can still hear a Half-Life 2 "metal" clank sound.

Anyways, just some thoughts on it so far.

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MW and every other multiplayer FPS these days are grindy, Counter-Strike has other problems.

I had a roommate who was, by all accounts, amazing at counterstrike. He got amazing by memorizing exactly where everyone would be standing, and then sniping them through walls. In essence, endlessly repeated action on limited map selection. Never played counterstrike myself - talking out of my ass here - but the comparison amused me.

I feel so good after boss battles, I love the little angled photography style finishers, it's so satisfying.

The networking is terrible, but if you get a group without crippling lag that's great too. Mechanics like the chain hook, which allows you to disable the boss and yourself for a time, add a sense of team reliance and gratitude. After fighting Clifford the big red gnoll chieftain I felt a tremendous sense of camaraderie with the internet strangers I had done it with.

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Counter-Strike doesn't require dozens of hours of play just to get the same equipment as other players. Sniper getting you down? I'd throw a smoke grenade, except I need to play 40 more hours to get that...

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I did notice some lag when playing with others group - for the most part I just make my own group now so I get the best experience. The networking code seems to favor the host (maybe the packets are being sent to you, then to the server?).

Also, wanted to clarify about one of my previous statements. The maps are randomly generated room templates, just very subtly, and sometimes not at all. There's more randomization the harder the levels get it seems.

Right now I'm trying to snag some cool and hard-to-get Titles. I don't feel like I am grinding at all yet in this game which is probably the first time I've been this far into an MMO and not felt that way. The title gathering and variety of quest types, level-specific achievements/bonuses, armor collection, etc. - It all melds together and provides some really unique interaction.

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