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The Sleeping Giant? Possible EQ Killer?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: July 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you've been looking for something outside the usual MMORPG with elves and fairies, this is going to be your game. I played in the beta and it started a little rough, but it's getting better every time I log in. This game has everything people have been begging for.

An actual storyline. They've got 8 years of story planned. 8 YEARS! Considering most MMO stories are "Oh, some orcs decided to invade," this is good stuff.

An original setting. No elves, no orcs, no castles, none of the usual high-fantasy stuff. If you're as sick of fantasy as I am, you'll breathe a sigh of relief. Best part: NO GIANT RATS! OR SEWERS!

Skills, Skills, Skills. It's a classless system. That means whatever you want to do, you do. If you want to sling fireballs and be a wicked swordfighter, go for it. Train in whatever you want. More importantly, you can actually build your own actions and spells.

Devs that care. How many times have we heard the whines, "This should've been in beta longer!"? This time they actually listened! If you read most of the whining, it's "They closed the beta! I can't play for free anymore!"

If you pass over Ryzom for more of the Usual MMO Fantasy, you're doing yourself a grave disservice. This one's going to be the sleeper hit of 2004.

Something to pay attention to...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 16
Date: September 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have played Ultima Online for over 6 years and didnt think there was a game capable of keeping me excided for more then a few days. I have done Beta on Ryzom and here is a summary:
Pros:
1) Engine Flexibility is extremely high. It is extremely easy to build a unique(!) character; and unique combination of skills.
2) Crafting system just as character flexibility allows for very high distribution of items (i'd guess that there hardly be two items that are truly the same. Different combination of materials and skills provide flexibility i have not seen in other games.
3)There is actually a story line as opposed to just online world that is just "is". The story line is promising yet cant speak for it as it was shut down during beta (why would anyone want to reveal it prior to GA?)

Cons:
1) As every other company Nevrax is stock oriented, hence the release a bit sooner then it should have been (say another 2 months for bug fixes)
2) Flexibility of characters, items and evolution within the game is a great potential, and it could be it is biggest turn down I'm a bit sceptical on proper balance of things (i.e. fighers, mages, harvesters, craftsman) - it will take a lot of balancing on the developers part to get it right.

Opinion:
Dev team seems to know what it is doing (much more then i can say for Origin Systems Inc. - Ulitma Online) those guys spent over 6 years fixing things and still didn't get it right.

If you like online game play with other then pure 'shoot them' categories - give this one a try. It seems to be worth it and, i think, it would take a real genius to screw this thing up.
Someone above posted a comparison to Horizons - i have tried that and Horizons needed another year in ALPHA when they went release - this game needed another 2 months until 'done for now' statement.

Wow!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: July 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've been wanting this game for as long as I can remember, and when the open beta came out, I couldn't stop playing it! It was better than I imagined! The graphics are wonderful and the people playing it are actually nice and helpful, which is a nice change from the other online games I've played.

3 day impression of full release

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: October 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The true test of a MMORPG is how you feel about it after 3 months; however, the fact that I still want to play this game after 3 days is amazing. It's amazing because I've tried Star Wars Galaxies, Legion 2, and Shadowbane and didn't play any of them for more than 2 days (I have played Dark Age of Camelot -DAOC- for a couple of years though).

Some points of note about this game that I don't see mentioned in other reviews:

- It has a steep learning curve because of the unusual classless system and because of the typical "We don't want to tell the players how things work or what they mean" philosophy that MMORPG companies have.

- The behavior of the creatures in the game is incredible. You'll see herds of herbivores being chased by a predator. You'll see some creatures come up to you and act like they want to play. It's hard to describe but it's obvious that a lot of time was put into the creature AI. Some of the herbivores are so cute I actually feel bad about killing them (pathetic huh?).

- The environment feels alive unlike any of the other games I mentioned above.

- The steep learning curve I mentioned above seems to have helped weed-out the immature jerks you find in other games but I've only played for 3 days so perhaps I just haven't run into any.

- I haven't seen any undead. What!? An MMORPG without skeletons and zombies? Yep. Good.

- Be warned that the graphics are intense even at the "normal" settings. You would need a seriously powerfull computer to run this game at the best settings without getting jerky movement.

- Some people, particularly with ATI video cards, have had trouble with lock-ups (including myself). They applied a patch the second day I was on and the lock-up problem got better. It has still crashed once or twice for me but hey, DAOC still crashes sometimes and that's been out for years. Is there an MMORPG that doesn't have these problems? I don't think so.

- The interface is very intuitive, I've never had trouble finding what I was looking for.

- I love the classless system (I'm so sick of the totally unnecessary, archaic, restrictive class systems that I could scream); however, I think the "uniqueness" of characters is more of an illusion than a reality. Of course, I've only reached skill level 21 in the Fight tree and a few in Harvest and Crafting so perhaps there are more "branches" to follow at higher levels that would allow for more individuality. (I can't tell since I can't find a list of the skills anywhere. Are they trying to sell Prima guides perhaps?)

- I haven't experienced any server lag but I have had some jerkiness due to the graphics. I'm on a cable modem so I can't say how (or if) it would run with a dial-up.

- There doesn't seem to be any music or else it just isn't playing for me. I would have turned it off anyway so I don't care.

- The combat is only mildly interactive, similar to DAOC or SW: Galaxies, but it is fun to watch.

- So far the game is pretty darn easy. The only time I've died is when multiple creatures attacked me and one time I attacked something clearly too powerful for me. There doesn't seem to be a way to check a creatures difficulty short of attacking it, which is kinda bad. Fortunately, death hasn't been a big deal so far. You die, lose your health, stamina, etc, then you have to earn a certain amount of experience before you can get new experience applied to your skill trees. You don't have to go loot your body or pray at a grave.

- The thing I like the most so far is that it is relatively easy to create a good fighter or mage that can also craft his own items and even gather the materials to make those items.

- You can craft anywhere! That's right, you don't have to find a lathe or forge or something. For example, I can go out kill some monsters and do some harvesting and once I have the materials I need I can craft something right there in the middle of the wilderness.

- So far I kind of like the missions (AKA tasks) I've seen. The reward has always been money, which is fine since you get experience while carrying out the mission. There are missions for each of the skill lines (fighter/mage, harvester, crafter). The fighter missions may be "Collect X items of Y quality from monster type Z" or "Determine how many creatures of type X are on the island" or "Determine if creature of type X is on the island at all" or "Deliver this to person X in town Y". Sometimes they have time limits but usually not. I never had to go far to complete a mission, which is the main reason I don't hate them like the DAOC tasks.

- I don't have them but I hear you can get a pack animal and a mount. Nice! I don't know if you can own land or build/own a house. I hope they have player run merchants but I don't know for sure yet.

- I can't say too much about game content yet but so far I haven't seen or heard of anything that really stands out. It appears that in the end this game will be like all the others: Kill, Craft, and Chat are the only things to do, which is why I give it 4 stars rather than 5. Even so, I think the unique parts of the game are enough to make it worth trying.

The Saga of Ryzom

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: August 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been lucky to have been beta testing SoR now for over three months now. This is my first MMO, it is the most addicting and comprehensive game I have ever played. There are no limitations in this game you can be anything and everything skill trees branch in every direction to keep gameplay interesting and challenging. This is one game that when released has smash hit potential. The graphics and environment are more than outstanding they are unbeleivable. I highly reccomend The Saga of Ryzom.

Good work nevrax

All unfinished parts are finished, but were left out of beta

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: September 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game is actually finished and fully playable, aside from a few unnamed objects and unimportant bugs, which will be corrected soon.

The detailed quests, storyline, NPC interaction, invasions, guild wars, and changing landscapes are all finished but were left OUT of the beta. Underwater travel and mounts, as well as permanent changes to each server based on its players actions, will be introduced soon. Please keep in mind that almost all reviews here came from beta testers who may have been unaware that the beta was just a skeleton of the game.

Having played the beta knowing this, and knowing what's already been tested but not publicly revealed, I'd say this game is an absolute winner. I'm going to purchase the day it goes retail.

Some inside info...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: August 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've been in the focus beta for a little while, and I thought I should let everyone here know about how great the game is getting. Every new patch they have us testing is getting cooler and cooler. It's awesome. You can ask my husband, each time they patch, I can't help but saying "whoa!". I highly recommend this game, I can't stop playing it and I hope the rest of you get to see the game. I think I'll buy two and force my hubby to play, hehehe :) Hope this helped some. :)

I was a Beta Tester for Ryzom and it is a Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was a beta tester for the Ryzom game for about two weeks or so. I played nearly every day and spent a lot of time on weekends with the game. I can tell you that the developers and testing teams for Ryzom really worked hard to make the game as close to perfect as possible and they did a great job. This game is a multiplayer online action/adventure game. You create a basic character, build their skills, develop them into the type of person you want them to be, interact with other players, go on quests, join or start a guild, collect money, buy awesome weapons and armor, and just one heck of a great time. Maybe you played other online games like Star Wars Galaxies and were disappointed about how you could travel ridiculously long distances of open area just to get from one location to another. Well, Ryzom is well crafted. You get to where you need to go quickly. Yes, there is room for exploration but you are not too far away from civilization so you don't feel like you are on some mindless lost adventure. I have to say. You are going to love this game. The question is whether it is worth the money each month. I think it is because it is so well thought out. The story is there. The online play is great. The graphics are very well put together. You have so much that you can do. You could easily spend hours on the computer with this game. It's very addictive. So, yes, I think it's worth it - definitely. And the best part is that I am proof that the Ryzom team really went all out to give you a quality game. They tested this game from all parts of the world and we had a blast testing and giving feedback and we weren't easy on them either. We let them have it, in the area of writing, story, usability, and everything. I think they did a great job. I'm just sad that the beta testing is over. It was a blast.

A little tricky to get started on, but well worth playing.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: September 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just got this game yesterday, so no, I haven't gotten to the storyline yet-- but this is the opinion of a newbie starting out.

First off, the character creation system rocked. You can make body types ANYTHING you want, and they won't effect your character. The customization ability was phenomenal.

The graphics are excellent for an MMORPG, and it appears to have a very stable plot. It also has a nasty tendency to be addictive-- which is why I spent all of last night, until 1 AM, playing this game.

The one major problem I found is that it does get a little tedious for a newbie starting out, if you cannot find someone to help you out. My advice for anyone getting this game would be to stick around your home city and try to find someone with the same title to come out with you and explore.

Ah, titles? Yes. These are things you get when you qualify in a certain skill tree or other things. This means that, after a while, if you want to develop your fighting, you can change your title to 'Novice Fighter' or anything more advanced and people who are looking for parties-- or if you're looking for a party-- will see that you are a fighter and act accordingly.

Another problem was that I found the fighting skills a liiiittle useless in the beginning. There were a few worth getting, like healing yourself and increasing your HP and constitution, but any of the ones that pertained to actual FIGHTING I found no use for, except to get me new titles and advance me along the skill system.

Also, the crafting took a lot of time to get up to where it was useful so that you could make yourself armor. Despite this, I was glad I chose that skill for my character, as I managed to make some good weapons.

It's not a perfect game, but once you get out and around your starting place, it's really worth playing and a lot of fun. I can't wait to get to the mainland.

After I finish my homework, of course.

THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I played the open beta for this game it was awesome! Especially the characters not that many people look the same you can change the width and length of nose how big mouth is and face shape you can choose eye color and you can even put a design on face.Theres four different civilications you can pick from. THE WEPONS ARE COOL!!!ythe way the swords look. If you make a sword it can be different then the ones you can buy. you can even get guns but ammo if expensive! thats why you should learn to make your own.But the two best things are fight with other people and starting your own GUILD. You can get a team of people to be in a Guild do missions to get guild points ythe more guild points you get you'll.......I wont give it away.BUT if you dont get this game you dont know what your missing this is only a qurter of the cool stuff from this game has to offer. You can live with out this game. WARNING Kids under the age of twelve should not play this game unless responsible game, my be adictive.I sure was adicted to it. GET THIS GAME GET IT ITS A GOOD GAME

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