The Secret World

[Syzygy23]

Anyone manage to experience it yet?

I haven't, mainly because I can see the little EA plastered on the lower right of the ideas all over this site right now. I don't think it's irrational at this point to fear buying anything with the EA brand logo on it. I'll either end up with a skeleton of a game that requires sixty USD of DLC to feel complete again, or there'll be a bunch of draconian DRM 'features' that immediately make the gaming experience more in line with playing football with an abusive, alcoholic stepfather with boundary issues.

Also, how long do you guys give it until it goes F2P?

 

[SweetShark]

Whaaatttt...
I though if you buy the game then you can paly it for free....
Just make it free to play when you buy the things like Guild Wars...

Anyway, being Secret World a new IP I don't think EA would allowed to give to us a "hollow" game.......so soon...

However, You should expect a lot of DLC for this games cause of the concept the game have.
Imagine how many different legends and myths the developers can use to expand the length of the game. I would love to see a map that invovled a mission in Greece ^^

 

[dimensional]

I was really hyped for this game when I first learnt about it then I heard it was subscription based and had micro transactions which killed it dead for me also if EA are involved in a game I always think twice or more before buying so I dont think I will be trying this game now despite it sounding awesome in premise.

If it goes F2P I may give it a go (unless I have to sign up to some service i.e origin) but I think they have crippled themselves before the game even comes out. I think it will change its payment model pretty rapidly when very few people buy it. Just give us the next chapter in the longest journey already you cant just leave it at the cliffhanger at the end of Dreamfall.

 

[Filiecs]

Actually, yes, I've played pre-access and I've gotten a lifetime subscription. The setting and atmosphere are amazing and the missions are usually sculpted into amazing ice sculptures while most other MMO's just churn out ice cubes. Seriously, watch every cut-scene. You won't regret it.

The combat system is also very in depth when you look into it. On the outside, it looks like just normal button mashing with a bit of active dodging. However, the real gem of the system is found in creating many different synergies between two weapons and 14 out of over 500 abilities.

It is definitely not for everyone, it targets a niche crowd. However, that is because it IS different than most MMO's.
It doesn't hold your hand very much, however, and that could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Personally, I had no trouble at all playing the game. But that is because I had already done my research and knew how to play.

Also, EA is only handling the physical distribution of the game. They have absolutely no control in the development process of the games past, present, or future.

For the cash shop? You'd be surprised at how well Funcom has managed to keep it strictly cosmetic with no affect on the gameplay. You cannot buy items or money and you cannot sell, disassemble, or trade anything you do buy. You may not like the fact that there even is a cash shop to begin with, neither do I, but I find the game to have made up for itself and more just because it is so different.

The launch has been the smoothest MMO launches I've ever experienced and so far I've not regretted my decision to get lifetime membership one bit!

 

[Tony2077]

it looks interesting but does it have a trial or will i have to wait for that

 

[Syzygy23]

-snip-

Well, while I am relieved that EA isn't publishing it, the fact that they're charging an upfront 50-60 USD plus a monthly subscription fee is still a barrier for me, as I'm sure many others.

Call me spoiled, but F2P games at least let me TRY the game before I invest in it.

Why don't they use the Guild Wars model? Or a reverse-guild wars model (Game is free but still requires monthly investment)

 

[Maeshone]

Doesn't it cost 60 dollars in retail? And a subscription fee to play? AND you have to pay money if you want to have more than 3 characters?

Yeah, fuck that.

There's no reason to buy character slots at all, since every character can learn every skill for every weapon/magic type. The only reason to have more than one character is to try different factions, and there are only three of those in the games. All other microtransactions are cosmetic only

 

[Omeene]

Was in the Beta for the game. Even when it wasn't at a fully complete state, it was still a fantastic mmo. Played WoW, SWG (Pre-NGE and Post), LoTRO, EQ2, FoM, and so forth, and The Secret World has to be in my top three. The combat is rather good, at least for MMORPG standards, but the atmosphere and the story is what makes TSE stellar. The Investigation missions are also a nice "breaker" to your standard combat/blow crap up/hide and then blow crap up missions.

Would've continued on past the beta, but I do not have the money to spend on a recurring subscription.

 

[Stitches]

I was impressed by the trailer for TSW a few years back, and when the marketing on several websites hit me this year I was tempted to try it out.

I'm still curious, but I would really prefer a trial term before laying down that sort of money. I'm not on a high wage and a monthly subscription is very much a luxury for me!

What is the PvP like?

 

[dimensional]

*snip*

Dammit you reignited my longing for this game I so want to like it as well but I dont know also I just checked the minimum specs and my comp wont run it anyway it seems so I guess thats solved that. Probably for the best moneys pretty tight atm so have limited myself to 2 new games for the rest of the year.

I will keep an eye on this though if it goes F2P I will try and run it.

 

[Maeshone]

I was impressed by the trailer for TSW a few years back, and when the marketing on several websites hit me this year I was tempted to try it out.

I'm still curious, but I would really prefer a trial term before laying down that sort of money. I'm not on a high wage and a monthly subscription is very much a luxury for me!

What is the PvP like?

Currently there are 3 PvP areas, El Dorado, Stonehenge and Fusang Projects. Stonehenge and El Dorado are smaller skirmishes where each faction can have 5(?) representatives fighting over the objectives, while Fusang is a persistent warzone where 70 players from each faction duke it out in a capture and hold environment. Unfortunately I do not yet have hands on experience of the PvP (being more of an RPer/PvE:er myself), so I can't tell you the nitty gritty of how abilities synergise in PvP

 

[Dandark]

After watching El Pocho Grande play through some of the game I admit that it looked somewhat interesting.

Then I heard that it had an initial price and monthly subscription fee and microtransactions so I said **** that! Then I heard EA was somehow involved and any remaning interest died, even if they are just handling physical distribution I would still rather have nothing to do with them.

 

[Maeshone]

After watching El Pocho Grande play through some of the game I admit that it looked somewhat interesting.

Then I heard that it had an initial price and monthly subscription fee and microtransactions so I said **** that! Then I heard EA was somehow involved and any remaning interest died, even if they are just handling physical distribution I would still rather have nothing to do with them.

I would just like to point out that the microtransactions are strictly cosmetic or for name-reservations and more character slots, no pay to win of any kind. Most of it isn't even very good, just a few items worth looking at. There's way more and way better-looking clothes availible as questrewards or from the ingame vendor

 

[Dandark]

After watching El Pocho Grande play through some of the game I admit that it looked somewhat interesting.

Then I heard that it had an initial price and monthly subscription fee and microtransactions so I said **** that! Then I heard EA was somehow involved and any remaning interest died, even if they are just handling physical distribution I would still rather have nothing to do with them.

I would just like to point out that the microtransactions are strictly cosmetic or for name-reservations and more character slots, no pay to win of any kind. Most of it isn't even very good, just a few items worth looking at. There's way more and way better-looking clothes availible as questrewards or from the ingame vendor

I don't care. Maybe I want some of those cosmetic things but have to pay extra. I payed a inital sum and keep paying a subscription fee, there should be no microtransactions at all. I have spent so much money on LoL and everything you need to buy in that is stricly cosmetic so I don't see that as an excuse for why it's fine for you to have to fork out even more money, it sounds like a complete rip off to me.

 

[Trivun]

What is the subscription fee, anyway? In pound sterling please, since I'm British and want to know what it costs over here, not having to convert from dollars and then find it's wrong anyway because of different pricing structures. I've been looking forward to getting and playing this for a long time, you see, but I need to know if I'll be able to actually afford it each month and if it'll be worth the time and money anyway...

 

[Bertylicious]

I'd want to trial any MMORPGer before I pay for it. Even if that just involves me putzing about in some starter area with a bucket and spade a lá Age of Conan, which was what they did back in the day. This is even more true of a game I have to spend mega bucks up front on to play.

 

[bliebblob]

You want my 2 cents on it? It's very strange really, in some ways it's amazing and it others very meh. The whole deal of setting it in the real world? Genious. Quests where you actually have to think hard, keep your eyes open and even use external information sources? Amazing. All clothes completely stats-free so you can pick your outifit based purely on how you want to look? Yes please!
In short: guildwars 2 isn't the only game taking the genre somewhere new and interesting. The secret world takes it even further!
But I still fear it's gonna crash and burn for 2 reasons. 1: combat is very meh and in the end, that's what you'll be doing most of the time. 2: monthly fee? For a completely new and unknown IP? In a world with very decent subscriptionless alternatives? Ballsy move, even if none of them are very similar in style...

Also, the fanbase genuinly scares me. Constantly talking about the "real illuminati" and how they know all about them and blablabla. The kind of stuff that makes you just nod friendly while backing away slowly...

 

[TilMorrow]

I thought the combat and movement system was kinda broken when I played it in the beta in the sense that moving felt as stiff as a board and combat required my fingers to dance across the keyboard to get my character to even face an enemy before stretching my fingers to hit the 1, 2 or 3 key. Then the quests were confusing, monsters spawned like bunnies and the NPCs you talked to were open books. Also the game specifically points out your character is nothing special at the start and that the Secret World of the organisations in the game isnt that secret after all. Basically, didn't meet the expectation that the developers created for me.

 

[everythingbeeps]

These overbearing ads littering Escapist have killed any interest I have in the game.

Like, I'm just so sick of seeing them that I can't even be bothered to read up on the game itself.