[derFeef]

Beta is up early :)
I am in.

edit: well that's nice - everyone got looots of money :)

invested into classy outfit
WHo get's the blue gloves? ;)

[HollywoodHeroes]

I've got two spare weekend beta codes up for grabs. Quote to reveal.

[PenguinPoacher]

I've got two spare weekend beta codes up for grabs. Quote to reveal.

Thanks, used the first one.

[derFeef]

Mumble server open again.
mumble://mbl4.gameservers.com:10012/?version=1.2.0

Join for terrible english skills!
:)

[Ricker]

What is up with this game...after doing the tutorial in the Metro/subway,with my female character and reaching that cut scene where you see some molten lava looking planet or debris,I wind back in London but everyone,including me,are Male characters running around in only their black underwears...?...jesus christ...

EDIT:Reloging fixed the bug but after doing the Crucible section where you choose your weapon or magic and exiting the room,it happened again lol...weird bug.

[Mulligan]

After spending about 8 hours with the game here are my impressions, i'll give a quick like a dislike list.

Like:
- The setting works well, i like the idea of modern day apocalypse
- Locations seem cool so far
- Atmosphere is good in Kingstown
- The leveling system is rather good, with the skill progression etc
- Enemy designs are unique and varied
- Graphics are rather nice
- Variety of weapons

Dislikes:
- The story seems pretty meh so far
- Questing sytem is boring, standard MMO affair. Fetch 5 kittens, kill 10 zombies etc
- The world feels really static
- Combat is boring, doesnt feel exciting or compelling. Just whack-a-mole
- A lot of areas were rather void of players
- Doesn't encourage teamwork e.g someone picks up ammo for quest before you, you have to go look for another one

Overall, i found the game quite boring. After only playing around 7-8 hours i didn't really want to play anymore. It just suffers from what pretty much every other MMO suffers from since WoW. It doesnt do anything new in terms of combat and questing which are two major factors in an MMO, which makes the game feel static. I do like the unique setting and enemies however, and after watching videos of instance quests with parts it looks to be quite fun in that area at highers levels. I guess the main thing is, Guild Wars 2 has pretty much spoilt MMOs for me now. I can't go back to static worlds and uncompelling combat with no real focus on cooperation after playing the betas.

[SquiddyCracker]

After spending about 8 hours with the game here are my impressions, i'll give a quick like a dislike list. Like: - The setting works well, i like the idea of modern day apocalypse - Locations seem cool so far - Atmosphere is good in Kingstown - The leveling system is rather good, with the skill progression etc - Enemy designs are unique and varied - Graphics are rather nice - Variety of weapons Dislikes: - The story seems pretty meh so far - Questing sytem is boring, standard MMO affair. Fetch 5 kittens, kill 10 zombies etc - The world feels really static - Combat is boring, doesnt feel exciting or compelling. Just whack-a-mole - A lot of areas were rather void of players - Doesn't encourage teamwork e.g someone picks up ammo for quest before you, you have to go look for another one Overall, i found the game quite boring. After only playing around 7-8 hours i didn't really want to play anymore. It just suffers from what pretty much every other MMO suffers from since WoW. It doesnt do anything new in terms of combat and questing which are two major factors in an MMO, which makes the game feel static. I do like the unique setting and enemies however, and after watching videos of instance quests with parts it looks to be quite fun in that area at highers levels. I guess the main thing is, Guild Wars 2 has pretty much spoilt MMOs for me now. I can't go back to static worlds and uncompelling combat with no real focus on cooperation after playing the betas.

I pretty much agree with you on everything but the questing system and story - I'm a fan of most of the quests (the awful ones being the straight up kill ones when it's not story appropriate) and the story is quite engaging from what I've seen so far.

But combat is really, really boring most of the time.

It's not too bad when you're fighting a big baddie, and can actually pull off a couple of skill combos, have an incentive to move around/dodge, and think strategically; but when you're just slashing down fodder as part of aforementioned kill quests (or just because they get in the way) I just spam the same old attacks over and over again. It does feel like a solo game at times as well, and I do so hate what you brought up about teamwork - it would be such an improvement if players in the same area could work together on quests without having to group up (as most people don't bother).

I might give this game a go just for the sake of the story, and periodically subscribe for a month at a time as the story is updated

[Coxswain]

I actually really like the game, and kind of had the opposite opinion - it does a lot of things well that I thought Guild Wars 2 royally fucked up on, and basically ensured that I'm pretty much 100% done with giving GW2 a shot.

After playing through and solving (without Google!) the Investigation quest that the priest gives you that has you tracking down old Illuminati clues throughout the whole town, I can't go back to a game filled entirely with WoW style kill-and-escort quests. And for me, the fact that the quest I'm working on belongs to me (and my party) instead of just being open season for every idiot in the area to jump in on is absolutely essential to the experience.

What they did with the power curve is also really nice. It takes you maybe an hour or two to fill out all your armour and skill slots. After that, the difference in power between you and a person who's basically completed every quest in the area is very small. It seems more like a linear growth rate than an exponential one, and people who had almost just started the game had no problem keeping up with a character who'd basically 'finished' everything in the beta weekend.

The skill bar and the absolute freedom you have over how to build it (from a gigantic pool of total skills) is also a lot of fun, even if there are only "simple" skills with less interesting synergy available in the beta weekend. I also really like that the skills are mostly run off of a shallow pool of a fast-recharging and aptly named resource ("Resource"). Where cooldowns exist, many of them are short, in the 5-8 second range, with some exceptionally powerful skills being on a cooldown as long as 20 seconds, whereas Guild Wars 2 gives you almost zero freedom to build your skill bar, and then has cooldowns where 20 seconds is considered a fast recharge.
The Secret World's skill setup reminds me a lot of Guild Wars 1, and that's pretty much the highest praise that you can give an online RPG. It's a bit weak in terms of providing interesting skill combos, but then only ~25% of the total number of skills in the game are available for use, and the developers have specifically said that these are designed to be the 'simple' skills without a lot of nuance, so that new players can get used to them.


The only real problem I have with the game is its business model, as I flatly refuse to play any game that has a mandatory monthly fee. Had they gone with the Guild Wars model of buy-to-play plus cash shop, I'd be all over it. Thankfully MMORPGs don't really keep the subscription model for more than 6-12 months these days, so I'll be able to play it then.

[Elginer]

Have been playing the beta for some time and really love the lore and world it's right up my alley but the game needs more time in the oven. performance issues, bugs and combat feels.clunky still.

I would still.be there day 1 if this was going the GW route of box and play and cash shop. they really should have aa this could really find some love.

[derFeef]

Questing is a lot of fun in this game. Questing is fun again! It's not just straight up - get 3 quests - walk down path - do those tasks. Yes there are kill quests and stuff too, but the outcome is always interesting and it adds to the lore and knowledge you might need for the investigation mission. There is one mission I really hated and that was the platforming/stealh one in the cellar. Ugh...

About combat - I love the synergy of the active and passive skills, you can make some cool things, even in the inner circle. I can't wait to see what the outer circle is all about. The actual feel of the combat is very weak, but the lead designer posted in the forums that most of the animations are not in yet and it's being worked on. Yeah... 1 month before release but it would not be the first time that Funcom had a "magic build" - this happned in the conan beta - I thought the game was junk and then everything turned around 180.

[wsoxfan1214]

Any other Illuminati figured out the riddle yet? Shoot me a PM if so. I'm lost. o_o

Edit: Never mind, got it. Interesting.

[derFeef]

The game has been delayed for two weeks. It's in the Q1 presentation but they already said an official announcement is coming too. I am okay with his, time to polish things up - maybe they will work on the combat feedback as they were very vocal about "adressing" it.

edit: actually it's July 3rd.

[Man]

Apparently the Gold master has been delivered and the two week delay is due to market conditions.

[Effect]

Uninstalled the beta client last night and going to be passing on the game for now. As I said before I enjoyed the atmosphere, look, and the systems they have in place. How it runs and feels when actually playing though is to rough for me. There isn't enough polish in the end. It may be there but not going to take their word on it. Developers lie in the end and the primary goal is to get you to buy the game. Based on Anarchy Online and Age of Conan I don't doubt they'll be able to improve the game. However can't justify spending the money not with the Wii U coming, currently playing TERA, and there being several 3DS games I want to pick up in the coming months.

[Kem0sabe]

Apparently the Gold master has been delivered and the two week delay is due to market conditions.

Unless they have some kind of miracle build that they have kept secret, this game is in no shape to be release. They need more months of work on refining the various systems.

If this releases as is, with so little community buzz deriving from the "meh" weekend beta tests, it will fail miserably and end up just as another F2P mmo akin to AoC and Anarchy online...

[Effect]

Unless they have some kind of miracle build that they have kept secret, this game is in no shape to be release. They need more months of work on refining the various systems. If this releases as is, with so little community buzz deriving from the "meh" weekend beta tests, it will fail miserably and end up just as another F2P mmo akin to AoC and Anarchy online...

F2P with a cash shop isn't bad thing though. I'm not even sure anymore if having subscription based game is even the best option. I wonder if they have a system in place to switch it over or if it's already in place from the get go and they just need to change the payment pages.

Either way I don't think the game is ready to be released as a full product though.

[Kem0sabe]

F2P with a cash shop isn't bad thing though. I'm not even sure anymore if having subscription based game is even the best option anymore. I wonder if they have a system in place to switch it over or if it's already in place from the get go and they just need to change the payment pages. Either way I don't think the game is ready to be released as a full product though.

I think the system is already in place for a smooth transition to F2P. Why else would they do the dick move of implementing a cash shop in a subscription based game?

Funcom must be hoping the box sales + first months of subs will pay for the development cost´s and then when the subs start to inevitably go down due to the poor overall state of the experience, they will announce the F2P model. Pretty shitty move on their part if this happens.

[Effect]

Oh that's right. The cash shop is suppose to be there at launch. Forgot about that.

[derFeef]

Unless they have some kind of miracle build that they have kept secret, this game is in no shape to be release. They need more months of work on refining the various systems. If this releases as is, with so little community buzz deriving from the "meh" weekend beta tests, it will fail miserably and end up just as another F2P mmo akin to AoC and Anarchy online...

AoC did not went fully F2P (also it lasted 3 years) - you can keep your subscription and get all the content, or not pay anything and get limited content with content packs available - great model. Anarchy Online lasted very long too - so no need to stomp on the games just because the went the hybrid model. A mmo going F2P or hybrid like funcoms games does not mean they failed or are dying.

And I see pretty mixed up buzz from "fuck yeah" to "shitty mmo" - which is the norm in the market.

I think the system is already in place for a smooth transition to F2P. Why else would they do the dick move of implementing a cash shop in a subscription based game? Funcom must be hoping the box sales + first months of subs will pay for the development cost´s and then when the subs start to inevitably go down due to the poor overall state of the experience, they will announce the F2P model. Pretty shitty move on their part if this happens.

What's a dick move about a cash shop for visual flair? Seriously, you spin everything pretty heavy here.

[Kem0sabe]

AoC did not went fully F2P (also it lasted 3 years) - you can keep your subscription and get all the content, or not pay anything and get limited content with content packs available - great model. Anarchy Online lasted very long too - so no need to stomp on the games just because the went the hybrid model. A mmo going F2P or hybrid like funcoms games does not mean they failed or are dying. And I see pretty mixed up buzz from "fuck yeah" to "shitty mmo" - which is the norm in the market. What's a dick move about a cash shop for visual flair? Seriously, you spin everything pretty heavy here.

Can´t help but feel bitter about how they treated their community pre and post launch of AoC. During the beta they were always promising that the build we were playing was old, that it wasn´t the actual game, that it would be amazing... only to have one of the worse launches i had the misfortune of taken part in.

What is the saying? Fool me once, shame on you, foll me twice... shame on me.

Thats the attitude i have towards Funcom these days, and seeing as they are launching the game shortly without having show 2 of the factions and most of the content in the beta weekends, only reinforces my idea that this will be a disastrous launch (i hope i´m wrong about this).

Is this another situation where they have a secret miracle build of the game that makes it fun to play? maybe.

Concerning the cash shop. Is the clothing there unique to the cash shop or is it ingame drops? If it´s unique, then i find it unfair to limit whats available to the playerbase when that player base already pays a monthly fee.

Will there be xp boosts and other tokens?

Will there be unique weapons?

How fair is it to "ration" ingame content between the cash shop and the drops/crafting when everyone pays a subscription?

I have no problems with ingame cash shops, when those games are F2P, otherwise i think they are clearly cash grabs.

[Team Vernia]

Yeah I'm holding out a few months on this one. Beta shows promise, but the game still needs lots of work. AoC is finally awesome, though. I'm in a good progression guild now, and the T4 raids are just a shit-ton of fun.

[derFeef]

For anyone wanting to participate in some ARG stuff about the game.
Go to funcom.com - wait for the page to load - click an empty space on the website to make sure it's in focus and hit 33 on your keyboard. HF :)

here for you guys, to let you know how I got it - Quote to reveal.

[vazel]

I didn't even know the closed beta was still ongoing. I got an extra key for logging in today. Quote to reveal. Go here to register: https://register.thesecretworld.com/

[Madouu]

Apparently, I was too late :(

Oh well, in any case I can't wait for the next beta weekend, I really enjoyed what I have seen so far. Hopefully there is much much more content in the full game!

[bloodforge]

Apparently, I was too late :( Oh well, in any case I can't wait for the next beta weekend, I really enjoyed what I have seen so far. Hopefully there is much much more content in the full game!

Check you PMs.

[vaelic]

anyone else have a beta weekend code? would love to try this one out!

[derFeef]

Those are CLOSED beta keys, so you have access all the time. Weird that they put it out that way, it's kinda NDA breaking ;)

Anyway, I got one too, who knows how! Quote to reveal.

[derFeef]

Beta Weekend 3!
http://thesecretworld.com/news/the_s..._3_hell_raised



2 dungeons, a new adventure zone, all three factions with their started cities and missions.
In the newsletter they mention a "new combat system". Hm...

there it is, got the english one:

The game has received significant enhancements since the last Beta Weekend, with improved content, gameplay mechanics and performance. In addition you will get to experience the updated combat system as well as full DirectX 11 graphics! We are very excited to share all this with you.

[AusQB]

LTTP here. How well do the hub cities (New York, Seoul and London) resemble real life?

[derFeef]

LTTP here. How well do the hub cities (New York, Seoul and London) resemble real life?

It's more inspirational and flair. London is a small fictional and inspired neighborhood with an "Eldwic station" (Aldwych in RL). But it is nice with pubs, record shops and the likes - it feels very much like 90's too - which is neat. I also get some serious Vampires vibe from it.

Can't talk much about the other hubs ;)

[vaelic]

BETA weekend keys: http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm?...E16A832E4E507B

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

Beta Weekend 3! http://thesecretworld.com/news/the_s..._3_hell_raised 2 dungeons, a new adventure zone, all three factions with their started cities and missions. In the newsletter they mention a "new combat system". Hm... there it is, got the english one:

Very intrigued, especially with all hub zones and possible improved combat...

[Azzurri]

Ohhh, want to see this "new Combat System"

[derFeef]

mmorpg.com duder tweeted:

@TheBillMurphy: Played a bit of @funcom_tsw this morning. Now on closed beta servers... holy crow did that patch from press beta improve the game. Nice, FC!

buzzing on the forums too that combat is improved. :)
I wonder if GAF is interested in an OT for this? I sure need to start working on one soon and might need help.

[Azzurri]

mmorpg.com duder tweeted: buzzing on the forums too that combat is improved. :) I wonder if GAF is interested in an OT for this? I sure need to start working on one soon and might need help.

ahhh, shieeeeet. Looks like FC listened.

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

So I'm confused. There's both a CLOSED beta going on and will be an open Beta weekend this week? I should try logging in to see if I have access still. I didn't realize.

[derFeef]

So I'm confused. There's both a CLOSED beta going on and will be an open Beta weekend this week? I should try logging in to see if I have access still. I didn't realize.

Closed beta is always ongoing, the weekends are for public (pre-order, keys) with a more polished and bug-free build. But it's totally different servers and stuff. Just check your account page, it should tell you.

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

Closed beta is always ongoing, the weekends are for public (pre-order, keys) with a more polished and bug-free build. But it's totally different servers and stuff. Just check your account page, it should tell you.

I mean I get that there would be a closed beta ongoing, but I didn't think any keys handed out were for said closed beta. Where should I look on my account page?

[BrokenSymmetry]

The skill bar and the absolute freedom you have over how to build it (from a gigantic pool of total skills) is also a lot of fun, even if there are only "simple" skills with less interesting synergy available in the beta weekend. I also really like that the skills are mostly run off of a shallow pool of a fast-recharging and aptly named resource ("Resource"). Where cooldowns exist, many of them are short, in the 5-8 second range, with some exceptionally powerful skills being on a cooldown as long as 20 seconds, whereas Guild Wars 2 gives you almost zero freedom to build your skill bar, and then has cooldowns where 20 seconds is considered a fast recharge. The Secret World's skill setup reminds me a lot of Guild Wars 1, and that's pretty much the highest praise that you can give an online RPG.

This sounds great. I am very disappointed in Guild Wars 2 (especially its shallow skill setup), and this game sounds more of a spiritual successor to Guild Wars 1 than Guild Wars 2.

[derFeef]

I mean I get that there would be a closed beta ongoing, but I didn't think any keys handed out were for said closed beta. Where should I look on my account page?

On the main TSW account site there is a download section. If you only have the option for "Beta Weekend Download" then you are not able to play the closed beta.

[AusQB]

Two by two, hands of blue.

[BattleMonkey]

Did they actually change the combat, or do people just mean it doesn't look and feel awful anymore?

[dogmanstaruk]

This sounds great. I am very disappointed in Guild Wars 2 (especially its shallow skill setup), and this game sounds more of a spiritual successor to Guild Wars 1 than Guild Wars 2.

??

From playing TSW beta it is nothing like a spiritual successor to GW. Sorry if that is what you were after. Stick with GW2 I had another WvWvW blast last weekend.

[dogmanstaruk]

Did they actually change the combat, or do people just mean it doesn't look and feel awful anymore?

It is Funcom. It will be the same I bet.

After my TSW experiences so far, and having my fair of AoC launch anger I would always put a major pinch of salt on anything Funcom says. Its pretty true to say that they have knowingly lied to their community regarding the quality, and build of their games.

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

On the main TSW account site there is a download section. If you only have the option for "Beta Weekend Download" then you are not able to play the closed beta.

Ok, thanks

[derFeef]

Did they actually change the combat, or do people just mean it doesn't look and feel awful anymore?

From what I gather the look and feel is improved, changing the whole system now would be crazy.

edit:
Some Deck previews, that Ninja sounds fun.
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/g...re/6471/page/1

[AusQB]

I'm still kind of on the fence about TSW. Some of the gameplay elements sound very intriguing and the environments look pretty nice, but overall appears to be quite unpolished. I know it's still in beta, but I'm not sure how much would be updated before launch. For instance, some animations look odd and often too fast, movement seems unnatural and some spell effects either look dull or are overly obnoxious.

I will say that the UI looks great. It has a very contemporary theme and looks very slick.

I guess I will try the beta, but ultimately if it has a typical monthly subscription I can't afford a second MMO.

Did the last beta have DX11 support?

[docbon]

I have two keys of a special sort. give me a PM for more details if you are interested.

[derFeef]

Servers are live :)
Combat feels much more meaty overall, enemies react to dmg and so on.
edit: oh and there is an active dodge now!

Also - they pimped some of the characters.

[Yasae]

Uh, ok. So I got an invite to download the beta client yet none of my login details work?

Why invite me to something I can't play?