Dark Age of Camelot

Rating:
Summary: 30 Day Trial
Review: I was a brief customer of DAOC(Dark Ages of Camelot), or rather Mythic. If you are looking at possibly playing DAOC or evaluating it, I thought that my experience with it and personal comments might prove helpful in your decision making process.

What I immediately noticed was poor engineering. The update client (at least when I purchased and began playing) was not intelligent enough to know whether the internet connection was present or not. So, if your connection was lost and you tried to play the game it would simply freeze up. Most likely unrelated, yet related, it periodically freezes during updates even to this present time. Then, as my 30 day trial period progressed, a series of patches were introduced. Each time it was patched, it appeared that the patch did more than what was said (although I cannot prove this). My character seemed to do quite a bit less damage with his ability (archer) as he had done just prior. This, for me personally was a problem, but was not the only one. The first patch introduced a bug that affected characters items in an undesirable manner, so a repatch was necessary. The second patch, obviously designed to rectify the first, introduced yet another problem(s). First, it began to create graphical phenomenon while freezing when you rode a horse(preferred method of travel). Second, they decided to correct a problem concerning line of sight with the archers. Apparently archers were able to strike targets that were not in line of sight. After the repatch, one could not target - even if in line of sight - unless it were on the same plane (or level ground). The constant freezes while trying to get this last patch, coupled with the annoyance of crashing every five or so minutes (not enough to play) and the purposeless (via outstanding software engineering team) patches, left me utterly disgusted.

I contacted Mythic twice, once concerning their update client and then again to point out other various problems. I still have received no response. I paid another month simply to see if anything had changed only to find some disturbing changes to my character (more personal taste) and quite once and for all.

Product Cons:

1. Terrible Keyboard Interface - do to this design, many functions interfere with others. Even with the ability to configure this interface, the fact that some keys cannot be altered makes it a great chore to overcome this problem...
2. Was Not Designed to Work Well with DHCP - apparently by Mythic's own admittance. I am not sure if this is true, or simply a quick cover for terrible software engineering. But this very statement confirms it.
3. Needless Service Interruptions - due to faulty patches, and plenty of them.
4. Does Not Work Well Across Different Platforms - I have three diff CPUs and all of them have had to be tweaked here and there to work.

Objective things to consider when looking at DAOC:

1. Checkers vs. Chess - If you don't like variety, and using strategy in your game, you may want to consider checkers. It is a fun game, and all the pieces are the same. But if you like strategy, you may want to play Chess. It is also fun, and you have special pieces with special abilities and no one piece is ever what it could be without the use of the others. DAOC is going the way of many other such games, fighter thieves, fighter rangers, fighter fighters, and casters. If this is the type of game you want to play, I would suggest EQ considering their service and rates. In fact, with the advent of compromising character classes, the only thing that DAOC has to offer that EQ does not is realm vs. realm. But, you can also have guild wars in EQ. You don't have keeps to defend, but there are plenty of other team-based player vs. player if that is what you want.
2. The weapons & items in DAOC are only good for a certain level, then when your character gets a little higher, it is necessary that you purchase another, even the same weapon type, only of different material. This was probably introduced to prevent tweaking new characters (the act of funneling good items to your new character via your old and higher level one). But I personally found this annoying. This is true for all items I encountered.

My overall opinion of DAOC: It is an average online fantasy RPG with a poor engineering dept.. I personally believe it is a cheap knockoff of EQ, especially after nerfing the character classes and there is very little offered that has not been seen before. Basically, If this is what you want, EQ is tried and tested and it is also cheaper (at least the last time I played, which was a year ago). EQ had some features that made the game lag. By this I mean, you had to wait to play while playing. It took a year of playing before it annoyed me enough to quit (I like these types of games a lot). But I understand that many of these features have been removed and I am considering giving it another whirl. However, I am amazed at how quickly I lost interest in this game.

Hope this helps!

Rating:
Summary: The ups and some few downs of the game
Review: Dark age of camelot is my favorite game, though it will be topped by(I dont think I may say it). I will go throught the pros and cons of the game.
The graphics of the game is finely made and the character animation is extremely detailed, as you even can dye your clothes and armor with simple dyes like green, blue, red and orange, and finer dyes like black, teal and purple.
Another prospect is that you can tell monster difficulty. That was missing in some games.
The monster AI is quite simple, but also very good(meaning that it is understandable, but still complicates the game). The monsters can call for help and follow each other around. The AI means that various tactics will be in use and that you will need to group with other people more often.
Although the roleplaying has not gone through yet, it is still very possible to make friends, and you have a friends list too. There are very strict rules concerning cheat and violation of rules. Players that hack will get their account shut down as fast as possible.
There is more or less dangerous places to adventure in, and there is dungeons filled with dangerous monsters.
Some people may find it a little hard to understand the game, since there is very few menus and a whole lot of chatting, since many players will interact with each other. Almost all functions are slash ( / ) based, for example, when you want to quit, you have to type /quit. If you are fairly experienced with multiplayer you may not find it a problem, but newer players (to multiplay) will find the game quite confusing.
In my opinion, Dark Age of Camelot is the best game in rpg and mmorpg ever, basically.
Well, now my review ends. I hope it may have enlightened some. If not, you are free to contact me (in-game) and ask any questions concering anything.
Sorenzo

Rating:
Summary: Great Idea for a Game, Nice for Jaded EverQuest Fans
Review: I am pleased with this game. It was clearly designed with EverQuest players in mind. The transition from playing EverQuest to playing this one is almost seamless. The keyboard commands, merchant interactions, other interactions, etc. are almost identical.

The graphics and sound in this game are superior to really any other that I have experienced. The flexible class/skill system is clever and appealing as well.

This game didn't grab me by the balls the same way that EverQuest did, however, and unlike EverQuest, I stopped playing after about a week.

Rating:
Summary: Roleplaying At Its Finest
Review: Perhaps DAOC is the best game ever created; perhaps it is not. However, if there is one thing I am sure of about this great game, which has had immense success over the last several months, is that DAOC provides entertainment, an outlet for cooperation, and a world where the imagination can meander on a stream that twists around the gnarled world of Wizardry, Magic, and all that which is associated with the Folklore of the Middle Ages. Players choose one of hundreds of combinations of how they can make their character. They begin play, and battle monsters, meet new people, cooperate in groups (if needed, for group work is the most successful) and eventually earn the right to play Person v. Person, in another realm where you can defend the homeland or go on an invasion of on of the other two realms' keeps, perhaps even taking a relic. Try the game! If you do not like it, which is implausible, then return it and consider it a risk well taken. However, if you do enjoy the game, continue to play, and I hope to see any new characters on the Bedevere server. Chao,

Phentes, Eldritch

Rating:
Summary: You'll need LOTS of free time to be able to play.
Review: This game has wonderful graphics, and is a lot of fun when you have a group of friends to play with, IF you have a LOT of time to put into the game. Casual players will find that past level 20 this game is impossible to play.

The Realm v Realm combat doesn't really become possible until level 25 and even then you get killed in one shot by "stealthed" characters very, very often. You can't realistically do Realm v Realm until around level 40.

Getting to level 40 is the impossible part for casual players. All characters can quickly reach level 20 to 25 in a few days to weeks of play (depending on how many hours a day you play). Past level 25, the leveling treadmill becomes VERY long and boring.

More content is finally being added to the game such as new monsters and items, but in reality, the only activities there are to do in the game are to find a group and camp the same monsters to "level up", or click the mouse button over and over thousands of times working tradeskills. But don't count on tradeskills being worth anything because no one buys from players since the monsters drop much better armor and weapons.

Quests get useless past level 20 except for the epic quest you get once every 5 levels or so. There is no community, no reason for tradeskills, no one talks to anyone outside their group or guild, because you must continually "level up" just to keep up. If you take even a few days off and your friends don't, they will be so far above you in level that you cannot even group with them anymore because you have to be with people of your similar level to gain experience points.

There are fewer and fewer high level players becuase the game turns into solid work after level 20, and consists solely of camping the same monsters over and over and over and over to get experience to level up. Realm v Realm combat is only possible in groups unless you are a very high level archer with high stealth. Then there is still no point to RvR except collecting "realm points" which do nothing for you.

In short, most people find the game a lot of fun the first month, then it goes downhill very quickly as the game gets extremely repititious, tedious, and boring since its only purpose/goal is to "level up."

This game would only be worth it if the CD AND the first month were free. You will kick yourself for paying $40 for a game you won't be playing a couple of months from now.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most dissapointing games of 2001
Review: I haven't written many reviews, so this is more of a ramble the a review. Oh well.

Ugh. Thats all I have to say about this game. Ugh.

Ok, that doesn't tell you very much, so I'll explain:

This was gonna be my first MMORPG. I was going to get Anarchy Online, but the guys at the store suggested this instead, and having read good reviews, I got it. The only bigger mistake then buying it was losing the receipt so I couldn't return it.

Gameplay: It starts out nice. You register, choose one of 3 realms(Avalon, the realm with Camelot, with a balance between magic and fighting, Midgar, the Norse , more fighting focused realm, and Hibernia, the Elven magic realm). You choose from one of 4 races depending on the realm, and then from one of 4 basic classes. After 5th level, you can choose one of the sub classes of the class you choose. So I signed on. I was completely overwhelmed with the controls, but the help system was good, and I picked it up fast. I went out and slayed monsters, leveled up, got a quest(Kill 5 of these monsters, bring back their skins). Well to make a long story short, thats the whole game. You walk around, you kill things with an overly simple combat system(It has some magic and skills, but its basically hit the combat button, let your character automatically fight, and throw in some skills). You maybe get a fetch and carry quest every once in a while. And thats not even starting on the fact that it takes half an hour to get between towns. I give this a 4.

Graphics: Not bad. The textures are pretty good, though some things can be a little blocky, and have clipping problems. The animations are very smooth, and unique to each race and skill. I give this an 8.

Sound: To be completely honest, I don't remember a thing about the sound. It is totally in one ear and out the other. It fits the game, and nothing more. I give this a 6.

Value: The game isn't any fun, its currently $... in stores, and has a monthly fee(Between $... and $..., depending on how many months you sign up for). This game isn't any fun, so why would I pay a monthly fee for it? I give this a 2.

Overall score(Not an average):4. I really wish I could give this a better score. I really do. But I can't. Because this was probably the most disapointing game ever, for me. I was looking forward to my first MMORPG- instead I got a 3D Diablo II with a more boring combat system and long walks. Oh well...There's always Planetside, or Neocron...

Rating:
Summary: All the other reveiwers are so drunk on EQ
Review: This game is awsome. Play this then go to EQ when you've had enough,which for some people that never happens. the graphics are awsome,it has unlimited space.you'll never explore your WHOLE realm and if you do, switch realms.the sound is great, the graphics are good if YOU HAVE A GOOD GRAPHICS CARDS, all these people who are writing these reviews have bad comps. buy this game.

Rating:
Summary: awsome excellent you'll never run out space
Review: this game never gets boring, you can always switch races and classes.fft EQ, what EQ? this surpases eq by a mile. BUY IT if u love adventure

Rating:
Summary: My First MMORPG
Review: Ok, I have never played Everquest. Up until recently I hadn't even played shooters online. So a friend that was into EQ started talking about DAoC at lunch one day. He started explaining character creation, skill point allocations, weapon attack styles and so on. What was really neat is that a bunch of us that knew each other could play together. So I start a Ranger. I get to about lvl 12 with it before I realize that I had put the initial points in the wrong area and I'd be seriously crippled in later levels. Ok, lvl 12, no biggie. I start a new ranger with the correct allocations. I'm playing him up to lvl 14 and then arrows that do any significant damage are outrageously priced and I can only carry about 300 before I start moving slowly due to weight to strength issues. Keep in mind I'm using about 10 arrows a monster in groups and 3 when soloing.

I get bored and broke quickly so I start a mentalist. Spells replace a bow and unlimited pretty lights replace arrows. The mentalist is at lvl 23 and even though I appreciate the character I'm really losing interest in the game. It takes about 3 hours to get one level in a power group that knows what it is doing. (I hear that once you hit 30 it gets much, much slower). Maybe I'm just impatient but that is too slow for me. I've learned how to use my spells and abilities way before the next level is awarded to me.

I've watched some Player vs Player on a few different machines 1ghz+, one with a Geforce 3 another with a Geforce 2 and let me tell you that when spells start going off the frame rate drops to almost nothing. It is pathetic. This is what I'm striving to get my levels for? Choppy gameplay that would drive me insane.

The music is great for a while then I turn it off because it gets repetitive and annoying. The creature sounds are poorly done. Fight some of the tree creatures for a perfect example. I'm envisioning one of the marketing guys being pulled in at the last minute to help finish the game to scream "aarrr--grrrrr" into a microphone. The terrain isn't as bad as some people say.

I'll say that I had the most fun up to lvl 14 or 15 then it just became work instead of play. The realm I'm playing in is called Hibernia which is supposed to be the "magical realm". Yet I play other realms and they have better spells. Is it just me or should the other realms not have spells at all? They have awesome fighters that outmatch anything Hibernia has and they have stun spells that can cast repeatedly without any loss of effectiveness. Stuns can't be removed before their time is up. Oh, yea, it's area effect too...a wide area. So if your group gets hit by one of these then say goodnight. So, it looks like I was playing in the wrong realm from my comments but, this is 1/3 of the game. Balance? None.

Another gripe I have is that due to the large amount of cheating the designers have over compensated by killing your character if your machine locks in the middle of a battle no matter how easy the monster is you're fighting. If you happen to be moving at the time this happens the server still thinks you're moving and your character runs into a field full of aggressive monsters they will all be pulled and attack the poor members of your group killing them all off while your machine is rebooting. They assume you are attempting to cheat all of the time and you can't be trusted. Some people do this I know but makes it frustrating for the rest. Also, if your friends get a little ahead of you forget about grouping with them. They removed gaining experience points with people more than a few levels higher than you because they assume...yep, you're cheating.

This game is fun for a while but I think I'll wait 5 or 6 years before I try another MMORPG. The technology and planning just isn't there yet. I'm playing over a cable modem and the speed is the same as when I was playing over 56k. I'm not upset at Mythic, just unimpressed. I get the feeling of playing a text adventure with graphics they may or may not reflect what is actually going on.

The one time I had to use online tech support they were very friendly, helpful, and professional.

Rating:
Summary: Starts out strong but runs out of content VERY quickly
Review: Well to start with, I have a level 41 Paladin, and several other characters in the 30's, so that's where this point of view comes from.....now, on to the flaming.

When you first start playing this game, and the world is new, it really seems like the holy grail of online RPGs. The first 20 levels or so, new skills come fast, and the expierience treadmill is pretty easy to put up with. There are also an abundunce of quests to do pre level 20 that actually give decent rewards, especially if you're playing your first character and have no cash/items to twink with. The world looks nice, the character models aren't bad, not great, but not bad, all in all a pretty good looking game.

Now warp to post level 20 play and the shallow nature of the game, and inherant problems start to loom larger and larger.
Just because I like lists, I'll make one........

1. Quests/Kill tasks (good exp go find mob x and kill it sort of things) pretty much go away.

2. The level treadmill starts tilting at a steeper incline.

3. You begin to notice you don't get new abilites, just "version 2" of the spell or ability you got at level 5.

4. Hmmmmmmm by this time you've probably run the length of the "realm" you're in, and the world is starting to get smaller.

5. Content problems....there just aren't many places to go, and the places there are to go are small and overcrowded.

Now let's warp to post 35ish play, and what is touted as one of the big features of DaoC.....Realm vs. realm combat!!!!!

1. PvE content has become almost non existant...there is currently ONE dungeon you can go in, and everyone and their brother/sister is there. (Next patch is adding "Epic Zones"... so we'll see).

2. Realm vs realm (rvr from this point on) is HOPELESSLY imbalanced and just plain bugged. I won't go into detail but there are some HUGE game stopping issues that don't seem to be getting fixed. Also it's ENTIRELY based on level, and I mean that. A level 43 chimpanzee banging on the keyboard, will defeat a level 41 highly skilled PvP player. Level is EVERYTHING, and I mean everything in this game. Player "skill" is non existant. So ....back to the level treadmil...(see #1 and repeat this cycle).

So that's the short list.....The PvE content is almost non existant, and the RvR combat that you've worked so hard to level for turns out to be one of the worst implementations of PvP in gaming history........not so hot.

You'll love this game at first, I certainly did, but boy does it get old fast. VERY short shelf life on this one, will be a blip in online history 5 years from now.