My Evaluation of Defiance

[Rumeyes]

In closing I would just like to say to the devs that there is something vastly wrong with any aspect of a game where the players swear to whatever god or super model they worship that they will never do X activity again once they complete it.

Agree with most part of your story, what annoys me the most are simple things that are lacking that can boost that MMO feel, like a LFG channel (especially when they are breaking up the questline).

For a B2P game, it really doesn't hold up well as a MMO compared to say, Guild Wars 2 (can't come up with another B2P MMO atm), which has roughly the same income structure as Defiance.

Then again, I already settled with the idea that Defiance will never become such an immersive experience as I might have hoped for and thus have a pretty low chance of getting disappointed.

Let's hope I am wrong.

[medvampire]

Is it just me but I don't have these types if issues. I guess I have been tossed out 6 or 7 times from the game but only on the work network. At home can't remember being tossed. I am on PC so this may be limited to console. I do have issues while I am at work but the wifi so buggy that some times netflicks fails so I don't blame the game.

[Kaiselius]

God, you got the frustrating part right. Nothing makes me want to break something more than when mobs/people in PVP either don't load period, or load but for some reason be unhittable, yet they are still fully capable of seeing AND hitting you.

[inox2980]

I am being completely honest when I write that after only 1400 EGO I am just not looking forward to continuing onto 5000. I look at all the things I have to do and realize that 90% of these things are easily accomplished repetitive tasks and the other 10% are excruciatingly frustrating tasks that need to also be repeated over and over until you reach a certain level of proficiency..

I, as well as many others, are in that unfortunate grind to 5000. It is NOTHING but repetitive tasks to raise say...Rocket Launchers or BMGs (and eventually all your weapon skills) to level 20. This along with the 'Living to Kill' and 'Snipe from the Shadows' pursuits is enough to make you want to make stab your eyes with ice picks.

Then comes the PVP portion of the game. If you were unlucky enough to not complete the PVP pursuits during the first month or two of the game, then it's going to be very difficult to complete them. I'm one of those people and just sit in a queue for an extended period of time trying to get kills/captures/Rep.

But, for some reason, I still like playing the game. Maybe it's the search for the perfect weapon/shield. I dunno - maybe it's because I'm crazy?

[N3gativeCr33p]

Defiance Store:
Everything costs the earth in the Defiance Store, and when it's updated with new stuff it's not announced and it's not updated frequently enough, and then they bring out blade mods one at a time so if you buy one and then they bring out a colour you'd have preferred you have to spend more to get that or go without.

Couldn't agree any more... and it's exactly the reason why I was typing "nerf the Defiance store" a few times in the chat during Friday's live stream. Ridiculous outfit pricing doesn't make me want to spend money... it actually has the opposite effect on me.

[Carnak]

There are a lot of words and phrases I could use to describe my experience in Defiance. They all apply at times.

Fun
Fast paced
Small learning curve
Easy
Slightly challenging
Stupidly over-challenging
Bug riddled

I can appreciate that.

Now even though those all apply at certain times in my travels through the game, there is one unfortunate phrase that sums this whole game up for me.

Tedious with moments of pure frustration.

I am being completely honest when I write that after only 1400 EGO I am just not looking forward to continuing onto 5000. I look at all the things I have to do and realize that 90% of these things are easily accomplished repetitive tasks and the other 10% are excruciatingly frustrating tasks that need to also be repeated over and over until you reach a certain level of proficiency.

I think that's a matter of perspective.

I enjoy 95% of what Defiance is - a good quality shooter. The dynamic content and the gameplay itself (i.e. combat) is excellent in my view. The point isn't to grind your way to ego 5000. There doesn't seem to be much incentive to. It's not like WOW where you suffer through content repeatedly for increasingly shiny loot. The point in Defiance is to actually enjoy the game for itself. If you do then eventually you'll just end up at ego 5000.

I like that about Defiance.

I have made friends that have left the game because they can't get past a certain element of the storyline, and become so frustrated that they just go back to whatever other game they were playing.

And then there's this 5%. I'm kind one of these, though it's less frustration than it is boredom for me.

There was one story mission I couldn't solo. The boss was protected by instantly re-spawning repair bots. But thankfully it was outdoors and some kind soul was listening when I asked in chat for help. With their assistance I got past that.

I got bored with the final story boss. After more than a few retries I almost had him beaten - down past half health in the last stage, but the controls wigged out and I had to exit the game and restart it. I hadn't enjoyed the previous few hours so didn't feel much like going through all it again.

So I bought GW2 and have been playing that instead since. I'll probably keep playing it until I get bored, then come back and give Defiance another go. But I've been playing GW2 solidly for over a month now where it only took me a few days to feel the need to leave Defiance.

It is strange that so much of the story content is solo-only and that a few curious pieces of it deviate from the generally fun norm of a "realistic" shooter into artificial arcade style combat or arenas with a similarly artificial feel.

[Rumeyes]

The dynamic content and the gameplay itself (i.e. combat) is excellent in my view. The point isn't to grind your way to ego 5000. There doesn't seem to be much incentive to.

Interesting point. But then I would have to ask myself, are arkfalls, sieges and arenas enough to keep me playing all the way to ego 5000? Even if it isn't a goal in itself.

So I bought GW2 and have been playing that instead since. I'll probably keep playing it until I get bored, then come back and give Defiance another go. But I've been playing GW2 solidly for over a month now where it only took me a few days to feel the need to leave Defiance.

It is strange that so much of the story content is solo-only and that a few curious pieces of it deviate from the generally fun norm of a "realistic" shooter into artificial arcade style combat or arenas with a similarly artificial feel.

Agree with you there. If everyone is playing this MMO as a 3rd person solo shooter, it kinda explains why a lot of peeps leave after the storyline, a few arkfalls and some pvp.

[Carnak]

Interesting point. But then I would have to ask myself, are arkfalls, sieges and arenas enough to keep me playing all the way to ego 5000? Even if it isn't a goal in itself.

Tastes vary so it's not going to be the same for everyone but I would. Defiance's combat is solid. It feels "real" and immersive. I point. I shoot. They die. I'm not just sitting there watching cooldown timers. It's fun. I enjoy it. So I don't need a carrot dangling on a stick to keep me at it.

The reason I ambled off to another game is because of the content that deviates from that.

[Rumeyes]

Tastes vary so it's not going to be the same for everyone but I would. Defiance's combat is solid. It feels "real" and immersive. I point. I shoot. They die. I'm not just sitting there watching cooldown timers. It's fun. I enjoy it. So I don't need a carrot dangling on a stick to keep me at it.

Fair enough, I would partially agree. Right now I am actually waiting ingame on Freight Yard to start (just wanted to check out pvp), reading some forum while doing so. Defiance's combat is definately solid, indeed it feels "real" in an arcade kindof way (which I like, this isnt BF or CoD), but immersive.. Let's just put it at "tastes vary" indeed.