Defiance and Longevity, Major issues flying under the Radar.

[Fatalmephisto]

The longevity for Defiance is there but its done in bursts then just every single week with content. Hell take a look at the recent Guild Wars 2, when that game came out, people reached level 80 with in the first week or so and hell i remember a few guilds getting to level 80 with in less then 48 hours. Then what is there to do? There was no end game content. There was just instances and that was it but a month after Arena Net started to do monthly content. I feel this game will do the same with the DLC's and content with the show. Yet that content will come sooner thanks to the TV show (I know most of you all will disagree due to the lack of content from the past two episodes but again, if there isn't anything in the show to link back to us. No need for episode content minus those small add-ons like pursuits and mini content like emergencies.) So yeah, i feel this game will be a bit like how Guild Wars 2 turned out but from a different gameplay standpoint. Which I'm totally okay with to be honest. We will just have to wait and see what happens. I also forgot to say that also includes content and features from patches and updates.

[Arache]

Yeah.. Every game starts out slow, I'd have to agree the game's too easy, but I have hope for this game and it's mildy entertaining. I'm not going to flame you as I have the highest respect for Vets/Military (Those who've actually served, not Basic Brats). It is too easy, we live in a society where everybody gets a trophy and whether that was the intent of the devs, it seems that's what's available currently.

Exploration, Yeah, we should be rewarded for going to the far edges of the Map, but that's never really an issue in other games. You can go to the edge of a map, fall down a waterfall, but there's nothing really there. I do believe there should be "Rare raid bosses" in instances, out of the way of the linear Co-op maps. I'm past PvP, in most games my dying is the result of someone being a scrub, lobbing nades or camping in a corner. (Not sure if you played MoH: Warfighter, but yeah).

Loot/Salvage, I've plenty of. Didn't need to mod early guns, it's kind of a good thing I don't have to grind for a year to get a great weapon, kind of not.

I can offer my opinion on other things in your very lengthy post, But I would say give it time. They've released a new post and honestly I don't think the devs want this game to fail, I genuinely think that these are good guys, they want to please the customer (Which is rare nowadays *Ea/Ubisoft etc*).

Also, Rainbow Six patriots/The Last of us will be coming soon. But I'm sure they'll be DLC by then.

[Angeleus09]

The longevity for Defiance is there but its done in bursts then just every single week with content. Hell take a look at the recent Guild Wars 2, when that game came out, people reached level 80 with in the first week or so and hell i remember a few guilds getting to level 80 with in less then 48 hours. Then what is there to do? There was no end game content. There was just instances and that was it but a month after Arena Net started to do monthly content. I feel this game will do the same with the DLC's and content with the show.

I agree with this.

Good post, OP, pretty well constructed and you managed to list your thoughts and criticisms without sounding like 90% of similar threads on this site.

I feel like until Defiance more clearly establishes it's identity in the marketplace it will always be known as "that game that was supposed to be an MMORPG with guns but wasn't." Defiance is definitely an MMO, but it's an MMOTPS and that TPS makes all the difference, it's not an excuse, it really does.

If you look at things objectively, every design decision Trion made was so as not to force a separation of the player base at any stage of the game. They gave us a sandbox shooter MMO without traditional character levels and a horizontal gear system along with some RPG elements to make things interesting, but it seems like most people heard "MMO" and set their expectations based on traditional MMORPG mechanics without really giving pause to consider that MMOTPS is an equally valid, if new, genre.

When you play Gears of War, do you expect it to have the same combat options or quest system you'd have in Kingdoms of Amalur? Are you disappointed that you don't? In that example, we're comparing a TPS to an RPG, why does adding MMO suddenly change things? All I mean is this game doesn't necessarily have to have all the standard longevity features of an MMORPG to stick around.

You do bring up a lot of good points OP.

I would like to see faction vehicles as well. And vehicle mods. I'd like to see 4 person vehicles with firepower and a vehicle combat multiplayer co-op and PvP map. I do think thenworld would feel a lot bigger if we had to walk everywhere until unlocking a moped at ER 500, then an ATV at ER 750 etc. but I feel like Trion made a decision that wasnmore fun for us by giving us "mounts" so early.

I would like to see elite rare-spawns in the world that absolutely require some specific tactics to defeat. I would like it if people would experiment with some traditional group tactics in Arkfalls or against existing Elite enemies to see if there are super efficient ways to take them down.

I would like to be able to sort my inventory by rarity and I too don't want to see items I can't salvage or modify pop up in the Matrix.

I think capping your skill levels until certain EGO levels are hit is a fine idea to motivate people to max level.

I think the chat features need a lot of work to help improve the social potential of the game, to allow us to attempt coordinating strategies against certain enemies and to makeit feel like there is a point to being in a clan other than to reap the 7% boosts some generous members bought.

I have had it take a moment for all the other players and some of the bigger enemies to pop when entering an Arkfall but nothing like what you described in your Server section. I also get tired of vehicles in the Arkfalls but until chat functions better and people actually listen what can we do?

I play on PS3 so I can't say I've ever experienced real hacking in PvP, jut people who jump alot and overuse detonators.

Ultimately I think there is a place in the market for the kind of game Defiance is shaping up to be and there are plenty of people out there who want to play that kind of game. I don't think Defiance will ever be the game for the players who live only to acquire the full set of max tier armor from raids. I think it's too bad they may not be able to enjoy this game but ( and this isn't directed at you, OP or anyone specifically) the sooner they accept this it won't be WoW with guns and stop calling it a bad game simply because it isn't, the happier everyone will be.

[SphaZ]

Long time MMO player here too (eq since 1998) and I just gotta agree with the OP on all points. But I knew what I was getting into with a new MMO and take it slow, also play other games, etc. Because it will take a year or so to see what kind of game Defiance really will be like.

[Unknown Pwn]

Thanks for rehashing weeks of live and months of both beta and alpha issues for everyone including developers. Im sure ALL these issues will be gone...

When Eve Online takes out pvp
When WoW goes completely free to play
When NCSoft restarts City of Heroes Online
When a buyer is found for Tabula Rasa and Auto Assault
When EA wins #1 company ranking 2 years in a row

I tried to buy Auto Assault. I was told and I quote "Auto Assault is not for sale"

Just saying..........

HOWEVER

What the OP says, is accurate. I am somewhere between astonished and disheartened with what has been presented me by Trion via Defiance.

I could rant on specifics but I feel like I would be giving away trade secrets. I cant believe they are making the same mistakes as Auto Assault and Tabula Rasa' crew made with Defiance. It is so dumbed down and overly laden with random reinforcement I feel like I am playing a two year-old's game.

[dalendria]

The longevity for Defiance is there but its done in bursts then just every single week with content. Hell take a look at the recent Guild Wars 2, when that game came out, people reached level 80 with in the first week or so and hell i remember a few guilds getting to level 80 with in less then 48 hours.

Have played GW2 since beta and there is a huge difference between its content at launch versus Defiance. I still have a lot of the original content in GW2 to complete. In Defiance, within 3 weeks, I have experienced all of the content available.

First of all, Arenanet made it clear for years that they would have no "endgame" in GW2 or at least what people perceive as traditional endgame. They even wrote an article called Endgame Reimagined. If you bought the game expecting traditional endgame, then that was an uninformed consumer decision and not a game failing.

Those of us who understood their approach, also understood that getting to Level 80 was irrelevant. The same thing you could do at low levels you would be able to do at level cap. So if you enjoyed the content, hunting for skins, creating different builds, then you would continue to play.

GW2 has tons of content of varying focus. After 8 months, I still have many zones, events, etc that I have not done. I like all of their content offering except jumping puzzles and structured PVP. Its not because those are bad but because I am not good at them. Everyone has different content they like in the game which is good since it appeals to a broad spectrum.

Now on top of their initial content, they have been adding new things every month since October. In fact, many people have complained that there is too much to do, too much going on. These are people not focused on level cap, raiding, etc. But rather, they are focused on just having fun and finding every bit of content they put into the large world of Tyria. Unless the DLC updates are huge, Defiance will not be able to come close.

But I am still enjoying Defiance because I play it as a shooter. Just keep giving me reasons to kill things and I am happy.

[Jeronan]

We have not even see the first DLC, and you guys talk about longevity? YOU are still here and first DLC is coming within weeks.

Nope. Earliest plan was end of may and they already said they were not gonna make that and pushed it further away, due to all the issues that need fixing first.

[EvilWaterman]

I totally agree with your post OP

I used to play WoW and recently DCUO and although this game is not trying to be those games I don't think it would hurt to take a few leafs from their book.

This game is absolutely lacking that sense of co op, grouping, brotherhood etc etc. I have finished the main story line and have absolutely no desire to switch the game on any more, there just is nothing to aim for.

[mikey]

As much as I'm loving this game I think its missing the incentive. No real wow that outfit looks fantastic I have to have it and its going to take ages, same with vehicles etc. No real oh yeah got to get to this ego because I get that, then oh man I need to get to this ego because now I get that as well. No reputation based outfits vehicles bonuses etc beyond titles. n game shop needs more items too, not even any dyes to change outfit colours. Trion need to dangle the carrots to keep players playing long term.

Its early days though so there is time.

[EvilWaterman]

As much as I'm loving this game I think its missing the incentive. No real wow that outfit looks fantastic I have to have it and its going to take ages, same with vehicles etc. No real oh yeah got to get to this ego because I get that, then oh man I need to get to this ego because now I get that as well. No reputation based outfits vehicles bonuses etc beyond titles. n game shop needs more items too, not even any dyes to change outfit colours. Trion need to dangle the carrots to keep players playing long term.

Its early days though so there is time.

Yep, i absolutely agree!

The trouble here is that the best out fits cost real money. I'd rather pay sub and then have to earn all the good stuff!!