[PC/360] The Secret World MMOG Announced: I'm Pumped

[Razgon]

just picked this up for $5.25 from Green Man Gaming; is there any life still in this?

Depends on what you mean? Its basically a singleplayer game with a few multiplayer dungeons sprinkled in. Its one of the finest singleplayer games out there, though , with strong emphasis on story and exploration.

[Gratch]

just picked this up for $5.25 from Green Man Gaming; is there any life still in this?

Depends on what you mean? Its basically a singleplayer game with a few multiplayer dungeons sprinkled in. Its one of the finest singleplayer games out there, though , with strong emphasis on story and exploration.

I had ignored TSW, but this description got me pretty intrigued.  After watching a few gameplay videos this morning, I think I'm going to give it a look.

[Gratch]

Picked this up yesterday, not impressed at all.  For starters, the game took over 7 hours to download and patch (2 hours downloading, 5+ hours patching).  Once it finally finished, I had some sort of password bug that allowed me to log into my account just fine on their website, but the game launcher wouldn't recognize the password.  Finally fixed that after multiple restarts.

Got into the game, only to realize this game looks and runs like absolute shit on my system.  Choppy animations, horrible framerates, significant lag when opening menus or activating items...it's just crappy all around.  On top of that, I hit multiple bugs in the first 2 hours including:

-  Characters whose mouths didn't move during cutscenes
-  Quest items hidden behind quest markers (not really a bug, I suppose...just piss-poor design).  Took me forever to find the book I was looking for because it could only be seen behind the quest marker from a very specific angle.
-  Character wouldn't draw his weapon when entering combat.  His hands looked like he was carrying something and there were plenty of slashing noises when I attacked, but his sword remained hanging from his hip the whole time.
-  Got stuck on scenery twice.

On top of all the technical issues, the very first mission drops you in the middle of a zombie attack.  This is just a personal thing, but I'm absolutely and completely sick of zombies.  If I ever see another zombie in a game for the rest of my life, it will be too soon.  The icing on the crap cake was during a mission where I had to lure 10 zombies into a flame, some asshole kept following me around for 15 minutes picking off every one of them with his rifle before I could lead them to the fire.  Annoying little bastard.

Glad this clicked with some folks, but it's definitely not my thing.  

[Azhag]

Agh, I would totally grab for that. But don't see how I can get the current list of $29.99 down there. Also interested in whether it is still alive.

[TiLT]

just picked this up for $5.25 from Green Man Gaming; is there any life still in this?

I play once in a while. It's still a lot of fun. Just got to Transylvania and was positively surprised again when it turned out to be (at least initially) more like Pan's Labyrinth than Bram Stoker's Dracula.

[Roguetad]

I found TSW to be a good story based single player MMO experience.  I like the combat system, especially having to choose from a wide selection of abilities to fit the limited action bar slots (similar to GW and GW2).  The ability system can be straightfoward, or very complex, especially if you take the time to understand the ability synergies and how to setup different conditions or whatever they were called in game.  They include some templates that sort of teach this, but I had to really dive into the tool tips to start figuring out how to combine abilities and traits effectively (which I liked doing...but I could see it being a turn off for some though).

The stories and zones were mostly interesting, with some memorable villians and npcs.  I'd still be playing if the game didn't cost $15 a month.  My main character was a cool shotgun and pistol wielding Illuminati.  I forgot exactly how I did it, but his pistol and shotgun abilities all worked together to slow, hinder and really mess things up.

     

[TiLT]

I should mention that I have a lifetime subscription, so I have no reason to stop playing.

My character is Illuminati as well, specialized in assault rifles and blades. He's a total AoE monster, able to take out large amounts of enemies very quickly. He's weak against individual enemies though, so I'm currently looking at a supporting build for those situations, hopefully featuring at least one of my previous specializations. I've also dabbled a bit in hand-to-hand combat for the passives.

[Razgon]

Seems like it will become subscription less soon, according to their latest video, where the new game director says the game should be without subsription, to let everyone try it out before the world ends.

[TiLT]

As of today, the game is free to play. As in really free to play, unlike games like The Old Republic. You must purchase the base game, but after that there are no subscription fees, and you can play the entire game (including the first 4 DLC packs that have already been released) without restrictions. Future DLC will cost money, unlike before.

You can still subscribe, which will give you bonus points for use in the in-game store, discounts in said store, a "time accelerator" that gives you 100% increased xp gain from monsters for an hour, usable once every 16 hours, and an "item of the month".

I've got mixed feelings about this since I have a lifetime subscription, but then again, I knew I took a risk when I bought it. From now on I'll receive all benefits of a regular subscription for free, as well as a larger, permanent discount in the in-game store. If I understand the system correctly this probably means I'll essentially get every future piece of DLC for free, so that's something.

Hopefully this should make more people want to try the game, though the biggest issue is that payment is up-front.

[Soulchilde]

29.99 is still to much for me..   I might take a peek once it gets under the 9.99 range

[Roguetad]

Sweet!  And their buy to play model is not obnoxious like swtor: http://thesecretworld.com/news/subscription_no_longer_required

I think it's absolutely worth $29.99, but I bet you'll see it in one of the holiday sales in the next couple of weeks.  It has more content than most single player rpgs, with the mmo aspect there if you want it.  If you're into modern day, sci-fi/supernatural settings with a good atmoshpere, and you like a more active combat system with lots of options, TSW is worth a look...especially with out a monthly fee. 

   

[Blackjack]

This is all interesting, but the Important Question is...

Is Kronovan Still Pumped? 

[Teggy]

Is there an GT/OO guild?

[morlac]

29.99 is still to much for me..   I might take a peek once it gets under the 9.99 range

$14.99 on amazon sale.  Tempting.

[CeeKay]

This is all interesting, but the Important Question is...

Is Kronovan Still Pumped? 

at least it's not stuck in beta

[Razgon]

Is there an GT/OO guild?

I doubt it, but one thing to bear in mind, is that it really doesnt matter what server you choose, since chat is cross-server, and you can always team up with other people, even if they are on another server :-)

[TiLT]

Got myself a chainsaw and rocket launcher this weekend, and purchased the chainsaw skill (35 frigging skill points!) as well as two abilities for it (2 x 50 ability points). Since I'm focused on AoE DPS, this should help me deal with single targets.

[Gratch]

I think I'm going to give this another try.  TSW and I got off to a very rough start:

1.  A login/password snafu that took forever to sort out
2.  A ridiculously long load/patch process
3.  A zombie level (which I was not in the mood for) right off the bat
4.  The pressure of needing to play to justify a monthly sub.
5.  Having a wandering MMO eye (I've messed around with GW2, Rift, LOTRO, Tera, Aion, and even WoW since I last played Secret World)

I think I've got all these things out of my system and can actually give TSW an objective look.  Hopefully we get off to a better start this time around.  

[Gratch]

Spent about 12 or so hours with TSW over the last couple days, and it has finally clicked.  My only real gripe (other than killing zombies, which I find somewhat dull) is how vague some of the quests are...both in finding them and completing them.  I feel like I'm typically just randomly stumbling onto quests, which makes me wonder how many I'm missing as a result.  I have also had to resort to FAQs multiple times to figure out what the hell the game was expecting me to do. 

That gripe aside, I'm really digging the story.  You can definitely tell the TLG/Dreamfall influences, which is a very good thing, IMO.  The voice work is outstanding, and it's refreshing to not be doing the same old "collect 20 widgets" over and over again.  I haven't really figured out the crafting system yet, but that's typically pretty low on the totem pole for me in MMOs. 

A few quick questions:

1. Is there a bank or storage where I can dump some of this stuff?  I'm carrying around a ton of junk, but don't just want to throw it away.
2.  Can you respec skills, or are you stuck with what you choose the first time around?
3.  Is there an AH anywhere?
4.  Seems totally random as to whether or not a piece of equipment can be salvaged.  Is there an indicator for dissassemble-able items that I'm somehow missing?

[Razgon]

There is no need to ever respec your character in any way - this is the beauty of the system. Its pretty fast to get enough AP to try out other skill areas - its much faster than starting over, at least, since your character is better now than a beginning character.

I don't think there is an AH of any kind, nor a bank although the last thing I can't remember.

I think it depends on the level of the item whether you can dissemble it or not.

[TiLT]

I don't think there is an AH of any kind, nor a bank although the last thing I can't remember.

Yes there is. The bank and the AH are the same place in London.

[Barrakketh]

As Tilt said, the bank and AH are one and the same, although there are now two locations, both in London - the Bank (across from the clothes store), and the Post Office (near the Tube Station/Agartha entrance). Your bank will start at 50 slots and is expandable with PAX, much like your bag space.

As for the ability to disassemble items, there are a few items at QL0 and QL1 that don't break down into components, but after that pretty much every item can be.

[Gratch]

Back to square one again with TSW...frustration.  I've completed every "Normal" mission I can find in Kingstown at this point.  The only other missions available range from "Hard" to "Devastating".  I've tried 5-6 of the Hard ones, and they end up with me chasing down my dead body within a couple minutes.  The main story mission has me headed out to the airport to look for information, but the only way in (at least that I can find) is guarded by a dude who can literally kill me in 2 hits.  So, I'm basically at the point where I can't really advance unless I team up with someone, and I've had zero success doing that.  I'm going to try out the AH and see if I can get some better equipment...maybe that will help.  If not, it may be time to shelve this one again.  At least I can say I gave it an honest shot.

I tried messing around with the crafting system, which got me nowhere.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why none of my equipment will disassemble into components.  Every guide I've read says that's the first step, but whenever I put a weapon or item (QL2 or higher) into the "Disassemble" box in the crafting window, it doesn't let me do anything (the "disassemble" box is greyed out).  I have a ton of base-level components, which I've tried to assemble Minecraft-style into weapons, but I always get a message telling me my components are too low level to craft.  Looked for better components at the AH, but couldn't figure out where they're listed.  I give up.

One other quick question.  I've been focusing most of my skills on shotgun, but I also have a "Chaos Focus" equipped in the other weapon slot.  I thought this "Focus" was just a support item, but it dawned on me tonight that maybe it's a secondary weapon I can switch to (ala Guild Wars 2).  Am I right in thinking I can switch?  If so...um...how?

Feel like there's a ton of stuff I probably should have figured out by now, but I'm still fumbling around.  

[TiLT]

Okay, you clearly didn't do your homework before playing this game.

Back to square one again with TSW...frustration.  I've completed every "Normal" mission I can find in Kingstown at this point.  The only other missions available range from "Hard" to "Devastating".  I've tried 5-6 of the Hard ones, and they end up with me chasing down my dead body within a couple minutes.  The main story mission has me headed out to the airport to look for information, but the only way in (at least that I can find) is guarded by a dude who can literally kill me in 2 hits.  So, I'm basically at the point where I can't really advance unless I team up with someone, and I've had zero success doing that.  I'm going to try out the AH and see if I can get some better equipment...maybe that will help.  If not, it may be time to shelve this one again.  At least I can say I gave it an honest shot.

No no no, you're doing it wrong! The airport contains a zone filled with overpowered enemies meant for those who have reached the end game. You need to think harder. Is your quest listed as a Sabotage quest? If it is, that means you're probably not going to be able to solve it with direct violence. Perhaps you can sneak in? Perhaps you can impersonate one of the people who are allowed to pass? Only for regular missions can you approach this game in the same way as you would a normal MMO. For other missions you need to stop and think.

The difficulty of a mission is determined by your skill levels, btw. Your basic skill in a weapon is the highest of its two sub-skills. Make sure you're not improving Healing if you're focusing on Damage, for example. It's a waste of points early on and will leave you underpowered. You need to keep improving your skill in both primary weapons (we'll get back to that) and the different types of amulets and protective gear.

I tried messing around with the crafting system, which got me nowhere.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why none of my equipment will disassemble into components.  Every guide I've read says that's the first step, but whenever I put a weapon or item (QL2 or higher) into the "Disassemble" box in the crafting window, it doesn't let me do anything (the "disassemble" box is greyed out).  I have a ton of base-level components, which I've tried to assemble Minecraft-style into weapons, but I always get a message telling me my components are too low level to craft.  Looked for better components at the AH, but couldn't figure out where they're listed.  I give up.

I think you want to look up a crafting guide on the internet. Here's one. I strongly suspect you're doing something wrong, either by placing the item in the assembly box instead of the disassembly box, putting too many items in the box, or something else. Look at the guide and it should become obvious to you.

One other quick question.  I've been focusing most of my skills on shotgun, but I also have a "Chaos Focus" equipped in the other weapon slot.  I thought this "Focus" was just a support item, but it dawned on me tonight that maybe it's a secondary weapon I can switch to (ala Guild Wars 2).  Am I right in thinking I can switch?  If so...um...how?

You don't switch. You can (and should) always have two primary weapons equipped. By slotting abilities from their respective parts of the ability circle, these weapons will be automatically used whenever needed. If you activate a shotgun ability, your character will shoot with the shotgun. If you activate a chaos ability, he'll use chaos magic. This allows you to combine two weapon types and create the awesome combos the game eventually expects you to come up with. By just focusing on one weapon you're hindering yourself. Take a look at your shotgun abilities, then try to figure out a weapon type you'd like to use along with it. Start learning abilities and skills for that weapon, and get one to equip. This might be one of the reasons the game lists some quests as hard for you. It sees that you haven't improved both your weapons skills to the levels it expects. Skill (ie. the highest of the two, as mentioned earlier) is the closest you'll get to traditional levels in this game.

Feel like there's a ton of stuff I probably should have figured out by now, but I'm still fumbling around.  

I find that when playing a new MMO, it's always good to play around with it for a few hours, turn it off, then spend a little time reading online guides explaining the core concepts. MMOs are rarely very good at explaining for themselves, and typically seem to expect you to do research on your own.

[Roguetad]

That section of the airport is a bit confusing.  Most of the junkyard and skatepark missions are good.  You just have to bypass some of the baddies around and near the airport fenceline.  I'm not sure why they put that higher level group area there. 

I know Tilt already mentioned most of these, but I'll just reinforce what really helped me:
- There are no true character levels in the game.  Everything is based on your weapon/skill level...including quest difficulty.  That's why it's so important that you focus on leveling up 2 weapons, and using both of their skills the best you can.  Another way to say it, you will notice quest difficulty level go down as you raise your weapon skill levels. 

- If you're not comfortable trying to pick the best active and passive skill combos, try going with one of the starter templates.  The template will help you pick active and passive skills that work well together.  Almost all of the templates will teach you how to use 2 weapon skills together to trigger effects.  Once you get a feel for how the different weapon abilities work together, you can start swapping out what you want (or working towards something you want).  The beauty of it is that you never need to respec.  You can start working on a different weapon anytime you want.

- I had to use a crafting guide to figure out the different crafting shapes.  Unless something has changed, breaking down loot was straightforward.  I would just check out a guide and see if that helps.   

[Destructor]

Also keep in mind that if you want more skill points for whatever reason (just short of getting something cool and you want it now before progressing forward), you can redo missions you've already completed (after 24 hours I think of last doing it).

[TiLT]

Also keep in mind that if you want more skill points for whatever reason (just short of getting something cool and you want it now before progressing forward), you can redo missions you've already completed (after 24 hours I think of last doing it).

I don't really see the point in redoing missions until you reach the end of the game, since there's way more missions than you need in this game (for once. I wish other MMOs did this). You can do less than half the quests in a zone and still be more than strong enough to proceed to the next area if you want. Repeating missions just produces a grind, unless you really enjoyed that mission.

[Destructor]

Also keep in mind that if you want more skill points for whatever reason (just short of getting something cool and you want it now before progressing forward), you can redo missions you've already completed (after 24 hours I think of last doing it).

I don't really see the point in redoing missions until you reach the end of the game, since there's way more missions than you need in this game (for once. I wish other MMOs did this). You can do less than half the quests in a zone and still be more than strong enough to proceed to the next area if you want. Repeating missions just produces a grind, unless you really enjoyed that mission.

Oh, I totally agree. I love how many missions there are all over the place in TSW. So much of the world seems to be 'optional' that way, as there's just so much to do in each zone.

[Caine]

I'm tempted to pick this up when Amazon has it at $13 on sale.  would be my first MMORPG in several years.