Worst EU review ever

[Few Scars]

Odd review? He was bitching about graphics, yet posting highly detailed scenery screenshots? I think he needs to play for more than an hour...

 

[Centech]

Ok, the review isn't well written, I suspect english isn't the author's first language. However; can you really disagree with most of what he said?

Imagine you really are a brand new noob dropped into NI. You have nothing. Things are attacking you and you cant even punch them in defense. You were sold on this as a free to play game, and you find that to buy even a basic noob weapon you need to use RL money.

Sure, most of his complaints seem minor to those of use who have played EU for years.. but if you look at it from his point of view I can easily see how he would think the game is a pile of crap that he was mislead about.

 

[Ludvig|MindArk]

To be honest: Yes, the review was badly written and lacks facts. However, I have seen worse...

 

[JakkDanielsz]

I dont blame him. Ofcourse he gets this idea if he comes to entropia and the first thing he visit is NextIsland (or rocktropia).

All planets use the same graphic engine, but that dosent mean the quality of the stuff made is the same.

Lets say i made a sandcastle and a 3 year old made a sandcastle next to me, we have the same material and the same equipment to build this castle, yet my castle will look alot better.

If he visited Planet calypso first he would come to the starting island and get to know the basics first (if they didnt take that oppurtunity away?)

Next Island and Rocktropia kills the Entropia Universe experience, i hate it so much i cant put words on it.

 

[Zacariaz]

Ok, the review isn't well written...

The review is in fact very well written and the layout too, which is actually the problem.

Anyone can bitch about EU and just about anyone have done so and one point or another, but it's easy to ignore.

However, a professional looking article like this is different. People will take it serious and it could damage the future of EU and NI.


Hopefully this isn't a very popular site.

 

[JakkDanielsz]

The review is in fact very well written and the layout too, which is actually the problem.

Anyone can bitch about EU and just about anyone have done so and one point or another, but it's easy to ignore.

However, a professional looking article like this is different. People will take it serious and it could damage the future of EU and NI.


Hopefully this isn't a very popular site.

The review can damage EU? Next Island is damaging EU

 

[Zacariaz]

The review can damage EU? Next Island is damaging EU

Yes and know.

There's the question about the reasonable consequences and actual consequences.

What you're saying is that this might as well damage CryTek, who made the Cryengine. Yes it might happen, but only because people are idiot.

Most of what the review contained was about the EU platform and not about Next Island.

 

[Oleg]

It always mystifies me why some of you get so upset at amateur articles written by amateur writers on amateur websites.

The link in the OP probably doubled the number of people who have read this article.

 

[Talania]

It does appear that the person doing the review didn't stay long and it clearly shows in his "Conclusion" why.

He made the mistake of starting on NI where the "Mad Monkeys" are!

 

[lilac]

Even tho this writer is worse then me, when it comes to compiling a reveiw. How he sets up his article he writes just as much about the avatar creation, as he does the entire game play. This shows he is a bad writer indeed.

But the key points that he writes about the story line is spot on. Its the same problems I hit when I try to recruit people to the game.

good points I think you hit the nail on the head...

It's not everything the guy said... it's how utterly impatient he seems...

the reason he focussed so long on Avatar creation is that he didn't experience the game long enough to do anything else!

Obviously there are some valid points... there are plenty of negative reviews actually written by folks who took the time to understand gameplay...

This was a good review. It was a review in which a new player compares what he sees to every other game he's ever played.

A little research within the RCE genre would be necessary if he had never played one before... maybe even put 10$ in and see what he gets for it... If he was to actually explore some, blow his 10$, and say that it was a ripoff and a waste of time... He at least would've followed the mission chain and happened upon a noob weapon.

He's spot on about the graphics. They have been done in a hurry with a lot of repetition. Cryengine 2 is capable of soo much more then the simple designs of the huts. The same goes for the lack of mobs. Monkey here monkey there with the odd pig here and there.
He's spot on about the weapons costing 70 ped too. Where would a noob go, if they wanted a weapon.. to the shop.
and there he found a weapon costs way too much, which is spot on as well.

I'd say that most gamers have a base curiosity when trying something... a small amount of gaming IQ tells you that if clicking on one monkey with a hat gives you the option of doing something, it makes sense to click on the other monkeys.

I'd say, as a reviewer, it also makes sense to try to talk to other avatars in game and ask "i'm new, what should I do".

Fair point about too many monkeys and boars, but the guy COULD see the size of the map vs, how much he explored... the mission he talked about was pretty much like running from PA to the old swamp camp... you only saw 4 mobs max on that run as well (daikiba, berycled, combibo, exorasaur)... the fact that there are only 4 types of creatures on the mainland... that needs improvement, but is irrelevant to the review.

Next island lacks the gateway, and it lacks a new arrivals port, which planet calypso both has. SO a new player doesn't learn what a trade terminal is, it even isn't a trade terminal, it's a trade papoo.

Fair point... I guess we can take from this that any planet needs to spoon feed info to folks who have had their curiosity surgically removed, and NI doesn't do a great job of this.

The review can damage EU? Next Island is damaging EU

I think it all depends on how the crafting system is implemented and how low level hunters are included in the economy with crystals... It has potential to develop a playerbase. imagine if snable actually dropped something other people wanted...

loot balancing on big mobs is a joke... hunting sharks reminds me of leviathan if 1 of 3 was a no looter and the other two only looted 1/2 of kill cost

but that's MA, not NI... I think the low population of hunters really drives the problem with the loot algorithm home.

 

[sky west]

100% of progamers agree with this statement.

That is a faulty statement as I am in fact a programmer and do not agree.

Well it's Immortals fault for using the wrong syntax, it's pro-gamer...every programmer knows that

God, I hope you're not involved in any critical systems
Ah, who are we kidding. The only thing you're programming is the playlist of your mp3 player.

OT
Review sounds about right to me. Can't blame the reviewer for not being impressed by a half finished product.

 

[Kristoliquid]

From all the reviews ive seen since 2006 (the day i joined) they ALL have been mostly negative. I certainly didin't start this based on reviews. The reason I continued playing and that I am still here today is because I had a really good mentor. And the other universes are "new".... so way much work to be done there. Basically he is reviewing unfinished buisness.

 

[Spawn]

Kristoliquid uttered:

I am still here today

Where where?

 

[Kristoliquid]

Kristoliquid uttered:


Where where?

.....maybe not "Today" today, but back soon. And we shall find bones together. Long breaks too... keep me here :O

 

[Xandra]

Hi,

is there something wrong in the article? Read it and couldn't but agree.

Have fun!

 

[Talania]

Hi,

is there something wrong in the article? Read it and couldn't but agree.

Have fun!

From a noobs point of view who started on NI by accident, absolutely nothing. It shows exactly what would happen.

Start at Genesis and enjoy avatar creation and get to see all the nice armor and clothes. Play with Avatar Creation over and over. That gives you an idea of how nice you can look.

Then you choose NI for your starting planet and land in noob clothes with nothing to stop the MAD MONKEYS from SCREAMING at you over and over!

 

[Zacariaz]

It's a sad thing that I am as creative as a bad headache. When it comes to writing I'm actually pretty talented and I'd really like to write a really good and very biased review to put out there. After all, +6 years does give some insight.

Guess I'll just have to accept my limitations, live with the crappy reviews and move on with the Daikiba challenge.

 

[addz]

I think that reviewer is in a way right actually its overall a pretty fair review of what someone starting on next island would experience.

Im not going to make many friends saying this but ND's planets are unimaginative, under delivering pieces of crap that are making the whole platform look like a joke. Given the potential of this platform he really has ballsed it up pretty good Hell he even managed to get the reviewer to say that it looked bad when hes using the most advanced gfx engine on the market, how bad do you want to get?

I'm just looking forward to future planet partners lifting the bar and exposing ND's "planets" as the talentless crap they are

 

[Talania]

It would help if the people designing the planets would use larger tile patterns for the ground with a highly detailed random look. The same tile would still be mapped over the region but with it being much more larger and having loads more realistic detail you would not be able to see the pattern on the ground repeating as easily.

There are better ground textures in SecondLife then in Entropia.

 

[lilac]

It always mystifies me why some of you get so upset at amateur articles written by amateur writers on amateur websites.

The link in the OP probably doubled the number of people who have read this article.

Fair enough point...

Not really upset by the review, I know it's just one and won't make much of a difference... just posted it here as EU press that hadn't been posted here

what I do find slightly irritating is that I feel like folks are jumping on criticism merely on the basis of it being criticism, without really considering whether it's informed or valid criticism...

I feel like the reviewer is doing something analogous to reviewing a movie on the basis of 10 minutes and the opening credits... The ending of the movie may indeed suck, the plot cliche, and the characters underdeveloped... but a reviewer does have a bit of a responsibility to at least figure out what stuff is all about before panning it.

Obviously, the fact that I, personally, see more potential in NI than I do in RT is causing me to be more invested in this thread than i otherwise would...

From all the reviews ive seen since 2006 (the day i joined) they ALL have been mostly negative. I certainly didin't start this based on reviews. The reason I continued playing and that I am still here today is because I had a really good mentor. And the other universes are "new".... so way much work to be done there. Basically he is reviewing unfinished buisness.

Agreed... if he had gotten to the point where he hunted the monkeys enough to get bored... he wouldve spotted a pretty big hole in the economy... really poor planning on MA's part that planets can't be self sustaining even with a player base.

I think that reviewer is in a way right actually its overall a pretty fair review of what someone starting on next island would experience.

Granted, I'm not a complete noob, so I can't be very accurate with what one would experience, but I think that If he had approached it like someone who actually wanted to play the game rather than write an article, he would've at least had the where-with-all to approach others to get past some of his hurdles like killing the monkeys and finding out where to look at his quests.

The same attitude towards helping noobs exists on NI as calypso... a little effort and he would've figured stuff out...

we all managed before a gateway...

personally, I think it's the RCE concept and whether someone likes it that will make or break the first few weeks of the newcomer experience... plot kicks in a bit later. Guy just didn't seem to get or try to get the concept...

Im not going to make many friends saying this but ND's planets are unimaginative, under delivering pieces of crap that are making the whole platform look like a joke. Given the potential of this platform he really has ballsed it up pretty good Hell he even managed to get the reviewer to say that it looked bad when hes using the most advanced gfx engine on the market, how bad do you want to get?

I'm just looking forward to future planet partners lifting the bar and exposing ND's "planets" as the talentless crap they are

I've said as much about RT, but NI isn't a Neverdie concept, it's David Post's... so i'm holding out hope... I generally like the treehouse atmosphere, and I think the low tt crystal based economy could help NI get something right that calypso hasn't... mainly loot with a purpose rather than just a ped substitute...

I'm not much of a graphics person, can barely see anything with my shitty setup... so i can't really say anything about Neverdie studios in that department ...

 

[Xandra]

Hi,

me again. As mentioned, I can't find much to criticize in the review. And "worst ever"? I have read much more insulting and degrading ones already.

But maybe we can learn something of it? What are the main points where the critic arises?

1.) Marketed as F2P - in fact it's the most expensive MMO ever

Yes, I know, they write "free to download". Marketing speech. Why don't they just claim:
"The first game where you decide yourself how much you want to pay, and where you even have a (small) chance to profit!"

Sure, it would attract less ppl. As we all know, "free" makes people curious, so they try it. Then these ppl come, see it just was another marketing lie that fooled them into a multi-GByte download, leave angrily, and write bad reviews. No rocket science to realize it.

Why lie to the people? Why not be honest, why not emphasize the actually good sides of EU?

"Get paid for killing mobs" - or whatever this was, another example. Why lie to the people? Why not be honest, why not emphasize the actually good sides of EU?

Such lies just are contra-productive. They hurt the game. By the love of Lootius, MA & planet partners, please stop this silliness, NOW! Be honest!
You have enough good arguments, why not use them?


2.) EU graphics and animations are actually sub-par. Even WoW does better.

*Equipping full Vigilante/ 6A plates, getting a barrel of water ready*

Yes, IMHO. I play with close to max. options and good frame rates, but it's way from what it could be. WoW has a much better graphics engine - it's optimized to offer a good gaming experience, fluid, elaborated animations, and lightning fast control responses.
All of this we are badly lacking.

We are suffering most poor animations, responsiveness of the controls feels like a snail in concrete, fast-paced PvP like in WoW (not even to talk about UT) is just a dream.

I don't even talk about the landscape, even a Java-based game I play has an overall much better one.

Sure, EU has crazy good effects here and then - I can see the scars on my face, and sometimes the water looks actually brilliant - but does this help? When all of the other stuff is this plain & dull, and filled with glitches?

EU atm is far from reaching the immersion of Crysis, and other games have come quite near to it meanwhile. And EU has made a major mistake, a mistake so much game companies are making:

"Making most realistic avatars makes your game look un-realistic!"

1.) Controlling a most un-realistic human-like mutant hunter is something your brain cannot judge. Even strange animations will be accepted, it's a mutant, anyway? Do we know how human-like mutant hunters would move?
As long as the animations would be consistent, and well done, our brain would easily accept them as "natural" and create the illusion of immersion, that one thing that any MMO urgently needs.
We had such before the Barbisation - ok, no fluid movement nor responsive controls, but it felt good.

2.) Controlling a quite realistic human hunter is something your brain can judge.
And as longs as not anything else is perfectly suiting, our brains will go on strike, due to inconsistencies.
Our brains, from our first years on, know this well how humans move, how their animations are, they'll puke at any even this small inconsistency. And smash the immersion.

So RL-like avatars are a big mistake, as long as it's not possible to provide sufficient realistic animations, and control options. And we might have to wait for decades until such is possible, even in experimental real-time environments.


I might add another point that hasn't been hit in the review:

3.) A virtual world asking for investments should have a plan & rules how these would be secured.

I might deposit about 10K EUR. Do I have even the slightest security that at least these my 10K EUR would be assured for me to withdraw, given I'd not waste it? Under any circumstances? I'm not talking about any profits, just: Is there any mechanism at MA that would secure my 10K at least, even in case of bankruptcy of MA?

An investment this way would be most stupid, atm, IMHO. Would be gambling. I'm no gambler.
A company that tells me that:
"We plan to give your money back at least, maybe, if we don't find anything against you, maybe, as long as we like, maybe we'll just return your last deposit, don't bother us, punk - we'll pay back what we see fitting!"
isn't a reliable business partner. IMHO.

So, we'll read many more of such critics, unavoidably. We are the addicts, people from outside may have a clearer view.

Have fun!

 

[Mariko Ninja]

Hi,

me again. As mentioned, I can't find much to criticize in the review. And "worst ever"? I have read much more insulting and degrading ones already.

...

So, we'll read many more of such critics, unavoidably. We are the addicts, people from outside may have a clearer view.

Have fun!

Indeed, not an bad review at all.
There will be more to follow for sure, some could be real nastly.
But if anyone in this thread thinks it's that bad, then by all means, write your own review.
But be honnest.

 

[lilac]

Hi,

me again. As mentioned, I can't find much to criticize in the review. And "worst ever"? I have read much more insulting and degrading ones already.

But maybe we can learn something of it? What are the main points where the critic arises?

...

By "worst ever", i was referring to the reviewer actually seeming particularly bad at being a reviewer...

Your post was actually substantive, arguably valid criticism... it shows you've actually played the game.

 

[JakkDanielsz]

If i wrote a review or anything about Next Island it would look something like this:

"lol?"

Seriously, RT and NI killed the spirit of Entropia.

I was whining about this shit with a friend ingame as i usually do lately. He told me he tried to pretend it dosent exist. I will give it a shot though its hard when you see items like "UBER SEXY ANDROID CANNON X2000 1337 - NEVERDIE EDITION" everytime you visit the auction...

 

[Corey 'Greyfox']

If i wrote a review or anything about Next Island it would look something like this:

"lol?"

Seriously, RT and NI killed the spirit of Entropia.

I was whining about this shit with a friend ingame as i usually do lately. He told me he tried to pretend it dosent exist. I will give it a shot though its hard when you see items like "UBER SEXY ANDROID CANNON X2000 1337 - NEVERDIE EDITION" everytime you visit the auction...

You can filter the the auction to planet specific.
As to you writing a review, well at least you played EU for more then ten minutes. This review really sounds like the guy created an avatar, looked around and did one nub quest and said, "Okay this sucks" he could have done the same thing on Calypso. Created avatar, did swamp camp mission, looked around and said, "This sucks." Point being in that article is he didn't actually play before writing the article, just looked around.

 

[JakkDanielsz]

You can filter the the auction to planet specific.
As to you writing a review, well at least you played EU for more then ten minutes. This review really sounds like the guy created an avatar, looked around and did one nub quest and said, "Okay this sucks" he could have done the same thing on Calypso. Created avatar, did swamp camp mission, looked around and said, "This sucks." Point being in that article is he didn't actually play before writing the article, just looked around.

If he visited Planet Calypso first he would get to the "tutorial island" (if they didnt take that away?)

But anyway. NI is just a try to make money, there is no thought behind it, no story, no introduction and it sure as hell dosent fit in to what Entropia once was. Entropia is becomming more and more similar to second life. It has no soul anymore. Its getting redicilous.

Why do you even defend it? IT SUCKS! and it kills what Entropia once was. omfg iam getting more frustrated everytime i think about it.

 

[Corey 'Greyfox']

If he visited Planet Calypso first he would get to the "tutorial island" (if they didnt take that away?)

But anyway. NI is just a try to make money, there is no thought behind it, no story, no introduction and it sure as hell dosent fit in to what Entropia once was. Entropia is becomming more and more similar to second life. It has no soul anymore. Its getting redicilous.

Why do you even defend it? IT SUCKS! and it kills what Entropia once was. omfg iam getting more frustrated everytime i think about it.

Yes I forgot about Gateway. I went during the open house though and did some of the quests there. Not much better then the newb quests on NI.
This guy criticized the avatar creation, same on all planets. Criticized graphics, same on all planet. Criticized newb quest, terrible on all planets.
There is a story behind NI, although releasing that back story as an iPod app was a dumb move. The story on Calypso is all but dead anyway.


I agree that NI and RT have taken away from what Entropia used to be. I visited RT when it came out, was disappointed, so I ignored it. Didn't have high hopes for NI when I visited either and figured I'd return to Calypso and ignore NI as well. For some reason that I can not put my finger on I liked the place, despite the problems.

Maybe I'm just so used to being MA's bitch that it's nice to be someone else's bitch for awhile.

 

[JakkDanielsz]

Yes I forgot about Gateway. I went during the open house though and did some of the quests there. Not much better then the newb quests on NI.
This guy criticized the avatar creation, same on all planets. Criticized graphics, same on all planet. Criticized newb quest, terrible on all planets.
There is a story behind NI, although releasing that back story as an iPod app was a dumb move. The story on Calypso is all but dead anyway.


I agree that NI and RT have taken away from what Entropia used to be. I visited RT when it came out, was disappointed, so I ignored it. Didn't have high hopes for NI when I visited either and figured I'd return to Calypso and ignore NI as well. For some reason that I can not put my finger on I liked the place, despite the problems.

Maybe I'm just so used to being MA's bitch that it's nice to be someone else's bitch for awhile.

Graphics same on all planets? it uses the same graphic engine. As i said somewhere else. Lets say i build a sandcastle next to a 3 year old, we use the same equipment and material, still my castle look alot better. Next Island is very ugly compared to Planet Calypso.

 

[Corey 'Greyfox']

Graphics same on all planets? it uses the same graphic engine. As i said somewhere else. Lets say i build a sandcastle next to a 3 year old, we use the same equipment and material, still my castle look alot better. Next Island is very ugly compared to Planet Calypso.

We are just going to have to agree to disagree on this point.

 

[Oleg]

Graphics same on all planets? it uses the same graphic engine. As i said somewhere else. Lets say i build a sandcastle next to a 3 year old, we use the same equipment and material, still my castle look alot better. Next Island is very ugly compared to Planet Calypso.

I have yet to visit Next Island but judging from screenshots and videos I've seen, it hardly seems fair to call NI ugly. In the Ancient Greece screenshots that Kitten took, it looks great, and certainly more impressive than the bland landscape that makes up most of Calypso.