We welcome First Impression posts! Please be nice to those posts.

first impression: ... in short

>> this is a mature game, from its presentation ( graphics ) to its character developement. - this is a very positive thing with games being dumbed down these days <<




detailed analysis:

- the artstyle is fitting, - and offers a good pace and progress - from the dirty and desolate shores to the lush jungles, the roman architecture and hellish slaughter pits.

- the monster variety is good, the AI is lacking a bit though - also the attack patterns are sometimes a bit too simple.

- the character styles are nice, different from most other games - very similar to Titan Quest ( including the lack of pants and full body armor - or maybe that comes later in the game .. that is a negative point btw. .. my witch appears to prefer to run around bare legged up to like 40 )

- the variety in weapons and armor ( non microtransaction ) is lacking. the customization of the character is severely lacking for a game that is all about unique customization. in that respect - i feel that the characters are not different enough in appearence in game. - at least i have a hard time telling marauders, duelists and templars apart.

- the perspective is very much top down - it "might" be an advantage if the angle was not that steep but flat enough to see more of the world and the character - which would however limit the front field of view.

- the graphics overall make use of some strange dx effects sometimes. - it is as if EVERYTHING is covered in reflective foil - giving the entire world appear as if it was made of glazed mud.

- the first beach offers excellent atmosphere with the lightning effects - along with amazing shadowplay. - almost all the other maps are mostly dead though. - hardly interaction, no animated foliage - actually way too little foliage in the jungles. - and the world just feels vacated then. - so the best effects are still the very first shores.

- the skill tree is genious! - it might need the same functions you have on the website though - highlighting similar items and shortest routes .. ingame.

- the voices are mostly good, there could be a few more major bosses - maybe random ones.

- the act boss fights are a bit too simple, - but i don t mean easy, they kill you quickly - but i mean they could act a bit smarter instead of playing back fixed patterns or just charging you head on.

- the npc trade system is unique - at least for a bigger title. and its great. kudos

- the energy shield display on the life bulb is as ugly as it can get - seriously. - wish your art team came up with a better and more aesthetic way to display the energy shield bar on the UI!

- the potion mechanic - great ! - love it

- the very final boss fight ... hmm. .disappointing - also for some reason ( i cannot explain why ) - i really expected an act 4 with the REAL boss. - but since its beta - maybe thats the plan - have not kept track of the dev blog here too much.

- the support gems and how they combine - thats bold and awesome! - nothing more to say - it is simply one of the best customizations i have seen in a long time in such games.

- if there is not - maybe a microtransaction that allowes a FULL respec might be nice though ( if there is one - i have not checked - then disregard that line )

- MORE colours to the equipment! - its as if everything is grey drapes. - micro allows for a lot of sparkly stuff - but particle effects is not everything ... imo - the very nice equipment should be a lot more "voluminous" on the characters.

- play more with line-of-sight and shadows .. especially in the dungeon levels. also the spell effects could need some rework - they are on a level of diablo 2 - but hardly up to date of what is commonly possible.

- little thing - when selecting your char - it might be displayed equipped and in her/his full beauty. - after all - one is proud on it...

- DISCONNECTS - happen too often - but i am sure they will be fixed. - so will be the "you logged in from another place" thing...

- a few more animations - maybe even make them microtransfers - so that a char can even pick from creeping around or striding proudly around etc. ( general stance )

- dyes - purchasable with either real money or not. - but customization is the big thing

- "no helm" option. - today - imo that is a MUST have - even if the head options are all very good. - and i would NOT make that a microtransaction like "knights of the old republic"

- an ingame notebook where you can insert recipes / trades - after all the traders are kind of "horodric cubes"

- i don t know abou6t the endgame - but maybe REAL immunities on NPCs to specific damage types - along with better documented resists and damage evade statistics on the player char.

- an option to hotkey portal scrolls ( not only portal spells )


thats all i can think of at the moment - but the game is very good. - it is not as polished as diablo 3 - but it is much bolder and more mature - which outweighs the technical side by far.

Dear GGG Devs.

I was a long avid fan of D2 + LOD and this game takes it to another level. The skill gems, map modifications and skill trees gives alot of freedom as a player. I only played this game for only 3 weeks but already filled my global stash up to 13 tabs full ! I'm so interested in this game that I even invested into your microtransactions shop perks, it made my gaming experience (hoarding) just a little bit easier ;).

I am an avid paladin player and your templar just fit my niche (soahrd and bhoard) all the way.

My only critique is the desynce, running maps can be alot of frustrating especially for a first time melee player (good thing he's tanky at the start). But that's expected, and hopefully in the future it will kept down at the minimum to a better playing experience.

My hats off to you guys and keep on truckin'

Regards,


Eyeliekturtles
(Anarchy)

My impression is that there is definitely NOT ENOUGH WORLD AREAS.

Small changes, re-balancing etc etc DOES NOT REALLY MATTER THAT MUCH WHEN THERE IS NOT ENOUGH NEW CONTENT IN THE GAME.

I really enjoyed this game for a while, like skill tree a lot.

Add new chapters, double them, or triple, sounds crazy but that would be awesome.

"

alx0pl wrote:

My impression is that there is definitely NOT ENOUGH WORLD AREAS.

Small changes, re-balancing etc etc DOES NOT REALLY MATTER THAT MUCH WHEN THERE IS NOT ENOUGH NEW CONTENT IN THE GAME.

I really enjoyed this game for a while, like skill tree a lot.

Add new chapters, double them, or triple, sounds crazy but that would be awesome.

Watch this space. Act3x is expected towards end of October. New act after that aswell.

my first impression:
epic
i wonder why ppl didnt make such games earlier
its like: almost everything good about games together:
mmo, grinding, destroying armies of enemies, total control over your char (that AWESOME passive skill tree),
a lot of modifications for items i dont even know them yet, donating only affects style and comfort which
is essential for a balanced mmo i guess, smooth and easy control: its really fun to slay through that world

i guess so far the only point i dont like is that i will have to pay for character customization xD

in some words: guys i can promise you with this game you are fulfilling a LOT of wet gamer-dreams ;)

this is my impression after a year.
in short: this game is the true successor of d2.
it is just as fresh and innovating and addictive as d2 was back in the day.
the currency system and items such as the volls protector and the blood dance are landmarks that attest to this.

for as far as wishes for improvements go, i cant say there´s anything critical.
items such as the unique karui maul and imperial bow seem too much as absolutes.
the soundtracks are very true to the original diablo but a wider variety wouldnt hurt. im sure some of the fans are capable of producing some high quality additions or extended versions of the current tracks. make it a constest if u will.
adding more sporadic boosters such as the onslaught ability might make the gameplay more action packed. but i would reckon to put smooth graphic performance above everything new and complex.

My first impressions after playing for a little while are--

Overall I think it's a good game; so far I would give it 7.5/10.
What I would like to see different are--

1. More intelligent NPC monsters. It seems difficulty is largely based on the level of the monster and the number of monsters attacking you. This can lead to the feeling of grinding.

2. Voice communication.

3. A better MAP feature (TAB).

4. Many more skills for players to obtain.

5. A reward for killing all monsters of a level in the dungeon, or in a location. This encourages players to finish a level `properly' by fulfilling the quest and wiping out monsters.

6. Interactive objects as part of a quest goal. So far I have encountered chests, pottery, etc.

7. At higher levels, (once players are used to `kill-->quest complete'), require that players use information provided to "solve" the "puzzle" of the quest, to keep actions tied with the overall story or the story of the quest. For example, instead of "retrieve item X" or "kill bandits Y", maybe, "speak to NPC X and use items Y and Z to bypass the trap located at this part of the dungeon...this will lead you to..." and then players encounter unpredictable things as part of the quest and must use intelligence to complete it. Provide a mix of simple quests and complex quests.

8. Create a PoE application add-on. Allow players to create their own dungeons replete with monsters. Treasures can be applied by the player-creator within strict limits based on a system devised by the game developers. Other players can vote on the dungeon having played through it. This imports new and exciting dungeons into an ever-evolving game. To begin with the structure is basic: monsters and treasures only; creators cannot produce quests or quest rewards of any kind, nor NPC dialogue etc.
Whether players who complete user-created content should be given tangible (usable) in-game rewards (for e.g. they get to keep treasure found and advance in Experience accordingly) is open to question.
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To who it may concern

Here are my first impressions:
1. The trading system is excellent, not having gold but items to trade is very innovative and fun.
2. Graphics are generally good, but I would suggest that you work a little on the witch and dueler, I have dueler but his hair and he has no Calf's, I want to connect with my character but every time I play I get stuck on the fact that his legs are tree stumps. (same size on top as at the bottom.
3. With the new update we have the ability to change the look of our Armour to Armour we like, but we have to pay real money to acquire tokens. In Terra we get to do that with in game currency. Make an NPC where we can change the look of our character's weaponry, helmets, etc.

However the game in general is great, no game allows me to take a witch and turn her completely into a melee based character.

Therefore I would score this game 10/10, despite the few small problems it still has

Diablo was a great game. Amazing gameplay and storyline until Diablo 3.

Dungeon Siege was one of the best games out there. Phenomenal storyline, music, and gameplay. The amount of detail into the characters was outstanding.

Path of Exile is better yet. The music is up there, the graphics are still good even on the lowest setting, the skill system and passive skill tree are user friendly and your character isn't "lost" if you go the wrong way.

For a "Free to play" game, this is worth the money I have spent on it. I'd spend more if I could.

You need to add more story content and advertising is minimal. Three coworkers had never heard of the game until I mentioned it to them.

As for those 3 coworkers, they all gave up due to the element of pure randomness. 2 went back to Diablo 3, the other just went back to playing shooters.

I'm hanging on, but barely as my play time would suggest. I might be more honest than others, but I'm currently looking forward to switching off of PoE and onto Diablo 3 once the "Loot 2.0" patch goes through. I have a feeling I'm older than the average age of users, so it might be just a case of where once you've seen too much, you judge too much.

The hardcore mode is weak. I don't play it because you can save gear and your character level. Maybe try a mode where you can't save anything ever, trade, and you're only a level 80 until you turn the game off. I understand the races try to bring these elements, but very little "hardcore" remains. Like I said, I'm a little older, so hardcore means something else to me :-/

The game is rrrrrrreally well coded. Usually I can spot some spaghetti code here and there in the mechanics, but your programmers have done an excellent job. Even if they are hiding it, they are doing it excellently. So, it's excellent. The UI needs work, but what is in the UI works (that's enough, always). Your graphic designers have done excellent as well, the graphics alone set this game apart from the standard. The voices actors are great, although the females certainly seem more believable than the males. The females sound smart, the males, not so much (but this could be intentional).

I'm going to end on a repetitive note: YOU NEED MORE ADVERTISING !