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APB
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NinjaCat
Member
Well I think of it this way, I think of games are worth it if I play at least 100 hours on it. I played in the Keys to the City Event. They give you 50 hours that rollover, and I'm subbed unlimited now. So if I ever feel I don't want to sub anymore I'll have those 50 hours to play for free. The customization is free to play, and I usually spend a good amount of time making new clothes etc. As with any massive online game that recently came out, there is a lack of content, but they are adding things as well, chaos district(headshots) and zombie district(Left 4 Dead?) The developers do seem to listen to the community, they had a contest to decide the server names and there was this inside joke to name it wastegate, the name came from the developers own mistake, and they actually did name a server that given that it is only a public test server, they did listen to what the community wanted.
The fun comes from being with a group for the whole time you play, like an rpg there are times where you go do solo quests, while you can do it here, you can also be with a group where you are always in the group while you are playing due to the game design. Playing with people you know is what makes the game.
There are a few issues, only 2 guns are really dominant. While the others are either useless or have their own niche.
MY last mmo was Aion and even though I played 400 hours on it, I felt it was a chore to play, With this game I am having fun by doing the things I want to do, There's no grinding such as kill this mob 1 million times, well maybe kill the other players 1 million times...
For being worth it, I paid ~$42 due to the impulse sale, which bought it out to ~$52 with 1 month unlimited time and 50 free hours that rollover. I should get 100 hours easily in this game, but the thing is I'll be having fun all those 100 hours, so I do feel it is worth it. It's weird also, I am also thinking of the game while not playing, thinking of new clothing ideas and what I could do to the cars I have. To sum it up I am having fun in the game and I think it was worth it, but that is me though, others could feel different.
The fun comes from being with a group for the whole time you play, like an rpg there are times where you go do solo quests, while you can do it here, you can also be with a group where you are always in the group while you are playing due to the game design. Playing with people you know is what makes the game.
There are a few issues, only 2 guns are really dominant. While the others are either useless or have their own niche.
MY last mmo was Aion and even though I played 400 hours on it, I felt it was a chore to play, With this game I am having fun by doing the things I want to do, There's no grinding such as kill this mob 1 million times, well maybe kill the other players 1 million times...
For being worth it, I paid ~$42 due to the impulse sale, which bought it out to ~$52 with 1 month unlimited time and 50 free hours that rollover. I should get 100 hours easily in this game, but the thing is I'll be having fun all those 100 hours, so I do feel it is worth it. It's weird also, I am also thinking of the game while not playing, thinking of new clothing ideas and what I could do to the cars I have. To sum it up I am having fun in the game and I think it was worth it, but that is me though, others could feel different.
Chaotic42
Lifer
I'm loving the game (I know you didn't ask me 😛). My biggest complaint is the limit of four people per group, since we have five people who play. Other than that, I'm impressed. There are some complaints, like not being able to turn off music, but they'll hopefully get resolved.
xCxStylex
Senior member
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Aion was the last mmo I played, and although it was seriously a !@#$ing chore, I really enjoyed the fortress PVP. (I failed the miragents crafting 11 !$@#ing times, if you know what that is.)
Since this is a PVP thing, how does the pvp in this compare to aion? Or even old school vanilla WOW if you played that?
oh also, can a single/solo player do ok or contribute to pvp or is it not friendly toward like that?
Aion was the last mmo I played, and although it was seriously a !@#$ing chore, I really enjoyed the fortress PVP. (I failed the miragents crafting 11 !$@#ing times, if you know what that is.)
Since this is a PVP thing, how does the pvp in this compare to aion? Or even old school vanilla WOW if you played that?
oh also, can a single/solo player do ok or contribute to pvp or is it not friendly toward like that?
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NinjaCat
Member
Well the pvp in this is different compared to an mmo because it is an fps. It's not a button mash like other mmos, It's point and shoot, so there is skill involved. In regards to solo missions, the opposition isn't always there, the opposition is the players that are trying to stop you from doing the mission. You can go through the game solo fine, but it's more fun going around as a group. I prefer having opposition because it gives me more money and experience. In regards to the overall pvp thing it's pretty much there's criminals and cops and they are out there to stop eachother, that's where the pvp is. The pvp has been incorporated in a way that war and aion haven't been able to do, the game is pvp, there isn't a pve side and a pvp side in the game. There is opposition, but you welcome it because you progress further into the game because of it. Some things with going solo is that some parts of the missions are campfests or car chases, so it's very hard to get done. There is repetitiveness to the game, but the pvp aspect usually keeps it interesting. Though if I ever stop paying for the sub, I'll have those 50 hours to play around with and there's a free area where you can work on your character and it's also like a 3D chatroom.
Chaotic42
Lifer
Huh? It's $10 for unlimited playtime per month.
Jschmuck2
Diamond Member
A couple of points about APB:
I wanted to like this game. And by now you should know that every piece written about a game that starts with "I wanted to like it" only spells complete disaster. It's true, though, I went into the game hoping for a GTA MMO or at the very least, GTA online. Something where you were in a persistent world of cops and robbers, pulling back and forth on the strings of good and evil, blah blah blah blah. I wanted someone to respect my authoritah.
They did not.
Some of the glaring issues that come to mind:
The driving
---
Yes, you will get used to it but I could get used to eating raw onions after I ate enough of them. The controls are sluggish and they seem to make you "drift" everyplace. Right turn at low speed? Right turn at DRIFT SPEED. Coming to a stop? DRIFTING to a stop. It doesn't feel like drifting so much as there's a very perceptible lag between the press of the button to make the car do something and when it actually happens. I got the hang of it after a couple of hours but just the same...no joy.
The interface
---
Cluster. Fuck. It looks like something out of a Namco arcade game from 1992. Shiny, boxy things everyplace with small icons that you need to click although no one has said anything about them. Customize your character? Yeah, it's probably in there someplace. Want to swap out your guns? Why sure! Follow these 123 steps and you too can enjoy the four viable guns in this game. About shooting people. With guns.
The Guns
---
In my short time, I have seen other players use one gun. One. The N-TEC AK47 clone. It's powerful and accurate and APB gives you no reason to use anything else. Ever.
The Payment System
---
Seems like it was thought up when the devs at RTW hotboxed the studio.
"Like, what if we made people use *real* money to buy in *game* money, right? And then we had them use that *game* money to buy *game* time. But then like, we'll also have a *different* type of in-game money, unrelated to that other money that people can use to buy items *in the game.* Of course, they could use that first money, too, that they bought with real money to buy stuff in game that you *couldn't* buy with that second money. You guys follow?"
Regardless of whether or not you want to take advantage of the "hourly" plan or the traditional monthly sub, you're still buying their "RTW Points" which you then have to convert into the proper amount of hours or an unlimited sub. But you can also use those RTW points to buy things in the game's auction house, which is located in
The Social District
---
Do you like Playstation Home or Second Life? You do? Perfect! Because that's what half of this game is: dressing up your avatar in game. Apparently to look like a Nazi. Did I mention that this game is full of Nazis? Full of them. Apparently, people really like to deck their guy or gal out with Swastikas, load their best friends up in a van with the words "n&667er killerz" splashed across the side and have a grand old time.
I'm all for free speech but I don't want to see that particularly disgusting part of real life encroaching on my fantasy world of cops and robbers. Who does that sort of thing you ask?
The Community
---
Is disgusting. Worse than just about any other online gaming community I've encountered. APB has attracted both the internet Sperglord demographic and the 14 year old Xbox live set. A deadly combination to the longevity of a game if ever there was one. We've all been to gaming forums before but I shit you not, there was a seven page thread on the forums, written by a guy named "Hitlertits" as to why rape should be an option for criminal quests. Seven pages. Rape. Hitlertits. Since those boards only have a single mod (1), that thread was left to fester and get worse and worse. It may still be there if you go looking hard enough for it.
The Gameplay
---
Is janky. It feels like a shooter from 2002. It's third person with no individual hitboxes, so whether you're shot in the foot or the arm, you're getting the full blast. Most gunfights come down to who has the best guns, the most team mates (you're automatically placed into PVP teams if you don't have a team already) and the best knowledge of the map.
This is a shitty shooter in a Guild Wars costume with a subscription fee. I'm trying to save you $50 here.
tl;dr:
---
Skip it.
I wanted to like this game. And by now you should know that every piece written about a game that starts with "I wanted to like it" only spells complete disaster. It's true, though, I went into the game hoping for a GTA MMO or at the very least, GTA online. Something where you were in a persistent world of cops and robbers, pulling back and forth on the strings of good and evil, blah blah blah blah. I wanted someone to respect my authoritah.
They did not.
Some of the glaring issues that come to mind:
The driving
---
Yes, you will get used to it but I could get used to eating raw onions after I ate enough of them. The controls are sluggish and they seem to make you "drift" everyplace. Right turn at low speed? Right turn at DRIFT SPEED. Coming to a stop? DRIFTING to a stop. It doesn't feel like drifting so much as there's a very perceptible lag between the press of the button to make the car do something and when it actually happens. I got the hang of it after a couple of hours but just the same...no joy.
The interface
---
Cluster. Fuck. It looks like something out of a Namco arcade game from 1992. Shiny, boxy things everyplace with small icons that you need to click although no one has said anything about them. Customize your character? Yeah, it's probably in there someplace. Want to swap out your guns? Why sure! Follow these 123 steps and you too can enjoy the four viable guns in this game. About shooting people. With guns.
The Guns
---
In my short time, I have seen other players use one gun. One. The N-TEC AK47 clone. It's powerful and accurate and APB gives you no reason to use anything else. Ever.
The Payment System
---
Seems like it was thought up when the devs at RTW hotboxed the studio.
"Like, what if we made people use *real* money to buy in *game* money, right? And then we had them use that *game* money to buy *game* time. But then like, we'll also have a *different* type of in-game money, unrelated to that other money that people can use to buy items *in the game.* Of course, they could use that first money, too, that they bought with real money to buy stuff in game that you *couldn't* buy with that second money. You guys follow?"
Regardless of whether or not you want to take advantage of the "hourly" plan or the traditional monthly sub, you're still buying their "RTW Points" which you then have to convert into the proper amount of hours or an unlimited sub. But you can also use those RTW points to buy things in the game's auction house, which is located in
The Social District
---
Do you like Playstation Home or Second Life? You do? Perfect! Because that's what half of this game is: dressing up your avatar in game. Apparently to look like a Nazi. Did I mention that this game is full of Nazis? Full of them. Apparently, people really like to deck their guy or gal out with Swastikas, load their best friends up in a van with the words "n&667er killerz" splashed across the side and have a grand old time.
I'm all for free speech but I don't want to see that particularly disgusting part of real life encroaching on my fantasy world of cops and robbers. Who does that sort of thing you ask?
The Community
---
Is disgusting. Worse than just about any other online gaming community I've encountered. APB has attracted both the internet Sperglord demographic and the 14 year old Xbox live set. A deadly combination to the longevity of a game if ever there was one. We've all been to gaming forums before but I shit you not, there was a seven page thread on the forums, written by a guy named "Hitlertits" as to why rape should be an option for criminal quests. Seven pages. Rape. Hitlertits. Since those boards only have a single mod (1), that thread was left to fester and get worse and worse. It may still be there if you go looking hard enough for it.
The Gameplay
---
Is janky. It feels like a shooter from 2002. It's third person with no individual hitboxes, so whether you're shot in the foot or the arm, you're getting the full blast. Most gunfights come down to who has the best guns, the most team mates (you're automatically placed into PVP teams if you don't have a team already) and the best knowledge of the map.
This is a shitty shooter in a Guild Wars costume with a subscription fee. I'm trying to save you $50 here.
tl;dr:
---
Skip it.
Chaotic42
Lifer
Yes, the community is pretty bad. I'm disappointed by how few really great vehicles people have made and the very large number of "i liek weeeed" and penis mobiles. It's especially annoying when those people kill you and have off-key themes. 😛 I just read a thread where someone complained that not being able to make beefy, flat chested women was chauvinism by the developers.
Still, if you have friends playing, it's pretty fun.
Still, if you have friends playing, it's pretty fun.
xCxStylex
Senior member
That's all I really needed to hear. Thank you very much... saved me $50
Hearing about people in online gaming communities are like reading the news. There's rarely ever anything good and all it does is make you cynical and jaded about people in today's society.
Hearing about people in online gaming communities are like reading the news. There's rarely ever anything good and all it does is make you cynical and jaded about people in today's society.
NinjaCat
Member
i do have to agree with some of your points, though may I ask if you play on Zombie server because I play on LaRocha and it isn't that bad in that server. Though with the community I am already used to a bad community playing in other pvp games, for example Heroes of Newerth, I had to will myself to keep playing when I first started playing due to all the negativity involved and I only played because I was having fun. I expect this from any pvp game.
There are some balance issues, but teamwork and tactics usually can beat it most of the time, though there still are campfests and car chases. Also there is the grenade launcher and the rocket launcher that comes later in the game, which I haven't encountered yet, but they seem to be more powerful than the weapons already in the game.
The driving I feel it's something to get used to, though it needs work, but the thing that annoys me about driving is the AI not reacting to you in any way, I can be turning with my sirens on and they still drive right into me as if nothing is there.
The game needs work, though I appreciate the rollover time they have given me. I have a paid account for many mmos and I don't feel the need to come back due to having to pay $15 to see any changes done, yet with here I can just hop on at any time to see how things are changing.
I actually had no interest in this game, but going through the Keys to the City Event, I felt the need to at least play the game for longer. The thing that will keep this game going is how they patch this game. This is a sub game, so I expect ongoing patches to improve the game. Age of Conan for example was in bad shape in the beginning, but they seemed to have patched it to be more enjoyable, which reminds me they offered me a free week, so I'll try it out again. With APB the core game play is there, the game will be the same, but more polished later on hopefully...
There are some balance issues, but teamwork and tactics usually can beat it most of the time, though there still are campfests and car chases. Also there is the grenade launcher and the rocket launcher that comes later in the game, which I haven't encountered yet, but they seem to be more powerful than the weapons already in the game.
The driving I feel it's something to get used to, though it needs work, but the thing that annoys me about driving is the AI not reacting to you in any way, I can be turning with my sirens on and they still drive right into me as if nothing is there.
The game needs work, though I appreciate the rollover time they have given me. I have a paid account for many mmos and I don't feel the need to come back due to having to pay $15 to see any changes done, yet with here I can just hop on at any time to see how things are changing.
I actually had no interest in this game, but going through the Keys to the City Event, I felt the need to at least play the game for longer. The thing that will keep this game going is how they patch this game. This is a sub game, so I expect ongoing patches to improve the game. Age of Conan for example was in bad shape in the beginning, but they seemed to have patched it to be more enjoyable, which reminds me they offered me a free week, so I'll try it out again. With APB the core game play is there, the game will be the same, but more polished later on hopefully...
Supersonic64
Senior member
$50 for game.
$10 for every month afterward.
$170 first year.
$120 every year afterward.
DLC $$$ ???.
pugh
Senior member
Thank you also. Won't be dropping any cash on this. I will tell you. These young people seem to be getting worse and worse online. Makes going back to single player gaming my only recluse at times. L4d2 can be a joke online at times.
Just what are these parent's teaching these kids?
AstroManLuca
Lifer
Interesting, it seems Hitlertits has cost the publisher a few hundred bucks at least.
When I searched for him on the official forums, though, I think he was banned. Probably just registered a new account or three though.
When I searched for him on the official forums, though, I think he was banned. Probably just registered a new account or three though.
KMFJD
Lifer
Some of the crap people have made just makes me shake my head....rebel flag pick up truck with n**** hunter spray painted on the hood of the cab....dealing with some real morons..
Jschmuck2
Diamond Member
Looks like it. It really did happen though - I even emailed RTW about that as well as my other concerns about the community but was sent a pretty boilerplate response.
They should have listened =\
Chaotic42
Lifer
People would do that here, in World of Warcraft, anywhere if they could get away with it.
How is everyone liking the game? The community is terrible, and the forums make the old Fusetalk forums look as stable as OpenBSD, but the game is still fun.
I'm surprised my friends and I haven't gotten tired of it yet, but it's still the game of the moment.
JoshGuru7
Golden Member
I picked up this game hoping to find it enjoyable, but I just couldn't get into it. The combination of a terrible interface, mediocre driving and the entire opposition system turned me off really quickly.
I uninstalled the game on the second day and consider it a sunk cost for a lesson that I apparently didn't learn well enough from PlanetSide: FPS + MMO lag leads to way more randomness in combat then I prefer.
I uninstalled the game on the second day and consider it a sunk cost for a lesson that I apparently didn't learn well enough from PlanetSide: FPS + MMO lag leads to way more randomness in combat then I prefer.
Chaotic42
Lifer
Weird. I don't have very much lag in combat. It's actually something I really like about the game. It seems mild compared to Call of Duty, for example. I love the driving and opposition, too.
I don't like the level design or the weapon ranges though. The sniper rifles barely outrange the assualt rifles.
xCxStylex
Senior member
40 hours for $40-50 (or however much you paid) doesn't seem that bad. Looks like you played more than most 😛
Chaotic42
Lifer
You've got to have friends playing it. That's true of most games for me though. I couldn't stand playing WoW at level 80 alone, but with friends it was tolerable.
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