I admit now, there is very little I know about Runes of Magic, aside from what I have read over at Mystic Worlds (which is all very fantastic information might I add). What I do know, is that it headed into Open Beta, and is free to play. They do of course have an online store where you can buy lots of stuff but I haven’t looked into that too much yet. I think this is quite reasonable since they do have to make money some how, and as of yet I haven’t really been forced to pay anything at all. Granted, I am only level 6.
So my brief impressions so far. It’s fun, it’s colourful. I don’t care for the overhead text too much yet (it really really stands out from the world and distracts me) and the game has a VERY familiar feeling to it if you’ve played World of Warcraft. It’s actually been great for me and a lot of fun because I already have a ‘main’ MMO (or a few) that I play, and I don’t actually subscribe to WoW any more. I like having a ‘free’ alternative to that for when the urge hits me.
So far at level 6 I’ve gotten the hang of combat and crafting, and my class (a priest), made some friends in the general channels who were talking about EQ. The community that I’ve met have been friendly and helpful, answering lots of questions in channel. Families talk about their adventures and their memories of other games which I really like. Since I’m only level 6 and have barely delved into the game I don’t have much to say about it (yet) besides those few bits. It’s not something that will ever be my ‘main’ game of choice, but it’s a great little side path for myself at the moment. We’ll just see how it goes I suppose!
Hope everyone is having an amazing weekend, no matter your game of choice.
If you spend some more time delving into the features while in-game, you’ll find quite a few customization options that you can’t help but smile at.
The text you mention, can be turned off, there’s terrific options (without the need of an addon) for placing hotbars anywhere you want, and at vertical or horizontal positions, plus they can be click-dragged.
I agree the default layout is bland, I used a combo of addons and the built in options to make a layout that I love(not just deal with).
Unfortunately I’ll never see you in game(I’m on the international set of servers, server: Smacht(PvP)), but have fun with it.
That is indeed the server I am on, created there so I could check out your house, heehee!
*Waves* I ran into Shawn from Massively last night. He rerolled on Artemus after we chatted a bit in email. I’m still having fun but man I’m leveling so slow! I get sidetracked so easily in this game. Plus the crafting is ala EQ2 so harvesting and pre-combines take a chunk of time. Even that’s not boring because it’s auto-pilot and zone chat is usually jumping and friendly. If you’re on Artemus let me know. I can come by and buff ya. :-)
P.S. the HUD is awkward and bothersome. Just visit the EU customization forums and pick up a couple of mods to reskin the thing. A few minimalist versions are out there.