ArcheAge? Don’t Mind if I Do
stargrace 
Practically everyone I know decided to buy Elder Scrolls Online, and I decided to sit it out. I knew it wasn’t my type of game, I didn’t even make it through Skyrim, and if I really crave that sort of game.. well, I’ll play Skyrim. I lived vicariously through their posts and streams, looking at screenshots and debating with myself whether I would play the game or not. Thing is I had access to the alpha and didn’t log in once. I mean, why pay to play the game when I couldn’t even be bothered to play it for free.
When ArcheAge started getting a bit of publicity through Trion, it piqued my interest right away. I actually signed up for the game ages ago, before Trion ever got involved. I’m a huge fan of sandboxes, after all I have been playing Wurm Online fairly steadily for almost three years now. The thing is, Wurm Online is not a AAA title, and while I adore it (I truly do) I find it hard to justify the monthly cost. You can’t “do it all” in Wurm Online on one character. You don’t get an account, either. You pay per character. For me to “do it all” I have four characters, at $22 CAN each, every two months. That doesn’t include the cost of my deeds, either. That is just to be premium. A lot of people play Wurm Online because of the amazing terraforming players can do – but – that has never been my appeal for the game. I actually prefer to purchase finished deeds so I can avoid terraforming. ArcheAge doesn’t have terraforming (that I’m aware of) but it does have customization and player created content from every which way. It is also an open world, has navel (yes, leaving this spelling in there, but I did mean naval!) battles, a huge amount of crafting, and a commerce system that will rely on players, much like it does in EVE Online (another favourite game of mine).
Knowing that, and after watching a few videos, I decided to purchase their founders pack. I know, they’re expensive. I wanted in the alpha, and the items the pack came with appealed to me enough to take the plunge. That’s 90 days of subscription time, access to alpha & beta events when they occur, in game potions, a mount, gear, a title, some currency, and I’m not sure if there’s anything else, there probably is.
Right now I’m level 6, and I already know it will be a game I play for quite some time. It DOES start out as a themepark, but don’t let this deter you. One complaint I see all of the time about EVE Online is the learning curve. In ArcheAge they work very hard to make sure that learning curve is something you can overcome. For now, yes, I am killing 10 rats and collecting plants and playing errand girl for various NPC while I learn the basics of the game (crafting, combat, etc) BUT eventually (from what I have heard) that stuff leaves off, and you’ll be on your own in the world.
I have watched a few videos that talk about the player customization. You can upload images to a folder in-game, and use those images as ‘stamps’ on virtually anything. House items, houses (walls), boats, gear. All customized with your images that you have uploaded. A guild emblem, a trader icon, want to be a pirate and have everyone fear your logo? You can. Want to “paint” your house with a stamped image, that you can adjust and rotate and change the placement of? Go ahead.
The graphics are amazing. It IS still in the middle of being translated to English since the game is Korean, and there are some differences between the Korean and English versions of the game, but the basics are all still the same. I’m excited about this game in a way that I haven’t been for the past few releases I have seen. I have been waiting a long time for a AAA sandbox, and I can’t wait to explore this one further. Expect lots of posts over the next while!
What are your thoughts so far of ArcheAge? Let me know in comments! As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.