(+)

(+/-)

[Bug] (-)

(-)

Setup and Installation

(+) It was apparent that the launcher had been changed to be aesthetically more pleasing than the previous incarnation. It also seems to include more functionality.

(+) We were glad to see that you were able to limit download/upload rate in the P2P patching service. Too often this is forgotten and it can cripple your connection for several hours.

[Bug] (-) One of us didn't want to use the P2P functionality, so he tried Direct Download. The patcher could not find the file, so at least one of the patching servers is (or was) missing it.

[Bug] (-) The game crashes after the splash screen with a Windows 7 computer using the Japanese language locale. Changing it to English fixes this, but changing locales requires a reboot so it is tedious.

[Bug] (-) If you check "delete patch files after successfully installed" and then click "OK" the launcher crashes with "An unknown thread error has occurred in the Mortal Online Launcher. InvalidArgument=Value of '1' is not valid for 'index' Parameter name: index". There are also some other crashes in the launcher. Basically, unless these are machine-specific crashes there should be more QA on the launcher, to make sure every option works without crashing.

[Bug] (-) The "Guides" button on the front of the launcher does not work as expected. "The Mortal Online Launcher was unable to acquire a list of tutorial videos for viewing."

[Bug] (-) One of our members somehow got to the point where his Mortal Online settings would never save changes. I'm not sure how it was triggered, but he had to reset all of the configuration files to fix it. Sorry I can't provide more specifics.

(-) Due to varying computer and network speed, even though we had downloaded the game at similar times, the download and patching finished several hours apart for each of us. I think that the game should be re-packaged in its current version and put into one deliverable (or "patch"). It seems this hasn't been done in a long time, so there are numerous patches which include redundant data, which leads to wasted bandwidth and patch time.

Character Creation

(+) The lore for each race is easily and readily available.

(-) There seem to be no explanation of the significance of each stat. For example, what does it effect in-game -- dexterity increases run-speed, allows easier hitting of weak spots, etc. This could be implemented as a tool-tip or a separate screen similar to the lore system. For newer players who are interested in being competitive, this is extremely important information. A misconception about the stat system could cause a newer player to make a poor build for his intended play-style which would then require him to change his play-style or recreate his character. One can deduce some of this information from the initial stat distribution screen, but I don't believe it's direct enough or enough information in general.

The Big and Obvious Issues

These issues jumped out at us relatively quickly in the game, and are only general mentions of groups of specific problems. Some of them will be explained more in subsequent sections.

Unsmooth gameplay . Characters often seem laggy or jerk around. Mobs are often-times floating or walking too fast; their animations looks bad when they do this and it often creates a displeasing sound. Hitting a player often results in hitting a different location than you'd think.

Lack of information . From both official and unofficial resources.

Too many bugs exist that should have been caught in QA , if such a thing exists for this game. Make some testing guidelines (test all menu items, etc), and I'm sure some community members would volunteer to do it free of charge.

Balance needs a lot of work , and should allow for more flexible builds. Most people seem to be playing cookie cutter builds. One should just be able to make their own path and still be relatively successful with it given it makes sense (If you want to be a fighter, don't max a bunch of crafting skills).

Starting Out, Basic Mechanics & Random Newbie Observations

(+) There is now an intuitive starter quest in some cities. It allows newbies to get a basic understanding of the game, some free skills, and a little bit of coin and equipment. This was an excellent and much needed addition to the game.

(+) Graveyard provides a fair, reasonable environment to skill up and make money off of for newer players. Selling the heads gives us enough gold to buy our books, and get basic equipment such as donkeys or weapons/armor.

(+) The guards and citizens roaming around the cities make it seem a lot more populated and lively. It definitely added to the atmosphere especially since we're mostly late-night players, which translates into extremely low population because we're American.

(+) The /macros system was a nice addition, so we don't need to use third-party programs to call guards quickly, or instruct multiple pets to attack a target.

(+) Rest and cooking were changed to secondary skills instead of primary skills. This makes a lot of sense. I don't see the point in reading being a primary skill however, and I hope this is eventually changed unless I'm missing something.

[Bug] (-) In the skills menu, some skills don't seem to have any good explanation. They just have the same explanation of the parent skill and such. Take a look at Mental Focus, Mental Concentration, and Mental Training for example. Or perhaps my UI was just bugged in some way.

(-) Starter quests aren't available in all cities. The game does not clearly label the cities which have starter quests when choosing one. I started out in a different city, made my way to Tindrem, but because I had lost my fledgling status I was not able to do the newbie quest there. Which means I didn't have any coin or equipment to start with, and I had to hunt down quite a few tutors to get equivalent skills without killing money on books.

(-) The gardens in Tindrem need some work. They are full of advanced characters farming Springbok for money, and full of PKers who are farming the farmers. The fledglings are safe, but soon enough the environment will bite them and also possibly confuse them. The Springboks could possibly be changed to another type of less desired creature such as a pig, and guards could be re-added to the area. Looking at a tamed or blue animal in the garden should trigger a message saying "Warning: This animal is blue, attacking it will result in you being temporarily flagged a criminal" similar to when you open a blue loot bag.

(-) There is no in-game way to locate things. If I remember correctly, cartography was supposed to be an in-game skill. I don't want a be all end all map for the game, but it would be nice if a vendor sold, or at least players could make maps. Maybe a rough world map, or a small map of the city. If a vendor sold a general map of Tindrem, or the tutorial NPC gave you one, or at least it should be possible for a player to make one himself, then I think the game would become much more accessible for new players who often get lost in large cities and such. Of course, to clarify again, if any NPCs sell maps they should be rough and general and for specific locations such as towns. But it would be nice to have a cartography skill where the map quality is dependent on the maker and effort. You should not show up on the map however (as a dot, etc), as that would not be 'kosher' in a game like this.

(-) You cannot access all options in-game. It becomes tedious and annoying having to exit the game and access the launcher to change many important settings. It seems like there's essentially 3 settings menus, and some of the content overlaps, although much of it doesn't.

(-) The bandits in Tindrem should be a step up from the Graveyard, but the bandits hit like a Tonka truck. The bandits in Vadda are about the same difficulty as Walkers in the Graveyard, and drop the same loot (~50 silver) as the ones in Tindrem which are much more difficult.

(-) There seems to be no way to sort or filter items on the Broker NPC. Also, clicking on an item results in a 2-3 second lag which is pretty nasty.

(-) There seems to be no way to filter through skills in your skills menu. For a skill tree so large, this is necessary for a non-frustrating experience. Finding Equidae lore, for example, may take a couple of minutes for the untrained.

(-) We think, for the most part, that character development is at a good pace. Not too slow, not too fast. But some skills are exceptional in that respect. For example: armor training, some mage skills, etc. take a loooong time to go up, and most players will macro them. Ideally, the game would allow us to progress our characters at a discerning pace just by playing the game and not performing specific actions over, and over, and over. (Spurt/Jumping for Armor Training/etc)

(-) Spell explanations are lacking. Purify/Corrupt are heavily used but we didn't know why. They seemed relatively crappy until we figured out that Corrupt prevents healing and Purify removes corrupt. The explanation for Corrupt is that it causes intense pain to the internal organs, but in reality the spell does a low amount of damage.

Community (with a focus on Tindrem)

(+) There now exists a global help channel for fledgling players. This was much needed given the complexity and amount of unknowns that exist in the game.

(+) Lots of good guides on the forums. Helpful community on IRC.

(+/-) Tindrem, the premier city for new players, also harbors a large amount of thieves, liars, scammers, griefers, and PKers. This is bad, because the harsh and confusing newbie experience is further compounded by constantly being thieved, scammed, and PKed even in the confines of the town. But this is also good, because it shows players the ropes, and gives them some excitement and things to strive for. "I want to kick those guys' ass once I get the proper equipment and character!" I believe the solution doesn't lie in reducing the amount of scoundrels in the city.. the solution is increasing the amount of anti-RPKs and generally helpful people in the city. It will still keep the action and conflict, while reducing the amount of grief caused.

(+/-) We liked the idea of the task system, allowing payment for other players to do work for you; however,I've never witnessed any tasks posted in any city. Does this system work? Is it not useful? It should be altered or improved in some way because it's certainly not seeing any utilization. I would definitely transport goods for some hard-earned gold, but no one has given me the opportunity yet.

[Bug] (-) There is a bug where veteran players are not automatically removed from the help chat. Many of my friends who have played the full week are still in help chat. I understand it's possible to leave help chat but I'm not sure if this is an intended mechanic.

(-) There are not enough actual helpers in help chat. It seems like for US timezones, it's mostly the blind leading the blind. Would be nice if there were more people there who were knowledgeable and willing to spend a good amount of time answering questions.

(-) There aren't many people who are selling mid-tier goods in Tindrem. Thus newbies are stuck with Tindremic Longswords and Khallardian Armor the entire time. Steel weapons and basic Tindremic Plate sellers are hard to find, although there exist a few. Decent equipment on the broker is often extremely overpriced, likely to trick newbs who are attempting to find some shiny equipment to progress. It's more about the fact that people want to see a progression in items, and not so much that they need higher tier armor. It would also liven up the city and show that the game has a well-maintained, living economy.

(-) The amount of blue blockers in the Graveyard. Although I cannot offer any mechanical solution to this, I feel like you should have to hit someone twice to go gray. But obviously this system could be exploited to an extent so I'm not sure of a true solution. I'd hope players would tone it down, but every day, there are multiple people in the graveyard at nearly any given time who spend their entire time trying to blue block. This becomes extremely frustrating for newer players. If they were just reds, fine.. but this..

(-) Lack of organized information. I get it, you don't want to give out your secrets. I'm not asking for your best recipes, your uber mass-produced potions, or anything like that. But available information on the basics, and intermediate portion of this game is spotty, unorganized, and not up to date. There are some great guides out there, but many haven't been updated in a long time, and they're hard to find.

(-) Not many guilds are recruiting newer players. It seems newer players are generally limited to 3-4 active guilds unless they have existing connections. While 3-4 guilds may seem sufficient I wish there was more to accommodate more playstyles. Most are PvP-focused.

Combat/Movement-Related Mechanics

(+) A complex combat system which includes handle hits, hit-boxes, mount combat, magic, archery, mounted archery/magic, etc. I could list out these verbosely as many points but I think we all know the draw of the combat system.

[Bugs] (-) Spear is broken, too many handle hits (I'm sure it's a well known issue). Would be nice if these were fixed more quickly as they are pretty big issues with the game. Many of us wanted to go spear, but ultimately decided not to.

[Bugs] (-) Ability to swing through parries by using CTRL in an odd way, a known issue hopefully being fixed soon.

[Bug] (-) If you are drowning you can just drag one of your heavy items (say, a stack of carcasses) away from your inventory like you are deleting it and keep it there. Even though you have not deleted the item, you will be able to swim like you did.

[Bug] (-) People float in the air. When you're fighting them, this is really bad. Mounts float in the air. Everything floats in the air. It happens a lot. It seems like this game doesn't really 'sync' the z-axis if that makes sense.

[Bug] (-) Loot lag - after you loot a corpse, even though your client shows you moving away, the server still thinks your character is at the loot bag and thus you may sustain damage or even die though you are not truly being hit. The more loot, the longer it lasts.

(-) It's very difficult to actually hit the mount when fighting a mounted player. Aiming at the player should hit the player, and aiming at the mount should hit the mount.

(-) Enabling mouse directional aiming does not enable mouse directional blocking. It is awkward to use the mouse to determine where you hit, and then your movement determine where you block. There should either be two separate options, or enabling directional aiming should enable it for blocking as well.

(-) Ground archery takes a lot of stamina, even for a bow which is considered good for your strength level. I think this is primarily related to sprinting while using the bow. Mounted archery, due to the fact that the mount is moving and thus using its stamina, has no such problems. You can't just stand still as a ground archer either as they are either running from you are charging toward you. It makes ground archery as a focus not viable while mounted archery is very popular. Some of us wanted to be ground archers (with no large focus on melee combat) and this seems to be the limiting factor in that. **[See footnote at bottom of section]

(-) Most pets are not effective in PvP combat due to the fact that they can be easily kited. The most effective pets are those who used ranged attacks, which are quite rare, and the best can only be dominated and not tamed. This effectively makes it difficult to be competitive in PvP while being a tamer.

**[Note: This experience is from using a bow targeting 110 strength on a 118 strength warrior. Some people have told me that the stamina usage is pretty much zero but maybe my stamina regeneration is lower than others or something.. not sure, but that's just my experience -- ground archery is WAY more taxing on stamina than mounted archery.]

Crafting-Related Mechanics

(+) Possibly the most in-depth and interesting crafting system I've ever encountered in any MMO ever. Great job!

(+/-) Third-party resources are giving advantages to those who use them. I'm primarily referring to MortalData calculators. While I am not opposed to them personally, they allow for a crafter to test possible builds without having the skills or using any resources. Obviously, this gives a huge advantage to those who do their testing on MortalData rather than in-game. Does the community and developers embrace this type of third-party resource or is it shunned upon? It certainly helped us get a grasp on crafting so personally I like it and think a similar system should be part of the game, perhaps with a price on it. [Edit: Apparently the MortalData calculators have a fair bit of inaccuracy. I didn't know this, so it's no as big an issue]

(-) With mostly 12 in lores, 20k Saburra => 9 Cuprum. That's 9 spells if you use it as reagents. The lores raised to 13. Obviously the skills were low, but I think that lower levels should get larger yields, the skill should be more front-loaded. We thought we were going to be able to start casting greater heals and such with such a large amount of raw materials but boy we were wrong.

(-) Cannot craft and sell blades and handles separately. There are other systems like this. I believe that players should have the freedom to do such things. It would also open up another niche in the economy which would allow for a more tiered and cooperative crafting environment.

Pet/Taming-Related Mechanics

(+) Only 3D MMO I've ever played with a taming system that isn't heavily artificially restricted. You can tame most creatures, and those you cannot tame you can dominate.

(+) You are able to tame multiple pets at the same time. You can use the /macros system to effectively control them.

[Bug] (-) If an animal dies right as you tame it, it will take away from your player points and say you currently have the pet. If you try to do any actions with the pet, it will say the ID/name does not exist. Logging in and out does not fix this. A GM had to seemingly revive our pet so we could get rid of it.

[Bug] (-) Sometimes when you log in, your pet will be following you, although it is supposedly stabled. This makes it become quite hungry and will often lose loyalty even though you are far away from the stable and can't do anything about it. This doesn't happen often.

[Bug] (-) Feeding a pet results in "Command Spam Detected" spamming your chat.

(-) Pets should smoothly follow behind you. Currently, they wait for you to walk a bit, then they run unrealistically fast toward you. Also, there are times wherein the pet actually runs away from you, then toward you, over and over at ultra-fast speeds. This really cuts the immersion factor and just looks nasty.

(-) There should be a warning when you are in a guarded area and your pet is on an aggressive stance. I've seen many newer players die because they accidentally left their pet on aggressive stance.

(-) My pet randomly runs away? He will sometimes be gone for minutes at a time but eventually find himself back to me.

(-) Pets just run on the ground underwater when they are following you while swimming. Looks unappealing, it would be nice if they swam behind you.

(-) The horses looked better in past videos. I'm guessing this is something to do with the new systems implemented into the game. It would be nice if we could get that kind of visual quality with this new system.

Misc Bugs/Issues

[Bug] Item disappearing bug is extremely annoying, and for new players, they may think their items are actually gone.

[Bug] Stamina maximum sometimes displays incorrectly in the character panel.

[Bug] Splitting items is iffy in so many ways. For example, sometimes the stack disapears. Sometimes it will randomly re-join with the original stack. Many times if you recently split a stack without using an item it will result in a "Verify Trade Failed" if you try to trade it.

[Bug] Seemingly about a fourth of the time, you log in without your UI settings loaded. A /resetui fixes this, but it may confuse newer players and is obviously a malfunction.

[Bug] So I followed some Steppe Horses for a good 10 minutes to see where they were going. Appearently, herds of Steppe Horses and Wisents like running across the bottom of Sausage Lake and often piling up near the center.

[Bug] Much of the time the opacity for my chat box isn't saved, as well as disabling my consumables/reserves on my status bar isn't saved, despite other changes to my UI being saved.

The default bindings for secondary hotbar's slots conflict with the default bindings for self-cast key on the main hotbar. This makes it difficult to self-cast spells on your main hotbar with default bindings. It shouldn't be like this because it is very confusing for new players.

Shift-dragging does not split items, only shift-clicking. Shift-dragging is the mechanic used in most games, so it would make since to support both methods to prevent confusion.

Login server is lagging or down a non-negligible amount of time. This needs to be improved.

Due to the new node server architecture, some nodes go down, and their back-up server as explained by the patch notes does not come up. This has happened to me in the Tindrem area twice, and the Fabernum area once. Able to log in my characters in other locations, but not in the downed node.

The swim animations are extremely unsmooth when you transition from one to the other (forward swim to backstroke for example).

When someone trades with you, it should display a message with some way to accept the trade. Otherwise, people can interrupt you or mess with you. The trade window should remain open unless the trade is complete or the two players exceed a certain distance apart. This is how most games do it. The current system is frustrating.

The ragdolls of dead corpses deform way too much. You can make a dead horse look like a deformed millipede.

Current Opinion/Status

I brought 6 people to this game about a week ago. These people were acquainted to this niche of games (sandbox). Many of them being past Ultima Online, Asheron's Call, and Darkfall players. The content outlined in this post are basically just observations in what we found positive and negative about the game. Some of it may be quite obvious to Mortal Online veterans, but some obvious things often aren't spoken about too much. Currently, 5 of the people still play actively which is a good sign. I believe that we are all subbed to the game currently. One of them quit fairly quickly due to many of the negatives below.I'm not really going to list positives that are too obvious, or are part of the main draw to the game such as it being a sandbox, or having combat with a high skill ceiling. So the feedback in this thread is going to be more negative than positive, even though we're all playing and enjoying the game a lot. If you see a lot of negatives in a section don't think we totally hate the mechanic as that probably isn't the case. It doesn't reflect our overall opinion of the game. These are all the opinions of relatively new players so opinions on balance can obviously be wrong, although many of our combat characters are finished or near finished, and we have some half-done crafters.Key:We generally felt positive about the issue.We thought that the issue had both negatives and positives but was worth mentioning.We generally felt negative about the issue and believe it to be a bug.We generally felt negative about the issue.Good game, we will continue to play it, we think it has a lot of potential. We wouldn't recommend it to many of our friends or the remainder of our guildmates as it's currently too buggy. It's a huge improvement from the beta blocks, but still has a lot to be desired. I think that focusing more on fixing bugs and making the game smoother would be better than adding more features (which come with more bugs!)If all of these issues were fixed, we feel like this game could find a spot in the gaming ecosphere similar to Eve Online. I would say possibly in a year or two more we may be looking at something amazing.Also, I'm really glad that SV is introducing new character models. We all like the graphics of the game, even on low it's amazing, but the character models up-close aren't too pleasing. We don't tend to care about graphics too much which is why it mostly wasn't included in our retrospect.These points may be plain wrong, or bad opinions based on inexperience, or any of that jazz. This game is one of the few that I actually enjoy playing so I just figured I'd try to assimilate our observations into a post for the community (and possibly SV) to give a look.A lot more could be said, but this is just what comes to mind.. Good night folks