Just Jeans
10-11-2009, 04:20 PM
So I've never really been a fan of MMOs. I like Final Fantasy XII -- which is a single player simulation of an MMO -- but I never got into World of Warcraft or City of Heroes or the like. This is more to do with lack of fundage than anything else, so it was always something I wanted to try.
Well, my brother recently purchased me a copy of Aion: The Tower of Eternity, and he's paying the upkeep for the online play ($14.99 a month), so now I've really got no excuse not to play.
I'm digging it. Digging it a lot. Talking to a couple of my WoW playing friends, the big difference between this and that -- apart from the fact that it was developed by the folks behind City of Heroes rather than Blizzard -- is that there's a much heavier focus on PvP (the endgame is PvP, appparently), a heavier focus on level grinding, and of course there's the issue of flight. The characters in the game a called Daeva, which is a sort of angel, and so they can fly. And they can fight from the air.
Basic Storyline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion:_The_Tower_of_Eternity#Story):
In the beginning, the god of Atreia, Aion, benevolently watched over his world. He created the humans, and the Draken to safeguard and watch over them. Eventually, the Draken became obsessed with power and subjugation. They attacked and destroyed anything that would not yield to them, and they began to set their sights on humans. As they grew stronger, a set species emerged from them, calling themselves the Balaur. Five of the Balaur rose to a height of strength above the rest, and became known as the five Dragon Lords. When Aion refused to grant them the power they desired, the power to rival his own, they revolted and declared war on the god that created them. Aion's hand was forced, and he created the twelve Empyrean Lords, beings of divinity and power to protect the Tower of Eternity, the center of the world and the source of Aion's power and all Aether in the world. The Empyrean lords formed a barrier that made the land around the tower a safe haven, and people began to populate it and create a civilization.
Some humans, living within the safety of the barrier, learned how to harness some of the same energy as the Empyrean Lords, the aether. Such humans were called Daeva and, like the Empyrean Lords, had wings and the ability to fight the Balaur. With time, enough Daevas were born to form an army. The Empyrean Lords would lead the Daeva into battle and fight ceaselessly, this "Millenium War" as it was called would last for centuries. Eventually Israphel, one of the Empyrean Lords and also one of the two designated Tower Guardians, suggested peace. Ariel agreed, suggesting that if Israphel could overcome his hatred for the Balaur, they all could. Five of the Empyrean Lords, led by Azphel, vehemently disagreed. They considered peace foolish and a sacrilege to the honored dead. However, the second guardian of the tower, Siel, was swayed to peace and her decision sealed the argument. The five Dragon Lords were invited inside the barrier for peace talks. Azphel couldn't contain his rage. He attacked one of the Dragon Lords with all his fury, and it was then when the Balaur charged the tower. The two Guardians of the Tower, Israphel and Siel, frantically moved to opposite ends of the tower, alongside the other Empyrean Lords and Daevas. With Israphel to the south and Siel to the North, they sacrificed their life energy to ensure the Aether within the broken tower would not dissipate and allow the ends of the world to separate into space. Of the original twelve, ten of the Empyrean Lords survived. Five who had opposed peace and claimed that the weakness of the rest of the lords had allowed the Balaur to attack them reigned over the dark part of the world, becoming known as the Shedim Lords. The other five reigned over the light-covered bottom part of Atreia and claim that it was the Shedim Lords' actions that caused the breaking of the tower. They are known as the Seraphim Lords.
The new shape of the world also reshaped its inhabitants. Those that lived in the light part of the world saw little change except for an increase in their beauty. These followers of the Seraphim Lords called themselves Elyos and created the city of Sanctum. The inhabitants of the upper part of the world saw many changes. Having to walk on ground strewn with fragments of the tower, their feet became talons. Having to fight against beasts, their hands became claw-like. Furthermore, the darkness made their complexion change and their eyes grew red adapting to the absence of light. They call themselves Asmodians and live in the city of Pandaemonium under the rule of the Shedim Lords.
Players begin the game as human inhabitants of their chosen world (Elysia or Asmodae) who have had significant memory loss occur. Through attempting to retrieve their lost past and completing other tasks along the way, they are revealed as winged, immortal Daevas. After this has happened, the characters "ascend" to their respective capital cities to begin their lives as holy servants of their respective people. The worlds are almost completely separate until a player enters the abyss. The story and tone of the game differ greatly between the worlds, as do the landscapes and characters one encounters; however the basic linear progression is the same.
Classes
There are four primary classes, and eight specialized classes in the game. Players start the game by choosing one of the four primary classes: Warrior, Mage, Scout, or Priest. After attaining level 10, the players must choose from the two specialized classes associated with that base class. This allows players to get a feel for the playstyle of the class before making a major decision as to which class to play for the rest of the game. Each faction will have a slight variation in class skills.
Here's some screen shots, taken by me while playing the game, with the HUD turned off:
Harvesting (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0013.jpg)
Wings Out (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0012.jpg)
Ascending to the Night Sky (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0021.jpg)
Hovering Before the Moon (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0017.jpg)
In Battle (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0023.jpg)
Battle Stance I (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0025.jpg)
Battle Stance II (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0026.jpg)
If any of y'all play, we ought to hook up on the same server and party up. The emphasis on party play is pretty heavy.
Well, my brother recently purchased me a copy of Aion: The Tower of Eternity, and he's paying the upkeep for the online play ($14.99 a month), so now I've really got no excuse not to play.
I'm digging it. Digging it a lot. Talking to a couple of my WoW playing friends, the big difference between this and that -- apart from the fact that it was developed by the folks behind City of Heroes rather than Blizzard -- is that there's a much heavier focus on PvP (the endgame is PvP, appparently), a heavier focus on level grinding, and of course there's the issue of flight. The characters in the game a called Daeva, which is a sort of angel, and so they can fly. And they can fight from the air.
Basic Storyline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion:_The_Tower_of_Eternity#Story):
In the beginning, the god of Atreia, Aion, benevolently watched over his world. He created the humans, and the Draken to safeguard and watch over them. Eventually, the Draken became obsessed with power and subjugation. They attacked and destroyed anything that would not yield to them, and they began to set their sights on humans. As they grew stronger, a set species emerged from them, calling themselves the Balaur. Five of the Balaur rose to a height of strength above the rest, and became known as the five Dragon Lords. When Aion refused to grant them the power they desired, the power to rival his own, they revolted and declared war on the god that created them. Aion's hand was forced, and he created the twelve Empyrean Lords, beings of divinity and power to protect the Tower of Eternity, the center of the world and the source of Aion's power and all Aether in the world. The Empyrean lords formed a barrier that made the land around the tower a safe haven, and people began to populate it and create a civilization.
Some humans, living within the safety of the barrier, learned how to harness some of the same energy as the Empyrean Lords, the aether. Such humans were called Daeva and, like the Empyrean Lords, had wings and the ability to fight the Balaur. With time, enough Daevas were born to form an army. The Empyrean Lords would lead the Daeva into battle and fight ceaselessly, this "Millenium War" as it was called would last for centuries. Eventually Israphel, one of the Empyrean Lords and also one of the two designated Tower Guardians, suggested peace. Ariel agreed, suggesting that if Israphel could overcome his hatred for the Balaur, they all could. Five of the Empyrean Lords, led by Azphel, vehemently disagreed. They considered peace foolish and a sacrilege to the honored dead. However, the second guardian of the tower, Siel, was swayed to peace and her decision sealed the argument. The five Dragon Lords were invited inside the barrier for peace talks. Azphel couldn't contain his rage. He attacked one of the Dragon Lords with all his fury, and it was then when the Balaur charged the tower. The two Guardians of the Tower, Israphel and Siel, frantically moved to opposite ends of the tower, alongside the other Empyrean Lords and Daevas. With Israphel to the south and Siel to the North, they sacrificed their life energy to ensure the Aether within the broken tower would not dissipate and allow the ends of the world to separate into space. Of the original twelve, ten of the Empyrean Lords survived. Five who had opposed peace and claimed that the weakness of the rest of the lords had allowed the Balaur to attack them reigned over the dark part of the world, becoming known as the Shedim Lords. The other five reigned over the light-covered bottom part of Atreia and claim that it was the Shedim Lords' actions that caused the breaking of the tower. They are known as the Seraphim Lords.
The new shape of the world also reshaped its inhabitants. Those that lived in the light part of the world saw little change except for an increase in their beauty. These followers of the Seraphim Lords called themselves Elyos and created the city of Sanctum. The inhabitants of the upper part of the world saw many changes. Having to walk on ground strewn with fragments of the tower, their feet became talons. Having to fight against beasts, their hands became claw-like. Furthermore, the darkness made their complexion change and their eyes grew red adapting to the absence of light. They call themselves Asmodians and live in the city of Pandaemonium under the rule of the Shedim Lords.
Players begin the game as human inhabitants of their chosen world (Elysia or Asmodae) who have had significant memory loss occur. Through attempting to retrieve their lost past and completing other tasks along the way, they are revealed as winged, immortal Daevas. After this has happened, the characters "ascend" to their respective capital cities to begin their lives as holy servants of their respective people. The worlds are almost completely separate until a player enters the abyss. The story and tone of the game differ greatly between the worlds, as do the landscapes and characters one encounters; however the basic linear progression is the same.
Classes
There are four primary classes, and eight specialized classes in the game. Players start the game by choosing one of the four primary classes: Warrior, Mage, Scout, or Priest. After attaining level 10, the players must choose from the two specialized classes associated with that base class. This allows players to get a feel for the playstyle of the class before making a major decision as to which class to play for the rest of the game. Each faction will have a slight variation in class skills.
Here's some screen shots, taken by me while playing the game, with the HUD turned off:
Harvesting (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0013.jpg)
Wings Out (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0012.jpg)
Ascending to the Night Sky (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0021.jpg)
Hovering Before the Moon (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0017.jpg)
In Battle (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0023.jpg)
Battle Stance I (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0025.jpg)
Battle Stance II (http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/Aion0026.jpg)
If any of y'all play, we ought to hook up on the same server and party up. The emphasis on party play is pretty heavy.