Anyone else playing Shadowbane?
- Thread starter Tsyr
- Start date
Tsyr
Explorer
Thus far, I'm quite pleased.
I've heard a lot of people have been having trouble registering, but I had no problems, so I can't comment.
Of course, the servers havn't been up long enough to get the real meat of SB going... the high-level guild stuff, etc... But what I have been doing is fun. Combat and so forth most resembles Dark Age of Camelot... You put points into skills, and at certain points in the skill, you learn a new move... Tsyr thus far knows Red Blade (A damage add, plus a DoT), Whirling Strike (A Damage Add and swordskill buff), Trueson Blade (Same as above, except with a taunt), Push Back Foe (The reverse of the above... lowers your attack value a bit, but also de-taunts), Taunt (Just a taunt, pure and simple), and Wall of Steel (Gives +60% or more to parry, but lowers your sword skill) (Note, I may have some of the names a touch wrong).
The gameplay seems good thus far... Death isn't too harsh, for one thing, that I've been able to see. The interface is complex, but once you get used to it, it's not bad. Sorta like Anarchy Online in that regard, though the actual function of the interface is quite different. My only real complaint here is targeting... Sometimes it's hard to keep focused on something in combat, and you go to click on something and mistarget... Thus far it's no problem, but when I get into PVP lands, I fear I'll be constantly wacking my friends because I mistarget.
Graphicly, it's so-so... Quite impressive in some areas (Some of the models, spell effects, etc), so-so in others (Terrain, buildings, etc) and a bit disapointing in others (Shadows don't look so hot, not much in the way of customization for your character... Hair style, beard style, color for both, and normaly 3-4 skins per model. Bit different for some races (Beak shape and colour for birdmen, fur colour for centaur, horn size and shape for minotaurs, etc)).
A word of warning if you start playing: At first, you will THINK money is easy to come by (And I'm assured it is, later), but once you start training "for real" (Any training after level 10), it gets COSTLY... I burned through 5000 gold the first time I trained at level 10.
I really like the character mechanics, with a couple of provisos...
I like the customization and... well... flavor, I guess, that you can put into a character at creation. There are dozens of runes that you can add to a character when you make them, that give them different perks... Runes are sorta like feats, best I can describe. For example, Tsyr has Lightning Reflexes, Sellsword, and Blademaster Trained. There are some pretty cool ones... Changeling, Stormborn, Faith of Ages, Fleet of Foot, Eyes of the Eagle, Juggernaut, Witch Sight, Raised by (Insert race here), Warlord's Page, etc.
Character development also goes a lot like Dark Ages of Camelot, at first... you pick a base class from one of four (Not all races can be all base clases)... Fighter, Rogue, Magic User, and Healer... These are generalist classes, and not very useful in and of themselves, but they take you to level 10 alright. Then at level 10 you pick a profession... There are a lot of these... All of the usual fantasy fare (Druids, Bards, Rangers, Wizards, Warriors, Barbarians, etc), and many new (and pretty cool) ones like Huntress or Warlock. Then, whenever you qualify, you pick up a Discipline. These are kinda like a prestige class in 3E, for lack of a better way to describe it. There are, again, a number of these... Unlike profesions, I will list all of these: Animator, Archer, Black Mast, Blade Master, Blade Weaver, Blood Prophet, Bounty Hunter, Commander, Dark Knight, Enchanter, Forge Master, Giant Killer, Gladiator, Huntsman, Knight, Rat Catcher, Rune Caster, Storm Lord, Summoner, Sun Dancer, Traveler, Undead Hunter, Werebear, Wererat, Werewolf, Wyrmslayer. There are, supposedly, a few more that Wolfpack has put in the game to be discovered. Not all races or classes can pick all discs... But sometimes it's not what you might first think. For example, Blade Weaving is availible to any Elf, regardless of their class... Even wizards and druids can be a Blade Weaver.
It's fun.
I've heard a lot of people have been having trouble registering, but I had no problems, so I can't comment.
Of course, the servers havn't been up long enough to get the real meat of SB going... the high-level guild stuff, etc... But what I have been doing is fun. Combat and so forth most resembles Dark Age of Camelot... You put points into skills, and at certain points in the skill, you learn a new move... Tsyr thus far knows Red Blade (A damage add, plus a DoT), Whirling Strike (A Damage Add and swordskill buff), Trueson Blade (Same as above, except with a taunt), Push Back Foe (The reverse of the above... lowers your attack value a bit, but also de-taunts), Taunt (Just a taunt, pure and simple), and Wall of Steel (Gives +60% or more to parry, but lowers your sword skill) (Note, I may have some of the names a touch wrong).
The gameplay seems good thus far... Death isn't too harsh, for one thing, that I've been able to see. The interface is complex, but once you get used to it, it's not bad. Sorta like Anarchy Online in that regard, though the actual function of the interface is quite different. My only real complaint here is targeting... Sometimes it's hard to keep focused on something in combat, and you go to click on something and mistarget... Thus far it's no problem, but when I get into PVP lands, I fear I'll be constantly wacking my friends because I mistarget.
Graphicly, it's so-so... Quite impressive in some areas (Some of the models, spell effects, etc), so-so in others (Terrain, buildings, etc) and a bit disapointing in others (Shadows don't look so hot, not much in the way of customization for your character... Hair style, beard style, color for both, and normaly 3-4 skins per model. Bit different for some races (Beak shape and colour for birdmen, fur colour for centaur, horn size and shape for minotaurs, etc)).
A word of warning if you start playing: At first, you will THINK money is easy to come by (And I'm assured it is, later), but once you start training "for real" (Any training after level 10), it gets COSTLY... I burned through 5000 gold the first time I trained at level 10.
I really like the character mechanics, with a couple of provisos...
I like the customization and... well... flavor, I guess, that you can put into a character at creation. There are dozens of runes that you can add to a character when you make them, that give them different perks... Runes are sorta like feats, best I can describe. For example, Tsyr has Lightning Reflexes, Sellsword, and Blademaster Trained. There are some pretty cool ones... Changeling, Stormborn, Faith of Ages, Fleet of Foot, Eyes of the Eagle, Juggernaut, Witch Sight, Raised by (Insert race here), Warlord's Page, etc.
Character development also goes a lot like Dark Ages of Camelot, at first... you pick a base class from one of four (Not all races can be all base clases)... Fighter, Rogue, Magic User, and Healer... These are generalist classes, and not very useful in and of themselves, but they take you to level 10 alright. Then at level 10 you pick a profession... There are a lot of these... All of the usual fantasy fare (Druids, Bards, Rangers, Wizards, Warriors, Barbarians, etc), and many new (and pretty cool) ones like Huntress or Warlock. Then, whenever you qualify, you pick up a Discipline. These are kinda like a prestige class in 3E, for lack of a better way to describe it. There are, again, a number of these... Unlike profesions, I will list all of these: Animator, Archer, Black Mast, Blade Master, Blade Weaver, Blood Prophet, Bounty Hunter, Commander, Dark Knight, Enchanter, Forge Master, Giant Killer, Gladiator, Huntsman, Knight, Rat Catcher, Rune Caster, Storm Lord, Summoner, Sun Dancer, Traveler, Undead Hunter, Werebear, Wererat, Werewolf, Wyrmslayer. There are, supposedly, a few more that Wolfpack has put in the game to be discovered. Not all races or classes can pick all discs... But sometimes it's not what you might first think. For example, Blade Weaving is availible to any Elf, regardless of their class... Even wizards and druids can be a Blade Weaver.
It's fun.
