"NCSoft's Economic Downgrading"

I have been playing Lineage II since open beta started in Japan in February this year. Not my first MMORPG, Lineage II isn't massively complicated.

NCSoft with release the full retail version on July 16th this year in Japan, with mixed views. I have polled the number of people on Server 7 here in Japan who would like to continue, the numbers come out at about 50-50. There are advantages and to disadvantages to this game that I would like to comment on. All of which revolve around how NCSoft has conducted their approach to the game.

Graphics/Sound-wise: Line2 has few peers. When you view the landscapes and PCs, NPCs with 100% resolution, it is amazing. That is, if your PC can manage the whole package, and your connection is fast enough. Currently I am running a 1.7GHz, 768RAM, 80GB PC and in the cities where there is always congestion of characters, I move across one screen every 2 to 3 minutes. Very slow. Chop the sound and most of the graphics, and push the frame rate down, results in considerable increase in processing time. My current connection is 40MB/s and still get lags (admittedly, I have a slow computer). Anyways, you'll need a pretty good computer with a sizeable VRAM (mine is 32MB). In terms of specs, you don't need as much as FFXI though.

Potential playability: For the individual, in theory, there are 5 races (dwarf, elf, human, dark elf and orc), choices between magic-user and fighter, female and male characters, resulting in a total of 18 permutations. (you can only choose fighter for dwarves). On top of this depending on the job you choose at levels 20 and 40, in theory you can have a possible 31 different characters. (In the Japanese version at least, you can only have up to 7 characters). Quests are.... tedious. They usually take a long long long time and often have to traverse whole continents to conclude them. However, the purpose often than not is to ensure you visit new areas and find good patches to hunt in. For groups of people, Line2 is where playability increases almost exponentially. As it takes (one average and depending on the type of character one uses), 2 to 3 hours to gain a level up, and that' assuming that you are hunting monsters hardcore and have found a decent area to hunt, you will find yourself with a lot of double-clicking. (I have often fallen asleep while hunting alone... long long 24 hour hunts with small breaks to the toilet, for microwaved food etc. etc.) Also, money is HUGE problem in this game. As stats are fixed, not random, i.e. you will always gain a fixed number of HP and other stats for a stated level, the deciding factor in Line2 is the weapons and armour. Without a doubt, weapons are the most important part of the money part of the game. Everyone playing this game should focus on buying the best weapon for the their class before focusing on armour, unless you are a healer, then the armour (robes) play a larger part as they increase your MP value. The maximum you can gain per hour is maybe 50,000 adena (gold) per hour and that' s assuming you don't alienate all the other PCs into killing you. Joining in a party (PT) will alleviate some of the stress, and more often than not is extremely enjoyable. (not the least that you can catnap while the others are fighting and sharing experience with you). Also, with the advent of castle fights and inter-clan fighting, this could be extremely enjoyable. (just check the lineage II website for some of the videos of castle fights). Clan building is tedious and an extremely long process. From the onset, you are forced to raise a spectacular amount of SP and money, all of which must be provided by the clan leader. (I was a guild leader in MU, and decided that clan leaders in Lineage II were most definitely not worth it). Nevertheless, you need to be part of a clan to fully enjoy the delights of castle fights. (Again here we come to a PC spec dilemma, you MUST have an on-spec PC to fight a castle fight or face lag times in the area of minutes rather than seconds). My conclusion on playability is that NCSoft is stringing us out. It takes too long to gain a level up and takes way to long to raise enough money to buy your favoured weapon. Clan levels take even longer to get and require a special artifact, which after 18 hours non-stop clan-related fighting a single monster (the Blood Queen), we finally managed to get. 18 hours!!! Having played since February 12th, the last 3 months have yielded a level 52 character, playing nearly everyday. Clan level is a measely 4 and have yet to taste a castle fight. NCSoft is clearly looking for more accounts before playability and enjoyability. Nevertheless, as in any MMORPG game, what you bring to the PT will determine your enjoyment level to the game.

Plot: There really isn't a plot to the game. Several sub plots that are essentially quests. Some details such as not been able to warp to DE village if you're an elf and to E village if you are a dark elf. What would be interesting would be to draw up a war scenario between the orcs and elves or orcs Vs everyone else (not that I have anything against orcs… just that one of my closest clan members is a really annoying orc).

Ooops, review is starting to get too long. Summarise: NC Soft doesn't provide the contents for a thoroughly enjoyable MMORPG. It looks pretty on the outside but the guts? Maybe not.

Personal: I have been playing the Japanese version of Lineage II and will probably continue to play it, albeit on a reduced scale. Currently playing as an level 30 oracle on server 7 in Japan, if anyone would like more advice on the game, please do not hesitate to contact me at: funngaru@yahoo.co.jp

Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 05/15/04