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Choose My Adventure: A fond farewell (but not really) to dear old Darkfall
Wow, is it time to go already? I guess the old adage about time flying when you're having fun applies to MMORPGs as well, since Choose My Adventure's Darkfall escapade has run its course. Happily, I'm only saying goodbye to the column, as I'll be staying on in the world of Agon for further adventures on both Swiftsnout and my human alt. It's been a fascinating six weeks, full of adventure, grind, new friendships, new enemies, and a rekindling of my personal sandbox flame. While the tone of this series has been undeniably positive toward a game that has suffered more than its share of negative press, I hope I've been able to remain fairly objective and paint a clear picture of the goings-on in Aventurine's grim fantasy opus. Join me after the cut for a brief look at my week-six activities as well as a few final impressions on the game as a whole. %Gallery-112078%
Choose My Adventure: Christmas in Agon
Oy. Well, if I had to do it over again, I'd have scheduled this whole Choose My Adventure thing in such a way as to avoid the December holiday rush. Last week was rather hectic from an out-of-game perspective, and this week is shaping up to be even more so. That's not to say there wasn't any time for Darkfall, though, and I did manage around 20 hours of in-game activity for the week. As a testament to the title's staying power, there simply wasn't as much time as I'd have liked. The fifth week of my Agonian ramble-on was filled with low-level PvP, a bit of questing and crafting, and more exploration than you can shake a candy cane at. Join me after the cut for a recap of the week that was. %Gallery-111744%
Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game
Welcome back to Massively's Choose My Adventure. As I'm gearing up for the fifth week of my excursion through Darkfall and the lands of Agon, I've settled into something of a groove based on my own personal playstyle and the schedules of folks that I've met in the game. Aventurine's sandbox is a game that sucks you in in a number of different ways. It's a game that you can (and really should) play a lot, and it's not a game that I'd recommend to folks who are dabblers and game-hoppers or those who have a ton of additional demands on their free time. This isn't solely because of the skill grind, either, but also because of the large degree of freedom a player has to choose his own goals, path, and endgame. Ultimately, Darkfall is a pretty large middle finger in the face of the popular notion that MMORPGs are casual games. In fact, Aventurine said as much several months ago, and this attitude informs just about every aspect of Agon. Though some might consider this a negative, I've thus far found it to be quite a bit of fun as well as a refreshing change from the vast majority of the disposable MMOs I've played over the past half decade. Join me after the cut for a look at time management in Agon as well as my weekly recap. %Gallery-110478%
Choose My Adventure: Singing the skill grind blues
Well, here we are folks, smack dab in the middle of our Darkfall run for Choose My Adventure. With three weeks down and three weeks to go, I have to be honest: I feel pressed for time. There's so much to see and do in this game that six weeks simply isn't enough to really do it justice (to say nothing of the fact that it's not nearly enough time to build a competitive character in terms of the skill grind). In any event, I'll do what I can to give you an accurate read on the game, and as my first couple of columns have admittedly erred on the side of fresh-faced enjoyment, today's entry will touch on a few of the game's less than savory aspects. In addition to that, I'll recap a few of my gameplay highlights from the past week. Join me after the cut for a look at my Darkfall present and future as well as a video diary of my adventures thus far.
Choose My Adventure: Special treatment, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the gank
Well, so much for the theory that the Darkfall community has banded together to ensure I only see the good side of the game. This past week was an interesting one, and despite an encounter that most players would probably consider griefing -- as well as various and sundry inconvenient ganks -- I remain enamored of Agon. Aside from recurring instances of the Darkfall version of "special treatment," much of the week was spent leveling greatswords on my public main and crafting/harvesting on my private alt. In between there was a NEW-sponsored PvP event, a kracken run, and various dungeon excursions, not to mention more exploring than I've done in my last three MMOs combined. Finally, I'm also beginning to see the grind that a lot of current and former subscribers complain about. Join me after the cut to see how I dealt with it as well as a recap of week two. %Gallery-108450%
Choose My Adventure: The Wayback Machine
Whew. Well, my first week in Darkfall has come to a close and, at the risk of fanboying it up, holy cow was that fun! It's hard to believe this is the same game that I was unable to purchase on launch day (and unable to play for more than a few weeks at a time over the course of 2009 due to a lack of interested friends). Darkfall isn't so much a game as it is a lifestyle -- and as far as MMOs go, it's a really nifty time machine. In six days and a little under 30 hours of play time, I've managed to move across the map from my racial homeland to my clan city and to assist in taking down two Gardorocs, a Dark Dragon, more deadly wraiths than I can count, and a couple of giant stone dudes whose name escapes me at the moment. I've also gotten a good start on skilling up my spell-casting, archery, and greatsword abilities, and I even did a bit of crafting and gathering. In true Darkfall tradition, the first mount I made was promptly shot out from under me by a gaggle of the game's frightening mobs. And in case you're wondering, yes, I also got ganked. Though it's only happened once (so far), it was a doozy. Join me after the cut for a rundown of the week's mayhem and an earnest attempt at maintaining my objectivity. %Gallery-108019%
Choose My Adventure: Swiftsnout theCrotchety
Aaaaaaooooooooooooo... er, sorry. I was just getting into character a bit early, I suppose. Welcome back, loyal readers and Aventurine subscribers alike, to Choose My Adventure. With the past couple weeks' worth of voting formalities behind us, it's time for the main event. As we speak, I'm rolling up a brand-spanking-new Darkfall character, the better to suffer at the hands of my new PK overlords -- and hopefully get a good look at the world of Agon prior to writing about it over the next six weeks. Join me after the cut to see the results of last week's voting and get a sneak peek at what I'll be doing first.
