Darkfall Online and You

If you've heard or read about Darkfall Online, the MMORPG by  independent developer Aventurine, then you may be curious as to what kind of game it is. With the free trial now, there is really no reason not to try it and see for yourself. However, you will get a lot more out of this game with its steep learning curve and some of its (how shall I put this?) occasionally vexing community members, if you consider a few things first.

People either love or hate this game, whether they have played it or not.

From WoW to Darkfall

Old-style theme park orc

If you wonder what is beyond the world of tab targeting, theme park games like WoW, Age of Conan, or Everquest, you have only a few released sandbox options including EVE Online, Darkfall, Mortal Online, and maybe Fallen Earth. A lot of people say, with the exception of EVE, that these games are paid betas. There is some merit to this view.

There are some titles I'm keeping an eye on that are officially in various stages of beta, including Dawntide and Earthrise, among others. No one knows how these games will turn out or when they will be released but they herald a trend toward sandbox games that I hope will take root and break the mold made by Everquest and WoW.

Having played, tried or beta-tested all of the games I've mentioned except Earthrise, I will speak from my direct personal experience and opinion, for whatever it's worth. I'll talk about the MMORPG genre in general, Darkfall gameplay as I've experienced and read about it, and the Darkfall community and forums.

Who Plays Darkfall?

Darkfall ork

People who play this game believe in it. It does sound strange, I admit. But it goes a long way toward explaining the zealousness players show in supporting their favorite games, especially sandbox titles like Darkfall and Mortal Online, which are both published by small independent developers who trace their gaming lineage back to playing Ultima Online (which I have never played).

In addition to the people who are conscious, sentient homo sapiens, let there be no doubt that there are some disturbed individuals who are also drawn to this game for the "freedom" and the free for all (FFA) full loot PvP. Even with this substantial and vocal part of the community, I still enjoy this game and will discuss why later.

The sandbox game is supposed to be about freedom. Darkfall is supposed to be a game with no classes, no leveling, and very few restrictions on a player's choices. At present, many people including myself, see a significant gap between what Darkfall is supposed to be and what it is right now. But those of us who continue to play are having fun with what Darkfall is and we believe in what it can become.

Bottom line on this game: Darkfall is the best MMORPG on the market in spite of its many flaws (with the huge disclaimer that if you can handle having a spaceship as an avatar, then EVE Online is in a class of its own).

Bottom line on Aventurine: Visionary and brilliant conceptualists but inept at community relations (whether they are incompetent in running a business is in hot debate, but I reserve my judgment on this because only time will tell). See forums as this is the hot topic of today.

My Darkfall Credentials

Actually a noobish player, I've been playing Darkfall Online since January 2010. I'm on my third character on my main account. I just bought a second alt account. Obviously, I like this game, but I'm going to tell you where it comes up short, too.

The definition of my play style is casual, which means an average of 4 hours played per day for a total of about 5 months due to time away from the game: I quit for a while early on and sometimes life gets to busy for gaming. Some days I don't log in. Other days, I'm on for 6 or 8 hours, with a lot of that time spent away from the keyboard doing something else. For example, as I write this, my alt is mining.

One of reasons I quit early was because of the amount of time it took to harvest materials such as wood, iron, fish, and herbs. These are essential to supplying and strengthening a new character until strong enough to fight mobs that drop the materials you need. I spent more time gathering and crafting than what I considered playing. Fortunately, I'm able to work at home grading papers, reading, preparing classes, writing and so on. This allows me gather and craft in windows mode. When I'm ready to go out hunting, fighting, or exploring, I can do that with my full attention. Unless you have a lifestyle or career that allows you to develop your character while semi-afk, I don't think you will be able to get the most out of this game. In fact, I think you'll wind up hating it. If anyone has a different view on this, please share in the comments.

A good play session for me is about 2-3 hours of PvE, exploring, or solo PvP rides into enemy territory. I'm not in a clan because of various reasons, which I will discuss elsewhere. Mainly, it's my preference to play solo for now.

Next: Detailed information for new players with skippable commentary, pondering, and rumination

Exploration of the vast (yet still unfinished) world of Agon is one of the main hooks that made me come back to Darkfall after my initial rage quit.