soooo... after about 1 1/2 years of not playing due to computer exploding (heh), I reinstalled The Secret World.
a lot has changed in the game, starting with the business model. the game is now BUY TO PLAY (think guild wars), but you can still get a subscription that gives you a little extra. unlike TOR, though, you actually get the entire game without paying for it (except the add-ons, called 'scenarios'. the first 2 are free, though)
I started a new character, and those of you who follow my twitch stream probably know that i've already streamed a few sessions of my brand new adventures.
here's the link to the introduction if you join a Templar (shouldn't be too much of a spoiler)
http://www.twitch.tv/amnie/c/4259942
sorry about the sound randomly breaking, I haven't figured out just yet how to set the stream without going all wonky on me as soon as I tab out (also why I'm not playing fullscreen. it gives me a black screen)
not much has changed in regards to my view on the game as not playing it 'seriously', but it's nice for a little break every once in a while to slay some zombies and vampires. and the quests are quite good quality. definitely up to TOR (just completely different setting, obviously)
to those who have no clue what the game is about:
*the setting is the real world, at this time, but pretty much with a twist about secret societies really existing (playable are the Dragon, the Templar and the Illuminati) - and they are fighting a 'secret war' while still trying to protect the world from all kinds of dangers, mainly 'the filth', something that has been around for millenia
*you can team up with members of the opposing factions. you can do everything with everyone (dungeons, friendslist, whisper, invite to your server) except PVP and being a member of the same Cabal (Guild). granted this means no open world PVP ;)
*different servers don't matter. you can 'meet up' with people on a different server. you either travel to them - or they travel to you. the main hub, the 'agartha' (travel system between the areas of the world. the 'hollow earth') is cross-server, even.
*zombies, 'the filth', vampires, mummies, crazy shit all over the place
*extremely nerdy references to H.P. Lovecraft and the likes (the NPCs sometimes even make nerdy references to real world stuff like Star Trek or Star Wars ;) )
*no static classes (instead of 'classes' you choose 2 weapons, all with unique skills - eventually you can unlock a special 3rd weapon too, but that's for late endgame :P) - game can technically even be played without a traditional 'holy trinity', but the farther you step into endgame the less likely it will be to find a group full of dps/healer and tank/dps ;)
*weapons/skill decks can be changed at any time except during combat. in other words: this game is bad for alt-o-holics because you can do everything on one character and it's actually helpful if you dip into other weapons.
*skill wheel specialitites: passive skills from one weapon can be used on other 'decks' (deck is what your skill set is called) - for example back when I still played I was healing with Fist weapons and an Assault Rifle (!), but used a few passives from Pistols, which is in itself a 'supporter', not a healing weapon. - there's also non-class-related skills specifically for a role in a party, so to be a really good tank you have to get some aggro generating skills from the 'tank wheel' which aren't found in either of the tank weapons.
*each weapon has two 'specialities'. think of the classes in TOR. a guardian can be DPS or Tank. in The Secret World this is similar. you can play a Chaos Magic/Blade tank, but you can also play a Chaos Magic/Blade DPS.
*different 'decks' for group play than solo play. The Secret World usually 'forces' you to play your character very differently in the open world than you would do it in group scenaries. much more so than most other MMOs. a lot of people even use completely different Decks - or even weapons - when playing on their own.
*no static level - or progression
your character itself does not have a level. you do have an exp-bar for both skill points and ability poins, but this bar is always the same and each time it fills up it takes the same amount of exp to fill it up again. (for each fill you get one point)
instead of progressing in character level, you progress in your weapons, accessoires, and skills.
AP are either used for weapon skills or role skills (healing/supporting, dpsing, tanking)
*no gear - only 'accessoire'. in the Secret World there is no way for you to see how developed a character is by just checking their 'looks' (except a few people wear gear for achievements like finishing all 'hell' nightmare runs, their faction rank, 100% skill wheel completion and the likes) - you can have plenty of vanity gear, a lot of it bought for in-game currency, but the really stylish stuff is cash shop of course)
*can be played like an offline game for huge parts
this was actually something I really really loved about the game initially and made me reinstall it about 2 weeks ago. I didn't feel like 'dealing with people' (heh), but the quests in this game are actually really, really good! for the most part it's easier to play in a group, but you .can. play the game alone apart from the group instances. (in fact, you .have. to do things like your faction quests or the main story alone)
basically you pay about 15€ once and have a pretty cool game to slay zombies in, if that's your thing. and if you feel like playing with other people you can do just that, too.
*the secret world is difficult. more difficult than a lot of other MMOs. it's not too difficult, though. you don't .have. to group up with other people, but from the second zone onwards you notice a definite rise in difficulty, especially if you don't play around with your skill deck a bit and test some other weapon combinations (for some areas ranged weapons are more handy, other times ranged it useless because the mobs port to you or pull you in...)
*the quests are a lot higher quality than most MMOs. you have investigation quests that require you to dig a little deeper (little example: you have to find a place where people used to be hanged and the hint is on the 'official website' of the fictional starter area town. another quest requires you to decipher a morse code to find a specific location. at one time you have to find out the name of a componist because it's a computer password or you need to spell a certain word in a latin bible translation - all of these things you can't find in-game)
