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Beta Review of Shadowbane With the hot topic of the day being “What's going on inside Shadowbane's beta since the removal of the NDA, many are the voices who are either ranting about the game, or raving about the game. Very few and far between are honest non-biased opinions, which cannot necessarily be called reviews. Since the game is not out in retail yet. Harendiel, guild master for The Seraphim though has submitted a well written non-biased pre-review of what has come to pass, and what is yet to come. Read on, and form your own thoughts!
Now that the Non-Disclosure Agreement is gone, I have been asked to write this article for those watching and waiting to see what Shadowbane will become. I am not a "fanboi", I registered for the beta then forgot about the game until I was accepted. I can not quote the lore word for word for you, I will not tell you this is the best game ever made. I will provide you an objective review of the beta as I have seen it. With that said, let's get to the good stuff with the following issues: game-play, leveling, cities, and sieges. Gameplay First, the number one issue which currently plagues Shadowbane is lag and server problems. With 1,000-2,000 people online at once, generally the lag in Shadowbane reaches a point where only the most stalwart powergamers can stand it, and then it even frustrates them. Playing during prime time for many is a joke with horrendous rubber-banding, lag on powers, and many similar issues. To top this off, the game's log-in server tends to be down frequently preventing many more from even getting online. However, it is not always bad. In fact, during lag free times the game plays very smooth and is extremely enjoyable. This is a very good thing, as currently all of Wolfpack's resources are devoted to clearing up the issues with lag and logins during this phase of the beta: the stress test. This means that, hopefully, things will be much better in release, and already some improvements have been made that are making that hope even stronger. In terms of bugs and code glitches, they do exist. Sometimes they can be annoying, sometimes they can be helpful, but they are not overabundant I would say. Fortunately, Wolfpack has been good about attempting to get rid of known bugs that are at a level of "game stopping", however, on the other hand they also have a bad habit of breaking and reintroducing old bugs.
As far as customization goes, the game is lacking. While the various classes, professions, and disciplines provide a decent plethora of training options, when one breaks things down into what works and is good and what does not, options can be limited. I see this as being a game where there will be certain powerful templates exist and are widely used, as this has already been done to some degree in beta. There are certain race and class combinations you see everywhere, there are certain ones (and entire classes) that only a few unknowing or highly devoted players will be seen as. In terms of your character's appearance, the same holds true. Your customization options are basically your race then each one gets about three preset skin tones and about a dozen preset hair styles and colors. Clothing will also tend to be limited, especially if you use armor, as there is currently no color customization on equipment at all. The robes various mage classes get look nice, but these robes total about ten all-together. When it comes to armor wearing classes, I would expect to see all of them looking the same in higher levels, even the ones who have their own special armor such as Crusaders. Leveling and the Player versus Environment Factor
You will not walk into this game and have a maxed character in one day, which seems to be what some people expect. You can quickly build a character if you have the time and patience and a good group of people to work with. In this most recent wipe, players have reached what is considered the point of required PvP effectiveness in under a week, but it has been time of constant playing by experienced players in the arena of power-leveling Shadowbane. I will not venture to guess times on how long it will take you to level, for there are far too many factors to it. However, I will say it will require less time than any other level-based MMORPG existing today, especially once you get into the groove of things. Most first-time and inexperienced players describe the process of leveling as "difficult", especially with the game's recent improvement to mobile AI of "bring a friend"-a system most MMORPG players will be familiar with. While this has, indeed, made things more difficult, it has not stopped groups that have learned ways around the AI. While many complain of the difficulty, there are also many PvP-oriented powergamers who have found they prefer the system once the proper tactics for handling it have been learned. Guilds, Nations, and Cities
A nation leader will also be a rare individual, because in Shadowbane leading a nation requires true leadership. Every successful nation leader in beta alone has been a respectable individual with good leadership, political, and at least moderate tactical skills (or an intelligent military commander). For example, in the current beta test there are three major nations, all of which are a true nation that either has several guilds joined into one, has a core guild with subguilds pledged to it, or is a combination of both. I do not believe there is one single guild which, by itself, could defeat any of these nations mano-a-mano in a siege. This is the way it should be, and I would expect to see the same in gold when nations will potentially have hundreds and thousands of members. In terms of city building, only the strong will survive. Cities require a significant investment, and a continued investment in upkeep costs. Already they have proven to be an exercise in game economics, as there are two options for maintaining a city. You can either farm mobs for the gold (remember what I said about your continued PvE being dependent on your guild?), or you can try to turn your city into a self-sustaining business. Both have successfully been done, and both will be viable options in release. Placing a city alone is also an exercise in tactics, as many nations have often laid siege to newly found "neighbors" who built too close to them without permission. The political aspects of the game have been quite enjoyable and engrossing, especially when times of war have been involved, as the game's war journals alone have revealed over time. Also, it is probably worth noting, that cities are as close to "player housing" as you can hope to have right now. Due to the nature of the game, and the way housing is set up, it's not feasible and having a house is far more of a "burden" then it is a boon to your gameplay. Warfare and Sieging
Now, for the good stuff, sieging. War is designed to be a costly and well-thought process, and is rarely a spur of the moment event, especially with the recent revamp to the siege system. A nation or guild must be ready to expend time and money in destroying its enemies. Unfortunately, the actual siege system has a lot of a "referee" feel to it with time limits on when certain things can be done. However, the changes have given an appropriate, and likeable, change to the tactics and politics employed in siege warfare. Summary
Credit: This review was written by Harendiel, who is an experienced online gamer of nine years whom has called NeverWinter Nights, Ultima Online and other games home. He is also the guildmaster of The Seraphim, a small but organized guild with over two years of tenure. Discuss: Your thoughts!
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