Rift: Planes of Telara

Ambiturner

Ssraeszha Raider
16,040
19,503
Vanguard started off terrible but turned it around. It did get a murdered moment later in life, it just had a smaller audience than Rift when it happened. Rift murdered it very early comparatively.

Rift was pretty successful well into their 1st expansion. That's when they decided "Fuck your fun builds, 61 points into a single spec or you're shit"
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

rhinohelix

Dental Dammer
<Gold Donor>
3,020
4,944
This is one of those games I’d like to read a behind the scenes article about. We all know what went down with vanguard and some other games but this one is still a mystery. The entire player base feels exactly the same about this game whenever I see it discussed. Rogue tank was cool, healer mage was cool, etc. then they all got nerfed and sucked. Difficulty was fun then it got nerfed. Rift invasions were fun then they got nerfed.

Who was making these calls and why? How were they so disconnected from their game and player base?

Only Sox may know.
So many great builds in this game, I remember my warrior healer significantly baseline healing in open world rifts by damage done, then them nerfing almost everything. Part of the allure of Ashes of Creation to me is the callback to at least a little of how Rift did its classes.

I, too would love to know the backstory to Scott leaving and how they fucked up the game.

This game was really good while it lasted but didn't have the polish of WOW and lost the war as people went back. People launching new games to compete with WoW didn't realize that you couldn't compete with launch WoW, you needed to compete with WoW as it presently was.

The other game that was nerfed to hell was a Superhero game that was radically changed between only between HeadStart and retail launch, that late. It was fine all through beta but right before it went live they fucked it up. They double super nerfed the FUCK out of it. Champions Online? OMG it was so bad. It as a great game at head start, by the time retail launch arrived, time to level literally doubled, and content areas no longer matched character level at all. Basically some MMO personality came in super late in beta (Ralph Koster? IIRC) and told them they were ruining their game by making it too easy and the Studio janked their game.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

RobXIII

Urinal Cake Consumption King
<Gold Donor>
3,840
2,186
It was actually right before. Patch 1.11, midway through Ember Isle.

I absolutely loved Ember Isle, and working on my AA's.

Only thing I remember about the 1st expansion is that the main storyline just.....stopped. I thought I was bugged and petitioned lol

The puzzles were neat though.
 

Tearofsoul

Ancient MMO noob
1,791
1,257
I wish they kept the intensity of rift invasion from Alpha/Beta. Other than that, no complain from launch all the way to Hammerknell. I quit right at the end of Hammerknell due to other commitments.

I don't remember Ember Isle at all, is that after Hammerknell?

2011-03-06_125647.jpg
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

Nirgon

Log Wizard
13,666
21,272
I wish they kept the intensity of rift invasion from Alpha/Beta. Other than that, no complain from launch all the way to Hammerknell. I quit right at the end of Hammerknell due to other commitments.

I don't remember Ember Isle at all, is that after Hammerknell?

View attachment 432751

The beta invasions were so fucking awesome and I was hoping for so much more content of mobs that would just pop out and go nuts in the zones for big dogs to take down
 
  • 3Like
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 3 users

GuardianX

Perpetually Pessimistic
<Bronze Donator>
7,159
18,140
The beta invasions were so fucking awesome and I was hoping for so much more content of mobs that would just pop out and go nuts in the zones for big dogs to take down

BETA rifts were amazing and then they got toned down so hard for release.
 
  • 3Like
Reactions: 2 users

Srathor

Vyemm Raider
1,880
3,022
I remember hitting like level 20. And summoning up an archangel and 3 minions to help me take unsoloable camps. It wascool as fuck.

Nerfed to hell
 

Dandai

<WoW Guild Officer>
<Gold Donor>
5,917
4,493
Still adore this trailer too.



I definitely have fond memories of HK. I was in the world first Akylios kill. I missed out on the EQ leet guild experience so it was neat to at least get a taste of that in Rift.
 
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 user

Kriptini

Vyemm Raider
3,675
3,571
Hammerknell was great but please let's never have 22 minute-long boss fights ever again.
 
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 user