Massive Nerd

(Read here for a little backstory on our hero.)

The bell tolled. The rooster marked the rising of the sun.

Morning. This is the eleventh day. Corrigan rose from the table. He collected the massive tomes in front of him and carefully placed them on the librarian's desk. I should wait for Maris to wake and thank him for his time. However, I am anxious to be off.

Today I take my vows.

Corrigan stepped from Northshire Abbey for the first time in over a week, and was greeted to an unexpected, if welcome sight.

"Ten days and nights of meditation, contemplation and education into the ways of the Order of the Silver Hand. And ye still look as stupid as the last time I saw ye."

"Father! I was not expecting an escort back to the Cathedral."

"Lad, if ye call me 'Father' one more time, ye'll be the first Paladin to take his vows with a staff up his backside. After today, I'm yer teacher no longer."

"Yes Fa.... Rondrey."

"That's better. As to my being here, I have some final questions for ye before the council tests you."

"A final lesson? I welcome your test."

"Good, then let's be on our way. Stormwind is not far, but the walk should be long enough. First question: What is the Silver Hand's greatest foe?"

"Easy. The Scourge."

"Lad, how did ye ever make it past yer first year of studies? True, the Scourge is our biggest currently active threat. However, their former masters, the Burning Legion always has been and always will be the greatest threat, not just to our order, but all of Azeroth. They sent the Orcs. They sent the Scourge. To this day, they still try to infiltrate our organizations. Until they are defeated, no life on this world, or any other will be truly safe."

"How can the Legion infiltrate an order like the Silver Hand? I thought they could only possess those who are willing."

"That's partially true, lad. Even the most powerful demon will have difficulty taking an unwilling host. It would require a complete overwhelming of the host's spirit by force. After such trauma, all that would remain is a soulless husk. None of the demon's power would be available to it. It would not be worth the demon's time and energy to gain a worthless sack of flesh."

"Then the Order is safe. No Paladin would give themselves willingly to the Legion."

"Don't be so sure, lad. Every man has his weakness, his breaking point. The Legion is nothing if not patient. Ten thousand years they've been trying to take our planet, what's a few more to them? They're waiting. Waiting for the right person at the right time."

"What difference does it make?"

"Simple, lad. The more devout the host, the more holy, the more full of Light, the stronger the corrupted spirit, the stronger the demon would be. They want someone so pure of heart for their own, they will search for another ten thousand years, if that's what it takes."

"Someone like you, Rondrey?"

"Nah. Not me. True enough, I've served the Light faithfully in my years. I am, however, not without my faults. I have not even served as a Priest my whole life. I do love my ale, as well."

"Bah! I do not know how you can cloud your mind with drinks like that. You'll never catch me looking for knowledge at the bottom of a mug. But, fine, if not you, then who would be a better host?"

"Someone born of honorable people. Someone who has dedicated their life to the Light. Someone so completely devout, that to corrupt their soul would be an accomplishment like none before."

Rondrey stepped in the middle of the road, staring Corrigan in the eyes to drive home his point.

"Someone, lad... like you."

This weekend, I finished Prince of Persia. I'm a longtime fan of the series. I LOVED Sands of Time. The sequels... not so much.

The latest version has all the stuff I loved about Sands, minus a few bits. Running and jumping all over the place never gets old. I did, however, miss the deathtraps. Having Elika there to save your dumb ass every time you jump into an abyss is fine by me. It allowed me to take some leaps of faith I otherwise would not have attempted.

In the last generation, as fun as the platforming was, I despised the combat. No matter how they tried to pretty it up, it was just annoying. This game, they decided to just scrap it all. Very little combat to be had, and I didn't miss it one bit.

The ending was a slap in the face. Big cliffhanger screaming "PAY FOR THE DLC!" Nope, not happening.

Much like Assassin's Creed, Achievements are a blast. An easy 500-600 points just playing through. Another 200-300 for some fun stuff. Other companies can learn from Ubisoft.

All in all, a very fun game. Short, you can play through it in a solid weekend. Very repetitive, you must run through each environment 2 or 3 times. If you don't mind a fun game with a minimal amount of combat, and can find it for a good price, definitely pick it up.

Secondly, Dead Space.

Holy CRAP, Dead Space.

I never got into Resident Evil. Indeterminate blobs resembling zombies are not scary. At best, I'd label it "startling." Silent Hill, while a much better game, to me, was more "creepy" and "disturbing."

Dead Space is freaking TERRIFYING.

Modern day graphics allow for a very spooky atmosphere. The lighting effects play tricks on your eyes. Every shadow could potentially hide a Necromorph.

The sound will keep you up at night.

Mutant babies. With tentacles. Not. Right.

At one point, I stepped out of an elevator and saw an enemy run around the next corner. I spent the next several minutes staring at my map, looking for an alternate route. I did NOT want to go around that corner.

After playing through the first couple chapters, a small moth flew at me in the bathroom. I almost fell into the freaking tub. Yes, I will admit it. I have not been this scared of ANYTHING since I watched the first Halloween as a boy.

Additionally, big props to the devs for making a game with no HUD that is still perfectly playable. Everything important is represented on your character. Menus and video communications are holographically projected right in front of Isacc, for a very seamless play experience.

Don't WAIT for a good deal on this one. It's easily available for 30 bucks or less, and is easily worth MORE than that.

This is a story.

A story about a story.

A story about a story which is part of a larger story.

Several months ago, back on Hardcore Casual, I started a project, Create Your Own Azeroth. I worked with several other blog authors to create a branching, choose-your-own-adventure-style story based around the World of Warcraft world.

For those of you who have not read the story, it begins here.

The project went well and was a great success. Unfortunately, due to several authors going dark, I suspended the project.

However, there is more story to tell.

Starting in the near future, I will be continuing the adventures of our hero, Corrigan, as well as others.

In order to preserve cohesion of the story, I have chosen one path of CYOA as canon:

Prelude, by myself
The Libram, by Syrana
Untitled, by Skipper
Stand your Ground, by myself

Now, this does not mean the other chapters are not worth reading. They definitely are. Honestly, I don't feel this was the BEST path through the tale, story-wise. However, this was the best to continue with the story. Corrigan's survival rate was... below average.

Again, I highly recommend reading through ALL the paths from the beginning.

A word of warning: In keeping with my more casual method of blogging here on Massive Nerd, as opposed to Hardcore Casual, these posts will not be on any set schedule. When I have one ready, I'll post it.

Of course, I can't just leave everyone hanging. I have to tease a bit:

The first story will reveal the secret of Sylphine's identity.

Yesterday, I posted the most awesome music video ever, promising my list of all the pop culture references I caught.

Let's-a go!

0:17 - Yoda... kinda
0:21 - Wall Street, Street Fighter just seems like a pun
0:36 - Greatest American Hero!
0:50 - Not sure who this guy is. David Letterman?
1:00 - Karate Kid
1:08 - Frogger/Spy Hunter reference?
1:19 - KITT
1:35 - Could that be M.A.S.K.?
1:40 - I think this is kind of a twist on an old game, Timber.
1:52 - Who you gonna call?
2:05 - Dig Dug
2:24 - Miami Vice, pure win
2:26 - Pitfall + SWINE FLU?
2:41 - At first I was thinking Paperboy, but...
2:50 - E.T.!
2:54 - I know this game, but can't remember the name for the life of me.
3:00 - Nobody beats Teen Wolf at basketball.
3:09 - A-Team, I wanted that van so bad when i was a kid.
3:22 - It's not the 80s without Corey Feldman
3:24 - Kim Jong Il as Donkey Kong
3:29 - Scarface
3:34 - Small Wonder, I always knew that robot had homicidal tendencies.
3:47 - First of all, KEYTAR.
3:50 - Previous cameos, plus California Raisins and Spudz McKenzie on a Q-Bert board. Can't place the bunnies.
3:59 - And finish it off with a flying DeLorean.

Did you guys catch anything I didn't? Let me know!

The band Seether recently covered "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. Nice cover, but the video is EPIC 80s WIN.



How many references can you catch? I'll post a list of mine tomorrow.

This weekend was the fourth Aion Closed Beta event.

I got my Gladiator, Samo, up to level 16. I got my first tastes of grouping up for a couple small quests. Very fun.

Here's a pic of Samo when I logged off today:


I also got to spend a hefty amount of time with the crafting system. I first got my Weaponsmithing up to level 50, in order to make my level 15 Polearm. Later, while questing, I got a rare recipe drop. I decided to spend some of my saved-up Kinah to buy the rare materials needed. After working my Weaponsmithing up to 75, the Spear of Demon was mine!

Here's a quick look, comparing the stats to my current weapon:


Now, last event weekend, I commented on some issues people were having with the game. I figured I'd do the same this time around.

Most of the issues I was seeing around the community were nicely summed up by this post on Aion Source.

Aion is too linear. There is no stray path that you can take to level your character.

True, but then again, this is based on the first 20-ish levels of the game. Later on, the progression is still rather linear from quest hub to quest hub, but the zones become more expansive. You're no longer just "following the road." Additionally, you can quest in The Abyss, the PVP zone, if you want to spice things up.

There is nothing you can do to customize your skills to make you have different skills than other players.

Starting at Level 20, your character starts to gain access to Stigmas. These allow you to gain new skills, customizing your character however you'd like. For example, by level 22, Samo would have access to Dual Wield, Improved Stamina and Crippling Cut. With only one slot available, that allows you to customize your character 3 different ways right off the bat.

Non-existent connection to the main plot in quests. Quests are like this: go chop off this mob's arm, or go tell Bob that Linda is a nyerk and likes him. Ect.

No. Just, no. The regular quests may be rather pointless, plot-wise. However, as I discussed in my questing preview, the Campaigns are directly tied in to the overall story of the game. While some of them may seem like any other quest, if you READ THEM, you will see the difference.

Flight is a gimmick that stops being amusing in the first five minutes of trying it out. There are no mounts in this game, either. It's actually worse off than other games as you have to run from place to place and you have no mount. 95% of the game is restricted and you can only glide. No point to flying, then.

First of all, flight is not a gimmick. It is an integral part of PVP later in the game. True, flight is limited in many places, but I see that as a good thing. Flight kind of ruined WoW for me. I actually enjoy experiencing the game world instead of flying past everything. Secondly, learn to Glide. The gliding mechanic allows you to quickly traverse the game world, and is FUN on top of it.

Poor class balance. Some classes just overshadow and stomp other classes into the ground. For instance, a ranger will never have a chance against a sorcerer. Fireball > wooden flying stick. An assassin will never have a chance against a non-assassin. They get 1hit.

And? The game is balanced around group PVP, just like damn near every other game. Of course, there will be mismatches in 1v1, but that doesn't matter. If you spend all your time in PVP battling solo, you're doing it wrong.

Now, I'm not blindly defending the game. It's not perfect, no game is. However, please don't make suppositions based on inaccurate information. I'm not even going to touch his last comment. Pointless.

Anyway, who else out there played this weekend? What did you think?

Put on your foil hats, kids. Think of me as Mel Gibson, only better-looking.

A couple weeks ago, Blizzard trademarked the term "Cataclysm." Of course, the most likely explanation is this will be the next World of Warcraft expansion.

But why Cataclysm?

The term PROBABLY refers to the Great Sundering, which split ancient Kalimdor in two, creating the two continents WoW players know. However, in my experience, the ACTUAL term "Cataclysm" is never used in the lore. The only source WoW Wiki cites that uses that exact term is the World of Warcraft RPG game. While the RPG lore is canon, that's a long way to go for the title of a major expansion. There are several other terms that would make a better title and are closer to the central lore.

Okay, so WHY Cataclysm?

Here's where things get a little tricky.

The Cataclysm happens to be the term used to describe the central event in the lore of Aion.

What better way to steal the thunder of a serious competitor than to announce your own game, using THEIR word, a month before it comes out?

Wait. A serious competitor? WoW has what? 10, 12 million subscribers?

Not so, friends. Read This article by Tobold. For the "tl;dr" crowd: WoW is TECHNICALLY down to 5 million subscribers.

Last I checked, Aion was sitting pretty at 3.5 million, even before its Western release.

I'd call that serious competition.

Now, a Chinese subscriber, a significant portion of Aion's number and currently NONE of WoW's, is completely different from an American or European subscriber. Tobold explains it much better than I could, so I won't go into the details. However, in this industry, it's all about PERCEPTION. If NCSoft can claim that they have equaled WoW in subscribers, and they possibly could in time, that would be a huge blow to Blizzard. True, WoW may be making more money than Aion with a similar amount of subscribers, but how many members of the press are actually bothered with things like facts?

Here's a quick look at the questing system in Aion.

First, the icons. Aion doesn't use the usual Question marks and Exclamation Points.


This Arrow indicates an NPC with a quest for you.


This is a turn-in.


This is an interesting one. These quests involve dialog options. For this one, the answers you give determine the quality and quantity of the rewards.

Now, the log.


Quests are divided into three tabs. Standard, Campaign and Work Orders. Campaign we will get to in a bit. Work Orders are crafting quests, and I will cover those in a future post.

See the blue text in the quest description? Click it and another window opens up.


This is the in-game Dictionary. It gives information, and you can continue clicking through, learning more about the game world. See the "Locate" button?


Locating creates a marker on your map, leading you right to the objective. Now, this doesn't completely take away the fun of exploring. For quests where you actually have to FIND something, you're on your own!


This is the campaign tab of the Quest Log. Campaigns are the central storyline quests of the game. Campaign NPCs are differentiated by their gold quest icons instead of the usual blue. Many Campaigns are started just by entering the correct town. As you can see, each Campaign is made up of several legs. Each leg is a chain of its own, and completing legs will unlock the later ones. The major difference between Campaigns and Standard Quests is CUTSCENES. Each leg of a Campaign is accompanied by one or more in-game engine cutscenes. These range from a brief glimpse of your objective to full-on, Wrathgate-style mini-movies.

Upon reaching Level 9, you automatically gain the "Ascension" Campaign.


This questline is nothing short of epic. I don't want to spoil anything, but it is, thus far, the highlight of the Beta. This allows you to upgrade to your chosen class. For example, it allowed me to take my little Warrior to a full Gladiator.


When Aion first released in Korea, it was a bit of a grinder. That's what Eastern audiences are into. As the Western release grows closer, NCSoft is expanding the questing system. By release and Version 1.5, there will be many more quests available in the game, accounting for a much higher percentage of experience gained. That's not to say you can avoid grinding ENTIRELY. There may be points later where you'll have to grind a BIT, but nothing worse than the early days of WoW. This is not another Lineage. Of course, if you choose to avoid some of the Group Quest chains, you'll have more grinding to do, but that's your decision.

I want more Harper's Island.

No, not more of that particular show, but more like it.

Quick primer for the uninformed: Harper's Island was a Mystery/Suspense series that just finished airing on CBS. Imagine your favorite slasher movies, but 13 hours long. Yup, the show lasted one season, 13 episodes, and was done. However, unlike many series on TV, this was PLANNED.

Planning for a set number of episodes allowed this show to flourish. The writers knew how much time they were dealing with, and could pace the plot points, clues and reveals expertly.

There is not enough of this on TV today. Networks think of serials as big ratings, and want to drag them out as long as possible. In the end, the viewers suffer.

Look no further than Twin Peaks, one of the best shows of the 90s. Serialized dramas ALWAYS lose viewers as they go along. If you miss one or two episodes, you're lost. Many viewers these days will just wait for the DVDs in this situation, so as time passes, viewership will always decline from premiere to finale. Back in the 90s, Twin Peaks, did not have the luxury of a quick home release, and quickly declined. This led to the network jumping the shark and revealing the central mystery of the show halfway through the second season. Of course, this left viewers with little to no reason to watch, and that was the end of the show. The writers never got the time to tell the stories they wanted, and the fans missed out.

How about Lost? The first season was a spectacular hit. ABC said, "Keep writing!" At this point, the writers realized they would have to stretch out their intended story to fill an undetermined number of episodes. The second season, and most of the third, suffered because of this. The writers floundered, introducing random characters and plot threads that may NEVER lead to anything, just to fill time while slowly advancing the overall plot. At this point, ABC stepped up and made a deal to set an ending date and number of episodes. From there, the show took off again. With a goal in mind, the writers have returned the show to the fast-paced mystery it started as.

Next up, Prison Break. Prison Break was originally conceived as a 2-season show, and it was awesome... For 1 1/2 seasons. Then, FOX asked the writers to extend the ratings juggernaut for another season. And another. A show that started off as a fun ride eventually ran out of steam. I completely gave up early in the fourth (and final) season.

Where will Heroes go? Will it be Twin Peaks or Lost? Unfortunately, it seems to be the former, having lost all the momentum it had coming out of its amazing first season. The second season was almost forgivable due to the writers strike, but the third season jumped back and forth from awesome to tiring. I will most likely not be tuning in for season 4.

So, please, TV Networks, give us more shows like Harper's Island! Would you rather have amazing ratings for one year, then a massive slump for one long-running series, or consistent ratings for a well-written, well-paced collection of series?

Part 2 of my preview of Aion focuses on the 8 classes available in the game.



During character creation, you select from one of 4 "archetypes." These show you the basic abilities of the full classes, and teach you the basics of each playstyle. At level 9, you gain a quest to "ascend" and are able to select from one of two classes available to each archetype.

Warrior Classes

Warriors start off with the ability to wear Chain armor and equip Swords, Maces and Shields. Warriors gain a basic combo, a physical debuff and a couple defensive skills.

Gladiator: Gladiators are all about massive damage. They can wear Plate armor and equip Daggers, Swords, Maces, Greatswords, Polearms, Bows and Shields. They are the only class in the game that can use Polearms. They specialize in large, flashy, sweeping attacks, AOEs and knockdowns, leaving their enemies vulnerable for a short time. With the ability to equip shields and access to some basic defensive skills, Gladiators make excellent offensive tanks. They will take more damage, but also deal more. At level 20, Gladiators can Dual-Wield, sacrificing their AOEs and Knockdown abilities for increased single-target DPS.

Templar: Templars are Aion's preeminent defensive class. They can wear Plate armor and equip Swords, Maces, Shields and Greatswords. With a few self-healing abilities, survivability is the name of the game, making Templars the game's only true tanking class.

Scout Classes

Scouts wear Leather armor, and wield Daggers and Swords. They gain a Stealth ability and Dual-Wielding, in addition to Counterattacks and a Backstab-type maneuvers.

Ranger: Your standard ranged class. Adds Bows to the Scout's equipment abilities. Rangers excel at keeping enemies at range, with many slowing attacks to stay at range. Rangers can lead enemies right where they want them, into their powerful Traps. While they prefer to rain arrows from afar, by stemming from the Scout class, Rangers are not useless at melee. Rangers also take camouflage to the next level, using items to take the form of trees or rocks.

Assassin: Assassin is a direct upgrade from Scout, keeping the Leather, Daggers and Swords. Assassin's have the unique ability to use Signets. Certain special attacks will carve Signets into your enemies, which can then be "detonated" for damage, as well as stuns and other effects. With Poisons and many abilities that take advantage of weakened and helpless enemies, Assassins are true to their name.

Mage Classes

Mages are all about destruction. With the lightest defense in the game, with only the ability to wear Cloth armor, it's all Glass Canon gameplay, dishing out massive elemental damage. The only weapon a Mage can equip is the Spellbook.

Sorcerer: Sorcerers gain the ability to equip Orb weapons. They are an all-out offensive spellcaster. Snaring your enemies with Ice and searing flesh from bone with Fire is standard Sorcerer warfare. Sorcerers also possess some Crowd Control spells.

Spiritmaster: Spiritmasters can also equip Orbs. Spiritmasters are one with the elements, able to summon creatures of Earth, Fire, Wind and Water to their aid. The Fire Elemental is solid melee damage, Wind is about speedy attacks, Earth for tanking, and Water for ranged damage dealing. Spiritmasters are all about letting their Elementals do the bulk of the work, while using Damage-Over-Time spells and maintaining high efficiency.

Priest Classes

Healers in Aion are not wimps. Priests can equip up to LEATHER armor and use Maces and Shields. Standard buffs and heals, with some decent offensive output.

Cleric: Clerics are the strongest healers in Aion. In keeping with the "hard to kill healers," Clerics can wear up to CHAIN armor, as well as Staves. Massive heals, raising the dead and cleansing of effects are the realm of the Cleric.

Chanter: Chanters are an offensive take on the Priest, keeping the same equipment options as the Cleric. Chanters bring buffs, buffs, buffs and more buffs. Chanters are a Bard-like class, making sure to be in the right place, with the right buff, at the right time. Not all buffs can be active at the same time, so much like a WoW Shaman's Totems, they're highly situational. That's not all, though. Chanters can dish out some decent damage with their Staves, adding debuffs to enemies with their Chain skills. Add in some healing capabilities and Chanters are invaluable in any situation.

So, what classes will I be playing? I'll likely start off with a Spiritmaster. They are a very Warlocky class, and that's how Sam rolls. I'd like to try out Templar, as well. However, the more I read about Chanter, as well as watching my girlfriend play it, I am growing increasingly interested in the class.

I had the good fortune today to finally read the "Ashbringer" miniseries of the World of Warcraft comic.

Lore Nerds MUST read this.

It takes all the clips and comments and scenes and dialog we've experienced over the past 4+ years and puts them together into one coherent storyline. Much of the information IS in the game, but can be rather confusing if you're missing one or two tidbits.

We see the forging of the Ashbringer, the fall of the Silver Hand and the rise of the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn. It sorts out all the Mograines and Fordrings wandering the worlds. It solves the mystery of Light's Hope Chapel. It even explains why Tirion Fordring was in exile. Also, look for the secret beginnings of Varimathras' rebellion.

All in all, a fantastic story with AMAZING art. Highly recommended.

Part 1 of my in-depth Aion coverage breaks down the character creation process.

Server Selection

Why detail this? Simple, it's a Korean-developed MMO. Eastern games have an interesting standard. The servers at the top of the server list are considered the "best." Those servers are where all the most serious PVPers will be. American gamers that have played these types of games will know this, and follow suit. I believe the servers are listed alphabetically, so any server beginning with 'A' will be the one with the most hardcore PVP crowd. If that's your thing, go for it. Myself, I'll be somewhere near the bottom of the list!

Race

Taken from Aion's homepage:

Elyos: "The Elyos occupy the lower half of Atreia, known as Elysium. After the Epic Cataclysm, they found themselves bathed in sunlight for over 750 years and, as a result, have transformed into a beautiful and radiant people. However, their splendor has also led to the Elyos becoming arrogant; they see themselves as blessed by Aion, while the Asmodians, cast into darkness by the Epic Cataclysm, are seen by the Elyos as cursed creatures."

Asmodian: "The Asmodians are a brave and hardy people, separated from the Elyos by the Epic Cataclysm and plunged into a world of darkness and despair. To survive such desolation is one thing, but to thrive and prosper is quite another. The scars of their history are still exposed for all to see; as the Asmodians sank into their cold and sombre world, their bodies started to change. In the darkness, their skin fell pale, and as their eyes adapted they developed an otherworldly glow about them."

While classes gain some unique skills depending on race, it all comes down to preference.

Personally, I'll be playing Elyos, if for no other reason than I can make a Dwarf!

However, for the Beta, I'll be playing Asmodian. I don't want to ruin all the Elyos content before the game even launches.

Class Selection

You're next taken to the Class Selection screen. This gives a short description of each class and a peek at what you'll look like in high-end armor.

For the Beta, I'll be playing a Warrior.

While those stats may seem high, your base stats do not change as you level, only your HP and MP. Any other stat increases come from upgrading armor.

In-depth discussion of the various classes is an entire post of its own.

Customization

This is where Aion really sets itself apart from most other MMOs.

You can choose from many hairstyles, over 30, I believe. Also, there is a nice selection of other facial features. Not pictured is Eye Color selection. That will be added in a patch before the game goes live.

Now HERE'S the real insanity. That is a staggering number of options that will allow you to make almost anything you can imagine. For the Beta, I just hit "Random" a couple times until something non-grotesque came up. No sense in putting too much time into a character I'll only play for a couple weeks.

Again, a massive amount of options for the body. Again, I did not spend a great deal of time with it. I made him a little taller and gave him some Warrior-like bulk.

Now that you've wasted several hours creating your character, you can finally go PLAY it. Gameplay discussion is coming up soon!

Alright, got some quality time in with the Aion Closed Beta this weekend. I'll have lots to post about over the coming days. However, there are several things that have been popping up in forum discussions that I'd like to clear up for everyone.

Glitches/Balance/Other Annoyances
The Beta is currently Version 1.0.

The original Korean game is currently in 1.2, with 1.5 due to launch any day now. For whatever reason, they rolled 1.3 and 1.4 into 1.5.

When the game launches in September, both NA and EU versions will be 1.5.

Many of the little problems we're experiencing right now won't even exist in Live.

Lag
It'a a Beta, dumbass.

Since the game itself is already out overseas, we're only testing the localization and THE SERVERS. Of course there's going to be some lag while they iron out the issues. Honestly, 2 servers isn't enough for the amount of players currently, and there's VERY LITTLE lag as it is.

Jerks
Again, Beta.

Since the characters will be wiped before the Open beta and again before Live, it gives jerks free reign to grief other players without fear of consequence.

So yes, kill stealing, jacking up prices, training and general asshattery abound currently. The jerks won't go away on Live, but will be a bit more under control. Besides, there are ways to deal with this.

Grinding
Eastern games have a reputation for being nothing but grinding. Not so with Aion. If you search around, there are enough quests to carry you through the game. The only time you should find yourself grinding is if you choose not to do the Group Quest chains.

Flight
Many players get their wings, fly up into the sky, then die when their flight time runs out. Then complain that a game that considers Flight a major selling point shouldn't limit it so much.

It's a game mechanic, duh. First of all, your flight time will increase as you level up. Secondly, the areas where you CAN'T fly are supported in the Lore.

Just a quick counterpoint to many of the criticisms I've read over the weekend. Full coverage beginning tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a fake, but freaking hilarious anyway.

The third Aion Closed Beta Weekend Event starts tomorrow. With a wedding to attend this weekend, hopefully I'll be able to at least get a LITTLE time in. I have instructed the girlfriend to take lots of screenshots for me while she's playing tomorrow. That way, at least I can provide some images and explain the workings of the game.

So, there should be some solid Aion posting next week!