The RIFT

The Rift: Episode 20 Podcast Notes

[02:45] How have you all enjoyed the tour of the studio and meeting all the devs?

• Very interesting, they got to meet all the devs.
• It was “like a zoo”. (But no petting!)

[02:26] How was the after party?

• Rabb1t enjoyed it, and played “media guy”.
• Darcnova and Delith hung around and talked with the devs and other gamers.

[03:31] What were your impressions playing Rift?

• It was great – they did not want to stop playing (even with free food being offered!)
• They had issues peeling themselves away from the game

[04:13] Did you get to try dungeons?

• Darcnova and Delith tried 2 dungeons.
• It took more than 4 seconds to kill mobs.
• Tank ‘n spank mobs, some with a twist!
• The dungeon took them about an hour (not including the 3 wipes).

[05:14] What classes did you play?

• Darcnova – Paladin/Warlord (for the starter area), Beastmaster/Riftblade/Champion (for the dungeon).
• Delith – Purifier/Cabalist (starter area), Purifier/Warden (more healing centric).
• Rabb1t – Riftstalker/Bard/Assassin.

[08:41] Could you give a brief overview of how the videos from PAX and Gamescom compare to what you actually got to play?

• Character customization is much different, there are a lot of sliders!
• Height is now an option to change. (No Aion midgets though)
• From talking to the devs, it sounds like they want to have a lot of customization options for launch.

[10:44] Is the soul system as flexible as we’ve been told? Will players have a high degree of freedom within their calling?

• Yes. A lot of freedom.
• At the beginning you have to choose to level your starter soul, or the next soul you get.
• Defensive, offensive, different soul paths within souls.
• Even the zero-point abilities are still useful, so empty souls are still useful.

[13:03] How is a cleric’s soloing?

• Delith got to level 15 without dying (until she turned away to talk to Hal and drowned!)
• Darcnova died quite a few times, in comparison.
• Sentinel is pretty close to the Everquest cleric.
• Some souls are based on melee, some based on magic.
• Darcnova got his warrior up to 14: He thinks they are decent soloers, but not so great against ranged.
• Wardens have more “Heal Over Time” type abilities, while Purifiers have more “Direct” abilities.
• You are given your first soul, and will eventually get second and third souls.
• You will have to buy different “Roles” – the combination of 3 souls – after the first (given) one.

[16:46] Did you get to test out crafting at all?

• They cannot disclose any crafting information at this time.
• It is interesting, however.
• Rabb1t has some footage from the after party as well.

[17:39] Did you get to try out PvP Warfronts?

• They were familiar – similar to Battlegrounds from EQ2 or WoW.
• They are more environment based.
• PvP flagging is consensual on the servers, though there will be PvP servers (including RP-PvP), along with PvE and RP-PvE.
• Warfronts are cross-server, and should be familiar to most people.

[18:49] Has playing the game changed your mind on which faction, race, or class you were going to play?

• The Defiant starting experience seemed really fun, and the lore attached to it was enjoyable.
• Delith is still undecided, but she really enjoyed the class she chose.

[19:49] How was the starting experience?

• It is very newbie friendly. It introduces the player to the game and the lore.
• They only experienced the Defiant side.

[21:04] What was your favourite thing about the game?

• Darcnova – Invasions were really entertaining.
• Delith – The Rifts were interesting, especially with the cooperative aspect of it.
• Rabb1t – The flexibility of the system is great, although he still has some concerns with it.

[22:32] What was your favourite thing about Gamer Day?

• Rabb1t – He has some interesting art department pictures that may or may not end up in the game!
• Delith – Dinging level 10 on the large screen TV in front of the devs!
• Darcnova – Playing the game, having fun, and talking to the devs while playing!

[24:54] Was there anything else about the experience you’d like to share?

• Rifts are not as easy as they looked when the devs “one-shot” them.
• The Rifts are randomized, so you won’t always face a similar Rift each time they are opened.
• Critters. Deer make wonderful noises.
• When you’re underwater, the music and sounds is diluted as though you were underwater.
• Area of Effect looting!

[27:02] What is your favourite pie?

• Rabb1t – Dutch apple with the crumbly cinnamon topping.
• Delith – More of a cheesecake person, but likes apple pie and probably blackberry pie. Mostly apple pie, apple crisps, or apple puff cake even!
• Darcnova – Same as Delith: Apple pie!

[29:41] Arithion was able to catch up with Doc on the weekend as well!

[29:55] Did you enjoy Gamer Day?

• It was fantastic. Better than anything he could have expected going into it.

[30:28] How was the Guardian starting area?

• It was great. It puts you right into saving Mathosia (the city).
• The mob placement and density was great.
• When it throws you into the game, you’re directed right to the first quest NPC.
• The in-game tips did a great job explaining everything that is going on, even if you’ve played MMOs before.

[31:48] What did you think about the classes you got to play?

• Unfortunately, he only played the Cleric calling.
• He tried the Inquisitor soul – a caster type soul that can deal damage.
• His premade character was a Sentinel/Warden/Purifier for the dungeon.
• Sentinel had a ward on the tank, which gave him enough time to put the Heal over Time abilities back on the tank.
• The Purifier had some nice big heals, but they took a longer time to cast.

[33:29] From Gamescom and PAX videos, how has the game developed based on what you saw?

• Even on the same settings (around medium), you can see where they have done an art overhaul to add much more detail.
• He experienced no issues on the “average” systems that they were playing on.

[34:30] Did you ever get to play it on maximum settings?

• They got to see Russ play it on maximum settings.
• The screenshots of Iron Pine Peak are near, if not the same, as the Max settings.
• The difference is phenomenal.

[35:12] When you have a level 50 character, how easy is it to adapt to the souls?

• Doc chose a Cleric (Justicar/Shaman/Sentinel) for the PvP testing (and buffing!).
• Shaman and Justicar worked well together, while the Sentinel had an instant heal and a small ward.
• The dwarf hands aren’t that noticeable in game!
• It was a bit of a challenge to adjust to 3 souls directly at 50, as opposed to learning it from level 1.
• It isn’t too hard to add in a new soul you haven’t played before, but revamping your entire soul combination will take some time to relearn.
• Points don’t get saved until you hit Save on the screen.

[38:21] How was PvP?

• The best way to explain it is Warhammer Online: The Age of Reckoning – they were similar to scenarios (without the bad mechanics and lame classes).
• The one he did was holding an idol that dealt damage. The further from the middle of the map you are, the less points you get for holding the idol.

[39:30] Was it easy to play the Cleric in PvP?

• It depends on the build.
• Doc’s Justicar build allowed him to hit multiple opponents at once and regain life from every hit, however it died quickly when the combatants decided to attack from a range.

[40:39] Is there anything else about PvP that others might want to know about at this time?

• The system uses the same type of scoring bored at the end of the game (and you can check it throughout the game) as Warhammer did.
• You aren’t just rewarded on one thing – there are a number of categories on the score board.
• It rewards for assistance, healing, damage, and killing.

[42:08] Would you say you liked the PvP?

• They are similar to the scenarios in Warhammer, and he liked those scenarios.
• He did like the system currently in the game.
• They seem to really reward people for trying to work together and doing it correctly.

[43:18] Doc describes his experiences with the Rifts in Telara.

• He decided to pick up a pre-made level 30 Warrior character and decided to play with rifts.
• Watching the Earth rift open the first time was “absolutely amazing”.
• It had some big troll things and a couple hobgoblin or gnoll things.
• He went to another tear and opened another Earth rift – completely different from the first.
• Rifts are doable by yourself, though probably not through the timed stages at first.
• The final Rift he did was another Earth rift (yet again different from the other 2), however the mobs were even different this time.

[46:44] After playing, did it change your mind about which faction or race you will choose?

• As a guild, they decided to go Guardian. (Abyss – A Guardian Guild)
• It really hit home once he got to play the game, the Guardians were more medieval and classic fantasy.
• It did help him figure out what he really wanted to do.

[50:09] What’s your favourite pie?

• Pumpkin pie!