Auto Assault preview

[if76]

Gamespy.com (http://www.gamespy.com) offers up a five page preview (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/auto-assault/630427p1.html) of NCsoft's newest MMORPG/car combat game Auto Assault. The issue of lag is never mentioned in all five pages...sigh.

To add to the challenge, cars also do damage by running into opponents. Indeed, many of the "weapons" in the game are "melee weapons," things like spikes and blades mounted to the vehicles that increase the amount of damage the car does.
Anyone who's played Planetside knows that MMORPG's and twitch-action aren't the best of partners. Good luck.

[Draft]

I got into the beta, but can't download the client.

:( <--- sad face

[GrinR]

I'm in the beta, downloaded the client (and HUUUUUGE patches) multiple times, but can NEVER GET ON THE SERVER!!!!

Why? Because they have like 3 hour windows to log on twice a week. WTF??!?!? I work for a living, how am I supposed to be on at 4PM on a wednesday??? How about testing on the MFing weekends so a majority of testers can actually log in???

BAH!!!

[Veloxi]

Anyone who's played Planetside knows that MMORPG's and twitch-action aren't the best of partners. Good luck.
While I haven't played the AA beta, I have played their previous game, Jumpgate, for over four years, and will say that twitch action in an MMORPG format can work VERY well. ;)

[Wyrm]

I actually loved some moments of Planetside... It WAS a good idea.

[Zurik]

Hey GrinR, I know what you mean. I did get to play once on a friday...for 2 whole hours. I could tell that I liked it, but damn, this game is going to get delayed. I was hoping it wouldn't turn out like Guild Wars(delayed 1 year after I pre-ordered it)but they probably want to spent alot of time polishing it up. Can't wait until they have an open beta though.

[Klade]

Heh no offense but saying an MMO is going to be delayed is a lot like saying water is wet. I don't know of any MMO that was ever released on time. The only question is how long it will be delayed for and how buggy will it be when it is released.

I've read a little about this over time and I doubt it will ever garner much interest from the mainstream. It sounds a lot like a niche title.. very much like Jumpgate still is to this day.

[rein]

Put me in the camp of in beta but no download for Auto Assault... ..I am sure I will get it soon enough.

I may be the only one but I really liked Planetside. It had a few issues but some of the battles and ideas were great.

[CrysDark]

I'm in the beta, I do belive there is an NDA in place so I don't want to get into any trouble.

I can say that the core aspects of the game don't appeal to me and I am an avid MMORPG players. It's pretty much diablo with cars.

[Taran Wanderer]

I'm in the beta, I do belive there is an NDA in place so I don't want to get into any trouble.

I can say that the core aspects of the game don't appeal to me and I am an avid MMORPG players. It's pretty much diablo with cars.

Yeah, I tried the beta as well. I probably should read the NDA in more detail, but let's just say I agree with CrysDark. I'm not an avid MMO player, but I did enjoy my first month of CoH and WoW.

[eatme]

Anyone who's played Planetside knows that MMORPG's and twitch-action aren't the best of partners. Good luck.

I played Planetside and I don't know what you mean. All the twitch-action was carried off excellently. The action element was superb.

Now, the fact that they didn't add any elements of exploration and socializing, and very few elements of character growth, well, that made it pretty silly-- it was a multiplayer action game with a monthly fee. Those are core design issues, though, and not inextricably linked with it being an action game.

What I'd love is a solid MMO with action-based combat, not "press a button to repeatedly whack an orc". Everyone keeps going all crazy-- removing all the RPG elements, or ditching people for cars.

[Goronmon]

Anyone who's played Planetside knows that MMORPG's and twitch-action aren't the best of partners. Good luck.
Interesting you would say this. I for one found Planetside an extremely fun game that I still play for a few weeks or so here and there after playing in beta and the first 4-5 months after release. Thats more time than I have spent playing pretty much every MMOG since AC1, including WoW.

[Steve_Erhardt]

I thought I read a while back that AA was only partially twitch based... that weapons are actually handled traditionally. Like, you can drive your vehicle around and whatnot, but to hit an enemy with a gun, all you pretty much have to do is get them in a general arc, and then the electric dice roll determines if you actually hit...

[Thenetcase]

AA is semi-twitch based.

I think that MMORPGs and twitch based gameplay can mix well. I've beta tested Planetside, Vendetta, Jumpgate, City of Heroes, World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, and many others... AutoAssault is one of the first beta tests (aside from Matrix Online) that I seriously hate. After struggling hard to get it downloaded, I was sorely disappointed by the gameplay. But it is early beta, so there's no telling what they'll do. But it just seems like it's meant to appeal to 5-10yr olds (and last time I checked, there wasn't a big MMORPG market in that age group). Actually I think that the test times collaborate with my age group assumption, since working men can't seem to actually download and play it before the servers are down again.. *ahem*

-TNC-

[Thenetcase]

Oh and if you want to play a twitch based MMO game that uses it rather well, play Vendetta (if you like sci-fi space games). It's awesome. :)
-TNC-

[Alexious]

I may be the only one but I really liked Planetside. It had a few issues but some of the battles and ideas were great.
Agreed. I had a lot of fun in the Planetside beta. But with so much high quality (not to mention $0 monthly fee) competition, it had a tough road to hoe.

That being said, I think there could be a real market for this game. I mean, outside of the GTA series, are there any car-based action games out there? And really, who wouldn't want to play GTA in the infamous "post-apocalyptic" future setting with 1000s of people online? I hope AA is a huge success.

[Deadend]

I am in the Beta for AA, and that is all I think I can say, as I fear the NDA I signed, with ink, with my own signature.

[kickmybum]

I'm in AA beta, but no download yet. I don't know what you mean about appealing to 5-10 year olds because I heard its alot like twisted metal, which I played rediculously and had a blast with. Anyways, Planetside has some very good ideas! If they added a PvE element and "scheduled" base seige times (think Lineage 2) and made it not wholly vehicle dependent, it would be pretty kick ass.