Dear NCSoft:

[Pyxy-KT]

Dear NCSoft:

I was introduced to AION back when I had to pay a subscription to play (2010/2011, I think. I don’t know what version, I didn’t keep up with that sort of thing). I played 10 to 16 hours a day and loved it. I had to work, grind, gather, craft, trade with others or fight to get anything. There were so many beautiful places to visit and hundreds of quest to get me there and keep me busy exploring. So many interesting creatures to fight. A lot of different places I could actually use my beautiful wings (would have been nice to have had a few more). My quest limit was usually maxed out. It was challenging to get leveled. It was challenging to get good gear. It was challenging to play this beautiful game.

There are a few things that some of the updates have been an improvement to the game since 2011: Minions. It’s interesting and fun to help them update, evolve and grow. And the stats are a bonus. The extra cube for quest items, which helps tremendously with the inventory problem. Being able to access a store to sell waste items when I can’t get back to an NPC. The level cap being 80 now. The introduction of the Studio Homes. To name a few.

Now with this 6.2 version update so much has been totally destroyed… the challenge of playing the game is gone. I don’t have to work to get anywhere or anything, there is nothing to gather, not much to craft. Most things are handed to me in a Quest/Campaign. You have taken away so many of the beautiful places to explore, the multitude of quests that kept me busy, most of the few places where I could fly. There is no challenge to get leveled. No challenge to get good gear, it’s handed to me in quests/campaigns. Most of the fun of playing is gone. Transforming my default character to get a stat boost. Looking like every one else that wants the same stat boost is… well, it’s just confusing and having to take extra steps to see my default character is no way to play. You took away my running speed and a way to get a speed boost without looking like a cartoon character. Mounts are few and far between and temporary, and in my case expensive. Not being able to trade between other players, especially within my own Legion. Or being able to help out an alternate character in my own account.

And for what… to get to end game? The fun was the challenge of getting there. To be honest, I have no idea what the end game is supposed to be, I have just seen it mentioned somewhere. My idea of end game is that you have done all you can and there is nothing left to do and the game is over. AION has (in the past) had so much room for expansion. Adding newly unexplored lands (not taking them away), places where you could fly, fight creatures that take your breath away. Gather rare and unique items for crafting. Unexplored waters where you would gather and craft swimming gear (an extra cube, like the one for quest items, would be helpful in holding skins, armor, swimming gear, any apparel). Making it so that you could capture a creature and make it a pet. Train it to loot or be a backpack. Or train it to be a mount that could be updated, evolve and grow along with a growing running speed. Raising the leveling limit so that you could keep on going and growing with the growing unexplored lands, waters and adventures that have yet to be imagined.

I am not a PvP player. There were many “old” instances that I have never been in because it required a group and I don’t do well in groups. But that is on me. If I was able to see the opposing faction before they saw me I would run, or at least try to. Most of the time I was killed and had to work my way back to where I was trying to do the quest. Which was annoying but part of the game. I was never good enough to stay alive and kill anyone else. I have noticed in the forums there are many players like me that love to play solo. And there used to be a lot that a solo player could do in this game.

I have been looking for another game to play since this one is no longer any fun. One that is more challenging and ran across Lineage II Classic. I noticed that it is mostly a PvP player game which is not for me. But I also noticed that the Lineage II Classic has gone back to the original challenges of the game. Can the same be done with AION? Make an “AION Classic”? Bring back the challenges of old? Bring back the fun of playing this wonderful game? I don’t know what versions brought what, there were a few years that I wasn’t able to play. But maybe go back to when Minions, the quest cube, Studio Homes and the store were introduced, as long as the game was still a challenge to play.

I don’t know the ins and outs or what it takes to support an online game, and I don’t know how others feel about this, but I myself would be willing to pay a subscription again if the game could go back to basics. Back to being fun and a challenge to play. Back to the “Classic”.

But then again maybe with all the above mentioned expansion suggestions… maybe a new game, a spin off if you will, can evolve. One that has the basic AION background but for the PvEers. The population that are gatherers, crafters, home makers, supporters for the warriors that protect our lands from the opposing factions. There would be no need for an ‘end game’ scenario. Updates could include a new land or sea to discover ever three or four months. One where I would have to master the sea before I could move on to a new land.

These are just a few of my thoughts and suggestions. Thanks for your time in reading this, I know it’s long. But I thought it necessary to get most of my points across. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day, evening and night, whichever the case may be.

[RanmaruKurosaki-DN]

i completely agree with Pyxy-KT. All the challenge and fun is gone, i'm so bored with the new Aion. i miss my crafting and gathering, i miss exploring and sidequests. It just feels so rushed that it's no longer fun and unless some things change, i don't think i'll ever play again.

[Jaybels-KT]

I Fully agree with this! NCSoft needs to create a classic version server, i.e. pre 3.0 the version of the game before it with free to play and pay to win. The grind for gear was long and hard but well worth it, because your hard work paid off. I quit the game when it went free to play, came back after a while tried it out and didn't like it at all. I come back after every major expansion to check it out and end up hating it and not playing again. The game was actually really fun and engaging when 50 and 55 were level cap. I miss the good old days of rifting with your friends getting the opposite faction so pissed off it would turn into a massive server battle on either side. I have been longing to play the game again but it has turned into a massive crap shoot. The game has become play to win and that is not fair to anyone except NCSoft/gameforge. I tell you right now if they would bring back a server running 1.5-2.7 I know for a fact that over 90% of my old legion would come back to play. On top of that, I would gladly pay a monthly sub to play, if it was running the way it used to. I am pretty sure a lot of Aion players would go to that server as well.

[Psyweaver-KT]

Like Pyxy I have been since 2009 and have seen many changes, some were good some not so much, but 6.2 is the worst patch EVER! There is so little left to do if your preferred play style is solo PvE.

However there is a free to play game where PvE is the main focus, where mounts (flying or ground based) can be tamed and evolved, where crafting is not only useful but produces items worth the effort of making, where every instance can be run solo or in a group, where PvP is an option not an unavoidable threat, try RIDERS OF ICARUS you have nothing to lose.