Another level, and I am back :)

Well that was quite the break, but I am back playing AoC again. Due to my vacation and long work hours I haven't been able to play much at all.

I am hoping to enjoy a few more hours of AoC starting today.

I have noticed a lot of complaints and whining about AoC lately, but I am happy to report that I still enjoy the game, and I find that there are plenty of quests, content, and groups for me thus far. I have yet to feel 'the grind' of leveling. What people need to realize is that most MMOs in this day and age will ship a bit half baked. This is due to pressure created by a long development cycle, and investors/publishers wanting to cash in. Unless you are a giant in the gaming industry and you can afford to fund (multiple years of) development on your own this won't change. Add to this the fact that it is the most ambiguous MMos that get funding, and these are also the ones that tend to promise too much in order to get the capital, and being forced to cut back when the investors get impatient. Just check all the recent news about Warhammer Online cutting back their content significantly.

Alright enough about boring stuff, let's get back to leveling in AoC.

One important factor to keep in mind when playing AoC is that each zone is intended for a specific level range. And if you enter a zone before your 'target level' you will run out of quests at some point. I.e. I see a lot of people complaining that they ran out of quests in the Eiglophian Mountains at level 57 or so. Well, if you enter the Eiglophian Mountains before level 50 you probably will run out of quests in that area in your late fifties. I have leveled from 55 to 58 in the Villas and finishing up most of the Main System quests. I am now headed back to the Eiglophian Mountains to continue some of the White Hand quest lines.

Also, I am happy to report that the latest AoC patch improved my frame rate by 15 or so. I rarely ever dip below 30 now on max settings.