Thanksgiving
has come finally. Surely, most of players have claimed the coupon code
on SwagVault yet. Yes, 10% coupon codes are giving away on http://www.swagvault.com/ to
celebrate Thanksgiving, but only for one day. And membership
rewards is still valid. Take the time and don’t miss out. Another great
news for star wars fans, in just a few weeks, Star Wars: The Old Republic will
launch, and on every gamer's mind is the subject of how many players it will
lure away from other games. It's quite likely that every MMO will suffer a dip
in numbers when SWTOR launches -- heck, even World of Warcraft is bracing for
impact with a stock downgrade. But as gamers know, a launch is one thing, but
how a game does in the months after is more important. So today we don’t discuss
which one is better than the other; rather, we’ll discuss the differences that
might appeal to one playstyle over another.
Sword
and board vs. blasters and sabers
Apparently,
the most obvious thing that sets RIFT apart from SWTOR is the genre. And I've
heard other players look at this completely differently. Some won't play SWTOR
mainly because it's not fantasy, while others are ordering it because they're
burned out on elves and ogres and are looking for something different. I think
for RIFT, the core population that is actively playing and engaged with the
content will probably stick around.
Worlds
Not
only me, but most players are like me that really enjoy the "worlds"
of RIFT and SWTOR, but for different reasons. Both are stunning and really help
convey the storylines that you play through. But I'm more of a Bartle
explorer-type at times, and I've found more opportunity to do that in RIFT.
It's not that I can't explore in SWTOR; it's that when I'm out and about in the
world, I find that my travel is driven by the story, and I have little
incentive to go off the beaten path. RIFT's shinies, zone puzzles, and discovery
experience reward those who like to poke around in nooks and crannies, and I
haven't found much of that yet in SWTOR (although I haven't played the
higher-level content in beta).
Souls
vs. classes, and the finality of it all
One
of the stark differences between RIFT and SWTOR is the difference in the class
system. RIFT sells itself as a game where you have the freedom to swap soul
builds at will, while SWTOR has made it clear that your choice of class is
important and that even your advanced class choice is not meant to be swapped
over and over. For RIFT fans who are used to being able to adjust their roles
based on the content and group make-up, that will be an adjustment if they
choose to play SWTOR.
Solo
vs. MMO
SWTOR
is very solo-friendly, but I actually had to adjust to seeing "LFG"
requests in open channels again. I really enjoy the break from needing to send
tells in order to get an invite. There are plenty of players who will debate
the merits of a LFG system, and I'm not necessarily advocating its presence or
absence. But I do think it's a factor when you look at RIFT vs SWTOR because
there's a certain chunk of the population that does enjoy the freedom of coming
and going from groups without the obligatory requests for invites.
Peering
down the third turn
There
is one factor that should really help RIFT over the long run compared to other
MMOs, and that's the depth and speed of its content updates. With the field
becoming increasingly crowded, RIFT's approach is probably going to benefit it
in the long run. The real question is whether Trion Worlds can continue this
rapid pace for much longer.
Overall, I think there is enough difference between RIFT and SWTOR. There's no doubt
that players will probably prefer one over the other, but that will probably be
based on differences in gameplay rather than differences in quality. Yes, and
still don’t forget to claim the 10% coupon code on SwagVault.com.
