Sword Art Online - Episode 1 Discussion / Poll

[Azuma Denton]

Originally Posted by novalysis

And that's why going solo in SAO is a death wish. You'd need someone, preferably several someones to cover you. If you get knocked down, with a small team covering you, it isn't necessarily fatal. Solo, and you join the 2000 dead.

It also depends how easy disengaging is. Do enemies tend to be faster than you on average, or slower and easily outrun?

Well, we still dont know about the possibility of "friendly fire" in SAO.
Though i am expecting a "friendly fire" or "PVP is active on every dungeon" feature to be implement on SAO.

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by Azuma Denton

Well, we still dont know about the possibility of "friendly fire" in SAO.
Though i am expecting a "friendly fire" or "PVP is active on every dungeon" feature to be implement on SAO.

PVPing and backstabbing a group is the height of stupidity. Good luck finding a party after that, assuming you aren't killed out of hand. Furthermore, remember the arguments against PVPing in the previous pages? Because PVPing is equivalent to murder, few would dare PVP.

So, yes. A portion of the 2000 form some of those PVP idiots, and some of their victims, but not as many as you think.

Remember, manpower to clear SAO is a steadily dwindling resource.

[Leon_Lelouch]

nice first episode... a good introduction to the game and the anime...
a good and beautiful scenery with 2 guys.... (bromance? lol)
the best item that can be found in online game.... the mirror!
lol, people must realize the unbalance between gender for the online games
and lold at two couples who at first tried to run away by seeing both of them as male "you were actually a guy?!" with the other one actually saying about how he's not a seventeen y.o. lol'd

oh and about soloing, if one has know the pattern and some of the monster's troublesome skill, one can avoid death by soloing, but of course soloers must provide more time in order to have high level....
I know this because in every MMORPG I will always go solo...

[Sackett]

Originally Posted by novalysis

I think SAO has just beaten Madoka Episode 3's thread length.

Well sure. Madoka ep3 was a thread of "Oh crap! Everything I was thinking is wrong," this thread is filled with speculation about in-universe game mechanics.

[maelstormCaT]

Originally Posted by Sackett

Well sure. Madoka ep3 was a thread of "Oh crap! Everything I was thinking is wrong," this thread is filled with speculation about in-universe game mechanics.

Yeah, which is funny, because I'm pretty damn sure these speculations are running in the mind of the SOA player by the end of ep 1

[Peanutbutter]

Read a review from one anime blogger and decided to look at this.

Also, I'm actually in my first ever MMO so this relates to what I'm doing now as well.

Boy, I'm sold. Honestly.

I hate to think about whether are there pk-ers in this game...

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by Sackett

Well sure. Madoka ep3 was a thread of "Oh crap! Everything I was thinking is wrong," this thread is filled with speculation about in-universe game mechanics.

I thought it also touched off a storm of Speculah. Then again. I agree most of SAO discussion in this thread has revolved around gaming mechanics.

I wonder whether we'd see the same momentum for the next few episodes, or whether the pace will slacken dramatically.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by novalysis

I thought it also touched off a storm of Speculah. Then again. I agree most of SAO discussion in this thread has revolved around gaming mechanics.

I wonder whether we'd see the same momentum for the next few episodes, or whether the pace will slacken dramatically.

Seeing as this was the pilot episode, I think the pace might slack a little. Or maybe it'll stay around the same for the first 3-4 episodes due to the 3-4 episode role?

[gunzblitz]

Originally Posted by novalysis

Come to think of it, of the 10K+ Players, I'm sure quite a few might have waited till later in the evening to log in, or do what you would have done, and waited a day or two, in case any bugs cropped up.

Was SAO a Weekend Launch, by the way? If it was Weekday, then I forsee that many would have not logged in till the evening, after work/school.

Keep in mind that the online orders were sold out in less than a few seconds, and that people literally waited 3 days in line just to buy it.

[ninryu]

This is what Accel World wishes it could be. I watched only one episode so far, and I already love it.
The animation was beautiful and the backgrounds were simply gorgeous.The characters design looked exactly like in the novel.

As a MMO player myself, I find the premise terrifying, especially since I'm such a bad gamer.

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by ninryu

This is what Accel World wishes it could be. I watched only one episode so far, and I already love it.
The animation was beautiful and the backgrounds were simply gorgeous.The characters design looked exactly like in the novel.

As a MMO player myself, I find the premise terrifying, especially since I'm such a bad gamer.

Personally, I think I would have skilled.

[com_gwp]

Originally Posted by Aphrah

Seeing as this was the pilot episode, I think the pace might slack a little. Or maybe it'll stay around the same for the first 3-4 episodes due to the 3-4 episode role?

I somehow doubt the production committees actually practice this rule

I thought the pacing was fine as it is in this episode, and taking into consideration the events happening from here on out it'll be best if the show maintains it's current pacing. There isn't any filler-ish stuff after all, so I doubt they'll slow down.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by com_gwp

I somehow doubt the production committees actually practice this rule

I thought the pacing was fine as it is in this episode, and taking into consideration the events happening from here on out it'll be best if the show maintains it's current pacing. There isn't any filler-ish stuff after all, so I doubt they'll slow down.

Ehh, my bad. I thought we were talking about the pace/momentum of the discussion. Whoops.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by novalysis

I thought it also touched off a storm of Speculah. Then again. I agree most of SAO discussion in this thread has revolved around gaming mechanics.

I wonder whether we'd see the same momentum for the next few episodes, or whether the pace will slacken dramatically.

That's something not even novel readers can predict due to the large number of side stories associated with the first story arc. Depending upon which ones get adapted where this could be as fast paced as Madoka or as slow as Naruto.

[Raviel]

Would it be safe to say that thanks to how combat works in SAO, players who happen to have some real life training (i.e. martial arts, survival skills, etc ) would have a greater advantage over those that don't?

[Irisu]

Originally Posted by Raviel

Would it be safe to say that thanks to how combat works in SAO, players who happen to have some real life training (i.e. martial arts, survival skills, etc ) would have a greater advantage over those that don't?

I think so. Since other than the sword skills, you do everything by moving your own body yourself.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Raviel

Would it be safe to say that thanks to how combat works in SAO, players who happen to have some real life training (i.e. martial arts, survival skills, etc ) would have a greater advantage over those that don't?

From a logical standpoint, yes. It really depends on the training, though. On their own, I doubt combat sports (expect maybe for dodging and/or blocking) will help as the combat system of SAO hinges on sword skills. If the training helped them develop a mindset that allows them to act properly whilst under pressure, such as when their HP is low, then yeah, that'd be quite helpful. It'd also help if that training taught them about fear; having too little (be reckless) will be dangerous as will having too much (freaking out in dangerous situations when they need to remain serious).

[joshuafaramir]

Training combat doesn't help in SAO and what's more is that it actually does the opposite. I'm saying this because of the game mechanics in SAO. Remember Kirito said that you only have to start the motion of the sword skill for it to work? However, if you have combat training, your first reaction would be to do what you've trained to do and not the sword-skill action which IMO, will cost you your life. Old habits die hard after all.

And I don't think anybody can be prepared to face a life or death situation with an ORC in your face or some horrid and freakishly scary looking monster that's in front of you ready to chop you to tiny bits. Imagine your worst nightmare come to life and all you have are melee skills (and some short ranged- ranged skills)

[Irisu]

Originally Posted by joshuafaramir

Training combat doesn't help in SAO and what's more is that it actually does the opposite. I'm saying this because of the game mechanics in SAO. Remember Kirito said that you only have to start the motion of the sword skill for it to work?

But you don't always use sword skills in combat. Sometimes you need to defend and evade against attacks, or even use normal attacks that aren't sword skills (because sword skills have this so-called 'charge time' and 'cooldown time', while normal attacks you just need to swing your sword the way you want to).
At least reflexes honed through combat training would help.

[Raviel]

On second thought I now realize that any real life combat training a person would have would only apply to when you fight human/normal sized monsters or other players.

Anything bigger would require......improvising. XD

Although like Aphrah said I think the mindset real life combat training would give a person is the greatest advantage you could get especially in a situation like the one in SAO.

@joshuafaramir

I would have to agree with you that no matter the training no one can ever really be prepared to face a life or death like the SAO players have to, especially when so many things can go wrong in-game and IRL