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View Poll Results: Sword Art Online - Episode 1 Rating | |||
Perfect 10 | 101 | 43.35% | |
9 out of 10 : Excellent | 62 | 26.61% | |
8 out of 10 : Very Good | 43 | 18.45% | |
7 out of 10 : Good | 17 | 7.30% | |
6 out of 10 : Average | 4 | 1.72% | |
5 out of 10 : Below Average | 3 | 1.29% | |
4 out of 10 : Poor | 0 | 0% | |
3 out of 10 : Bad | 0 | 0% | |
2 out of 10 : Very Bad | 0 | 0% | |
1 out of 10 : Painful | 3 | 1.29% | |
Voters: 233. You may not vote on this poll |
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2012-07-08, 04:25 | Link #241 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
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12 Pages.
At this rate, we might as well dub Sword Art Online the Blockbuster anime of the season, on par with Fate Zero in terms of popularity and expectation and hype. Not that hype is a bad thing, necessarily, and SAO is off to a good start. |
2012-07-08, 04:43 | Link #242 |
Meh
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Gonna try to keep this as on-topic as I can
I understand the premise of SAO very well, I've also played more than my share of RPGs in almost 2 decades of gaming. I don't know what your knowledge of SAO is or your RPG experience is, but what I can tell is that you probably don't know too much about real combat. The very fact that you kept on talking about in-game mechanic shows how you've completely missed my point. I've never said that in-game knowledge and know-how isn't important, but rather that in SAO it is no longer only about those. A sword cut to your character in SAO can be just as deadly as a sword cut to your body in real life, combined with a VR simulation that literally thrusts the players into the environment itself, there is little difference between the battlefield in SAO and one in real life. To use your FPS as an example, regular SAO can be... Call of Duty let's say, you have your different weapons(skills) and respawn (resurrection) you can shoot stuff and get blown up, but no big deal. Now jump to the locked-in SAO, you can still blow stuff up and get blown up, except now you die for real when you do. You still retain the knowledge about the game mechanic and the skills at using the weapons, but will you still be able to approach the game with the same mindset you had before? Will you still shrug off those hails of bullets? Will you still think "damn, oh well" when you see that grenade indicator? It's the same thing for SAO players, that axe strike from that monster is still the same axe strike as before, but the player's perception of it has completely changed, as now that HP bar represents something far more serious = their own life. Knowing that you have to block this axe swing and then counter attack is one thing, doing so without being paralyzed by fear is another. It's the same thing that every soldier in combat goes through, when they come face to face with their own mortality as they realize "I can die, right here and now". Some people can deal with it, many cannot, and this is no different for SAO players, even though their battleground is a virtual reality construct. I think we just have a disagreement/misunderstanding when I tried to press home the seriousness of the psychological hurdle that SAO players face. Last edited by kyp275; 2012-07-08 at 04:56. |
2012-07-08, 04:53 | Link #244 |
Senior Guest
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Athens (GMT+2)
Age: 35
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The thread activity is super-high so forgive me for being unable to keep up with every post. Very interesting anime, I'll definitely keep watching! A few questions:
1) Since the game time is synchronized with the real world, won't everyone die of thirst/hunger in a few days? If 8 floors take a month, game clear is impossible to achieve in one go. 2) The reporter said there were 10k copies of the game. With 200 people dead, the number of people in the plaza still didn't seem anything like even 1,000. Are people able to login in the current situation? Well, even if they can, who would, after hearing today's news? 3) Kirito said the monster spawn is finite. That means that if you're outleveled early on, you're as good as dead. Does a single player clearing the game end it for everyone? If not, crazy programmer's got 10k people hostage and 9,999 definitely on death row. |
2012-07-08, 04:58 | Link #245 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
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2)I think that's just more they can't really show 10,000 people at the plaza. It would be hard to do but yes pretty much 10,000 - 213 were there. 3) it's not finite but in any MMO, if you've ever played one near the start of an expansion or release of game. There is a ton of crowding and fighting over the new content. Kirito is an MMO veteran so he knows he needs to get away from the starting city and the main cluster of other players as fast as possible.
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Last edited by relentlessflame; 2012-07-08 at 16:34. Reason: mod edit: removed spoiler |
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2012-07-08, 05:12 | Link #246 | ||
Senior Guest
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Athens (GMT+2)
Age: 35
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2012-07-08, 05:14 | Link #247 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Well it was only 10,000 copies so I'm sure competition for those copies was fierce and only the most die hard players who had ordered their copies months in advance got them. Basically the type of player that was sure to login as soon as they got home. It's probably why he waited a few hours before making his announcement, to make sure all the players, or as close to all the players were in.
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2012-07-08, 05:55 | Link #249 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Odds are, some among the 2000 were those who realized what Kirito did, but died because they weren't as familiar as Kirito, or not as good. Furthermore, since you don't have to clear the floor, you could probably simply afford to take things easy. If there's Skilling options, I think quite a few players went down that route. Focus on skilling. If incoming resources require processing, process them. Once you've amassed enough, reached a high enough level, start farming monsters. By then, the rush should have subsided considerably, an you have a large war chest. Furthermore, by Skilling and Trading, you might have sufficient contacts to actually find guilds. Indeed, I wonder whether High Skillers might also be in high demand in guilds, as backline support, especially for larger guilds. Indeed, by one Month, if indeed, your gold is yours, can't be stolen by other players, can't be ganked, etc, etc, then those who made an early decision not to risk things so fast, but rather, to Skill may well find themselves far better off. Especially if they are the types that usually formed the Economic and PVE Base of an MMO. It depends on how many possibilities are there of course, but I'd presume initial resources will be plentiful, so if one wants to go down that route, he should do it right at the start. First night. Until some Skillers and Traders have "exclusive" arrangements with large guilds, where sub-factions of the guild farm resources, and certain members process them to fuel and fund riskier expeditions and raids. While taking an hour each day to farm, and gain some Exp, so they can move along to other floors when the time comes, or so that they don't die when following their guild to the next floor, likely under tight escort. It depends on the Trading system. Are there AHs and Markets linked between towns, or can one stay in a starting town, or the first city with adequate facilities and skill your way up? As for the previous debate on Guilds, I speculate some are formed out of previous friendships in MMOs, some are formed by a group gathering together and electing a leader, and some of course, by strength, but personally, I doubt that last arrangement would have been that stable, and experienced Guilds would have a HUGE advantage if they are well led. This is pure speculation, so forgive me if I accidentally guessed something correctly here. Still, considering the limited copies, I'd say that most players were veterans of the MMO scene. Hard Core PVPers probably had a huge dilemma here, since PVPing here is actual murder. PVEers who fought Raid Bosses on a regular basis and such would be in good stead, though of course, continuously at risk every expedition. Skillers, those very good at that art, and merchanters might actually have been in a strong position in SAO. Those Skillers who appreciated it right from the start may well have found themselves in an excellent position by the end of the first month, provided that they were experienced skillers in other games, so long of course, that they gained a reputation for fairness. Selling lemons in SAO can be fatal for the buyer. Literally. To summarize, I find the Overcrowding issue overplayed, (though it was also a good idea for Veterans to rush out to better hunting grounds, to get a lead) one can afford to take his time unless there are idiotic griefers who want to camp out. Skillers would be at a huge advantage, depending on SAO's skilling and production system. PVEers, especially those who got in together with their whole guilds from previous games would fare well. Your solo PVEer is in a dangerous position. Your PVPer has a huge dilemma. The few total Noobs are probably going to fare worst. If they are lucky, they fall in with a Skiller or a good PVE Guild that takes them in. If they are unlucky, they join the 2000, their fates ranging from being murdered or dying alone. And as everyone has suggested, Support Classes like Healers are very invaluable. Even Stealth classes may well be used as scouts to map out dungeons and such. Enchanters, if they exist, would join the Skillers. Unless of course, SAO follows an Elder Scroll V like leveling system, where you can level up whatever skill you want and choose to specialize as anything. Without pre-selecting a class. Last edited by novalysis; 2012-07-08 at 06:14. |
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2012-07-08, 06:07 | Link #250 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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For all we know, Kayaba's done. Aincrad's created, people are trapped inside, his job is done and he killed himself. More likely and less extreme, all he wants is to be able to connect to the game server and tweak it - he did say he wanted to interact. All he really needs then is an accomplice to do the grocery shopping for him. Or a disguise to do it himself. About Klein's voice: I hear Tiger. What's with him and younger boys anyway? Something that's bugged me: why didn't Kirito and Klein just agree to meet in a few days, after things had settled down a bit? Kirito can help Klein and his friends with his superior knowledge of the game and level, they can help him with their numbers. Wouldn't they both profit? |
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2012-07-08, 06:14 | Link #251 | |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
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2012-07-08, 06:18 | Link #252 | |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
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You covered your in-game dynamics pretty well, and it all makes sense. Maybe we'll see how things play out as you stated, possibly as early as episode 2?
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2012-07-08, 06:18 | Link #253 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
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If Kirito were to wait for people to clear out before going at it, he'd probably have to wait for the first floor to be cleared or enough people die on the first floor (at which point I would imagine that clearing the game would be impossible). With that long of a wait, I doubt he'd ever be on the forefront of the battle given he'd probably always be playing catchup to those that did what he's doing now, and that wouldn't make for a very good anime. Also to the other person's point that we haven't seen any PKing yet, I think it would be unrealistic to see any PKing at this point. Think about it, you've just been told if someone dies they're dead IRL. Given that only a few weeks (a month) have passed, rampant PKing is unlikely because there's still an off chance that everyone could be rescued somehow. If you were rescued and they can look at the server logs and see your character was slaughtering people left and right literally right after you were locked in the game, you'd probably be having a lynch mob on you. PKing would be more apt to occur when the eventuality that outside rescue is impossible sinks in and people start to break down from the stress of the game under the notion that clearing the game is impossible. At that point the belief is that it would be impossible to exit the game, therefore why bother with worrying about repercussions in the real world. The other side of it is as has been pointed out, if you're going to PK with your life on the line, you'll want to be good enough not to be killed by your target (unless you're just suicidal). As PKing rises, there's the possibility that some sort of anti-PK (PKKs maybe?) police force forms so the same mentality of people working to clear the game would pop up. You need to be better in a one on many situation that the group attacking you.
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2012-07-08, 06:18 | Link #254 |
Romanticist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Age: 33
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This is certainly one case where a show deserves the hype. I'm currently kicking myself for prematurely categorizing this as another trashy MMORPG adventure.
First off is that the entire episode looks beautiful thanks to the superb animation, though I wish I could say the same about the character designs. From an aesthetic perspective, this show certainly lives up to expectations. Another distinct trait is how dark the story is played out right at the onset. This is good in that it shows just how high the stakes are in this game. It provides a clear, tangible motivation for everyone from the very start. Now that the gravity of the situation has already been laid out in full, I do hope that this mood of despair takes a backseat in the following episodes in favor of action or lighthearted moments. I'm also liking the characters so far. Kirito, in particular, keeps a pretty cool head and is generally quite capable of looking out for himself. So far, everyone seems fairly down-to-earth, allowing me to relate to them easily enough. You really have to give the mad scientist guy some credit though, he managed to take 10,000 people hostage right under everyone's noses. You really have to pity the ones who live alone though, like our good friend, Klein.
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2012-07-08, 06:31 | Link #255 | |
Cross Game - I need more
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma
Age: 45
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You just have to change your playing style and above all, avoid being mobbed. Oh... and lots and lots of "Run away!!" tactics.
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Last edited by Sackett; 2012-07-08 at 06:51. |
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2012-07-08, 06:40 | Link #257 | |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Since Kirito said resources are limited I took his word literally for it and believe it means mobs don't respawn and that it was the reason why he rushed out immediately If mobs do still respawn that doesn't change Kirito's fast thinking and great decision making skills and the courage to act on it but I feel it makes him a bit more reckless |
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2012-07-08, 07:05 | Link #260 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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sci-fi, shonen |
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