“Outside” MMORPG reviewed: D-
I’ve been hearing about this MMORPG for months — everyone seems to be talking about it but no one seems to have actually played it. So I thought I’d give it a spin.
The ad copy promises:
- No monthly fee!
- Massive world to explore!
- Incredible NPC AI!
- Over 56,400 Character Archetypes
- Fully PvP
- Highest Resolution Graphics
But how much of this actually delivers? In our full review after the jump, I take a close look at what could easily be the most over-hyped game this year.
The graphics in most zones really are breathtaking. High polygon counts and incredible special effects that did not cause any lag on my hardware. The zone designs, on the other hand, often left something to be desired. I spent most of my time in the Virginia and Washington DC zones because — as we’ll discuss — getting around in this game can be a real bitch. The “George Washington Natural Forest” had an excellent, earthly feel. But others, like the Central Park shopping district in the Fredericksburg zone, were unaccountably ugly. And there were quite a few — like “Dulles Office Park” — that simply seemed unfinished and under-inhabited.
As I mentioned before, although the game promises a massive world to explore, it turns out getting around that world takes an extraordinary amount of time. Even entering or leaving some of the sub-zones took much longer than expected during peak hours. I blame this on the overly-accurate physics model, which forces you to wait for people to move out of your way rather than just letting you run through them. And that was just my experience moving between neighboring zones. Longer trips are significantly more arduous, taking days instead of hours, and cost a significant amount of money.
Oh yes, money. This is perhaps the biggest bait-and-switch. Although there’s no monthly fee, almost everything requires payment. Accessing many of the zones costs money. All forms of travel above a walk cost money. Earning money costs money (they’re called taxes) and paying for things costs extra money (also called taxes). Even sitting and doing nothing is expensive, since you are required to “eat” several times a day. And if you want to store any reasonable quantity of food or possessions you have to get the “Inside” expansion — which is where most of the breathtakingly huge monthly fees are hidden.
And make no mistake — you need the expansion. In order to make money to pay the interminable fees, you’ll have to find a job. Most of these are only available “inside” in low-rez, poorly-designed environments where you’ll do the same repetitive tasks for hours among uninteractive npcs. “Incredible NPC AI”? I find the notion that they have any AI at all questionable. Nevertheless, because of the massive fees involved in doing anything “outside” you are likely to spend most of your time “inside” in order to accumulate the requisite funds. So, forgo the “Inside” expansion and you’ll find yourself unable to participate in most of the game features. Without the “inside” expansion you cannot work, store goods, or even sleep in safety.
Speaking of safety, despite the hostility of many of the players and the depth of the PvP system, it’s considered bad form to attack anyone except under very strict, very controlled circumstances. This is apparently because getting killed in the game actually removes you from the game forever. What genius thought that one up?
Aside from the constant and irritating fees the game has exhibits remarkable inflexibility compared to other MMORPGs available. You cannot create a new character to try out other roles or career choices or even start over when you realize you’ve hopelessly screwed up your current character. Although career change is possible, if you want to try out Electrical Engineering instead of Forestry and Wildlife, for example, you’ll be required to literally attend years in the newbie zones at great cost and financial risk to yourself and the rest of your guild (called a “family”). There may be thousands of character types available to you, but under normal circumstances you only get to try out one or two of them.
So yes, “Outside” is amazing on a presentational level, but the gameplay itself leaves much to be desired and it’s hard to stay engaged for very long. On balance, World of Warcraft has a much less deep but more entertaining profession tree, character advancement process, and fee structure. Despite the excellent graphics and audio, it’s hard to recommend “Outside” over any other game except Star Wars Galaxies.
Comments (Post a Comment)
09/14/07 08:53 AM
It still beats Second Life, in my opinion.
09/14/07 10:11 AM
I’ll stick with Lord of the Rings Online, thanks.
09/14/07 10:47 AM
No swords, no play.
09/14/07 12:34 PM
One really cool function I found — you can actually tunnel from a computer within Outside into any other <span class=“caps”>MMORPG</span>! Only it uses up money.
09/14/07 07:27 PM
Pricey, but I like it a lot. Too bad there’s no cash farming.
09/14/07 09:00 PM
The mini-games are actually pretty good, but the stupid game forces you to embark on countless boring side quests.
To make things worse, when you reach approximately level 35, your character’s stats actually go <span class=“caps”>DOWN</span>! I guess you could keep playing beyond level 35, but then it’ll only be to unlock bonus items(which don’t do anything!).
09/14/07 09:17 PM
Good point, Stevo!
09/14/07 10:56 PM
I love the way the game lets you create new <span class=“caps”>NPC’</span>s though. I think worth any in-game cost.
09/14/07 10:57 PM
That love mini-game is real hard. I’ve only been able to beat it once and it only ended up giving me a few weeks worth of content, most of I could only look at. So far school has been the only interesting mini-game, but that gets tedious as well.
09/14/07 10:59 PM
The interface altering substances can be pricey but an overall great experience. Sure some glitches and bugs might make the game crash but many things in the game could also.
09/16/07 09:50 AM
I had an issue where some player from the opposing faction (a rogue, or “thief” as referred to in-game). I tried opening a ticket with a GM (the little “prayer” button which appears at special time occasions). I was told that GM God should respond soon, but nothing till now :/
09/16/07 03:07 PM
Due to increasing server loads you may notice higher operating temperatures.
09/16/07 05:05 PM
What I found most disappointing about Outside was that, in truth, it was simply too complex for my liking. Certain things were out of your control that you would have preferred to control (for example, your character’s name), while other things you would have liked to stay the same just don’t. Taking care of your character is ridiculously taxing, as strength and agility stats are constantly changing with the amount of activity you do and the food that you consume.
I’ve heard various rumors of the so-called “beta” versions that were much simpler. However, there’s a lot of conflicting arguments as to which were from the original development company, and which were simply third-party knockoffs. The <span class=“caps”>JSX </span>beta (codenamed “Bible”) is by far the most popular, though other ones such as Torah have a decent following as well. Unfortunately, no one has the original data files for these betas, so we only hear of them through word of mouth, and extremely corrupted documentation.
09/16/07 05:51 PM
<span class=“caps”>OMG…</span>you tards. This article is a joke. ‘Outside’; come on, does know one get it?
09/16/07 05:53 PM
Hmm. I think someone missed the clue train and didn’t even notice.
09/16/07 08:21 PM
A major issue with the game is that it becomes increasingly difficult as you go on in levels. In early levels, almost everything is just given to you. By level 16, I found myself having to spend countless hours with job side-quests to make money, which is required to do any of the fun mini-games. By level 18, I had to spend even more time with the jobs just to live at all.
Another concern is the background story line. In many players’ cases, they were just simply thrown into existence by accident. Whether the character was planned or not, it still isn’t up to the player to create the character. In fact, characters don’t really know they’ve been created until variable levels. Instead, it’s up to <span class=“caps”>NPC</span>s of opposite sexes.
The only good part about Outside (With Inside expansion) are the numerous mini-games available on items called consoles.
09/16/07 09:29 PM
I hate sleeping, but sometimes when I earn enough money I stock up on these energy capsules that come in cans. http://othud.site/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif
09/16/07 11:36 PM
Noobs. Outside is basically a subdivision of Real Life, which Gamespot reviewed a long time ago. If you want the full experience, check out Real Life.
http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/gamespotting/071103minusworld/1.html
09/17/07 03:52 AM
I tried grinding some of the “cooking” skills, but my food actually got less effective as time went on! What’s up with that?
The graphics are pretty good, though, even though a lot of people need to have several types of vision modifiers to appreciate the full quality. I’m certainly glad I logged on during the “modern” age, though; imagine playing your whole session back in the “feudal” or “stone age” ages! What a nightmare.
It does seem to have a problem with overpopulation, but it looks like we’re not too far away from the new “planetary” expansions. If the “New World” expansion was any sign, this next one should be huge!
09/17/07 04:22 AM
haha Ballzy! your so sharp! just tell these guys waht are they talkin about, they dont get the point not like clever you! http://othud.site/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif <span class=“caps”>LOL</span>
09/17/07 01:54 PM
OK not only is that game a stellar rip-off, but if you DO get suckered into it, DO <span class=“caps”>NOT</span> PvP IN <span class=“caps”>THE FREE PARTS</span> OF <span class=“caps”>THE GAME.</span>
My account was suspended for 6 months… I could still log in, but all there was to do was sit in a low-res environment with bars while an <span class=“caps”>NPC </span>in another cell yelled at me. The game wouldn’t let me make a new character! And I’ve heard from from other PCs that this can even happen to you in the <span class=“caps”>PAID </span>levels and environments if you PvP the wrong popular player in the wrong way, and your suspension could be longer!
That game is the opposite of fun. I’ll stick to Adventurequest.
09/17/07 07:42 PM
My problem is I’m playing the game on hard mode to get more bonus items and money! I had my character enrolled in “school” with all advanced classes, joined the “football” guild, bought the expansion “inside”, bought a “computer”, and I got a job…
Now I end up playing the “inside” expansion for most of my time! I literally spend 8 hours sleeping (if you want max stats when you wake up), 8 hours in “school”, 3 hours in my “football” guild, about 2-3 hours doing the homework mini-games (they take longer b/c of the hard-mode advanced classes), and 2 hours eating/bathing/etc.
09/17/07 08:21 PM
Well, some of the mini games are really awesome, but I hate when the <span class=“caps”>NPC’</span>s use their hacking abilities to make them less fun. Some of the <span class=“caps”>NPC’</span>s are also really annoying, and <span class=“caps”>WTF </span>is up with that “school” stuff? Really ghey.
09/18/07 09:19 AM
Been playing this game since I can remember… The coolest part – be prepared for this – is that there is no censorship. Yip, no controversies over Hot Coffee mods… You go get for some ‘coffee’ at ur girlfriends house and u see shit the <span class=“caps”>FDA </span>would never approve!!! Thats cool.. What does suck is the fact that cops don’t forget about the fact that u did a drive-by on some innocent bystanders if u drive around long enough. But then again its classified as a <span class=“caps”>MMPORG, </span>and those are a bit gay… http://othud.site/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif
09/18/07 09:32 AM
Well, interesting to read about the game, because I personally can’t remember to have ever logged in, so I might be an artificial player myself. That doesn’t seem to be any hurt, since I really can’t tell about the difference, but if there only would be a password to patch some of the system environment variables, maybe I could run the super.runAbout()-program and find out what its all about? Is there anyone else who can’t remember how they have gotten into the game? Maybe the memory comes back when we are finished, but then it also might be too late to resurrect the artificial character I’ve been if my file gets deleted by system maintenance routines.
09/18/07 08:49 PM
Yesterday, while snowboarding in the “Winter Park” district of Colorado’s zone, My soulbound keys dissapeared from my inventory, I checked my 4 slot Pant pockets too… no where!
Was wondering if the GM or tech support could send me a tell with a new key ring in it! (a full bank account would be much appreciated also!)
much appreciated – Tripp
09/19/07 09:28 AM
I like to play this game when I’m stoned
09/19/07 06:53 PM
I’ve seen better AI in Everquest <span class=“caps”>II.</span> Come on. The AI in Outside is really dumb. Even when I practiced the English ability, I found out some people have corrupt versions of the same .dll file and so they speak this thing called “ebonics” or “spanglish” or “Japinglish.”
Also, some people hack, and never get caught by the Admins (Or government), and the devs are good, but the players have totally ruined the environments.
09/20/07 05:48 PM
The only thing that really sucks about this game is my guild is comprised of a bunch of idiots and I’m never on at the time that they raid. Oh, and early mornings on weekends, I tend to get a lot of server side lag, it seems.
09/20/07 09:40 PM
One disappointing aspect of the game is the very narrow loot system. The only thing you can get off animals is meat, or skin. The only way to get money drops is to kill other players, which, as mentioned, can severely impair any further gameplay. The only valuable drop come from rare animals tagged as ‘endangered’ and the loot you get from them can only be sold to a very limited number of merchants. There are some animals that can give you some nice loot, but most of these are heavily camped.
09/24/07 10:16 PM
The death penalty on Outside is outrageous.
09/26/07 02:40 PM
have you ever been to the Dulles Office park? I work there, and it is indeed quite unfinished and under-inhabited. I don’t recommend coming here. it’s boring. i think a proper complaint about the game is “why on earth did they include the dulles office park?”
10/07/07 04:48 AM
where can i download the client? please tell me..
thanks.
10/20/07 02:14 PM
haha one thing thats great about this game is that it takes more skills than any other <span class=“caps”>MMORPG. </span> Also, The Controls are <span class=“caps”>WAY </span>better. I advise spending less time trying to get all the expansions and more time on the mini-games of snowboarding and mountain biking. Outside is the Future of RealDef gaming~
btw cash farming is possible… u just have to have skillz
10/24/07 04:02 PM
Hi, guys
does anyone know where to find GMjesus, i lost both my arms during some PvP with a train. an <span class=“caps”>NPC </span>told me GMjesus can heal me for a price. anyone got any idea on his location, all i got from my local guild is that “he is everywhere”
10/25/07 12:14 AM
Outside is totally broken. All the rich players get there by paying dudes in China to farm for them. And the gun weapons are way overpowered. One hit kills? Seriously, this needs to be nerfed.
And what’s up with this permadeath? It takes years to grind a decent character, yet some newbie with an overpowered weapon can kill me instantly! Some days I think it would be better just to unsubscribe.
11/18/07 11:44 PM
Hmm… yeah, I remember when I was addicted to this game. That was quite some time ago, and it took all of my online friends to convince me that I needed to stop playing.
I used to log in every now and then, but now I’m having trouble staying logged out for extended periods of time. These days, I can only seem to stay away from it for 6-8 hours at a time.
Can anyone give me any advice?
04/11/08 04:25 AM
Seriously good game.. Worth every penny of it. Who needs anything else?
06/10/08 11:11 PM
In five years this joke will be old as no one knowing if your a dog on the Internet.
07/08/08 07:49 PM
There’s some hope that this game will improve, at least in the “America” servers, when the new patch is released in November. Given the nature of the players on these servers, any improvement there could propagate to other servers. I can’t get through one day in this game though without making mental notes about things in dire need of a nerfing.
08/30/08 12:51 PM
Man, is there a hack tool to get free money or attributes for this game??
09/23/08 09:18 PM
Dude, I levelled up to 16 but didn’t earn my level 15 skills! So I had to do this sidequest called “Summer School” and attempt to earn my skills again! And now I’ve got this pet called a “Girlfriend”? Does anybody have any insight on how to make it happy? There seem to only be 4 options when I use it; Give Stuff, Make-Out, Sleep With, and Release; but the 2nd and 3rd seem to be greyed out claiming it isn’t happy enough? Any tips would be great! <span class=“caps”>PST</span>!
Rofl, this made my day. http://othud.site/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif
02/07/09 02:55 AM
I have to bitch about Outside also. My character was definately conceived without a plan and my guildies seem pretty useless. Also having problems finding the manual… I only have the player written versions. My stats are pretty good but I’m thinking about deleting the Inside expansion.