To an extent, I think that limitless potting can be a good thing for the economy. Why? Money sinks. RF Online's potions are affordable enough at lower levels, but as you level up further you encounter a need for increasingly more potent potions. Loot drops off a bit under higher levels too. The potions actually keep people scrambling for cash higher up, and sloppy play inevitably results in a broke player. If it weren't for potions, there'd be nothing to spend money on but equipment, which actually is very cheap to buy and maintain. Ragnorok's balance is pretty much the opposite.
So, RF Online's economy looks like it will be just fine. It's actually sort of interesting because there's a stock market thing going on between the three factions' currency. The faction that does the most buying creates a greater tax rate for that faction. Because the most buying is done by the faction with the greatest population, one can consider this an economic balance in place to encourage players to even out the numbers between the factions or pay a higher tax. Clever.
But the policy of rapid potion use offends some people. They find it hard to wrap their heads around that this is a game that is built on low downtime and lack of healer dependance. They find it unacceptable they can't solo other players because potion use allows them to easily out-pace the damage a player is capable of (though some say it can be done at higher levels). It's not a bad balance, but it is different.
Funny enough, RF Online is the name of the game. It's on their webpage, the game splash screen, and yes even on the game box. Rising Force online is the expanded version, but not what they're selling it under.
They also have extended titles, "Fantasy and Romance" and "Episode 1: Beginning to the New World", but it's somewhat debatable about if they're really titles or added descriptors.
If there's any reason I want to go with PS2 over the PC it's the uninspired game design I see with PCs. If it's not a game that repeated and built behind the last 10 designs behind it then it's a rare find. Console Games (not all of them, but many) approach sophisticated game styles I have not really seen attempted on PCs.
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To an extent, I think that limitless potting can be a good thing for the economy. Why? Money sinks. RF Online's potions are affordable enough at lower levels, but as you level up further you encounter a need for increasingly more potent potions. Loot drops off a bit under higher levels too. The potions actually keep people scrambling for cash higher up, and sloppy play inevitably results in a broke player. If it weren't for potions, there'd be nothing to spend money on but equipment, which actually is very cheap to buy and maintain. Ragnorok's balance is pretty much the opposite.
So, RF Online's economy looks like it will be just fine. It's actually sort of interesting because there's a stock market thing going on between the three factions' currency. The faction that does the most buying creates a greater tax rate for that faction. Because the most buying is done by the faction with the greatest population, one can consider this an economic balance in place to encourage players to even out the numbers between the factions or pay a higher tax. Clever.
But the policy of rapid potion use offends some people. They find it hard to wrap their heads around that this is a game that is built on low downtime and lack of healer dependance. They find it unacceptable they can't solo other players because potion use allows them to easily out-pace the damage a player is capable of (though some say it can be done at higher levels). It's not a bad balance, but it is different.
Funny enough, RF Online is the name of the game. It's on their webpage, the game splash screen, and yes even on the game box. Rising Force online is the expanded version, but not what they're selling it under.
They also have extended titles, "Fantasy and Romance" and "Episode 1: Beginning to the New World", but it's somewhat debatable about if they're really titles or added descriptors.
If there's any reason I want to go with PS2 over the PC it's the uninspired game design I see with PCs. If it's not a game that repeated and built behind the last 10 designs behind it then it's a rare find. Console Games (not all of them, but many) approach sophisticated game styles I have not really seen attempted on PCs.