MMORPGs and YOU! - Part Three - Aion

Welcome back, My Dear Readers, to The Other Shoe and another edition of ‘MMORPGs and YOU!’ Today’s edition, of this fine series of articles, will cover the game Aion. Aion is a game by the company NCSoft. You might well know that company for its creations; Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, Lineage 2, and Blade and Soul. I must be true and tell you of all the games that I have just listed I have played all but one, Blade and Soul.

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If I were a beginning MMORPG player I can tell you true. I would start with an NCsoft title for my first MMORPG gaming experience you just cannot go wrong. Their games are highly stylized full of beautiful images and static form. Their games are the most popular, to date, in South Korea. Whereas the game characters and environments may be highly stylized the game mechanics are quite simple.

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(Enzo Working An Anvil Blacksmithing in Aion)

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Aion on has just achieved version number Four ‘Dark Betrayal’. The single greatest difference between Aion on and all the other MMORPGs I have written about is? Flight. In every other game I have written about to date, and every other MMORPG I know, in order for your character to take flight you must obtain or purchase a flying mount. Aion on is the exception to that rule.

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In Aion after level twenty, you will obtain wings.(not buffalo wings, like from Pizza Hut) That’s right you read that correctly you’ll fly like a bird with your own wings! Now for most people being able to fly like an angel is an incredible thought alone. However, for a disabled person like me being able to take flight with your own wings is something incredible and nothing short of divine.

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/UL6Za4ColH0]

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As you develop your ability, throughout the game, and upgrade your wings you will be able to fly; longer, faster, and higher than each level before. As if that’s not enough, My Dear Readers, in Aion you will not only be able to fly to get around town or from one quest to another you will also be able to take fight in PvP 9player vs. Player). That’s right Dear Readers you will be able to fly and fight your enemies at the same time. Now tell me that is not incredible.

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(Danny/Enzo Standing by Spacial Portal In Aion)

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Now when I tell you that Aion it is a stylized what I mean to say is that every character in the game is beautiful and dressed in fine silken garments. For guys, if you have issues with your masculinity then this might not be the game for you. If you have uncomfortable thoughts, when looking at attractive guys and men, this game is not for you. However, if you like looking at beautiful men and women dressed in fine garments and beautiful armor? Well then, Aion is the game for you! If the attractiveness of yourself and your fellow gamers is just a non-issue for you? Then this is the game for you, too!

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(This is a Screenshot of My Toon-Enzo in Aion)

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Aion is just the most attractive and engaging MMORPG that I have played so far. The game mechanics are well developed, the classes are balanced well and gathering and professions can be learned by all. That makes for a nice segway, because today I am going to discuss; Trades and Gathering.

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In all of the games of the genera all players can harvest items (raw materials) and turn them into goods for use or sale. With ‘Alchemy’ one would choose picking herbs to complement their alchemy. If you would like to make armor and swords you would pick mining. And finally if you’d like to make a leather armor and packs and the like you would pick. Skinning. Picking herbs, mining or, or skinning these are all called gathering professions. Whether it is alchemy, armor making or leather making these are all production professions or trades. It is best to pick a complimentary gathering profession matching your production profession. That way you harvest the raw materials for the items you create for your friends or for yourself, or for trade.

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/wR0sKslHkvU]

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Each and every one of the games has versions of these three basic trades. In some games you can master only one. However, in Aion you can train and create in all the available professions. As well as these professions listed all of these games also allow you to do cooking and fishing! That’s right; you can fish and catch items that you can then make into meals. You can skin animals and make food from their meat, if you choose. These foods can then be used by; yourself, your friends or Guild mates or be put up for sale at the Auction House. For many players these professions and trades can be a great benefit. Either by the money they make you or by being able to share foodstuffs that have buffs for you and your friends.

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(Danny/Enzo With Dinosaurs in Aion)

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Some of these foods can be set out like a banquet and be shared with everyone in your party or group. This can make a person quite popular, when you are ready to enter an instance (dungeon) and you bring out a feast for everyone to enjoy and get a special power to help in the instance.

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(Screenshot With Danny/Enzo Showing 'Chat Box' and User Interface)

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Back to Aion. Aion has been around since 2009 and just recently went Free To Play. Unlike many of the FTP games, there are no level or geographic limits to Aion’s Free to play. However, if you do pay the subscription fee you will; level faster, ride your mount faster, have more item spots in your bags and many other improvements to game play. Of all the free to play models I enjoy Aion’s the best.

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As I mentioned earlier, in Aion you can fly. Like a bird you can, and it is wild. You actually start to fly in the beginning city/area. As you go up in levels your flight greatly improves. Once you get to level 30, or so, you are able to fly and fight in PvP (Player vs. Player) mode and attack your enemies during flight. This can be confusing and difficult, at first. However, once you get the hang of it? It can be the very best way to play PvP.

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(Danny/Enzo in Sanctum with Trees Behind in Aion)

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For everyone out there that has ever wanted to fly like a bird? I would suggest trying out Aion, at least for a few weeks. The whole sensation of flight is well executed in the game and very convincing. It really is the factor that just keeps bringing me back to Aion. In the three years Aion has been live, they have added whole new areas, arenas and continents. They take lessons learned from their other games, and bring them to Aion.

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Aion runs fine on any standard desktop or notebook computer. Smaller laptops, with integrated graphics (meaning no dedicated separate graphics chip or board) may have some difficulties. See the web site for details (just click on the name Aion anywhere in this article and it will take you there). Finally, I would like to tell you about the pets that are in this game. There are pets you can buy, pets you can train and pets you can find. After a year of the game you will have a virtual zoo of pets that you can play with and train and feed. Not all of these games have pets for all players. However, of all the games that does have pets? Aion is the best.

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(Danny/Enzo Using Alchemy to Make Potions in Aion)

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Well, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of another edition of MMORPGs and YOU! I, once again, must “Thank YOU” for coming to The Other Shoe. I know that you have a lot of choices for news and entertainment and I am honored that you choose The Other Shoe. Have a great rest of your weekend and I will see you soon.

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