TROVE

[Saggio]

Just checked out TROVE, Trion's newest MMO.  It's inspired by Minecraft and Terrarium with a bit of CubeWorld thrown in.  They've adapted some of the ideas and mechanics from those games in an MMO framework.  I anticipated I would not like the game since the graphics have a very dated style (8 bit cubes) that looks a lot like you're playing with Legos.  It's also primarily a building/crafting game and since I'm not much of a builder, it also did not look like it was for me.

To my surprise, I'm actually enjoying the game so far.  It's colorful and charming, the building is fun, there are many things to craft.  You get your own house or building area quickly (Cornerstone) and guilds can have their own building areas as well called Club Houses.  Combat, while somewhat simplistic is still fun.  It has an arcade style feeling to it.  It's totally PVE at this point.

I can see it as a change of pace, part-time MMO.  I like spending some time there after I've been in ArcheAge for awhile.  There's something about it that is a bit addictive.  I would imagine that it is fun to play along with family, friends and guildies.

There are also some interesting ideas, since the game uses voxels allowing for easy building and destruction.  For example, the areas that you adventure in change after the resources have been used and a new area is created.  There are empty lots that you can use to summon your home (Cornerstone), so your residence/workshop can actually be moved to a new location.

TROVE will be free to play when officially released.  It's now in closed beta which is acting as a bit of a soft launch.  For a purchase of five dollars worth of credit you get immediate access, and they're not doing a further wipe now that alpha is over.

Since as a guild we seem to be spread out over different games and different servers within games, it might be nice to have a shared hangout when one wants to drop by, and I can imagine the Club Houses in TROVE being able to serve that purpose.

[Oxillion]

Got a promo for this a few days ago.   Have not looked at it probably due to the terrible AA rollout from Trion.  Just bad feelings I think or it's a disturbance in the Force.   It might be the later but we all know what happens down that other path lol

 

Ox

[Saggio]

Trion has certainly not helped its reputation with all the fallout from the ArcheAge release, however I'm not sure that impacts the experience with TROVE unless you don't want to support any of the company's products at this point.  I almost have the same feeling with TROVE that I did with Blizzard's Hearthstone which I really enjoy.  Yes they both are associated with large companies with multiple products, but in each sense they're a smaller, more experimental project within the larger company.

TROVE has received little publicity, mostly relying on word of mouth advertising.  I get the sense the team is smaller than most MMOs and they seem very involved with responding to the community's feedback and incorporating some player creations in their content.  Even in beta it feels like a smaller, more intimate player base.  If ArcheAge is a violent storm of activity, TROVE is a pleasant sprinkle, doing it's own thing.  I tend to think of it as its own entity and often forget that Trion is the larger company.  It will be interesting to see how it evolves.

Bottom line, no queues, plenty of land available :-)

[Saggio]

If there is one word to describe TROVE, I would choose "playful." I have no idea if TROVE will be successful.  While I'm currently having fun with the game, and I think it has some interesting potential, I can also see it getting very repetitive unless the designers develop a variety of activities for the players.  It's still in beta, so there is plenty of development opportunities ahead.

What I find refreshing is not only what is in the game, but what is missing. 

• There are no pseudo macho "hard core" types trying to impress or intimidate.  Yes, you can try and level quickly and get the best gear.  But you're no threat, since there is no PVP, and you still look like a child's Lego toy.  It's humbling, levels the playing field and is actually quite refreshing.
• There's no concern that the armor for females is too revealing.  When your avatar basically consists of a bunch of blocks, there is nothing to reveal.  I'm not even sure if you can tell if a character is male or female, other than the name, and most people seem to be choosing goofy, gender neutral names.
• No gold spammers, general chat rarely has any trolling, immature or disturbing conversations.

TROVE is kind of giant playpen for people of all ages, which is a refreshing change of pace from many of the other MMOs.

[Saggio]

[Saggio]

[Saggio]

For anyone that is interested in giving Trove a try, there is a free trial weekend from Friday, Oct. 24 at 2PM till Monday, Oct 27 at 2PM.  It's a relatively small download and it saves you the $5 you'd otherwise have to pay for entry.

Despite the simplicity of the graphics and gameplay, I find that I'm enjoying my time in Trove and have probably been spending more time here recently than in ArcheAge.  The game has a lot to do, it's balanced between fighting, leveling, gathering, crafting and building.  It's more of a sandbox and there are no quests. It's strictly PVE.  I think it would particularly appeal to those who like to explore, since new adventure areas are constantly being generated.  You rarely spend time in the identical area more than once.

The game has almost a hypnotic rhythm to it, and I've read comments from other players that indicate they're drawn to the world as well. Although I'm not usually a fan of retro graphics, the blocky design seems a good fit, and the world has a lot of charm and eerie beauty.

My character name is Saggio and I've created a guild area (called Clubhouse).  Guilds or clubs can get their own private island to build on. You're more than welcome to join me.  I could certainly use some builders, it's not my strength.  You can actually be a member of up to 7 clubs, so it would be easy to create a RoH club if there was enough interest.

My club's name is "Foodini and Pinhead" after a favorite TV puppet show from childhood days.

http://www.trionworlds.com/trove/2014/10/23/play-trove-for-free-october-24-26/?request_locale=en

[Saggio]

Trove goes into open beta on November 5, free to play, modest download, no wipe.  Not really a replacement for your favorite MMO, but still a fun game with some innovative aspects.  I'd be really interested in other folks reactions to the game.  Is it just an MMO light, Minecraft clone with an MMO skin, or might they have something special going on here that has potential?

Oh, you might want to try a different avatar name for this one.  It's kind of a goofy, fun loving world and your characters look like misfit toys.  Some of my favorite names that I've seen so far are "Demon Pop Tart" and "Just Jestering."  Wish I had tried something a little more playful than my usual "Saggio."

http://www.trionworlds.com/trove/2014/10/30/trove-open-beta-arrives-nov-5-2014/