Take another look..unlimited free trial
Turn the clock forward now to the summer 2006 and it appears to be a wholely different game. Current trial is an unlimited trial on the starter island, which is a very comprehensive tutorial environment.
Although the population of players is relatively small, they are the most mature and helpful crowd I've ever witnessed.
Customer service is rediculously light years ahead of any other game team. Response time is in minutes with a GM popping up next to you, if need be to solve a problem. When I got stuck in a quest due to my poor handling of a quest item, the GM responded in under 2 minutes., asked me to fill out a ticket and then responded to the ticket within another 2 minutes. I've never seen such responsiveness. This is definitely a differentiator when looking at the MMO genre and a welcome one at that.
Graphics rival any of the current games with excellent char, npc and mob models. Textures at high settings are extremely pleasing to the eye. Water, and flora are some of the best I have seen.
Sound is different. Rather than the pulsing music of most games, Nevraxm has adopted a naturalist point of view. Carnivore howls, herbivore munching on grass, bees buzzing, birds chirping, etc oll in EAX if your sound card can support that. It's incredibly immersive.
Gameplay is very good. Like the father of the genre, UO, this game features skill development through a series of 4 trees: fight, magic, harvetsting, crafting. Each can be levelled up to a maximum of 250. I've read that that corresponds to 11k total levels if you wanted to max each subtree. Incredible value for the monthly fee.
The actual effort to do any of the four areas takes on a very unique approach. Each "action" is made up of components called Stanzas. Each stanza can be combined to create custom attacks, for example. It's simple but elaborate approach makes for some very interesting PvE and PvP tactics whether solo or in groups.
Mob AI is quite advanced. Herbivores travel in herds and migrate. Carnivores pack hunt the herd stragglers and you! Passive mobs will approach you with curiosity and look you over. Some plants and animals have symbiotic relationships and will defend each other when attacked.
The PvE game is rich and the PvP game has meaning. Outposts are nodes of critical harvesting. Guilds desire to craft the best gear for their members and fight for control of the Outposts. These are real time battles, not some scheduled "event". Territory is important in SoR and will even become more important with the Spires patch expected in the not too distant future. PvP is group balanced and tactics are important due to the skill trees. A "warrior" could be a maxed magician as well. Whether they attack as a fighter or magic-user is a preference and can make for some very interesting PvP battles.
All in all, I am surprised as to how this game advanced. Too many of us were left with a sour first impression, but SoR deserves another look. If you are tired of the kiddie games, looking for a solid RPG online and enjoy a tight community, check it out.