Aion Online makes players crazy III

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The user interface is standard for most MMOs. You can use either the W,A,S, D keys or the arrow keys to move around, space bar to jump, and the mouse to manipulate the camera angle. For those who have never played an MMO before, ingame help is available through a popup video tutorial. People are often quick to judge a game as a “WoW clone” simply on the basis of it using exactly the same default hotkeys, but happen to think that UI standardization is a wonderful thing. It makes life easier for those of us who like to hop from one game to another.

The first few quests serve to familiarize you with the controls, combat and questing. If you substitute kobolds with striped kerubs, and wolf tails with snuffler tails, you get the complete picture. At least in the beginning zone, the game does a good job of moving you from one area to the next as it reveals your character’s true nature as a Daeva, born to fight against the evil Balaur.

Combat is typical of most MMORPGs. You learn class-specific skills by buying skill books from a trainer and reading them. Once learned, you can bind a skill to a slot on your action bar and execute it by pressing a hotkey. Some skills are only activated as part of a chain of skills but unlike other games where you have to discover the different combinations, you can see all the possible chains in your skill book whether or not you have already learned them. The animations are rather flashy and casters utter some gibberish while firing off their spells, and yet the combat feels responsive.