I was fortunate enough to have been one of the Beta invitees.
So at that, I will add my remarks with as much objectivity as I can muster.
OVERVIEW
First, the beta was ran very methodically, with many many features either not included or gradually introduced. From my prior beta experience (UO, PS, SB, WOW, WAR to name a few) the gradual introduction of features has always seemed the norm. Aventurine conducted their beta a bit more cautiously, however.
Many of the features newly introduced into Beta had problems. Many exploits were found and addressed, but in a certain order of precedence that left many bugs and fixes in the periphery. Overall, Beta was buggy and unstable, but no more or less than any other beta MMO I've participated in.
WORLD & ENVIRONMENT
To say I was impressed by the sheer size and creativity of the World of Agon would be a vast understatement. You can quite literally get lost, as I did on numerous occassions, and using the world map if your only outlet. The texture and feel of the world in respective settings makes the game enjoyable because you can actually use the terrain to your advantage in all combat situations. This I enjoyed very much.
The main cities weren't cookie-cutter, which I enjoyed. Each city had its own design but it wasn't too cumbersome, as vendors and banks were relatively easy to locate. Unfortunately a full city was not witnessed in Beta as only the banks and a very few essential vendors were even available.
The landscape was aesthetically pleasing as it was practically usefull. I would often find spots of rocks or dense trees to stage my attack on monster spawns. I would use the areas as a sort of "objective rally point" if you're military like me and understand my terminology. Due to my good graphics card, I was able to play on relatively high video settings and I must say the graphics are pretty good. READ: Not eye candy, but it gets the job done
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