1. How much depth/variety is there in character customisation, both early and late game? Are you forced to choose between going one combat style or another (e.g. magic caster or melee type) or can you level everything simultaneously? Is there replay value in this game or will you find that you can get all skills and such on a single run? How quickly do the levels go? I've read that it takes ages to grind to level 3 in the start, is this a game with slow leveling? Are there new skills etc unlocked in between levels in that case, or will you be waiting a long time between character improvements?
it doesnt take too long to reach lvl 3,the starters area only gives 1 exp per mob. (so unless your really stupid or bored,you can lvl to lvl 3 there. Lvling goes pretty quik.
Skills: you can lvl all at the same time. and you get new skills every 5 lvls (start with lvl 1,then lvl 5,10,15,and 20.) so if you play pretty good and lvl up fast,you wont be waiting for a long time.
2. From what I gather this game is released both PC and console - will I be able to use e.g. a 360 controller with it on PC? ...or any other 3rd party controller? Or is it only locked to mouse/keyboard? Is the gameplay style better suited to controller or m/k (I know this is a preference thing, but still...). Is the combat more twitch-based, or strategic? Does spellcasting require certain gimmicks/minigames (e.g. trace the rune) or is it just click of a button?
i dont really know if you can use a 360 controller on pc. and its mostly click click click click click.
3. My specs are: core-i7, gtx260m-1gb, 4gb-ddr3, 1920x1080 - how good will this game run? I've read conflicting posts saying that AA is available and not available, which is it? I don't mind the 30fps lock, I tend to run a lot of newer games on higher graphisc and therefore lower fps for more eyecandy, so I'm used to almost always being in the 20-40fps zone. More interested in the depth and quality of graphics.
yes you will be able to run it at max,but be aware. the fps cap is 30 and there's a stuttering problem in the game. (atleast for a lot of people.) AA is not supported,the ingame AA just blurs the edges a bit,but its not true AA.
4. I've read conflicting posts about this game being linear, and openworld, at the same time. I don't mind one or the other, so long as the quest structures and such are easy to understand and you don't have to spend hours running around the map blind to find something. Does this game limit your exploration? Does this game force you to explore lots? Do you gain a lot of benefit by exploring lots? I don't enjoy spending an hour to find a piece of weed not marked on the map (oblivion, anyone?) just to do a quest or something, but at the same time I would like there to be freedom of movement around the environment (FF13 was a little too railroaded).
you can see where you have to go on your minimap. but the game is far from linear. in fact,you are supposed to do lots of sidequests. this is because the main quests are all pretty hard so you have to lvl up before you start a next main quest. (yes i remember Oblivion,drives me nuts.) You have lots of freedom. (and even more when you become a Dragon ^^)
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions guys!
no problem.