GRATS! WoW is a Lazy Dungeon Master
We are in an age of stagnant online entertainment my friends. We now live in a time where creativity and innovation have been trashed for statistics, mindless grinds, and false achievements. Story and plot have taken a backseat to repetition and grinds. We are players in games where the destination is now more important than the journey. We are a people starved for innovation and lacking the key narrative element. Read on my friends and I shall try my best to discuss what’s been bothering me and many others regarding this famine of RPGs. World of Warcraft is a lazy dungeon master. Rather than mystify us with smoke and mirrors and throw red herrings at us to veer us from our path, WoW simply just tells us to go kill a certain number of this monster, grab components from that mob, or deliver a parcel to this NPC. WoW does not make us guess or have choice in our game. There is no mysterious figure lurking in the shadows or some hidden force with evil motives placing pawns in our way. Nope. Things are pretty cut ‘n dry in World of Warcraft. We’ve often compared MMORPGs to their roots from ...
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Port Valdez Demo Gameplay Seals The Pre-Order Deal (Video)
In my first look at Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I stated that I thought this game was coming to kick Modern Warefare 2's ass. Today we have more video of the Port Valdez Demo to drive that point home, and apparently beta testing is now in full swing. Retailers began selling pre-orders with beta access and all sorts of other goodies, and from what I'm hearing the beta servers have been getting pounded. Over twitter EA stated they were having trouble getting beta information out on their blog since it was also getting crushed. It appears that interest in BBC2 is hitting a fevered pitch, and I must say that after watching the Port Valdez Demo Gameplay Video below I couldn't resist hitting the "buy now" button for my pre-order. Check out the action below: That sealed the deal for me. I'll be asking my wife's forgiveness for buying this game since I just blew some change on Mass Effect 2, but I am weak and cannot resist explosions. I purchased via Steam (shocker, I know) and will be getting my beta access and pre-order goodies from Valve, but other retailers are offering some great pre-order ...
Because We Demand It: 10 Things Our Online Games Should Have
1. PVP and PVE balance Dismiss one play style or the other at your own peril. There is a reason that games like Call of Duty have single player campaigns, and World of Warcraft has battlegrounds. Both styles of game play provide a good mix of experiences for the player, and draw a wider range of gamers to a given title. Having both in an online game seems just about mandatory for today's games. Many games pit the player versus the environment. Via developer scripted battles and non player characters, these games give their audience a great experience. However, another big segment of gamers loves nothing more than to battle against other players. In building an online game that has both elements, a balance must be struck. See World of Warcraft as one of the worst examples here. PVP was brought into the game well after it launched, and every class has abilities that are constantly in a state of flux because of PVP implications. On the other hand, Warhammer Online was a stellar example of how to take standard PVE abilities and give them dual use for both PVP and PVE play. 2. Apprentice/Sidekick System For games with level based progression, this is ...
Syp’s Quips: Dear Dr. Wily
Need help with your short game or end game? Suffering from an embarrassing rash of altitis? Can’t tell the difference between a noob, a newbie, and a n00b? Then pose your conundrum to Syp, the MMO Master, and prepare yourself to be rocked by advice from a gamer who truly knows what “/afk” means. No question is too serious; no answer is too silly! Dear Syp, Every day that I’m at work, my co-workers ask me what I did the previous night. Now I know they’re expecting answers like “went to the bar” or “watched Grey’s Anatomy”, but I play MMOs instead. I’m getting tired of trying to creatively change the subject. Should I just tell them that I play MMOs? Sincerely, Feeling Foolish in Feralas Dear Feeling Foolish, You know that awkward pause in the conversation when you casually announce that "you had worms" but "the doctor got most of them out with laxatives"? Yeah, admitting that you play MMOs is sort of like that, but with more social ostracization attached. People will immediately start sizing you up for serial killer potential, and that's a headache you don't need. Sincerely, Syp Syppy, baby, answer me this, I know for a fact many RPers roleplay ...
You: Fan or Fanboy?
Are you a fan or a fanboy? In most dictionaries, a fan is defined as “an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.” A fanboy as defined by the Urban dictionary, is “a passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.” How does this affect the MMO world? People can become very passionate about their game. Those that play MMO’s, for instance, tend to spend a lot of time in their virtual world, developing a passion for it that can become addictive. But that doesn’t make them a fanboy, does it? They are enjoying their pastime and just happen to be devoted to it. They aren’t necessarily so passionate for their game that they might disregard or override social graces. So why do people lash out at others who choose to play a different game than them? What is the reasoning behind the whole my game is better than your game attitude? Are fans predestined to become fanboys? Do people that play " game A" have to hate people that play "game B?" For instance, do people that play EVE automatically have an ...
Jan 28th
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Port Valdez Demo Gameplay Seals The Pre-Order Deal (Video)
In my first look at Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I stated that I thought this game was coming to kick Modern Warefare 2’s ass. Today we have more video of the Port Valdez Demo to drive that point home, and apparently beta testing is now in full swing. Retailers began selling pre-orders with beta access and all sorts of other goodies, and from what I’m hearing the beta servers have been getting pounded. Over twitter EA stated they were having trouble getting beta information out on their blog since it was also getting crushed. It… Read >>
Jan 26th
Because We Demand It: 10 Things Our Online Games Should Have
1. PVP and PVE balance
Dismiss one play style or the other at your own peril. There is a reason that games like Call of Duty have single player campaigns, and World of Warcraft has battlegrounds. Both styles of game play provide a good mix of experiences for the player, and draw a wider range of gamers to a given title. Having both in an online game seems just about mandatory for today’s games.
Many games pit the player versus the environment. Via developer scripted battles and non player characters, these games give their audience a great experience
Jan 25th
Syp’s Quips: Dear Dr. Wily
Need help with your short game or end game? Suffering from an embarrassing rash of altitis? Can’t tell the difference between a noob, a newbie, and a n00b? Then pose your conundrum to Syp, the MMO Master, and prepare yourself to be rocked by advice from a gamer who truly knows what “/afk” means. No question is too serious; no answer is too silly!
Dear Syp,
Every day that I’m at work, my co-workers ask me what I did the previous night. Now I know they’re expecting answers like “went to the… Read >>
Jan 25th
You: Fan or Fanboy?
Are you a fan or a fanboy?
In most dictionaries, a fan is defined as “an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.” A fanboy as defined by the Urban dictionary, is “a passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.”
How does this affect the MMO world? People can become very passionate about their game. Those that play MMO’s, for instance, tend to spend a lot of time… Read >>
Jan 23rd
Success: A Blizzard Entertainment Timeline
Why is World of Warcraft so successful?
Raptr, a social media networking tool for gamers has clocked 4,070,029 play hours in their database at an average of 35,000 players daily. These numbers are staggering when viewed in the realization that 35 thousand players (just in Raptr alone) have clocked 4 million hours of game time.
Now if we could see Blizzard’s database numbers for all 5 years the game has been out, multiply that by all the average 14.99 monthly subscription numbers and then the ‘additional’ services they offer at a highly over priced… Read >>
Jan 22nd
Move Over Modern Warfare 2: Battlefield Bad Company 2 Is Here To Own You (Video)
EA recently released a video of the single player campaign in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and I must say the trailer looks great. It seems to be heavily sprinkled with game play footage, wicked rock and roll music, and the ever cool quote of “It’s gonna get real ugly” to top off the cool meter:
However, I’m not much for trailers that may not give you the best idea as to how the game plays. Upon further investigation, I came upon this purely awesome developer walk through of how squad deathmatch games work. Check… Read >>
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Feb 1st
Posted by Rackham in Comics ...
5 comments
GRATS! WoW is a Lazy Dungeon Master
We are in an age of stagnant online entertainment my friends. We now live in a time where creativity and innovation have been trashed for statistics, mindless grinds, and false achievements. Story and plot have taken a backseat to repetition and grinds. We are players in games where the destination is now more important than the journey. We are a people starved for innovation and lacking the key narrative element.
Read on my friends and I shall try my best to discuss what’s been bothering me and many others regarding this famine of RPGs.
World… Read >>