Ask Massively: Declaring a moratorium edition
I am declaring a moratorium as of this edition of Ask Massively. A moratorium on what, you ask? Well, I hadn't actually gotten that far in my planning. I'm going to go ahead and declare this moratorium on Katy Perry, songs about California, episodes of The Office, films in the X-Men franchise, all movies featuring male losers hooking up with trophy women, questions about the site redesign, people in SUVs who feel the need to tailgate someone else, head colds, and Boggle. So all of those things have to stop right now. You heard it here first.
Of course, since this week's batch of questions came in before a moratorium was declared, it would be unfair not to answer the site redesign questions that were already submitted. But no more, seriously. It would also be unfair to not answer the other questions that were asked, although they aren't related to anything within the moratorium. So click on past the break for this week's questions, and send your own along to ask@massively.com. Or just leave them in the comment field, no biggie.
nathael asked: I can't get the site to work on my blackberry anymore at all [...] anyone have the new mobile url?
After a brief test on my Droid, I can confirm that both m.massively.com and m.massively.joystiq.com will work for the mobile URL. The former did have some odd bits of formatting stuck in, so I'd err on the side of the latter, but as of this writing both were functional.
Zensun asked: What benefit does changing the domain used to browse this site bring to its customers?
It brings neither benefit nor detriment. As links to the old URL still work and redirect properly, it's a zero-sum change, outside of bothering those of us like me who prefer to see top-level domains in the address bar. Considering how a variety of WoW Insider's links became borked as a result, I think we got the better end of the stick.
Jejeune asked: If I wanted to introduce my clueless friend to MMOs, what would be the best way to go about it?
Start fresh. If possible, going into a new game together might be the best option, as it means that your friend won't have the disadvantage of knowing nothing while you know everything. If you want to introduce your friend to a game you're already playing, start a new character that you play with that person exclusively -- possibly even rescheduling any endgame activities so that you can spend more time on your "new" character. Above all else, be encouraging and enthusiastic.
This is the sort of thing that could take a lot of time and could merit an entire column unto itself, but the short version is that your friend may or may not wind up enjoying the game. You want to show off the best the game has to offer, but while you might love the endgame raids, your friend is more likely to be captured by the same stuff that caught your attention when you started playing. Focus in on that.
Coastal asked: Will you answer my questions in Ask Massively?
Yes.
Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!
