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The Game Archaeologist: How DikuMUD shaped modern MMOs
Even though there are hundreds and thousands of MMOs spanning several decades, only a small handful were so incredibly influential that they changed the course of development for games from then on out. DikuMUD is one of these games, and it is responsible for more of what you experience in your current MMOs than you even know. Of course, that doesn't mean everyone knows what DikuMUD is or how it shaped the MMOs that came out after it. You might have seen it used as a pejorative in enough comments that you know it is loathed by many gamers, but I find that there are varying degrees of ignorance about DikuMUD in the community. What is it, exactly? Why is it just the worst? And is it really the worst if we like the games that can point to this text-based MMO as a key ancestor? Today we're going to dispel the mystery and myths of DikuMUD to lay it out there as it was and is today.
The Daily Grind: Could a non-combat MMO be compelling?
As much as I like being the action hero in MMOs, even I must admit that the ratio of combat to non-combat activities is lopsided to the extreme. Some days I feel like I'm playing an endless kill simulator that doesn't allow me to live in these virtual worlds so much as attempt to murder most of what is in them. So sometimes I think about MMOs where combat isn't just marginalized but non-existent. Could it work? Sure, we have seen titles like A Tale in the Desert and Myst Online replace combat with community crafting, but such games are so few in number and under-populated. What do you think? Could a non-combat MMO be compelling? Would you play a game that was heavy on sandbox elements but had no fighting? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Does founder's syndrome hurt MMOs?
Founder's syndrome -- defined by Wikipedia as "a difficulty faced by many organizations where one or more founders maintain disproportionate power and influence following the effective initial establishment of the project" -- is not limited to just organizations. Sandbox gamers might recognize it as something that can affect their virtual worlds as well. For example, there's a long-standing debate among EVE Online fans as to whether or not it's possible for newcomers to ever truly catch up and compete on the same level as those who've been dominating the game and accruing money and power for over a decade. Sometimes, the people who get to the sandbox first keep control of all the toys. Antique sandbox A Tale in the Desert attempted to dodge this problem by resetting the game in its entirety after each "tale" plays out. Veteran players might keep their network of contacts and their real-world knowledge of the game, but their in-game material wealth and characters must be started from scratch, allowing newcomers a better chance of competing with them. Of course, it might be hard for modern themepark fans to accept such a solution! What do you think -- is founder's syndrome a problem in the MMOs you play? How would you solve the problem? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Think Tank: Non-combat roles in MMORPGs
Two recent topics have collided to create this week's Think Tank topic: Massively's Justin wrote about pacifist characters in MMOs, and Camelot Unchained reminded me that while there's no PvE, it'll be possible to play as a pure crafter to contribute to PvP. These shouldn't strike us as novel concepts. The genre has seen several MMOs (A Tale in the Desert, Glitch) that shed combat entirely, and many sandboxes (Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online, to name just a few), allowed players to roll pure crafters who raised neither blaster nor kryss to attack a foe. Yet many modern gamers still think of pacifist play as an anomaly, having been bred to believe combat is the end-all, be-all of an MMORPG experience. I polled the Massively team members for their thoughts on pacifist play and non-combat roles in MMOs. Have or would they play such characters and games?
A Tale in the Desert is under new management
After years of inactivity on the A Tale in the Desert front, you might be forgiven from not noticing that the title changed hands last month. That's OK, we didn't see it before now either. Citing preoccupation with another project, eGenesis has handed over management and development of A Tale in the Desert to Pluribus Games. The upside to this transition for gamers is two-fold: The new owners have made the game free for the time being and are preparing to start up the next iteration of the story, Tale VII. "EGenesis has been overwhelmed with their newest project, Dragon's Tale, and has not been able to devote the time needed to ATitD. It is our belief that we will be able to greatly improve the game for you, our customers," Pluribus announced. [Thanks to Alan for the tip!]
Some Assembly Required: Virtual world roundup for 2014 and beyond
Just over two years ago there was a great disturbance, as if millions (or so) of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. Yes, something terrible had happened: a beloved virtual world was destroyed. And that left a number of sandbox refugees looking for a new place to call home. At that time, Some Assembly Required offered a roundup of the then available virtual worlds that could possibly offer accommodation, depending on what qualities players most desired in their games. But as things are wont to, they changed; a lot can happen in the MMOverse in 24 months, from additional features in existing games to new games to the loss of more worlds. So it's time to update this list of virtual worlds to reflect 2014 and beyond. Take a look and see what titles or titles-to-be have the sandbox features that best make a game a home for you.
Free for All: One Walking Dead MMO, please
One of the best gaming experiences I've had in recent memory has got to be the time I've spent in The Walking Dead series by Telltale games. OK, OK, so you might not agree that the titles are a series of "games;" they're more like a choose-your-own-adventure that is peppered with the occasional quick-time event, so let me clear the record in order to move on: I don't care what we call them. They are simply a fun experience. I can't believe that there are people who want to argue this point, but then again I had to witness people actually fight about games being art or not. So however you feel about the The Walking Dead, uhm, experiences, you cannot deny their popularity. The series took the market by storm and showed just what a powerful medium gaming can be. Not only that, but Telltale received deserving praise not only for the gameplay and story but for the fact that it produced something that could run on almost any device or setup. (Well, except Android.) How would The Walking Dead translate to an MMO, though? Could it be done? Don't worry; I am going to do my best to avoid any spoilers. So are my readers. Right, readers?
Gambling MMO Dragon's Tale prepares for beta
Gambling? On the internet? Perish the thought! Or don't perish it, because eGenesis would like to invite you to give it a try. The maker of A Tale in the Desert announced that it will begin the beta for Dragon's Tale on July 12th. Dragon's Tale isn't your traditional internet casino, however. There are quests, leveling, a mentor system, and a political system similar to A Tale in the Desert. It looks as though there will be plenty of minigames that swing between luck and skill, including cow tipping, fishing, and maze running. Players can use credit cards and Bitcoins to gamble, and the client will be available on Windows, Linux, and OSX. Lead Designer Andrew Tepper hopes that Dragon's Tale will create a bonding experience between players: "The first thing that stuck me about online gambling today is that it's a pretty lonely experience, typically one player in a web browser, watching a 2-D slot machine. I've taken what I've learned in the last 15 years building MMOs and for the first time applied that to gambling. I've created an intensely social world where players can explore the game world together, share techniques, and rely on each other as they level up by completing gambling quests." [Source: eGenesis press release]
Genia: Brain Storm seeks beta testers for knowledge-centric gameplay
Would you play an MMO that was more about using your brain than your virtual brawn? Would you be fine with said game resetting every month? If you answered "yes" to these two questions and don't make a habit of talking out loud to a computer monitor, then Genia: Brain Storm wants you for beta testing. Genia: Brain Storm challenges players to collectively work on constructive projects using real-world knowledge while delaying the opposition as much as possible. It looks like it's an isometric free-to-play MMORTS that will hold 5,000 players per game and will end every 30 days to allow for a fresh start. "If you want to achieve ultimate victory, you must team up and put your collective knowledge and discoveries to work," the website proclaims. "Not only does this add a clever new dimension to your game, it also sharpens your mind, making your hours of fun time well-spent." Genia Inc. has been working on this title for four years and is seeking testers for its upcoming closed beta. If you're interested, just head over to the company's website to apply.
Choose My Adventure: Saying goodbye to A Tale in the Desert
Last week, you advised me to branch out and explore, and that turned out to be the perfect choice, particularly because this is my final article on A Tale in the Desert for Choose My Adventure. I admit that it caught me off guard, and my six-week stint went a lot more quickly than I expected. But before I say goodbye, I have some final highlights from my travels, and I have some overall impressions to share before I turn things over to Eliot next week.
Choose My Adventure: My tale in the desert takes an unexpected turn
Last week, you voted for me to try my hand at making a sculpture in A Tale in the Desert, and I rolled up my sleeves to start the process of rotting flax, spinning twine into rope, and weaving linen. And then my sunny days in the desert were trumped by about two feet of snow. Thanks to the blizzard this past weekend, my opportunity to play was truncated, and while I'm frantically trying to wrap up my sculpture, I wasn't able to finish it in time for this week's column. Fortunately, I still have plenty to report.
Choose My Adventure: Learning the ropes in A Tale in the Desert
So there I was, running through the desert on a personal crusade to find a far away pyramid. I heard that it granted an automatic free level, and who wouldn't want that? The only question was whether I'd run out of interest before I reached it because travel in A Tale in the Desert is challenging, to say the least. I really like the world of ATITD so far, and yet there are things about it that really make me grumpy. And it's usually the things I like the most about the game that also cause me grief. While I failed to find that pyramid, I did learn quite a bit this past week in game.
Choose My Adventure: Exploring Egypt in A Tale in the Desert
What a week it's been! Last week, you decided that I should build my compound first, and focus on architecture as my first principle to work on. That turned out to be a great selection for me, and I kept myself busy collecting all the materials to pay the tuition and then start construction. But I couldn't help but wander off the path a bit. Every time I turned around, I was bumping into something that made me wonder A) what it was, and B) how it was made. And as helpful as the wiki is, I needed to search out players who could help teach me faster than any wiki could. Did I succeed in making some connections? And did I rip out my hair over the ripping of grass? Check out the highlights of my past week in A Tale in the Desert.
Choose My Adventure: My tale in the desert begins
Last week's Choose My Adventure poll was a real nail-biter! There were four games that were all within a few votes of each other. In the end, the winner by five votes was A Tale in the Desert, and I'm thrilled to be able to write about this game for my turn at CMA. As much as I like elves and orcs, I'm ready for obelisks, pyramids, and plenty of sand. I created my character over the weekend and began my path to citizenship. Did I make it through, or did flax farming get the better of me? Help me plan my course!
Choose My Adventure: Back into the cave I go
Time for another turn at Choose My Adventure! It's been a while since my last turn at doing this column, but it certainly was memorable. Halfway through my six-week tour of Pirates of the Burning Sea, SOE was attacked by hackers and sent offline, leaving my pirate in drydock for quite some time. Hopefully this time around, things will be a bit smoother. One thing I'm particularly interested in this time around is getting to know not only the game but the community. Usually one of the first things people ask about a title they're considering playing is what the community is like. I explore a variety of guild and community related topics in my weekly column, so it seems natural to do the same during my adventure. So what will it be, Massively readers? Will I spin my own tale in the desert? Hang around with Poochums? Take a journey to Middle-earth? I look forward to your votes!
Choose My Adventure: Let the new story begin
Oh, Choose my Adventure, it's been a long time; I've missed you! Several years have passed since I started this little column up, and I've had a blast reading each writer's version of how to play through games chosen by you. Now I'm ready to jump back in and get my feet wet in another round of reader-guided adventures, starting this week! For those who read my articles in the column's early days, you may remember that I like to make a bit of an RP story for my character's journey. I'll be doing that again this time by forging the narrative around a lone-wolf main character. So I've chosen seven games that I think would do well in that scenario, all games that haven't been done in a recent CMA. This week, you'll choose the game, but from there, you'll choose more about how I play and which direction the story's plot will turn.
MMO Blender: Beyond Shawn's Thunderdome
If there's one thing I've noticed about these MMO Blender articles, it's that the Massively staff members seem to really like their sandboxes. Maybe it's not even so much a staff preference as it is a statement about where we all are as MMO players. Themeparks have been done and have been perfected, but many of us want to stretch the limitations of a truly persistent and open online world. At least that's what I'd like to think. It's an ideal situation I can dream about, but do we all really want a truly open world with limitless possibilities? What would we do with so few rules? My perfect MMO has what I'd consider to be the best of all worlds. The trick is, of course, getting it all to work in one game.
One Shots: Woodland critters
TERA isn't quite two weeks old, but it's already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in, While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika. His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.
The Game Archaeologist seals up 2011
You know what I love about the end of each year? The lists. Man, but I'm a sucker for lists, especially when they come in "best of" varieties. In the lull between Christmas and New Year's, there typically isn't a lot happening in the world of entertainment, so it's a good time to look back before we head forward. And so it is for The Game Archaeologist. 2011 marks the second year I've been doing this column, and it's been one of my personal favorite series to write. Every week I'm learning more and more about the history of the MMO genre, and I'm encouraged to see just how much passion and interest there are for the titles that started it all and got us to where we are today. So before we head into 2012, let's take one last glimpse back at the road we've traveled. If you've missed out on any of these columns or want to revisit your favorite classic MMO, I've compiled a huge list of everything I talked about this year, from histories to interviews to player stories. There's also a special request for you (yes, you) at the end of this column, so do me a favor and hit that jump!
The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November
It's seemed like every time I turned around in November, a spritely old-timer of an MMO was showing that it wasn't quite out of the running just yet. I mean, heck, we actually got word of a big change to Battleground Europe, prompting millions to throw their hands up and exclaim, "World War II Online is still actually online? Holy donkeys!" In a way, I think these older MMOs get a free pass to escape the craziness of having to compete with more modern titles, and as such, they're more confident in their position and freer to pursue whatever is best for the game. You know, instead of trying to ape World of Warcraft (which probably aped them first in the great circle of apes). So what's been going on with our favorite classic MMOs last month? Let's cast our UltraVision™ back on the events of November to see what's been up with four games and their communities.
