Schadenfreude
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Ask Massively: Dancing on WildStar's grave
This week's revelation that WildStar Design Producer Stephen Frost is quitting his role is not the first and likely won't be the last blow to the beleaguered game. Carbine lost several high-profile developers before and after launch, and with raiding guilds abandoning the title, server merges on the way, endgame grind being scaled back, updates being heavily delayed, and Christmas being canceled, even more players are losing faith in the title. That's nothing new in our industry. MMOs are big and unwieldy and sometimes launch with terrible underlying problems. They can usually pull out of a nosedive, given time. So let's give them time. But there's a whole contingent of gamers already dancing on WildStar's grave when it's not even dead. It's one thing to deeply oppose a game's design, but if you take delight in watching major MMOs flounder, you don't really deserve this genre at all.
The Soapbox: Everybody wins
I make no bones about the fact that despite working in this industry for three years, I know there are parts about MMOs and the culture around them that I just do not get. For example, I still have no idea what possesses someone to think that "toon" is a good term for characters. But on a slightly more serious note, I have no idea what makes people cheer for a game to fail. You see it everywhere. World of Warcraft subscription numbers drop; people cheer. Something bad happens to EVE Online's community; people cheer. A game goes free-to-play; people announce the game's impending demise and begin cheering prematurely. A game closes down; people cheer. I don't get this. All right, I get it on the most basic level, inasmuch as this is a game you don't like and you're willing to publicly crow about your schadenfreude. The thing is that this is never a good thing. Cheering for a game you dislike to do badly does not result in anything good.
The Firing Line: Star Citizen shouldn't be EVE with joysticks
I've been spending a lot of time on Star Citizen's forums of late. And when I'm not doing that, I'm replaying Wing Commander, Wing Commander II, and Privateer (thanks GoG) and generally wetting myself with excitement for Chris Roberts' newest space sim. The one thing that gives me pause, though, is the unsavory player type that SC is already attracting. You know the guys I mean. They're PvPers, which is great, but they can't type a sentence on a message board without using the word carebear a minimum of three times while making sweeping generalizations about the playstyles, sexual orientation, and parentage of any and all who dare to disagree with them about what makes gaming fun. That said, I like PvP and plan to engage in Star Citizen's version of it. I'm not naive enough to think that the no-holds barred nonsense being advocated by some in the game's pre-release community will result in anything other than a niche title, though.
Why I Play: EVE Online
I can't for the life of me convince my friends to sign up for EVE Online. In their defense, the game can feel like a job at first. There are no skinner box particle effects or angelic choirs signifying your latest achievement, nor does anyone shower you with virtual confetti as you graduate from the newbie island. For these reasons and others like them, CCP seems to have topped out somewhere around half a million active subs at the game's high point. EVE is seen as unfriendly in some ways, but in actuality it's the friendliest MMO around if you're an imaginative sort with the desire to direct your own in-game destiny. Could the tutorials be better? Sure. Could PvE missions be more engaging? Absolutely. Does either of these failings, or numerous others, detract from what is the genre's premier emergent experience? Nope.
The Daily Grind: What game would you play were it not for the community?
EVE Online is a pretty polarizing topic around the Massively watercooler. A couple of us love the game and think its community gets a bad rap, others like the game but cringe at CCP's laissez-faire approach to policing its userbase, and still others snort derisively at any mention of New Eden. While CCP's sci-fi sandbox does have a reputation for scams, scandals, and schadendfreude, it's also got its share of helpful players and corporations (the EVE equivalent of a guild), and I'm always disappointed to hear of potential players scared off by the big meanies who consistently make EVE headlines. That leads into today's Daily Grind question. Is there an MMO out there that you'd play if it weren't for the community? Which one, and why is the community so bad? 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!
Some Assembly Required: How to screw up your sandbox
Between bouts of Global Agenda, Age of Conan, and a stack of single-player games, I've been taking my own advice lately and looking for a new sandbox. The end of Star Wars Galaxies is forcing my hand, and I figured I'd better start now if I don't want to be stuck with nothing to play on December 16th. While there is a veritable ton of different sandboxes to choose from, I must admit to being a bit frustrated with nearly all of them. If it's not one thing, it's another, and most are such glaring deficiencies that I can't help but wonder what was going through the minds of the development teams during the construction process. Join me after the cut for a few things you should consider if you're making an MMORPG sandbox.
One Shots: A case of schadenfreude
Normally right about now, we'd open with something interesting or vaguely witty related to this screenshot. However, this particular screenshot has us entirely too busy snickering, and has otherwise left us at a loss. As if the above Lord of the Rings Online screenshot sent in by One Shots regular Finudir wasn't enough to get us started, the description pretty much sealed the deal. Finudir writes:Arcticwulf was late in arriving at the scheduled time outlined by his Captain. Never lacking in a wicked sense of humour, Captain Finudir of Gondor decided to apply an ancient punishment he had once witnessed in Rohan. Wulf had to remain seated until the candles were completely burnt out. Needless to say, no one wanted to bunk with him that night, and the Fellowship splurged to get him his own room at the Prancing Pony Inn.We hereby promise to not be late to any of Finudir's parties. Ever. (Of course, never having been invited, we figure we're safe!) Do you have a screenshot of... unorthodox methods of getting your group battle-ready and in-line? Or perhaps any good screenshot that will make us laugh? If so, send those screens our way to oneshots AT massively.com. Sure, they're fun on guild forums, but it's even more fun when the rest of the community gets to share in the laugh! Don't forget to tell us what's going on in the screenshot, too.%Gallery-9798%
