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The Daily Grind: What fantasy trope should be retired from MMOs?
Tropes: MMOs are chock-full of them. From pirates running rampant in every fantasy setting to the "save the world from cranky dragons" narrative, it seems like developers go to the same well for inspiration more often than not. Sometimes that's OK, because we do like the familiar and to see if these game creators can do something unique with them. But sometimes enough is enough. So what fantasy trope should be retired from MMOs? My vote is and always has been for giant spiders. It's not that I'm creeped out by them or anything, it's just that I'm so very, very tired of seeing them in every game. Not only are they physically impossible, but it seems like a cheap method to try to induce a bit of squirmy apprehension instead of actually working for it. Yes, your game has big spiders. Congrats. You're as special as white bread. What say you? What trope would you like to see banished, never to return? 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 Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon
The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month, he chooses a different title in order to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences. Part of the holy mission of the Game Archaeologist is to ferret out the roots of history that ultimately led to MMORPGs as we know them today. Another part of the mission is to root out ferrets, as my claw-scarred arms can attest. Some of that history is fairly recent, but today we're going to travel back -- way back -- to a time before many of you were born. Including me, as a matter of fact. The year is 1974. The world is hip-deep in the throes of shag carpeting, driftwood furniture and the strains of Grand Funk Railroad. It truly seemed like nothing would ever be cool or non-earth-toned again. At this, the lowest moment in all of history, game designers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson took the concept of miniature wargaming, merged it with a fantasy motif, and sold it under the name Dungeons & Dragons. Geeks everywhere had a reason to rejoice, and through this roleplaying game the foundations for MMOs were laid. Let's take a brief survey through D&D, giving special emphasis to how this great-granddaddy of RPGs passed down a legacy that we enjoy in our modern online titles. Also, there will be popcorn.
Vindictus set to unleash its newest episode in December
What do wolves, toads, arachnids, and swordplay have in common? If you said a new program on Animal Planet produced Jerry Bruckheimer, you guessed wrong. If you said the highly addictive free-to-play MMO Vindictus, you would be right. Nexon just announced a new episode for its action-MMO. In early December, Vindictus players will be introduced to two new dungeons. Prairie Entrance's open field unleashes traps for mercenaries who dare tread on its soil. And the Ruins of Sanctity dungeon introduces the adventurer to an all-new Gnoll clan, some deadly toads, and a multitude of giant spiders. We can't forget the new boss battles: Goliath, Dim Gray, Warchief Black Scar and Giant Spider -- Giant Spider? You do not dare take on these formidable foes without mastering some of the new skills introduced with this episode. If you have mastered all of your current skills look, forward to learning Berserk, Lightning Fury, Large Shield Mastery, and other action-oriented skills. Vindictus continues to bring its fans more action-packed content. Be sure to browse the gallery below and visit Nexon's official website or the Vindictus Facebook page for more information. %Gallery-108033%
The Perfect Ten: Weird staples of every fantasy MMO
If you take some weird, outlandish, or out-of-the-ordinary item and then saturate your life with it, sooner or later the bizarre becomes the accepted norm. So much so, in fact, that you'd cease to even think about it. I mean, do we ever question those magic boxes known as "microwaves" that mysteriously heat up our foods? Does anyone blink twice anymore when small computers tell us how to drive instead of nagging spouses? What about Carrot Top? Likewise, fantasy MMORPGs have erected trope after trope that we no longer question -- or even notice. Actually, the only time we'd notice one of these is if a game failed to include it. No matter how illogical and sometimes silly these MMO staples are when you think about them, we've been around them so long that we would no more notice them as we would the individual keyboard buttons that we type on daily. Still... you're thinking about them right now, aren't you? Those keys, cruelly dominated by your pecking fingers, pushing them back into place. What a techno-bully you are! In any case, come with us as we count down 10 weird staples that every fantasy MMO seems to include.
The Daily Grind: What produces a visceral reaction in you?
Every RPG has giant spiders. Inevitably. Despite the fact that such creatures couldn't possibly support their own body weight and other natural physics problems, you will find them. And arachnophobes the world over will cringe, because it will usually culminate in having to dive into an entire dungeon filled with spiderwebs and chittering eight-eyed things the size of a Hummvee. Not to mention all of the quests where your character has to smash them and then rifle around in what's left of their corpse and you get the general idea. If you're not comfortable with the idea of unholy, bulbous, overlegged creatures scuttling about, these parts aren't terribly comfortable even though you know it's just a game. Today, we ask you what produces that sort of bred-in gut reaction when you come across it? Giant bugs, blood, and slimy things are all common ones for a negative reaction, but there are others, and some of them might even be unique to your own sensibilities. So we'd like to know, what gets you at a basic level, even when you're totally aware it's just a game? (And if any developers are reading right now, bonus question: why all the spiders, guys? Come on.)
Building the Bane
Over at GameZone, there's a lengthy article about the origins of the main villains of the whole Tabula Rasa saga: The Bane. It's also got some beautiful shots from Destination Games of a Thrax soldier and the Neph, and goes into a bit of detail of the Bane hierarchy -- standard story fluff, you'd think, but intriguing.The Thrax are quite well personalized as a race, actually -- in that they're immediately recognizeable as repulsive, and that you want to shoot them. It also makes a break from tradition in that they're the first foe you'll encounter in TR, and that they're not stupid; instead of the usual fighting of rats / bats / giant spiders / kobolds to introduce you to a standard MMO, dropping assorted body parts that you'll immediately sell for two shillings. Not that I'm a cynic, and not that other MMOs don't have their own memorable opponents -- be they Charr, Nazgûl, or other players.Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to kill some Trolls.
