Goals
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The Daily Grind: What in-game project made you the happiest to complete?
MMOs give players a lot of freedom and a lot of different potential projects. That means players get to pick a goal and get to it, whether or not it's the "intended" play pattern for the game. Sure, you might have a clear progression from low levels to endgame, but you can just as easily decide that you want to see all of the task forces in City of Heroes or clear all of the World of Warcraft dungeons on-level or level in Final Fantasy XIV with only store-bought equipment. That's not to imply that game-provided projects like clearing all endgame content are somehow easier or less relevant. So out of all the game projects you've experienced in MMOs, which project was the one that gave you the best feeling after clearing it. Was it something you were "supposed" to do or just a challenge that seemed interesting at the time? Has it shaped your play subsequently, or was it fun then and never again? 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!
ZTE reaches for the sky, aims to double phone shipments in 2012
Talk about a New Years Resolution: ZTE's head of handset strategy Lv Qianhao, in an interview with Reuters, mentioned that in 2012 his company expects to double the number of smartphone shipments made last year, as well as expand its Windows Phone efforts. While we're not completely certain as to what that specific number was, Lv stated that it far exceeded its target of 12 million. Regardless of how much it shipped last year, we can't imagine it would be terribly easy to double it, but it signifies ZTE's intent to grow and expand in markets like the US and China. This news seems to coincide with the company's plans to introduce high-end LTE-capable smartphones in the US market in the middle of this year. Does this mean the OEM will be pushing hard to gain more acceptance from stateside carriers? If it results in new top-notch devices coming into the market, then we sure hope so.
Storyboard: Go for the goal
We've all got goals. Some of them are short-term objectives (get lunch, figure out how to get home early today, don't get eaten by that tiger) and some of them are larger in scope (cook better lunches, work on a flexible schedule, develop an anti-tiger field), but they're an important part of our day-to-day activities. Knowing a character's goals is a clear way to make it pretty clear what your character wants out of any given exchange. If it weren't already obvious, today I want to spend time talking about goals. We've talked about motivation before, but goals are the tangible results of what keeps your character motivated in the first place. And while I was originally going to use one of my characters as a model for mapping goals, I realized that I've got a much better example I can use, one that helps demonstrate just how relevant goals are to real people. So I'm putting myself under examination as we talk about the many, many aspects of goals as they apply to characters.
Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third
Part three of Elsword's Massively-exclusive dev diary is now available for your perusal. This time around, the devs talk about their long-term goals for the game, character favoritism, and the relation between Elsword and fellow side-scroller Grand Chase. Dash on past the cut for their answers.
Wings Over Atreia: Are we there yet?
Are we there yet? Are we? Are we, huh, huh? Certain phrases are so embedded into our culture that few can escape the vivid imagery that comes with hearing them. For some, it rings back to memories of yore -- station wagons and long dusty road trips for the family vacation. For others, it can be simply the walk to the ice cream shop with a toddler. For me? I actually envision gaming in Aion. Gaming? Yup, that's right-- this iconic phrase emphasizes a specific mindset in our culture that permeates everything, including gaming: All that matters is the destination. There are plenty of examples of those who rush to endgame, plowing through and bypassing as much of the "unimportant" stuff as possible. For these folks, the game doesn't even start until max-level. However, there is a yin to that yang; there are also those who actually find the journey to be the experience worth having, folks who don't feel any need to race to endgame at break-neck speed and instead partake of the content along the way. Most gamers adopt one of these two philosophies, their real-life views and personalities often steering towards one side or the other. How do these two philosophies manifest themselves and duke it out in Aion? Rush (or mosey, whatever your preference) past the break to see.
EVE Evolved: Corporate benefits and new players
In a recent article, I explored the effect that power players have on EVE Online's subscription retention. In particular, I suggested that CCP has stopped developing features with EVE's power players in mind and that this could be the cause of a worrying downward trend in new player retention. It's the responsibility of corp leaders and organisers to give players a place in EVE, to provide them with something to do and to instill them with the ambition to continue playing in the long term. I believe that CCP has let those organisers and leaders down by failing to provide the updated tools necessary to give players a purposeful place in the universe or give them a good start to the game. A similar issue I've touched on before is the importance of corporate goals in EVE. I've always been amazed at the willingness of EVE players to donate their time and effort to achieve a collective goal rather than a personal one. People are far more likely to join a corporate mining op, for example, if the proceeds will be donated to the corp funds or the minerals will be used in a corp production scheme. Similarly, I've found players to be much more enthusiastic about a mission night or wormhole op if the intent is to fund the production of a corp capital ship or the purchase of starbase fuel. With CCP's summer focus aimed at helping new players get into good corporations, this week's opinion-filled EVE Evolved examines some of the developments necessary to make that goal possible.
Storyboard: In your own words
I really should have learned by now to not promise anything for a given week's column other than the fact that it will be there, as I got halfway through the original draft of this particular new featurette before deciding that I hated it. So while I still want to delve a bit deeper into specific game lore and backstory, that bit is going to have to wait for just a little bit while I wrestle with the concept a little more thoroughly. (It'll be worth the wait.) Instead, this week I'm going to focus on an aspect of roleplaying that I've discussed before in passing but never in any real depth: finding a character's voice. That's more than just consistent characterization, although that's a part of it. Strong characters have distinct voices and behaviors, unique outlooks, and hangups, things that help an individual stand out from the crowd. It's the trick of finding that voice and having a distinct tone from other characters that makes starting a new character at once engaging and mildly horrifying.
Wings Over Atreia: Endgame = end of game?
It happens. All good things must come to an end... except (hopefully) your favorite MMORPG. After all, the whole idea of the MMO is to keep going endlessly, right? To supposedly ever-evolve -- there is no final "win" that concludes the story as in single-player RPGs. However, what do you do when you hit the level cap and have "been there and done that" with everything in game? I guess that's the disadvantage of not having a sandbox; as much I love the graphics and my friends in NCsoft's Aion, there really is just a finite list of things to do. Now before anyone gets up-in-arms or sneers "I told you so," no, I am not quitting and I haven't given up on the game. I still enjoy it. It just so happens that my mind zeroed in on the topic this week as I logged in over the course a few days and just stared at my screen, wondering what I wanted to do. While I was feeling under the weather a bit (which dampened my endurance and enthusiasm to complete any major dungeons), I started wondering about what there actually is to do in Aion after you reach and sit at maximum level for a while. For me, the two things that keep me interested in my virtual worlds are the community and friends that I find in game as well as exploring and experiencing new things. One involves the company providing regular content updates; the other allows for player-created content. But once there is nothing left to explore or experience, friends can drift away... so what does that leave? Pondering this subject and watching the community around me actually brought up some expected -- and some not quite expected -- answers. Join me past the cut to look at different ways Daevas spend their time in Atreia and how they keep their interest sparked.
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the recursion
There are a lot of reasons a character would head off on the road to adventure. Sometimes it's out of a sense of duty, to a nation or to morality or even just duty itself. Other times it's a quest for knowledge, or acceptance, or cold hard cash. You might not want to be there, you might be seeking one profound goal, or you might just be along for the ride while everyone screws up around you. We've talked about each of these roles in turn, as archetypes for characters to fit into. But an archetype is not a character. An archetype is the idea of a character, boiled down and stripped of everything but the skeleton. You need more to make a character that isn't one-dimensional. I've spent the better part of the past several months discussing how the various archetypes work, but now I want to talk a little more about making them work together beyond just a character overview. (We still have at least one more installment of archetypes proper, but I wanted to write this up first.) So once you have the seed, what do you do from there?
The Daily Grind: What big reward was a big disappointment?
It's taken months of farming in City of Heroes, carefully storing up Alignment Merits and Merit Rewards and Mission Architect Tickets and that all-important Influence. You've had to get into annoying price wars on the auction house, you've had to use up a couple of Veteran respecs, but you've finally done it. You've fully slotted your powers with the best of the best, the most spectacular Invention sets possible. And after all that work, you feel... well... just bored. As it turns out, reaching the apex of power was actually kind of a hollow goal after all. We've all spent a bunch of time climbing toward something only to find out at the end that it really wasn't worth it. Maybe it was assembling a full set of best-in-slot gear in World of Warcraft, or maybe it was just trying to get the perfect cosmetic armor set for your Warden in Lord of the Rings Online. When have you earned a big reward that felt like a massive letdown? When has all that hard work felt like it was in service to a goal you no longer cared about? 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!
Blood Sport: How to cultivate successful PvP attitudes, part 2
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Sport for arena enthusiasts and The Art of War(craft) for fans of battlegrounds and world PvP. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? C. Christian Moore, multiple rank 1 Gladiator, examines the latest arena strategy, trends, compositions and more. Last week, we discussed how to expect victory and be self-critical instead of blaming, as well as the importance of being lighthearted. This week, we'll be discussing a similar topic -- this could easily be part two in our series of successful PvP attitude. Staying optimistic is much more relevant when "big things" happen. One of your teammates just quit your team after you've been pushing for gladiator for a month? You disconnect against a rival team? Patch notes say that you're being nerfed to the ground? If you've weathered the small storms that have passed by with a good attitude, you'll be much more prepared when tornadoes and hurricanes hit. Looking at the world optimistically comes much easier for some than others. I've played with partners who can't be brought down, no matter what goes wrong. If we lose five straight, they're still eager to PvP because they believe something good will happen from it.
The Daily Grind: Do you play for immediate, short-term or long-term goals?
"What are your goals in life?" We've all been asked this question, often by well-meaning (or guilt-tripping) individuals. What are you working toward, what motivates you, what gets you out of bed in the morning? I think we all boil our goals down to one of three categories -- immediate, short-term and long-term -- and we generally gravitate toward one of them in our activities. Likewise, our playstyles are heavily influenced by our philosophy about goals. Do you play MMOs for immediate satisfaction? When you log in, are you on the prowl for the quick fix, the random event, the fortunate coincidence? Are you so incredibly zen that you live in the moment every moment? Or do you set bite-sized, attainable goals for each play session, satisfied to turn in a few quests or hit that next level before bedtime? Are you more likely to take on tasks that are easy to solo, and are you happy to keep your gaming world small and manageable? Maybe you have the big picture in mind and set long-term goals that take weeks if not months to accomplish. Are you always mapping out a path to the best rewards even if it takes the most effort to get to them? So do you play for immediate, short-term or long-term goals? 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!
Breakfast Topic: Did you achieve your Winter Veil goals?
The Feast of Winter Veil ends today at midnight server time. So you have just a few hours left to get a Little Helper from your Friends or Bros. Before Ho Ho Hos or any of the rest of the huge list of achievements you can get during this holiday. We dressed up as gnomish helpers on Friday night to have some some last-minute PvP fun in miniature, but for the most part, we didn't see too many others getting the achievement along with us. Usually, if you wait until the last day, anything you need cooperation for is hard to get as most people get their achievements done early on. But sometimes, it's easier if you are all fighting for the same greench. What has been your experience? %Poll-58067%
The Daily Grind: When have you felt a sense of completion?
By their very nature, MMOs discourage being done. Not necessarily in an insidious sense -- but when your game relies upon people playing it for months on end, there's a natural emphasis on letting tasks stretch off to infinity. But while it's certainly possible to wind up with almost astonishingly long-running tasks, such as assembling the Relic Weapons in Final Fantasy XI, with enough persistence you eventually arrive at the day when you have your brand-new Excalibur. It's almost enough to just kill something with it and then declare yourself done. Even with an emphasis on long-term goals, there come certain points when you feel that your character has finished everything you want to do -- or perhaps points when the player behind the character just feels done. You are at the apex of power and knowledge, and there's no new challenges that won't be more of the same. In what moments have you felt a sense of completion and finality? Has that been your signal to quit, take a break, or just set a new goal for yourself? Are you happier with games that let you achieve several smaller goals, or one huge goal that feels more significant when you hit it?
Breakfast Topic: Did you meet your Midsummer Fire Festival goals?
The Midsummer Fire Festival ended last night with a Fireworks Spectacular to send it off. We've had roughly two weeks (minus some server downtime) to achieve what we wanted to achieve. I ran as many fires as were convenient and/or fun on as many alts as possible to take advantage of the obscene experience gains. There were also the Midsummer Flame Fest and Server Maintenance Party for <It came from the Blog>, which were an absolute blast. I did not get the title on my "main," but alas -- she has been sidelined for a bit while I play other characters. What were your goals for the Midsummer holiday? Did you achieve them? What, if anything, would you like to see different for next year in the new cataclysmically changed Azeroth?
EVE Evolved: What not to expect from EVE Online
Of all the MMOs on the market today, few are as polarising as EVE Online. While the game has over 330,000 active subscriptions and I've absolutely loved it for over six years, I still find myself introducing new people to it with the words "It's not for everyone." It does seem to be the case that EVE just doesn't mesh with some gamers. The user interface can look overwhelming, the combat can seem detached and the gameplay is often written off as boring. Players coming from other MMOs are at risk of bringing some fundamental preconceptions about MMO design with them that don't really apply to EVE. These basic misunderstandings in how the game works can be a source of frustration or confusion for people who genuinely want to get into EVE. I find myself answering the same barrage of questions each time I introduce someone to the game, ranging in complexity from "What's the best race?" or "What's the best ship?" to the inevitable "How can I catch up to older players?" or "What should I do now?" In this article, I look at three key ways EVE differs from the MMO norm and what new players can do to overcome these potential stumbling blocks.
GDC 2010: The secret to App Store success
For the last panel of GDC 2010 day two, David Whatley of Critical Thought took the stage to talk about the App Store success he found with his games geoDefense and geoDefense Swarm, and almost dared other iPhone developers to follow his "guaranteed plan" to go from "zero to Time Magazine." He's got quite a background in the trenches of coding and game development, having designed and run online mulitplayer games for over a decade with his "day job" at a company called Simutronics, but he decided to take to the iPhone in his spare time both to learn the platform and see what he could do with it. First things first, he said, to make an iPhone game, you've got to figure out your goals as a business. He talked about the potential on the iPhone in terms of millions of dollars, but of course, since "99.9% of businesses on the App Store make no money," it's much more likely that if something goes wrong during development or something doesn't click right, the money will drop down to just "a few bucks." It's a balance of costs (which he relabeled as "risks") vs. revenue -- it's very easy, he said, to make money on the App Store, but the issue most developers have is that they let costs get away from them by having too big a team or by investing too much development time, and that comes straight out of their bottom line.
EVE Evolved: The importance of corporate goals
When new EVE Online players give up and quit the game, their reasons are usually very similar. A lack of drive to play the game is common, with players logging in only to change skills. Similarly, people complain that the game is boring and isn't really taking them anywhere. Most of these reasons boil down to a basic lack of motivation, purpose and goals. As a sandbox game, EVE doesn't really lead the player anywhere after the tutorials and it can be easy to get lost. This is where the EVE community steps in by providing a whole host of player-run corporations to help pilots find their way in EVE. As a very social game, I don't think EVE truly takes off until you get into a good corporation. In addition to help and advice, a good corp with some solid corporate goals will offer players a sense of purpose and direction that can be hard to find on your own. The opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself and accomplish goals you could never hope to on your own can be a great motivator. Whether your corporation's goal is to build a freighter from scratch, run a massive industrial complex, engage in PvP or even lay claim to a system, it stands a much better chance of being achieved when pilots cooperate. In this opinion piece, I show how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts as I look at a few of the goals corporations commonly work toward as a team.
Breakfast Topic: Happy New Year! What are your 2010 resolutions?
Happy New Year everyone! 2009 is behind us and we now have 2010 to look forward to. This year, we'll be anticipating Cataclysm to come out (but after we take down Arthas). Speaking of goals, were you able to fulfill the personal achievements you set out in 2009? Maybe it was to go after the Violet Proto-Drake. Or it could've been to join a raiding guild and see end game content. Perhaps it was to kill Arthas (which none of us have done yet, to be fair). For myself, I set out a goal to exceed 7000 achievement points. I managed to score about 7400. Oh, another important resolution? I'm still playing the game and having fun on my priest! I didn't think I had it in me to go another year but I did! I still have that Inner Fire burning within me, I suppose. Here's my list of resolutions for 2010: Take down Arthas (on Heroic difficulty) Get the Loremaster achievement Earn (and hold onto) more than 10000 gold Finish getting my druid to 80 Start a pure DPS class and at least get it to 40 (Mage? Warlock?) What about you? What do you resolve to do in 2010?
Disguising the grind
Believe it or not, grind is an essential part of an MMO and we might be pretty lost without it. Repetitive content is the cornerstone of the MMO genre but it's not all just smacking monsters over the head for hours on end or completing yet another "kill ten rats" quest. The repetitive elements in an MMO give us predictable gameplay in a form we can digest. We don't feel lost when we pick up a quest because it uses similar mechanics to previous quests we've done. From a development standpoint, the amount of time it takes to create new and unique gameplay for an MMO is quite large and it's just not feasible to churn out unique gameplay with every new piece of content. Instead, developers are forced to re-use the same gameplay mechanics over and over again. So if we genuinely appreciate predictable, repetitive gameplay and it's not feasible to do otherwise, why are we always so up-in-arms about the evils of grinding? In this probative opinion piece, I look at why we need repetitive gameplay in MMOs and the various ways developers disguise grind to keep the game entertaining. Update: Link to page 2 fixed. Thanks Brian!
