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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!
Black Desert's non-combat stuff on display in new trailer
Another day, another Black Desert trailer. It's in Korean instead of Russian this time, but I enjoyed it anyway and I thought you might, too. It's only a minute long, but it highlights many of the fantasy sandbox's non-combat activities, including fishing, hunting, mining, chopping wood, and hanging out on the roof with your cat.
Combatless MMO Wander releases Gamescom trailer
We last looked at Wander in detail at PAX Prime 2013, but the indie "collaborative exploration" MMO has been hard at work on its cross-platform, VR-friendly, combat-free experience since then. Today, the game's creator, Loki Davison, has released a brief trailer ahead of Gamescom, where Wander will be one of a very few MMOs featured at the Indie MEGABOOTH. Enjoy the video below.
You can milk cows in Black Desert
Ready for another achingly awesome Black Desert trailer? That's good, because Pearl Abyss has released one that features "everyday life" in its action combat fantasy sandbox MMO. Activities on display include crafting, trading, mount taming, housing, camping, and even cow-milking. There's more, too, but you should really just click past the cut and see for yourself. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!]
The Repopulation aiming to fill the MMO non-combat void
The Repopulation dev team took to Reddit yesterday to field a bunch of questions relating to the upcoming sci-fi title. While many of the queries came from people who are newly aware of the game, it still made for an interesting discussion if you like MMO sandboxes. Above & Beyond was pretty open about the fact that it's modeling parts of The Repopulation after Star Wars: Galaxies, particularly the latter game's friendliness toward crafters and other non-combat types. "If you aren't a combat person, you can make your living in trade skills. Advancing in trade skills is independent of combat and does not force you into a combat role. We have a complex trade skill system which allows for a high degree of customization by mixing and matching components. It also has a high degree of interdependency on others, which we feel is going to drive the economy," the team explained. Also worth noting is the fact that The Repopulation won't "have caps to the number or mastery of skills, so you can invest in each skill line how you see fit."
Trion: Non-combat features 'provided a needed dose of RPG' in RIFT
RIFT's dimension system is one of the genre's better player housing implementations, and Trion has authored a dev blog designed to give players a peek behind the curtain on its development. It all started with the enthusiastic player response to the game's wedding features. "People didn't just show up; we saw a genuine spike in subscriptions. It was clear that we'd provided a needed dose of RPG in our MMORPG," the blog explains. Housing was the next logical step for non-combat content. Click through the links below to read about various development challenges and how Trion solved them.
Roberts on Star Citizen's exploration gameplay, publisher-free development
Gamasutra has just published an interview with Cloud Imperium head honcho Chris Roberts. Much of the piece is old news if you've followed the game closely (also, the interview was conducted over a month ago at Gamescom), but there are still some juicy quotes from the space sim guru regarding his dream game's non-combat mechanics and publisher-free development cycle. Community interaction and open development is allowing CIG to build a more relevant title, Roberts says. "We had all of these things like bounty hunter, mercenary, pirate, merchant, explorer. And I was shocked that 67 percent of the people [Cloud Imperium surveyed] said that they wanted to be an explorer," Roberts said. CIG wouldn't have known how many players prefer non-combat gameplay under the old design-your-game-in-a-vacuum model. Roberts also talks at length about the benefits of developing publisher-free. For one thing, Roberts says, developing SC at EA or Activision would require $40 to $50 million, whereas doing it at a more efficient indie outfit allows him to get the same functionality for half that cost. "I do feel like there's a shift in the business with what's happening right now, with the ability to be online and connect directly to the community and the fans," Roberts says. "We essentially don't need any publishing functions because we're connecting directly to people, and normally that's what a publisher would do for you."
Wander winds its way to the PS4
At PAX Prime, players who yearned for more to a game than just combat were treated to a glimpse of a game that doesn't even have combat. Aptly named Wander, this game's focus is on collaborative exploration and discovery. Currently the game runs on Linux, PC, and OS X, but today Creative Director Loki Davison announced that the Oculus Rift-supporting title will be available on the PlayStation 4. What can players expect when wandering in Wander? Explorable land totals 64 square kilometres so far and players will start off as a giant tree exploring a rainforest. Throughout their journeys, they can morph into a total of five different forms: Ent, Polynesian Elf Girl, Griffon, Azertash (sea creature), and Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger). You can get a taste of the world in the gallery below. [Source: Wander Game press release]
XL releases ArcheAge fishing trailer
Ho hum, fishing in MMOs. Who cares, right? Wrong! XLGAMES cares, and the company apparently thinks enough of its ArcheAge angling mechanics to make a gameplay trailer out of them. MMO Culture has uploaded the trailer to YouTube, and in it you'll see over a minute's worth of deep sea fishing plus the transporting of the day's catch back to land, presumably to sell or cook. ArcheAge is gearing up for its Chinese closed beta phase, a date for which will be announced later this month. The game has already released in its native Korea and will be published in the west by Trion, though no date has been forthcoming. You can view the trailer after the break.
Vanguard producer's letter talks diplomacy, Pankor Zhi, and more
SOE producer Harvey "Rahtiz" Burgess has penned a Vanguard update letter. In it, he says the dev team is still "cranking away" on both content updates and bug fixes despite the defection of a couple of team members to other projects. The most recent game update features new Diplomacy NPCs in the City of Brass, and Burgess also explains why the Pankor Zhi revamp is taking a bit longer than expected. You can read the full letter at SOE's Vanguard website.
Some Assembly Required: There's no crafting in Star Wars!
The other week I posted a Leaderboard inviting people to vote for their favorite Star Wars MMO. The comments featured a number of both predictable and surprising insights, but one line of thought in particular stood out to me. There are apparently some folks out there who think that Star Wars is nothing more than laser pistols and lightsabers, just as there are some folks who think that MMOs are nothing more than combat lobbies. While I'll stop short of labeling these people because of a difference in opinion, it's clear that they haven't really thought this through.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite non-combat feature?
Non-combat features don't get a lot of love in popular MMOs these days, but there have nonetheless been some interesting experiments in this department over the years. From RIFT's housing to Star Wars Galaxies' Entertainers to Lord of the Rings Online's music system, several genre titles have strayed from the straight and narrow of violence and character progression. Upcoming titles like Age of Wushu and ArcheAge are adding new wrinkles as well, so for today's Daily Grind we'd like to hear your thoughts on non-combat MMO features. Specifically, which one is your favorite? 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!
Why I Play: Lord of the Rings Online
It's confession time, folks. I change MMOs like most people change socks, so while many of my colleagues write about their long-term MMO love and possibly a backup game or two in this column, I'm more inclined to write about four different titles in as many weeks. In fact, by the time you finish reading this, I may well have moved on to something else. That's OK, though, and that's one of the great things about the modern MMO space: There are just so damn many games that there's really no excuse for ever getting bored. And this week's infatuation is Lord of the Rings Online.
Funcom gutting Age of Conan's crafting system, starting over
Age of Conan's latest development update is here, and producer Craig "Silirrion" Morrison has quite a lot to say about the game's forthcoming crafting revamp. And when we say revamp, we mean revamp. "When we sat down and looked at the system and how we could add depth and improve engagement, it became clear that it was better to start over," Morrison says. He isn't kidding either, as the new system does away with awkward quest blocks to progression and instead ties your advancement directly to making items and using the relevant skills. Harvesting nodes will also spawn with more variety (and at more locations), and the much-reviled random NPC attacks that used to happen while harvesting are finally being dropped. Still want more details? Well, material quality will matter, there will be some sort of refining process, and there's an entirely new system for the actual production of an item. There's a lot more to Age of Conan's new crafting system, of course, but we're out of space, so you'll need to head to the official site to check it out.
SOE readying new EQII prestige homes
Looking for a new place to call home in the world of Norrath? Sony Online Entertainment has a couple of new prestige houses on the way that offer plenty of space and plenty of scenic views. First up is the Storm Tower Isle, an evil-themed island refuge with a Tower of Bone replica and a bunch of pristine beach, salt spray, and stormy atmospherics. Next is the Secluded Sanctum, and long-time EverQuest II players will recognize it as a portion of Sullon Zek's dungeon. SOE left the canopy beds and raised dais in place, and we can't wait to see what some of Norrath's premier interior decorators do with the place. Both homes will be available in the Station Cash store very soon, and you can get a guided video tour after the cut.
The Mog Log: Adventures equal battles
One of the big selling points of Final Fantasy XIV before launch was that there were many classes devoted to doing things other than fighting. The promise was made, more than once (if memory serves), that even non-combat classes would get to take part in the main story, and it was also stated that these classes would still be useful to an adventuring party even if not quite as good as another Disciple of War or Magic. At this point, of course, we can confidently say that part was a lie. A Botanist is about as useful in combat as an actual botanist in a fistfight. But Naoki Yoshida has gone on record that the former part is a lie as well -- that if you want to take part in the main storyline, you really do need to level a combat class. It wasn't something that was really highlighted, but it was still there, and it's worth unpacking as we look forward to another year of the game's ongoing development. If you came in expecting to only craft and gather, you're no longer going to have your run of the place.
New ArcheAge video shows off 34 minutes of housing gameplay
If you're into player housing, you'll want to have a look at the latest closed beta test footage from ArcheAge. The clip was recorded by Korean players in XLGAMES' ongoing CBT4 testing phase, and it shows off a whopping 34 minutes of housing-related shenanigans. The really interesting bits begin around the 28-minute mark, as we get to see a pretty good demonstration of the game's interior decoration mechanics. It looks a bit like EverQuest II in terms of object placement and rotation abilities, and there are also quite a large number of unique furniture pieces and accoutrements.
New ArcheAge videos show off PvP, dancing gameplay
A couple of ArcheAge tidbits surfaced during the recent Tencent Games Carnival. XLGAMES' sandpark MMO was on display since it is gearing up for both its fourth Korean beta phase and a 2012 beta in Tencent's native China. Two noteworthy videos came out of the conference, and their radically different nature points to the breadth of gameplay on display in ArcheAge. First up is an over-the-shoulder clip featuring some five vs. five PvP gameplay. The action takes place on an instanced map known as the Siege Warfare Training Camp, and MMO Culture points out a couple of lingering bugs relating to character movement (as well as some interesting weapon combinations). The second video comes directly from XLGAMES, and it shifts gears in favor of ArcheAge's social features. While many MMOs feature dance animations, thus far the only title to take a serious stab at dance gameplay has been Star Wars Galaxies. ArcheAge looks to continue that tradition by allowing players to choreograph dances and coordinate with other dancers, though we are scratching our heads a little bit due to the jarring mixture of high fantasy and pop music. You'll find both videos viewable after the cut.
Lime Odyssey introduces crafting professions
Aeria Games is ramping up its PR efforts for Lime Odyssey, a new free-to-play fantasy MMORPG that's been in the works for a while now. The newest info drop concerns the game's dual-class system that "allows a character to adopt both a battle-themed role and a professional trade." In addition to a race, players will need to pick a battle class and a domestic profession for their avatar, with the latter featuring a choice between Chef, Tailor, or Blacksmith. Aeria says that players may then "switch between their character's battle class and profession at any time with the push of a button." In sharp contrast to many combat-focused MMOs, Lime Odyssey features hundreds of crafting quests, and the end results of a crafting combine are "either a helpful tool or a viable commodity for trade." [Source: Aeria press release]
Age of Wulin videos show life skills, combat
More Age of Wulin beta news is on tap courtesy of MMO Culture, and more video footage is available as well. The free-to-play fantasy sandbox just opened its initial closed beta phase to the Chinese market, and as a result we're getting a first look at some of the game's unique features and skills. While most MMOs focus completely on combat, Age of Wulin features some very intriguing non-combat aspects, many of which are found in the life skills tree. In addition to traditional gathering and crafting disciplines, there are also sewing, musician, artist, chess, fortune teller, and beggar skills, just to name a few. Combat isn't forgotten, course, and you can view a basic combat tutorial video and some life skill clips after the break.
