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The Daily Grind: Should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones?
No matter how hard you try, you cannot defeat large-group endgame bosses with an awesome guitar solo. Big guilds offer you the people needed to tackle this sort of content. In some games, though, big guilds get even more. World of Warcraft guilds level faster with more people, and Star Wars: The Old Republic will be adding a bonus to guilds based on their overall sizes (although you'll easily get the bonus so long as no original members of the guild have left). In some places, size matters. Should it matter? Organizing and maintaining a guild with 50 members is a lot more work than one with 15 members, so mechanical bonuses certainly give some incentive. Those bonuses also lead to guilds wanting to be bigger without necessarily getting any better; more live bodies, no matter the quality. And bigger guilds can already have advantages over smaller guilds. So should big guilds have a mechanical advantage over smaller ones? Or should the size be its own reward? 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: How well do you know your in-game friends?
I'm a fairly open guy. As far as I'm concerned, my job makes me something of a public figure, and that means a certain amount of transparency is implied. So I don't shy away from letting people know who I am, and while I'm frequently roleplaying, I make an effort to get to know the people behind the characters. I like to get to know the people behind the characters to see who it is I'm playing with. Not everyone else feels the same way. For some people, logging in to play EVE Online means that it's EVE Online time, not time to play the game while talking about television in chat. That can lead to fewer long-term friendships that transcend the game, but it also means that you have a more immersive experience. So what about you? Do you get to know your in-game friends as people, or do you stick to just knowing them as characters? 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: Acts of kindness
Sometimes encounters in WoW leave me with a deep loathing for the entire human race, but other times I'm left with a warm fuzzy feeling towards fellow homines sapientes. Fly-by buffs are still fun to give out and to receive -- I would be lying if I said I didn't buff fellow players in the hope that I will receive similar services back, but I tend to rely on global karma, buffing anyone and everyone who crosses my path.After being beaten up by a nasty elite roamer (Son of Arugal, I'm looking at you, though Borelgore gets honourable mention) there's nothing nicer than a random resurrection. Standing at the graveyard facing a long and depressing corpse run -- or even a short one -- the magic words "<Player> wants to resurrect you" can do a lot to lift my tortured spirits. The last time it happened, a passing priest dismounted, resurrected me, then rode away before I could thank them properly. Back at the mailbox I sent a present, thinking all that karma -- the similar resurrections I'd done on my alts -- had finally paid off.Ever had a little act of kindness make your day? Do you like or loathe fly-by buffs and resurrections?
