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The Daily Grind: What are your four pillars of MMO gaming?
A few weeks ago, Massively's Star Wars: The Old Republic expert Larry Everett proposed that "ownership" or perhaps the broader term "immersion" should be considered one of the real four pillars of MMO gaming instead of the four that BioWare picked (combat, exploration, progression, and story). This sounds like a fun mind-challenge to me too because I don't think combat is actually essential to MMOs, I couldn't care less about stock progression, and I don't think any MMO can run a good story from the top down unless it's run by gamemasters. Surely we can come up with some better pillars. Stickiness would be my first pick; games need to keep people coming back because they want to come back, not because they feel they must. Community would make my list as something developers should develop intentionally rather than hope it happens offscreen. Setting to me is far more important than story since how seriously a studio takes its setting determines how invested players will be in their own stories. Customization would round out my quartet; our ability to take charge of our character's development, appearance, home, and activities is crucial to keeping us around. Taken together, those four echo Larry's column -- they're all about ownership in a game, something BioWare's pillars just don't address. What about you? If you were tasked with coming up with the four pillars of MMO gaming, what would they be? 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!
MechWarrior Online video dev diary on the four pillars of warfare
Feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of handling your first multi-ton machine in MechWarrior Online? Piranha Games president Russ Bullock understands that the concept can be intimidating at first. To help, Bullock stars in the first MWO video dev diary, which boils down the game's "four pillars" to an easy-to-digest segment. Don't be fooled by the name: The four pillars of MechWarrior Online have nothing to do with story. Instead, Bullock gives an overview of how Piranha is making combat more than tab-targeting and button mashing. These four MWO pillars are mech (the build of your battle machine), information (battlefield awareness), role (taking on a specialty role in combat), and community warfare (engaging in the conflict outside of the game). The explanation of the four pillars is interspersed with in-game clips, including a neat one of a 'mech powering up. You can catch up on your MechWarrior Online knowledge after the jump.
