Ask Massively: Let's stop the tomfoolery edition
Last week, it was brought to my attention that our header image of ham rendered the entire column completely inappropriate for several of our readers. And you know what? That comment was entirely right. We've subsisted on ridiculous headers and general japery for far too long in this serious and businesslike column, and it's time to bring the calm and measured dignity that people expect -- nay, demand -- from Ask Massively.
Unfortunately, this decision comes too late to avoid the fact that this week's header image is a kitten attempting to scale the back of an adult cat's head. It will probably help if you imagine both of these cats wearing business suits and discussing profit margins.
Moving along: This week's questions should provide you with clean and intellectual discourse, covering free-for-all PvP and the recent free-to-play announcements from Sony Online Entertainment. If you have a question for a future edition of the column, please leave it in the comment field or mail it along to ask@massively.com.
Kithedia asked: Why would anyone not like open PvP?
Because everyone has different tastes. You might like Call of Duty, but I don't. And most people don't like playing a game of Not Getting Hunted By Other Players only to find that they're now playing a new game without their consent.
Jejeune asked: With DC Universe Online going free-to-play, is there any more hope for Star Wars Galaxies to make the same shift?
Unfortunately, probably not, because the problems suffered by the latter game have nothing to do with any of the problems of the former game.
SWG's fate was decided based largely around the licensing that allowed Sony Online Entertainment to continue selling a product based upon Lucasarts' intellectual property. SOE's initial statements that the game would continue running despite the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic indicate that profitability was never a question. The only question was about licensing. Free-to-play would be an attempt to remove a barrier to play that was honestly not the issue.
DCUO, on the other hand, is making a shift in business models to remove barriers to entry, something that was a problem that the game faced. If DC Comics were to pull the licensing, the game would be in the same boat as SWG.
Halfcentaur asked: I've never seen a ham that looked like the pork in this picture -- what is it?
We're not really about that sort of silliness here any longer, but it looks like a standard glazed ham, presumably with some sort of a mustard glaze. A quick Google search should turn up a variety of recipes.
Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!
