grind
Latest
The Daily Grind: What constitutes a grind in an MMO?
I can't remember when I first heard the term grind, but I imagine it might have been Ultima Online, when you could grind your way to Glorious Lady status killing a mongbat a minute (or was it five?). Then there was grinding mobs for levels in EverQuest, grinding missions for skill and money in Star Wars Galaxies, and then, finally, deliverance in the form of World of Warcraft, in which we'd level by completing quests! No more grinding! Right? Well, not really. After a while, quests became grinds. Daily quest grinds. Achievement grinds. Faction grinds. Crafting grinds. Guild grinds. Pretty much everything can be made into a grind if studios infuse enough repetition into a game. We don't know what grind is, but we know it when we see it! Let's try to define it once and for all. What constitutes a grind in an MMO? 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!
Tamriel Infinium: Elder Scrolls' ginormous post-50 update plan
Earlier this week, Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage dropped by the Elder Scrolls OTR podcast and proceeded to drop a ton of update info on fans of ZeniMax's fantasy themepark MMO. We put out a corresponding news post, of course, but there was so much meat on those bones that I couldn't let an issue of Tamriel Infinium go by without adding my two cents. Plus, hey, it was only two weeks ago that I was advocating for an adjustment to the game's post-50 approach. Ask and ye shall receive, right?
The Daily Grind: Are there any long-term MMO goals that you plan to complete in 2014?
I managed to finish another couple of class stories thanks to Star Wars: The Old Republic's double XP week. Though the game has been out for nearly three years, getting through all eight arcs is taking a while since I dabble in so many other MMOs. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, and I think that even without another double XP event, I'll finally be finished before the end of the year. What about you, Massively readers? Are there any long-term MMO goals you plan to complete in 2014? 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: What untried portion of an MMO have you been playing lately?
So it's double XP week in Star Wars: The Old Republic right now, and I'm pretty sick of the Kuat Drive Yards flashpoint. I popped into a Galactic Starfighter queue out of sheer boredom, and while it's a far cry from the space sims I love, it was a pleasant diversion. What about you, Massively readers? What previously uninteresting or untried portion of an MMO have you discovered of late? 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!
Tamriel Infinium: About that Elder Scrolls VR grind
Last time around I took a little flak from people who felt that my positive opinion of Elder Scrolls Online would change once I reached a certain veteran rank. In the past two weeks, I've gotten most of the way to VR2 whilst playing primarily solo a couple of hours per day. I would've gotten higher, but I got sidetracked into ESO's addictive crafting minigame! Anyway, so far my opinion of the world's first Elder Scrolls MMO hasn't changed despite the fact that the VR content does seem pretty grindy. The game is still a first-class themepark that's full of content, incredible art direction, and interesting progression, and the cherry on top of this particular sundae is one of my favorite IPs. All that said, ZeniMax could stand to alter its post-50 approach.
PSA: SWTOR double XP week starts tomorrow
Ladies and gentlemen, Star Wars: The Old Republic's Kuat burnout week double experience week is almost here. This means that yours truly will be queuing for KDY flashpoints until my fingers bleed in an attempt to bypass that godawful planetary grind and get a couple more class story alts to 50. The XP extravaganza starts July 1st at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs through July 7.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever come back to a game for the double XP?
I logged into Star Wars: The Old Republic this weekend and came to a sad realization. I really don't want to play it any more. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, so I usually find something to like about the game even though themepark mechanics and eternal gear grinds aren't my first choice. Lately I lack the desire to keep leveling, though, which is unfortunately at odds with my goal of seeing all the cutscenes for all eight class stories (again, Star Wars fan, completionist, can't help it). Fortunately for me, there's a double XP week starting July 1st, at which point I will be blasting through levels like a man possessed on as many characters as I can! I feel a sense of urgency because I doubt I'll be leveling again in SWTOR until its next double XP event. And really I'd love to just check the game off my MMO to-do list and uninstall as soon as I've viewed the stories and taken a few screenshots. What about you, Massively readers? Have you ever come back to a game specifically for the double XP, or am I sailing alone across my own personal ocean of crazy? 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!
WildStar's Gaffney: 'Achievement is the love of watching bars grow, that's our industry'
Carbine executive producer Jeremy Gaffney is interviewed over at Gamasutra, and he has plenty of interesting things to say regarding the MMO industry and WildStar's place in it. Particularly illuminating is Gaffney's philosophy regarding progression and the journey versus the destination. If there is a fun thing to do that is inefficient and a horribly boring thing like smacking yourself in the face with a shovel next to it that gives more XP, players will do more XP. They'll try the fun thing once or twice but then go, 'No, I can't help it. I need to hit level 50. I want my end goal more than I want my journey.' So it's very easy to have the journey trivialized. Achievement is the love of watching bars grow -- that's our industry. I don't think there's a more fundamental human need that gets tapped into by these games than watching your bars advance, and that feeling of progression -- of being able to say, 'I am tougher than I was before.'
The Daily Grind: Do you mob grind?
This weekend I was at a loss for something to do in Elder Scrolls Online. I was level 42, the last quest in my journal was bugged, and I was a bit low to be attempting the level 45 Harborage mission. I didn't feel like rolling an alt and I didn't feel like PvPing, so instead I did something that I never do. I threw on a TV show, loaded up on Diet Mountain Dew, and proceeded to mob grind my way through Bangkorai until I reached level 44. It's not that mob grinding in MMOs is unusual, since many players do it every time they log in. I usually avoid it, though, and for whatever reason it scratched my particular ESO itch on this particular day. What about you, Massively readers? Do you mob grind in your MMO of choice? 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!
There's no level cap in Black Desert
Part three of Steparu's Black Desert beta review-in-progress has been posted. Topics covered include the skill enchanting system, sieges and open PvP, the NPC trading and the market/auction system, and the curious lack of a level cap. Black Desert endgame is kinda sorta 50, as that's when new skill acquisition ceases. But you can continue gaining XP post-50 and even continue training your previously acquired skills via more skill points from quests or mob grinding. "Black Desert is like a grinding machine's dream, perhaps too hardcore for other gamers outside of Asia," Steparu concludes.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever been put off by double XP?
Marvel Heroes features a bunch of firsts for me. It's my first prolonged exposure to the Marvel universe. It's the first ARPG I've enjoyed, and it's the first game that's kind of annoyed me with its promotional XP bonuses. Let me explain. I hate leveling in MMOs. I don't play MMOs for leveling or progression and 99 percent of the time these tropes act as timesinks that get in the way of what I actually want to do in a virtual world. So, normally I love, love, love double XP. Well, last week in Marvel Heroes I was blowing through the levels so fast that I ended up way ahead of the story in terms of level-specific areas. I want to play through the story once, enjoy it, and then go about speed leveling, trying all the other characters, etc. But that was almost impossible to do since I couldn't log in without levels and loot bags hitting my character in the face! Anyway, it's my own fault for starting the game during a promotional period, and I'm not really complaining as much as I'm looking to start a discussion topic. So, how about it, Massively readers? Do XP bonuses ever seem counterproductive or annoying, or is it just me? 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!
SWTOR's double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT
If, like me, you've got an account full of Star Wars: The Old Republic characters who still haven't seen the other side of level 50, you'll want to take advantage of this weekend's accelerated experience gain. And hey, if you're already maxed, you can still enjoy double Legacy XP. The promotion starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs through Monday at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Full details are available at the official SWTOR website.
The Daily Grind: What's the silliest thing you've done for an MMO achievement?
It's festival time in Lord of the Rings Online, which means that it's time to do all manner of inane activities in order to collect tokens and trade them for mounts, clothing, etc. I'm actually more amenable to this sort of thing than I used to be, probably because I'm maxed out and looking for any sort of excuse to visit Middle-earth. And what better excuse is there than a series of achievements that grants the title of Master Blaster, provided you have the patience (and the silver) to stand around and fire off 300 vendor-purchased fireworks? Yep, that's my what's-the-silliest-thing-you've-done-for-an-MMO-achievement story. What's yours? 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!
Leaderboard: What do you do when you're out of content?
I recently finished Lord of the Rings Online's epic story on my main character. Then I maxed all three of his crafting specializations. Then I polished off a bunch of outstanding deeds and a few interesting lower level quest lines that I had inadvertently missed. As a result, I feel like I've pretty much "beaten" the game, even though there are still rep grinds, dungeons, and PvMP stuff that I could technically do if I found them interesting. I don't, though, so aside from roleplaying and the occasional Middle-earth screenshot soiree, I'm done with LotRO until the next expansion or whatever. Are you in a similar predicament, Leaderboard readers? What do you do when you've exhausted all of a game's content that interests you? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
EverQuest turns 15 years old on March 16
"While everyone was worrying about the world ending with Y2K in 1999," says SOE's latest press release, we were "creating a new world that forever changed the MMO and gaming industry with the introduction of EverQuest." Whether that change was good or bad is certainly debatable, but no one can deny the long-running fantasy themepark's massive influence. March 16th is EQ's 15th birthday, and SOE has released a video and an infographic to celebrate. Click past the cut to check them both out.
The Daily Grind: Do you turn MMOs into work?
Confession time: I like spreadsheets. I can turn any MMORPG into a spreadsheet, into what most folks would consider work. I made fun of Warehouse and Logistics Simulator on Steam, but I admit to a twisted urge to buy it and play with numbers management all the same. It's a sickness. So while I join in the mockery of EVE Online as "Spreadsheets Online," it's mostly disdain for the game's falderal than for the gamers who genuinely enjoy making elaborate crafting and production spreadsheets, long lists of character plans, and auction hall arbitrage notes. You themeparkers can keep your level grind; I've got my own right here in Excel. How about you guys? Do you turn MMOs into a multiplayer version of Warehouse and Logistics Simulator? 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!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Meeting fun halfway in Guild Wars 2
Lion's Arch is gone. What's left of our city is rubble and fire and the echoing screams of terrified survivors. The day Scarlet Briar's army attacked dawned clear and mild; by the end the sky was choked with smoke, poison, and the silhouette of Scarlet's massive drill ship. Thousands of people died, are dying, and will continue to die -- all we can do for now is to try to save as many as we can. Escape From Lion's Arch is a truly impressive piece of storytelling and atmospheric set design, and I found it immediately comparable to similar missions in games like BioWare's Mass Effect series. I've never really played anything like it in an MMO, and I think ArenaNet has done a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of a city under attack. It's been a bittersweet time for fans of Guild Wars 2; as I discussed last week, roleplayers have responded to the release with a flurry of creative activity, and the general consensus seems to be that the story, dialogue, atmosphere and artwork are all excellent -- if only we weren't forced to mindlessly farm for loot! Wait, we're what?
Pantheon's Kickstarter comes up short, development to continue
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has concluded its Kickstarter campaign without reaching its $800,000 funding goal. Lead developer Brad McQuaid isn't deterred, though, as you'll find out if you've got the time to read a lengthy launch letter he posted earlier today. What's it launching? Well, a new Pantheon website, for starters. McQuaid also tells fans that development on the fantasy title will continue as Visionary Realms seeks traditional investors and sets up its own direct crowdfunding apparatus on the new site. McQuaid insists there's a market for Pantheon, writing that we "strongly believe there's a real demand for an MMO that builds solidly on the principles of the past, reaching back to EverQuest and even the MUDs before it." He also offers his take on why Pantheon's Kickstarter fell short of the mark.
The Soapbox: Old content should stay relevant
The archetypal themepark MMO model, as popularised by World of Warcraft, is a race to the level cap in order to unlock the best content on offer. New content is tacked onto the endgame regularly, accompanied by improved gear and perhaps a higher level cap. It's a system that's designed to keep people playing by keeping them on a progression climb that's constantly getting steeper. As a consequence, endgame activities render older content obsolete since these outdated activities carry little real benefit for fully leveled characters. Exploring old content for the sake of experiencing it is not enough of a motivator for many players since this content simply cannot present the same challenge as it once did. Although you can technically go back and play through old dungeons, they will never be as fulfilling when tactics become optional and you can solo once-formidable opponents. In this week's Soapbox, I will mourn the loss of fantastic older content that was rendered obsolete through vertical progression, using WoW as a key example. I'll go on to suggest a solution that I think might allow for both old and new content to exist together in relevancy without significantly compromising the themepark MMO's existing progression mechanics.
Leaderboard: Achievements vs. titles
I've never been much of an achievement fan when it comes to video games. To me, achievements are a cheap and easy way for devs to pretend like they've added content to an MMO, all the while exploiting the completist gene that seems present in a pretty high percentage of the gamer population. Oddly, though, I love character titles. It doesn't matter if it's a crafting title, an adventuring title, or some sort of fluffy fishing-related title like the Lord of the Rings Online honorific in the screenshot above. I typically go after every title available to a given avatar in a given game, even though more often than not the mechanics are the same sort that underlie most achievement systems! What about you, Massively readers? Achievements or titles? Or both? Or neither? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
