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Choose My Adventure: Saying goodbye to Age of Wushu
During a Q and A with Grant Bowler, SyFy's leading man in its new series Defiance, the actor tried to explain some of his love for MMORPGs and gaming in general. He talked about EVE Online and how he once stayed up for 36 hours due to an in-game war. He bragged about how players often lose everything they have in the game and smiled as he explained its "learning curve." He even likened playing the game to being married to Woody Allen, a strange yet somehow accurate description. Am I comparing my time with Age of Wushu to being married to en elderly comic genius? No, but I am very familiar with the lawkeeper's description of his favorite game. It's the same description that Age of Wushu players use when we talk about the game, although I disagree with how wonderful the "learning curve" is. Still, I had a blast over these last few weeks.
Research suggests MMOs may 'encourage pathological game use'
Researchers at the University of Missouri have authored a study suggesting that MMORPGs are "the most addictive genre of video games." The study also indicates that unhealthy game play can manifest in both "very casual" and "hardcore" adult gamers, and it's usually fueled by desires for escapism, social interaction, and rewards. "We did not find a perfect relationship between total time spent playing games and addictive video game behaviors," said study co-author Christopher Engelhardt, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Health Psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "Additionally, other variables such as the proportion of free time spent playing video games seem to better predict game addiction above and beyond the total amount of time spent playing video games." The study says that MMORPGs pose a "triple threat" due to level advancement, team play, and enormous fantasy worlds that may "encourage pathological game use."
Some Assembly Required: On MMOs and loss aversion
I've been reading a book called Scorecasting lately. It's basically an academic exercise in statistics and human behavioral analysis as it relates to the decisions made in both individual and team sports. One of the chapters touches on a theory called loss aversion, which is a psychological phenomenon first attributed to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. The theory is generally understood to mean that humans fear potential losses much more than they enjoy actual gains, and thus they often act in statistically irrational fashion to avoid said losses. We can also see principles of loss aversion at work in MMOs. In fact, I'd go so far as to posit that loss aversion is a large, if indirect, reason why many people play MMOs in the first place. It's also a major reason why sandboxes, virtual worlds, and games that feature some sort of tangible risk/reward mechanic have been in such dire straits since MMOs went mainstream. Follow me past the cut and see if you agree.
The Daily Grind: How do you define hardcore?
Earlier this week, a Massively commenter suggested that a games writer who doesn't raid constantly is by definition casual. Our columnist argued that to a games writer, a raiding endgame is just one kind of gameplay, that she felt obligated to do and write about more than just raiding, and that her considerable ("embarrassing" I believe was the word she used) playtime alone made her hardcore. And some games don't even have raiding to begin with! I found the conversation interesting because it shows that many of us disagree on what terms like casual and hardcore mean. I think hardcore comes in all flavors: hardcore sandboxers like Jef, hardcore PvPers like Patrick, hardcore roleplayers like Eliot, even hardcore traders like me. There are even hardcore dabblers, who turn trying out new games into an 80-hour-a-week endeavor. But today, we're asking you -- how do you define "hardcore"? Is it about breadth vs. depth? Time invested? A specific, arbitrary activity? Honorable kills? Or do we use the terms merely to minimalize others -- is it time to retire these words in a genre so enormous? 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!
Wizardry Online hit by duping and hacking, bans issued
Some things never presage good news. Case in point: Wizardry Online has been hit with what appears to be a round of hacking and item duping, leading to hyperinflation and a great deal of player outrage on the forums. Exact figures about how much gold was dumped into the economy are hard to come by, but most players seem to agree that it's a matter of several million gold sometimes foisted on unwitting victims. After claiming that the matter was being investigated, Sony Online Entertainment representatives locked some of the threads related to the topic while simply stating that suspensions had been issued and further discussion did not help the community. No statements have yet been issued regarding permanent bans or any potential rollbacks to the environment. What long-term effects this will have on the game's viability remain unclear, although several players are protesting SOE's apparent lack of action quite vigorously.
Stick and Rudder: The five types of Star Citizen guys
I've been through my share of alphas, betas, and early release communities over the years, and without exception, every one of them is chock-full of the same five guys. Oh sure, these guys have hundreds of different forum handles, and in the case of a nostalgia-drenched core title like Star Citizen, some of them may even be old enough to know better. But they're still the same five guys. These guys are in the good pre-release communities and the bad, and while their passion is largely laudible, their busy-body forum hijinks are nothing if not high-lariously predictable.
Wizardry Online prepping for 'major code update'
SOE's Wizardry Online website has updated with a post outlining an upcoming "major code update." The patch will bring the western client "one step closer to all the advanced features of the Japanese version of Wizardry Online," the company says. Advanced forging and the game's socketing system take up most of the space in this particular blog entry, but there's also a mention of new skills for each class as well as a skill reset NPC.
Sid Meier on mobile and the value of hardcore gamers
You know you're getting old when legendary PC developer Sid Meier gives interviews about his foray into mobile gaming. It's not as bad as it sounds, though, because the man behind the Civilization series tells GamesIndustry.biz that the core gaming audience is still driving the industry regardless of platform. "I think we've seen historically that the more casual gaming platforms and markets do have a kind of rise and fall pattern to them, whereas the hardcore gaming market, the serious gamers are much more stable, and they're going to be around for a long time and will keep playing games," Meier said. Meier also ruminates on his approach to mobile free-to-play, which is basically the same try-the-demo-buy-the-full-game-if-you-like-it model that PC gaming has employed for decades. "It's not something like a constant stream of purchases every day, but it's more just unlocking the rest of the game and then you are done," he explained.
The useful distinction between casual and hardcore
Earlier this week, WoW Insider's Matthew Rossi argued that there is no point in distinguishing between hardcore and casual players, and that doing so actually detracts from the game. I, however, don't agree and will be presenting a counterpoint in this article. So, if you haven't read Rossi's side yet, be sure to check it out first. Now before I explain why I think the distinction between hardcore and casual is useful, I think it's necessary that we all be on the same page as far as what hardcore and casual actually are. I found Rossi's argument against the usage of these words particularly flawed because he was working around an assumed and rigid definition of what a hardcore player and a casual player are. Toward the end of his article he pointed out that the casual/hardcore metric doesn't work when you consider the various ways in which some players are engaging with the game. Not every player raids, he explained, but that doesn't mean they can't be hardcore. Now, I agree with that for the most part, but I disagree with his understanding of hardcore and casual. You see, hardcore and casual are not and have never been part of any metric. It's actually impossible for them to have ever been since the definition of casual and hardcore is subjective. Ask any two people what kind of behavior distinguishes a casual player from a hardcore player and the answer will be different in some way ... And if the definition of something varies from person to person, it can't logically be used as a standard of measurement.
The useless distinction between casual and hardcore
If the words 'casual' and 'hardcore' ever had a useful role in determining the differences between players in World of Warcraft, and I am not convinced they ever did, they no longer do. A player who wants to have an alt of every single class at max level and makes that happen is not playing the game casually even if she never raids. A player who collects several hundred pets and levels many of them through pet battles, or has a similarly high number of mounts, or determines to go out and get every cooking recipe in the game (including Dirge's Kickin' Chimeraok Chops which you can't even get anymore but somehow he finds a way) is playing the game very seriously indeed. Quite frankly, despite the fact that I raid a set schedule, I often feel like I'm significantly more 'casual' than many players who never raid at all. I know I play a lot less - I definitely do not log on every day, I don't run LFR unless I missed a boss in normal (because I want a shot at my Secrets of the Empire off of that boss) and I don't do pet battles, farm, or even do daily quests anymore. So with my roughly fifteen hours of WoW a week, 12 of it spent inside a raid and the other three futzing about older raids for transmog gear, am I casual or hardcore? And does it matter? Ordinarily I'd explore the answer in the paragraphs to come. But frankly, the answer is no. It doesn't matter. It is so far from mattering that the light from it mattering won't reach us for fifty thousand years. What matters is finding out what players want to do with their time and letting them do it.
Stick and Rudder: Why Star Citizen's development model matters
Chris Roberts' Star Citizen crowdfunding colossus exploded onto the gaming scene late in 2012 with a chip on its shoulder and a certain can-do attitude that resonated with gamers because of its conspicuous absence over the past decade. "I am a PC game, and I am a space sim," the game's trailer defiantly proclaimed. PC games and space sims, of course, were long past the prime of their 1990s golden years, according to most industry pundits, so how and why did Star Citizen make such a successful splash (over $8.5 million in crowdfunding as of press time, with an additional $5,000 to $10,000 gained on a daily basis)? More importantly why is the title's development model so integral to the future of gaming?
Rise and Shiny: Revisiting Salem
A few months ago, I dived into Salem, a hardcore sandbox MMO that promises actual permadeath. That means if your character is killed while in game, he or she stays dead and loses everything. Not of your possible scores of skills are passed on, all items are lost and your homestead -- similar to a deed in Wurm Online -- can be destroyed. Heck, your homestead can be destroyed even if you're not dead. People can literally block your path, call you names, and attack you over and over. It makes me cry! Nah, it's not as bad as it sounds. It never is. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it's that you should really try a game for yourself before you believe everything you hear about it. Don't worry about trolls or griefers because the worst that can happen to you is that you end up leaving the game to find a better one. That's why we're called gamers. Salem is actually about 50% killer and 50% silliness. I don't want to describe the killer part as "bad" because there is something the game is offering that so many others are not, and that's real danger and actual permadeath.
Wizardry Online compensates players for performance issues
For those put out by Wizardry Online's performance issues as of late, SOE has posted assurance that the worst is behind everyone: "Our engineers have been working tirelessly to address the issues and we're confident that you will have a better experience now." The studio is offering compensation for the inconvenience starting with a 300 Station Cash credit to players who logged into Wizardry Online before today. SOE is also handing out free seven-day Dimento Medals in the game. Finally, players who subscribed before March will see a seven-day membership credit added to their accounts.
Hardcore sci-fi sandbox Divergence Online returns, seeks crowdfunding
Several years ago we posted about an up-and-coming sci-fi sandbox MMO called Divergence. At the time, the game promised a hybrid interface that allowed players to toggle between an action mode with crosshairs and a more traditional MMO targeting and auto-attack setup. The game subsequently dropped off the grid, but now developer Stainglass Llama and Divergence universe creator Ethan Casner are back with an IndieGogo crowdfunding project and a $50,000 goal. Divergence promises a seamless, non-linear, and modifiable world with skill-based progression and plenty of non-combat advancement opportunities. It also styles itself as a hardcore enterprise with open PvP, lootable corpses, "limited permanent death," and unique races and breeds. Of note, the game will have neither tab-targetting nor auto-attack. You can view Casner's intro video after the cut.
Level 50 player reviews ArcheAge, sees 'issues for the casual crowd'
If you're interested in ArcheAge but you haven't been playing the game's Korean release client, there's a thread at the AionSource forums that demands your attention. It's basically a review of the game by a level 50 player, and he has plenty of interesting details to share about PvP and safe zones, the legal, weather, and land ownership systems, and the significant role that crafting and resource management play in the day-to-day experience. The author illustrates several of ArcheAge's extensive non-combat gameplay options, many of which are focused on crafting and gathering. These take a certain amount of dedication, as not logging in for a few days will result in the deaths of your crops and livestock. That said, it is possible for in-game "family" members to manage things while you're gone. The ultimate takeaway from the piece is that the author is having a great time in an MMORPG loaded with unique features, though he does see "potential issues for the more casual crowd."
Wizardry Online launch-day roundup
If you've been waiting to get your fill of fantasy in the no-holds-barred setting of Wizardry Online (and then waited some more when the launch was pushed back), your patience is about to be rewarded. The time is finally at hand; the hardcore game sporting permadeath and friendly fire launches today. Curious about what lies ahead in the wilds of Wizardy Online? Get a glimpse of dungeons and death along with a taste of the adventures that await you through our hands-on experiences, gallery, videos, and news bytes after the break.
SOE webcast to celebrate Wizardry Online's launch
Wizardry Online has conjured more than a few different opinions from our staff during its beta, and we're happy to say that the game is finally launching tomorrow! To help celebrate the launch, SOE is hosting a special webcast on Thursday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m. EST on its Twitch.tv channel. Host and Senior Global Brand Manager Omeed Dariani will be joined by Senior Producer Todd Carson and Associate Producer Rod Haza to discuss the game's features and what we can expect in the future of the game.
Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch
While we remain on standby for Wizardry Online's delayed launch, the team at SOE has used the time to shoehorn in an additional feature for release: the Underground Dragoon Ruins. The Dragoon Ruins is a high-level dungeon full of nasty creatures and even nastier traps. We've got a video featuring combat and exploration of the ruins after the break. It's got a warrior beating up ghosts, giant rock monsters, and -- most insidiously of all -- little glowy lights. A little glowy light once killed that warrior's whole village, and she's sworn revenge over it. That's all you need know.
Wizardry Online launch delayed until Jan 30th
If you had plans to skip work tomorrow to play on Wizardry Online's launch day, you should probably go ahead and earn a paycheck instead. SOE announced that it's moving the release date for the hardcore MMO from January 16th to January 30th. The delay of two weeks was a necessary step, according to the company: "As we head into final preparations for launching the game, we have decided to move the launch date in order to allow us extra time to ensure we're delivering the most epic gameplay experience possible to our players." Community Manager Piestro elaborated on the delay later in the announcement thread. "The transition from beta to live requires integrating with a good number of other systems. We are also planning to launch on Steam which complicates matters and requires other sorts of implementation work. Specifics aren't necessarily meaningful to those who aren't familiar with our internal systems, or particularly valuable. That being said, we aren't wasting this time and are definitely looking to see what else we can accomplish. More news later this week I'm suspecting."
Blizzard to fix exploit with Diablo III's votekick system
Playing Diablo III in Hardcore mode is a harrowing experience. No matter how good you are as a player, there's always the real worry that one careless move will mean the end of a character you've worked hard to level. Unfortunately, sometimes that careless move is simply playing in a public game, as griefers have been exploiting the votekick system to cause players to die and lose everything through no fault of their own. As it currently stands, a player who has been kicked by popular vote will be rooted in place for 10 seconds while the character is ejected. Griefers have used this to kick players in the middle of monster-heavy rooms, resulting in 10 seconds of uninterrupted monster beatdowns with no chance of reprieve. So how to fix this? Well, Blizzard plans to remove the 10 second lockout in the near future to ensure that a kicked player can still move and respond rather than get pointlessly murdered. There's no word on whether this will be a hotfix or rolled into a larger patch, but it's definitely on the horizon. Until it goes live, though, you might not want to have your hardcore characters on a public game.
