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The Daily Grind: Do you display your MMO minipets?
I had no idea that Star Wars: The Old Republic features so many minipets. Similarly, I had no idea that it features fluff pets that are basically tiny widdle repulsorlift versions of the class ships. So now one of my Jedi has a tiny Defender that follows him around, and it's pretty much the slickest thing ever. OK, maybe not ever, but it's definitely the slickest thing in SWTOR. I mean, come on, it does barrel rolls! Normally I don't even use fluff pets, both because most of them are annoying and because I forget I have them. I put this one on my hotbar, though, because barrel rolls. What about you, Massively readers? Do you display your minipets? 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: Do you keep MMO accounts on for veteran rewards?
I've got a guildie who's a bit insane. He is notorious for staying subscribed to MMOs he's not playing, sinking tons and tons of money into these games but not logging in. Is he doing it to support developers? Nope. He does it for the veteran rewards. Seriously. He once told me he stayed subbed to City of Heroes because he really, really wanted a veteran minipet. When I consider what that minipet must have cost him in subscription fees, all I can do is think how many brand-new games he could have picked up on Steam for all that dough! And yet here I am looking at my Ultima Online account the same way. The account is 16.5 years old with nine years of vet rewards on it. I left it on a few extra months last year to get to the ridable ethereal polar bear mount reward because hello, ridable ethereal polar bear mount, right? What about you -- do you leave your subscription MMO accounts on to collect vet rewards? 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 MMO has the cutest pets?
The picture above is a Goobbue Sproutling from Final Fantasy XIV. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't fully convey how adorable it is, since a static image cannot occasionally shake its head and yawn, but you get the idea. Also not pictured above is the small spherical lizard that looks at you and squawks for food or the baby behemoth that tries to roar but succeeds only in looking ridiculously precious. The point is, cute minipets. Players love having pets in games since they can serve as status symbols as well as just being cute to look at (without the usual feeding/walking/waste management issues created by real pets). So as fluffy as they are, we ask you today about these little bundles of squealing joy. What game has the cutest pets? Is it a game you still play, one you've left behind, or one that you have never played but still squeal about when you spy its cute critters? 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: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list
Guild Wars 2 is doing very well. Even setting aside ArenaNet's announcement last week that the game is officially the fastest-selling MMO ever, GW2 has enough players who are dedicated to it and spending money on it to justify a content patch every two weeks, and the development team is showing no signs of slowing down. It's a success story in an unforgiving industry where successes are few and far between; while many other studios are restructuring and redefining their games -- or even shutting games down altogether -- GW2 is holding steady a year after launch. Happy birthday, GW2! I love this game. If I didn't, I'd be nuts to devote time to writing a weekly column about it, let alone play it almost every day. Even though I had nothing to do with its creation, I'm proud of it in a way, and I'm happy for the people who made it because they deserve success. Based on what's been talked about, I feel pretty good about what's coming up in the second half of the year. There are a few lingering nitpicks I have, though, that run the risk of becoming so entrenched that they hang out on the back of the priority list for years -- and they're at the top of my wish list for things I'd like to see before GW2's two-year anniversary rolls around.
The Daily Grind: Would you like games to remember your character's birthday?
It's a little thing, but I've always been endlessly fond of the fact that Guild Wars keeps track of the day my characters were created and sends them presents. I'm rather attached to my characters, and even though I don't actually collect minis I still like to know that there's a little marker somewhere in the game database. Little unique features like this are common in games, but Guild Wars is the only one that does anything for the birthday of the character or the player to the best of my knowledge. And it's such a little thing that it seems almost strange that more games haven't copied the idea. Of course, it requires tracking date of creation for every single character and it can lead to some issue (some of the birthday presents in GW wound up with exorbitant prices on the secondary market). So what do you think? Would you like to see more games marking your character birthdays? Or do you think it's a cute idea that doesn't need to be revisited? 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!
MMO Family: Four ways to improve kid-friendly MMOs
Right now, there's a small war going on in our house. It's winter, we're all cooped up inside, and we're interested in different games. What's particularly interesting is that my kids will tolerate most of the games I play and join in, except for one: Star Wars: The Old Republic. They aren't remotely interested in it, and any time I fire it up, they push back by demanding their favorite game, which is Minecraft. It got me thinking about why kids would prefer a 16-bit, block-shaped world to a glitzy, voiced-over, multi-million dollar title. Adult gamers love to hash out why they love one game over another, but what makes games appealing from a kid's perspective? Furthermore, we often see differences in kid-friendly MMOs and their features compared to games for grown ups, but can those features be improved?
Taun-taunts: Damion Schubert teases future SWTOR vanity pets
Recently, Star Wars: The Old Republic blog Inquisitor's Roadhouse got in touch with BioWare Lead System Designer Damion Schubert to talk about the game's "other" companions: vanity pets. While they may not be the fifth pillar of gameplay, vanity pets in SWTOR are desired by many collectors -- and Schubert has word that more are on the way. While Schubert admits that vanity pets, such as the Hutt Observer and Mouse Droid, weren't at the top of BioWare's priority list in beta, he said the team knew they wanted them as part of the launched game. There are only a handful of pets in the game at this time, but more are to come in SWTOR's next big update. "I don't want to give out too big a hint, but they smell kinda bad on the outside," Schubert teased. He confirmed that currently pets are not limited by faction, although there are some that are restricted to dark and light side players. Schubert said that BioWare will be using vanity pets as rewards for many aspects of gameplay, including the social and legacy systems. Getting them in the future may be more complicated in a good way, however: "One of the things we want to do a lot more of is adding items that take a bit of communal exploration to discover – we're well aware of how popular datacrons and the magenta lightsaber crystal are – and minipets is one place where we've identified adding fun things like that could really pay off."
Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest
The folks at ChangYou are introducing a new contest for their Dragon Oath players, and it's one that virtual pet fans are going to love. The contest is called "Pump up Your Pet," and it gives every entrant a free white fox pet along with a chance to win a Nintendo 3DS, a Tt eSports prize package, or one of three Amazon gift cards. To enter, you'll need to have a Dragon Oath character of level 10 or above, and "like" the Dragon Oath Facebook page. Click the "promotions" tab on the Facebook page to receive a code to add the pet to your account, and then the real fun begins! Your task is to level your new pet as much as you can by 1:00 p.m. EST on July 28th. When the deadline arrives, take a screenshot of your character and pet and send it to contests.dragonoath@gmail.com along with your character, account name, and the entry code you received to get your white fox pet. The top 10 players with the highest leveled White Foxes will be put in a raffle to win one of the prizes, and ChangYou will announce the winners on August 26th. Best of luck to all who enter!
Celebrate six years of Guild Wars with prizes and an exclusive update interview
Let the celebration begin! Guild Wars is six years old, and as promised earlier this morning, ArenaNet has handed out the party hats and kicked off the festivities. Here at Massively we've got plenty of party treats for you! Not only do we have the full scoop on the anniversary update, but we chatted with Guild Wars Live Team members John Stumme and Matthew Moore about the creation of the event. Finally, we've got a special Livestream look at the new content along with a pile of prizes for Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 fans, so follow along after the jump for all the details!
The Tattered Notebook: Never leave home without it
This week, I decided it's time to dump the bag. My characters often accumulate items at such a rapid rate that my bags quickly resemble those of a typical teenager at the mall. Any time I resign myself to plunking down at the bank to sort my inventory, I end up shocked at some of the stuff I bring home. However, there are some items in EverQuest II that are lifesavers, and others that can really be handy in a pinch. Let's take a look at a few items that you should never leave home without.
Guild Wars fansite hosts "Night of the Mini Pets" community event
A long-running event in the Guild Wars community should be gaining an extra dose of attention and excitement this year. In all the player buzz over the Hall of Monuments, many people have found the Monument to Devotion to be one of the most difficult to fill. That problem might be solved for many people thanks to the upcoming Night of the Mini Pets. Fansite Blade Radio has worked to coordinate this event for three years running, and each year hundreds of miniatures are handed out to Guild Wars players as prizes. This year is bigger than ever: Blade Radio has over 1,100 minis (both dedicated and undedicated) to distribute along with many other items including a prepaid Guild Wars 2 package. The event will be held for three nights beginning on October 29th, so check out the Night of the Mini Pets page for all of the details and a full prize list.
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (I)
While I was writing today's Flameseeker Chronicles, I noticed something: It was about twice as long as my normal columns, and yet I'd barely skimmed the surface. Many players in the Guild Wars community went inactive over the past few years while waiting for Guild Wars 2. Now that we know all the details of the strongest link between the two games, hundreds if not thousands of players are coming out of retirement to max out their Halls. Today's Flameseeker Chronicles was a generalized guide to reaching 30 points on the calculator. That number will get you every reward on the scale, but so many veteran players and completionists are chasing 50 points that I wanted to do something for them too. The Road to 50 is a feature that will run for five days this week, each day focusing on a different monument. I'll give tips, suggestions, and guides for obtaining a "full score" in each one. Today's focus is Miniatures, so follow along after the jump to see how to get your hands on 50 of your little friends.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Brother, can you spare a diamond?
I've spent a lot of time the past few days with my inventory and storage panels open in Guild Wars. Like it did to pretty much the entire Guild Wars community, the surprise announcement of the Hall of Monuments calculator sent me into a tizzy of "What do I have? What do I need? I have to PvP? Noooooo!!" OK, maybe that last thing was just me, but my point stands. The revelation of all the shiny rewards and titles available on the point scale is thrilling. Personally, the "Flameseeker" title was my immediate goal, and I scrambled around to get that one right away. Now I'm chasing 50 points, as are several of my guildmates. I was happy to see so many of my inactive guildies back because of this, but I noticed something immediately. They were confused! (No, seriously. I love you guys, but I could practically see the "omg too much!" looks on your faces.) Just from hanging out and watching the community both in and out of game the past few days, I realized pretty quickly that this is happening all over Tyria. So many longtime players have gone inactive while they waited to see how GW1 was going to link to Guild Wars 2. Now they're back in droves after being gone for a while, and they feel like they might never catch up. So, this week's Flameseeker Chronicles is for you guys. Follow along after the jump and I'll help you get back in the game and all caught up.
Scorchling not available in this year's Midsummer Fire Festival
Looks like mini-pet collectors are going to be unable to get the Scorchling this year. Aredek posted in the official forums that the Scorched Stone is no longer on the Ice Chest's drop table from Ahune. Aredek I'm afraid that the Scorchling does not appear to be available this year, folks. I cannot say for certain whether or not it will be made available in the future; however, we encourage you to share your thoughts on the Suggestions forum if you would like to see the Scorched Stone be obtainable in some other way. source It's unclear why they elected to leave it out this year, however it almost looks like it might have been a simple error rather than a design decision. Either way, the historical drop rates for this were so low that most players won't be able to tell the difference. Also, despite this, the Lil' Game Hunter achievement is much more easily obtainable now than it was this time last year, with the introduction of many new sources for non-combat pets. Still, that's a very cute fireball.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The consequences of an aging economy
About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted Obsidian armor for my Elementalist. Those who know me laughed (and are probably laughing as they read this), because it's been a bit of a joke that she's not had it until now. She is without a doubt my most favored character in any game, sporting a wardrobe that borders on ridiculous, a minipet for every occasion, and heroes bearing Tormented weapons. She's spoiled rotten, but the Elementalist version of Obsidian armor has always reminded me of those little cups you take camping. I just never cared for it. Eventually I thought "she's got everything else, so why not that?" The fact that it was a snap decision set me thinking about the economy of Guild Wars today. Sure, it'll take me a bit to earn the armor, and I'll be spending a fair amount of time in UW and FoW, but it's not out of reach by any means. It's not an epic goal, it's just something to keep me amused for a few weeks, and that speaks much more to the game than it does to any sort of virtual wealth I've accumulated. Follow along after the jump, and let's take a look at the implications of that.
Animatronics: The manufacture, maintenance, and mastery of mechanical moppets
With corellary data regarding non-manufactured but just as mechanical companions.or:"How to make new friends...from scratch." The Engineer is unique among tradesbeings. For many reasons those practitioners of "the greatest art, the grandest science" (© U. Geargrinder) have long been set apart from their counterparts in less technical fields. Either the demands of science, or the cruel whims of physics, or the insistent demands of the local fire brigade have all set Engineers apart from the rest of the world. But one way in which the Engineer is set above the crowd, and not placed in a containment cell "while the authorities sort this out," is in our ability to craft companions for ourselves, our associate, or the sake of our bookie. Engineers, unique to crafting professions, can learn to produce our own mechanical pets to keep us company. Here we will discuss the various pets available to the tinkerer, and related pets which are too advanced to be crafted by any but the masters of the field.
