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Ask Massively: Missives from the Massively yacht
So here we are, lounging on the deck of our yacht, sipping cool drinks out of fake coconuts while lifeguard cosplayers -- they're cosplayers, right guys? -- gently wave palm leaves at us. Later, of course, we'll dock somewhere and whip out our laptops and dash off some posts about video games before we get back to enjoying the titillating payoffs we earn as members of the gaming journalism front lines. Hopefully you've guessed that Massively doesn't have a yacht. We don't even have an office. The Massively yacht is a mythical destination, a running joke that's only mildly funny and then only to the people who work here, since only we know what we're paid, how insanely strict the Joystiq network is about accepting items on the spectrum between gifts and bribes, and how that strictness both hurts and helps us and you. That's something worth talking about in light of the Eurogamer debacle.
Ask Massively: Every six weeks
Every six weeks, another Massively writer takes over Choose My Adventure, a column that asks readers to vote in polls to determine what the writer will play and do within the reader-selected game. The columnist bravely plunges into the role you design, even when you sadistically vote that he or she play a naked blue Gnome who fights in melee with guns and is forbidden to leave PvP battlegrounds except to craft cookie dough. That doesn't usually make for the best showcase of a game, which you're quick to tell us when the writer has a scattershot experience at your bidding. Today's Ask Massively is all about the Choose My Adventure series and finding order in its chaos.
Ask Massively: Rules, sources, and buy-to-play MMOs
There are 4,001 words in the Massively style guide. The abbreviated version of the style guide. And that's without counting a few hundred emails detailing other rules that our writers must follow, plus English grammar and syntax, plus hand-me-downs from Captain Joystiq and peevish precepts imposed by a mean ol' editor-in-chief. Rules help us deliver a consistent product to you, the readership, and when we don't, you notice. Gamers follow a set of rules, too, when it comes to judging games. Indie games are judged less harshly than blockbuster developers. Overhyped games are held to a higher standard. Games with subs are cut less slack than freemium titles. You might not have codified all these little rules into a 4,001-word document, but they're rattling around your brain making decisions for you all the same. So let's talk about rules and how they apply to Massively's sources and buy-to-play MMOs like Guild Wars 2.
Ask Massively: Forums, edit buttons, and staff change-ups
Last week, we announced that we are closing down Massively's forums. What forums, you ask? Yeah, unfortunately, that was exactly the point. The forums were always a bit too adjacent to the site, and in the wake of the success of our newfangled comment system, we'd prefer to focus on publishing articles and engaging readers right here in the comments on the site, rather than on a neglected off-site portal. I'm genuinely sorry, but I hope the few remaining, stalwart forumgoers will migrate over and help make our comments an even more interesting place to be. In return, we'll try to crack down harder on the comment trolls who are hell-bent on killing the buzz. Believe me, they annoy us as much as they annoy you, especially when we're babysitting them on a Friday night. But this is Ask Massively, the meta column where you ask us weird questions and we give you weird answers. So what else did you wonder about this week?
Ask Massively: How awesome is your game?
Welcome to the rebirth of Ask Massively! Rather than try to out-meta former author Eliot (cannot be done; he is the champion), I hope to turn Ask Massively into your place to talk directly to the editors of your favorite MMO blog. If you want to hear what we think about industry topics or ask something specific about the way Massively operates, send your letters to the editor and we might just address your questions using a really loud megaphone so we don't have to whisper answers down in the comments over and over and over... Today's topic is inspired by the comments of our recent Soapbox column: fluffy interviews.
Ask Massively: There are better things to complain about than pandas edition
I'm going to go right ahead and say that I really don't like the Pandaren in World of Warcraft at all. But it's not because they're pandas. It's because they're the definition of an in-joke taken to ridiculous levels, like an entire race dedicated to Steve Carrell saying, "I love lamp." If you want to be upset about Mists of Pandaria, please, do so about the things that are actually worth being upset over. The existence of ailuropoda melanoleuca is not on that list. You want a list of what is worth being upset over? Sorry, but this week's installment of Ask Massively isn't about that; it's about the onrushing specter of the Guild Wars 2 launch and the continual scourge of the comment system bugs. If you've got a question you'd like to see in a future installment of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: I do not yet have my copy of Persona 4 Arena edition
The idea of a traditional 2-D fighting game in the Persona franchise seemed like it was too good to be true, but Persona 4 Arena is an actual thing that exists. Unfortunately, I don't currently have my copy, as I didn't feel like shelling out the extra money for super high-speed shipping on release day. So I'll probably have it soon, but not today. Until then, I can still be happy that Kanji's ultimate attack involves his fist-bumping his Persona. Oh, and Mitsuru's playable. Ask Massively, as a whole, does not cover fighting games. Instead, it covers your questions about MMOs or about meta-MMO issues. For example, this week's question is about Massively guilds in games. If you've got a question you would like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Wings Over Atreia: Three signs you've crossed that line
We know it's there. That line. The one that separates folks who have a clue and those who may need to rent one for a while. In Aion, as in life, many people see the line and tactfully veer away from it. Others might stumble across it occasionally (perhaps after being tripped by rambunctious friends?). Some, however... well, some are why we have a topic for today. Some choose to pole vault over the line and keep on going, much to all of our detriment. Let's face it -- despite growing popularity and our hobby's movement farther into the mainstream, there are still plenty of negative stereotypes surrounding gaming and the people who enjoy it. If our favorite hobby already has a bad rap, we certainly don't need to add to it! So showing a bit of common sense, decorum, and class as a community is actually pretty important, especially with the influx of new players since Aion went free-to-play. After all, we want those people to enjoy and stay in the game! After witnessing a few situations in-game lately demonstrating an utter lack of class, I wondered whether perhaps folks just haven't had a chance to obtain wise counsel in regard to their behaviors. So today, Wings Over Atreia is proud to debut "Dear MJ," the new column designed to dispense invaluable -- though not necessarily solicited -- advice aimed at bettering our Atreian community.
Ask Massively: Welcome to here edition
If you follow MMO news at all, you probably caught the fact that Star Wars: The Old Republic is going free-to-play this fall. This is news only in the most abstract sense of the word. Seriously, it's been three years since Dungeons & Dragons Online made the switch. Basically every title in the world has now converted over and found out that F2P is more or less a license to print money. Free-to-play is not the future of MMOs; free-to-play is the right now and has been for a while. This week's installment of Ask Massively does not cover free-to-play conversions, but as you all know, I've never been a fan of strongly linking the opener to the rest of the article. No, this week we're talking about Blade & Soul. If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Safe for work edition
I'm happy to announce that this installment of Ask Massively is entirely safe for work. You can click past the link assured that an embedded video will not start autoplaying a rap video with explicit lyrics that have been banned in seven countries. There are no pictures or descriptions of acts between two consenting adults that would result in jail time or possible lingering infections within one's armpits. No, you can show what's past the break to your boss! Assuming that your boss is totally OK with your spending company time browsing MMO sites instead of doing your job. So in that sense, it's not all that safe. In any event, this week we're looking at the transfer of names between your favorite Guild Wars characters and their new counterparts in Guild Wars 2. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Owls, the bears of the sky edition
It is important in these troubling times that we understand what things are in relation to other things. Dogs, for example, are very clearly the sea lions of the land. Volcanoes are the ulcers of the earth, camels are the ships of the desert, and hoodies are the kangaroo costumes of the non-Australian. But what are owls? Owls are the bears of the sky, my friend. Inversely, bears are the owls of the land. I hope this makes your day-to-day life significantly easier. Now that I've gotten one of your major questions out of the way, I guess I can move on to finish up with the rest of Ask Massively, which discusses free-to-play profits versus sub profits and more about our comment system. (For the record, our comment system is the smoke signal of the site, if smoke signals also involved smiley faces and memes.) If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: All deckbuilders, all the time edition
Lately I've basically been unable to get enough of board games. I am sadly at the point that all I need to get excited about a game is the promise of cards and possibly some sort of combat. I'm going to blame Matt Daniel for introducing me to Thunderstone Advance because that introduced me to deckbuilders as a whole, and now I'm sitting here seriously considering buying a Japanese card game about assembling a maid harem. This is not a position I needed to be in. And now for something completely different: this week's Ask Massively. This time around, we're tackling the curious issue of Phantasy Star Online 2's slow process of translation, one that could be described as "glacial." If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for brevity and/or clarity.
Ask Massively: I hope you enjoyed your explosions edition
For Americans, yesterday was July 4th, also known as the one time of the year when it is considered perfectly acceptable to detonate small explosives in your yard. Why is that how we celebrate the birthday of our nation? I don't know. I just know that explosions are pretty fun, and so I look forward to the annual detonation of cheap boxes filled with gunpowder and other chemicals, creating a visually pleasing shower of sparks and flames. I'm also not clear on why we dress up like movie characters to celebrate the end of October, for the record. Whether or not you enjoyed yesterday's round of explosions, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, in which we tackle the big questions. Specifically, we tackle two big questions about the pace of major news releases and the boxed retail model for MMOs. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for brevity and/or clarity.
Ask Massively: I would like to play WildStar now please OK edition
At Massively, we all have our pet games, games that we follow with interest and that we want to do well. Some of mine are quite obvious, but if you weren't aware that WildStar is on that list, well, now you know. Come on, it's like Walt Disney's Firefly as an MMO and man everything I see about it just makes me want to start playing yesterday. This is kind of related to the fact that we had two separate interviews about it this week, if you hadn't guessed. It's also somewhat related to this week's Ask Massively questions, seeing as how one of those questions is about the games that we hate. Yes, I know, I did a topical introduction; I'm very ashamed of myself. I also answer a question about fantasy worlds in the distant future. If you've got a question you'd like to see in a future installment of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition
I really didn't expect the sheer volume of comments last week about getting or not getting a gaming laptop. That's my own fault for using a picture of a laptop as the header, I suppose. For the record, I bought a laptop, an Asus X54C as pictured above, to replace my netbook. Any games that I can run on that machine are essentially a bonus. I'm looking to replace my desktop, which is my preferred platform for gaming for several reasons. But I do appreciate all of the feedback! That was then, this is now, and now is all about a new set of answers in Ask Massively. This week, we're talking about the old standby of internet games, the games that were viral before "viral" was a thing: ARGs. If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, mail it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Shopping for new computers edition
I'm not having a great year for computers. Back in January, my much-loved netbook passed. I'd been having trouble with my desktop for quite some time after I bought it, and I'm pretty sure the processor is the root of the problems, but at this point it's just going to need a replacement. The plus side is that means that I have a large enough budget to afford a much better machine than I could when I bought this one, so it's almost a blessing in disguise. Of course, I'm writing this installment of Ask Massively on a computer, so clearly I'm capable of using such a device for important duties. Important duties like explaining why Final Fantasy XIV isn't offering players a free trial and why our comment system is experiencing a truly humbling bug. If you've got a question for a future installment, leave it in the comments below or mail it along to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Squee edition
Part of me could be nervous about what's coming next for Final Fantasy XIV, since it'll mean a lot of big changes for the game and it may no longer be quite the same place I now call home. But most of me is looking at new screenshots and squeeing. Literally squeeing. I mean that I am shaking my fists, beaming with joy, and making a high-pitched noise resembling that of a boiling teakettle. It won't excite everyone, but boy does it excite me. Seeing as I'm being a bit self-indulgent with this week's Ask Massively opener -- which happens about half of the time, I know -- you might not be surprised that this week's question is a little more indulgent, discussing what's expected of MMOs. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Haven't had an animal picture since March edition
So I was looking at the Wikipedia page for capybaras when I realized that I haven't had an animal picture as my header here since March. That just doesn't seem right. I do try to make a conscious effort to avoid putting animals up here all the time, but considering that a good portion of my day is spent thinking about critters, two months seems a really long while. So, here's a capybara. I was originally going to go with a tapir, but I have to pace myself. What was this column supposed to be about? Oh, right, it's the new installment of Ask Massively, discussing the issue of non-European fantasy settings and the potential for more love of crowdsourced projects. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Artists I actually dislike edition
For whatever reason, Rob Liefeld has become a mini-meme on my more meta columns of the week. He's a bad artist, yes, but as I've mentioned in the past, I don't actively dislike him. There are many people far more deserving of dislike. Case in point: Pat Lee. I'm not going to explain in depth right here, but suffice to say that the man has history of hobbies like not paying his employees and taking credit for the work of others. And he's not a very good artist. So let's move on from that meme, shall we? Great. Of course, if I'm talking about mini-memes on Ask Massively, that must mean that it's time for this week's installment, yes? Yes. And this week, we're talking about the now almost ubiquitous case of the Kickstarter project. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of Ask Massively, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Ask Massively: Overwhelming changes edition
I have to be honest, the Caitian Carrier for Star Trek Online kind of makes me want to give the game a shot again. I liked it when I played it before, but I just had no time to play it on top of everything else. But then I think about all the work I'd need to do just to get caught up to normal, and... yeah, that's about the point when my gumption evaporates. Still, though. Carrier. In other and far more relevant news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, which talks about the cycle of game announcement and subsequent disappointment. (Apropos of the recent beta weekends for The Secret World, naturally.) If you've got a question you would like to see answered in a future installment of the column, send it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
