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The Game Archaeologist and the year that was 2010
Earlier in the year when I started this column, I realized two things. First, I'd be giving myself as much as any of you a crash-course education in older MMOs, particularly with some of the more fringe titles that I'd never really explored up to this point. And second, it would be a challenge to find the right mix of elements to do these MMOs justice. So before we look back at all the games this column covered in 2010, I'd like to ask each and every one of you to take a minute and drop a comment about what you'd like to see The Game Archaeologist do next. What titles would you love to see honored in 2011? What features are the most interesting to you -- dev interviews, player interviews, history overviews, photo galleries, first impression playthroughs, or links to community fansites and blogs? What could I add to make The Game Archaeologist even better? I also want to take a minute to thank the readers, players and developers who have contributed to this column so far. While there are MMOs that get a lion's share of the press these days, we at Massively are committed to spotlighting as many of these games as possible, particularly if there's a passionate community and dev team behind them. I've loved hearing your stories and hope that in passing them along, perhaps we've opened a door or two to games that you might've never considered before. So let's hop in our hot air balloon and soar over the year that was 2010!
Rise and Shiny recap: Regnum Online
Regnum Online is an RvR-based game brought to us by NGD Studios. The motto for the game is "The best MMORPG with realm versus realm action for free." In other words, if you liked it in other games, you'll probably like it here, and for free! I can't really comment too much on this game's similarities to other RvR games, being that I only mildly experienced RvR in Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online so far. Either way, it's a forgivable offense -- DAoC didn't invent PvP, anyway. But then the question becomes: Does Regnum deliver fun of any kind? See, I long ago gave up on PvP -- it's really just a game of tag. In fact, it's one of the least "hardcore" activities that a player can participate in, simply because the "harsh" death penalty is generally equal to sitting down for a split second and maybe jogging a bit after. Granted, if this were real life we were talking about, many gamers might have a major issue with the jogging -- but it's not. Aren't PvP and MMORPGing supposed to be a semi-copy of real life, though? So where's the pain when you die? Where's the suffering or the punishment? Allods tried to punish players, but some players moaned about that. It turns out that the only fear of the Reaper is based on the fact that he has a 30 second stopwatch on. Then there is the PvE aspect of many PvP games like Regnum. Oh, boy -- the PvE.
Rise and Shiny recap: Dark Age of Camelot
I wanted to start this week's first impressions of Dark Age of Camelot with a clarification. I want to make sure that everyone knows exactly what I mean when I say, "I did a first impressions on that game." You'll notice that most (if not all) of the time I use the words "first impressions" instead of "in-depth review." We don't do those here on Massively; even our weeks-long Choose My Adventure series isn't a traditional review. We don't assign numbers or use any sort of scale. And from the very beginning of this column, I have maintained that premise -- I take a look at a game for a week and report on what I experienced, not on what I read about or was pressured into experiencing. I'm keeping that premise alive with Dark Age of Camelot. Yes, I know about the RvR. Yes, I'm aware that it's crazy good and it's what the game is "all about" according to readers. Did I experience it during my week in the game? No. While I'm sorry to disappoint already-familiar fans of the game, my job is to cover the initial experiences of the game for those who have not experienced it. This is not a trip down memory lane as much as a request for players to try the game out. So, what did I think? Let's take a look.
New Dark Age of Camelot patch goes live
BioWare-Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot is like a grizzled veteran soldier trapped deep behind enemy lines with nothing more than a bayonet and a can of rations -- no matter how bleak or hopeless things get, the old cuss just refuses to die. Incidentally, how weird is it to mention BioWare in a Dark Age of Camelot post? Anyway, I digress. Today marks the latest update to the long-running realm vs. realm MMORPG, and version 1.107 brings a few noteworthy changes to the endless fray. Chief among them is a class balance tweak that allows Savages to train the Realm Ability Charge. The powers-that-be have also lightened up on the stiff penalties for not paying your rent, as player housing contents will now be repossessed (as opposed to destroyed) when you fail to pay the landlord on time. Finally, Mythic has switched the realm timer back on, and it will now take five minutes to swap realms on the same cluster. For a full listing of the patch changes, visit the official website.
The Re-Enlisters: Re-enlisting for truth, justice and the Mythic way
The Re-Enlisters are on the loose, so prepare to feel the magic and hear their roar! Hm... that might be Thundercats. In any event, the we-so-crazy folks at Mythic have put together a smashing campaign across all three of their titles -- Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online -- to attract new players and pull back in those missing in action: Ultima Online: We've already heard about the upcoming High Seas mini-expansion that's currently cutting its way through beta, but Mythic is also tempting buccaneers with a bevy of swag if they sign back up before October 11th. Dark Age of Camelot: For the next two weeks, returning players will be treated to 14 days of free game time, special bonuses, and a "Heroes of the Realm" live event. Warhammer Online: WAR is offering a similar deal of two weeks' worth of free game time for re-enlisters, and is throwing in three fun in-game items such as the skeletonizing Signet of the Cursed Company to sweeten the deal. The three MMO teams also put together a pretty funny retro-style video to promote the campaign, which you can view after the jump.
Dark Age of Camelot patch 1.106 arrives on live servers
The newest update on the Dark Age of Camelot site was a welcome one for players: "Status - Maintenance has completed. All servers are up and running version 1.106." The servers went down earlier today to add patch 1.106 to DAoC, and when they returned, there was a lot to see in the game world. The full version of the patch notes is pretty long and can be found on the site, but there are some highlights that players will especially enjoy. New gear is up for grabs along with new repeatable content that grants experience and aurulite should keep players busy for quite a while. Celtic dual wielding characters have been improved, as has itemization for three dungeons. These are just a few of the many changes, so check out the patch notes for all the details.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best PvP?
Player vs. player -- a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of some, indigestion into the hearts of others, and a rich sauce of adrenaline and righteous anger into the hearts of the rest. It's generally a love-it-or-hate-it feature, as gamers choose a side and demean the other crowd with kindergarten-level insults. Assuming that you appreciate PvP in some format or other, which MMORPG did it the best? Which tackled that complex equation of skill, objective, and faction balancing and came out on top? Was it Dark Age of Camelot's infamous three-sided feud? Are you partial to World of Warcraft's battleground and arena system? Is EVE Online all the hardcore PvP you'll ever need? Or do you love MMOs that are specifically designed to be PvP battlefields, like Warhammer Online and APB? So today, set yourself up as Judge Judy and executioner -- which MMO has the best PvP?
The Game Archaeologist and the Girdle of Anarchy: The history
"The future in your hands," Funcom promised gamers in the early days of the new decade. As the MMORPG genre slowly took shape and grew in popularity, game studios were still babes in the woods, feeling out this brave and complex new world without a standard handbook to guide them to success. EverQuest focused on large group content and raids, Dark Age of Camelot featured Realm vs. Realm conflict, and RuneScape brought the MMO to the browser. Everyone desperately hoped he had the next big hook that would reel in gamers by the thousands, especially Norwegian developer Funcom, which made headlines in 1999 with its highly acclaimed adventure The Longest Journey. Funcom took one look at the small but expanding MMO market, got together in a group huddle, and said, "You know what guys? This fantasy thing, it's everywhere. Let's do something different. Let's drill for sci-fi gold. And let's throw in robots, cuddly rodents, randomly generated missions and a bitter rivalry between factions. Geronimo!"* (*Quote fabricated by author.) And thus, almost a decade ago, Anarchy Online hit the industry like a sack of broken features. It wasn't the stellar debut Funcom desired, but the game endured and went on to carve itself out a workable plot of land. This month, The Game Archaeologist trades in his rugged leather attire for space armor and a high-powered laser rifle. The year is 29475, and the place is Babylon 5. Er, Rubi-Ka.
More RvR pack details in the newest Warhammer Online producer's letter
The beginning of a new month is upon us, and that means we're due for another producer's letter for Warhammer Online. This letter is coming on the heels of the major announcement of the RvR pack, so it was inevitable that the letter would have a veritable buffet of information for players, and it doesn't disappoint. As the letter explains, the addition of the RvR packs is the capstone on the design work that's been done over the past several months, focusing on the battles of RvR and trimming away the extraneous elements. Naturally, there's more information on the role of the Skaven, who will be playable by either realm rather than simply being an NPC faction. There's also more talk about the increase in the RR cap, with the goal being a closer approximation of Dark Age of Camelot's similar system. Carrie Gouskos also re-emphasizes that the game isn't going free-to-play at the moment and the team has no plans to change that. Warhammer Online fans should be very happy about the newest letter -- it promises many good things for the game in the near future.
The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: A talk with Mark Jacobs
Life is full of serendipitous moments. For example, the other day I found the Holy Grail at a garage sale while looking through a box of half-broken Transformers. Who would have thought? If only the Knights Templar took a few Saturdays off from their epic quest to do a bit of bargain shopping. Consider also that this month we've been reminiscing about Dark Age of Camelot in this column -- looking at the history, the devs, and the players -- and then, out of nowhere (well, technically Virginia) one of the key figures of this title returned from a year-long sabbatical. Mark Jacobs, who was let go from EA last June, recently popped back up on his personal blog to talk about everything under the sun. Hey -- isn't DAoC under the sun? Why yes, yes it is. So I threw on my hiking boots, strapped a machete to my thigh, hired a Sherpa, and then composed a quick message to see if Mr. Jacobs would be willing to be interviewed by the eccentric media. He agreed, as long as we stuck to the topic at hand and didn't veer into his plans for world domination. Whoops... I've said too much. Hit the jump before I get into hot water. My Sherpa hates hot water.
The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Your journeys
These days just about everyone thinks he has what it takes to be a Knight of the Round Table. It takes more than a shiny shield and a sharp sword, as the Game Archaeologist discovered. It also requires a $14.95 credit card charge. Former and current knights poured out of the woodwork to offer up some of their very favorite memories of Dark Age of Camelot. It is, in a way, a better testimony to the game than an objective history and developers' opinions. For some, DAoC was their first MMO love, and more than a couple people said it was the single best MMO experience they've ever had. While many players have moved on, these memories burn bright, and it didn't take much prompting for DAoC vets to wing a quick word of praise our way. Blink twice to clear out any eye irritants, and prepare yourself for a marvelous trip back in time to an era of hodgepodge PvP and fierce realm rivalries.
Dark Age of Camelot 1.105 goes live, updates training window
BioWare Mythic has given us a heads-up regarding the latest update to its venerable Dark Age of Camelot MMORPG. The PvP-centric fantasy title has gone live with version 1.105, and the patch brings with it quite a number of changes, including the long-awaited training-window UI enhancements. The training-window tweaks feature the ability to train multiple specialization levels and Realm abilities simultaneously, as Stuart Zissu details in this producer's letter. The new patch also boasts buff display adjustments, numerous class-balancing changes focusing on the bainshee, and itemization revamps of world dungeons including the Catacombs of Cardova, Varulvhamn, and Treibh Caillte. Finally, Albion, Midgard, and Hibernian epic armors have had their attributes bumped upwards and also feature additional skills. Check out the patch notes at the the Camelot Herald.
The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Interview with Mythic
After last week's expedition into the dark Dark Age of Camelot, the Game Archaeologist uncovered the mightiest weapon of them all: the Hammer of Nostalgia. The hammer may be battle-worn, but it has never seen better days. Everywhere it strikes, fond memories of epic keep battles surface, and former players feel compelled to sign up for another tour of duty. The Game Archaeologist proceeded to take the hammer back to its makers, the sweat-stained smithies at Mythic Entertainment (now BioWare Mythic), to see whether they thought there was any magic left in the game. Two burly men put down their steel tools and stepped forward to testify, and their names were Colin of the Hicks and Jeff "Soulstriker" Hickman. The air became thick with memories as the duo recalled the early days of the hammer's history, when players were initially adding to its strength with each victory and each crushing defeat. Pull up a stool to hear their tale, and when you are done, send in your own favorite DAoC memories (100 words max, please) to justin@massively.com for next week's column!
The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: The history
After a two-week hiatus to recover from rattlesnake bites and a bear to the face, the Game Archeologist returns to travel to England, but not the England we know today. No, this is the England-That-Could-Have-Been, the England of King Arthur, Excalibur and pointy-hatted Vikings. This is the England of fairy tales and legends and blocky 2001-era polygon models. It is the England of three realms constantly jockeying for supremacy and power. It is Dark Age of Camelot. It's a pretty awesome place to live, even though the property values are way, way down after the last 18 marauding hordes trampled through the neighborhood. This month, the Game Archaeologist is trading in his copyright-infringement fedora and whip for a sturdy suit of armor and a fiery sword as he slashes his way into Dark Age of Camelot. It doesn't matter if it's only a model -- it still inspires him to break out into song anyway.
DAoC scavenges the dead for The Infernal Auction
Hot on the heels of the recent Infernal Awakenings is another Developer Live Event for Dark Age of Camelot players called The Infernal Auction. Reportedly, the DAoC team was pleased by the response of the first Live Event and is striving to bring them more often to the game. The Infernal Auction is the result of enterprising salesmen who have scoured the battlefields following the demon invasion, and who are now bringing their questionable loot to the citizens of each realm. The merchants will not only be selling party-appropriate material (fireworks! booze!) but will hold a grand auction on August 19th where players can bid on unique and powerful items. Players who were a key part of the Infernal Awakenings battle also should speak to NPC Jonda Dawn for a special reward for their efforts. You can read the full details of this new DAoC Live Event over at the Camelot Herald.
The Daily Grind: Do you feel like you missed out on the golden days of MMOs?
Depending on who you talk to and their personal perspective, I could be considered either a MMO newbie or a seasoned veteran. While I tinkered around with Anarchy Online a bit back in 2003, I never started seriously playing MMORPGs until City of Heroes and World of Warcraft in 2004 (and haven't stopped since!). While six-plus years of gaming isn't inconsequential, there are plenty out there who cut their teeth on older titles: the EverQuests, the Dark Age of Camelots, the Ultima Onlines, and even the MUDders. To them, I'm a greenhorn and forever will be. For those of you who haven't been there since the beginning, do you feel like you missed out on the golden era of MMOs? Do you regret not hopping on board earlier, either to experience these titles in their wild youth or to gain gamer cred by being able to say "I was there back when"? While I have no delusions that those earlier days and older MMOs were as user-friendly (or even as fun) as games are today, I do wish I had hopped on board right at the beginning. Heck, if I had known about MUDs in college, you bet I would've been in one instead of spending time with girls and textbooks (oh, wait...). I would've liked to have seen those communities in action, and would've loved to seen the genre grow from the very start instead of the middle. How about you?
DAoC Producer's Letter puts on training wheels, er, windows
Like fine wine, Dark Age of Camelot is improving with age, at least according to the recent Producer's Letter for the game. Stuart Zissu crowed about the success of the dev team's first Live Event -- called "Infernal Awakenings" -- which saw developer-controlled demons rampaging across the world. Apparently, it was such a success that the dev team is deep into planning the next Live Event. Belford was also excited to talk about the new training window UI, which is set to arrive in the game very shortly. This updated interface lets players map out their specializations in advance via sliders so that they can create the exact character build they desire. Once a desired build is found, the game will automatically refashion your character's stats and abilities to match. The DAoC team is also working on ways to make the game more accessible to all, including additional character transfers and payment methods. You can read Andy Belford's full Producer's Letter at The Camelot Herald.
Update on the Warhammer Online transition for European players
If you've been enjoying Warhammer Online over in Europe, it's been impossible to miss all of the information about Mythic Entertainment taking over the game's operation. Much as it did with the Dark Age of Camelot transition earlier this year, Mythic is replacing GOA as the direct operator. The team behind the game has been trying to keep the process of transition as transparent as possible, and the result has been that it appears to be clear sailing for the switched operators, according to the most recent announcement. Although the original timeline called for the transition to run until July 7th, it appears that the change has been completed, with all existing accounts transferred over with the suffix "_EUR." (So "Facemasher" would be "Facemasher_EUR" to log in.) While the team doesn't anticipate any problems, it's continuing to improve French and German customer service bases. As such, the team is asking for players to submit English requests when possible during the transition period. Warhammer Online players should be pleased at the smoothness of the transition, but are still advised to keep their eyes open on the off chance something went strange.
Dark Age of Camelot overhauls classic drops
Rejoice, Mythic fans -- the dark days may be over now that there's a new loot sheriff in town! Michael Knudson, a new developer on the Dark Age of Camelot team, is jazzed to share an exciting update to the game. Starting with DAoC's patch 1.104, sections of the Classic World are getting a loot overhaul. Apparently, the loot set long ago by Mythic has been made obsolete due to the improvements handed down by the expansions, and they're looking to fix that. "It is our intent that these changes will make these items once more desirable to both new and veteran players leveling up through the Classic World," Knudson writes on the Camelot Herald. "Over the coming months, we will be revisiting additional classic world dungeons in a similar fashion with the goal being to breathe new life into other existing dungeons. Additionally, as one more way to sweeten the pot, we have added several new and unique items that will drop from some of the more notable denizens in these respective dungeons." Stonehenge Barrows in Albion, Spindelhalla in Midgard, and Coruscating Mine in Hibernia are first up for the upgraded loot treatment, with more to follow in successive patches. More yummy loot -- what's not to like? You can check out all the details on the new DAoC itemization in the 1.104 patch notes. [Via MMOCrunch]
Warhammer Online and Dark Age of Camelot olive branches now available
The past couple of months have not been kind to Mythic Entertainment, with an uncomfortable double-header of a huge billing fiasco followed by the closure of the Mythic Store. The billing especially produced a great deal of outrage from players, understandably concerned about their account security as well as the potential impact on their bank accounts. Even reversing the charges didn't leave everyone completely mollified -- but Mythic has put in the effort to try and not just apologize and reverse the error, but help regain the trust and goodwill of the players. Both Warhammer Online and Dark Age of Camelot players will receive two items of their choice on all current and future characters, with Warhammer Online mailing out tokens and Dark Age of Camelot simply allowing you to talk to a Royal Accountant. The items include dyes, decorations, temporary disguises, and other fun toys for players to help recover from the aftershocks. On the off chance that you didn't receive the items and were billed multiple times, the team at Mythic has a specific appeals process to ensure correct delivery. As bad as the error was, it's good to see that players will be compensated nicely for as long as they keep playing.
