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Interview with a farmer
No, not a farmer in World of Warcraft gold farmer, but an Everquest 2 plat farmer. When EQ2 player Ogrebear received a tell from someone trying to sell him plat, he responded how he usually did -- with a threat. However, this particular plat seller actually responded to Ogrebear's tell, resulting in an interesting conversation that gives us a bit of insight into the industry.So what does this farmer make? About $100 a month for seven hours work a day. (Ogrebear notes that that's 71 cents an hour if he only works five days a week.)How many characters does this farmer go through in a week? Seven. But apparently it's profitable enough to keep at it.What's this mean to those of us playing World of Warcraft? It means that Blizzard has an uphill battle ahead of them -- the farmers are making enough money to keep at this, despite bannings. And I've got to wonder if they can ever ban enough of them. Perhaps this explains Blizzard's recent push to resolve this issue via legal methods.[Via PlayNoEvil]
Why other MMOs remain the underdogs
Over at MMOG Nation Michael tries to answer the question of why Everquest 2 remains an underdog in the MMO market despite numerous updates and improvements to the game by SOE. And I've got to say I agree with his answer -- whether we're talking about Everquest 2, Lord of the Rings Online, or even Star Wars Galaxies (do people still play that game?). Despite how good other games may be, if all of your friends play World of Warcraft, I bet you're going to be playing World of Warcraft, too. While MMOGCHART hasn't been updated in nearly a year now, their last set of data breaking down the number of active subscribers maintained by all of the major MMOs at the time showed World of Warcraft holding over 50% of the market, leaving a dozen games to split the remaining half of the market. And just looking at my circle of friends, all of them play World of Warcraft -- a couple of them play Everquest on the side, several of us play Lord of the Rings Online as well, and one dabbles in the world of Final Fantasy. But if I want to hang out with all of my friends, I've got to log on to World of Warcraft. So how's the next big thing going to break into the market when all of my friends -- and probably yours -- play WoW? I'm guessing it won't be able to simply be a Warcraft-alike, but be something so far beyond World of Warcraft today that it will draw in the same mass of subscribers WoW did in its initial release. So what do you think the next big thing will be in the MMO market -- or is it so far off that we'll all just be playing a different Blizzard game by then? (I'm still waiting on World of Starcraft, thank you very much!
EverQuest II on the PS3, or a bad case of the mis-typings? [Update 1]
French website Play 3 Live has upped some scans of, supposedly, a PS3 port of the moderately popular MMORPG EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer. The pictures they threw up depiciting the apparent port are all of some pretty freaky-looking fairies with quality not much enhanced from the PC version of the game. This could be because of fears of lag issues for the PS3 version, or because it might end up being a fully downloadable title. The latter speculation is an extreme stretch, but who can be sure? After scouring the SOE Press Center, we've located what possibly could be the root of this rumor. The listing on Sony Online Entertainment's official site teases readers with the listing of the game as a " PC PS3" release. The pictures aren't in widescreen -- a staple of the PS3 gaming library. We're still keeping this as a rumor, but from the shady speculation surrounding this event, we'd bet our pirate booty that this is all a big error in typing. A mis-type, if you will. For the uninitiated, just in case this turns out to be true, EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer tells the tale of [insert cookie-cutter MMO plotline and gameplay mechanics]. Don't get us wrong, we're not hating on EQ2, but just like many MMO's, FPS's based in WWII, and JRPG's featuring spiky-haired and oddly prepubescent youths, there's not much to separate it from a crowd. [Update: IGN contacted SOE and as we imagined, the rumor has been confirmed to be completely untrue.]
What is the ideal raid size?
Over at Elitist Jerks Quigon of Maraudor started a thread about raiding. In it he philosophizes about raiding as we knew it, and how things have changed since the expansion. Raids in the original WoW varied in size, but the main push was toward the 40-man grouping. We did it in MC, in Naxxramas, even with the world dragons. But with the large number of members the encounters were for the most part simplistic, since it takes a great deal of skill to coordinate a large number of people to do just about anything. As Quigon puts it, the feeling of an epic fight has diminished somehow, despite the new encounters being more challenging. There isn't the same amount of excitement as a boss drops, that tangible electricity over the Vent channel. Is this because the encounters still need some tune ups, or is it because of the smaller group? Do you get the same swelling of pride as you form up as a group of 25 heroes to wage war as you would if there were 40 of your brethren around you? On the other hand, what about the 72-man raids in Everquest? Since we have so many variations in spec, build and class these days, wouldn't more people in a raid be better than fewer? He raises a lot of stimulating questions, questions I'd love to hear your perspective on. What is the perfect raid size? Is it 10, 40, or 100? [via Elitist Jerks]
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A whole slew of EverQuest and EverQuest II, electric boogaloo
Sony Online Entertainment gave us a lot of EverQuest to digest recently, including the fact that they are only going to be releasing one expansion per year from now on. Players were complaining that with the expansion packs coming out every time they blinked six months, they weren't getting enough time to explore the new worlds. Speaking of new worlds, if you've never jumped on board the EverQuest bandwagon, you can pick up the just released EverQuest: The Anniversary Edition for only $19.99. It contains every expansion ever made for EverQuest, which at last count was thirteen. That's a lot of adventuring, folks. Hard to believe it's been around for eight years now. EverQuest II also gets some love in the form of a huge new expansion called The Rise of Kunark, which comes out in November. It adds a new playable race, weapons, armor, zones, deities, now level cap at 80, and even a new mount ... a rhinoceros. We're not sure about you, but tooling around on a rampaging rhino sounds like sweet ride. %Gallery-3065%
Role-playing titles that made a "quantum leap"
Gamasutra recently polled its readers on which role-playing game made the biggest "quantum leap" at the time it was released. Any RPG throughout the history of the genre was fair pickings, but the top entry was the game that received the most votes from readers identified as industry professionals (because grunts like you and me only dilute the quality of the selection process).Classic heavyweights such as Final Fantasy IV, Neverwinter Nights, EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II, and the Ultima series are celebrated as honorable mentions, which illustrates the impressive depth of the genre. I won't reveal the top five vote-getters, but a certain spike-haired dude with a huge sword is absent from the list -- just one omission of many that should fuel some interesting debates among the RPG faithful. What are your thoughts about the list?See also: "Epic" RPGs: too time-consuming for casual gamers? "RPG" missing from today's MMORPGs
EQII: Echoes of Faydwer previewed
GameSpy has put together a preview of SOE's new EverQuest II expansion, Echoes of Faydwer. Scheduled for a November launch, Echoes is the third proper EQII expansion following Desert of Flames and Kindgom of Sky. Perhaps hoping to court new players who may only be familiar with the PS2's Champions of Norrath series (or to convert stalwarts of the original EQ), SOE returns the action to the popular setting of Faydwer. The Faydark zone will actually be a starting point for a new pixie race, and you'll have the opportunity to pray at the altars of classic deities such as Mithaniel Marr and Innoruuk to earn miracle items that will aid you in your quests. While you're on your knees, pray you have enough time to actually play Echoes with the deluge of new games and console launches arriving this holiday season.
Rehab center for video game addicts opens in Amsterdam
If you're worried your World of Warcraft habit might be getting a little out of hand, you might think about checking yourself into the Wild Horses Center in Amsterdam. Their video game rehab program, which was started by addiction specialists Smith and Jones, is designed to help you replace the excitement of the fantasy world with real world experiences such as therapy sessions and group interaction. The 16th century town house, in which the patients reside, has no access to gaming of any kind, making it the perfect place to take in the non-polygonal sights the real world has to offer. Unlike the novelty cellphone addiction program being implemented at a Chicago Hotel, Wild Horses is staffed with certified psychologists and addiction specialists that can offer legitimate help to those unwilling to leave their games to have a social life or even use the bathroom. With impressive next-generation consoles like the Wii and the PS3 promising an even more engrossing gaming experience in the near future, we can't help but think this kind of facility might start popping up in other parts of the world as well. Since there probably isn't one in your area yet, we suggest you follow these instructions for making your own game addiction patch. First, tear off two pieces of duct tape. Second, place one piece of the duct tape over the A/V inputs on your TV and the other over the ASDW keys on your keyboard. Then go outside already, would you?
Introducing the official SOE podcast
Last Thursday, the first official Sony Online Entertainment podcast surfaced on the esteemed Major Nelson's blog. Yes, you read that correctly. The podcast can be downloaded here. However, I'm afraid you won't find it as engaging as other kinds of podcasts coming from certain inside sources (we're lookin' at you Major).And why don't they have a blog? The cart may have gotten ahead of the horse on that one. At any rate, you're probably wondering what they talk about. Lots of Everquest, and LOTS of scripted discussions. Sony, if you are reading: drop the scripts and lose the incessant background music!The idea behind this is really good though (if it were implemented right). To make this into something worthwhile they could fire the talking robots, stop reading straight off a script and tackle issues that more gamers can relate too about the PS3 (though this is SOE after all, hence the chosen topics). Podcasts make excellent PR tools and Sony could cover a lot of ground if they did this right.
First impressions: Everquest II addons
Everquest II, released over 18 months ago, is being continually revived with expansions and adventure packs. Expansions are full-blown boxed releases which add a great deal of content to the game, sometimes introducing major gameplay changes -- adventure packs are cheaper digital downloads that add new zones and story arcs. The third adventure pack, The Fallen Dynasty, features the addition of a new set of Eastern-themed zones. In order to feel foreign, a strong Oriental touch runs through the landscape, from pagodas to rice paddies. The adventure pack is heavy on story, and players will have to earn the trust of NPCs before parts of the story unfold.
You'll kry when Krowbar kwits
We are getting close to hitting our quota of maudlin MMORPG music vids for the day. You did watch the Drakedog suicide vid, right? This very special flash video from the wayback machine will mean the most to those of you who played (and by "played" we mean "dedicated your life to raiding in") end-game Everquest, but it should also be familiar to anyone who's joined a guild in a MMOG and has experienced the requisite drama that comes with the guild structure. This video's so friggin' over the top with the melodrama that it's downright hilarious, if you understand the context. Yes, that's a 1.0 cleric epic you spied there. The truly leet can name the purple armor, too. Thanks for hosting, Flowers of Happiness!
Sony's MMO marketing shows signs of desperation
Many of you showed scorn at one of Sony Online Entertainment's recent moves, their "all-in-one" Station Access Collection MMO bundle. But wait; they're not done yet. If playing PlanetSide for free isn't enough for you, SOE have teamed up with FilePlanet to offer a month's free play of EverQuest II. Not tempted? How about some Star Wars Galaxies TV commercials to pique your interest? (Ignore what dedicated players are saying; hardcore players are so last season.) We hope the marketing department hasn't run out of ideas yet; SOE are definitely piling on the publicity, but given the reaction to their Station Access Collection announcement, all this still won't be enough to rejuvenate their aging MMOs. Casual gamers or those new to MMOs might get suckered in briefly, but we're unlikely to see a huge rush of new players as a result of all these campaigns; if anything, the over-promotion will put people off.
Sony's MMOs to be available in one package
The variety of MMOs on the market can be confusing to new players, especially if you want to try multiple games out before you subscribe. Sony appear to have acknowledged this need with their new Station Access Collection which includes Sony Online Entertainment's top MMOs in one package. The collection, available for $39.99 from March 14th, consists of EverQuest Evolution, EverQuest II, PlanetSide Aftershock, The Matrix Online and Star Wars Galaxies. Crucially, it'll include a month's free play for each bundled game, giving players a chance to try out all the offerings. Other publishers with a wide range of MMOs on offer may want to take a tip from Sony for a change; the perceived value is likely to make this product far more appealing than a single standalone game for the same price.
Gold farming mogul comes clean
It's rare to hear gold farmers speak up and give details on their business, which is exactly what the folks at Terra Nova have unearthed. Despite the stereotype, not all gold, plat or gil farmers in massively multiplayer games are Chinese; an American farmer who made something approaching $150,000 in a year from platinum harvesting has come forward on an Everquest board to speak out.This history of gold farming in Everquest, from a first-person perspective, is fascinating. However, if this farmer is indicative of the profession, then it seems that foreign competition and the use of exploits are seriously threatening "home-grown" farmers' businesses. As Terra Nova points out, the question is whether anyone other than the farmers really cares.
