game-styles
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The Soapbox: Everybody wins
I make no bones about the fact that despite working in this industry for three years, I know there are parts about MMOs and the culture around them that I just do not get. For example, I still have no idea what possesses someone to think that "toon" is a good term for characters. But on a slightly more serious note, I have no idea what makes people cheer for a game to fail. You see it everywhere. World of Warcraft subscription numbers drop; people cheer. Something bad happens to EVE Online's community; people cheer. A game goes free-to-play; people announce the game's impending demise and begin cheering prematurely. A game closes down; people cheer. I don't get this. All right, I get it on the most basic level, inasmuch as this is a game you don't like and you're willing to publicly crow about your schadenfreude. The thing is that this is never a good thing. Cheering for a game you dislike to do badly does not result in anything good.
The Daily Grind: Twitch reflexes or slow strategy?
The earliest games were all about reflexes. Look back at any classic game you care to name -- in the days of the arcades, skill was determined first, foremost, and only by how well you could react to changes in a split second. Combat in an MMO, by and large, is a very different creature. Due to issues of network latency and changes in design overall, most MMOs feature a slower pace and a greater emphasis on carefully planning out attacks. Certain games have entire classes devoted to a strategic building approach, such as the Warden of Lord of the Rings Online. But reflexes haven't vanished from games by any stretch of the imagination. There are fights with very little chance for players to react, fights where the difference between the dead and the living is how fast one gets off a heal. Upcoming games such as TERA and All Points Bulletin promise to bring a more action-oriented approach to MMO combat, but is that something you want? While no game swings entirely to one side or the other, would you rather have combat leaning more on your reflexes or your ability to plan?
