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The Daily Grind: To what lengths will you go for 'free' limited-time goodies?
I like to think of myself as a person who covets his time and won't spend it frivolously grinding, but once in a while I fall for it. "It" in this case being a limited-time event in an MMO where a particularly tantalizing reward is dangled in front of me. Common sense will flee and I'll find myself neck-deep in an obsessive grind to get this free goodie. Neverwinter was the most recent that trapped me. I couldn't help it, you see. There was the promise of a cute little healing fawn companion if I'd only go fishing during the winter event. That sounded pretty doable, that is until I hit hour five of non-stop carp capture and realized that I was in for a real grind marathon to pull this off. Very long story short, I got the fawn but really wish I hadn't wasted so many hours doing it. That's my story. What's yours? 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 Mechanics: Kill 10 rats can be fun!
Quests are increasingly an MMO enthusiast's bread and butter, often becoming the staple component of a game's typical serving of progressive content. Over the years, developers have tried to serve up this familiar progression mechanic in many different ways: The modern themepark MMO makes us fetch, carry, explore, and investigate our way to the endgame through countless quest types and story arcs. Among the varieties of quest on offer, kill quests seem to cause the most tears and tantrums amongst picky players. No matter what developers do, there just isn't much love for missions that send characters off with a shopping list of mundane creatures to crush. Kill quests have become so common that plenty of MMOs have cheekily referenced the "10 rats" trope by literally making us smash in some rodent skulls, but killing cute, twitchy-nosed creatures is not the real problem. It's the uninspired kill list mechanic that often incites complaints of developer laziness, an argument that I don't think is justified. Kill quests exist to hone your skills through repetition, but they don't have to feel like an arduous grinding task and are actually a very useful mechanic for game designers. In this week's MMO Mechanics, I stand up for the unloved stepchild of questing; I'll show you that killing a list of creatures can be both contextually engaging and mechanistically interesting, depending on how it's presented.
How Turbine plans to make Helm's Deep matter
Turbine's latest Lord of the Rings Online dev diary is worth reading if you're wondering how the dev team plans to generate suspense in a narrative where it doesn't actually exist. We know how the battle of Helm's Deep turns out, in other words, and so gameplay in LotRO's forthcoming expansion presents a design challenge when it comes to keeping players engaged. Turbine's solution involves the moment-to-moment state of a battle whose ultimate outcome is already decided. "How many soldiers survive the wall, how many banners were burnt down, how many injured Rohirrim survived a diversionary assault," the firm asks. "All of these questions, and more, matter for various quests and objectives within Helm's Deep."
Cryptic details Star Trek Online's latest fleet progression update
Another day, another Star Trek Online dev blog. Today's wall o' text is titled Fleet System Expansion: Spire Outpost, and as you might guess, it concerns the game's next fleet holding. "The Spire can be most closely compared to the Embassy in terms of it being more about providing high-end equipment than it is about providing fleet convenience and discounts," Cryptic says. "That being said, there are some excellent benefits for fleets that progress through the Spire holding's tiers." The Spire ultimately provides an additional progression avenue for STO fleets, complete with new rewards, a new social environment, and plenty of unlockable special projects. Read all about it via the links below.
Research suggests MMOs may 'encourage pathological game use'
Researchers at the University of Missouri have authored a study suggesting that MMORPGs are "the most addictive genre of video games." The study also indicates that unhealthy game play can manifest in both "very casual" and "hardcore" adult gamers, and it's usually fueled by desires for escapism, social interaction, and rewards. "We did not find a perfect relationship between total time spent playing games and addictive video game behaviors," said study co-author Christopher Engelhardt, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Health Psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "Additionally, other variables such as the proportion of free time spent playing video games seem to better predict game addiction above and beyond the total amount of time spent playing video games." The study says that MMORPGs pose a "triple threat" due to level advancement, team play, and enormous fantasy worlds that may "encourage pathological game use."
Get your free EverQuest II heroic character starting October 1
SOE is putting the finishing touches on EverQuest II's heroic characters, according to a new producer's letter from Holly Longdale. The pre-leveled toons are designed to allow EQII players to get together from the get-go, whether those players are former Norrathians daunted by the level 95 cap or high-level players who don't want to repeat low-level content with their newbie friends. "The goal is to provide a fun and easy option for existing and returning players to play or experiment with our characters and have immediate access to high-level content," Longdale explains. Beginning on October 1st, the Hero's Call event will allow players to create a heroic character for free. After the event ends on the 15th, HCs will be available from the cash shop. Full details are yours via the links below.
The Daily Grind: Will you repeat old content with a new class?
There's a new power set in DC Universe Online this week. In fact, there's a whole lot of new stuff courtesy of the game's eighth DLC drop. Sons of Trigon added the Celestial power -- among other things -- which puts another healer class in the game's extensive toolbox. I've played the game quite a bit but I've never gone the healer route, so the new Celestial trees are somewhat appealing. The problem, though, is that I've played DCUO's 1-to-30 stuff numerous times already, and I'm intimately familiar with nearly all of the quests and locations in Gotham and Metropolis. As interesting as Celestial sounds, I'm probably going to leave it alone until some fresh lower-level content makes its way into the game. What about you, Massively readers? Is a new class or archetype enough to get you to repeat oft-repeated older content? 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: Why do you like character development and progression?
I dislike MMO progression. No, seriously. I dislike it mainly because it feels like a job and I already have a couple of those. If I could start every MMORPG at max level and just explore the world and/or enjoy the narrative I would do so without thinking twice about all the grindy, repetitive "gameplay" I'd be missing. See, I play video games to have certain experiences that I can't have in meatspace. I can't very well drive a GT40, hunt bounties in the Old West, or customize my own spaceship outside of gaming. But I can climb a career ladder toward a distant and theoretically rewarding end goal in real life, so I don't see the appeal of doing it in games. Obviously, though, some people love progression and character development. Heck, I'd go so far as to say that most people love them, at least in this genre, because almost every game uses them as a core mechanic. And assuming you're one of those people, today's Daily Grind question is for you. Why do you like character development and progression? 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!
Some Assembly Required: Want a real living story? Try a sandbox!
I'm going to criticize Guild Wars 2 this week, or more accurately, ArenaNet. I know, I know. I might as well change the name of this column to How to Alienate Friends, Co-workers, and Commenters. As a qualifier, I don't play Guild Wars 2. I have in the past, briefly, but my criticisms today are mostly directed at ANet's marketing folks or whoever is responsible for the Living Story refrain that gets sillier and sillier every time I hear it.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO dungeon?
I've been running a lot of flashpoint PUGs in Star Wars: The Old Republic lately, mainly because I'd like to finish my story quests but I can't bear to level via the usual FedEx-this-and-kill-that paradigm any longer. I've never been a dungeon crawler, but the SWTOR variants I've done thus far have been pretty enjoyable, mainly because of their nods to Star Wars lore. What are some of the dungeons you've most enjoyed over the years? Did you enjoy them due to the mechanics, the story, or both? What's your favorite MMO dungeon? 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: Does double XP give you altitis?
My poor Gunslinger. He's been hovering around level 50 for weeks, and I planned on using last weekend's Star Wars: The Old Republic double XP event to finally get him moving toward Makeb. Alas, I opted to get a few more alts off the starter planets and past Coruscant instead. I did this because double XP in SWTOR really ought to be on all the time. See, the accelerated advancement is tuned almost perfectly if your aim is to level up doing nothing but your class story quests and a couple of flashpoint dungeons. There's no need to grind through all the repetitive filler in between the story missions, and so I wanted to get as many alts as possible off of the newbie planets so that I can get on with the business of finishing their story arcs. What about you, Massively readers? Do double experience events give you altitis, or do you normally stick with a main character? 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 grind for max level prior to a cap increase?
So Rise of the Hutt Cartel descended on Star Wars: The Old Republic last week, bringing with it some new content and five additional levels. BioWare hosted a series of double XP weekends leading up to the expansion's early release, presumably to aid players in getting a few of their avatars to the level cap. I partook as much as I could, but I didn't quite make it as I'm still sitting at 48 on my Gunslinger. I'm not usually a grinder, but for some reason I found myself disappointed that I didn't hit the cap before it was raised. What about you, Massively readers? Do you grind for max level when you know a cap increase is on the way, or do you just go about your normal business and enjoy the experience? 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!
SWTOR dev blog details new GSI faction
BioWare world designers Steven Chew and Michael Ammer want you to know about Galactic Solutions Industries (GSI), a new faction that debuts in Star Wars: The Old Republic's Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. The firm is a weapons research and manufacturing conglomerate, and you'll find its mission terminals scattered across multiple planets. When your GSI reputation level is high enough, you'll be able to purchase certain rewards from GSI headquarters on Nar Shaddaa's upper promenade. Full details are yours for the reading via the latest SWTOR dev blog.
EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win?
Several years ago, the subscription model was king and the mere mention of an MMO selling in-game items for cash was almost enough to cause a virtual riot. RMT was the devil, and players who bought swords or spaceships for cash deserved nothing short of a permanent ban. The past decade of development has changed the MMO landscape and brought in a new generation of gamers with different attitudes. Today's players have grown up with and embraced ideas like the free-to-play business model, microtransaction shops, and perhaps even the idea of buying in-game advantages for cash. In his latest Free for All column, Massively's Beau Hindman tackled the controversial issue of MMOs selling power for real cash, and his points about EVE Online sparked some pretty interesting discussion in the comments. The crux of the argument was that an EVE player can currently take out his wallet and buy his way into a bigger ship or even pick up a pre-trained veteran character. That's certainly true, but is that the same as buying an unfair advantage and does it necessarily make EVE pay-to-win? In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why players find PLEX so much more palatable than direct item sales and ask whether the system fits the definition of pay-to-win.
BioWare tweaking SWTOR commendations in new expansion
Does your Star Wars: The Old Republic avatar have a bunch of unused Coruscant commendations in his currency window? The upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion seeks to rectify that by introducing a new commendation system which will bundle all of the previously planet-specific commendations into a single unit. Darth Hater has some new details on this and other Game Update 2.0 currency tweaks, including new classic commendations which will replace the current Black Hole variant as the default entry-level gear currency.
SWTOR's Legacy Achievement system detailed
Curious about Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming Legacy Achievement system? If so, we recommend looking at Darth Hater's extensive breakdown of the feature slated to appear in the game's Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. Achievements are divided into seven categories (companions, flashpoint, legacy, location, operations, PvP, and space). As you might guess from the name, the system is also tied to SWTOR's Legacy mechanic which means that it ultimately encompasses all of the characters on a particular account.
BioWare details SWTOR's Galactic Reputation system
If your Star Wars: The Old Republic avatars are tapped out in terms of advancement opportunities, take heart! The game's 1.7 patch will introduce a new Galactic Reputation system and associated reward items to keep you busy. The latest BioWare dev blog has all the details, including bits about earning rep points (via consumable trophies) and niceties like legacy titles and other perks. The reputation system is accessible to both free players and subscribers, though the latter group do get a 50% bonus.
The Soapbox: Can we reward fun over persistence?
MMOs are games of repetition. Advancing past a certain point is always a matter of doing the same thing over and over, whether it's repeating raids in World of Warcraft, playing the market in EVE Online, or taking part in the same event to clear daily achievements in Guild Wars 2. Whether or not you enjoy these repeat performances can make the difference between the grind from hell and a pleasant upward climb, but it's still a game of repetition. It's not exactly the ideal state of being. Nearly every new game seems to recognize this and advertise itself as free from grinding, which at best is true in a very narrow sense. You won't be grinding daily quests, but you'll be grinding events or PvP maps or dungeons. So why don't we have a game out there that rewards fun instead of persistence? Is it possible to create a game that's free of repetition and focused on enjoyable experiences?
Alternative leveling in the Isle of Quel'Danas
I'm bored of Northrend. It is beautiful and has lovely music and is full of lore and I'm bored. It's the new Outland for me and my alts. Other ways to level abound, of course, but they all have their drawbacks and are various levels of "Been there; done that." as well. So I took Tizzi, the bored goblin mage, to a place where my aged druid spent many grindful days: the Isle of Quel'Danas. We complain about dailies now, but Quel'Danas (also known as the Sunwell Isle) was the land of too many dailies for our quest log. Grind, grind, grind we ancient Burning Crusade players did, so we could be of the Shattered Sun and get some lovely loot besides. When Quel'Danas was the in-thing, everyone was max-level, so there was no XP -- just the cash, gear, and camping. Oh, so very much camping. The Isle of Quel'Danas is vacant of players now, but is otherwise unchanged. It resides in a bubble in time, much like Outland, and the NPCs are still there to give quests or be slaughtered.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Ascended gear in Guild Wars 2
It's time to take a look at the new Guild Wars 2 item rarity: the Ascended tier. The first bits of Ascended gear came in with the Lost Shores patch, but we've been a little busy since then, have we not? Anyway, ArenaNet's Chris Whiteside took some time (like, the better part of a workday -- and then he went home and kept on taking time) to do an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, which largely focused on the question of Ascended stuff and what it means for the game. So let's get into it, shall we?
