Grinding
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Wealthy elves I have known
It's probably true that the best way to make money in the game is to farm primals, but sometimes you just can't stomach the idea of killing yet another elemental or -- given how busy most of the primal hot-spots are -- having to compete to kill them. It's in trying times like these that your thoughts turn to quieter pursuits like flower-picking, finishing some quests you left lying around, or at least taking your mindless slaughter act on the road.For my money, nothing beats the manaforges in Netherstorm. The elves there are like hundreds of milling, unsuspecting piñatas, ripe for the clobbering. Over an hourlong grind session with not-terrible gear, and with occasional breaks to tell people that you will never set foot in Shattered Halls ever again even if it is the daily, you can get the following:
Tabula Rasa Grinding Guide: Levels 18-22
A lot of people considering "grinding" to be a dirty word; something done by min-maxers to advance in levels as quickly as possible without stopping to smell the roses. Well sometimes you just don't have the time for the roses, or worse yet, there are times when there are no roses to smell at all! Grinding in Tabula Rasa is all about knowing where to go and what weapons to bring with you. If you prepare properly, grinding can be just as fun and rewarding as questing, with the added bonus of smoothing out the leveling curve.In this video, we show you one of the best grinding spots in the entire game - the Waterfall Caverns in Concordia Palisades. It's a closed off area chock full of bug-eyed Fithik aliens with weak electric resistance. The layout of the Fithik mobs allows for you to easily ramp up your XP modifier to 250%, and sustain it almost indefinitely. The difficulty level is fairly easy, though first time or lower level players may want to be extra mindful of the Fithiks' self-destruct attack. Give the video a look, and let us know how the grinding goes!
GDC08: All Points Bulletin info and eye candy
What word is perhaps most synonymous with the current MMO playing field? Grind. Realtime Worlds' Dave Jones (no relation?) is setting out to change that with the studio's first massively multiplayer title All Points Bulletin we've been following eagerly. He's hoping the formula Crackdown + MMO = crack will be proven true with variables like infinite, professional-looking character and vehicle customization, contemporary setting, integration with last.fm and dynamic, variable team-sized missions hidden in the equation. Hit up our symbiotic other selves at Joystiq for the complete overview of APB.%Gallery-16668%
The Daily Grind: How do you feel about microtransactions?
One of the things we couldn't help but notice yesterday in Michael Zenke's excellent coverage of the GDC Future of MMOs panel is how the different developers reacted to the idea of microtransactions being the "future" of MMO gaming as opposed to the subscription model. Jack "Statesman" Emmert seemed pretty vehemently against the concept versus a few of the others. Some people feel that the idea of microtransactions just gives casual players the ability to enjoy the game in new ways. Others feel that it takes the whole point of playing a game out of the game; if you can buy the best gear, where's the incentive to run endgame content more than once? Does being able to buy all the best items make for a "game over" situation -- or game over until the next round of uber items become available for sale?Today we thought we'd ask what your take is on the model. Do you prefer the option of going to an online "item store" and buying that upgrade with your hard-earned real-life cash, or do you prefer the idea of being required to put in the time to get the best gear? Is there a happy medium? Should a nearly equal but not as nice set of items be available in the item store for those who want to buy their way up versus those who put in the time and effort to grind for items? Should microtransaction gear and farmed/raided gear be equal? Where would the line be for you?
Breakfast Topic: Grinding Tunes
Unless I am doing Arenas or for some other event that involves voice chat, I usually turn my WoW sounds off. I either watch episodes of my favorite science fiction shows or listen to music.I have compiled the following WoW-inspired, classic-rock soundtrack for grinding.Ozzy Osbourne - The Wizard, for the Mages of the world.Aerosmith - Dude Looks Like a Lady, with all due respect to elves of both factions.Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever, I guess I could have gone with Fred Bear- either work for Druids.Queen - Fat Bottom Girls, because Tauren females make the rockin' world go 'round.Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper, in honor of Undeads.Black Sabbath - Iron Man, perfect for Warriors and Paladins, but more for Warriors.The Eagles - Witchy Woman, which seems to fit Warlocks.Styx - Mr. Roboto, for everyone who's ever been stomped by the Fel Reavers in Hellfire Peninsula.Led Zeppelin - Ramble On, OK it's about a different fantasy epic, but it's a great song.What do you listen to while you play?EDIT: Corrected the spelling of Ozzy, but I'm leaving it as an Ozzy song rather than Black Sabbath as the version I have is solo off the "Hot and Heavy" compilation disc. Thanks though!
Are daily quests leaving casuals behind?
Daily quests have come a long way from when they first appeared. They first seemed to be the perfect solution for those stuck at level 70 with nothing to do, the casuals who really didn't feel like moving on to the 10 and 25-man game, or just didn't have the time to. They were a great way to break up the monotony of making money by grinding mobs with lucrative drops or mining and herbing. They also let you progress slowly and steadily towards that magical 5000 gold mark and your own epic mount. Sure, they're still good for all that, but they've also gotten to be so much more. So really, what's the deal with dailies now? Let's look at it after the break.
Happy Groundhog Day!
Today is Groundhog Day. I would recommend you all go watch the like-titled movie with Bill Murray in it while doing your dailies. A quick scan of my TV guide reveals its on just about every cable network. For those of you that haven't seen the movie, I'll give you a spoiler: Bill Murray repeats the same day, Groundhog Day, over and over again, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,650 times.Sound familiar?Enter the world of raiding.While the game play itself can be very fun and exciting, no one can really argue that at times it's nothing more than a long grind. This is okay to some extent, but has the game moved too far into grind mode? There's a lot of reasons to think that it has. First, we have the dailies that for most players are their primary source of income (in the game, we hope not in the real world). Every morning I wake up about an hour early just to hit the dailies on a couple alts to make my gold. It's really a necessity for me; there is no way that I could afford the two hundred plus a week in repair bills without it.
Is Tabula Rasa's leveling treadmill broken?
It's no secret that MMOs operate on a finely tuned treadmill mechanic. The game offers players a succession of small goals, each of which provide the incentive for players to continue on towards the next goal, and so forth. The sustained success of games like World of Warcraft are attributable in no small part to the game's ability to continue to string the player along with new and more interesting goals. What happens though, when a game's system of rewards begins to break down? This is the question that TTH's RadarX explores in an editorial looking at Tabula Rasa's end-game. It's hardly a new question for fans of the game (additional end-game content ranked number 2 on our New Years Tabula Rasa wishlist), but the question is becoming more urgent as casual players finally catch up to their more hardcore brethren in the ranks of the Tier 4.You'd have to believe that Destination Games is at least aware of the problem, it just becomes an issue of implementation. Looking at patch 1.4, with the announcement of a new level 50 instance, it seems evident that they're at least responding to the needs of those at the farthest end of the leveling race, but there's no immediate evidence that they're plugging in content in the middle. Probably the most promising sign was when they plugged in a whole new quest hub into the Palisades in a recent patch, but until they release the final patch notes for 1.4, we have no way of knowing whether the upper-middle level range will get the same treatment.Where I disagree with RadarX is in his assertion that enemy density and the frequency of patrols should be toned down for areas like the Mires. Part of what makes Arieki so fun the first time around is the truly war-like atmosphere it generates. It only makes sense that in such a dense war zone, there would be areas that the Bane rule with an iron fist. I don't have a problem with areas like that encouraging more group activity, because frankly, it just suits the lore a heck of a lot better. Now if they just stuck in some quests for groups to do, I might stop by bitching all together and just get back to playing.
The Daily Grind: The daily grind
At this point, it's still pretty much assured that if you're playing an MMO, you're going to be grinding a bit. Sure, it's possible that there are MMOs out there where you can get all the way to the highest level just by doing quests, or by running with groups, or even by doing PvP. But there are still times in every game where we've done all the quests for a certain level, there's no one around to group with, and we're just PvP'd out. For those times, there's the regular old grind.So what's makes a good grind? For me, a great grind has to have three different things: 1) It can't tax my mind too much-- I'd like to have a movie or some music going on in the background, or be able to multitask in some way (in fact, I'm writing this post while mining in EVE). 2) It has to be worthwhile-- I need to be earning gold, or XP, or collecting something while I do it, or else there's no reason to grind at all. And 3) it has to be fun. Even in EVE, I have a good time browsing the market and dreaming of ship upgrades while mining, and it's broken up just at the right time by an NPC pirate arriving to become drone fodder. There's nothing wrong with a little mindless fun, but the fun has to be there all the same.Did I miss anything? What makes a great grind? And what's the best game/place/situation to do some great MMO grinding in?
Confronting the grind (and finding it in ourselves)
Ryan Shwayder pointed us to this fun little rant he posted on that most nefarious of MMO subjects: "the grind." Yes, the grind, that mythical beast that lies at the bottom of every MMO, slowly sucking the fun out of it. Wait, "mythical"? That's right-- Shwayder says that there is no grinding in MMOs. That constant, repetitive killing that you do to push your character to higher equipment and levels? That, my friend, is what you bought the game for.An interesting point, and in a sense, he's right-- the only RPG I've ever played without a little repetitive grinding is actually Progress Quest (and if you're in on the joke, you know you don't actually play that game at all). It is true that "the grind" only rears its ugly head not when players are signed in and playing the game, but when they're out of game, and looking at all the stuff they need to do to wield that +5 sword of boar slaying. In a good game, actually grinding is actually fun.Then again, we are only human, and there is so much boar killing you can do before you decide to move on. And since playtime is more and more at a premium, there's nothing wrong with developers making something that previous required 100 boars killed to require only 50, and create a whole other reward for those other 50 boars. But Ryan's also right in saying that the grind is mostly in our heads-- if we got everything we wanted right away, there'd be no reason to play the game. "Grinding" to the highest levels is what playing most MMOs is all about.
The Daily Grind: Getting ground under
One of what seems to be the universal complaints about many MMOs is the inherent grind involved in them. From the earliest days, we grind levels, reputation, trade-skills and/or professions. In end-game, you grind more factions, raid bosses for certain loot or quest completion, and potentially even more experience to gain additional talents or to unlock alternate abilities. This grind has been there since the earliest days. But the question is this: Is grinding really an absolute requirement in MMOs, or have we simply come to expect a certain inherent level of grind as an inevitability? Is there some new mechanic that hasn't been introduced yet that you think might be viable? Or perhaps there is some variant on quest styles beyond the "collect x number of y items" or "go kill x bad guy" that hasn't been properly explored?
EQ2's producer responds to expansion grouping concerns
One of the greatest things about Massively Multiplayer Games is that the dialogue about them isn't a one-way street. With most games, fans wait for the word from on high, and discussion about single-player games tends towards fighting over scraps. With MMOGs, the considered commentary of players make for interesting reading in and of itself. That's the case we find ourselves in today, just a few days after the release of Sony Online Entertainment's Rise of Kunark expansion. Mostly the buzz seems to be positive, but a pair of bloggers have given voice to players feeling a bit put out by the pack's core leveling mechanic: questing. Yesterday Tipa (of the West Karana blog) and Kendricke (currently writing at the Clockwork Gamer site) took issue with the fact that group grinding isn't as profitable as it has been in previous expansions.Specifically they're raising this objection as it relates to the famed Karnor's Castle, a bastion of EverQuest Live lore and newly revised for SOE's new vision of Kunark. Tipa sums their issue up on her site: "Just doing quests and killing in a risk-free, outdoor zone, beats hunting in a semi-risky dungeon. How is that even possible. Dungeons are supposed to give you superior benefits for the trouble of grouping - better experience, better loot. Somehow that got lost ... When word of this gets around, KC will become a ghost town. People will do the Kylong Plains/Teren's Grasp quest lines, then move to the Fens and just skip Karnor's. SOE, it's not too early to consider tuning this zone. Grouping in KC should be more rewarding than questing outside."Scott Hartsman, the senior producer of EverQuest 2, took a few minutes today to answer their concerns for us. Read on to see further discussion from the player's POV and Mr. Hartsman's response.
Blizzard plans soloing improvements for Protection Warriors and Paladins
With healers getting some soloing love in patch 2.3, Migol asked on the forums if something similar was going to happen for Warriors and Paladins who are speced Protection. Eyonix responded that they are in fact planning to make soloing easier for all non-DPS specs, including Prot Pallies and Warriors.Eyonix went on to say that they don't want Protection speced players to have to carry around a second set of DPS gear in order to grind mobs more effectively. He says that while a high level DPS set may give the player an edge, the Prot specs should be able to solo in the gear they tank in.It sounds like they are leaning toward doing something similar to what 2.3 introduces for healers. Since healers are getting free spell damage on all healing gear, will tanks get free attack power on all tanking gear?Presumably, Druid tanks won't be sharing in this love since the Feral spec is a very powerful solo spec. So, if the changes are going to affect tanking gear, it will probably only apply to plate.Eyonix does not give a time frame for Protection improvements other than "the future" and since it doesn't sound like they have a concrete plan yet, it probably won't be in patch 2.4.What kind of improvements would you like to see for Protection soloing?
Not reading enough books these days? Here's how to play and 'read' at the same time
If you're anything like me, then you may find that the more engrossed you become in a particular MMO, the more your leisure time formerly spent on reading gets whittled away. Thankfully, our friends over at WoW Insider have come up with an excellent solution that doesn't involve helper monkeys, a secondary cyborg head, or time manipulation -- but feel free to go for any of these ideas too.WI's fix for the problem is simple, but effective -- audiobooks. Sites like audible.com contain a large range of titles to choose from, and this way, instead of just listening to the same ambient sound collection replayed over and over during your next multiple-hour grind session, you could be catching up on the work of your favorite author. Aside from allowing you to keep up with your list of must-read books, you may even discover that what was previously a very tedious grind could become a lot easier, as your brain disengages from the repetitive in-game actions and focuses on your riveting audio novel.So there you have it. Hopefully you didn't rush out to the pet shop after the first paragraph, and now have a practical way to keep on top of your reading while you play games. You can check out the full article at WI through the link below.
Preparing for 2.3: Pre-patch farming, part 2
The other day I listed the items that will be used in new recipes after the patch. I did miss a few things, but with your helpful comments, I've updated the original article to be more complete. I'll mention again that it's difficult to make predictions on what will sell the best, but nonetheless I've decided to list some of my thoughts on the subject below.
How to enjoy grinding and read books at the same time
For a long time now I've been a big fan, not only of WoW, but of audible.com, where they have a great library of audiobooks for sale and download to your portable audio device of choice. Without realizing how or when, I have developed a habit of blending these two loves together for a marvelous effect: grinding plus audiobooks equals a great time.The basic problem with grinding in an MMO, after all, is that it doesn't require your full attention, especially if your goal is straightforward and you've done it before in one way or another. It's relatively easy to just put yourself on autopilot and do the job while your mind does something else. Listening to an audiobook is the perfect companion to this, because it fills up your mind, and leaves your hands and eyeballs itching to do something of their own. Also, I'm a person that has trouble reading with my eyes. I can do it for short periods without any trouble, but with long books, I tend to fall asleep or get distracted very easily. Through Audible, I might have read more books with my ears than I have read with my eyes by now, and although I know some people must have the paper copy of a book in their hands, there's probably a large number of WoW players out there who find themselves not reading as much as they would like, and would love to know that there's another way to get their literary fix.
Preparing for 2.3: Pre-patch farming, part 1
Although your time to farm before the release of the patch is quickly dwindling, hopefully everyone will be able to spend some quality time over the weekend preparing for next Tuesday. It's always difficult to accurately predict what will be big sellers, especially since the economy on one server may be radically different than another. With this in mind, I've decided to simply provide a list of all the items that will be used in new trade recipes or for obtaining the new reputation rewards.
World of Warcraft - Threat or Menace?
Fresh from the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald comes the news that World of Warcraft, and indeed all massive multiplayer online games, is unethical. Jonathan Blow, developer of the game Braid, recently spoke at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image's FreePlay conference. Some of the things he said about MMO's are interesting, and some of the conclusions he reached seem erroneous to me.Developers should provide activities that interest players "rather than stringing them along with little pieces of candy so that they'll suffer through terrible game play, but keep playing because they gain levels or new items", he says.Well, so far so good. I don't really think anyone could disagree with that statement. Mr Blow believes developers need to think about what their games are teaching players when they reward them for performing certain actions. "That kind of reward system is very easily turned into a Pavlovian or Skinnerian scheme," he says. "It's considered best practice: schedule rewards for your player so that they don't get bored and give up on your game. That's actually exploitation." Somewhat hyperbolic, but essentially accurate in terms of what the system is doing to get you to keep playing. Is it exploitation? Well, clearly Jonathan thinks so. We'll come back to why I don't agree in a moment.
A new online reputation calculator
There isn't much to say about this, other than to be very grateful it exists. I never saw the original web-based reputation calculator, but I'm told there were sporadic problems with US realms. Grumbles writes and says that he was waiting for the EU calculator to come back online and to support US realms again, when he decided to just write his own. I wish I had that kind of talent. Visiting wowreputationcalculator.com prompts you to enter your name, server, and whether it's a US or EU server. I presume it then reads your reputation information from the Armory and then processes it in a plain but functional way that shows you how many turn-ins and/or quests you need to reach the next level with most of the key Burning Crusade factions. Let me tell you, I'm bookmarking this puppy right now, even if I'm a little disappointed to suddenly realize how long it's going to take me to get exalted with the Kurenai. This is a very handy tool for reputation grinding. I've seen some add-ons in the past that will count quest items for you, but this is a really excellent resource. Thanks to Grumbles for making it happen for the US players!
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Gearing Up
Every week Matthew Rossi writes The Care and Feeding of Warriors, and while leveling three warriors to 70 he has spent a lot of time grinding for armor. It's the curse of the clanking classes. He's ended up wearing that wolf hat from Terrokar more than he would have ever thought possible.Eventually, you'll get up to 70 if you keep playing your warrior. And when you do, you'll find yourself starting a whole new game. The difference between leveling up and preparing for the instance you'll be expected to run is that you can no longer simply go off and grind and hit the AH for the gear you'll need to fulfill your chosen role, be it tanking, PvE damage or PvP. (You can use the AH still, but most of what you're going to want is dropped in instances.) I was talking with another warrior about what gear you should be working to acquire before raiding seriously, and he reminded me that you first have to get the gear that lets you get the gear, so to speak, and so I thought I'd discuss a few easily obtained starter pieces and then what's out there to upgrade from them.As always, there are going to be differences of opinion as to what gear is an upgrade depending on what your personal preferences are. For instance, I love +hit on my tanking gear. I hate to miss when I'm tanking, it makes it much more likely that you'll lose aggro. But how much is that +hit really worth? Partially that's a matter of opinion. If you don't feel that you miss often enough to hurt your aggro, then you might prefer a piece with more dodge or block over a piece with +hit. I've decided to err on the side of caution and list alternatives so that everyone can try and find that piece that works the best for them. This column, we'll be looking at various breastplates you can get and how to get them.
