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Ask Massively: Taboo topics
In the US, we have a joke about how you never discuss politics or religion with friends if you want to keep those friends, which is a shame since those are usually the most interesting subjects, especially when it's three in the morning and you're out of jello shots. Today's topic might seem as if it's about religion and politics on the surface, but it's really not. A reader named Ediz wrote to us with the following question: While browsing the official Neverwinter forum guild recruitment section, I noticed several guilds openly advertising their religious orientation. I think this is really bad, even if they accept non-religious members. This type of behaviour should be strongly dealt with by community managers. The last thing I want in a game and especially MMO is to see people's religious, sexual, or political orientations openly advertised as it just ruins my immersion. I politely complained about it on the thread, and my post has been casually removed by the moderators. What is wrong with these guys? Short answer? Nothing at all.
Tamriel Infinium: Immersing yourself in The Elder Scrolls Online
Throughout my time as a gamer, I have seen game designers struggle with immersion because not everyone views immersion the same way and every designer wants his game to pull you in. The more you play one designer's game, the more likely you will buy his or her next game. In the case of MMOs, the greater the immersion, the greater chance you will spend more money on subscriptions or in the cash shop. Some gamers find first-person views with in-your-face action immersing; some, like me, find rich lore and a solid storyline immersing. The Elder Scrolls Online faces perhaps the hardest task. Not only does this game strive to immerse the already existing divisions between the RPG crowd, but it also has to contend with the different platforms on which it's releasing. Our commenters on this site are heavily divided on the console-vs.-PC subject. To top it off, some have already been turned off by Bethesda's shying away from calling the game an MMO. Today, I face head-on some of game's immersion pitfalls and tackle the divisive comments from last week's Tamriel Infinium.
Lost Continent: About that ArcheAge automobile
I owe ArcheAge an apology. A couple of weeks ago, when XLGAMES released a trailer featuring steampunk-powered hot rods and an impromptu beachfront drag race, my kneejerk reaction was a boisterous what-the-funk! After I watched the clip a second time, I realized not only that the cars fit neatly into the world that Jake Song and company have created but that they tickled my fancy in the same way that numerous other elements in the game have done over the years.
Star Citizen devs pay tribute to Oculus co-founder Reisse
The Star Citizen team has posted a tribute to Oculus Rift co-founder Andrew Reisse, who died last Thursday after being struck by a car that was fleeing a crime scene. Here at Cloud Imperium Games, the moment we saw the Oculus Rift, there was no question that we had to support it. Here was technology that would allow the player to inhabit the game world like nothing before. Even better, it was another crowdfunding success story: like space sims, big publishers had decided VR was unprofitable, and here were gamers proving them wrong. We are extremely gratified by the support Oculus has provided our project since our launch. Like us, Andrew and his team dreamed of letting gamers experience their worlds like never before. Now the device he made possible is going to let gamers explore distant star systems with a level of realism no one ever believed possible. We hope that's a fitting tribute. The Oculus team has also posted a memorial and Reisse retrospective.
Stick and Rudder: Why all the love for Roberts and Star Citizen?
I was talking with a gaming buddy recently who missed the whole space sim experience in the 1990s. He's a Star Wars fan and a real-life pilot pushing 40, so it surprised me to learn that he'd never heard of Wing Commander, Freespace, X-Wing, and the like. My jaw really hit the floor as our conversation turned to current games and I began to evangelize about Star Citizen and Chris Roberts. "Who's Chris Roberts?" he asked, with a straight face.
Massively's Darkfall launch week diary: Day two
I'm doing Darkfall Unholy Wars wrong. See, I'm one of those sandbox carebears who could not care less about PvP. I'll attempt to defend myself if attacked, and I'll add another body to the zerg if I'm in a clan or whatever, but I don't seek out conflict with other players. I mention this because that attitude obviously informs everything I write about Darkfall, which, at its core, is a great big high fantasy murder simulator. Yes, the game has crafting, harvesting, player housing, and better PvE than it's given credit for, but on some level all of this stuff exists to power the FFA PvP meatgrinder that in turn attempts to satiate the bloodlust of Aventurine's target demographic. And would you believe that despite that, Darkfall is still one of this carebear's favorite MMORPGs?
Chaos Theory: Mounting a campaign for vehicles in The Secret World
It makes sense that while I am spending a week traveling about in this world, my mind turns to the subject of travel within The Secret World. Thankfully, some aspects of transportation in reality are not a part of our online world; I don't know if I could stand being stuck on a tarmac out at the Kingsmouth Airport! But with all the trappings of various vehicles littered all about the landscape, it's difficult to not want to snag one for personal use. The desire to add these mechanical mounts isn't even about the need for speed; folks already have various speed boosts, and the world doesn't need to get smaller by our traveling each zone at an even quicker pace. It not about getting somewhere more quickly; it's about the feel of a living, immersive world. How many of you have come upon a bicycle or a scooter in TSW and had the instant urge to hop on? Or what about the slick motorcycle, sitting there, begging for a rider? I'm certainly not one to say, "Pfft, forget those sweet wheels; I prefer hoofing it when evading zombies." Having to walk on by is an immersion-breaker in a game where ambiance and immersion are two of the defining features. So if the goal is to enhance immersion without making the zones seem even smaller, how would mounts work? I'm glad you asked!
The Daily Grind: Do you want to worry about ammunition?
Despite the fact that my thief in Guild Wars 2 carries pistols which appear to be capable of holding one shot at a time, I don't recall her ever reloading. Nor do I recall ever having to buy the oxcarts full of ammunition that she apparently has at all times, because it has to come from somewhere. Like many games, Guild Wars 2 does away with worries about ammunition and focuses instead on just giving you weapons that fire when you want. On the one hand, this makes sense -- ammunition in World of Warcraft was such a hassle that the designers eventually did away with it altogether. It's a break in verisimilitude for ease of play. On the other hand, removing the need for ammunition removes the possibility of special types of ammunition, and the ease of play issues could be addressed in other ways. So do you want ammunition in your game? Or would you prefer to just have an infinite quiver and focus on shooting arrows? 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 Soapbox: Stop reminding me that I'm playing a game
To me, the most amazing part of a video game is the way that it can steal you away from the real world in a way that nothing else quite can. A good book or film will take your focus for several hours, but you're still aware that there's a layer between you and the media. A good game blurs that, lets you creep into the game world for a while and experience things you never would otherwise. There are moments of wonder and joy that you can feel from a few hours in games that are simply unmatched. So please, stop ruining it. MMOs in particular have gotten bad about this. It's ironic, as the genre as a whole lends itself to people taking a step into another world. But what's changed isn't a matter of systems or mechanics, just a sense of what designers feel are completely acceptable breaks between in-game reality and the real world. It's annoying. So stop reminding me that I'm playing a game, will you?
Chaos Theory: Top reasons to check out The Secret World today
A league of its own. No, I'm not talking about a 1992 baseball movie; I'm talking about Funcom's most recent addition to the MMO-verse, The Secret World (which ironically launched exactly 20 years and a day after the release of the movie. Coincidence? You never know when this game's involved!). In a landscape awash with clones, The Secret World brings something unique to the table. Instead of the standard fantasy or sci-fi flavored whack-a-mole themepark, TSW is a horror- and conspiracy-laden game set right in our own real world. It's not just that the game's mold-breaking gene that sets it apart, either. The fact is there are a number of reasons you should load in and experience this game if you haven't already, and there are plenty of reasons to come back if you have drifted away. From unique features to a distinctive level of immersion to an unprecedented update schedule, TSW is definitely a keeper. In short, it's well worth the time to check out. And now that it is possible for anyone to continue her adventures without a monthly commitment, what are you waiting for?
Google settles patent lawsuit from Immersion over Motorola use of haptic feedback
Immersion is known for guarding its haptic feedback patents with enthusiasm -- just ask Microsoft, among others. Motorola learned first-hand when Immersion sued over the use of basic haptic technology in May, but all that's water under the bridge now that Motorola's new parent Google is settling the matter out of court. While the exact sums aren't public, Google will pay Immersion to address any relevant past shipments, license the patents for future Motorola shipments and take care of "certain issues" with Google-badged hardware using the disputed vibration techniques. Immersion's end of the bargain is simply to end its legal action, including an ITC complaint, although the company makes clear that non-Motorola Android phones aren't covered by the deal. We're sure Google isn't happy to shoulder additional costs on top of its $12.5 billion Motorola acquisition, although it may see the settlement as a matter of establishing focus. After all, there's bigger fish to fry.
The Daily Grind: Do MMO crossovers break your immersions?
When I was a kid, I read a post-Vietnam fantasy novel called Doomfarers of Coramonde that should have ruined crossover fiction for me forever. I just couldn't take seriously an Army hero whisked away by magic and plunked into a world of dragons and castles and sorceresses. MMO crossovers can likewise break my immersions. I'm not talking about sequels, and I'm not even talking about the unholy marriage of EVE Online and DUST 514. I'm talking about Funcom putting leet pets from Anarchy Online into The Secret World's cash shop, which is a thing that did in fact happen yesterday. It joins the Ultima Online ankh necklace my character wore in Warhammer Online on the list of bizarre cross-MMO promotions that really don't make a whole lot of sense in-character. Why in the world would my character in TSW have an adorable leet pet from the the planet of Rubi-Ka? What's next -- cupid wings on Ewoks? Oh. Right. So what do you think, morning crew and minipet-hoarders? Does this sort of promotion satisfy some deep craving, or does it just break your immersions? 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!
Star Citizen's Roberts doesn't want to watch Batman on his iPhone
Star Citizen space sim guru Chris Roberts is a great interview. We should know, since he just talked our ears off on this week's Massively Speaking podcast. The Wing Commander creator also has some pretty strong opinions about the state of the games industry that he's returned to after an extended break. While Roberts acknowledges that "there are cool things you can do on mobile," he also questions the wisdom of abandoning traditional platforms for it. If you think about Angry Birds --Rovio, right?-- it's the biggest outlier in the history of gaming. I mean, they've had a billion downloads. Last year, they did $100 million in revenue, and of that, $30 million was licensing. So they actually did $70 million in revenue off their core business, which is mobile. And they're an order of magnitude bigger than [other mobile developers] in terms of single-game sales. You compare and contrast that with, say, Call of Duty that does $1 billion every year. It's doing well over 10 [times] what [Rovio] is doing. Now, there aren't one billion downloads of Call of Duty, but people pay $60 [each] for it. And you've got World of Warcraft, and plenty of other things that are doing around $500 million, like Madden or Battlefield. What that tells you is that the core gamer is willing to pay for the premium experience. Roberts goes on to explain how he believes that new trends can co-exist with traditional models, but he also points out the inherent limitations that bother him as a gamer. "For me, the analogy is I can watch Dark Knight Rises on my iPhone, but do I want to? I want to go see it on a big-ass IMAX screen. I'm into games because I like to have that immersion. And I just can't do it on a mobile [device], and I can't do it on a Facebook game."
MMO Blender: Using older MMOs to build a perfectly paced world
One of the issues I have with so many modern AAA titles is that when I play them, I immediately feel forced through a series of noisy and chaotic moments. I know that these tutorials are supposed to make me feel as though I am stepping into a sort of world-on-fire, but to me it just feels like a mess. RIFT is a great game, truly, but every time I want to start a new character or try the game out again, I dread going through the annoying tutorial. It's so demanding. It grabs my hand and pulls me through a linear series of non-discoveries. Now, this might just be my fading gamer memory, but I distinctly remember how it felt to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere in an MMO. While there are a few modern titles like Wurm Online that basically do the same thing, the mystery and immersion of those first few levels in most major MMOs has been replaced by sheer noise. I don't like it. Good pacing is a wonderful thing. If it's tweaked just right, players feel immediately invested in a world even while feeling completely lost. I'd like to make this week's dream MMO using those older-game designs. It's time to slow down.
The Daily Grind: What ruins your immersion?
Oh my goodness, it's a Harry Potter clone in the middle of my Secret World play experience! My illusion of reality is shattered, and now I see the game for what it is: a collection of GOTO programming commands and impersonal variables. OK, maybe it isn't that extreme, but I think we've all had moments in our games when someone does or says something to rip us right out of our immersion groove. Maybe it's an eye-rolling name, the game breaking the fourth wall to wink at us, or a streaker going through an RP wedding. Today we want to hear tales from your playtime: What ruins your immersion? What happened to shatter the veil of fiction that you wrap around yourself every day? 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!
Free for All: The best weather systems in free-to-play
Perhaps someone can explain my obsession with in-game weather systems. I remember interviewing the lead designer for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes a few years ago. I had to stop him and ask for more details about the weather system the game used. He told me it was on a separate server, a pretty fancy program that ran independently of the rest of the game. It sounded as if he was telling me that there were real storms brewing in the game and the system knew when and where they were happening. I was fascinated. How cool it is to imagine in-game clouds forming at one point of the world and slowly moving across the land until the sky begins to rain on your character's head? Sadly, in-game weather seems to be either a low priority or a hard system to tackle. I'm guessing it's a combination of both. So I searched out those few MMOs that feature an impactful weather system. Not coincidentally, they also happen to be some of my favorite MMOs.
The Daily Grind: Do narcotics belong in MMOs?
Be it a sci-fi cantina or a fantasy tavern, your MMO's local watering hole no doubt offers a very specific sort of drug: alcohol. But you might have noticed that non-alcoholic drugs aren't usually given the same chance to virtually corrupt you as do more comfortable vices like extreme violence, gore, thievery, and physics-defying cleavage. Immersion-centric players might argue that narcotics add to the gritty realism of many game worlds and aren't really different from other mind-and-body-altering substances like booze, but developers seem wary of wading into that territory. Star Wars Galaxies, for example, launched with canon-correct spice (complete with "downer" effects) but ended spice production with the NGE. And Lord of the Rings Online implemented Tolkien's famous pipeweed but has resisted bestowing beneficial effects on those who smoke it, probably for fear of encouraging "bad" behavior, triggering political drama, or jeopardizing its age rating. What do you think -- do narcotics belong in MMOs? 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!
Why I Play: RuneScape
It's hard to explain exactly why I enjoy playing RuneScape. Heck, it can sometimes be hard enough to find gamers my age who would even give the game a try. Many are dead set on maintaining a state-of-the-art gaming machine, so why waste it on a browser-based game? Actually, there are so many reasons, I hope I could get to it all in one piece. Bear in mind that I really have no "main" game to call home. I have browser bookmarks for literally over 100 games, and I'm always on the hunt for more. If I am gaming, it's usually for the sake of writing about the game. RuneScape is one of the few titles that I find myself coming back to when I don't need to game, when I am just looking for something fun to do or a world to explore. RuneScape has it all, to the point that it can almost be too much.
The Firing Line: A couple of PlanetSide 2 concerns
Now that the glow of PlanetSide 2's GDC demo reveal is a couple of weeks back in the rear-view mirror, I've had time to digest it all and adjust my expectations of the game accordingly. Nothing I saw from Matt Higby and company dampened my enthusiasm for Sony Online Entertainment's MMOFPS opus, but a few things I didn't see are niggling at the back of my mind. Don't get me wrong -- PS2 is still at the top of my most-anticipated MMO list, but there are a few points of contention that could relegate it to the status of fun diversion instead of zomg-must-play-every-day title.
Hands-on with Immersion HD Integrator hi-fi haptics
It was just over a year ago when we met with the folks from Immersion, and they showed us a prototype handset packing its HD haptics technology. Since that time, the piezoelectric actuator that makes the tactile magic possible has gone into mass production, and the first commercial device packing such hi-fi haptics, the Pantech Element, hit store shelves. Immersion's got greater aspirations for its tactile tech, however, and its new HD Integrator platform aims to put high fidelity haptics in every handset. We got to sample the HD haptics goods once again and chat with Immersion about the new platform and its technology, so head on past the break to see what the company has in store.
