kingdom-of-loathing
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The Game Archaeologist: Ironman modes and elective permadeath
One facet of video games that's been around almost since the very beginning is the difficulty level. This has allowed the player to choose how hard or easy a game would be from the onset, influencing factors such as the number of enemies, hardiness of bad guys, fragility of the player character, and available loot (or lack of it). I used to love how some of those '90s shareware titles would mock me for picking easy, sometimes portraying my character wearing a baby bonnet and sucking its thumb. Real gamers, the devs implied, go tough or go home. With a few exceptions, MMOs operate on a fixed level of difficulty for all of their players. Instead of assigning blanket difficulty client-side, the game world portions difficulty into areas, usually according to level or activity. Some games have instances with adjustable difficulty levels, but past that what you get is also what I get. This might be changing. A very fringe but dedicated group of players have championed such ideas as elective ironman and permadeath modes for their MMOs, and at least one studio is responding positively to that desire. Would you choose to make your MMO experience harder than everyone else in exchange for nothing more than a bigger challenge and a more "realistic" experience?
The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests
Webster's Dictionary describes "kill 10 rats" as "something nerds do, now shut up and read a few intelligent words." I think the editors are getting a little lazy there at Webster's, but that's nothing compared to the OED crowd that routinely slips in paragraphs of cut-and-pasted Hunger Games fan fiction just to pad the volumes. Anyway, we all know that "kill 10 rats" is a derogatory term for those quests that make you slaughter a certain number of things to make life happier for the quest giver. Why that quest giver has a very specific number in mind has always fascinated me, but never mind. It stems from a long-standing RPG tradition by which lowbie characters typically start their career by doing a little rodent culling in the basement of a tavern. That's how all great people got their start, Abraham Lincoln included. With "kill 10 rats" already being a trope, developers have this habit of trying to be coy and meta by actually putting quests in their MMOs where you, yup, kill 10 rats. I get the feeling that they think they're doing something clever and cheeky, even though practically all of their competitors have done the same. So here we go: ten literal "kill 10 rats" quests that you can find in your games today.
The Daily Grind: Should alts get special bonuses?
I'm a big fan of the notion that when you hit the level cap in a game, the MMO should encourage you to roll alts by giving you bonus incentives. One of my favorite browser titles, Kingdom of Loathing, has a nifty ascension mechanic that bestows significant bonuses on subsequent characters if you decide to reroll. Since alts theoretically extend one's interest and time in a game, I think it's in the studio's best interest to make rolling them an attractive proposition. There are many ways that alts could receive special bonuses, such as faster leveling speeds, unique gear, legacy skills, and so on. The question is, should alts get these bonuses, and if so, what do you think they should be? 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!
Kingdom of Loathing celebrates its tenth birthday
Happy birthday to Kingdom of Loathing, which is turning (or has turned, or is about to turn) 10! That's 10 years of Disco Banditry, Pastamancing, and Turtle Taming. Ten years of mysticality and musculature. Ten years of adventuring with your favorite Sabre-Toothed Lime familiar or Hovering Sombrero. It's almost hard to imagine life, 10 years and a day or two ago, without those simple joys. To celebrate the blessed occasion, Kingdom of Loathing will be rewarding players with the knowledge that the game's been up and running for 10 years and is now working on an eleventh. [Thanks to moxious tipster Kevin!]
Choose My Adventure: How I fell in love with The Kingdom of Loathing
Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to The Kingdom of Loathing. It's more accurate to say that it's time for you to say goodbye to the KoL diary that I've been keeping over the last several weeks. Perhaps we can meet in-world to discuss the game further? Before you go, allow me to recap what I learned from my time with this odd browser-based MMO. I guess it'd be easiest to tell you what kind of player I am and why this game fits my playstyle so well. That way you can ask yourself if it sounds like the right fit for you, based on a comparison of our two personalities. No matter what conclusion you come to, you should still try the game. I don't know how someone could not want to try any new game he came across, but that's getting into my preferences. Even then, there is no denying the convenience of a free-to-play, browser-based, multi-platform sandbox MMO that also offers years of content and a very unique fanbase. It all started several weeks ago...
Choose My Adventure: Once more into The Kingdom of Loathing
Wow, how time flies. Here it is, the second-to-last Choose My Adventure for The Kingdom of Loathing. I have to admit I am surprised at how much I am enjoying the experience so far. The reasons I am enjoying it might be surprising, but it's possible that my time with KoL is nothing new. After all, the game is one of surprises and twists as well as options for play. I've also discovered that the world of KoL is a steady one. I really expected it to be much more loosely assembled because the variable pace and lazy artwork seemed indicative of a developer that doesn't care. It turns out that quite a lot of care has gone into The Kingdom of Loathing, whether the developers are aware of it or not. Judging by the podcast they host twice a week, I suspect they are too consumed by developer details to notice just how deep their own world goes. (Developers often get a bad case of tunnel vision.) I find the communication each week to be refreshingly different from what I see from many other developers. Most seem too afraid to say anything at all, much less to host a scheduled podcast on which they curse and discuss game mechanics. So in this last vote of the run, be sure to make your voice heard! Give me advice!
Choose My Adventure: Out of breath but not out of meat in The Kingdom of Loathing
Here we go into another week of The Kingdom of Loathing, a wacky, free-to-play, browser-based MMO published by Asymmetric Publications. The community proved on the first day of voting just how strongly its members feel about this stickman world, and I've learned over my short time in playing the game that the community is really the game's number-one feature. Sure, there are tons and tons of items to collect, adventures to go on, areas to explore, and terms to memorize, but the community really binds the game together. Without its help, I am convinced my time in The Kingdom of Loathing would have been a confusing blur. I am slowly getting the hang of the pace of the game. Last week's votes showed that most players enjoy the game at about the same pace I do. It's only an hour or so a day that many of us play, but that's because of how the game is built. I can guarantee that a lot of that time is spent hanging on the forums, chatting it up with other players, and generally staying connected to the game while not necessarily playing it. It's a good pace, especially for someone like yours truly who cannot sit for several hours a night playing a single title. So let's recap the last week and get to voting!
Choose My Adventure: Disco dancing through The Kingdom of Loathing
It's been a fun week so far in The Kingdom of Loathing, but I know I have just barely started. The hardest part of this adventure is going to be deciding what to put up for a vote next. There are so many choices and so many ways to play that I might have to put up a vote just to see which area of the game I should put into the real vote! After all, the poll must run for the next several days, so I basically have to predict what I might be considering doing in the future. Future-self, help me! I thought it would be a good idea to ask a range of questions in order to buy myself a little more time with the game as I level up some more and get my bearings. But before I do that, I'll tell you what I think about the game and community so far. Spoiler warning: Both are... interesting, to say the very least.
Choose My Adventure: You're nobody till somebody loathes you
Last week's Choose My Adventure poll was not really much of a race, was it? Almost from the beginning, The Kingdom of Loathing took the lead and held it, eventually winning the day. In my experience with the column, the strong front-runner can sometimes be overtaken by a slower community. In this case, however, it was a knockout. I shared the link to the article across the community boards for each game (save one that wouldn't allow me to for fear of linking to other games), and the response was immediate. It just goes to show that sometimes the largest communities have the least active forums. So here I go into the odd world of The Kingdom of Loathing. I played it before and enjoyed it somewhat, but in hindsight, I think the game is just not really newbie-friendly enough to make a week's worth of play worthwhile. I found myself a bit turned off by the attempted humor, but as I have read more about the game, I've realized there's much more depth in store for me. So click past the cut and get to voting. And hurry it up -- that meat won't gather itself!
Choose My Adventure: The indie edition
It might be your time up there, but it's my time -- my time -- down here! For this latest edition of Choose My Adventure, I get to hand out a selection of odd little games for you to vote on, and then for the next month and change, I will stumble my way through the title. At your direction and with your help, of course. The trouble is that I have already played darn near everything. I've downloaded and tried so many games that I simply can't remember them all. So, what to do? Well, I decided to give a mix of games a chance at several weeks coverage here on Massively. I picked out an assortment of browser games, independent titles, and lesser-known client-based MMOs. Hopefully you will steer me the right way, and if I am lucky, I won't even have a horrible time. I chose games that I know have a robust community in the hopes that plenty of voters will turn out. The key is to get the word out there, so if you have a favorite, go tell your community! But first, click past the cut and vote on the game you would like to see me tackle for the next several weeks. Just don't expect to see triple-A games on the list!
Breakfast Topic: If you could de-level your main, would you?
I've been playing a good bit of Disgaea 2 on my PSP lately, and I'm frequently impressed by the depth of some of the game's mechanics. As a strategy RPG, it features the typical characters, levels, items, and so on. However, it also offers you the option to reincarnate a character at level 1, retaining a portion of his or her stats. A player with enough patience can repeat this multiple times, eventually creating characters that are godlike (and yes, you have to do something like this if you want to complete all the game's content). This type of mechanic has been kicking around in RPGs for a long time. Kingdom of Loathing allows characters to "ascend" after defeating the final boss, and several classic text-based MUD's allowed characters the option to "remort" or "immort" (return to level 1 and start the game again, or become an immortal and help develop the game) upon reaching maximum level. Obviously, the stat thing wouldn't work very well in WoW (how long would it take before raids started requiring X number of reincarnations?), but from a purely character-driven perspective, it'd be nice to let my night elf see the old zones again. Sure, I can go there as a level 85, but much of the fun and mystique is lost when you can one-shot enemies and fly to all the quest objectives. What do you think? If you could de-level your main to level 1 and start again, would you?
Rise and Shiny recap: The Kingdom of Loathing
The Kingdom of Loathing is no new kid on the block. The hand-drawn indie hit has been around for nine years now. There are fansites and 24-hour radio stations dedicated to the game, and there are even conventions hosted in its honor! Needless to say, the game has a following. I knew that I would be stepping into a huge puddle of "snark" when I decided to take a look at the game this week. I knew darn well that I would be tested, that my limits as someone who cannot stand to chat with anyone who answers everything with the equivalent of "your mom" would be pushed and pushed hard. I had a feeling. Surprisingly, I found some really charming aspects to the game. Unfortunately, the game didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for its quaint design. Because it's existed for nine years, I expected to find some fine-tuned stick figure gameplay, but the game seemed content with sort of rehashing the same stuff over and over. Of course, since this column is all about playing a game enough to form only a first impression, I did not reach the higher levels and might have missed something. I just wish the game would have been more confident in its delivery.
Rise and Shiny recap: 1100 AD
1100 AD is a new browser-based MMORTS that is published by Aeria Games. It's new to me, at least, even though I find a lot of the design and ideas behind the title to be pretty familiar. The truth is that the MMORTS genre is about as repetitive and ordinary as the standard MMO model. Players will come across the same concepts as they have seen in a score of other titles. It's sort of the quandry of the massively multiplayer player: You have to play a lot of games to find that one true gem. Where does 1100 AD fall in the grand line of copycat MMORTS games? Well, it's hard to say within a week, especially since I have not experienced much of what the game might have to offer like massive wars, alliances or world-changing events. But I can comment on what I found so far in this short week of playing. Click past the cut and I'll tell you!
Game of Thrones producer digs Kingdom of Loathing
Chalk this one up to eagle-eyed nerds with too much free time on their hands, but apparently Game of Thrones producer D.B. Weiss is a fan of online RPGs. The Wonderland blog snapped a pic of the writer and HBO show-runner wearing a Kingdom of Loathing t-shirt during a recent promotional reel for the fantasy drama's second season (which is currently in production). Kingdom of Loathing is a browser-based quasi-MMO that launched in 2003 and is known for its acerbic wit, pop culture references, and stick-figure graphics. You can see Weiss's t-shirt -- as well as the rest of the GoT season two trailer -- on HBO's website, and don't forget to check out the Kingdom of Loathing site while you're at it.
Massively's Guide to Dragon*Con 2011
PAX Prime is freshly finished and Gamescom 2011 is a distant memory, but con season isn't over yet! Not by a long shot, in fact. Dragon*Con is just around the corner, and we have undertaken the monumental task of putting together a what's-what for all of our adoring MMO fans. Now, just because Dragon*Con isn't as internationally renowned as Gamescom or as well-publicized as Penny Arcade's brainchild doesn't mean you should write it off by any means. There's still a whole truckload of events for MMO players at Dragon*Con. From Q&As to panels (including one on MMO podcasting that includes our very own Shawn Schuster!) and more, there's a little something for every MMO player at Dragon*Con. So whether you're attending or just want to see what kind of news you have to look forward to coming out of Dragon*Con (news that will, of course, be covered right here on Massively), jump on past the cut and see what the Atlanta-based con has in store.
The Game Archaeologist and the year that was 2010
Earlier in the year when I started this column, I realized two things. First, I'd be giving myself as much as any of you a crash-course education in older MMOs, particularly with some of the more fringe titles that I'd never really explored up to this point. And second, it would be a challenge to find the right mix of elements to do these MMOs justice. So before we look back at all the games this column covered in 2010, I'd like to ask each and every one of you to take a minute and drop a comment about what you'd like to see The Game Archaeologist do next. What titles would you love to see honored in 2011? What features are the most interesting to you -- dev interviews, player interviews, history overviews, photo galleries, first impression playthroughs, or links to community fansites and blogs? What could I add to make The Game Archaeologist even better? I also want to take a minute to thank the readers, players and developers who have contributed to this column so far. While there are MMOs that get a lion's share of the press these days, we at Massively are committed to spotlighting as many of these games as possible, particularly if there's a passionate community and dev team behind them. I've loved hearing your stories and hope that in passing them along, perhaps we've opened a door or two to games that you might've never considered before. So let's hop in our hot air balloon and soar over the year that was 2010!
The Game Archaeologist's fear and loathing in the Kingdom: Joshing with Jick
Here at the Game Archaeologist Labs, we've been dissecting just what it takes to make a hit MMO that defies normal conventions -- a homemade startup that loves its wordplay long time even in an age when only about 12% of internet forum posters are fully literate. Kingdom of Loathing is an anomaly for all these reasons and more, and yet it's succeeded when MMOs boasting $100+ million budgets have bit the dust. Like Batman and Robin, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Taco Bell and grease, and "That's what" and "she said," the two creators of Kingdom of Loathing are absolutely inseparable. Where there is Jick, there is Mr. Skullhead, and vice-versa. The pair comprise the public face of the game and are so adored by Kingdom of Loathing's fans that I received a ransom note the other day telling me that I'd never see my cat again if I didn't lavish enough praise on the duo. This was weird to me, as I don't own a cat, but that's neither here nor there. In our final week of plumbing the depths of Kingdom of Loathing, I had the pleasure of probing Zack "Jick" Johnson's mind, and I haven't quite recovered yet. I have looked into the abyss, and it looked into me -- and winked. Oh, you flirty abyss! So let's do this thing -- hit the jump and find out just what makes KoL tick from the inside out!
The Game Archaeologist's fear and loathing in the Kingdom: Interrogating Mr. Skullhead
I'm sure that after last week's introduction to our Kingdom of Loathing retrospective, many of you out there were going, "What? What is this tomfoolery? Where are my three-dee em em ohs?" Yet I guard a tiny flicker of hope in my heart that a reader or two out there felt their curiosity tingle, then burn, then spontaneously combust as he or she gave KoL a shot. In contrast to many of the other MMOs we play today, Kingdom of Loathing is downright old-school in terms of development and staff. There's no huge company here, no six floors of cubicles or corporate softball leagues. There's just a handful of gamers and writers who turned a pet project into a long-running success. Today I got the privilege of putting Josh "Mr. Skullhead" Nite to the question, and it was a treat to end all treats. An armageddon treat, if you will. So what's it like being one of the masterminds behind the most insane MMO in the world? And are the stories of its boozy origins true? Hit the jump and find out!
The Game Archaeologist's fear and loathing in the Kingdom: The highlights
It is, in so many ways, the antithesis of a modern MMORPG. It has crude stick figure drawings instead of lush 3-D graphics. It limits your daily activities to a handful of encounters. It often mocks, belittles and berates you for your stupidity. It uses meat for currency and has a character class that dabbles in pasta-based magic. It's been in open beta for the better part of a decade now. And its endgame is actually an end-of-the-game instead of an eternal raiding grind. I speak, of course, about The Kingdom of Loathing, one of the oddest online RPGs on the net -- and one of the most beloved. When I mulled over the game for this month's retrospective, I found myself really wanting to talk about KoL but a little unsure whether it truly belongs in the pantheon of accepted MMOs. At best, it's on the fringe; while you do play in a world populated by hundreds, if not thousands, of other players at any given time, it's mostly a solo exercise apart from the chat channel. However, it is a persistent world, it does hold many of the trappings of MMORPGs, and the creators have come up with clever ways for players to interact within a turn-based RPG. I'm also a huge fan, having dabbled in KoL off and on for over four years now, and I love recommending it to friends. So what the heck -- we're doing it. Kingdom of Loathing is a great success story in its own right and has a lot to teach the rest of the MMO industry about unconventional methods of structuring and presenting these games. Hit the jump and we'll run down eight highlights that separate KoL from the rest of the pack and make it a game well worth your spare time.
One Shots: You must first pass the test
Normally we likely wouldn't generally add in a 'screenshot' from a browser-based, primarily text MMO, but we're such huge fans of the Test of Literacy that we simply couldn't resist posting this Kingdom of Loathing screen that was sent in to us by Harmen. Here's what he had to say about this extremely funny screenshot - A One Shot of something completely different: Kingdom of Loathing, browser-based, stick-figures, is hilarious, free, really rather hard and even includes PvP. It has been running since 2003, and is still actively expanded. This is a screenshot of the 'tests' you need to pass when you want to enter the chat channel the first time. One of the tests is the difference between 'their', 'there' and 'they're'. Really, we think more MMOs should have literacy tests.If you're playing a funny, independent, off-the-beaten-path MMO, we want to see a screenshot and hear a bit about why you think this is a really cool game! Who knows - you may recruit some new players to check out your game. Just email those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game, and whatever you'd like to say about the screenshot. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-9798%
