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How the MMO crawled out of the MUD
Clockwork Gamer has a good juicy post up about how MMOs first learned how to do things from MUDs, and since today is Old School Day, I thought it was appropriate. Wait, you haven't heard of Multi-User Dungeons? If you've never played one, you'll probably be shocked that they used to fascinate people-- imagine an old-school computer, with its green text on a black screen, dialing into another computer and entering a text-based virtual world. As in, you dial up your favorite BBS, and a message greets you "You are in an inn. There are exits north and west," and from there, you type in words telling the computer what to do, while other users play the game with you. You can try the whole thing with the java client here if you want.A far cry from the virtual worlds we know today, yes, but that's where it started. CG actually focuses on the higher level of things (in many MUDs, players could actually form guilds, and wander around the world together-- "go north"-- killing dragons-- "attack dragon with great mace"), but even the most basic of MMO thrills was originated in the MUD world. "Seeing" a virtual character pass through the room you're in ("Kingofworld enters the room. Kingofworld leaves the room.") was a thrill, because you knew that there was someone else, looking at a screen just like you, behind that character. On the other hand, as CG points out, there were a lot of things that MUDs could do that graphical MMOs can't nowadays.
Joystiq presents: Massively
We've been working diligently behind the scenes to put the finishing touches on our new offering to the MMO-crazed among you, and we're super proud to announce Massively, a blog that obsessively covers massively multiplayer online games. If you like WoW Insider you'll love Massively -- and if you've been itching for in-depth coverage of other worlds you currently inhabit, Massively is the place for you. We've assembled a team of top-notch writers and players to deliver breaking news, original features, and expert analysis about the MMOs you play, and the titles you're most looking forward to. Hop on over and check us out -- to sweeten the pot we're doing 24 hours of Tabula Rasa giveaways to celebrate our co-birthday with Richard Garriott's new opus today, and 2 more weeks chock full of schwag after that. Hope to see you there!
On saving your game
So after being recommended it by a friend a long time ago, and being in a zombie mood, I finally rented Dead Rising last night for my Xbox 360, and while it was a lot of fun, I was really distraught to find that the save system is old school. To save, you had to go to a certain place, and press a button. Die before you saved, and all your progress was lost.Why was this so shocking to me? For one, I've gotten used to the easy breezy, checkpoint saving system of most games nowadays-- hit a point in progress, and your game automatically saves for you, so that if you lose the game for any reason, you can simply load up the last checkpoint and keep going. But the other factor in my save-system shock was all those MMOs I've played. In persistent world online gaming, there is no longer such a thing as "saving" your game.Is that good or bad?
Getting enthralled, or getting to bed?
WoW tends to be a night time activity for most people, many of whom find that it's surprisingly easy to move from one objective to another and lose track of time until the wee hours of the morning. Some people I know sometimes stay up most of the night playing WoW, only to get an hour or two of sleep before whatever they have to do the next day. They're young and they say they make up that sleep at other times, but still, no one would argue that this sort of situation is ideal. A recent study reported by CNN says they're not alone. People who play MMORPGs tend to sleep less and spend more time playing than players of other computer games. It may seem obvious, since MMOs are by nature somewhat of a time-sink, but there is undeniably something more to it; any activity can potentially be a time-sink, after all -- so what is it about MMOs that makes people actually sink time? The answer is up for debate, of course, but one important factor is that WoW's community of players gives the accomplishments within the game a context of reality. The game's goals, dangling in front of us like carrots, would be nearly meaningless if we could only appreciate them in a single-player context, but with a whole realm of other players working alongside us to get them too, they can feel very important. If the choice is between a few hours having dreams you won't remember, or getting a little closer to riding an impressive dragon mount, then certainly sleep can seem boring and useless by comparison.
NFL Rush Zone: Is it a MMOG?
Whoa, wait a minute. Exactly why am I covering this on Massively? This looks like an overrated cartoon avatar enabled chat room with a few mini-games thrown into the mix. Oh look, it is -- but what makes it stand out from the crowd is that the game has an area for each NFL team (visual chat rooms), mini-games, customizable avatars! Oh snap, that's not all but players can "collect Gameballs, meet Rusherz, and check out cartoons in the theater." Lolz, I can't wait guys. Looking at the graphics leads me to believe NFL Rush Zone totally ripped off the graphics from World of Warcraft. I kid, but seriously this is for the kids because I'm having a hard time imagining the typical 25 year old beer-guzzling NFL fanatic playing this and meeting their favorite Rusherz. ("Learn 2 pass the ball nub, I am the Law Giver!") I recently wrote about the Virtual World Boom and how these types of games will become more popular than traditional MMORPGS. The problem with calling this a Virtual World is that web games like NFL Rush Zone that employ avatar chat rooms with some mini-games, more advanced than their predecessors which were called avatar chat rooms in their heyday, will diminish what a MMOG / Virtual World really is if they get lumped into the same category. I don't think it's fair that these types of "webby games" are getting labeled as Virtual Worlds, maybe Virtual Spaces and yes, there is a difference. If we label NFL Rush Zone a Virtual World we might as well label MySpace one and every other chat room. Should NFL Rush Zone be classified as a Virtual World or should we write-it-off and never talk about this particular web game ever again? I vote for the latter. [via: Virtual World News]
Today in Warcraft
News Brewfest is still a bugfestBrewfest events buggy? There's a big brouhaha. 2.2.3 on the PTRYou've got another patch coming. More details on free Spell Damage for healersOne of the many exciting changes announced at BlizzCon was that free Spell Damage would be added to healing gear. The purpose of the change is to make it easier for healers to enjoy the solo PvE content in the uber gear they have picked up in groups and raids. Features Totem Talk: Three Classes In One?Shamans: your spec is like an aptitude: it defines what your character will have the most options in. Discussions Is Blizzard exploiting WoW players?Is Blizzard doing something unethical by producing and selling World of Warcraft? Rather than just the ol' "MMO games are too addictive" angle, an article in Australia's The Age (seriously, it's always the Aussies) has a new twist: game companies like Blizzard are actually "exploiting" their own players by implementing a reward system that keeps people playing. Draenei skin, or seeing Azeroth through all five sensesI love the question that juliamarcela over on Livejournal asks: What does Draenei skin feel like? Sure, they're probably not scaly or slimy, but it probably feels different than most skin we know.
Microsoft allowing MMOs to require storage on the 360
While Microsoft's multi-SKU method has allowed it to hit the market at a dramatically lower price than the PS3, there are certainly some tradeoffs to that Xbox 360 Core model. Most notably, the lack of a hard drive means almost zero games have been released that make decent use of the drive in the Premium and Elite models, since Core users would be left out of the fun, no matter how few of them there may be. Luckily, Microsoft is finally lifting that restriction, and will be allowing HDD required games on a case-by-case basis. Developers will be required to estimate the max storage their game will grab, and state plainly on the box the requirement. Of course, Final Fantasy XI has been choking up 360 hard drives for over a year now, but hopefully these new official guidelines will get the creative juices flowing at a few more MMO studios so we can finally end those painful jaunts from the couch to the PC to get in some level grinding.[Via Joystiq]
WoW versus City of Heroes
Recently a friend of mine bought me a game card to reactivate my City of Heroes/City of Villains account, and I was quite grateful. Two years ago I had really enjoyed the game, and when I logged in to play after such a long absence I remembered the excitement that I originally had as the character selection screen came up. Playing CoX again was a lot like watching some of my favorite television shows again, the ones I had originally enjoyed as a child. The first time around it was a blast, but the second time, I had my experience in WoW to compare it too.
Blizzard planning a new MMO -- but which one?
Hot on the heels of rumors that Blizzard might be announcing a Starcraft 2 in the near future, job postings are springing up on Blizzard's web site seeking people for a "Next-Gen MMO" project. World of Starcraft, maybe?World of Warcraft 2? (Though it seems early for a sequel, with Blizzard's development cycle you never know.) World of Diablo? There's no details of yet, which just leaves plenty of room for uninformed speculation. But f you think you have what it takes to work for Blizzard as a Lead Engine Programmer, Lead Tools Programmer, or Lead Technical Artist, it's time to polish up your resume.
China imposes anti-addiction limits on kids' gaming
China's estimated 18 million underage online gamers better enjoy their unfettered play time while they can. State news agency Xinhua is reporting on Chinese government restrictions that will limit internet gaming for minors starting July 15. The reasoning behind the limits? A National Children's Center report that claims 13 percent of those young Chinese gamers -- over 2 million players -- are addicted to online games. Apparently, in this case, the good of the few outweighs the freedom of the many.Reportedly, minors who spend more then three hours a day in-game will lose half their "earned credits" -- five hours of gaming a day will lose kids all their credits. Possibly more chillingly, all online gamers will be required to provide their government ID number to confirm that they're over 18. That's right -- Big Brother is watching you play games. Previously: China to set three hour limit on MMORPGs [Via Next Gen]
Everything you wanted to know about us but were afraid to ask
The WoW Insider team had the good fortune to be interviewed by Brandon Levan over at MMO Gaming -- we wanted to send a shout out and a thanks to Brandon for a fun interview, and point you folks in that direction if'n you'd like to hear Paul, Mike, Elizabeth W, Eliah and myself reflect on some favorite WoW memories, assess the expansion, sound off on what we'd change in the game and more fun stuff. Thanks, Brandon!
Blizzard: no player-created quests for you!
I noticed this post with a good discussion thread about the idea of player-created quests, and it reminded me to mention a blurb I read recently in issue #2 of MASSIVE Magazine (which, if you haven't picked up yet, I highly recommend if you have a general interest in MMOs). In an article on DIY MMOs, there's a sidebar with quotes from Frank Pierce, Blizzard's SVP of product development, in which he states point blank that the company isn't looking into the idea of player-created content for World of Warcraft. "The game is built pretty tightly around the look and feel of the WarCraft universe as well as its lore... and it's important to us and to our players to maintain the integrity of those elements." He does go on to mention that, in general, player-created content could be very successful if the game were "designed from the ground up" to incorporate it. So, while Blizzard may someday put out a game involving user-generated quests, World of Warcraft likely won't be it. What's your take -- do you have dreams of writing your own quest lines? Do you think WoW could benefit from player-created content? Or do you prefer the Warcraft lore to be managed exclusively by Blizzard?
Romero moves into MMOs
We've already heard from Carmack today; now here's some news about what that pesky John Romero is up to. According to Computer and Video Games, Romero's working on a secret MMO project at an as-yet-undisclosed company.This could point to something interesting; Romero hints that "This is not a typical games company and we're not making typical games", and reveals that the title has a lot of money behind it--with funding in the millions, and cryptic hints about how "special" the MMO is, this is either intriguing or just extremely bad hype. Let the speculation commence.
More genre-breaking MMOs
As commenters on yesterday's post on cliché-breaking massively multiplayer games pointed out, the games listed in the Wall Street Journal article are by no means the only genre-benders out there. We've taken a look at some other titles which dare to do something different in a game genre that's becoming increasingly pigeonholed. While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it helps to give you some further background on the concept of non-fantasy MMOs, whatever your tastes.
