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The Mog Log: A tourist in Final Fantasy XI
I don't write much about Final Fantasy XI in this column, but those with some knowledge of its history know that wasn't always the case. There are long stretches of the column that have focused on Final Fantasy XI's trials and tribulations. It's just that as I've said many times over, there's not a whole lot of point to talking about FFXI on a regular basis now. While Final Fantasy XIV keeps getting bigger and better, FFXI is slowly and quietly declining. But that doesn't mean you can't take a trip back. A few weeks back, my wife and a dear friend floated the idea that the three of us could try heading back to Final Fantasy XI, exploring the game from the start, completely fresh all over again. It would be very different from how it had been before. And true to form, it certainly has been. The game is very different now from the one I remember, and it's interesting to look at why, even from the perspective of someone just about to hit 20 for the first time on a single class.
Ask Massively: Misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs
As the editor-in-chief of Massively, I make it a point to read as many of our comments as I can. We have some really smart people here chatting at the bottom of our posts, and I learn a lot from them. But I also see the same illogical statements and easily countered arguments being made independently by different commenters across many different threads and games. I'd like to address some of those misconceptions today in the first part of a new Ask Massively miniseries. Today's misconceptions are all about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs.
Ask Massively: Newsletters, EVE Online, and the value of alpha previews
Welcome back to a grab-bag edition of Ask Massively. First up is reader Roy, who asked, Do you have any kind of newsletter or weekly email on this site? Nope, no newsletter or email blasts! But there are lots of easy ways to follow our work. If you want the whole shebang, you can follow us through your RSS reader of choice as well as several social media avenues, all outlined in an Ask Massively from last year. If you want just a summary of our best stuff, you could follow just our Week in Review column, which runs every Sunday evening and might just serve your desire for a weekly summary of cool posts. We also publish weekly roundups of MMO in beta testing, crowdfunded MMOs, and pseudo-MMOs, including coverage of some games we don't traditionally cover separately. What else have we got this week? How about an internet spaceships question from Gabe.
The Daily Grind: Are there games you miss but still don't play?
I don't really play Final Fantasy XI these days. I miss it, though -- quite a bit, even. It was my first MMO, and while a lot of its feel shines through in Final Fantasy XIV, it's not quite the same. But I don't really have the time to play it even by its lonesome, let alone with multiple other games already on my agenda, so it's not on my playlist, even though I still get the periodic urge to throw caution to the wind and dive right back in. There are games we want to play but can't (such as City of Heroes, in my case) and games we want to play and do, but we don't talk much about the games we want to play but still don't. Are there games you miss but still don't play? Are they previous favorites you grew out of, places with lots of emotional memories that don't hold up to reality, or really fun games that just get edged out by games you find even more fun? 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 Mog Log: There's nothing to say about Final Fantasy XI
At a glance, Final Fantasy XI is doing all right for itself. It's been running for over a decade and has had to deal with only occasional server merges. It launched another new expansion this year. It certainly doesn't have the population that it used to have, but the people who are playing seem happy enough with the game, and that's what matters. And yet for all that I ostensibly write about both of Square-Enix's online games, these days it's pretty much all Final Fantasy XIV. Some readers have asked me why this is. Have I fallen out of love with Final Fantasy XI? Yes. And no. It's complicated. And I think discussing why I'm not writing more about XIV's more classic sibling also bears some discussion in the context of the game as a whole. So let's talk about why there's so little to say about Vana'diel these days, even while Vana'diel continues to be an active environment.
Blizzcon 2013: Classic Warcraft games may be coming to a PC near you
During Saturday's BlizzCon panel "World of Warcraft Q & A About Almost Everything" an astute goblin-lady cosplayer posed the panelists a question: considering that the upcoming expansion is all about the past, would Blizzard ever consider re-releasing the old Warcraft RTS games for modern computer systems? The answer, surprisingly, is yes! Production Director J. Allen Brack revealed that there does exist a small team of people at Blizzard who are working on making just that very thing a reality. Folks at Blizzard are, rightfully, proud of the accomplishments of those games and fans of those older games themselves, and they would love to see them given new life. Personally I think it would be great to have the option to replay those games on a newer system -- I can't help but think of how much I'e enjoyed redone versions of The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge on Steam. While it might end up being more work than Blizzard has time for, it would be fantastic to see their earlier titles get a similar treatment. What about you? Would you like to see the original Warcraft RTS games on your modern PCs?
The Daily Grind: Are you a game recidivist?
We like to talk about when we leave games; we don't like to talk about when we come back to the same games yet again. Speaking for myself, I've left and returned to World of Warcraft at least five times, and I know there's probably one or two times that I'm forgetting. And it isn't alone -- City of Heroes clocked up three separate returns over the years, Final Fantasy XI clocked up four, and even Final Fantasy XIV arguably saw me leave and return at one point. Sometimes you return to find that nothing has changed and you leave again before too long. Sometimes you always come back for at least a few months, but you'll happily leave for a while as well. And the legend goes that some of you leave and then genuinely remain gone, not returning no matter what the next expansion promises you. Are you that legend? Or are you a game recidivist, always finding yourself going back to the games of yesterday sooner or later unless they shut down completely? 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 keep games installed even when you're not playing them?
My adventures in Star Trek Online have come to a close now, but the client is still on my hard drive. There's no reason it needs to be there, and getting rid of it frees up some space for other games or data. I can always reinstall if I need to. Yet I find myself oddly reluctant to delete games off of my computer even when I'm not playing them, even if I know the odds are low I'll ever play them again. Part of this is because it's easier to patch up from a midpoint than to start over and install fresh, but part of it is just plain nostalgia. Still, it does create unnecessary computer clutter. So today, I ask of you: do you keep games installed even when you're not playing them? Is your desktop bearing shortcuts to games you have left behind, or does it only have online games you're actually involved with at any given moment? 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 have an emotional reaction to old characters?
When I booted up Star Trek Online again, the first thing I had to do was look up my character from the game's launch. Seeing her on the screen again brought back a lot of old memories. Some of that has to do with the simple reality of roleplaying, but beyond even that there was a sense of familiarity. This was a setting and game I enjoyed, and seeing a familiar character was a little like coming home again. For some people, characters are just the tools they use to interact with the game. For others, characters are an emotional link, even if they don't really roleplay. Seeing your first character brings back a rush of memories, whether that character is in Ultima Online or Star Wars: The Old Republic. So do you have an emotional reaction to old characters? Or do you not really look back to what you've played in the past, focusing instead on the present? 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: What game do you still hope will be revitalized?
I do not play Warhammer Online any longer, but it holds a special place in my heart. I greatly enjoyed playing the game when it was selected for Choose My Adventure back in the day, and I still hold out hope that the game will emerge from its slow stagnancy to be some sort of WAAAGH-based phoenix. The odds of that happening are low, but I'd love to see it happen just the same. Games have a life cycle, and after a certain point, even the most beloved online title slips into a maintenance mode. But we all have titles that we'd love to see get updates once again, allowing us to relive the glory days. This isn't about games that had been shut down; this is about games that are still running but are no longer at the forefront of the gaming zeitgeist. So what game do you still hope will be revitalized, even if you don't expect it to happen? Would you like to see Ultima Online get another day in the sun, or do you just hope that Champions Online will get a big expansion and some development love? 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: What old game would you play as an MMO?
Making old games into MMOs is a tricky business. It may sound good on paper, but execution is another matter. In an ideal world, I'd love to see Sundog: Frozen Legacy repurposed as an MMO. For one thing, it was the first computer game I ever played. For another, it had a nifty Firefly feel to it a couple of decades prior to Firefly. Finally, there simply aren't many hard sci-fi MMOs out there that blend space combat with trading and planetary action. What about you, morning crew? What old game would you play as an MMO? 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: What does it take for you to go back to a game you enjoyed?
I'd been on a bit of a break from City of Heroes when the announcement came that it was shutting down. And I'm not alone; some of my friends had also been taking a break, but when it came to light that the game's days were numbered, they came back in a hurry. Everyone wants a chance to remember the best parts of the game before there's no part of the game left to remember, after all. But it doesn't just take a shutdown notice to revitalize your interest. Sometimes you might just be taking a few months off before you go back to a game, sometimes you're waiting for a content patch, sometimes there's an annoying system you want patched into oblivion, and sometimes it would take nothing less than a full reworking of the design team's philosophy to bring you back to a game. So what does it take for you to go back to a game you enjoyed but left? 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: What you loved is still there
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. One of my greatest fears as I slouch toward 30 is that my tastes will become immutable in certain fields -- music, especially. The last thing I want to do is be the obnoxious guy listening to music that was popular when I was in high school complaining about how bad modern bands are. So I try to broaden my horizons because I know that everything I already like is still waiting for me. I want to create a broader range, not just stick within the familiar. It's probably for the best, then, that I don't share that worry about video games in general and MMOs in particular. I don't cry for a return to the MMOs I played in older days because in most cases they're still running. True, in many of them a great deal has changed to the point of unrecognizability, but I never ask what happened to the game I once loved. After all, just because I loved it doesn't mean that anyone else did.
The Daily Grind: What game have you fallen back in love with most often?
Some games you just can't quit. You might unsubscribe and head off for a time, but you always wind up back in-game before too long. And some games just give you new things to enjoy each time you log back in. Even if you're bored with one part of the game, you start playing a bit differently and suddenly it's like the first time. Put simply, you fall in love with the game all over again. Most of the games we play for long periods wind up in the catbird's seat more than once. But there are games that you fall back in love with, and then there are games that you keep falling back in love with all over again even if you'd prefer not to do so. So what game have you fallen back in love with most often? Is it a game that you think of as generally one of your favorite or one that you have sharply divided feelings about to start with? 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!
Ask Massively: Clearly I need more totally random pictures edition
So apparently, having a picture of a BattleMech as the header for Ask Massively makes everyone expect that there's some big news about a BattleTech MMO somewhere to be found. Sorry, folks -- I'd like it just as much as you would, although I'm not sure that it would necessarily turn out to be very good. (There's not a lot to do outside of a 'Mech and not much to do inside of one other than shoot things.) Luckily, I'm pretty sure that it will not be possible to misconstrue this week's image. I certainly hope not. Today's discussion has absolutely nothing to do with the above picture, which is usually the case. Instead, we're talking about integrated voice chat in games and the apparent immortality of Ultima Online. If you've got a question you would like answered in a future edition of Ask Massively, just drop us a line at ask@massively.com or leave your question in the comment field.
Ask Massively: Massively is one of those multiple-robot Transformers edition
The technical term depends on how much of a fan you are and whether or not you want to be a jerk. The only term that has been officially used with any regularity is "combiner," which describes nicely what's going on but isn't terribly evocative. "Gestalt" is always a popular fan term, but it's also clearly the sort of term that bored 20-year-old psych student comes up with when talking about a cartoon online instead of doing homework. You know what? Let's just say we're a supergroup, like Asia. That's easier. So while you're queueing up "Heat of the Moment" and cursing me for getting that song stuck in your head for the next four days, it's time for Ask Massively, which this week features questions about the staff's opinions on games past, present, and future. Fun for everyone! And of course, you can send in your question to ask@massively.com, or you can just leave it in the comment field.
The Daily Grind: What would bring you back?
So you unsubscribed. It happens. Much as we'd like to think otherwise, no MMO entertains us forever, and whether it's a patch that changed a lot of fundamentals or just a general growing dissatisfaction with the game is largely irrelevant. What matters is that you stop and let the game drift out of your consciousness for a while, until you really barely remember your favorite times in the game. That is until something catches your eye and gets you reading about all the things that have changed; until you find yourself drawing out your credit card and eagerly re-subscribing. Just like no MMO keeps us forever, many games won't lose us forever, even if we take a break. The question is: what would spur you to start playing an old favorite again? A new expansion? Promises that the biggest problems you'd found had been fixed? A change in management? Or is it just a case where time heals all wounds and absence makes the heart grow fonder?
The Daily Grind: How well is the game aging?
MMOs have a long lifespan, more often than not. Games that have lasted past a year will usually be around for many more besides, part of the reason why 2009's aggressive rate of death was so surprising. EverQuest and Ultima Online, both considered the twin pillars which started the modern MMO genre proper, are both alive and well several years later. While they're not perpetual, they're also fairly robust in their lifespans. Of course, just because the game isn't dead doesn't mean it's not on life support. Anyone who has played during Final Fantasy XI's glory days will be quick to point out how much more empty the game has gotten in recent years. Graphics advance, and minor improvements seem increasingly minor as time goes by -- City of Heroes is due for an upgrade with its next expansion, but that will only put a new coat of paint on an engine that is several years old now. How well is your favorite game aging? Does it still look pretty good despite its age, or is it showing definite signs of how long the whole thing has been running? Is it a minor hiccup, or does it make things much less enjoyable, even to the point of being unplayable?
LucasArts classics coming to iPhone?
Good news from our friends over at Joystiq -- they had the good fortune to speak with the folks over at LucasArts (who are currently working on reviving some of their old point-and-click library of games: Secret of Monkey Island is coming back to the Xbox Live Arcade, and other games, including the classic Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, are due to make their way to the PC's Steam service), and the subject of the iPhone came up. While we didn't get any really great news (like, say, a release date), we did get a vague answer in the affirmative: "On iPhone, you know Apple's policy that we can't talk about a release until it's ready to release. But it would make sense that we would do something like that if we were to go in that direction ... wink wink, nod, nod."With a wink and a nod, it seems like a fairly safe bet that we can expect at least one or two iPhone ports of these old LucasArts titles in the future. The whole point-and-click genre (you can play a great little sample done by gaming genius Tim Schafer right over on his company's website) is experiencing a resurgence, and LucasArts is showing a lot of sudden loyalty to fan favorites like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and Grim Fandango, so there's never been a better time to send a port or two over towards the App Store.
The value of old games (or lack thereof)
With all the crazy MMO games we're playing nowadays, do old, traditional videogames matter any more? Anyway Games, suprisingly, says no-- just like black and white and silent movies, he envisions the game industry abandoning the old formats and standbys and moving on completely to these new heights. When the last Pac Man gamer has moved on to MMOs, AG claims that while the old games will be preserved, there will be no need to play them.I'm not so sure that's true-- online, multiplayer modes, and persistent worlds aren't necessarily something that's mutually exclusive with "classic" gameplay. Xbox Live is a prime example, even though it isn't traditionally thought of as an MMO-- with achievements and leaderboards, Microsoft has turned old games like Pac Man into games that players can actually play socially, and advance their avatars across games.In other words, just like movies, old games don't die-- they just get remade. This world of MMOs is a newer one, yes (even compared to the already relatively new world of videogames at large). But nostalgia isn't the only force fueling the drive to push old games into the new worlds-- good gameplay is a forced to be reckoned with as well.
