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Microsoft will pause optional non-security Windows updates
Because everyone, including IT people and Microsoft developers, already has enough to worry about right now, Microsoft is pausing all optional non-security releases for supported versions of Windows and server products. This will allow Microsoft to focus on security updates.
Gran Turismo 6 microtransactions are 'completely optional'
Gran Turismo 6 will include microtransactions with in-game credits that players can acquire using real money, but Sony said the transactions are "not required" for players to advance in the game. In a statement to CVG, a Sony spokesperson said the publisher will "not penalize players for not making transactions (they still have access to everything) and it is completely optional." The microtransactions are so optional that players won't be prompted to buy-in during the game "at all." "As with previous installments of Gran Turismo, users are able to earn in-game credits and unlock additional cars by competing in races or event challenges," the spokesperson said. Players will be able to purchase credits in increments of $500,000 on PSN to speed up the process of unlocking content. Sony also provided the opening cinematic for the Gran Turismo 6, which players can see firsthand when the game launches tomorrow on PS3.
The purpose of Achievements, and how it's changed over time
Moonglade has a good post up about the pros and cons of achievements. Nowadays, achievements are everywhere, but when they were introduced to the game a while ago, they were seen as a great way for Blizzard to integrate an idea that had really taken off on Xbox Live (and that an impending competing MMO, Warhammer Online, was implementing for themselves). They were mostly seen as a benefit for the solo player -- even if you hit level 80 and nabbed some awesome gear, there'd be some optional fun for you to have in the future.Since then, achievements have changed quite a bit -- I'd argue that they're actually more used in groups than in solo play, as raids check players for achievements when inviting them, and guilds use achievements to rate where their proficiency lies. There are certainly still lots of things for solo players to do (every holiday, achievements come to the forefront again), but titles and mounts have become the main goals there, not just optional points. As Moonglade says, instancing and checking up on what players have done seem to have become the main point of achievements. What was just a bragging competition on Xbox Live has transitioned to a real yardstick in terms of what a player focuses on in game and what they've done so far.Is that bad? I don't think so -- Blizzard has done with achievements what they've done brilliantly with all of the other features of their games: borrow them, polish them, and then make them better. If you look through that old thread, most of the talk was about achievements pushing people to keep playing the game, and that happened, but I think one thing Blizzard has done is use achievements as a way to see what people have done so far as well: what instances have you run, what quests have you completed, what titles do you have already? There's lots more value to achievements than what any of us originally envisioned.
A leveling server, just for leveling
Reader Tiago sent us an interesting idea I thought was worth sharing. He suggests that Blizzard create a "leveling server" -- a server that would be marked as specifically for new characters, so when you rolled a new toon on there, you'd be surrounded by a bunch of other people pre-80. And the key here would be that when you hit 80 on this server, then you would get a free server transfer off. In other words, Blizzard would have one server (completely optional, of course) designed for people to level on, with a realm full of people playing in the old world and leveling through the old quests.Sounds good, right? Like most of our ideas, Blizzard probably won't go for it -- they've already knocked down the idea of vanilla realms, and while this isn't the same thing (you'd be able to level to 80, the idea is just that you'd leave the server when you got there), it does mean creating a different ruleset for a brand new type of server. Plus, to a much lesser extent, it could create an even more lonely existence on the normal servers. Not to mention that Blizzard has been focusing on speeding past the low levels, not emphasizing them.But I like the idea anyway -- it doesn't seem too tough to do (mark one realm recommended, and provide free server transfers off of it), and it seems like an excellent way to get people who enjoy leveling up all together in the same place. And that's really what MMOs like this are all about, right?
Are achievements optional?
There was an interesting discussion that happened on the official forums the other day, and I think it deserves a bit of light here on WoW Insider. Of course that thread devolved quickly into standard forum QQ and blue bashing, but hopefully that doesn't happen here.The thread asked: are achievements optional?This is a loaded question, for sure, so what I'm going to do is look at three different types of players and analyze what achievements mean for each of them. But of course to begin, it should just be said that any achievement is completely optional in the game. You don't need them, they deliver nothing to you that's necessary for your character to progress. The CasualThe casual is the person who chooses to play the game at their own pace for a little or as much as they want. The casual rarely, if ever, make appointments or schedule in game activities with other people. The casual may or may not be in a guild, and that's just fine. The casual is there to enjoy the game on their own terms.
The Cape to host CoX's Positron and Brian Clayton
By now you've heard that optional in-game ads are coming to a fictitious billboard near you within the City of Heroes universe. If Brian Clayton's community address earlier today hasn't convinced you that this isn't the end of the world (and based on the comments left here on Massively it would seem some aren't) then maybe listening to him address the CoX Nation directly will.Brian and Matt "Positron" Miller will be featured on The Cape Internet Radio this evening (Thursday, April 3rd at 5:00 PM Pacific, 8:00PM Eastern) where they will be answering questions about this overly-hyped, overly-controversial (non) topic.
In-game advertising headed to CoX
Double Fusion just announced that they will be providing contextual advertising within the City of Heroes universe. The above photos are only samples, as no deals have been struck with individual advertisers yet.Before your "DOOM Meter" shoots immediately into the red... take a deep breath and relax. First, the sky is not falling. Second, any advertising will be - say it with us now - optional. So really, there is no reason for anyone to go ballistic over this. However, this is the gaming industry. As such NCsoft anticipated an intense reaction. Brian Clayton, General Manager for the NorCal NCsoft studio, simultaneously released a very detailed and reassuring statement to the community regarding this very touchy subject. This is not an off the cuff decision. In fact, it's something NCsoft has considered since the initial release of City of Heroes way back in 2004.
