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Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Medic
My favorite classes in games are the ones that inspire spit-takes. The fact is that I don't really hate your bog-standard Warriors or Mages or whatever. But the classes that really get me interested are classes that demand that you explain what they do and how someone came up with that concept. Guild Wars has the Dervish, World of Warcraft has the Shaman, Final Fantasy XI has the Corsair -- they're flavorful, they're unique, and they're just plain neat. Combine that with my love of melee and WildStar's Medic had me from hello. I really like getting into the paint with things, I like the idea of a healer focused on getting up close and dancing, and I love the idea that medics balance between being doctors and technological shock troops. So jumping into the beta, I was happy to dive into the shoes of the doctor and start doing a whole lot of harm to anyone and everyone who opposed the Dominion.
The Daily Grind: How long can you play a game in one sitting?
You've got nothing else to do on a lazy Saturday. You've got plenty of food and beverages, a comfortable seat, and a burning desire to get something accomplished in your game of choice. So you settle down, you log in, and you start running around and getting stuff done. Exactly how long is it going to be until you get up? We're not asking about when you get up to grab more chips or run to the bathroom or whatever. Today's question is just about how long you can sit in front of the screen without needing to get up and do something else for a little while. How long can you play a game in one sitting? Does it depend on the game, with group-based games like Final Fantasy XI meriting a longer session compared to solo-friendly titles like World of Warcraft? Or can you tolerate only a certain amount of time before you need a break no matter what? 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 was your longest single play session?
You probably heard tell of the Final Fantasy XI boss fight that would not end, but most of us don't have stories quite like that. We still have our marathon sessions, though, times when we log in and then find ourselves 12 hours later seriously contemplating calling out sick from work. Marathon sessions are one of those things that nearly every gamer deals with sooner or later, and while you might not understand the motivation if you don't play, anyone who knows MMOs will know the thrill of logging in and just going. Sometimes they're sessions in which the stars align perfectly and you just seem to be getting good drops left and right. Sometimes the session is just a great party that's steamrolling difficult content. And sometimes the session is a real match of wits, you against the game, and you are determined to keep hammering at it until it gives you what you want. So what was your longest marathon session like? What got you into it, and what was the most memorable part? 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!
Storyboard: To say nothing of Elim Garak
As usual, my promise of what would be in this column has been foiled, this time largely because my previous plan will require a bit more refinement. It happens. Last week's column also provoked some interesting discussion, some of which will fit well in a future column. But today, I'm going to go in a completely different direction and talk about something we've encountered at least once or twice before: the guest star. Guest stars are players who aren't as reliable as clockwork -- they show up every so often when real life, personal motivation, and various other circumstances align. Sometimes it's a case of the player not really wanting to show up on a regular basis, but more often it's a combination of external pressures and obligations. So when someone wants to be present more often but isn't, how do you make sure to get the most of the times when she is around? And if you're the guest star, what can you do to make your transitions in and out of presence as painless as possible?
The Daily Grind: What game rewards you best for limited playtime?
Sometimes, we have all the time in the world to sit down and play a game to our hearts' content. But that's not the most common situation -- more often than not we have to scramble to get some playtime in. In party-based games such as EverQuest and Final Fantasy XI, that can unfortunately make any serious play impossible, which is part of the reason more recent games have allowed players to do something with only a little time to spare. But the specifics of what you can do with a limited play session can vary a great deal. There are games that will let you pick up and go from anywhere, and there are games that still expect you to commit a solid chunk of time to get anything accomplished. We've asked before how you manage your limited time, but today we want to know -- what game feels like it does the best job of rewarding you even if you only have a little while to play? Where does it seem that you get the maximum reward for your minimal play? 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: Does absence make the heart grow fonder?
Single-player games have at least one distinct advantage over MMOs -- they don't go anywhere. You can spend months not playing one, and if you're behind at all, it's just a matter of not having bought all the DLC as it became available. Not so with online games, where a few months off can leave you behind the curve in both gear and incremental changes to your class of choice, making it almost easier to just start over. Even in a game like Guild Wars, where your character is never going anywhere and returning to the game just requires a login, losing some in-game time can leave you out in the cold. For some players, of course, this is what makes taking some time off attractive in the first place. The progression itself is enjoyable, not the end goal, and it's more fun to come back to World of Warcraft every few months to earn up new equipment rather than keep playing with the equipment you've got. So what about you? Are you more or less likely to return to a game as time passes? Do you get turned off by thinking of how much catching up you'll need to do, or is that the part of the game that really excites you anyway? 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: How long are most of your play sessions?
How long we play changes as times change. When you first start playing RIFT, for instance, odds are good that you'll be playing for several hours at a stretch. It's possible, however, that by the time you've reached endgame you'll be logging on briefly, seeing if anything is going on, and then logging right back off. That's not even discussing the difference between games where you can log in, do something quickly, and then log right back off (City of Heroes) versus games where you need to take the time to assemble a group before doing anything (Final Fantasy XI). Despite all of that, most of us generally has a certain amount of time we expect to spend in an MMO when we log on. So on average, once you click the button to enter the game, how long do you expect to be playing? Are you generally just clocking an hour or two a night, or is it the whole of your evening from the time you get home until the moment you go to sleep? And does it vary by game -- do you spend more time quietly mining in EVE Online than actively smashing villains in DC Universe Online? 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: Your longest MMO bender
We're not going to advocate spending a ridiculous amount of time playing an MMO non-stop, particularly due to some highly publicized unfortunate incidents. However, we can't turn our back on the fact that certain MMOs seem to inspire those extended play-sessions, and we bet there are a lot of you with a sizeable "high score" that you feel a healthy mixture of pride and shame about. Today, we're all about the pride! Unless your stint ended in a similar fashion to poor keyboard-face pictured here. Perhaps it was the launch of a new MMO that caused you to break your personal play-session record, or maybe you had some time off work and wanted nothing more than to log some serious hours into your favorite game. In the comments section, we want to hear about your most impressive MMO sessions, including the name of the game and what particular event sparked the bender.
