player-skill
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The Soapbox: Be as bad as you like
There are a lot of reasons I love MMOs, but one of the reasons is the fact that there are so many possible goals in any given game and so many different reasons to pursue them. Even in games with more limitations, you've still got a surfeit of character options, moreso than in almost any other genre. I love to roleplay a character who wouldn't normally be the main character of a story, explore what makes her tick, and give her space and the ability to be heroic and skilled as she deserves. What I'm less enthusiastic about is when someone asks why in the world I'm playing a particular race and class combination because obviously my character is now sub-optimal. There's an emphasis on optimization in most MMOs, a push to create the best possible version of a character in gameplay terms that I'm not entirely on-board with. It's one with comprehensible origins, but it's unfortunately taken on a lot of ugly dimensions that sometimes short-change what MMOs can be.
Massively Exclusive: RaiderZ boss fight video
With RaiderZ's closed beta rapidly approaching, it's not a half-bad idea to see the game in action before deciding to make the leap into it or not. Massively has obtained footage of a boss fight that shows a group of players taking on a mighty stone golem that's being piloted by a rather cute goblin. RaiderZ will go into closed beta on August 8th, and Perfect World wants to remind players that those who sign up for the beta will get a chance to win tickets to the sold-out PAX later this month. Senior Producer Mark Hill hopes that the company can build on the foundation it's already set for the game: "Players who already got a chance to try RaiderZ during the Alpha Test phase can also look forward to striving towards a new level cap of 30, exploring the Makot Village, and much more." You can watch the boss fight video after the cut!%Gallery-161571%
RaiderZ announces closed beta date, PAX trip giveaway
Are you starting to grow bored with summer? Do you wish there were something new to check out? Perfect World has the answer to summer duldrums, as its action-MMO RaiderZ is finally going into closed beta on August 8th. The new testing phase will raise the level cap to 30, add the Makot Village, and see numerous beta events. If getting into the beta isn't reward enough, Perfect World is also hosting a PAX Prime giveaway for testers. Anyone who registers for the closed beta will get a chance to win an "all-inclusive" trip for two to the sold-out PAX game show on August 31st. In the meanwhile, you can brush up on your RaiderZ knowledge by reading our impressions from E3 and PAX East. [Source: Perfect World press release]
RaiderZ mixes and matches classes to find the perfect fit for you
If you're an overachiever who loves to plan your future character's career months in advance, then today's the day to get out your graph paper and get to work on your RaiderZ adventurer. Perfect World has released its second dev diary about the action MMO, this one focused on the character creation and development process. Players begin their time in RaiderZ by choosing one of four basic archetypes: Defender, Berserker, Sorcerer, or Cleric. These roles translate into tank, melee DPS, ranged DPS, and healer, respectively. If that sounds a little... stale, just wait. In RaiderZ, you eventually can create a hybrid that utilizes skills from two of the archetypes. This can result in a tank who casts spells, or a ranged fighter who also melees from time to time. You can watch the full dev diary after the jump!
RaiderZ releases dev diary on how to beat a monster to death with its own severed limbs
Admit it: Deep down, you dream about beating in-game monsters to death with their own severed limbs. Who doesn't? Happily, RaiderZ makes that dream a reality, as is demonstrated in the game's most recent developer diary. The video diary goes over tactics and playstyles for handling monsters out in the world. Most monsters have unique attack styles and players need to observe their foes in order to best exploit weaknesses of the monsters' timing and tactics. The video drops other strategy gems, like the clue that "melee players must get up close and personal with their adversaries" and have to consider the pros and cons of fast, lighter-damage attacks or slower, more powerful strikes. With no tab-targeting in the game, caster and ranged classes have to be sure to fire in the right direction and take full advantage of times that monsters leave themselves vulnerable. Most excitingly, there is the previously mentioned ability to whack off monsters' horns and appendages for a chance to use them to pierce, bludgeon, and otherwise damage the beasties.
PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Perfect World's RaiderZ
TERA isn't the only upcoming MMO to feature big-ass monsters and action combat. Perfect World Entertainment showed us a demo of RaiderZ at last weekend's PAX East, and producer Mark Hill was pretty enthusiastic about the game's level of polish. He also made a point of highlighting the amount of free gameplay the company will be making available to fans later this year. "We really want to blow people away with how much free content they're getting out of a really top-notch game," he said. Join us after the cut to see what RaiderZ has to offer.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The obligations to the useless
I'm going to let all of you in on a secret. Actually, it might not be a secret; everyone might have figured this out by now independent of any admission on my part. But here it is, just the same. I'm not actually a very good City of Heroes player. I mean, I'm "good" in the sense that I play the game, enjoy it, think about it, try to improve my character appropriately... but I'm not actually very skilled at the game. My rotations look awkward, my slotting is usually sub-optimal, and my ability to recall important data is pretty paltry. I understand the mechanics just fine, but when it comes time to log into the game, somehow I wind up as the guy who just subtly makes the entire team worse. I'm not terribly skilled. And for all that I'm going to be playing the game for some time to come, I don't think that I'm ever going to reach the point that I say I'm really any good.
The Firing Line: Getting into Global Agenda
OK, so you've heard about this whole Global Agenda thing, and you've talked yourself into giving it a shot. It's completely free-to-play from start to finish these days, and the Unreal graphics, sci-fi setting, and strange mixture of hyper-competitive PvP and ultra-accessible PvE have always held a certain appeal. You're not sure, but you think it's kind of an MMO, given that it has persistent territory control, lots of quests, and plenty of progression-based gameplay. Maybe you're a pro skillz baller, or maybe the extent of your shooter knowledge is which end of the gun gets pointed at the bad guys. Either way, you'll likely have a good time in Hi-Rez's spy-fi action title, and you'll have an even better time if you understand a few key points about the game prior to diving in.
The Daily Grind: What is player skill, anyway?
Today it's time to tackle the somewhat touchy subject of player skill in MMORPGs. With Guild Wars 2 touting its active dodging system and TERA just on the horizon with its action-based combat, many games seem to be attempting to force individual player skill to weigh more heavily in overall gameplay. Guild Wars 2's PvP takes it a step further, putting all players on an even playing field with equal gear and equal stats, leaving the only undecided factor to be the skill of each individual player. But what is player skill? Some people argue that twitch-based gameplay (such as GW2's dodging or TERA's movement and aiming system) isn't skill but rather is a matter of reflexes. Some argue that regardless of gear or character stats, a truly skilled player will always come out on top. Some argue that skill is a matter of knowledge -- knowing your class and the class of your opponent. So today we ask you, what is player skill? Is it the ability to aim a shot in such a way that you lead a player across the map and nail him in the head? Is it knowing to save your cooldowns for when a particular class lands a nasty CC ability on you? Does gear play a part, or does it simply impede a truly balanced experience? Perhaps it's some combination of the above. What does player skill mean to you? 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!
Free for All: What does action-based gaming mean for the future?
If you've been following recent game development, you will have noticed that action-based gaming, or gaming that requires a player to literally control the character on the screen through mouse-clicks or shortcuts, has become all the rage. It shouldn't be surprising, though, considering how incredibly fun it can be to click the mouse button and have the character on the screen smash his enemies. I've fallen in love with it myself, especially while playing games like Vindictus or Dungeons and Dragons Online. After so many years or pushing 1-2-3-4 in order to kill mobs, truly swinging an axe feels wonderful. More and more games use this immediate-response style of play. Up-and-coming side-scrollers like Rusty Hearts or recent smashers like Dragon Nest are showing that action-based gaming is growing stronger all the time. I've even begun to feel slightly let down when I switch to a "classically controlled" MMO. Targeting a mob followed by pressing a series of number keys just does not satisfy like slamming your enemy through a bookcase. (Watch the video after the cut for some of my bookcase action!) But what could all of this action mean for future design? And what about disabled players or players who have issues with wrist pain (like I do)? Click past the cut and let's discuss!
The Soapbox: Grinding skill instead of gear
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 the most troubling things I see in gamers these days is their incessant pursuit of loot. If you happen to play World of Warcraft, you know that getting into a pick-up raid involves a lot of people waving around GearScore like it's an actual measurement of player ability. Ever tried to get into an Ultra-Max Security group in Global Agenda? I hope you've got top-quality token gear and are level 50 because the time you spent getting those things matters a lot more than actually having any sort of skills. As a tournament fighting-game player, I take offense to this. You don't need to have an epic'd-out Chun Li to win in Street Fighter. In online games, gear is important, but it isn't the first thing you should be pursuing.
Firefall dev blog talks skill vs. progression
If you're a bit apprehensive about the balance between progression mechanics and skill-based gameplay in Red 5's upcoming Firefall title, you're not alone. You're also in luck since senior designer Dave Williams has just posted a new dev blog on that very topic. So what's the answer to this age-old design predicament? That's hard to pin down, and Williams spends quite a few words attempting to wrap our brains about the firm's plans for the game. In a nutshell, we can expect something called horizontal progression -- basically an "enlargement of your toolset" -- as opposed to the vertical progression in a typical RPG that often results in god-mode for players a couple of levels above their opponents. "At the end of the day we want your ability to place your crosshairs over your enemies and pull the trigger to matter," Williams explains. It's clear that Red 5 also wants to keep players engaged over the long-term, and how Firefall manages the delicate balancing act between grind and fun will be interesting to watch.
Behind the Mask: Some things experience points can't buy
Last week, I talked about survivability in Champions Online. I mainly talked about passive defenses and stats -- things you can plan for. Anyone can adjust a stat build to be more effective, and anyone can get a defensive passive to adjust survivability. This week, I'm going to talk about something you can't get from a drop or gain when you level up. I'm talking about player skill. CO is one of the few MMORPGs out there that rewards player skill greatly. The game engine itself is reasonably well-suited to tactical decisions made in the heat of battle. Being able to react quickly to things occurring in a fight also often means the difference between taking an opportunity to attack (thus ending a fight) and having that opportunity wasted by standing around and blocking. How do you measure up? We're going to explore an issue that persists between MMOs and even between genres. The magic that can be produced by dexterous bashing of keys is obvious, and yet often overlooked. Hit the jump, and we'll figure out why.
Mixing skill into a multiplayer game
Clockwork Gamer posted an interesting look at skill in MMOs the other day. He categorizes skill in online games into three areas: character gear and advancement, game knowledge, and player skill.Character gear and advancement can be done by anyone-- the longer you've played a game, it's almost guaranteed that the better your character will be. Game knowledge is usually something cultivated both outside the game, and by social interaction inside the game. It's only by reading sites like this one and talking to your friends that you can learn strategies to defeat enemies (or other player classes). And player skill is the hardest form of skill to get a grasp on. It's that weird measure of how good you are at aiming the mouse and hitting the right buttons when necessary.Usually, when people say "playing skill," they're talking about games that require twitch and computer knowledge to conquer: first person shooters, real-time strategy games, and so on. MMOs don't usually fit into that because in most cases, the other two forms of skill can match up or even outweigh actual "skill"-- a level 1 character will never topple an endgame character, no matter how great his aim is. But there's a lot more research to do here-- it seems like there is definitely a sweet spot for player skill to be found in MMOs. While some have tried (and are trying) to find it, we haven't quite hit it yet.
