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And they RAN, they RAN so far away... into open beta
Yes, we had to make that the title. We apologize for the puns, really. (No we don't. Never apologize for bad puns!)Now, if there's any setting that could be called a unique setting for an MMO, we think this one may just grab it. RAN Online isn't another free-to-play fantasy game. It's not a sci-fi game. It's not superhero, and it's not horror. It's a game about school kids. School kids involved in a bloody school vs. school war that makes gang violence seem simplistic. Think back to the Dreamcast's/PlayStation's Rival Schools, and you'll have an idea as to what RAN Online is all about.But, the schools are graduating out of closed beta and are setting their sights on open beta. Class will be in session starting September 23rd at 9:00 AM (GMT+9, making that 8 PM ET tomorrow.) This is the global release of RAN Online, so only a select number of countries won't be able to participate.
Player stories on the official site
Blizzard asked for real-life stories from players a little while ago, and now they've posted a pretty big collection of them over on the official site (this page was around last year, but they've added many stories since then). As Bornakk says, these are personal accounts from players of how playing the game with others has helped them grow relationships in real-life. I'm not sure what exactly the point of posting these is (maybe Blizzard wants to stave off some of that negative media reporting about the game and addiction to it), but then again, if you dive into a few of these, you can see that they don't really need a point -- they're really interesting (and in some cases pretty heartwarming) stories about how players are using this game to enrich real-life relationships.They're still accepting more stories as well, so if you've got a good tale of some WoW-sharing in real-life, hit them up over on the submission page and put yours in the mix. Hopefully Blizzard will figure out a way to get these out into the real world -- harsh stories about addiction are so easy for the media to jump on, but great stories like these are the real reasons we all play this game.
The Daily Grind: Leveling up in real life
The other day, we asked our readers whether they take their time leveling or if they make a mad dash to the level cap. We had a variety of responses, with some people fitting into one of the two polar opposites and others placing themselves somewhere in the middle. One reader, Accordance, made a comment that brought up another aspect of the discussion: "I think it would be worthwhile to discuss how we play games as a reflection of how we live our day-to-day lives outside of games." While it may seem like a no-brainer that the goal-oriented career-focused person in real life would also be tearing through achievements in a game, we have a feeling that this may not always be the case. Perhaps the fast pace of your professional life leads you to want to take things slower and relax when playing an MMO? On the other hand you might have someone with a steady and undemanding job, happy with their station in life, who comes home from work and gets satisfaction from blazing through their MMO goals. So where do you fit? Does your leveling/playstyle in general match your real-life attitude towards goals?[Thanks, Accordance!]
Former Warhammer Online GM gives perspective on game's decline
At Massively we must often report on declining subscription numbers and subsequent layoffs in the MMO industry, just as we do when the games we love are healthy and growing. When you look beyond the numbers though, such industry statistics are ultimately about people whose lives have been negatively impacted. They face uncertainty in their career and likely have tough times ahead. Case in point: We've written about the Mythic Entertainment layoffs from the view of an outside observer of the MMO industry, but of course there's a side to this that only someone who's worked there can really convey. Some have a story they'd like to tell, like Jeremy Monken, former games reviewer for a D.C. newspaper turned Warhammer Online GM at Mythic Entertainment.
The Daily Grind: Does your guild have a summer amnesty?
Summer is now in full swing and the lure of the outdoors is strong. School is out, people are going on holiday, to muddy music festivals or just enjoying the fine weather. Suddenly virtual worlds and MMOs are that much quieter as people dip back into real life. Each year, my guild mistress institutes what she calls a 'summer amnesty'. Over the summer things become a little more relaxed, there's no ire if people don't raid as often. Real life takes precedence for once and things just chill out a bit. People come, people go. Even better, rather than monthly farming, we just have to contribute once and it covers the majority of the summer. That gives me the freedom to not feel guilty about lengthy absences so I can sit in my garden and drink cider or go to the pub. It's nice.So with the heat of summer now upon us, I'm wondering, how does your guild cope with the summer months. Do you have an amnesty? Do you forget about farming and just have fun? Do you just tone raiding time down? What about guild taxes or farming? Do you make an effort to improve guild bonding by maybe even having a real life meet up or BBQ? Do you partake in summer festivals? Tell us in the usual manner.
The Daily Grind: How do you cope without your favourite MMO?
There are always going to be times when, due to real life commitments, you can't play your favourite MMO, whether it's a month of exams or an important week at work. I started playing WoW in November 2006 and was on the cusp of getting the game when my first month ran out and I had to fly back to Norfolk from Exeter for Christmas. My mother doesn't have broadband and is a little scared by technology (it's taken me two years to show her how to use a DVD player) so I didn't bother bringing my laptop. This meant over a month without the internet or WoW. It was during this time that I realised how much the game had gotten its claws into me. When I got back, a couple of days before The Burning Crusade was released, I re-rolled to my current main and haven't looked back since.During that month I started to take an interest in the game. I hit the library and devoured WoWWiki, I researched the lore of my chosen class and that of Azeroth itself. Then I started reading the novels and finally, I was reduced to watching YouTube videos to get a better idea of how the game had evolved as well as a peek at the endgame. So, constant readers, let's say something in real life has meant you can't play your MMO of choice for a couple of weeks, how do you cope? Do you do something totally different? Do you use other media about said MMO (like YouTube or novels) to get your fix?
Breakfast Topic: How do you cope with burnout?
Burnout is a natural part of doing anything for a long period of time whether it's a game or your job. Right now I've got WoW burnout, I can't be bothered to log on and the thought of raiding Ulduar (Ignis specifically) just makes my eyes and head hurt. It's not too bad and I've certainly had worse pre-Wrath but it's exacerbated in part I think by the lull. Patch 3.1 is out, Patch 3.2 is coming and the next unannounced expansion is a long time off yet. On top of that there aren't enough hours in the day to work, sleep, raid and play with my cats. It makes me wonder what's the best way to get out of this phase? Do I go cold turkey for a week? Do I reroll or do I just try a new instance? Tell me your suggestions, please, how do you cope with burnout?
WoW, Casually: What is casual?
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win.Turtlehead wrote in wanting to know "what the heck casual is." This is a good question, but the answer seems to change according to the context. I learned long ago to explain how I'm defining casual for a particular article, or else face the wrath of my readers. When I write Wow, Casually, I define casual as a player with limited playtime and address my content accordingly. But there are many other kinds of players that could be called casual and we use the word to describe any or all of them. So, is it possible to define the word to please everybody? Probably not, but I'm going to try.
Breakfast Topic: WoW analogies
I don't know if it's because I blog about WoW, or just because I play a fair amount of it, but analogies between WoW and other parts of life constantly leap into my mind. This happens often enough in everyday conversation that it doesn't even annoy my girlfriend anymore; she's just used to it. Most recently, I was at a large family event, maybe 30 people. I was noticing how hard it was to get the entire group to do anything - waiting for people to get ready, deciding what to do, etc. I immediately thought of 25-man raiding, with its horrendous logistics. By comparison, a group of 10 people, in raids or real life, is much more manageable. What sorts of WoW analogies have occurred to you recently? Or am alone in this particular affliction?
The Daily Grind: The MMO/life balance
Irony is a weird thing. Here's an example: since becoming a journalist some four years ago I've had less time to read manga, watch anime and play games (oddly all things I do as part of my job). Here's another one: since joining Massively and WoW.com, my time playing WoW has dropped to just a couple of hours a week. Weird huh? It's something I'm trying to change but enjoying a raid is a bit hard when a voice in my head is whispering about news and European maintenance posts.So readers, you work, you play, you go to school, you study and you obviously also love MMOs (or you wouldn't be reading this post, right?). How do you balance your real life with your virtual one? Does your MMO of choice have to wait till your chores/homework/research is done? Would you rather get your fix before dinner or are you up at the crack of dawn before work to do those all-important dailies?
Contemporary raiding and real-life obligations
An unidentified reader wrote to WoW Insider explaning that while he is in a raiding guild, his life schedule does not allow him to raid. He feels he's being left behind as groups ask for higher DPS.What practical advice is there for progressing in the game while being a player with RL obligations? First off, I'd like to tell you that you're not an outlier, there are many of players in similar situations. Nearly all WoW players have real life obligations including work, school, and families. The two most important things to work on are balance and realistic expectations.It's easy to get suckered into playing too much WoW. To balance WoW with life, you need to determine how much time you can spend in game, while leaving plenty to meet your other responsibilities. If you can, try to schedule WoW at regular times, that way you build relationships with folks you play with often.
Breakfast Topic: Which class are you in real life?
A bunch of blogs have come up with this interesting discussion lately, with Saresa over at Twisted Nether collating all the posts on the topic. It's a pretty good question and some World of Warcraft bloggers have taken it upon themselves to answer the question -- we've got someone who wants to be a Mage; another who thinks she'd be a Warlock; while this lady believes she fits Paladins best; and finally one lady who actually wants to be a bear. We thought this was a clever idea and decided to share it with you for this morning. It might kick off a post for your own blogs, as well.The cool thing is, I think that a lot of people fit into certain class archetypes, even without any of the abilities or spells. A priest at church would quite obviously be a Priest, while athlete fighters would probably be Warriors. Your uncle who goes off deer hunting in the Fall just might be a Marksmanship Hunter. With or without class skills and abilities, I'm sure we all have a class we sort of identify with, or whose powers we wished we possessed. You can even think of it as the WoW player's version of HEROES, choosing a class because of their powers. Myself, I'd probably stick by the Paladin. Being able to cure diseases and heal the sick would be a great thing, while still being able to lay the smackdown on baddies. Of course, when things get hairy, I'd love to be able to put up an invincible force field and... go home. How about you? You can use this Shared Topic to write your own blog post, but at the same time we'd love to hear your ideas on which class you'd be in real life.
WoW zones in real life
Aurdon over at I Sheep Things spotted this great collection of comparisons between real-life environs and the in-game places that they inspired. Not all of the comparisons are pitch-perfect, obviously (there are no Nagrand-esque floating islands in the real world, and the Crystalsong Forest picture shows trees covered in ice rather than the mystical wood that grows in-game), but lots of the pictures are really dead-on, and they show you really well how Blizzard uses a kind of hyper-realized version of Earth to create what seems like a very real Azeroth.We've posted before how the architecture of WoW mirrors real-world places and culture, but even the natural world of Azeroth uses lots of Earth's real-life elements. And it would be cool to know where these pictures actually come from -- some of them are recognizable (obviously, Stranglethorn Vale is based on parts of the Amazon, and The Barrens represents Africa's savannahs), but even Icecrown and Zangarmarsh are represented (in slightly less mythical form) on Earth. It would be interesting to know exactly where.
BRK fans post a goodbye video
A little while after BigRedKitty closed shop on his blog last week, there was another post from TJ on there asking for help with a "secret project" (that lots of you let us know about -- thanks!). And now, the secret has been revealed: a few of BRK's fans have put together a goodbye video for the knowledgeable Hunter with the big red cat, and you can watch the whole thing above.Very touching, and very cool to see a community come together to thank someone who's done a lot for them. BRK also reported on his blog this week that he hasn't left Warcraft for good, but it does sound like the choice to focus on his real life and family rather than what happens in Azeroth was an excellent one. We've also heard, through the grapevine, that Blizzard may be honoring BRK in their own way in the future, much like they did with Phaelia of Resto4Life. We'll keep an eye out for nay Big Red items we may come across.
Second Life sparkles on the iPhone
Tokyo startup Genkii has released a new text communication app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, called Sparkle IM that allows messaging with Second Life (and opensim style) virtual environments. Essentially the application appears to be a lightweight viewer application not unlike SLeek (currently on hold, development-wise), AjaxLife, and similar, in that it essentially logs your avatar in, and gives you a non-graphical interface to communicate with others. Genkii are also working on a lightweight graphical 3D environment for the iPhone, also part of the Sparkle umbrella brand, called (rather simply) Sparkle 3D, that may in future be integrated with other virtual environments. Sparkle IM is priced variously, depending on where you are, but at about 4-5 dollars (for the special, introductory price) might be a little expensive compared to many of your existing apps. Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
Noblegarden may get delayed
Well that'll teach us to assume -- earlier this week when mentioning the upcoming Noblegarden holiday, we pointed out that considering it was being tested on the PTR right now, we'd likely see 3.1 hit the live realms by the time Easter came around in the real world. But Kisirani has appeared on the forums saying, "Not so fast." Blizzard has apparently gained the power to cancel Easter, because they say Noblegarden and 3.1 will start when it's ready, not because there are kids hunting for eggs on the White House lawn.So basically, if patch 3.1 isn't done by Easter, we won't see the holiday ingame until it is done. And while it'll be a little strange to be looking for eggs in May (if it comes to that), we have to agree that's the right decision: we all know what happens when Blizzard releases a patch that isn't fully tested.We can wait. Noblegarden might not match up with the real-life holiday this year (if the patch does come late -- Kisirani still says this is a plan, so maybe the patch will be done by April 12th), but hopefully when it does appear, it won't be broken.
The Daily Grind: Meeting your MMO pals in real-life
This weekend, several local friends and I have been hosting a number of our real-life guild-mates. (We locals are all guilded together with the exception of one or two of us who have left that particular MMO and moved on.) Originally, it was just to be one or two people, but grew in size until we were a pretty solid rolling force when we decided to head out and catch Watchmen - first for some, second for others. That said, we've been friends for years, traveling to each other's weddings, parties, and all the rest - but most of us met via MMO. This morning we thought we'd ask you - have you ever traveled just to hang out with your MMO friends in real-life? Do you guys make travel plans to take vacations together (like say, a cruise) like some of our group does? Or is it something you really wouldn't ever do, short of seeing them at a convention or meetup for your favorite game that you might attend?
Video interviews present the life and times of Richard Garriott
The online broadcast network VBS is showing a three-part video series on the life and times of (computer) RPG pioneer Richard Garriott. The footage explores his first steps into the world of video game design, explaining how the moniker "Lord British" became synonymous with Garriott. The videos also give a look into what someone can do once they can afford any toy their heart desires, and chronicles a bit of the latest direction Garriott is taking his life -- into space. The short series is a revealing peek into the life of a significant figure in the games industry. We've got the video embeds for you below the cut, but for more background you might want to check out the accompanying info over at VBS.TV.
A real-life tabard for the Keepers of Stromgarde
This is very cool -- Jellis of Keepers of Stromgarde on the Venture Company server (the guild is an RP-PVP guild that has taken root in Stromgarde and claimed it as their own) put together this real-life version of their tabard, and it looks great. It's a little different from the "official" Stromgarde tabard, but I think this is probably the best they could do with the guild interface. She's even offered to make copies for everyone in the guild (we're told there's 75 members), which is pretty darn incredible. Plus, if you're willing to wear a tabard around in public, clearly you're dedicated to your guild.This reminded me of the Scarlet Crusade t-shirt we saw made a while back -- you can check that one out in the gallery below. I'll admit it: I'm jealous. Maybe my guild needs to recruit some crafty people so we can start getting some cool real-life stuff of our own, too.%Gallery-26473%
Will the economic downturn hurt WoW?
GamePolitcs had an interesting news brief about Michael Pachter, a financial analyst with Wedbush-Morgan, who contends that MMOs will not be impacted in the current economic downturn because the majority of people who play them are "addicts."The full interview with Pachter is available from Reuters.Besides the negative stereotypes and sweeping generalizations that come with statements like "people who play [MMOs] are addicts," Pachter does make a good point. He notes that "Losing their jobs makes them more likely to play because they have more time to play."I thought about this for a minute. If I were to lose my job here at WoW Insider, I would no doubt start looking for new employment almost immediately. I would scale back my expenses – probably get rid of cable TV (Hulu is my TV now anyways), I'd eat out less, I'd use the library more and Barnes & Noble less, and I would generally be more frugal with my spending.But I don't think I would cancel my WoW subscription.
