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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 start over when you return to an old game?
So you've decided to return to a game that you played in the past. A fine choice, really. But that leaves you with an interesting dilemma. You could log in on your existing character, but that would mean re-learning things, trying to figure out where you had left off, and all of that. Or you could just wipe the slate clean and start over, kicking yourself back into the earliest stages to re-learn the game from the ground up. On the one hand, your high-level character in Star Trek Online or Guild Wars or whatever game you're returning to might very well have benefits that are difficult to replicate. On the other hand, it's possible that a lot has changed since the last time you played, and it might be easiest to restart from the ground level. So which do you generally prefer? Do you like to restart after a long absence, or do you pick up where you left off and muddle through anything you might have forgotten? 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!
Drama Mamas: Choosing between preferred class and raid leader
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Happy Presidents' Day, if you are in the United States! Otherwise, happy Monday. We are getting in letters for an all-new results edition of Drama Mamas, but we could still use some more. If you have written the Drama Mamas and we have answered you in print, please send us an email at robin@wowinsider.com. We will compile the responses in a future column, once we get enough of them. What's up Drama Mamas?! Today I come with a problem of sorts... I'm part of this guild where we were all pretty close and get along great, we have been that way throughout cataclysm and I feel sorta connected to these folks. Now about a month or so ago a few of our core raid members that were originally on the team I was part of quit the game. That caused a rift in our guild and the leader of our second raid team stepped up to the plate and now leads our core group (as well as the guild but that's a different story). While we were trying to figure out who makes the cut for our first raid group we held try outs of sorts and in the group was myself and the rogue from the second group (we both play rogues so we needed to see who got the spot). Well I was beaten by the rogue of the second group by a slim margin so the leader decided to take him on as a regular.
Returning to World of Warcraft to play Cataclysm
You haven't played WoW in years -- but then you got a whiff of the expansion. Now you're itching to play again, but you're completely lost. So much has changed. Heck, so much is still changing. What do you need to do to get your characters back up to speed? Is there something you should be doing right now, before the expansion hits in December? Should you wait and reroll a new character? Will you sideswipe yourself if you simply start blind and fresh from level 1 in Cataclysm? WoW Insider makes it simple. Coming back to WoW after a break This article hits all the basics: Should you start now or wait for the expansion? Will you be at a disadvantage if you're not in game "getting ready" right now? What's changed since X date? What's important right now in today's game? What's important about Cataclysm? Get a good grasp of key changes and new content in the upcoming expansion. Cataclysm: The inside scoop Here's our reference page where we constantly update you with everything you need to know about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Click onward for more answers you can sink your teeth into.
The Daily Grind: Do you revisit MMOs you used to play?
There are always going to be new MMOs coming to the market, promising so much more than you're currently getting and trying to take your business over to their camp. Perhaps you like what you see and hear so much that you cancel your old game accounts, possibly delete their clients and devote yourself to the new MMO. Things go okay for a while, but then you find yourself missing things about that old game -- maybe the community, your former characters, the gameplay, the content -- that make you want to go back. It's your classic "grass is greener" scenario and we hear about it all the time. That's not always how it goes though. It doesn't have to be a quick process. Maybe you quit a game many years ago and then suddenly out of nowhere, someone brings it up and (perhaps due to being bored with newer offerings) you just have to see how that world is going. It's a lot like an old partner, in that there's often a comfortable familiarity with a game you've spent a lot of time playing that you just can't get anywhere else. Have you had this happen to you? Is there one particular game that, no matter how many others you try, you just keep coming back to? Tell us about it in the comments section.
Returning to Azeroth the long way around
Ethic at Kill Ten Rats has a post up about something that a lot of you have probably been through: more and more I'm hearing about people returning to the game. I've been playing ever since I signed up a few years ago, but that's really only because I'm writing about it -- I'm pretty ADD when it comes to games, so left on my own, I probably would have walked away from WoW a long time ago. But Blizzard is really good at bringing players back by tweaking the game in exactly the way they woud like. I feel like if I had left, I would have definitely come back in for a while, if not with Burning Crusade than definitely with Wrath. Of course, Ethic's issues aren't really with deciding to return or not: he's having more issues actually trying to get his old accounts back. There's a laundry list of rules and limits to contend with, between dealing with having or not having the expansions, the limits on the Scroll of Resurrection program and the trial accounts, and dodging all of Blizzard's various limits on how to start and use new accounts to the game. Man -- if I had left and was planning on coming back, and I read Ethic's post, I might not even bother.But quite a few people have come back, and I'd guess that even though there are confusing things about trying to find your way back into the game, a good number of you have done it. I'd like to know, so here's a poll: how many of you have left and come back, and how many times?%Poll-31240%
LotRO to welcome back previous players for free
Codemasters has announced today a special Welcome Back Week for Lord of the Rings Online players. From February 2nd through February 9th, they're inviting players to come back and try the again game for free. This only applies to those who have tried the game previously, and let their game time expire. Also, as far as we can tell, since this is through Codemasters, it only applies to the European servers.During this Welcome Back Week, monsters may drop special rare items that can be exchanged for gift boxes containing helpful in-game items. There will also be a Great Musician, a Great Fishing Tournament and a Fashion Maven in game. You can read more information at the Codemasters forum.[Update] It has been confirmed to only apply to the Codemasters/EU servers
Come and spend a fortnight in Pirates of the Burning Sea
Flying Lab games is calling all scurvy knaves back to the ranks of Pirates of the Burning Sea and offering 14 days free for all returning players. If you're new to the game, you can also get two weeks to try it out by visiting their free trial page. They have added lots of new features over the past several months and want to show everyone.For those of you who previously played and are interested in returning, here are some things to look forward to: New ships - many were created by players Dueling - you won't lose durability if your ship gets sunk in a duel Ship Insurance - get some of your investment back if you lose your ship Enhanced Ship Battles - changes to reinforcements and improvements to the ad hoc sea battle system So come on in and take a look around - on the house!
Officers' Quarters: Spawning grounds
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, especially after the Wrath of the Lich King beta went live last week. In many cases, hardcore raiding guilds just aren't making the Big Push anymore. Many have simply disbanded. Prior to the expansion, there really isn't much reason for raiders to keep going at the same pace, unless there's still content they haven't seen. So what are all these raiders doing in the meantime? Some, much like salmon, are instinctively returning to the ancestral casual guilds where they first spawned. But should those guilds take them back? This week's e-mail asks exactly that.Hello Scott:I am a high ranking officer in a casual raiding guild on Khadgar.Recently several top raiding guilds on my server are dissolving. Our guild is a casual raiding guild that are slowly progressing in SSC. We received several requests from former guild member that express interest in coming back into the guild. Most of them said they miss the friendly and fun environment our guild provides while still doing decent raiding.
AT&T to extend hours on December 26
Anticipating a wave of happy new iPhone owners, AT&T will extend store hours across the US on Boxing Day[1]. The idea is this: After receiving their sparkly new iPhone under the tree, consumers will head over to the AT&T stores to buy unnecessary and overpriced accessories in a post-Christmas wave of spending. TUAW recommends that you accessorize your new iPhone in moderation. The dollar store is a great resource to pick up inexpensive soft cases and socks. [1] December 26.Update: For the literal minded, this is the kind of sock I am talking about: It is marketed as an iPod sock but fits the iPhone as well. Cost: $1 at my local Dollar Tree. It's an excellent value works well in pockets and handbags where keys and other such items threaten the integrity of the iPhone's screen.
