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WoW Moviewatch: What Happens in Booty Bay Stays in Booty Bay
(Warning: This video contains some harsh language.)Just in time for the weekend, like a quick junket to Vegas,we offer a movie called What Happens in Booty Bay Stays in Booty Bay. The filmmaker, Brigitte Swiftblade, calls this an "RP documentary." I love this format; it's very original. Since she's playing on an RP server, she decides to follow around her pal, Zaitzegrait, and film the consequences while he tries to meet chicks in Booty Bay. Apparently Zait is quite a famous character in Trade chat (US Twisting Nether-A), so it's like she picked a celebrity for a reality show. And, in a way, a "reality show" is really what this movie is since Zait is the only one who knows why the little Dwarf Rogue is following him around so closely. (Her POV is the camera's eye.) Everyone else plays their part to perfection, albeit unbeknownst to them. The subtitles offer insight into the documentary setup and a running non-RP commentary on the action -- or Zait's lack thereof. The result is a very humorous, original movie that contains themes of love, betrayal, honor, and cross-faction hanky-panky. I would love to see more of this kind of documentary movie-making from role-players![Via WarcraftMovies]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Behind the Curtain: Blurring the lines
I find it strange that sometimes the world created for our MMOs isn't always well served by the game itself. World building is obviously a vitally important part of designing an MMO, but what if the world created for a particular game becomes so enthralling, so exciting, that the structures of the game leave some players feeling constrained? What happens when players have ideas and stories they want their characters to play out, but the game provides no tools or options to do so?How many times have you wanted to take the story behind your MMO just a little further, to push the envelope and really get into the world you're spending your free time in. Have you ever finished a quest chain and thought, "What happens next?" Have you ever wondered what Stormwind would look like if Onyxia's disguise stayed uncovered? Have you enjoyed an MMO enough, or more specifically, enjoyed the world enough, to actually step away from it and create your own adventures in it, outside of the game?
WoW Moviewatch: Lingering Memory
Hey there, I'm the new WoW Moviewatch blogger since Moo unfortunately had to leave our hallowed halls. My first pick is a new film by Count Vrenna called Lingering Memory. The story follows a young Paladin's conflict with The Scourge at Caer Darrow. It's told without dialog or voiceover, with just a few titles by way of setup and some emotional music to carry the mood. Count Vrenna asserts that this is his first time filming large battle scenes, but I wouldn't have guessed if he hadn't told me. The last scene showing rows of Death Knights -- including one of the Naaru, just like we find in Ebon Hold -- is chilling in its inevitability. Another scene I liked is where the hero confronts her fate and memories of her life flash before her eyes. It reminds me somewhat of Here Without You but without the love story. I've never quite gotten the hang of role playing but all these RP guilds making such cool recruitment videos sure make the idea tempting to try.[Via WarcraftMovies.]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Breakfast Topic: Who are you without your main?
Let's say the grid goes down tomorrow. Or maybe The Pattern catches up to Blizzard and it happens to fry that small part of a server that houses your character because it really is you they're after. (Admittedly, there are more realistic ways that you can lose your WoW character, but that kind of takes the fun out of this topic.) From a philosophical point of view, how would you feel? Any kind of loss -- even an electronic one -- may inspire grief and all its stages. But no doubt you spent a lot of time, effort, and money leveling that character so in a way it's part of yourself. You've probably thought about what it would feel like to lose your main.But what would you be like without your main? Would you lose a bit of confidence? Would your coworkers sense you withdraw just a bit? Or would you feel free, finally able to, I don't know, learn how to surf? Would you be any different at all? Would it be something you could (or would even want to) talk to your non-WoW friends or family about? I wonder if roleplayers would have a more difficult time -- or would it be easier because they are like actors? For me, since my main is much more powerful than I am and also provides me with a lot of laughs at his expense, I would feel just a little bit smaller and weaker. It would also be freeing. I don't think I'd level another main, but I might just try something new. Would the loss of your main have any impact on who you are on a daily basis?
Forum Post of the Day: Let's be friends
I spend an awful lot of time sifting through the various forums for quality candidates for Forum Post of the Day. My usual suspects were pretty lackluster today, so I ventured into some unknown territory. As I flipped through some of the posts in the Role Playing forum, I was briefly reminded of folks running around game shops with their arms crossed at their chests saying something to the effect of "you can't see me." I decided to give it a shot anyway. Yitrana of Twisting nether began an in-character plea for peace between the Horde and Alliance forces. The story begins with a note posted in he World's End Tavern in Shattrath City:
The Daily Grind: Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition?
Today's the day, long anticipated by tabletop gamers of the d20 variety; Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition releases today, coming to a Friendly Local Gaming Store near you. If you aren't familiar with the new edition of the game, Eurogamer has a great rundown on the system's ins and outs. For a more hands-on technical approach, you can't beat the official Wizards of the Coast site and their lengthy series of preview articles. You might have also noticed Penny Arcade's recent discussion of 4E. Though it requires a site login to reach, their hands-on playtime with PvP's Scott Kurtz is hilariously listenable.We ask, because we have to imagine some of you MMO fans out there also have occasion to 'roll the bones'. These games are ultimately all built on the foundation that the late, great Gary Gygax built, right? So, how about it: are you jumping to the newest edition?
Agetec shows kid-friendly PS2 love in Falling Stars
Refusing to close the lid on the PS2's casket, Armored Core publisher Agetec has announced plans to bring last-gen RPG Falling Stars to North America this summer. The game casts players in the role of a young girl named Luna on a quest to save the village of Dazzleon from her own green-skinned uncle and his obsession with turning peaceful creatures into evil pets. According to Agetec, the Ivolgamus-created Falling Stars will include "cute characters, fun mini games, and simplified controls." Wait, is this a PS2 or Wii game we're talking about here? Either way, this role-playing game for the younger set will no doubt give players coming off of the Lithuanian developer's Barbie as The Island Princess something else to look forward to after nap time.
Player vs. Everything: Pointless mini-zones
How pointless are so-called "pointless mini-zones," really? Michael did a post the other day which examined the history of a zone in EverQuest called Surefall Glade. Hitting his links gave me a nice little walk down memory lane -- I have fond memories of Surefall, being an old-school EQ fan who cut his teeth in Qeynos Hills, back in the day. There really isn't all that much to the zone, though. It's like the article says: a cabin, a lake, an archery range, and a few hidden caves with some bears. There's nothing to do but raise your fletching skill, and nothing to kill that's worth killing. Eventually they added some stuff to it, but it was still never anything more than a small, transitional town. Surefall was the essence of a pointless mini-zone: Most players never had any compelling reason to go there. Still, did it add something to the game with its mere presence? Like Moonglade in World of Warcraft, you could argue that it was kind of a neat place for players to discover and hang out. We get so focused on the "content" of these games that sometimes we forget that exploring a new zone you've never seen before, even if there's really nothing to do there, is content in its own right. Besides, does every single zone in our MMOGs have to be a big quest hub tied to a specific zone? Can't some places just be places?
Everyone is hardcore in their own way
David Bowers lightly ribbed me earlier about being too lazy to read quest text. Avid role-player that he is, he considered skipping quest text a capital offense. He went on to tell me about some folks that even made sure to read every readable book or object in the game, like A Steamy Romance Novel or those books lying around in Stratholme. Role-players pride themselves in immersing themselves in game lore and the environment. I don't think I could be so involved or keep in character so well for so long. I thought to myself just how hardcore that was. On the other hand, some people would probably consider my dropping 375 Mining to level up Enchanting just for the ring enchants for PvP to be hardcore. I certainly think what Nihilum did by having a majority of their raiding crew take up Leatherworking just for the Drums of Battle was incredibly hardcore.The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that a lot of people are pretty hardcore in their own way. I mean, my wife continued to raid with us while she was pregnant, healing us through Serpentshrine Cavern while lying down on the bed. She would log on to fill our roster when we were short even though she was bedridden because of doctor's orders. One of her friends in-game who was also pregnant played a Druid and was actually tanking a Heroic 5-man when she felt contractions come on and had to excuse herself midway through the instance. It turned out to be a false alarm, but I think these women are pretty hardcore for playing in their condition.
Anti-Aliased: I wear funny hats and I'm proud of it
Since when did role-playing become a dirty word? Apparently even mentioning the initials of the dreaded "RP" is enough to make people want to prove John Gabriel's Greater Internet Dickwad Theory as loudly as possible. Players go out of their way to make others feel uncomfortable and to ruin any sort of fun some people may have. Is it because it's the internet? Or have we forgotten the history of the role-playing game?Because I can't exactly spend a whole column talking about the horrors of the internet (NSFW) I'm going to be focusing on the place of role-playing and how it got interjected into these online games of ours.
Player vs. Everything: Maxed out and bored
Congratulations! You've hit level 70 (or whatever max level is in your favorite game), and you're officially a badass. For many players, this is a goal they've been striving towards for months -- even years in some cases. The feeling of having that first max level character is immensely invigorating. It's like putting the finishing touches on a long-term project or getting to the last page of a monstrous novel. What an accomplishment! However, after basking in the glow of your newly maxed out character for a few days, you quickly realize you have a small problem: What do you do with yourself now? The answer to that question is going to depend heavily on what game you play. For most people, it's going to be PvP, raiding, or a nice mix of both. You'll probably continue collecting gear for your character or working on your skills. Depending on the game, you might be able to work on some sort of alternate advancement or achievement system for your character -- maybe even hunt down some unique titles. All of this is pretty standard fare for endgame content. Sooner or later, you'll probably get a little bored of it. Don't fret, though! There's a whole host of other interesting things you can do to keep yourself entertained at maximum level that go beyond the planned content. Read on for a few suggestions.
Dragonrealms revisited
Just over two weeks ago I wrote my first impressions of Dragonrealms, a text-based MUD that was recommended to me. Here I am, knowing a bit more about the game, and more importantly still engaged, still having fun, plotting my next steps, and interacting with a range of characters on a regular basis. Following on from the comments to that post I plan to dip into Gemstone soon as well.Dragonrealms has a lot of subtle design features under the hood, many of which I am still getting to grips with to be honest. However, a few things have emerged quite clearly since my first post: things that make the game quirky, interesting and good in my eyes - your mileage may vary.
Tales of Vesperia Xbox 360 exclusive, for now
There are very few franchises in the role-playing genre that have maintained a top level of quality throughout it's lifespan, the Tales series is one of them. Widely regarded as one of the finest second-tier role-playing games (here in the West), the Tales series dates back to the Super Famicom so a new installment was to be expected. Namco Bandi recently revealed Tales of Vesperia, the latest in the franchise, is exclusive to the Xbox 360 - for now. The tenth in the series hitting the X360 echoes a strong backing for the western-made console by Namco Bandai, who have previously released Beautiful Katamari, Ace Combat 6 and Eternal Sonata on the Microsoft platform. While the title is currently an Xbox 360 exclusive everyone, including the game's director Yoshito Higuchi, expects the title to find it's way onto the PlayStation 3 eventually. During an interview with Play Magazine Higuchi was very direct when asked if the title would ever breathe life on Sony's platform. "Yes, I won't deny the possibility," Higuchi told Play. "But we're not thinking about it yet-there are so many other things to concentrate on first." [Thanks, Steve. Via Deeko]
Space for a new style of MMO?
As you may know if you've read my earlier posts, I'm basically a Second Lifer, but in the interests of research and writing for Massively, I've tried Runescape, Dofus, Oberin, Vendetta Online and World of Warcraft. You may also have noticed a number of first impressions posts but relatively little follow up.This isn't entirely an accident. All of the games have failed to attract and keep my attention. Second Life has not. Come the end of my free month, I'm not 99% certain I won't be subscribing to World of Warcraft because it's doing the same things as the other games.
All the World's a Stage: RP-PVP - Killing in Character
Zach Yonzon covers for David Bowers, who regularly writes All the World's a Stage every Sunday. While David is away on vacation, Zach sneakily mixes RP with his favorite thing: PvP.One of the first choices that you make when you start to play the World of Warcraft is to pick a faction -- the mighty Horde or the proud Alliance? This choice largely determines the "role" you play, with an implicit animosity between factions that often bleeds out into real life. More than most things about the game, loyalty to one's faction is perhaps the most role-played characteristic that players exhibit. You don't need to be on an RP server to feel not so much a love for one's own faction, but rather an intense dislike for the enemy. As it is far easier to hate the enemy than to love one's faction, cries of "the Alliance are such noobs!" or "Horde suck!" in each faction's respective channels or Battleground chat are standard fare.This begs the question, then, of how one can role-play this animosity towards the enemy when communication between factions is extremely limited? It's easy to play the role of a battle-hardened Orc, for example, while recounting war stories by the Battlemasters in Orgrimmar. The role of a spaced-out, Bloodthistle-addicted Blood Elf can be played while wandering the streets of Silvermoon City in a psychedelic daze. A womanizing, ale-guzzling Dwarf can make passes at all the ladies (and Night Elf men, for that matter) in Ironforge. With several channels to talk in -- the easiest avenue for role-playing -- as well as a variety of custom /em emotes, it's easy to get into character and show it to members of the same faction. But what about the enemy? Exactly how does one act out a role to an audience that doesn't understand a thing you say?
Ten Ton Hammer's guide to EQ2's pantheon of deities
Both EverQuest and EverQuest II let players choose deities for their characters. This feature's primary purpose in the first EverQuest was facilitation of role-playing, but in EQ2 a player's choice of deity (a feature added in the Echoes of Faydwer expansion) has gameplay implications as well. It's a really cool idea which was born in the old text MUD days but which finds only rare application in modern games.For those who play EQ2 and want to explore Norrath's vast pantheon of deities, Ten Ton Hammer has a terrific guide. It lists all the deities with descriptions and lists of their alignments, the quests you can do in their names, and the miracles they'll grant you.Walk with Mithaniel Marr, my friend.
PvP FTW
Do you prefer the blood-lust of PvP to the bloody boring banality of PvE missions? Do you live for the bloodletting, the torment, the outrage of the poor fool who tried to walk in front of you while you were sharpening your dagger or honing your casting skills? Do you like the thought of playing forever, with no subscription fee required? Do you want to avoid all the banality of role-playing and focusing on what your teammates want at the expense of your own needs? If so, you're in luck.Guild Wars, one of the best-known games NCsoft has produced, has catered to your wishes with the Guild Wars PVP Access Kit. If you don't have Guild Wars, and you're interested in the PvP aspect of the game instead of the role-playing elements, then this is the kit for you. It allows you to install Guild Wars with only the PvP elements active, allowing you to move foward with shanking friends and enemies alike. At under twenty dollars (plus tax, of course), it's a pay-once model, with lifetime gameplay and service updates at no charge. So buck up, little camper: you don't need to worry anymore about whether or not your guild is going to be impressed by your ability to mine for fish: all you have to worry about is whether or not you've ganked enough n00bs to ensure your place on the boards.
Is Second Life one of the few, true MMORPGs?
Before the flame war starts (I realize it's inevitable on this one), let me clarify what I mean by "true roleplaying": the game engine and "rules" place have as few restrictions as possible;. While most of the MMOs we play are allegedly roleplaying games, most of them define your role. A great roleplaying game lets you create your own role for yourself and act it out, similar to a character at an improv theatre. "Roleplaying" in most RPGs is sorta like being in Hamlet; you can put your own spin on it, but you're forced to working within the director's vision. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Great roles stuck in Hamlet.Games like WoW can be considered "roleplaying," sure. WoW lets you become that burly dwarf that does a mean Gimli impression by gruffly saying, 'Where's the brew, mate?". But you're constrained by game limitations and people's expectations. For instance, if you wanted to role-play a "big bad dwarf that's a coward and wants to hide behind the priest's robes" well, that'd get old after the first instance and most likely ensure you aren't invited again. Yes, I know there's people like Naked Troll guy , but let's be fair, he's an exception in a game that derides people for not having the optimal spec on raids.
Pirates beta diary recounts game's opening moments
Perhaps mindful of the beta-envy that afflicts those of us who aren't fortunate enough to get into the early rounds of testing for a game to which we are really looking forward, Flying Labs has posted a rather lengthy first-hand account of the first few moments of the Pirates of the Burning Sea by a fan named Misha to satiate our appetite for all things pirate. And from the sound of it, this beta tester has a certain talent for story telling."Bilge Rats had boarded [the] ship, so when we came aboard, five of them stormed to me and the crewmen I brought along! I blocked the first two swings, but a third hit me in my arm and blood stained my shirt. I was furious, and smashed my small sword against the face of one of my foes, and thrust my dagger into the throat of another one."I have a habit of rolling my eyes and just plowing through tutorials without stopping and smelling the roses. Whether Flying Labs really did that good a job with the opening moments of the game, or whether Misha just has a knack for creative embellishment, I know I'm looking forward to starting my swashbuckling career.
When did you first understand your role?
It occurred to me the other day that something I would never have understood before has, thanks to WoW, become part of how I think about gaming, to the point that I instantly recognized it when I heard that the new version of D&D is basically copying it - I'm talking about the role a character plays in a party or raid.Before WoW, I played a lot of pen and paper RPG's, and the one thing that always stayed the same about them when compared to games like World of Warcraft or its MMO antecedents is that, in most pen and paper games, there is no mechanism for roles like 'tank' or 'dps'. There would usually be a healer of some kind or another, but in a tabletop RPG no one cares if the strongest melee combatant in the party is a holy paladin, a brutal sword-swinging warrior or a stealthy rogue, and whether or not any of them did more damage to the monster than, say, the wizard would be totally irrelevant. There was certainly no mechanism in the rules to keep a monster or monsters attention fixed on the guy with the most health or armor, either. So when I first started playing WoW I had no idea that my first character, a paladin, would be asked to heal people nor what 'tanking' even was. And since I was playing it at the time it first came out with other folks new to the game, no one bothered to explain to me what tanking was because none of my friends knew, either. It wasn't until my first Scarlet Monastery run that I even realized I was supposed to do something there besides just hit things. Now, MMO's like WoW are so popular that the oldest pen and paper RPG is trying to learn from them, including incorporating how the various classes work in combat to some degree. It's all gone full circle, I guess - the first MMO's seemed determined to be D&D, and now D&D is becoming more like an MMO.Did you immediately understand what you would be expected to do in a party? Did you accept it or reject it? And do you think it will translate into offline play? I went out and bought every book for the World of Warcraft Roleplaying Game but I never tried to actually run it... maybe I was just behind the times.
