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Perfect Ten: My favorite MMO April Fools' pranks of all time
There are two types of people on April 1st: those who are annoyed and indifferent to the tomfoolery going on all around them, and those who gleefully embrace the zany antics and baldfaced lies. For the record, I am of the latter crowd. I love April Fools' Day and the humor and creativity that it inspires. While this day is by no means contained to our neck of the woods, MMOs have a long-running streak of trying to pull the wool over our eyes. I think a good goof has to have several qualities to make it truly memorable. It needs to be original. It needs to be actually amusing, whether or not you "fell for it." And it needs to tweak our expectations and understanding of how MMOs work. Sometimes there are even important ideas that emerge from these jokes that could, indeed, make these titles better. So let's go through my favorite MMO April Fools pranks of all time, as catalogued by yours truly!
The Think Tank: Essential MMO launch components
How many times have you read about a post-launch game patch and seen a fellow gamer dismiss the additions with, "That's nice, but it should have been in at launch"? Probably far too many to be realistic considering the time and expense involved in making MMOs, but we all say it anyway. I saw similar comments in the last few weeks about Guild Wars 2, Diablo III, and Lord of the Rings Online -- it's almost as if we don't want to let games redeem themselves! This week, I asked the Massively writers to assume that basics like "chat" and "combat" are givens and then select the one completely and utterly essential gameplay mechanic or element that they think an MMO should really have at launch. Here's what they told me.
The best of Massively's MMO Family column
While young children aren't Massively's target demographic, we frequently encounter MMOs that appeal to kids as well as MMO gamers with kids. That's why we ran the MMO Family column for over four years. Helmed first by Lisa Poisso and then Karen Bryan, the column reviewed kid-friendly games and offered advice and insight on how to survive as the parent of budding MMO gamers. Enjoy our picks for the very best of their collected work in MMO Family.
The Think Tank: How MMO players prepare for launch
Launches are a big deal to MMO players. Diablo III and SMITE both released this week, Landmark made a break for closed beta, and The Elder Scrolls Online, the first major MMORPG of the year, will become a reality next week. So how do you prepare for these launches in an era of digital downloads? That's exactly what this week's Think Tank asks the Massively team members, who cleverly pretended that they don't call in sick from Massively itself on launch days. Ahem.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch day roundup
Did you stay up late last night to watch the official kick-off stream for Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion? Did you wait in long lines at a brick-and-mortar store to buy your copy of the game? No, of course not. You already had it digitally pre-loaded and were playing while those other suckers were out in the cold. Yes, as of 12:00 a.m. EDT this morning, the Reaper of Souls expansion, complete with its new locations and bosses and class and loot, was officially live. Enjoy our roundup of coverage leading up to the launch, and let us know what you think about the upgrade!
The best of Massively's Field Journal and MMO Mechanics columns
During their tenure at Massively, Tina Lauro and Matthew Gollschewski were responsible for two generalist columns on the site: MMO Mechanics and Field Journal, respectively. The Field Journal was dedicated to covering interesting elements of mid-tier games, the sorts of MMOs that are popular but not quite popular enough to merit their own dedicated columns, whereas MMO Mechanics represented a deep-dive into the game mechanics and systems that influence the entire industry. Though the columns had short runs on the site, they both still represent some of our most compelling and interesting work. Enjoy this roundup of their material!
Perfect Ten: Why I'm looking forward to WildStar
Sometimes you just know when a game is going to click for you before you even get much time in it. It has a personality that agrees with your own, visuals that cause your retinas to salivate, features that were probably stolen by devs from your dream journal, and a good balance of comfortable familiarity and exciting newness. That, to me, is why I'm on board the WildStar train. Listen, I'm not one of those people who feels that a game needs to "win" or dominate all of the rest of the landscape. I don't care whether WildStar is more or less popular that the rest of the field or whether it goes free-to-play or not (obviously, I would like it to do well so that it doesn't close up shop!). If it's not your thing, fine, but that won't stop me from being giddy as its release approaches. WildStar is definitely my most anticipated MMO for 2014. Hit the jump and let me tell you 10 reasons why!
The Think Tank: The importance of auction halls in MMORPGs
Diablo III's gold and RMT auction houses shut down this week. Final Fantasy XI is getting auction house upgrades. Ultima Online launched vendor searching today after 16.5 years of operation. This calls for an auction house-themed Think Tank! I polled the Massively staffers about whether or not MMORPGs should have auction houses, and specifically, whether they enhance or detract from the economic experience of a game. Chime in!
The best of Massively's League of Legends column, The Summoner's Guidebook
Former Massively writer Patrick Mackey was first brought onto the team to cover Champions Online in his Behind the Mask column, and he did so with technical expertise and brutal honesty that was even better-suited for his ultimate column here: The Summoners Guidebook, which for two years covered Riot Games' League of Legends, one of the biggest games on the planet. Today, in honor of that column's lengthy run, we share the very best of Patrick's articles. If you'd like to follow his future League of Legends blogging, you can find him at Boot Camp for Gamers.
The Think Tank: Housing or bust! Right?
With Star Wars: The Old Republic's new player apartment system apparently on the way and several other major MMOs set to launch with or receive housing this year, what better time than now to debate whether housing belongs in MMOs? Sandbox fans are probably choking on the idea that it might not, raised as they were on the idea that housing is such an obvious hub for social interaction and creativity, but a lot of gamers can take it or leave it, figuring that they don't really need another resource-intensive place to stash loot in between raids or PvP matches. I polled the Massively team members to see whether they consider player housing a vital component of MMORPGs. Feel free to chime in!
Perfect Ten: Game franchises that became MMOs
Popular franchises have been known to jump between various entertainment media, from games to television to movies to comic books and even to pogs. We should not gasp in utter amazement that this is also the case with many of our beloved MMOs; we should nod sagely and accept the terrible truth. There are several video game franchises that have culminated in -- or at least have taken a detour through -- the land of MMOs. For gamers who wanted more and especially did not want to see their journey end, an MMO continuation is a welcome answer that's usually hiding its own problems. But nevermind that; let's march down the halls of history and see the yearbook photos of these franchises when they were young!
The best of Massively's Guild Counsel column
Karen Bryan is a seasoned MMORPG gamer and guildleader who cut her MMO teeth on EverQuest and went on to run guilds in Vanguard, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and beyond. That made her the perfect choice to pen Massively's Guild Counsel column, through which Karen dispensed advice to guild leaders, guild members, raiders, and even guild-less gamers for over three years. In honor of her column's long run, today we round up the very best of her Guild Counsel articles, those saturated in her trademark wry humor, wisdom, and timeless advice for MMO players old and new. Enjoy.
The Think Tank: The things that keep us coming back to MMOs
Last weekend, Massively columnist Beau Hindman penned a Free for All article titled Five reasons to continue loving MMORPGs, a tribute to the heart and soul of games in what can sometimes seem like a snark-filled, cynical industry. He mentions value, variety, accessibility, and sociability as being among those reasons he still adores the genre. I wanted to find out what the rest of our team members thought, so I posed the question to them: What one thing keeps you coming back to MMORPGs above all else?
Mobile World Congress in 14 lines
In Barcelona we all tried to thrive And strove to not imbibe too many beers When Samsung trotted out the GS5 Then shortly after highlighted new Gears. Mozilla's and Ubuntu's phones seemed cheap, Along with some of Waterloo's new wares, But Sony's flagship stuff's atop the heap And Blackphone puts an end to snooping scares. Though what of HTC and LG, too? Those also-rans with rivals large and strong? They talked of their Desires and G Pro 2 While we were wond'ring if Nokia's wrong. It wasn't long before the show had ended And we'll be back next year, our livers mended. (image credit: Getty Images)
Mobile World Congress 2014 report card: who made the grade?
Now that Mobile World Congress is behind us and we've left the sunny Mediterranean to go back to our rainy or snowy abodes, it's time to reflect on the show that was. We walked through miles and miles of hallways and battled thousands of roller bags and suits to find the show's best and worst. There were Nokia phones running Android, 7-inch phones, new wearables with curved displays and even a couple connected toothbrushes. We also saw zero Windows Phones, very little Tizen and a whole lot of Firefox OS. You'll be able to find the fruits of our labor through our Events page, but we wanted to take a quick look back at some of the biggest companies that we covered throughout the past week. How well did they do at the most important smartphone show in the world? Who was the big winner of MWC, and how good was the show itself? We've put together a report card that discusses the overall performance of each major company, so read on to get our take on the week that was.
Norrathian Notebook: EverQuest Next Round Table roundup, fourth edition
Thanks to the early launch of EverQuest Next Landmark's alpha, players have been deep in the world of voxel-mining, crafting, and building to their hearts' content. Armed with with that hands-on knowledge, players are able to offer insights and suggestions about the development of that game. But that doesn't mean that those who aren't physically in the alpha (and have access to post in those forums) don't have valuable opinions about the direction of both Landmark and EverQuest Next, and the devs want to hear from everyone! That's where the EQN Round Tables come in. And the Norrathian Notebook Round Table roundups are here to help you keep track of them all. The three previous round ups corralled 23 questions, dev opinions, and video responses. This fourth edition (not to be dismissed like certain other fourth editions) contains eight more. Do you care about specialty servers, in-game weather, or crafting? Are you burning with a desire to tell the devs exactly how you feel about other players affecting your gameplay? Then there are polls and discussions that you'll want to take part in if you haven't already. One round table even focuses on improving the new player experience. And we've got them all rounded up right here for you.
Perfect Ten: The journey from announcement to launch
One of the aspects that I love about MMOs is just how dang fun the build-up to launch can be. I know this period can make some people cranky (Jef) because they'd rather have Santa randomly kick in their door, toss in a bunch of unwrapped video games and Minecraft foam accessories, and refuse to stay for milk and cookies. Not me; I love the build-up, the anticipation, and the goofy fun of partaking in all of this with a like-minded community. There's something awesome about each stage of the journey from announcement to launch, even if it brings out the crazy in many of us. Now that I think about it, if MMOs didn't exist, where would the drama llamas go to bleat out their discontent? Would trolls go extinct under their mossy bridges? That sounds just awful. I don't care if liking all of this stuff makes me a big lame-o. I eat lame-os for breakfast because they're high in fiber and there's a free beta key in every box. So get ready to face the full might of my unadulterated joy in three... two... one...
DODOcase Midnight Durables, StopKnot, a case survives 82 days in water, and more accessory news
Several times a week, TUAW brings you a synopsis of the latest news in the Apple accessory and peripheral world. It's the contents of my email inbox in an easily digestible format! DODOcase has gone with classic black in their DODOcase Durables line of device sleeves and wallets. The new Midnight and Tan Durables use a black waxed canvas exterior with black leather accents for a sleek exterior, with a tan cotton twill interior. They're available for iPhone, iPad, iPad mini and MacBook. How often do you find yourself spending ten minutes or more getting the knots out of your earbud cables? RadTech feels your pain, and they've created a flexible band called StopKnot (4 for US$9.99) that secures your earbuds and audio jack together when stowing them, keeping everything from tangling. Check out the video below for an idea of how it works. Optrix sent us a fascinating story. Sea kayaker Dave McGregor was using one of their waterproof iPhone cases when the iPhone mount in his kayak broke, sending his phone into the sea... 82 days later, someone walking on the beach about 400 meters away found the phone. The iPhone remained dry the entire time and is still working. And there's video for this one, too! Do you like those acrylic iPad mounts that are scattered throughout Apple Stores, showing off the details of the products located near them? NewPCGadgets has announced iPad Air Acrylic Mounts that look similar to the custom Apple Store mounts, except with special stainless steel brackets to hold the iPad in place. They're available in both countertop and wall mount varieties starting at $79.95. And if you happen to have a hankering for any one of Pad & Quill's amazing products, they're making all of their products available to TUAW readers for 10 percent off. Just use coupon code TUAW77 when you're checking out, and you'll get 10 percent lopped off of your bill. That includes their cool new leather bags, by the way...
Grovemade's hardwood cases and more accessory news for the week
Several times a week, TUAW brings you a synopsis of the latest news in the Apple accessory and peripheral world. It's the contents of my email inbox in an easily digestible format! Grovemade has been making beautiful bamboo cases and stands for iOS devices for a few years, and now -- concurrent with the launch of a new website -- is announcing unique walnut and maple (above) iPhone and iPad cases and iPhone docks. The cases and docks are handcrafted and take several days to complete. The walnut and maple iPhone cases sell for US$99, the walnut case for iPad Air retails at $129, a similar case for iPad mini is priced at $109, and the dock with a walnut or maple case covering a steel base is $99. The new Mac Pro is small enough to be somewhat portable, but when you're carrying it between worksites with multiple 4K displays, you want to keep that sleek little canister pristine. The Flight Case Company has developed a Mac Pro carry bag that is padded and reinforced, and includes a shoulder strap for easy transport. £95 including VAT. You don't have enough color in your life, so Neptor has come out with the NP056K Dual Port Portable Battery Charger ($49.99). You'll be able to pick up one of these portable chargers at Staples, Amazon, or Newegg in blue, red, purple, orange or green, complete with a color-matched cable and lanyard. Here's one that would have been handy for pumping out Al Green tunes while romancing your significant other on Valentine's Day. The Digital Treasures Lyrix SoundGlow is a Bluetooth speaker that also has one of those LED faux candles embedded in it. Al Green + candlelight = getting lucky. $49.95, and you can get it in time for next Valentine's Day. So, that 4 TB drive isn't big enough for your backups? No problem -- LaCie is shipping the industry's first 5 TB external hard drive. From a single drive 5 TB d2 Thunderbolt drive ($449.99) to the 25 TB 5big Thunderbolt RAID solution ($2499.99), you're going to have a lot more storage in the same amount of space. And last but definitely not least, Pad & Quill has set up a deal for TUAW readers. Enter in coupon code TUAW77 when checking out, and you'll get 10 percent off of any order, including their beautiful new leather bags.
The Think Tank: Are unofficial MMO fansites and forums important to you?
With the often unpleasant turnaround rate of fansites and unofficial forums, one can't help but wonder about the viability of such websites in relation to the bigger picture. Often times these sites are created and maintained purely from player passion, even when official support is nowhere to be found. But that passion is not always consistent. I polled the Massively team members for their own thoughts on fansites and unofficial forums. Do they trust these player sites more than official lines of communication on a game's community status, or are they often too sporadic or unprofessional to bother with? Read along after the jump for our answers.
