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MV Guide: February 13-19, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
The Daily Grind: Do you game on a Mac?
War. War never changes... the platform war, that is. But even those of us who game from the comfort of decked-out PCs can feel sorry for our Mac brethren when one of the Apple MMO offerings, already in short supply, goes dark. That's exactly what's happening to the Mac version of classic EverQuest: SOE is sunsetting the single Mac server due to low population and ancient code. Apple gamers must get a PC or sample one of the other Mac-friendly MMOs like Warhammer Online, Fallen Earth, Ryzom, or Free Realms. So today we ask: Do you play MMOs on a Mac, and if so, which games? And is it really as bad as PC-loyalists like to think? 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: Comparing the payment models of Glitch and Ryzom
I thought it might be a cool idea to do a comparison of free-to-play models for my next few articles. As free-to-play has become more and more popular, cash shops and tiers of service have become much more important to how a player might enjoy or interact with a game. While the standard free-to-play model, the most popular one by far, is one that allows players to download a free client, has no subscription at all, and tacks on a cash-shop, the freemium variant is quickly becoming widespread. Freemium seems to be the model of choice for many Western games that were previously subscription-only. The problem is that I do not really like the freemium model. I'm old-school, I guess. I enjoy the model that was imported to the States maybe eight years ago. A free client with a cash shop on top is all I need to steer my fun by. I'd rather skip any sort of tiered service as well. There are exceptions to the rule, of course.
Choose My Adventure: Craft it one piece at a time
Sometimes, a well-planned weekend turns into a complete mess. Case in point: This past weekend, which I fully meant to use to get more of a footing in Ryzom, wound up being almost entirely dominated by a mixture of other responsibilities and necessities. As a result, I didn't get nearly as much time playing the game as I would have liked. The plan is to spend more time crafting away over the course of the week, but this article needs to be written up earlier than that. As you can imagine, this results in a little bit of a hole in the narrative. Fortunately, crafting is pretty deep as a system but fairly thin in terms of a core narrative, unless you find "and then I made another set of light sleeves" to be engrossing. So while I didn't get several hours of story, if you're not familiar with what the system offers, there's still plenty of ground to cover.
MV Guide: February 6-12, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Choose My Adventure: Atys refugee blues
Last week's polls were enough for me to get started in the world of Ryzom over the weekend, so I took my first steps back into the game that I haven't played for quite some time. I still remembered how some of it worked, thankfully, but there were a lot of elements that I'd almost completely forgotten. And while I'm still knee-deep in the starter area, I've played enough to at least get some starter impressions. But let's make this a full narrative, yes? When we left off, the group verdict was that I would be starting out as a Zorai with the Magic starter package based off of a female Shakespearean tragic character. And thus, with only a little extra effort, Corlede was born into the world of Ryzom. The character creator offers a variety of features, allowing you to select your character's build in fine detail but offering a strange lack of certain other options. There are also some odd constraints on character types -- you find yourself always locked within a certain general band of height, for instance, so there are no really tall Trykers.
The Soapbox: Give indie a chance
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. It's a pretty cool thing to introduce readers to new games. It's especially cool when the new game I am showing them would otherwise have completely passed under their radar, mainly because they receive most of their gaming news from other sites or from the blueshirts at Best Buy. I find no greater satisfaction than when someone tells me, "I didn't think I would like a game like that." When a player who normally feels comfortable engaging only with standard mechanics like linear questing, class-based gameplay, or raiding finds himself obsessed with some odd browser-based strategy game, everyone wins. Once that player gets hooked on one of my favorite indie titles, most of the hard work is over. The real challenge comes a few steps before that: getting the player to actually try the game in the first place. I've tried a lot of different tactics over the years, from using guilt or shame to acting as though only cool people play the game in question. Unfortunately, it feels as though the audiences have become increasingly resistant. I have to think that the recent crop of easily digestible AAA titles has not helped the situation at all.
MV Guide: January 30-February 5, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Choose My Adventure: I fell into a burning ring of Ryzom
After an intensely close vote, the winner for my destination in this round of Choose My Adventure is Ryzom! And I do mean intensely close; up until the polls closed, it looked very possible that the vote would end in the favor of Lord of the Rings Online or even a straight-up tie. But the readers have spoken, and my destination is set to the world of Atys and its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Johnny Cash handily won the bonus poll, so it's time to spin up song songs by the Man in Black while I write this. For those of you who don't know what in the world Ryzom is, you can sort of be forgiven. It's one of those games that seems to be uniquely brilliant while managing to fall off the radar altogether, which is a real shame. So this week I'm going to discuss the game in an overarching sense, outline what I'm looking forward to, and of course give everyone a chance to vote on the character that I'll be making for the next six weeks of exploration.
MV Guide: January 23-29, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Choose My Adventure: The sequel!
When I was halfway through my tenure on Choose My Adventure, I had already made it clear that I wanted to come back around for another pass. After all, I had a grand time in Warhammer Online, and I wanted to see what would happen with another run through the gauntlet. I hadn't expected it would be quite so soon, but here we are: It's time for a sequel adventure. And as we all know, sequels have to be bigger. They have to be louder. And they need a bigger budget. We've got nine games listed past the cut, all candidates for my play for the next several weeks. Some of these games are returning old favorites, and some of them are new to the cut, but all of them should provide for some interesting adventures. So check out the descriptions, make your vote before 11:59 p.m. EST on January 21st, and tune in next week when we kick this sequel off properly.
Rise and Shiny recap: Wakfu
In June, I drove down to Austin, Texas, to once again participate in GDC Online. I do it every year if I can, and I love it. It's a smaller event when compared to the larger E3s and other conventions, but it is more personal and up-close. My favorite speaker at this last event had to be David Calvo from Ankama Games. When he first came out barefoot, I was honestly worried that the chat would be all about goofy, "deep" design techniques that had no real use in practice. In the end, his talk was deep but was really just asking developers to have fun and try new things. Yes, I know: new things. Crazy, huh? If Wakfu is any proof, those design theories are put to practice every day at Ankama. Wakfu, for me, is a breath of fresh air in so many ways. Even though I am somewhat used to the design and art style, thanks in large part to playing the previous title Dofus, I still find myself loving how simply complex much of Wakfu is. There are issues that come with complexity, however.
Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup
If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player. With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more. To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.
Free for All: What F2P and indie games can learn from SWTOR
As I am sure you know by now, this is the launch week for a tiny game called Star Wars the Old Republic. Launch weeks for major titles are always fun around the Massively offices. The buzz is so thick in the air that you can almost feel it. Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums are on fire with posts about the upcoming title, questioning what will happen in the higher levels or how the lore will pan out. It's exciting, for sure, even if you are not a fan. Fortunately, there is a lot to learn from this newest AAA launch. Fans of indie or free-to-play games might think that SWTOR will have no effect on our worlds or influence over our favorite titles. I beg to differ. SWTOR is an MMO all the same, and its launch will have effects on the industry just like the last dozen major titles did. What does it mean for a tiny game that has been lovingly crafted by one designer? What can the world of free-to-play learn from this latest major release? Click past the cut.
Recruit for Ryzom, win fabulous prizes!
Ryzom is undergoing a recruitment drive at the moment, and the team is looking to the players for help. A spiffy contest has been posted on the official site to see which players can rope in the most new warm bodies for the cause. Each player is tasked with recruiting friends and family members via a unique link that will count toward their tally during the month of November. After November 30th, the Ryzom team will see which players have netted the biggest catch and will dole out rewards accordingly. The first place winner gets a choice of tempting prizes: either an original concept art drawing or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 graphics card. Second place can choose from the drawing or a lifetime subscription to the game, and third through sixth place winners will receive a three-month subscription. Ryzom is currently free-to-play with an optional subscription package.
Free for All: News roundup from some of my favorite free-to-plays
Interesting stuff is happening all of the time in the world of indie, free-to-play, and browser-based gaming. In fact, it's hard for me to keep up with it all. I have to say that some developers make it much easier on me by contacting us here at Massively or by maintaining a good news feed on their website. Some developers (*ahem*) make tracking down news harder than it should be. Still, it's out there, and I decided to recap some of my favorites over the last few weeks. Of course, I will always miss something or just forget to put something in. The search bar is always good for finding bits of news, or you could just visit us here every single day. Several times. And leave comments about how cool I am. Click past the cut and let's get to it!
Free for All: Another attempt at free-to-play vs. freemium
I'm one of those types who can't just let certain things go. When I see someone talking on Facebook about issues with his pet, I have to chime in. (I'm sort of an amateur animal behaviorist.) If I hear someone talking about her favorite bands, I usually have to let her know which ones I love. (I'm a music snob.) I'm just sort of a nosy individual. Since I can admit that, I think I deserve a pass when I volunteer information that wasn't asked for. But I work at Massively. We're a website about, you know, games, and not just games, but MMOs, some of the least understood of all games. People and even developers seem to confuse what MMO means, and they especially confuse what a free-to-play MMO should offer. Once again I am going to take a crack at it, but not just because I am nosy. Mainly I want to clear this up so people will know what to expect from a title and whether there is going to have to be any money involved. Click past the cut and let's have at it!
MMObility: More new games and news from mobile MMOs
Finding mobile MMOs for smartphones, slates, and browsers is not easy. I will often lump games that can run on a basic laptop into this column, but the specific games for those wonderful mobile devices are still rare. Yes, there are quite a few games in the Mafia Wars-style, but I have been scouring the internet to find games that actually resemble "real" MMOs -- you know, the ones that have persistent worlds and interaction with large numbers of players. They're out there, but the faucet is at a slow drip. It must be hard to make mobile games, especially MMOs, especially in a market that is not only new but such a niche. Granted, titles like Order and Chaos Online and Pocket Legends have shown that great success is possible, but in this columns, I like to highlight the little guys and the hidden gems. So click past the cut and I'll share with you a few updates on some of my favorite lesser-known mobile MMOs.
Rise and Shiny recap: Earth Eternal
This week I was lucky enough to revisit Earth Eternal, the independent browser-based game that features a future ruled by animals. For a long time, players feared that its recent disappearance meant the end of the game. Then, we were told that a foreign company bought it and planned on revamping it and returning it to life. I'll be honest and say that I never thought I would see it happen. So few MMOs, independent or not, get a second chance at anything. Yet, here we are. The game has returned and it is in a fully playable state. I was so surprised that I didn't really believe it until I was making a character and entering the game. A few things have changed, some have improved and others were worse. Click past the cut and I'll tell you all about it!
Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales
OK, I have to admit: I liked Gilfor's Tales before and even recommended it to others, but without noticing many of the issues that came up over this last week. It should be noted, however, that many of them seemed to have happened since the last time I played and are the result of some sort of server change or update. I wish I knew more but the developer team seems to be about as communicative as a pet rock, even going so far as to finally apologize to their fans on Facebook. One fan replied "It's been a year guys..." What is this, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes? (Ba dum kssh!) So, yes, this game has many flaws. Many. I'll tell you all about them in a minute, but it's important to note that after I streamed it live (check the embedded video) I gave it more time and the game did seem to open up and become more fun. It helped that things started to make more sense, but of course how I arrived upon the answers was pretty silly in itself. Click past the cut and check it out!
