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Chaos Theory: Oh, give me a home -- in TSW
Last week, I explored transportation as one avenue of making The Secret World even more of a living, breathing world. Today, my focus is on that one aspect that really can make an MMO a home: actual homes! It's no secret that I love housing; I've written about it on multiple occasions and livestreamed tours in various games as well. But this isn't just about fulfilling a personal wish list. Adding housing goes beyond making my gaming experience more immersive (though it most certainly does that); it's a method for increasing the longevity of the game. Housing is one of those features that, when done well, binds players to a game, giving them a reason to not only stay in game longer during a play session but stick with the game long term. And I definitely want that for The Secret World.
One Shots: Bring out your dead
Ah, nothing like a pile of rotting stiffs to start your day off right, I always say! So nice of considerate readers to send me such pictures in my email. Maybe it's a somber commentary on the fragility of life and the tragedies that go unnoticed around us daily. Maybe it's somebody trying to gross me out. I'm good either way. Reader Volska clues us in: "Talk about morbid. Here's a screenshot of some piles of corpses from the Guardian starter area in RIFT. No happy welcoming party here." With a start like that, what other pictures will we have to share? It's a wild and wooly One Shots, and it all starts after the jump!
Chaos Theory: Mounting a campaign for vehicles in The Secret World
It makes sense that while I am spending a week traveling about in this world, my mind turns to the subject of travel within The Secret World. Thankfully, some aspects of transportation in reality are not a part of our online world; I don't know if I could stand being stuck on a tarmac out at the Kingsmouth Airport! But with all the trappings of various vehicles littered all about the landscape, it's difficult to not want to snag one for personal use. The desire to add these mechanical mounts isn't even about the need for speed; folks already have various speed boosts, and the world doesn't need to get smaller by our traveling each zone at an even quicker pace. It not about getting somewhere more quickly; it's about the feel of a living, immersive world. How many of you have come upon a bicycle or a scooter in TSW and had the instant urge to hop on? Or what about the slick motorcycle, sitting there, begging for a rider? I'm certainly not one to say, "Pfft, forget those sweet wheels; I prefer hoofing it when evading zombies." Having to walk on by is an immersion-breaker in a game where ambiance and immersion are two of the defining features. So if the goal is to enhance immersion without making the zones seem even smaller, how would mounts work? I'm glad you asked!
Funcom wants to feature your music in The Secret World
From suspenseful music to creepy background noises to the crackling of tunes on a radio, sound is a key element in the ambiance of The Secret World. And now, players have the chance to add their own music to the atmosphere of the game thanks to a new competition. Folks can get together with friends or record a piece solo and submit it for consideration to be included in TSW. Entries to this music contest will be accepted from today until February 19th, 2013. All submissions must be the entrant's own composition or sent with the consent of the creator. Simon Poole, Funcom's audio director, will evaluate all submissions and choose the winners. For full details on how to submit your musical piece, check out the official guidelines.
Chaos Theory: Reacting to TSW's restructuring and relocation
It's a conspiracy, I tell you! It has to be; every time The Secret World manages to better secure its footing, the ground starts shaking underneath again. This time, the upheaval comes in the form of the relocation of Funcom's development teams for its three MMOs to Raleigh, North Carolina. Of course, TSW isn't the only game affected by this restructuring, but after the other turbulence buffeting the game in its so-far short life (layoffs, insider trading accusations, changes in key roles), it's hard not to think that the game just can't catch a break. And dangit, it deserves one! Initially, I had other thoughts to share for for today, but after that announcement last Friday, my mind has mostly been on this topic (along with a slew of related "re-" words). How much will this affect the game I adore? Who all will be lost from the team? And what, if anything, can I do to help support the game during this transition? Join me as I explore these questions and possibly discover a solution or two.
Funcom game directors talk relocation, effects on TSW, AoC, and AO development [Updated]
Funcom has published game director letters for all three of its MMOs this morning, and one of the topics on everyone's mind is of course the studio's reorganization. As it turns out, the dev teams for The Secret World, Age of Conan, and Anarchy Online will all be operating out of the company's Raleigh, North Carolina facility which was previously the sole domain of the Funcom customer service team. TSW's Joel Bylos notes that the move will cause some "development turbulence," and that the game's DLC and update schedule will slow down temporarily as a result. He has more details on both the game's Issue #6 update and veteran rewards in his letter. AoC's Craig Morrison says that the fantasy title isn't going anywhere, although he also acknowledges some staff turnover due to the relocation. He also notes that having the game's dev team and community team in the same building will be a huge benefit. Finally, Anarchy Online's update echoes the first two, but game director Dave "Ilaliya" Williams writes that the engine upgrade, server migration, and new player experience are all still on the table. [Update]: Funcom has also published an update on the restructuring process on its main website. [Thanks to David for the tip!]
The Secret World working on account-wide shop unlocks and a veteran system
Cash shops can be the bane of an altoholic, but The Secret World is aiming to ensure that your alts get all of the benefits your main already enjoys. Starting today, pets you unlock via the store will be unlocked for your account rather than one character, with the development team planning to move this functionality to outfits as well. That means that if you buy some cosmetic frippery once, it's yours forever on all your characters. The game is also going to be putting together a veteran rewards program for subscribers. Each month of subscription provides Veteran Points, awarded at the same time that the subscription awards bonus cash shop points. Veterans can then spend the points on a variety of items, including new consumables, outfits, pets, and training dummies. It's always nice to have some extra benefits to being a long-term fan of a game, so if you're already enjoying deciphering conspiracy, there's extra incentive to keep at it. [Thanks to Elania for the tip!]
Chaos Theory: ARG expands The Secret World
If there is one thing that many MMOs have in common, it's in-game events. Just about every title has a least one event, often centered around holidays, where players do special tasks in-game and receive special gifts. The Secret World is no different, most recently running an apocalyptic event with Mayan zombies for players to trip over. But who says all events have to actually be in-game? Certainly not Funcom. Among the other hooplah over the supposed end of the world last month, The Secret World fans were participating in the game's latest Alternate Reality Game (ARG). Set out in the real world, the ARG let anyone -- player or not -- experience the ambiance of TSW investigation missions by solving a set of conspiracy-laden tasks and receiving in-game rewards. While the first ARG was via Facebook, this one utilized email, a special website, and even text messages and tweets. Some missions were solo events, while others required the world-wide community to band together to complete. And there's nothing like a common goal to bring folks together (even in some unexpected ways!). Didn't have a chance to play all the way through? It's not too late; the situation room is still open. Go ahead and put your thinking cap on and prepare to be drawn into a world of conspiracies, whether you play TSW or not.
Funcom restructures Montreal branch, keeps games operational
Funcom is taking hedge trimmers to its Montreal offices today. Senior Game Designer Tanya Short posted the following this afternoon on her Twitter account: "When your branch shuts down, I guess it's less like being fired and more like honorable discharge. Thanks for going down with the ship! Bye!" Massively contacted Funcom for an official statement. Director of Communications Erling Ellingsen confirmed layoffs but assured us that Funcom's games will continue on: "We are currently in a restructuring process and the Montreal office is part of that process along with our other branches. This process unfortunately involves a reduction in staff, but the studio is not closing down. It will continue on, but in a different form and function than today. Anarchy Online, as well as The Secret World and Age of Conan, will definitely continue to operate and be an important part of the company's focus going forward." He said that the studio would provide more details when it had finished with the process. Funcom previously stated that it was restructuring the company to make it more profitable. The Montreal office was established in 2009 and employed 110 people.
The Secret World offers snazzy game apparel [Updated]
It's often seemed unfair that we were able to dress up our characters in The Secret World with all manner of fashionable attire and yet couldn't be that cool in real life. That's about to change, as Funcom's partnered up with WeLoveFine.com to offer a line of official TSW gear. As you might expect, t-shirts make up a bulk of the store's offerings. These include straight-forward logos of the game's factions as well as humorous mock-ups of in-game places. Fans of the Innsmouth Academy can now register for classes with an official hoodie of this fictitious school, and there are two messenger bags that would be perfect for toting your homework around. [Update: WeLoveFine has pointed out for us more TSW goodies, including two posters designed by Steve Thomas. The company also promises to add more women's tees (thanks for that!). If you decide to pick up some goodies, use MASSIVETLYTSW when you check out to snag a 20% discount. No, we don't get anything if you do, but you get to spend less money. Win/win.]
Chaos Theory: The Secret World's events deserve encores
Two, four, six, eight, No more Mayan Zombie hate! The end had finally come. No, not of the world -- of the in-game event that was celebrating the end of days in The Secret World. For just over two weeks, folks got to enjoy special missions, collect special loot, purchase special costumes, and even fight special mobs. But once the end came, the opportunity was lost forever. You see, the End of Days was a singular affair commemorating one particular real-world happening. As such, it was a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime deal. That particular happening -- the end of the Mayan calendar -- will never repeat, so it makes sense that TSW's event shouldn't either, right? Wrong. While I fully concur that events should not go on forever or be so frequent that they lose their special nature and the excitement that comes with being a part of them, I do not agree that The Secret World should have any one-time-only events. Like any successful performance, events should be granted encores. Instead of these events being once-in-a-lifetime, I propose that events should be once-in-a-long-time. Anything else actually hurts the game. Here's why.
B2P boosts The Secret World sales by 30%, Funcom still restructuring
The Secret World is doing pretty well since its buy-to-play conversion, according to a new Funcom press release targeted at investors. Since its December relaunch, the game has moved over 70,000 units which represents a 30 per cent increase in total sales. Funcom also says that "player activity levels" have increased by a whopping 400 per cent "as original players have returned joined by thousands of new players." Finally, the release mentions further restructuring plans for the company which "involve cost reductions through the closure and the consolidation of offices with the goal of creating a stronger unified organization." Funcom says that details will be available upon completion of the process. [Thanks to David for the tip.]
Chaos Theory: Sounding off on the influence of ambiance in The Secret World
From chirping birds and swooshing swords to background music for different areas, MMOs are rife with in-game sounds. Yet plenty of folks actually opt out of the original game sounds and music, shutting them off in favor of personal soundtracks. I myself usually turn game sounds down to around 3% because I often find the sounds too overpowering. Doing so never seemed to affect games much -- until now. Sounds make The Secret World. By now, you've all heard me rave about the ambiance in TSW, either in my Why I Play, here in Chaos Theory, or during my livestreams on Massively TV. I've repeatedly said that the spooky atmosphere that pulls you right into the game is one of its greatest features. Yet it actually goes deeper than that: The ambiance is more than just added frosting that can be scraped off without affecting the main treat; it is completely integral to the game. Thanks to an unplanned "opportunity" this past week, I can tell you without a doubt that if you remove or turn the sounds in TSW down too low, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. In fact, you are actually missing out on the game.
The Secret World granting contest reward to all participating players
When Funcom brought The Secret World back online this morning, there was a twist in the announcement of the contest winners on the launchpad: Every player who participated in the End of Days special event will be granted the contest rewards! Instead of the top 1,000 players receiving the unique "Hero of Ages" title and the top 100 getting the Hatchling pet, every character who took part in the event will collect both. Note: The miniature bug pet is delivered to the character and not to the item store claim area. The devs are taking this route because players found a way to "exploit the mechanics and reach impossible amounts of points which in turn alters the rankings to unrealistic results." [Source: TSW launcher notes]
One Shots: Cleared for takeoff
Virtual animals exist to serve us as transportation, neutral landscape scenery, or the occasional target practice. Here at One Shots, we encourage the additional practice of harvesting as many virtual livers from them as possible on the off-chance that a quest-giver demands them. Reader John sent in this inspiring screenshot of a new friend he made in Star Wars: The Old Republic: "While Alderaan may be long and perhaps arduous as a planet, it has some absolutely gorgeous sights, and flying on the strange manta-ray beasts that carry you from base to base can be a wonderful experience." What other wonderful experiences exist after the jump? If you scroll past this post without clicking, you'll be driven mad with always wondering.
Some Assembly Required: How do you define player-generated content?
During a recent conversation with my fellow Some Assembly Required columnist, it became apparent that we had slightly differing opinions on the definition of player-generated content. We both agreed that it was content generated by players (obviously), but when it came to the type of content, our opinions diverged. Seeing as PGC is one of the founding premise behind SAR, I thought it would be a good idea to start the new year out by defining the term more precisely to give us a stable foundation to build on. After all, we want to be on the same page, don't we? Of course, that gives you the chance to weigh in with your opinions as well! What is the first thing you think of when you hear the term? Let's see whether your ideas about player-generated content mesh with mine, more closely resemble Jef's, or embody something totally different.
Chaos Theory: The Secret World's buy-to-play keeps getting better
12/12/12 While many folks (including Creative Director Joel Bylos) have been focusing on the slightly similar but transposed date, this triple sequence of 12s is actually the most pivotal one for The Secret World fans. You see, even though all the end-of-days hoopla and special events are pretty dang cool, what transpired on the 12th has the most lasting impact on everyone far and wide; it is, in fact, what allows more folks to be a part of said special events. It was on that wintry Wednesday that The Secret World tossed subscriptions out the window and switched to a buy-to-play model. Pay once; play forever. That's a pretty sweet deal in itself, right? But if you thought Funcom was stopping there, you'd be wrong. The company is continuing to refine the new model and proving it's listening to the concerns and desires of players at the same time. This weekend's announcement of three refinements to the buy-to-play model details how.
Bylos's bunker life, the End of Days, and other Secret World news
Last we heard from Joel Bylos, creative director for The Secret World, he had locked himself away in his bunker and hunkered down for the end of the world. But don't think that means we've seen the last of him! In fact, Bylos continued his end of days video log from within that fortified haven. How well did he actually cope being sequestered away from the world with only Zoe, the two-dimensional bunker-mate? Watch and see for yourself in the final video after the break. In other news, Bylos also hosted a livestream party today in London's Crusades nightclub and answered questions from fans. We scooped up a few bits of news amid the din of revelers. First, the dev team is currently working on Black Ops, special dynamic PvP events that occur out in the world. In relation to that, Bylos revealed that there won't be multi-faction cabals because the team will be stepping up factional conflict; one way they will do this is by adding PvP XP. Outside of PvP, puzzle raids are also in the works for groups of players to solve together. Next, according to Bylos, folks are "guaranteed to see Venice before Tokyo, but it is not a new zone." In response to queries about player housing, Bylos answered that the team has to see where it falls on the list of priorities after things settle down with the new payment model. And last but not least, the special End of Days events will run through January 7th. So hop on in and enjoy a world overrun by Mayan zombies!
The Perfect Ten: My biggest gaming moments in 2012
I am a complete sucker for three things: novelty soft drink flavors, Tom Servo's singing voice in MST3K, and end-of-the-year lists. Egads, I love the end of the year just for the lists alone. Everyone does them (copycats!), and I like to see how my opinions stack up against them. Plus, often I learn of cool things that happened or came out during the past year that I missed. So this is my list. My end-of-2012 list. I am devoting the 26th Perfect Ten of 2012 to the top 10 moments in MMO gaming and blogging. It was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and looking back, I don't think I could've predicted half of the major events that happened in this industry. That's what I like about this gig: It keeps me on my toes.
The Secret World creative director releases second End of Days video log
Tomorrow is that fateful day -- the one that has whipped The Secret World's creative director Joel Bylos into a frenzy. Will the apocalypse really be ushered in? Bylos certainly thinks so. And according to the video log, it's a good thing we caught up with Bylos yesterday to check up on him because he has now taken up residence in his bunker. In this latest End of Days chronicle and director's letter, Bylos issues goodbyes and an open invitation to his refuge from Armageddon before heading out for some last-minute preparations. Does anyone join him? To find out, watch the video after the break. And be sure to join Massively in a special End of Days livestream broadcast of The Secret World on Friday, December 21st @ 6:00 p.m. EST (assuming the world doesn't end before that, of course!). [Source: Funcom press release]
