sides
Latest
Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions
Two vs. three: It should be a cut-and-dry affair. After all, three is always better than two? Maybe... but maybe not. When it comes to factions in MMOs, the line seems to be split between two and three, and I think a good case can be made for both. Two factions is the majority approach for MMOs that have them, and it's easy to understand why. We can comprehend an "us vs. them" mentality in almost every walk of life. If you're not with us, you're against us -- that sort of thing. Two factions draws a line in the sand and requires little explanation for people to understand that one side is naturally better than the other. Three factions, on the other hand, is a godsend for PvP in particular. By having a third faction, it's much less likely that one side can dominate the battlefield eternally, as the other two sides can team up to put an end to that nonsense. Three factions also offers more variety and arguably stronger factional identities. So what say you? Two or three? Cast your vote after the jump!
The Daily Grind: Do you identify with your side?
World of Warcraft wasn't the first game to introduce the idea of players being inextricably tied to a faction, but it was one of the first to create two groups in direct opposition to one another. And it's continued on since then, with the Guardians versus the Defiants in RIFT, the Sith and the Republic in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Order and Chaos in Warhammer Online. When you create a character, you are part of a group, like it or not. Of course, for some players, the side you're on is just the side that has the class and race you want to play, nothing more. For others, the side is almost more important than either of those details. So where do you fall? Do you identify as part of your faction, first and foremost? Or do you play both factions and not quite understand people who think that your choice of one side or the other makes a statement about you as a person? 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!
