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The Daily Grind: Do you dig MMO merchandise?
With the success of Blizzard's World of Warcraft, we've seen MMO merchandise not only on the web, but actually making it to malls. (For example, the J!nx WoW gear at Hot Topic.) Of course, one could argue that this is really a blessing in disguise as many parents and grandparents may not be willing to buy items online, but will spend time in a mall without fuss -- thus ensuring you actually get some gifts you're going to enjoy. (Or at least making it slightly more likely, anyway.)As an MMOer, do you like the concept of people running around in their MMO gear (like t-shirts, ball-caps and the like) or is that a shade too geeky to you? Did you ever spot someone sporting MMO gear and compliment them on their choice? Alternately, have you ever purchased any kind of MMO tie-in merchandise, like comics, figurines, or coffee-table art books instead of wearables because wearing game stuff was too much? If you haven't picked up any game goodies, what kinds of things would make you more inclined to pick something up?
The Daily Grind: Your favorite gaming webcomics?
Over the last several years, we've seen lots and lots of webcomics come and go. Many of us make it a part of our daily reading to stop into sites like Penny Arcade, Looking for Group, Dark Legacy Comics and PVP Online. Maybe you've even gone so far as to join one of their MMO guilds! But there are so many great comics out there that it could take an eternity to hunt them all down. For today's question, we'd like to ask you just what your favorite gaming-related webcomics are? Are you, like us, fans and followers of the adventures of Gabe and Tycho, or do you have an in-game macro that allows you to charge into battle with the cry "for Pony!" We'd love to hear which ones you absolutely can't live without -- perhaps we'll all pick up some great new webcomics in the mix!
The Daily Grind: Your best wipe?
Pretty well anyone who has ever been in a party quest, or on a raid in an MMO has a story of this nature to share. In time they become the center of in-jokes in your group of friends, or guild. The truly spectacularly silly ones can even go on to become Internet history. Today, we'd like to hear about your funniest wipes! Just what went wrong? Or, for that matter, what went right when it came to making them so funny?
The Daily Grind: Funny guild names
Have you ever run around in your game of choice only to stop dead in your tracks, laughing at a great guild name you've seen? We definitely have. One of the funny ones we've spotted in World of Warcraft was <and two stealthed Rogues>, which made it look like the player had a subtitle telling you that at all times two stealthed Rogues were with them. But we know that while we're in a lot of different worlds, we haven't seen one tenth of the funny guild names out there. Today we'd love to hear your favorites! What guild names (or guild names combined with character names as with the Horde player we found above) have made you laugh?
The Daily Grind: Should crafting be risky?
In certain MMOs like EverQuest II, you can whiff profession combines -- which is to say you can fail to craft an object if your skill isn't high enough. We've even heard tales of people bombing them so badly at the highest levels that they wind up nearly killing you on top of destroying pricey materials. In other games like World of Warcraft, your tradeskill combines are guaranteed to work every time. There's also no mechanic in "specialization" that opens up the ability to make slightly better gear than a non-specialized person -- in WoW, you either are able to do that tradeskill, or you aren't. Some of the hardcore crafters out there enjoy the element of risk for the trade-off of being able to make slightly better items if you've practiced that trade a lot. Others like the knowledge that you're guaranteed to make at least as good an item as everyone else with your expensive materials. This morning we'd like to ask you where you stand? Do you think that crafting should have an element of risk, wherein you can lose materials but may wind up with slightly better items on a particularly good combine? Or do you prefer the model that WoW uses, that guarantees that you'll wind up with an item, exactly the same as everyone else's item, without the fear of losing materials or taking damage?
The Daily Grind: Most disgusting quest
As anyone who has ever played World of Warcraft can tell you, there seems to be quite a few quests that just make you go "yuck." What kinds of quests? Well, as highlighted in a recent Real Life comic, one of the Nagrand quests sends you hunting around in Talbuk poo to get beans which you then make something to eat from them. Admittedly, I can't speak for anyone else, but I finished that quest arc with every single one of those 'Nagrand Cherries' still in my bag -- having made a few underwater breathing potions on my Alchemist alt. Sure, you're aware that you aren't really eating the poo-beans, but the idea was just gross to me at the time. (Besides, I had a lot of herbs back-stocked, so it cost me nothing beyond the vials and a mailing fee.) But we know that's far from the only yucky quest out there. For today's question, we thought we'd ask just what quest you've come across made you stop and go "ew" in your travels. We know Blizzard can't have the corner of the market on gross, so share your yucky stories!
The Daily Grind: Paying to play... in beta?
While Richard Garriott only recently figured out that open betas were more for marketing, and less for testing, it is a strategy that's been in use for some time. The Matrix Online was also one of the titles that did the "put $5 down for a pre-order and get a beta key" deal -- and while theirs felt more "finished" from a bug standpoint -- it came back to haunt them as well. Several people we know won't even try it again due to that experience, even with large changes to the game including a complete overhaul of the combat system. More recently, the folks at Flying Lab finished their beta and then entered a "pre-launch" phase (wisely avoiding calling it "beta" at all) and allowing people to level to 20 before today's launch of Pirates of the Burning Sea. (We can't speak for you, but several of us have had a blast in the pre-order.) So this morning we ask you -- have you ever "paid to play" in a MMO beta by going the pre-order to get in route? What was your experience like? Do you think that the idea of paying even a nominal fee to get into a beta makes you evaluate a game more harshly? Are you also unlikely to give a game a chance later after a bad beta experience? For that matter have you ever bailed on a game pre-reservation after a bad beta?
The Daily Grind: On waiting for new MMOs
With the announcement this morning that Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures has been delayed, we can't help but be torn about it. We covet the shiny precious, yes we do -- and we're sure we're not the only ones who are really wanting to see more of this title. But on the flip side, we've all seen truly abysmal MMO launches due to rushing to market, and certainly don't want that for AoC either. How about you? Would you rather see them bring games to market on-time with a few potential bugs, or are you firmly in the "release it only when it's absolutely done" -- even if that means delaying for months (if not years) camp? How long are you willing to wait to play some of the upcoming games?
The Daily Grind: Getting there
We have to say, one of the things that we've enjoyed in games was watching the evolution of travel systems. Now, this isn't to poke too much fun at the old way -- after all, a lot of friendships were started while sitting in Butcherblock Mountains or Qeynos in EverQuest and waiting for the boats to show up. (You know, when they actually worked.) But there's something to be said for having your own personal way of getting around quickly -- be it a horse, a super travel-power, a spaceship, or a pirate ship! As games evolve, there are more and more options; Warhammer Online has some pretty cool-looking mounts coming up. On the other hand, games like Perfect World do utterly bizarre things with them like piling people on top of tigers on top of giant flying manta rays like the one in the picture above. Today we'd like to know what your #1 personal method of travel has been in your game? Are you addicted to Flying or Super Jump? Is the Skeletal Warhorse your pick of choice? Is there nothing better for you than a high-end spaceship or a nice heavy pirate ship? How do you get around?
The Daily Grind: Music to grind by
It seems like no matter what game you spend time in, there's the inevitable grind. It's part and parcel of MMOs. To pass the hours spent in our favorite worlds, we like to listen to different things. Some of us really enjoy some bouncy EBM/techno to while away the time spent hunting for that one drop. Others can't imagine not having something harder going, with crunchy guitars and pounding drums to get the blood flowing. When it comes to your grind-time, what would you say is your absolute favorite music? Do you have a "desert island classic" album that you return to time and time again? Any songs or artists that just seem made for running around in the game you play in while you go farm up another stack of food or materials?
The Daily Grind: Your biggest MMO pet peeves
A recent thread on the Ten Ton Hammer forums about "biggest WoW pet peeves" caught our eye the other day. After reading some of the responses there, we got to thinking about some of the things in general that annoy us in different MMOs. One of the truly universal ones was gold-spam. It seems no matter what format they have to take, up to and including piles of dead gnome bodies arranged to spell out their domain, they'll do everything they can to annoy us. (After all, 300 dead gnomes, while great as a Horde member, still cause lag.) Another thing we agreed on was "1337 5p33k" (or "elite speak" for those who speak actual English) which just makes us want to hang people's characters by the toes and use them as in-game pinatas. While those are two that many of us agreed on, there were far and away many other things that really annoyed us in various games. How about you? Are there any things that really make your skin crawl? For that matter is it the people or the game that trips your pet peeve off? Did they design in a pet peeve on you? Or maybe your pet peeve is how your computer behaves when running certain MMOs?
The Daily Grind: Do the little things bother you?
There's a fun little rant over at videogamer.com about a couple of the odd annoyances that questers experience in World of Warcraft, like the infrequency of loot drops and the relatively slow traveling speed sans mounts. A favorite line: 'Did I just kill a mutated Raptor whose brain was held in with just the skin on its head?' As a Tauren Druid, I know exactly the quest he's talking about, and yeah, it's something I wondered about myself, briefly.But these things differ from game to game, and no game ever gets everything completely right. These little quirks are things that the quester must simply grin and bear, trusting in the larger picture to make more sense as an objective. Or is it that cut-and-dried? Have you ever quit playing a game because of too many of these weird little quests? Does there need to be more reason in what you do? Do you even bother to look at the mission description?
The Daily Grind: The MMO you want to play
Perhaps it's a well-loved book. Perhaps it's a favorite television show. Perhaps a specific period of history. But chances are we all have a favored fantasy world that we wish we could live in and explore in an MMO format. With the success of the industry, it seems as though anything is possible, so we ask -- if you could have an MMO set in any environment, where would you set it? What's the MMO you wish you could play? (Preferably something without "Star" in the title -- you may not admit to being a trekkie, but we can see you thinking it!) We're waiting on a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy MMO, ourselves!
The Daily Grind: When's your playtime?
It's bright and early on a Sunday morning... and what are you up to? Reading up on MMO news, apparently! And since you're here, we may as well ask when you make time to play your favorite MMOs. Most of us are trying to fit in playtime around busy work, school, or family schedules. So when do you find time to make your playtime?
The Daily Grind: Nerf!
There are so many MMOs with their own gameplay and storylines, their own abilities and skills, their own raids and dungeons. But for all their differences, somehow the community that springs up around these games always seems the same. There's always the class that's overpowered, always the class that's underpowered (most often the class the writer plays), and someone or something definately needs nerfs. (Many MMO communities may be succinctly summed up with the following generalization: I'm rock, scissors is fine, nerf paper.) And if it's not something that needs nerfing, it's something that's been nerfed -- no doubt something vital to your personal playstyle, changed due to an obvious bias against your class. With most MMO environments in a constant state of flux, there's always change and the discontent that comes along with it. But does change always have to mean nerfs?Do you find that the community built around your world of choice is filled with such "nerf" conversations? And, if so, is it always justified?
The Daily Grind: Paying extra for age restrictions
One of the things we've heard over the years is the idea of age-restricted MMO servers. Now, before we get torched up one end and down the other, we know that age isn't an absolute indicator of maturity. (We've all seen enough collective guild drama across all age ranges to know better.) There are, however, some things you never have to worry about when you're dealing with adults -- like enforced bedtimes, losing your main tank or healer's account to poor report card grades, or the "AFK, mom calling me to dinner" thing. Of course, the argument can be made that you don't generally hear "afk, changing diaper" with younger players, either. The fact that groups like TOG (The Older Gamers) exist at all does indicate at least some preference for older players to play with other older players, but it's by no means a definitive thing. As such for today's Daily Grind, we'd like to ask you what your take is on this idea? Would you be willing to pay extra to be able to play on an age-restricted server? Do you think the idea of restricting different ages to different servers is a bad idea? As a parent, would you feel better if you knew your children were playing on a server with other children, rather than potentially landing in some rather non-PC adult guild/chat channels? Or as an adult, would you feel better about that non-PC chat if you knew there was very little chance that there were impressionable young eyes around?
The Daily Grind: Collecting thoughts
Hi, my name is Krystalle, and I'm a WoW Tabard addict. I don't really know what it is about them, but I absolutely love them. If I find there's a quest out there that will grant me another tabard, I will jump all over it. I've managed to pick up special tabards, such as the Argent Dawn one, the one from the Dark Portal opening, and the one that drops in the Scarlet Monastery. Of course, the truly silly part about this is that I'm most often in my guild's tabard, so my collection sits in the bank, taking up space more often than not. For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to ask what your coveted collection is? Do you also collect tabards? Perhaps you like to collect strange and exotic weaponry or you like non-combat pets in pretty much any game you run across them. It could be that mounts are your thing, and you just have to have one of each color. Maybe you're more into collecting certain pieces of furniture for your in-game housing or like making sure that you've collected all the "collections" in EQ2 and turned them all in. So what do you collect?
The Daily Grind: What MMOG would you holiday in?
The post from New Year's week about 'vacationing' in the world of Guild Wars got me to thinking ... wouldn't some places in Massive games make great holiday hot-spots? I don't know about you, but I already use online games as a cheap and affordable vacation destination; hopping online is a great way to relax and get away from the workaday world. But what if you could actually book a trip with a travel agent to Ferelas, or hire a guide to let you see the sights in Paragon City? For me it would depend on the purpose of the trip, you know? If it was a trip with just my wife, I think we'd want somewhere beautiful and relaxing ... somewhere in the Shire, maybe? If I was going with friends, I'd probably be looking for someplace a bit more lively, like the Mos Eisley cantina or Shattrath City. I bet Shat has some great bars. Think of the drinking contests! And if I were going by myself, I'd definitely want to head somewhere I could have the chance to learn something, a place where I could have some quiet time. The Shing Jea Monastary jumps to mind immediately, as does the Plane of Knowledge. Yeah I know ... I'm a nerd.But that's me. Where would you go if you could take a vacation in your favorite MMOG?
The Daily Grind: Updates to your favorite game
It's a fact of life as an MMO gamer that your favorite worlds are always going to be changing. Patches and expansions can change the face of gameplay and inspire us to spend more hours in game to level and explore. But new content coming too quickly will leave players feeling constantly behind the curve, while new content coming too slowly will leave players bored and looking for new entertainments. While MMO developers no doubt have their own ideas of how much content they have to put out how often in order to keep players interested and playing -- but today we're not talking to the MMO developers, we're talking to you. How often does your favorite game need fresh new content (new zones, new levels, new races, new classes?) to keep you interested in a game?
The Daily Grind: Player vs Punk
As a mechanic, PvP is meant to give players the ultimate challenge. No matter how tough you make an AI enemy, an actual person will always pose a more interesting/challenging threat due to their unpredictability. The essential issue is that people -- while anonymous -- are often complete and utter punks.A good deal of initial player experience with PvP is pretty close to someones first experience with a root canal. It's also similar in the sense that if you've never had that experience you're probably better off for it. Lastly, one other way they're similar (to me, at least) is my firmly held belief that every player is like a spawn of Steve Martin from Little Shop of Horrors. It fits quite well, a lot of the people who enjoy PvP take great amounts of pleasure in pummeling heads into the ground. So what do you think dear reader? Is all PvP bad, or are there games out there that you think have or will remedy the issue?
