three-month-rule
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A Question of Quality...
I do indeed have a Three Month Rule. It isn't a staggeringly complex philosophy, and very literally means that I just wait for at least three months after the launch of an MMO, before even contemplating taking the plunge myself. It wasn't always this way mind you, and once I was a very keen early adopter, filling in beta applications with the rest and generally working myself up into a right old frenzy at the merest mention of something new and something shiny.Part of my current caution is definitely personal cynicism and a certain jaded worlds-weariness, but by no means all of it, and in many ways the Three Month Rule is very much a product of the MMOs themselves, a reaction to a regrettably lengthy succession of rushed and incomplete titles, often lurching out the door in a state of startled undress. Does the oft-repeated phrase 'It's an MMO, they're always like this' hold any water, or is there something fundamentally amiss with testing as we know it, when applied to the MMO?
The Daily Grind: Are you an early adopter?
When the hype begins a new MMO, it's hard not to get excited. Of course many of us veteran MMO players still have a chip on our shoulders from closed or changed games that leave us more than a bit ... dare we say jaded?With the increasing bonuses offered with a pre-order -- such as early beta access, in-game goodies or physical keepsakes -- being the early adopter can pay off with the right game. It can also bite you in the proverbial butt if the game turns out to be a flop. So we're curious about your adopting style. Have you pre-ordered a game in the past, and vow to never make that mistake again? Do you always pre-order and have never regretted it? Or do you implement a personal buffer zone for new games, much like Van Hemlock (our very own Tim Dale) and his infamous three month rule? Let us know!
