12/11/12

[GW2] Horizontal Endgame or a Purposeless, Grind-Centric Existence?

I’ve been reading other people’s blogs more than writing on my own recently and one of those posts is about GW2′s horizontal progression over at Professor Beej. He makes a good case for providing progressing out vs progressing up and it leads me to wonder if I’m just not the intended demographic for such a game. I own Guild Wars 2 and like it well enough, but I didn’t find it nearly as sticky as other games even in the leveling up process. So when he and other bloggers cite things like,

There is no “endgame” because the endgame is just the game itself.

I am tempted to reword that into

There is no “endgame”

Now, I don’t mean to pick on Mr. Beej here because he is hardly to first to draw attention to this fact. ArenaNet has actually done so on several occasions. Likewise, a lot of players have shared similar sentiments since August. But the thing is, even pre-launch I expressed concerns at how valid this actually is. If your model for keeping players engaged after 80 levels of leveling is “go back and do it again,” your thinking is inherently flawed. WoW has always given extra gold and reputation for completing old quests but the number of players with 100% completion is minimal. I firmly believe that people do not like to re-tread old ground unless they are forced to and why daily quests are a stop gap for slower development cycles.

Guild Wars 2 is a bit different because of the event system and karma currency. Neither of these do much to encourage me to return to old zones if there is something even remotely interesting at my own level. It is an odd psychological trait, I suppose, that I would rather stay in new zones for hours on end rather than return to others that I haven’t seen in a while, but I am hardly alone. There is a sense of having earned that end-level content, a feeling that it should be the best and most rewarding (a conclusion which is supported by the game in a number of ways) because it’s taken so much effort along the way. Step 2 trumps Step 1 and Step 3 trumps them both.

I will return, especially to help friends, and the event system is really a boon. I would, any day, rather return to Queensdale in GW2 than Silverwood in RIFT or the Barrens in WoW. No question about it, Guild Wars 2 holds up better. But going back to a zone whose main purpose was leveling when you’re all leveled up really begs the question of what’s the point.

And don’t say “because it’s fun”. Not only is that a parroting of pre-release hype but also because I don’t much think it holds water in this case. Saying the point of retreading old ground is “because it’s fun” ignores the whole context of this MMORPG. In GW2 combat can be mastered in 1/8th of the leveling process and even the dynamic events boil down to reskins of reskins. “Because it’s fun” may be re-worded as “because the combat is fun” in which case visiting old zones is for the change of scenery. That’s simply not enough to support an endgame.

“The whole game is endgame!” also highlights what I believe is one of the biggest misconceptions there is about Guild Wars 2. The game is incredibly grindy. The is horizontal progression with essentially no point. There is vertical progression with little point and incredible effort. If you want to do something meaningful with your max level character, you had better be prepared for one of the worst grinds in years. High level karma gears costs hours upon hours upon hours of event grinding and an arm and a leg in virtual currency. If you want a legendary weapon, there is no option to acquire it socially. You will do social things along the way, for sure, but what you’re left with is a laundry list a hundred hours long landing squarely on the shoulders of the player. Even getting dungeon sets require dozens of run-throughs before that’s even a possibility.

Guild Wars 2′s gear game is so incredibly grindy it’s nauseating. In a time when there are so many good titles to choose from, MMO or no, why would I ever bother to grind so much for so little? And the fact that no one talks about this is a little troubling. If only LotRO could have gotten the same treatment with its deed grinds.

Critics of this viewpoint are quick to point out that you can easily buy exotics on the auction house. This is true and will allow you to participate in high-level events and dungeons. I would also highlight that you just chopped off the most meaningful progression left for your character. Mini-pets and cosmetics await because map completion, jumping puzzles, and events… well, I’ll put it this way, if you’re still worried about karma gear when the stat boost to your character is so minimal, that item must look really good.

All of this reinforces that ArenaNet really doesn’t expect players to stick around once they’ve hit the level cap and poked a thing or two. Their model is about the ebb and flow, luring players back with holiday events and zone unlocks. For what it’s worth, that’s actually a pretty good model. I enjoy when games update often; it makes me a satisfied customer. As a player, though, it’s a bit disappointing that 2004′s World of Warcraft has proven much more successful at keeping players interested once the leveling is complete.

11/20/12

Why You Should Try Darkfall: Unholy Wars

Darkfall is the kind of game that scares new players away, but with the upcoming launch of Unholy Wars, I want to encourage you all to give it a shot. Now I know, I haven’t always been kind to the game, but Darkfall is something I truly feel all players – PvE and PvP alike – can have fun with and, with a good clan, is one of the best MMO experiences available today.

The fact is, a lot of what you’ve heard is probably half-truth or based on assumption and fear of how “hardcore” the game is. Yes, the game is full loot. Travel takes a while and means something. Anyone can attack anyone and griefing happens. What doesn’t get the coverage in those criticisms is that they come together to make a game that feels more like a true MMO — you know, when we aspired to virtual worlds rather than quest rides — than any other game out there than maybe, I hear, EVE. But believe it or not, Darkfall is a far more accessible and much more action-driven game than EVE ever was. Get yourself used to the idea of playing with other people again and it can provide some of the most memorable, fun, and MMO-like experiences you’ve had since EQ or Ultima.

And to be clear, I’m not a hardcore PvPer, I’m not a big grouper, and I don’t like games that punish the crap out of me. I’m probably like a lot of players — and yet I sit here saying, “play Darkfall.” Here’s why:

Full Loot is Nowhere Near as Bad as You Think It Is

This is my biggest gripe with naysayers. If someone has told you that losing your gear when you die is a big deal, let me be clear, they weren’t actually playing the game. First off, it’s based on skills. You can die, get a basic weapon from a vendor, and still be strong enough to go back out and get on your feet. That’s number one. Number two, you’ll collect enough basic gear just playing that you’ll be re-outfitted within minutes, even if you never play with another person. Number three, there is no epic gear to be lost here (though there is some good stuff), so it’s not like you’re losing weeks of investment. Here’s a rule: Bank the gear you find. Do that and you’ll never have to worry about FFA PvP in the same way again.

This is also where clans come in. Any clan worth its salt — even most clans that aren’t — will have a bank full of basic gear for you. If they don’t it’s because they’re inactive and you should probably leave.

Full loot isn’t something to be scared of because the impact is minimal. Bank your stuff. Be happy. Once you get in that habit, it becomes second nature. Dying is disappointing, especially if you were carrying a lot, but it also makes your choices meaningful. If you stay out in the world with a treasure trove of stuff and you die, it’s because you pushed it. This is the kind of tension that makes things exciting. If it becomes stressful, change up how you do things. Carry less you’re unwilling to lose. Learning how to survive in Darkfall is in experience unlike most MMOs out there.

No Levels:

If you want to get better at something, use it. This is something MMO players have been clamoring for since Ultima fell out and Darkfall still has one of the best implementations out there. In vanilla DF, there were issues of players macroing and cheating to build up certain skills, and there was a wall that built up over time where new players felt disadvantaged. That’s said to be fixed in Unholy Wars. If that’s the case, this will be the single best skill system in any modern MMO out there.

From DF1.0, this will likely be different in UW

Non-Linear Gameplay:

There are quests in the game but don’t expect a quest hub tour of Agon. Your gameplay is determined by your own goals and those of your guild. Some people look at this and scoff but those people either a) didn’t give it enough time, b) tried to be solo cowboys, or c) never tried it at all. In this game, you have personal goals and social goals, from your clan or your friends, and they intermingle. What you do depends on where you want to go — even if that’s just a direction on the map. Some of the best experiences I’ve had have been based on grabbing a buddy and heading out to see what we can find.

Here’s the thing, other games push you through quest hubs because the world can’t hold up on its own. Darkfall’s does. Just finding a new spawn area or, even better, a new dungeon is an adventure that tends to top most dev-content. Honestly. Combat is truly action based and not simply dodge-distance-directional. And the possibility that at any point another player could come along and totally change the dynamic — for better or worse — adds a layer or dynamicism other games don’t touch.

Exploration is Fun, Rewarding, and Pretty Much the Best Out There:

Like I said, mobs drop things you need. You might come across a den of skeletons that stock you up on basic armor to re-gear with if you die. Or maybe you’ll find a cave where the monsters drop “epic” gear (there is no epic) that makes you look and defend like a king. To get good gear in this game, it’s not about grinding a dungeon 50 times. It’s about finding the right spot in the world and figuring out a way to take down your enemies.

Other things support exploration, too. Chaos chests spawn all over the world and can drop great and valuable things. Maybe you find a new, fast mount. Maybe a deed to a home. Maybe you find a player village to pillage. Maybe you come across an unsuspecting player and make a new friend… or kill him outright just to make sure he doesn’t move on you first. Maybe you find a dungeon or a dragon’s lair. How about a floating island with excellent spawns for all your magic ingredients. I’ll say it again, this is as close to a virtual world as modern MMOs get. Darkfall does it well. If you are into the idea of a lush, breathing, deep, and engrossing game world, you should try this game.

Combat is Active, Action-Based, and Better Than Hotbar Games

I like Guild Wars 2, I do, but Darkfall just beats it. It’s not dodge based but that’s pretty much a gimmick anyway. Darkfall combat is about positioning, and reach, attacking and defending, aiming and choosing the right ability for the situation. It is deeper and much more impactful than Guild Wars or TERA even hint at. When you get with a clan, large scale warfare akin to WvWvW takes place but carries much more weight. You are literally fighting for control of the game world, literally making your own history to be posted on YouTube and debated on the forums.

Cooperation is Key and a Ton of Fun:

If there is one thing that keeps Darkfall from attracting new players apart from the PvP, it’s that it’s at its best when people play together. This really isn’t so bad, honestly, and neither is scheduling. I am an extremely busy guy these days. I don’t raid for just that reason. But in DFO, this is answered simply by joining a large clan. Because cooperation is intrinsic to the best game experience, if there is another person online, the chances are they’ll be open to teaming up with you.

So much of the game is built to be experienced with other players that when you do get the chance to do something with a full group, it is an absolute blast. Even if you walk away having been summarily defeated, the experience of waging your own mini war on player or NPC is memorable. If you want dynamic content, look no further. It doesn’t get better than simply stepping outside yourself and joining up with another player in Darkfall Online.

Naval Combat:

This one is worth ending on because it’s just plain cool. You can sail the seas on your own ship and wage naval warfare. You can be a pirate, pillaging the shoreline. You can also be eaten by a kraken. True story, check it out:

Overall, Darkfall isn’t for everybody in the same way that WoW isn’t. It is for a lot of people who simply won’t give it a chance. That’s a crying shame because in a lot of ways DF is the exact game players have been asking for for a long time. Give it a try. What have you got to lose?

09/5/12

Why GW2 Won’t Replace My Other MMO

Since Guild Wars 2 first began powering up the hype train, people have been claiming that it would revolutionize the MMO genre and replace the games that came before it. Nobody wants to play with yesterday’s toy after all (just ask Slinky). I’m here to tell you that, no, Guild Wars 2 will not be replacing my other MMO. And contrary to how that might sound, it’s not really a bad thing.

See, it’s easy for me to join along with each new MMO and put the previous one to bed for a while. I didn’t want that to happen with RIFT, so I’ve been keeping up with it, working through Ember Isle and trying to be regular with my expert dungeons. What I’ve found is that, surprisingly, Guild Wars has really taken nothing away from it. RIFT stands up against all of the innovations and gameplay changes GW2 brings to the table.I got to thinking, how can that be? GW2 is made of the finest stuff the MMO industry has had on offer these last 8 years, shouldn’t it make other games feel old? I think the simple truth is that Guild Wars has innovated its way right out of comparison. It doesn’t feel like other games, and what similarities it does have are pretty cursory compared to that feeling. Character progression is different. Moving through the world is different. Combat is very different. Exploration means something. And while a lot of people will tell you that its individual parts are like this or that, or that it’s still tab-targeting (“action bar combat fail!”), I’m here to tell you that those people are either kidding themselves or are flat out jaded. A game is about an experience, the sum total of its parts, and some people just miss the forest for the trees.

So when I step back into RIFT, it’s like I’ve just saddled a whole different beast. It holds up! And while it doesn’t have dodging or trinity-less design, it doesn’t need them to be a great game. It’s good we have Guild Wars. It’s great that they’re challenging conventions and trying new things. But some people like those old designs and they’re not wrong it.

Take the trinity for example. I am absolutely fine with having that in my game. While I like being self-sufficent and surviving based on my own skill (GW2), I also enjoy playing a defined role and having to fill that responsibility. I was talking to a friend the other day and the idea of not being able to play a real “healer” turned him off. He liked supporting his group. I can understand that. The idea of giving up tanking in exchange for pure dungeon chaos turns me off. I’ll get used to it, just like he will, because, hey, different isn’t bad. It’s just takes getting used to.

And that’s my take-away. GW2 isn’t a revolution, it’s different. It’s not going to replace other MMOs because it’s unique enough to co-exist without pushing others off the plate. This isn’t the second coming, it’s just an excellent game. I will happily play it alongside others. But taking something away from a game like RIFT? Not done.

Such a perfect business model for this kind of scenario, too. I guess we’ll really see whether players want more than one game this year.

09/3/12

[GW2] When Story and Class Collide

I’ve tried to roll an Asura thief three times, and I just can’t bring myself to play the character. Why, you might ask? Story. The narrative elements in Guild Wars 2 have effectively barred me from playing a race and class that I would otherwise choose. That sounds harsh, I guess, but it’s true.

Let me back up a minute.

ArenaNet has accomplished something personally miraculous and made each class fun enough to play that repeating content doesn’t matter. In other games, repetition was always the barrier. Classes were fun to play each was close enough to the other that having to play through the same zones and quests really turned me off from the whole “altaholic” thing. Not so here. Going from a warrior to a thief is a polar shift in gameplay, as is going from engineer to elementalist or mesmer to guardian. And each class has an indefinable “something” that makes them stand out from one another; maybe it’s how their spells hit, how the animations sync up to the audio clips. I don’t know, I just know that it works and it’s magic. So much so, in fact, that I’ve been making new characters left and right because I want to consume it all right now.

And it’s introduced a problem I’ve never run into before: Some races just don’t fit the class choice. Hence the always a bridesmaid never a bride Asura. See, there’s something that just doesn’t fit with “high tech, inventor, genius” and “surly, underworld thief.” Why does he need to thieve and why does he want to? To my mind, the engineer is the Asura class. Anything else is just pigeonholing, and trying to fit that square peg into that circle hole breaks my immersion every time I’m reminded what the Asura are all about. Story quests are out because, well, they feature Asura. Culture is the enemy in this case. I mean, after all, why would an Asura bother being a warrior or guardian when a central story tenet is how tinkerly and gadgety you are?

The same goes for other races. I can’t see a Charr or Norn being a thief. They’re big and bold and need a big hammer or sword to seem “right.” I can’t see a Sylvari being a guardian; they’re lithe and elfy and seem more at home with a bow or magic staff than a two-handed halberd. These things require a cognitive dissonance that I just can’t stand. Ironically, the other big story MMO (SWTOR) didn’t suffer from this because your racial background was pretty much meaningless. Culture means something here and that’s both a plus and a minus.

In the end, I wouldn’t change the story elements, I just wish you could ignore it. I would play an Asura thief if I could get through the introduction and actually have that feel okay. But I can’t, at least yet, and it seems like a lot of people can. I do wonder how it all makes sense if you care about lore and setting. Maybe I just didn’t get far enough.

08/30/12

A Charr, A Tank: Illusions of a Slow Running Speed

I’ve decided to make my main character a Charr Warrior; what can I say, I’m a cat guy (quiet you dog lovers!). The class is fun, stands up to some damage, and now that I can swap weapons on the fly, dishes out a fair deal too. And what better race for a warrior than a big, hulking Charr! Like the Norn, they just look like warriors. To the point, even, where it feels slightly wrong to play them as any other profession. They are, in short, tanks — especially when you put a rifle in their hands.

That said, they both share a downside with a tank: They’re slow. Well, not really, but they sure do feel slow and that’s a problem. And let’s cut Norn out now, I’m a Charr. While ANet has already made clear that all races run at exactly the same speed, the size and animations just make them feel lumbering. While running on all fours certainly looks cool, it doesn’t actually feel like running at all. It’s more like one of those dreams where you’re trying to run but the door at the end of the hallway just keeps getting further away. It drives me crazy. I even re-rolled a human thief to feel a little relief from these issues. Anecdotally, it’s helped me to discover that I want to play each class; they really are plain fun to experiment with.

I’ve narrowed the problem down to the all-fours animation simply being too slow. We need more bounds across dem dere hills! It’s counter-intuitive, really, because naturally youwould need less bounds to cover the same distance… if this were real life. But then again, if this were real life Asura wouldn’t jump as high as a Norn either (and they probably would have learned to tie their ears back too, all that flapping has got to be annoying). But we extend our disbelief because sometimes games shouldn’t be logical; they should feel natural and fun. There is no reason a Charr or Norn should feel slower than a Human, if anything they should be faster. But again, we sacrifice in the name of game play.

Until the moment comes when bounding feels natural, I’ll be running on two legs instead of four. It solves the problem — at least for Charr, sorry Norn. As it happens, unsheathing your weapon forces your character to run like a humanoid instead of a direwolf. If you’re interested, there’s an option to bind sheathing towards the bottom of your keybind list. There are also speed buffs available to certain classes (warriors get one with their war horn), so keeping a one-hander and a horn in your swap slots might also be a good idea, meat shields.

08/27/12

Guild Wars 2 First Impressions From a Real Newbie

This guy and I killed a haunted statue together!

You know that whole “me posting more” thing? Yeah, GW2 wants wants to end that. That should be a testament to how good I’ve found this game. This past weekend I’ve been able to sink about four hours in and, as you might imagine, I’m extremely impressed with nearly everything I’ve seen. Having gone in without much foreknowledge, I didn’t know what to expect; I’ve been seeing everything through newbie eyes. What I’ve found is one of the most polished and beautiful launch MMOs I’ve ever played — and I’ve played a lot of them. Like Syp says in yesterday’s post, this is a game that exists to wow you… or anti-WoW you, as the case may be. Digressions aside, here’s what I liked most.

The game is large. Everything about it is big… well, except for bag space which is pretty gimped, honestly, but the world itself is vast and that’s a fact that gets impressed upon you quickly. The zone you’re thrown into following the tutorial (which is awesome, by the way) is huge and it’s filled with events. And to these newcomers eyes, they really do feel dynamic; not in the “that was totally unscripted!” da-hurr-da-hoo way, mind you, but the “I was wandering here and these things just sort of happened” way. Like RIFTs rift/invasion system except isolated to a WAR like public-quest. It’s pretty cool and keeps things fresh.

Initially I was a little overwhelmed. As much as I’d like to say it was smooth beginning, the game really does expect a lot from a new player. While the pop-up tooltips help, there’s still a good deal to wrap your head around. Figuring out how to play your class is notably harder when your abilities change with every weapon… and thereby your rotations and playstyle. It’s downright strenuous if you’re a min-maxer that wants to hit the ground running, yet it’s also apparent that there is a lot of depth to be had, so theorycrafters should have a heyday. Also, figuring out basic things like where to buy gathering tools, which mobs drop which mats, and what exactly class trainers are good for (I’m not double-digit level yet) is pretty vague if still discoverable.

While those questions vary in importance, I was also struck by how directionless the game initially feels. Mind you, this fades once you play around a bit, but it’s tempting to simply follow the story quest instead of explore and gain some experience. Without set quests, it’s a little unclear that the real expectation is to explore and participate in events as you go. It’s also not clear that story missions and tasks aren’t the sole means of progression, hence a lot of repeated “how do i lvl” questions getting asked in chat.

That very exploration system is one of the things I love the most, though. With no quest hubs, I’ve been letting map notes guide where I go next. Point of interest this way? Great, I’ll check it! Vista that way? Awesome, off I go! And if I notice the mobs are getting a little above my level, I hold back and head off to explore somewhere new. Combined with the vastness and beauty of it all, following my own path is just a heck of a lot of fun.

Other things I like. Achievements. They’re well done and having daily and weekly goals makes for a natural motivator… but the points they reward, what are they for? Gathering. You can collect everything there is to gather and get great XP and valuable items in the process. Plus the trees actually fall when you harvest them. I haven’t crafted yet, so no thoughts there. Capital cities are huge, multi-leveled, and are packed with detail. I was stunned by the upper gardens in Divinity’s Reach. And a whole mini-zone to reflect my story? Awesome! Speaking of, the cutscene delivery is nice, the voice acting tends to be very good, and it’s interesting! I’ve made three characters just to check out the beginning of their story and re-rolled one after an hour just because I chose the wrong companion by mistake. Finally, I’m enjoying the combat and its challenge. It’s nice to have positioning count for something, number one. Things will kick your butt if you’re not careful and if you’re just spamming you’re likely to miss as they move out of range. Number two, they did a great job with the “sense of hit” stuff they were talking about before. Smacking something with my sword feels impactful and not like whiffing the air in other games.

There are things I don’t really like too but I haven’t really played long enough to come up with much. No /who is annoying, I guess, but they do have a search bar in the social pane for finding friends. Not being able to /1 /2 /3 for chat channels is also weird. And what’s up with ctrl+clicking automatically sending item links to chat channels? I’ve linked random things at least a half dozen times now trying to preview them. There also doesn’t seem to be a way to go first-person for screenshots. I really don’t get why this wasn’t in for launch but an AMA on reddit says it’s coming. I’m trying to think of more (and I’m sure there is) but I’m not coming up with much. It’s a little buggy at times? The auction house has been down?

Also, before I finish and get back to playing, let me just say that overflow servers are the new thing. I don’t care if they’re buggy right now and it’s hard to group. Every MMO from here on out needs to have them or be needlessly annoying. To be honest, I totally forgot about them until I went to log in at the beginning of head start and *gasp* had no queue. Do you know how long it’s been since that’s happened with a major MMO? Never. Not in any launch I’ve been a part of anyways. A lot of people complained because the servers were down for a few hours on Saturday. Boo-hoo, honestly. When they came up you got to play immediately, so stop whining. This was an MMO launch and smoother than most. From now on, though, there is no excuse for making people wait hours to log in to your game.

I’ll be reporting on this game much more in the coming days and weeks. I’ve barely scratched the surface of a 40lb salt lick here. So much to see!

08/24/12

GW2: Going in Dark

The day has finally arrived. We stand at the cusp of one of the most anticipated MMO launches since World of Warcraft, and to say that there is a palpable excitement in the air is an understatement. We’ve waited years for Guild Wars 2, many of us on the edge of our seats, gobbling up any bit of information we could get our hands on. Speaking for myself, I feared the day may never come. It was always so far off, too much like a daydream whose promise and excitement faded with the inevitable *crack* back to reality. Perhaps that sounds romantic and it probably is, but it’s also true. GW2 was a shared dream simply because ArenaNet dared to say “this isn’t working, here’s what we think will.” The game was presented to us as the physical embodiment of challenged conventions — who wouldn’t be excited about that?

Whether those daydreams become reality is a story to be told down the line. For now, I’m going into this thing dark. I know the basics; limited skills on the action bar, WvWvW, events, jumping puzzles, and cute-eared Asura. How it plays is a mystery. How it feels is yet to be determined. And I don’t care. If we speak with our wallets, I will emphatically declare that, yes, I support this; yes, give me more of what ArenaNet is selling because, for me, it’s as much about shouting from every rooftop that “DIFFERENT IS GOOD” as it is enjoying GW2 on its own merit. There is value in successful ideas over successful implementations and this is the upswing to break the mold. Whether or not Guild Wars 2 succeeds in its delivery, its success is in sales is a good thing for us all, fan or foe.

As an MMO blogger, this is the first time I’ll have gone into a launch with so little knowledge. I feel unprepared. I also absolutely relish the opportunity to go into this thing and have it be new. Even experiencing RIFT’s few beta events took some of that freshness away, 15 levels to be exact. From the very beginning, GW2 will be unexplored territory with surprise upon surprise in store for me. Quirks and idiosyncrasies others already take for granted will be the fodder for continued probing. I haven’t stepped into a game like that in so long… it makes me wonder if I’ve been over-educating myself these last five years. It’s also about as close to the average gamer as I’m likely to get.

Standing back from the upswell of hype has had an opposite effect, too. I missed out on the rising tide of excitement and was left with only myself to hype with. For what I gain in mystery, I lack in the infectious giddiness that’s come to typify launches up to this point. I am excited, there is no doubt about that, but I also recognize that Guild Wars is just a game like any other; it will be fun, I’ll make and play with friends, and I’ll feel satisfaction having spent my time there. Strangely, even knowing so little, it’s like going into Christmas morning already knowing what presents await you under the tree.

I don’t know that I’ll do this next time. For as much as we like to complain about the hype cycle, it truly is one of the most fun aspects of following MMOs and missing out changes something.

As someone who has been around the block with launches past, I’m excited at what blogging opportunities a fresh set of eyes might bring. Crazy as I am (and Syp too it seems!), I’m getting up at 3AM to be there for launch. Yeah, I’ll probably wait in queue for an hour or two, but you know what? I’ve been dark long enough.

08/14/12

Contrasting Viewpoints on GW2′s Endgame

“My loot horde will severely disappoint you.”

Like many of you, I’m excited for the launch of Guild Wars 2. After taking part in numerous MMO rises and falls, however, I’ve become more guarded than I like to be. Couple that with a need to consume as much content as possible and you can see how I might spoil any surprises GW2 has in store for me. So, hard as it was, I put myself into media blackout for at least the last six months. I’ve watched the manifesto and read some things — total blackout is nearly impossible — so I know the Arenanet is aiming high; I have a good idea about big concepts like doing away with the holy trinity and getting rid of raid progression.

I ended that blackout this week. I’m consuming all I can because ~~winter~~ launch is coming. One of the burning questions on my mind, perhaps the most burning question, is — if they’re doing away with endgame progression, what exactly are they planning? With finely honed Google-fu I’ve found some information you probably already know: max level PvP/PvE zone, max level events and dynamic leveling to experience what you might have missed leveling up, organized PvP and world-versus-world. They lack progression, per se, and instead offer cosmetic rewards, skill alterations, and other non-gear based incentives.

I also found two excellent forum posts at MMO Champion (imagine that!) that highlight each school of thought on what ArenaNet are trying to do. They’re so well written, I had to share them.

Guild Wars 2 Endgame: You Actually Get to Eat the Carrot (1)

In Guild Wars 2, new content expands rather than extends the game. Thanks to the side-kicking system, content never becomes obsolete; when you reach the level cap your options are not limited to content specifically made for the endgame, you can still play any of the dynamic events or attempt any of the dungeons you may have initially missed. Furthermore, dynamic events provide constant variation across the entire game world. A zone might be completely different the next time you visit it due to different events being active, events being at different stages, or events having a different number of players participating in them.

An Actual PVE Engame Reality Check (2)

Moving onto the dynamic world content, I struggle again to consider this to be worthy endgame content. It is somewhat like returning to Elwynn Forest and completing the quests you missed. Granted the Dynamic Events will mix things up so that it is different and the world feels more alive than a bunch of NPCs standing around telling you to kill ten boars, collect ten boar spleens, but in effect you are revisiting leveling content. I’m sure that people are going to cry ‘But it isn’t leveling content, it’s all endgame content’ or some such, but really it’s going to feel like it did while you were leveling up, because it is what you were doing while leveling up. And, just like SWTORs story leveling experience, the novelty will wear off. There is a limit to how much ArenaNet will have scripted, and sooner or later you’ll see it all.

But what about the rest of the content that’s actually on level? What‘s the actual motivator?

(Quotes parsed for manageability)

(1) Firstly, there are rewards which expand your abilities. These include weapons, traits, and slot skills (including elite skills). All of these things combined provide a significant amount of depth in terms of character builds which is great news for those who enjoy theorycrafting and experimentation.

Secondly, there are rewards which provide ways of customising the appearance of your character. For example, each dungeon has its own unique armour set, and there also exist rare dyes which can be used to change the colour of specific parts of your armour.

Thirdly, there are rewards which provide a sense of achievement through explicitly tracking your progress and recording your character’s history.

As well as the content described above and its rewards, there is also the crafting system, the two-way auction house, and mini-games.

Tarien’s points begin by questioning how long the current set of dungeons will last players at the level cap, hard modes and alternative configurations aside. The following is more of a direct reply.

(2) Without gear upgrades there is very little incentive to keep clearing dungeons, once you’ve seen it, achieved what can be achieved and gotten whatever cosmetic items you need, what is the point? In other MMOs with gear progression your technique changes as you gear up. Initially you use CC, LoS pulls, and so on. Later you brute force it, and later still you chain pull wildly while the DPS try to balance running with AoEing. You won’t get that in a gearless game, you’ll find the optimal method and that’s it.

Great food for thought.

For my part, I enjoy the traditional raid-game but can’t often take part in it, so changing up the dynamic is appealing to me on a personal level. That said, I have serious concerns about the longevity of a non-progression endgame.

Think about it, MMORPGs are ALL progression in some form. Leveling is progression and the basis for what we expect these games to be. Nearly every tangible aspect of these games involves progressing your power. While cosmetic upgrades are neat, they offer nothing as substantial as the increased stats which is the very thing which tells us we are progressing.

Conceptually, I love the idea of players raiding because they enjoy the encounters. In a gaming environment where huge percentages of people never finish the games they start, however, why should the transient masses ever come back the second time? Is a new set of statless pauldrons enough to fill out raid spots? My gut says no. Look at other games that launched without item progression. Fallen Earth was widely criticized for having no endgame at all. GW2, for being different in so many other ways, gets a pass since they say it’s on purpose?

The counter-argument is, of course, that without a subscription fee it’s fine for players to leave when they’re done and come back when new content is added. That isn’t healthy for a game that wants an active playerbase at level cap. It’s true, of course, and F2P means there will be more people at any given time over a sub-game, but eventually claims of “your game is dead” will arise, as is the blame for “not planning for retention.” You might also say that the endgame is about PvP. In that case, should we have ever considered it a competitor to other MMOs where it’s is a feature rather than an alternative?

Where does all this lead; I see a handful of possibilities. Endgame players will leave shortly after they cap out realizing this isn’t the game for them; PvP will become the foremost activity for high-end gameplay; ArenaNet will provide an ability-based or alternative progression scheme to keep raiders satisfied; or raiding will take on a more refined existence, where players actually play for the experience rather than the item. Give me a mix of 2, 3, and 4 and I see a long happy future for GW2. Arrive with “you didn’t want it anyway” and there may be trouble.

11/30/10

A Time Traveler Returns From 2013

Well, wasn’t that an interesting trip. Excuse me while I dust off the time-o-copter. Yes, yes, you’d think simple blades wouldn’t collect so much dust but, well, it’s not like they get used for much, anyhow. So, you’re probably wondering, “what’s 2013 like, Time-O?” and I’m here to tell you. Barack Obama, you say? No, I haven’t a clue about him, though Sarah Palin’s swift dive into Playboy and Maxim was a bit of a surprise. I hear Daniel Radcliffe is considering a run against the “mudbloods” or some such. Anyhow, you’re an MMO audience and MMO talk I shall deliver.

The first thing you’re probably wondering is how TOR made out. I’m sorry to say that, no, indeed they didn’t keep their 2 million subscribers. True, they did break records, yes, but, well, let’s just say the subscription argument is a thing of the pas– present. Let’s just say, however, that Jack Emmert was finally right.

To the actual game though: a better theme-park there never was. By the time I had to leave, they had just announced their first expansion pack, Hutt-Hutt Love, but due to the extensive amount of voice acting, it had a tentative release date of 2014. Never fear, however, as new raids, zones, and battlegrounds were added in the two years after launch. The release of WoW: The Emerald Dream put a bit of a kiebash on TOR’s biggest selling point, however. Who would have thought the Emerald Dream would have space ships and “energy sabers?”

Guild Wars 2, though, there’s a sad case. ArenaNet tried and, to their credit, delivered on much of what was promised. The event system was nothing short of revolutionary in a “public quest” kind of way. People didn’t anticipate the grindiness, however, and quirks in the reward system were still being worked out during my visit. Still, it isn’t in the gameplay or financial success that the true disappointment lies; it is in the moving of the series. Who would have thought that turning the game so far from the first, adding levels, adding lots of new stuff within the trappings of old Diku stuff, that they would lose much of their initial audience. As it turns out, GW fans really did want a CRPG instead of an MMO.

Don’t get me started on TERA. Really, don’t, because I was busy grinding out my elvish lass’s 39^th level. If I’d only had another 35 hours, I would have had it!

No, the age of MMOs has changed two years out, my friends. It’s no longer a landscape of big, sub+ games. There are the leaders, sure, but they are the same as they are in 2011: WoW, ToR, LotRO… the big, multi-million dollar projects. No, the heart of the industry now lies in the ultra-niche. If there is a mood in which you’ll game, there is a game to suit your mood.

It’s not surprising then that Darkfall still remains the #1 PvP MMO and EVE is working on it’s 50^th expansion. In the most recent update, Darkfall has blended deftly with World of Warcraft in their latest patch entitled, Kill the Nub. Blizzard has yet to raise legal action against the inclusion of their models, but it’s assumed they’re too deep in their piles of money (and Bobby Kotick’s pocket) to care.

Dominating this tier of games, however, is Rift, the artist formally known as “Planes of Telara.” It turns out people really didn’t want something radically different. The MMO industry is still struggling to compete with their rift system, though it never was as dynamic as we hoped it would be. In the best ways, it is like World of Warcraft and in the best ways it is not. Scott Hartsman is currently leasing a Boeing 757 for his morning commute to work.

But, listen to me prattle on. I am the mystic one! The traveler of world and time! I am Time-O! Ask your questions, if you will, but let me leave you with this prediction: I will next travel to 2025, wherein I will find the first full head-tracking helmet-goggles computer monitor. It will come with an optional vest, with feedback sensors, jolting you with every parry and blow. And yes, it will support World of Warcraft.

09/28/10

The Multiverse – Episode #27: “The More Things Change…”

Hi Everybody,

Busy show this week! We were joined again by Gavin for the Flex Your Geek and MMO Voices podcasts, so thanks again to him for tagging along and keeping us in line. This week’s topics include:

The Michael Jackson MMO – Will Bubbles live to see the morning?
MMO Anniversaries – Three in one week!
MMOs and Smart Phones – How GW2 is taking things to the next level.
Does everything need its own comic book? I mean, really.
Finally we get to our main topic: the evolution of the MMO. As time goes on, we’re seeing more and more games being tagged with those precious three letters. Titles like Vindictus, DCUO, MAG, and FFXIV challenge what it is we accept the term to mean. Is that expansion a good thing or are we watering down industry expectations?

Forgive me, I’m short on time at the moment, but this is a good one, I promise.

Relevant Links:

Enjoy!

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