Tag Archives: Gear

10/3/12

PvPing to PvE and the Backbone of Bigotry

Over the years there has been a persistent issue in MMOs when players have to play one way to get gear for another. This issue has come up again in Mists of Pandaria as players are (once again) running battlegrounds to get gear to for endgame PvE. Whether or not Blizzard should have foreseen this aside, I really have to wonder about the outrage this issue always causes. Okay raiders we get it, you don’t think PvPers should get raid gear for battlegrounds. Got it. Now would you kindly get over yourselves? Same to you, PvPers.

Aren’t we a little beyond getting bent out of shape because of someone else’s reward? Is it so terrible that there could be more raiders and more PvPers to fill out your teams? Give me one good reason why. And please make sure it’s not related to your ego. Thanks.

If you do have a reason, I’ll hear it. I’m open to opinions. But the problem is this: Someone else’s reward doesn’t effect you. Your stats, your skills, and your strats are all exactly the same as they were yesterday. What’s the worst thing that could happen if a player could choose a PvP item as a raid drop? Noobs invade your BG? Well guess what, they do that anyway, Caps Lock Strategist. That’s kind of how these “open access” games work. And if you could buy a PvE weapon for valor/whateverotherPvPstat? The random PuG does better. And your feelings are hurt.

“I PvP’ed for 10000 hours to get that weapon, he shouldn’t get it for raiding!” “I ran that dungeon 40 times while he sat in PvP queue, how is that fair?!” We’re human. I think we can all empathize with those arguments, as far as they go. But here’s the thing, they only go as far as Lindsay Lohan with a dime bag of crank. The only thing the current reward paradigm gets you is the ability to look down your nose at other people for not playing exactly the same for exactly as long as you have. Great accomplishment, I guess.

And if we changed things and allowed a little more choice? Pick-up groups would have an easier time in both raids and 5-mans. Battlegrounds would be invaded by players with actual PvP gear and skill might actually mean something again. And players whose sole skill set involves “get gear win” will run to the forums and rage. But you know what, while they cry on less people will be slamming their faces against a wall because some random e-peen needs validation. I side with the small-peened.

I’m not advocating people get epics for doing nothing, and I’m certainly not saying you should get to be top of the food chain without ever stepping foot in the playstyle. I’m saying that if Joe finds it fun to raid but is curious about arenas, let the guy gear up doing what he knows he likes. He’s paying his fee and, again, what does it really matter to any single person other than him? It doesn’t and the entire game stands to benefit. He’s done his work, so get him some gear to be competitive. Not top of the line, competitive, because if he likes it, he can keep playing to hone in his skill set. Vice versa for PvP to PvE.

I’m also not saying that you should have to PvP to PvE and opposite. Play how you want, that’s the whole point. I used to be one of these guys that believed the exact opposite of what I’m writing here. But times have changed and we’d all better smell the coffee or risk being left behind. Make no mistake, you can leet yourself right out of this genre. Are you really an MMO fan or are just a fan of relative power? There is a big, big difference in today’s market.

At the end of the day, if you’re relying on gear to be your skillset, you’re doing it wrong. Skill will trump gear unless gear is allowed to bury the newcomer. Then you have sheep v. wolves. And who would want that but an egotist, someone who doesn’t want to play to win, but win to play and make you lose in the process. Non-sensical maybe but I’m thinking you understand. Again, big difference.

Hat tip: PvD for pointing this out.

11/30/09

Good or bad, I’m the man in the chaps

Yes, that’s right. I celebrated my triumphant return to Fallen Earth like every good cowboy. I rooted around in some discarded trash until I found myself a pair of authentic (and only slightly soiled) chaps. Look at that folks. I like to think of it as “framing.”

FEchaps

Garbage bag chaps and a gas mask - where's the party at?

I spent a good two hours in the wasteland yesterday and had a great time. Fallen Earth offers something unique amongst the swath of MMOs out there right now. Actually, it offers a lot of somethings, trash looting being only one of them.

Everything in the game just feels so authentic. Granted, who knows how life would play out if a killer virus actually did hit, but there’s something very down to earth about the game. It’s homey, in its own desolate way. Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the game is that you honestly feel like just about anything is possible – in a realistic sense. You’re not going to fly if you jump off a cliff (for too long anyways) but there’s always that chance of “hey, maybe I’ll find something new, maybe a piece of old scrap, and I’ll be able to put something together with it.” You use what you have around you, right down into recipes that need appropriate materials (say, fasteners, scrap metal, and leather, to make a crossbow). I love that. Logical loot, logical creation.

It also takes an interesting approach to the “stream of rewards” game play most often seen in AAA MMOs. Usually, games reward you with the new and shiny to keep you going. I find it very interesting that Fallen Earth does exactly the opposite and achieves the same thing. You’re always upgrading, maybe from a rusty pipe to a rusty wrench or gold club, but your gear always retains that rustic feel you’d expect in this setting. Hell, even the best vehicle looks like something you’d find at the back of the junk yard. And players clamor for it.

I won’t extol every virtue the game offers. I find myself particularly struck coming, literally, from WoW to FE. The difference is stark but it seems to make this play through all the more appealing.

I’ll say this much though, Fallen Earth is best when played for big chunks at a time. I kept my mind on moving forward, and progressing, and before I knew it, two hours were gone from under me. WoW is wont to do the same (nod to George R.R. Martin) but in a totally separate way. It has me thinking about immersion, what makes that magic happen and why. Topic for the podcast? A blog post? Just maybe.

My wife made my day, after telling her about my chaps. A classic response from a non-gamer: Honey, trust me. You don’t want to wear chaps, especially from the garbage. The person who threw them away probably had some weird cowboy fetish.

It’s good to be a nomad :-D