02/4/13

Episode 7: Through the Looking Glass (Ft. Gavin Townsley of Massively.com)

Guest Starring: Gavin Townsley of Massively.com!

Welcome back to another MMO Radio. We’re proud to present Episode 07 featuring our special guest and close friend, Gavin Townsley. Gavin has been a freelance writer in the games industry for some time and was recently picked up by Massively.com. You might also remember him from our old show, the RIFT Watchers podcast, and the Flex Your Geek website. We take some time to pick his brain about the state of the games press when it seems so embroiled in controversy lately. Taking note of the fact that there are few, if any, major — GW2 level — MMO releases in the future, we share realistic predictions on what the MMOs of the near future will feature.

We would also like to thank Green Armadillo for his excellent response to our Episode 5 discussion on the sustainability of F2P versus B2P.

Episode Kickstarter: ROAM (official site)
Gavin’s Links: Massively
Chris’ Links: Hooked Gamers, Game By Night, Vagary.TV
Adam’s Links: Epic Slant Press

Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Download the Show

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

01/29/13

WoW Back When: 133 Hours to Level 33

Last night I logged into my favorite MUD and was surprised to see that I had logged over 400 hours on one character. I shouldn’t have been surprised, not with how much I played that game, but going back into a text-based world really accentuated how much my tastes have evolved. I spent 400 hours on this… how different my mindset must have been back then. Then I got thinking: I’ve played WoW for nearly as long, I wonder how many hours I have there? So for the first time ever, I logged into each toon and tallied up my total /played. 1,836 hours. Over five solid months of waking days. Puts things in perspective a little bit. What surprised me more, though, was how many hours some of my very first characters had.

The peak has to be my second character: Ulthil Brownbeard, Paladin of Stormwind. He had 133 hours and was only level 33. I look at that now in wonder. How the hell did I spend so much time on that character and not level? Ulthil was special to me, though, that I remember. I made him during my first or second week of play back in 2006, shortly before The Burning Crusade came out. I’d just made the jump from MUDs into full blown MMOs and was absolutely entranced. I roleplayed that character at every opportunity. He wasn’t just a paladin because of his abilities, he was a paladin in every way I played him. I remember bowing to NPCs in the Stormwind Cathedral and replying to NPCs like they were other roleplayers. I even joined a guild where all chat had to be done in character.

The world was exciting and fresh. Elwynn Forest represented every magical wood I’d read about. I remember thinking of how cool it was when I finally found the kobold mine between the farms, this little red ramshackle roof hanging from the side of this bowl in the ground. It was exciting finding it. I didn’t much know where I was going but I knew I was getting close when I started seeing random miners amongst the spiders and bears. It felt dangerous and adventurous. Then when I was inside, another Paladin messaged me in-character and asked if I’d like to join a band of fellow holy men to rid Azeroth of the evil that plagued it. (I wonder when the last time was THAT happened to a WoW player). I died a few times to these level 5 kobolds, calling out random taunts as I used my holy hammer and other abilities, but I figured, hey, why not. So I joined up and started writing short stories and dwarven bar songs that told Ulthil’s history.

Every zone was magical. It was filled with the promise of the unknown. I didn’t even know dungeons existed until someone in Westfall asked me if I would go. I died trying to get there. It seemed easy to die back then but I was also unprepared for anything more than kittens and puppy-dog tails. Dungeons astounded me, though. MUDs didn’t have instances! That there was an option for a focused adventure, totally separate from the rest of the world, that offered great loot blew me away. I went left there with a couple of blue items thinking of how lucky I was. I was going to sell those items and get rich! I was disappointed and confused when I found out that everything was soulbound. What was soulbinding? How do you remove it? Still, I called my friend Orin that night and asked him if he’d heard of The Deadmines and that he had to try it out.

Everything was slow. Everything was discovery. I was tickled to see that different mining nodes popped up as you went between zones and disappointed that spiders in Hillsbrad were the same as those in Dun Morogh. I was captivated by areas out of my level range, especially if they were filled with elite mobs, because what lay beyond must have been amazing. 133 hours later, I was only level 33 and ready to see what lay on the Horde’s side of the world. There was just so much and I wanted to drink in every single second of it.

Looking at Ulthil’s /played so many memories came back to me. Then I looked at my level 35 warlock with his 22 hours played and wonder how much has been lost in the transition. WoW is still WoW, no doubt about it, and I don’t know if I would say that something’s been lost so much as changed. Everything is faster now, everything is more directed, but does it change those first few weeks for the new player, when the world is literally at their doorstep?

I would have to say not. I look back at my memories fondly but I’m sure that lots of more veteran MMO players read my experiences in 2006 much differently than their own. To that end, I think we have to question ourselves when we say such negative things about how WoW has evolved. My memories of that time really don’t have much to do with mechanics as they do with ideas. Sure, it took a while to level and I had to find quests without the breadcrumbs, but any sense of discovery I had was rooted in the mystery of a new world. A new WoW player isn’t rushing to WoWPro to find a leveling guide. They’re not doing any of the things we come to do in our second- and third-hundred hours. They’re there, filled with wonder, wondering what’s over the next rise.

We can disagree with designs, we can disagree with business models, we can become bitter and jaded and too cool for school. But that experience is why we fell in love with MMOs and why thousands of people keep doing so every day. I welcome every new generation of players because they get to experience things I may never be able to again and that’s an awesome thing.

01/28/13

Episode 6 – Good Luck, Scott Hartsman!

Hello again, MMO Radio friends! We’re happy to return again for Episode 6 this week as we wish one of our absolute favorite MMO developers, Scott Hartsman, a fond farewell and good luck as he parts ways with Trion Worlds. Most probably recognize Scott as the Executive Producer of RIFT, but we look all the way back to the development days of Warcraft II and Everquest 1, how he’s credited with “saving” Everquest 2 from a precipitous fall, and do our best track how he’s become one of the “legendary producers” of the industry.
Not content to let bad news linger, Trion followed up the announcement with another, much happier one: they’re set to publish ArcheAge in the west! As interesting as this sandbox looks, we had to spend a few minutes breaking down why that news is fan-freaking-tastic.

In Quick Hits, Chris — free of the NDA — shares why EVE counterpart, DUST514, might wind up a flop on the Playstation 3. Adam lightens the mood by introducing us to the Ultimate Gamer’s Storage Bag. Also, an awesome free Pokemon-like on iOS call Haypi Monsters!

Chris’ Links: Hooked Gamers, Game By Night, Vagary.TV
Adam’s Links: Epic Slant Press

Kickstarter of the Show: Ultimate Gamer’s Storage Bag

Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Download the Show

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

01/23/13

MMO Radio: Episode 5 – The Fall of F2P?

Guest starring: Sister Julie and Sister Fran from No Prisoners, No Mercy!

Is a 5th episode an anniversary? Not quite, but it’s certainly a special one. This week we’re pleased to be joined by Sister Fran and Sister Julie of the No Prisoners, No Mercy podcast. It was an absolute pleasure to have them on, especially since Adam and I have been longtime fans of their show. Considering the recent news about (F2P) Allod’s Online offering a subscription option and Julie’s enthusiasm for the model, we decided to look at exactly where the MMO business model might be headed. It’s certainly on people’s minds. Is F2P still the saving grace for the industry or is it unsustainable in its current incarnation? More importantly, if that’s the case, what will come up to replace it: Buy-to-Play, the revivification of subscriptions, or some refined version of the cash shop model?

We would once again like to thank Julie and Fran for joining us. It was a wonderful time and the resulting show is something we’re proud to add to our library. What’s more, they had us as guests on their show as well for a lively discussion on violence and video games, so stay tuned for when that goes live!

Sister Julie and Sister Fran’s Links: Virgin Worlds, No Prisoners, No Mercy Website
Chris’ Links: Hooked Gamers, Game By Night, Vagary.TV
Adam’s Links: Epic Slant Press

Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Download the Show

01/7/13

[WoW] Once More at the Level Cap: Looking Back at 85-90

Well, I’ve made it again and I am once more at the level cap in World of Warcraft. It took me longer this time than probably any one of their expansions to date, but I’m glad I made it. It may not have happened, in all honesty — I’d already tried and given up once before — but a good friend returned and I took the chance at trying again. The journey was filled with ups and downs and now that I’m here, I think it’s time for a bit of reflection.

Level progression was loose and easy but I can’t help but feel let down. Mists of Pandaria is an exercise in rigidity. Questing follows the same model we saw in Cataclysm but to a heightened state. Quest hubs will unilaterally usher you along the leveling super highway with every handful of quests buzzing you past another exit. Eventually hit 90 and decide if it’s time to get off. There are pitstops for lore and other distractions but each is extremely short-lived with little trade-off for the time spent. It works, and a lot of the quests are fun and well designed, but the general sense is one of being ushered through: You don’t want to wait too longer because something else (not better) is just around the bend.

I don’t think I like that. I don’t think I like the direction WoW has gone. Blizzard has always supported directed gameplay but this is beyond that. It is defined gameplay. Even exploration doo-dads, these lore items and junk pick-ups that are instantly traded in for cash, are only the bare minimum required to say Blizzard supports exploring. They don’t. Play as prescribed and call me in the morning.

I’ve mentioned in the past how impressed I was at the level design in Jade Forest. The single most disappointing thing of this expansion is that every other zone fails to meet that bar. Where are the instanced story sequences? Where is the voice narration? Where are the new quest types? I mean, the sniper bit in Jade Forest wasn’t tried-and-true MMO fare but it was at least new. Everything that came after was cut-and-paste from 2009 — plus vehicles. I would be willing to bet, even, that the reason players begin in Jade Forest is because some developer probably noticed its content was the most unique thing on offer in MoP. Playing through Townlong Steepes and seeing the crystal-snake from Stonecore pop out of the ground (because, why not?) really captured the sense of re-hash that pervades the experience.

218590

But for all that, I have never claimed WoW was a bad or unworthy game. There were some damn fun parts in leveling up. Pretty much anything that allowed you to kill masses of enemies at once sparkled. Smashing evil monkies with a giant yeti was a great time. As was the martial arts training sequence. All that needed to be a proper montage was Eye of the Tiger. Even playing standard Kill/Collect quests was a good time because what WoW does well, it runs with. Environments are over-saturated and beautiful. Mastering your class is easy to try and hard to perfect. The added movement for even the most basic battles also adds an element of reactivity previously only found in group content.

Normal mode dungeons are fun but lacking. By level 87 I had played through every one of them. By 88 I was avoiding them because, well, why bother? Apart from seeing the content, there wasn’t much motivation to actually get in until 89 when you begin preparing for heroics.

Another thing that bears mentioning is that the number systems are simply out of control. At level 10 you’re getting +5 stat armor. By 89 you’re getting +450 stat armor, multiple times over. I dinged 90 with almost 400k health. Levels require tens of millions of experience points and reading quests slows things down to the point where actually getting them is a drag. At that point, questing isn’t about “experience” or story or world. It’s about filling in a percent of a bar. 2% here, 1% there, gogogo to ding grats thx.

Numbers are so out of control they are choking out their very meaning. Tell me, what’s the difference between 350k and 400k HP? A raid-geared TBC tank. Or one hit. You choose.

Now that I’m 90, I will get back into the routine of collecting gear for heroics and LFR. I always enjoyed that aspect of the game. Tangible progression, cool outfits. I do wonder if I will make it, though, hating dailies as I do.

And with that, I would like to make a prediction. Without ever having completed daily #1 in MoP, and without regard to how fun any of them may actually be, I feel confident in saying that building the endgame on the back of daily quests will be viewed as the single biggest failing of this expansion.

I say this for two reasons. First, Blizzard have made completing them a requirement with the introduction of lucky coins (which give extra loot rolls). Pairing this with wider accessibility of raiding LFR has provided, people feel herded towards them. Second, and more importantly, the current implementation of dailies takes the raid problem and pushes it into the rest of the world. Don’t like repeating the same content ad nauseum? Well, instead of doing that once a week with a chance at progression, now you get to do it every day with the chance at none. Tell me players won’t get tired of that and I’ll tell you about this floating island I have.

Sorry for the snark. Dailies are fine as a limited option. They are not an endgame and nor should they be anything more than a temporary gateway. Even with lots of options, over an expansion cycle they will all get seen, all get played out, and the less fun ones will be pushed to the side while the better ones become objects of scorn. Players need movement. They need progress. It doesn’t matter how good your quest is, after completing it 30 times, it becomes a chore before going outside to play.

Overall, I’m happy I made it to 90 and I won’t be surprised if the game opens up a bit. Despite my conclusions above, I expect to actually enjoy some of the dailies because I won’t be doing them to death. My plan right now is to begin tanking with my Death Knight (the game does a good job of getting you gear ready) and get the extra few points I need to begin heroics. Then it’s raiding through the LFR to see the content through.

Now that I’ve pushed through and am 90, I need to get back to RIFT and see more of Storm Legion. Plus, TSW, a game I bought, am extremely intrigued by, but keeps getting pushed to the side because I should probably get these sub games in before my time expires. How about that?

12/21/12

MMO Radio – Episode #1: A New Beginning

MMORadioSmall

Welcome to the inaugural episode of MMO Radio! This is the place where MMO and table top gaming collide to bring you the week’s news and hot topics in a fun half-hour format. Together, Adam “Ferrel” Trzonkowski and Chris “Syeric” Coke bring three books, hundreds of blog posts and podcast appearances, and thousands of in-game hours to bear against the topics of the week.

This week we look at the recent layoffs at Trion and what that might mean for RIFT, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria versus RIFT: Storm Legion, B2P as the new payment model for MMOs, and how being a dungeon master is a lot like leading a guild. We may also have inadvertently stumbled into wife swapping and red lace. Maybe.

If you were a fan of our old show, The Multiverse, or are just a fan of MMOs or DnD and are looking for a fun way to spend half-an-hour, this is the show for you.

Please consider leaving us a 5-star review during this most-important time. It will truly help us!

Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Download the Show

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Adam’s Links: Epic Slant Press, The Books
Chris’ Links: Game By Night, Hooked Gamers, Vagary.TV

12/14/12

Mists of Pandaria: Playing the Hotbar Game

Over the last week, I’ve spent a decent amount time in Mists of Pandaria plugging along at my 88 Death Knight and 12 Monk. I’ve been having good, if not particularly surprising, fun. I love the painterly quality of Pandaland, hate how Disney playing the starter zone feels, and love how efficient questing is. It’s like mainlining XP straight to the vein. (To note, I don’t think I would like the “three quests 100 feet from the giver” model in most other MMOs. WoW gets away with it because the world is openly a means to an end). While many aspects of the game have evolved, the fact that combat hasn’t stands out.

Dodging and movement have become qualities people have trouble living without. Once you have experienced them, it feels odd and off-putting to go back to a game without. Mists of Pandaria has done its best to circumvent this problem by building reactionary elements into the leveling process. This, in fairness, is great training for heroics and raiding but can’t compete with games designed with movement in mind. WoW might reasonably be called a “classic MMORPG” at this point. Its art holds up but its gameplay is quickly becoming something current developers are avoiding.

When movement means so little, ability selection and timing are elevated beyond all else. Optimizing your class comes down to mastering rotation and priority, hitting this flashing ability in the fewest milliseconds possible. What is interesting is that it’s not a deal breaker for me, and given enough time, I actually come to enjoy the groove. I get a sense of tunnel vision towards my hotbars that is anathema to raiding but quite spellbinding for leveling. Of course, it happens that from time to time you look up to see your rapidly depleting health, but hey, that’s why your screen flashes red.

I’m being facetious but it’s true. Most of WoW is a hotbar game. Raiding comes down to doing it with your eyes closed. Leveling is the training session, but ironically, memorizing the steps comes down to doing exactly what you shouldn’t do in raids. Pandaren zones aren’t enough to overcomes all of Cataclysm, all of Wrath, and all of Burning Crusade. Sorry raid leaders.

The fact that this hasn’t turned out to be a deal breaker further solidifies my idea that there is no fundamental problem with the “core attributes” of MMORPGs. Players have just segmented into different audiences. Some people want new systems. GW2 delivered, and that game is so fundamentally different that it doesn’t even feel like the same type of game. Unless you outright hate classic MMO gameplay, Guild Wars 2 will likely fail as any type of “replacement.”

That’s why I believe action- and hotbar combat have to co-exist or, more likely, a blend of the two will arise and trump them both. I don’t find players to be quite so polarized as the Internet would make believe. Most, I think, are probably a little tired of the old but would prefer something “familiarly new.” It will be fun to see where MMOs are two years from now when all of our speculations begin surfacing in actual design.

You know what the new design of WoW really does show? Blizzard must have thought we were pretty inept before now. That a difficulty spike of “occasionally move over here” is worth noting is a pretty telling design attribute.

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.

11/29/12

Appreciating My Fellow Bloggers

Today, I’d like to change things up a little bit and express my gratitude towards fellow bloggers that I read regularly. They consistently produce content that is enjoyable to read and from positions of experience, maturity, or at the very least, humor and intrigue. I don’t comment a lot (I read on my iPhone) but these writers have provided me with countless hours of entertainment. Thank you all for enriching my day! I will include a link to their latest post so you can see what they’re writing on recently. (I was going to write a brief blurb about each of them, but I realized this post would become much too long).

If you find anyone below that you haven’t read before, stop over and give them a shot; they’re worth the time. I will be reviewing my blogroll over this week to make sure everyone below is on there. Hopefully I’ll find my way onto all of theirs at some point, but that’s the thing with blogrolls: they’re easy to forget about! If you have a website that’s not included here and you think it should be, let me know in a comment or email. I’m always looking for good reading material!

Without further ado, here is my List of Great Bloggers:

2 Fat Nerds – Is It New Year’s Already? No? Well Here Are a Few Training Programs to Check Out!
Anjin in Exile – The Resurrection of TSR?
Ardwulf’s Lair – Well, That Only Took Five Years
Ark’s Ark – EQ2: A New Way to Pay. Krono Go Live.
Bio Break – The Secret World: To Hell and Back
Blue Kae – Dishonored
Contains Moderate Peril (and podcast!) – Bree Graphical Update
Dragonchasers – Planetside 2 Launch Day
Dub’s Diatribe – Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
ECTmmo – RIFT: Housing and Levels
Elder Game – Pre-Alpha 3′s Death Penalties
Hardcore Casual – Occupy Endgame
Heartless Gamer – 2012 Black Friday Gaming Deals
Hunter’s Insight – The Pros and Cons of One Time Only
Hypercriticism – Get Your Gameplay Out of My Story!
I Have Touched The Sky – Another NaNoWriMo, Another Year Without a Book Written
Inventory Full – Battle Plans: GW2
Keen and Graev – GW2 Ascended Gear, a Step In The Right Direction
Kill Ten Rats – Emphasis and Reviews and [GW2] Happy Dragon Hour
LevelCapped – Greed Monger: An Update
MMO Gamer Chick – How Do You Feel About One-Time-Only Events?
MMOQuests – What Else Is There to Do? #WurmOnline
Nil’s Blog – If Money Doesn’t Make You Happy…
No Prisoners, No Mercy (and podcast!) – Release the Karkans!
Player Versus Developer – Is the SWTOR Credit Cap Killing Unlock Resales?
Professor Beej – 10 of The Most Moving Moments in Gaming History
Psychochild’s Blog – A Look At Guild Wars 2
Raging Monkeys – [GW2] Of Lost Shores and Found Hopes
Scary Worlds – #ESO: A Look at Elder Scrolls Online Bullshit
Soulrift – After a Week In The Legion
Stabbed Up – EVE: Why Players Can’t Fix Null Sec
Starseeker’s Sanctuary – RIFT: My Home Within a Home
Stylish Corpse – A Little Light Reading
The Ancient Gaming Noob – Everquest Forecast – Today Rain of Fear, Tomorrow Cloudy?
The Brainy Gamer – The Wreckage and The Way Out
The Nosy Gamer – Holding Pattern
The Psychology of Video Games – The Walking Dead, Mirror Neurons, and Empathy
Tish Tosh Tesh – More Music
Tobold’s MMORPG Blog – What Exactly Did You Give That Money For?
We Fly Spitfires – Is MMO Combat Really That Bad?
Welcome to Spinksville – Kickstarter, Older Games, and The Packaging Up of Gaming Nostalgia
West Karana – EQ2: A Wish For Wings That Work

10/17/12

WoW: MoP Jade Forest Review and Other Miscellaney

It’s been a while since my last update, so I thought I’d check in and let you all know where I’m at. My main game has been WoW: MoP lately but I’ve dipped my toe into more than one water, so let’s jump right in.

Jade Forest Review

While “review” might be a bit overkill, I’ve played through the zone and feel comfortable sharing my thoughts. I think it’s safe to say that Jade Forest is a very well done zone and provides a great introduction to Mists of Pandaria. Each quest hub now represents a set of six or so quests that give you a nice chunk of story and usually keep the thread of the main storyline going along at a steady clip. This is a nice change from previous expansions where a dozen quests kept the story; this is much more concise and easy to follow. It also allows Blizzard to deliver story in chunks of real movements. For the first time, I found myself questing because I wanted to see what would happen next and not just to kill more furlbogs. I also had a great “wow!” moment at the end of the zone when the Sha of Doubt finally reveals itself. The lead up to that was fantastic and one of the best bits of storytelling ever seen in WoW’s quests.

Unfortunately, quest design didn’t evolve nearly as much as story in that not at all. This is why I think reviewers nailed the game so hard. Quest progression and story delivery have evolved, and even combat has had some shake-ups (while still being a 1, 2, 3, mechanic, button-mash), but what you’re actually doing hasn’t changed a bit. There are a couple outliers, like the sniper quest and other instanced story content, but the open world doesn’t get more exciting than the bombing runs first introduced in ’07. I really hope this improves as I continue through the game.

Still, WoW is WoW, and I’m having fun with it. Jade Forest is a good introduction to what I’ve always said is a good game. At this point, though, it’s an old game and virtually everything in RIFT’s Storm Legion (other than story) is showing it up. Will I stay subscribed after this month? I really don’t know if 90 is worth it when there’s such other offerings on the market.

Guild Wars 2 – No Pressure, No Login?

Guild Wars 2 is a fantastic game, no doubt about it. I like it a lot, but its systems really don’t compel me to keep logging in. There’s just no pressure to do so. While having no quests and (almost) meaningless levels is a good idea, it also means that it’s firmly an “at my own pace” kind of game. I log in here and there to play with friends or do a story mission, but I’m sitting at level 30 and don’t see myself hitting 80 before the end of the year. I’m slow like that.

What does this say about the game, though? I mean, my own experience aside, lots of people have stated similar opinions whether they’ve capped out or not. I have to think ANet isn’t exactly happy that so many people have fallen off when this was, relatively speaking, THE game of the last few years. Then again, they got their box price, so maybe it means more to us than them. I’m more worried that this will mean less content updates and more boxed expansions, similar to Guild Wars 1.

And maybe someone can explain this to me. GW players say that the game had great support. Every time I checked their site, I’d see balance updates and maybe a chunk of content for a holiday. The once and maybe every six month quest pack. Did they just not update their site enough? Bury real content additions under layers of “Buy Guild Wars” banners? I don’t really consider balance patches and holiday events as content. That’s more… “we’ve got to give them something, plus PVP!” type stuff. If they do that with GW2, they will fail.

Other Games, Other Gigs

I’ve been playing a handful of other games recently. Borderlands 2, Dishonored, War of the Roses, BF3: Armorer Kill… lots of stuff. And another game I’m not allowed to tell you about yet (but it features zombies and is a lot like a mod you might have played… stay tuned). Suffice it to say, all of the above are excellent, especially Dishonored. If you liked Deus Ex or Bioshock, you need to play that game. It’s GOTY material.

I’ve also picked a couple other gigs. I’m back at Vagary for one — I took a LoA earlier this year to handle some personal issues. I’m also writing for Hooked Gamers now, too, as a PC Reviewer. Here are two recent reviews: Cortex Command (bad) and War of the Roses (good). It’s likely that my work for those sites will take up more of my time, but I’ll be keeping up here as well.

Hey, you know what game I haven’t been playing? RIFT. Despite an extremely generous offer from their team to get a tour of the expansion, I’ve been staying away in preparation for the expansion. Now I’m in lull mode, the calm before the storm, you might say (bada bing!). It’s going to be good, guys. I just don’t want to spoil it for myself and knowing it’s just around the corner is keeping me at bay until it’s finally here. You get that way? You want to play the new version of something so much that the current version just doesn’t seem good enough (when it really is)? You’ve got to give it to them for community outreach. Trion is really something special. Shout outs, Elrar!

Anyways, that about wraps it for now. Stay strong, internets. November isn’t long!