Massively Speaking Episode 168

Next time you are on glitch add Arzilla. I was surprised about the invites. I already used at least one of mine. I wonder if it renew every month.

Glad Glitch is getting attention. It's definetly a breath of fresh air.

C'mon Shawn, there are no headshots in APB. You're killing me here :P

Go ahead and add Nerji as well...love Glitch :)

Forgot to add...make sure you guys get involved in some street building as it adds a lot of fun! Glad you guys are enjoying it...it's been a fun little secret for the last few months in beta testing and it has a HUGE presence on Google+ with the people playing :)

In regards to APB, I'd just like to counter the "its not been launched yet" comment by saying, when you start charging players real world money for ingame items and have implemented monthly fees... you are no longer testing your product.

You HAVE in fact launched it.

The testing period ends with a reset, character wipes, and everyone starts from zero. In regards to APB, lets call it what it is/was.. a soft launch under the guise of an extended beta test.

especially enjoyed hearing you guys explain why "one shots" went ol' yeller.

I couldn't help but wonder at the lamentations of the hardcore daily readers of the column that came out of the woodwork to proclaim their devotion at news of the loss of a such a faithful and constant companion and comfort in their daily struggle .

imagine to find out what really killed it , their own apathy.

Meh

That was a good episode, thanks much. I for one enjoyed hearing about all the behind the scenes information on Massively.

About APB article: The fact that that APB guy did not use PR talk is so infrequent these days that I have to turn my head when it happens. In this case I think it's great, but I know that if I didn't agree with what he said, I'd have thought he should stick with PR appropriate talk.
As for the people freaking out that he was so frank, I'd say just leave, the game's community doesn't need whiners like you. And that opinion is why I wouldn't make a good PR employee. :)

About One-Shots: I thought it only counts readers if they click on the article link. Considering how you can see the article, minus the comments, without having to click on it, maybe that's why it felt like so few were reading it.
Also, keep in mind that people complained since they liked it so much. So that's a positive side to it at the very least. (I'm not trying to argue to keep the series so don't take that the wrong way.)

About Jessica's e-mail: You just have to jump into it and rationally think to yourself "What's the worst that can happen?". Get in there expecting to fail horribly. At least you'll have tried.
Aside from that, because I know thought doesn't always work for this, tell your brother how you feel. Ask him to help you out and have him urge you on to try PVP. Instead of putting it all on yourself and subsequently procrastinating, you'll feel a bit of responsibility to move forward and you'll have someone there for support.
I agree with Shawn and Rubi that you shouldn't force yourself to play something that isn't fun, but you don't know if it is fun just yet and that's why I suggested the above. Good luck!

love glitch so far , but my only concern is there an end ; not that it matters just curious .

i find the concept so great

Okay, point taken on One Shots.

It was easy to take it for granted and I figured you had enough entries from others, since we kept seeing screenshots.

Good to hear your positions and I agree that ending it was probably the better choice. Wish I'd know so I coulda been a media/screenshot hog for publicity sake, but it is what it is. Time to move on. :)

As for Bioware: Still not fully convinced, especially with EA's statement to move things more online and the DLC integrations of online; again, I know they probably control their destiny, but one only has to look at EA's past and other aquisitions to see potential dangers if quaterly profits are not measured up. But, atm, this is neither here nor there, it's just speculation on my part.

As for Subs equaling entitlement : You got it. But I'd also suggest there is a bit of psychology at work to a bit different degree. People take things to heart because while there is anonymity on the 'net, there is also a feeling of intimacy, since it is you and the screen and what you read/see is controlled by a person (again, people forgetting there are *other* people out there controlling avatars or posting, even if the effect is subtle). So, people take it to heart and personally about changing things. And it's not just subs or even f2p games, but even during Beta (of course there, people seem to want to form their ideal vision; I remember some of the debates on STO beta forums during Beta about what we should have for a PvP experience, irregardless of if it was IP appropriate or not. Many just advocating an agenda).

Also, people tend to get tunnel vision and while they wait for a new game, they tend to make it out into the most wonderful vision in their own minds (not everyone does it, before I get replies! ;p ). People put hopes and aspirations in a game, even if a Dev may not have stated direct details or only hint at such. In a way, it's similar to movie hype: You could get excited for a movie through trailers. You look forward more and more to it and analyze/extrapolate scenes and their meaning. Then, you see the movie finally and it was not what you think or didn't live up to expectations. Again, you can blame these on "youth" or "inexperience" or "patience" or just not knowing reasonable bounds of what can be shown/seen or something else, but yeah, people put much hope into it (and certain trollers get much delight about breaking down such hopes in their eternal lessons of inadvertently teaching people to control too much expectation by "pushing their buttons" through posts).

I've decided to look at the demise of One Shots as an opportunity. While I had thoughts along these lines several years ago, I never had the time to do anything about it, but this has motivated me to take a second look at things, only more organized and feature rich. Also, with the recent closing down of quite a few games it seems more important than ever to visually document virtual worlds before they are gone, which was actually my original interest in MMORPG screen shots to begin with, aside from just enjoying them. Keep the faith screen shot fans, this isn't the end! :)

Another comment about player entitlement and/or moving on from a game to play another:

It blinds some players.





Okay, maybe it blinds more than "some players". :P

Sometimes it is "the new shiny" or just something they never experienced and want to try out (thinking it may be fun). It could be they like the IP and thing, "Oh boy! Star Wars with Chocolate-covered Princess Leias and Marshmellow Ice Cream Yodas!! That is so cool!" Again, they get wrapped up in a particular MMO or an IP and focus on it. They may not want to try out another theme because they either had a horrible experience with a guy dressed as an elf during their 8th birthday or the last girl they dated had too much Hello Kitty stuff and it is a turn-off for them. So, they focus their energy on one MMO, especially a newly launched one and...either ride it or get burned by it. Some people don't naturally switch games or seek a variety of experience: It has always has to be chocolate, no sprinkles or bananas in it and no strawberry sherbet with it.

I guess that relates to many folks iRL, too. Even if they try one different game from a genre and it doesn't "float their boat", they just see it as an example that they were right to dislike the whole genre to begin with (confirmation).

Plus, there is the fact some folks have time invested in a character/s and/or friends in the game and don't wanna leave without them. We can't dismiss that (I guess that is a 'plus' for the community side of things working in MMOs).

Does anyone else not see the new show in iTunes? I am in the UK and it has not been updated since the 28th of sept.

Just listened, and oh my, the defensiveness! Still, my perspective on One Shots:

a) I enjoyed the feature. But it was all there on the front page, so I would only ever click through to the comments if the shot came up with a new angle on a favorite lesser game, like Vanguard or EQ2.

b) My attempts at contributing to the column were never used or even acknowledged, so I figured there were more than enough screenshots coming in. If I knew then what I know now, I would have tried more often.

I will miss the column, hope you find a way to restore it or something similar in the future.