my shard is still rushing to rifts as they open, especially those that contribute to the World Event, but indeed, the rewards seem meager. more green drops from minor rifts and an occasional blue from major ones would definitely encourage me to tempt fate and stray from questing more regularly.
unless i'm scheduled for a raid or am leveling an alt, i rarely know what i want to do in game until i start doing it. running amock, crafting, exploring may be fun sometimes and at other, plowing through planned content, or hitting a few battlegrounds (warfronts, whatever) might seem suitable.
what sucked me into EQ all those years ago was the feeling that, even though there were stories and objectives to play out, the game was so massive that i might just get lost in it if i wanted to. today, it would be nice to see that emotion captured again, with worlds large enough to appeal to both player bases.
wow, that fast? after reading the latest dev interview, it sounded like they still had some major decisions to make.
still, though, i'm stoked for this game and hope En Masse has some success. if they interact with the community constantly and provide consistent, frequent updates like Trion has been doing, i think they have a good chance of carving a solid niche in the fantasy segment.
i'm sure they're bad for games that add them to content that wasn't designed for them, but good for games that mitigate the benefits of flight with landscape and quest design.
for example, it may benefit you to fly directly to a named enemy to complete a quest, but if that enemy is difficult to kill, or surrounded by enough minions to make landing near at hand impossible, then it hardly matters whether you flew or rode there in the first place.
i think you can see this a bit in WoW over the years, where BC flight was cool, but admittedly sped up questing to breakneck speeds, dropping in on single kill quest completes or gathering quest items. now that quests and questlines are significantly better scripted, mobs better placed and/or with quest items in caves, boats, inns and other places where flight is forbidden, even though you can now zip around Azeroth and still reap the travel benefit, actually completing each quest still takes a similar amount of time and effort.
but it seems like this is becoming the norm for most games, which is understandable. while riding/walking seems so fitting for a hardcore, low-fantasy setting, it definitely works to alienate the casual player.
people have been attempting the "MMOFPS" for a few years now and near as I can figure, they have all sucked, to use the parlance of our times.
why?
obviously it wasn't combat.
point is, you're saying "i don't like X. it should be called Y and someone else, not me of course, should make a new X".
just let X be X. haters gonna hate. "oh i don't like it cuz everyone plays it" "i don't like it because it has a formula". well, that's what video games are, formulaic systems with (hopefully) elegant variations, not fractalizations of said systems. i wish i lived in the future too sometimes, but until there's quantum computing and living AI, we're going to have to enjoy the things that are enjoyable about the current generation. so you don't like the traditional combat model? it's a free market, go play your 360 and stop reading/posting on websites that are dedicated to supporting the existing MMO community.
i understand what you're saying and agree that "the masses" are looking for something different, but still voting for the incumbent with their dollars.
i guess i just have a fundamental difference of opinion on what makes an MMO an MMO. coming from tabletop and true RPGs where there was a hybrid of spreadsheet mentality and storytelling flair, i think the current gen of games is not far off the mark (some obviously do it better than others.
to your point on strategy guides, you have to remember where the rubber meets the road. that being 1.) just because there are class/spec guides doesn't mean people care to seek them out (part of having skill is also having perseverance) and 2.) the class guide is just that... a guide. the real talent comes in being able to stray from the norm and make crucial decisions based on timing.
this is most apparent in PvP, where sure, you have successful combos to run through, but you also have random acts going on around you constantly. it's a little more rigid in PvE, but part of what has always been tantalizing about raiding for me is coordinating all those expected movements in a large group to achieve some result.
the point i was trying to make is there's so much banter about basic combat mechanics when in reality that's one of the last things holding these games back. phasing, public quests, cut scenes, user generated content (soon!)... these are the things that are going to expand the genre in the near term.
i quit WoW for a year and a half and got into the Cata beta. it completely sucked me in from the get go. the world was more immersive in the sense that quests were more story-like and less grind-like. not grind, free, mind you (and yes, 1-85 should be just as fun as 85 through the raid progression), but Blizz crafted the grind to have a more immediate, story-driven payoff.
do some of you readers actually frequent this site? i find it astonishing to read all the comments about how you're all so disappointed that 15 years later, MMOs still have the same style of combat.
but that's what an MMO is on a fundamental level. the combat mechanics are about ability priorities and attack rotations. the skill comes with knowing which ones to use and when to use them, gearing properly, talent selection, etc. etc. combat mechanics should be taken for granted within the genre.
i mean, think about it for a moment. say your genre of choice is the fighter. did you play Capcom's latest iteration of Street Fighter and say "this sucks... Hoduken still uses the same key combo". highly doubtful. you'd consider more what new modes were available, quality of multiplayer, new characters, etc. not the most basic, and iconic, of the game's mechanics.
what really sets an MMO apart, and i'm sorry for those of you who have quit WoW because Blizz has done this masterfully in Cataclysm, is creating a vibrant story line with memorable interactions between the stock MMO infrastructure and the creativity of the devs, and inspiring a community environment so that players feel involved and connected when logged in. yes, true, Rift and others have created some new gameplay mechanics that have added to the landscape, but really MMOs aren't so different from each other because they're not supposed to be. they are what they are.
frankly, a "hands on" will tell you nothing of these other pieces. it takes playing TO end game and then AT end game to really be able to gauge what you just experienced and what else might be in store (PvP, raids, advanced crafting and so on).
i'm still excited for this one. of all the IPs that have been hashed out in MMO form and released since WoW, Star Wars carries the most weight. more, by far, than the Warcraft brand (and before you disagree with me, consider how many WoW movies there are... or how many shelves at Toys R Us are full of WoW action figures compared to SW...) so considering that and the fact that BioWare has a tradition of releasing some heavy hitter PC games (BGII for instance), i find it hard to believe they'll collectively release a piece of junk.
oh noes, there are dissenters in our ranks.... downvote them!
i'm still with pistolwhip. i clicked the article to give the show another chance, but why should i support something that's mediocre simply because it's part of the gamer community?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Are rifts in danger of collapsing?
Jul 14th 2011 2:24PM (Massively)/agree
my shard is still rushing to rifts as they open, especially those that contribute to the World Event, but indeed, the rewards seem meager. more green drops from minor rifts and an occasional blue from major ones would definitely encourage me to tempt fate and stray from questing more regularly.
The Daily Grind: Which character death did you find the most memorable?
Jun 30th 2011 12:13PM (Massively)"You have failed me, Executus. Justice shall be met indeed!"
:::SPLAT:::
The Soapbox: Sandparks
Jun 28th 2011 3:10PM (Massively)^^
unless i'm scheduled for a raid or am leveling an alt, i rarely know what i want to do in game until i start doing it. running amock, crafting, exploring may be fun sometimes and at other, plowing through planned content, or hitting a few battlegrounds (warfronts, whatever) might seem suitable.
what sucked me into EQ all those years ago was the feeling that, even though there were stories and objectives to play out, the game was so massive that i might just get lost in it if i wanted to. today, it would be nice to see that emotion captured again, with worlds large enough to appeal to both player bases.
ah, maybe, someday...
Massively Exclusive: TERA shows off two new BAMs
Jun 24th 2011 12:55PM (Massively)wow, that fast? after reading the latest dev interview, it sounded like they still had some major decisions to make.
still, though, i'm stoked for this game and hope En Masse has some success. if they interact with the community constantly and provide consistent, frequent updates like Trion has been doing, i think they have a good chance of carving a solid niche in the fantasy segment.
The Daily Grind: Are flying mounts bad for gameplay?
Jun 14th 2011 5:06PM (Massively)for example, it may benefit you to fly directly to a named enemy to complete a quest, but if that enemy is difficult to kill, or surrounded by enough minions to make landing near at hand impossible, then it hardly matters whether you flew or rode there in the first place.
i think you can see this a bit in WoW over the years, where BC flight was cool, but admittedly sped up questing to breakneck speeds, dropping in on single kill quest completes or gathering quest items. now that quests and questlines are significantly better scripted, mobs better placed and/or with quest items in caves, boats, inns and other places where flight is forbidden, even though you can now zip around Azeroth and still reap the travel benefit, actually completing each quest still takes a similar amount of time and effort.
but it seems like this is becoming the norm for most games, which is understandable. while riding/walking seems so fitting for a hardcore, low-fantasy setting, it definitely works to alienate the casual player.
E3 2011: Hands-on impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic
Jun 14th 2011 10:14AM (Massively)people have been attempting the "MMOFPS" for a few years now and near as I can figure, they have all sucked, to use the parlance of our times.
why?
obviously it wasn't combat.
point is, you're saying "i don't like X. it should be called Y and someone else, not me of course, should make a new X".
just let X be X. haters gonna hate. "oh i don't like it cuz everyone plays it" "i don't like it because it has a formula". well, that's what video games are, formulaic systems with (hopefully) elegant variations, not fractalizations of said systems. i wish i lived in the future too sometimes, but until there's quantum computing and living AI, we're going to have to enjoy the things that are enjoyable about the current generation. so you don't like the traditional combat model? it's a free market, go play your 360 and stop reading/posting on websites that are dedicated to supporting the existing MMO community.
E3 2011: Hands-on impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic
Jun 13th 2011 9:44PM (Massively)i understand what you're saying and agree that "the masses" are looking for something different, but still voting for the incumbent with their dollars.
i guess i just have a fundamental difference of opinion on what makes an MMO an MMO. coming from tabletop and true RPGs where there was a hybrid of spreadsheet mentality and storytelling flair, i think the current gen of games is not far off the mark (some obviously do it better than others.
to your point on strategy guides, you have to remember where the rubber meets the road. that being 1.) just because there are class/spec guides doesn't mean people care to seek them out (part of having skill is also having perseverance) and 2.) the class guide is just that... a guide. the real talent comes in being able to stray from the norm and make crucial decisions based on timing.
this is most apparent in PvP, where sure, you have successful combos to run through, but you also have random acts going on around you constantly. it's a little more rigid in PvE, but part of what has always been tantalizing about raiding for me is coordinating all those expected movements in a large group to achieve some result.
the point i was trying to make is there's so much banter about basic combat mechanics when in reality that's one of the last things holding these games back. phasing, public quests, cut scenes, user generated content (soon!)... these are the things that are going to expand the genre in the near term.
i quit WoW for a year and a half and got into the Cata beta. it completely sucked me in from the get go. the world was more immersive in the sense that quests were more story-like and less grind-like. not grind, free, mind you (and yes, 1-85 should be just as fun as 85 through the raid progression), but Blizz crafted the grind to have a more immediate, story-driven payoff.
different strokes, i suppose.
E3 2011: Hands-on impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic
Jun 13th 2011 7:19PM (Massively)do some of you readers actually frequent this site? i find it astonishing to read all the comments about how you're all so disappointed that 15 years later, MMOs still have the same style of combat.
but that's what an MMO is on a fundamental level. the combat mechanics are about ability priorities and attack rotations. the skill comes with knowing which ones to use and when to use them, gearing properly, talent selection, etc. etc. combat mechanics should be taken for granted within the genre.
i mean, think about it for a moment. say your genre of choice is the fighter. did you play Capcom's latest iteration of Street Fighter and say "this sucks... Hoduken still uses the same key combo". highly doubtful. you'd consider more what new modes were available, quality of multiplayer, new characters, etc. not the most basic, and iconic, of the game's mechanics.
what really sets an MMO apart, and i'm sorry for those of you who have quit WoW because Blizz has done this masterfully in Cataclysm, is creating a vibrant story line with memorable interactions between the stock MMO infrastructure and the creativity of the devs, and inspiring a community environment so that players feel involved and connected when logged in. yes, true, Rift and others have created some new gameplay mechanics that have added to the landscape, but really MMOs aren't so different from each other because they're not supposed to be. they are what they are.
frankly, a "hands on" will tell you nothing of these other pieces. it takes playing TO end game and then AT end game to really be able to gauge what you just experienced and what else might be in store (PvP, raids, advanced crafting and so on).
i'm still excited for this one. of all the IPs that have been hashed out in MMO form and released since WoW, Star Wars carries the most weight. more, by far, than the Warcraft brand (and before you disagree with me, consider how many WoW movies there are... or how many shelves at Toys R Us are full of WoW action figures compared to SW...) so considering that and the fact that BioWare has a tradition of releasing some heavy hitter PC games (BGII for instance), i find it hard to believe they'll collectively release a piece of junk.
The Guild's new music video: Game On
Jul 27th 2010 2:00PM (WoW)i'm still with pistolwhip. i clicked the article to give the show another chance, but why should i support something that's mediocre simply because it's part of the gamer community?
do i need to belong that badly?
The Guild's new music video: Game On
Jul 27th 2010 12:12PM (WoW)