Ferrel

I generally expect anyone in my guild that has done an encounter to remember the generalities. The specifics we can hit really quick before the actual engagement.

For PUGs I generally go over how we do something every time because I've found that parties often tackle challenges slightly differently. That is reasonable and expected.

I start to get upset when the same people make the same mistake over and over after it has been explained in detail. Eventually I'll call it a night but I'm not the rage quit type.

Personally I don't care to have the box or CDs anymore. I'm just as happy to receive a scrap of paper with the account key on it.

What does strike me as slightly odd as that the digital downloads are just as expensive as the physical box. There should be a slight discount in my eyes but I suppose that won't ever occur.

I decided to take a moment and look at the shift from group play to solo play in our MMOs and how in the long run that might not have been the best thing for business.

My article "Putting the multiplayer back in MMORPG" can be found here: http://www.epicslant.com/2009/10/redefining-mmos-removing-multiplayer-from-mmorpg/

I'm a big fan of small group content. Anything in the two to four player range seems to be where I get the most enjoyment. Full group encounters are also pretty exciting for leveling if a dungeon is worth spending time in.

Soloing has never been my thing.

Great article!

I think one of the keys to increasing the audience is separating the game's aspects a bit more. RvR needs to be dependent on RvR and PvE on PvE.

With some cleaver marketing and a clear commitment to both I think they could attract PvE players like myself back. The foundation was there but constantly being slapped around with the "this is a PvP game" banner does get old. There needs to be a core experience that anyone can do at any time.

Absolutely! One of the most exciting things about EQ1 was that occasionally servers would experience GM events. SOE had a quest troupe that would run random events to add some flair to the usual grind. There would even be some pretty large story line events too.

That is something I really miss.

Gnolls, clearly gnolls!

This is a pretty stellar article that makes some good points for developers to look at in the coming year. I do, however, have to disagree with point three. Leveling content is not more important than end game content for a couple of reasons.

Leveling content is transitory. Hardcore or not, you will not linger in it forever. Eventually you'll pass it and it becomes dead content. It is of no use to you anymore. You're never going to say “gee I'm glad they spent 1000 development hours on it.” You're more inclined to say “Wow, this game was great until I capped, now I have nothing to do. Oh well. I'll go back to WoW where there is a ton to do at the end.”

I'm not suggesting that leveling content isn't important though. It has to be good, impressive and well thought out. It just isn't the most important thing anymore. The “hard” MMOs have long sense gone and the old model of “only a few will max level” is over. In this day and age a greater proportion of players are expected to cap out and sometimes more than once. They'll need something to do to keep them interested. Personally, I don't view alternate characters as “end game.” Repeating content isn't new content.

It also needs to be pointed out that end game content is not a synonym for “uber guild only content.” It just means things for maxed level characters to do.