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The Daily Grind: Should we be disconnected for idling too long?

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Are you one of those MMO players who always seems to idle out while tending to real-life issues? I know I am, and it usually results in my finding something else to do once I discover that I've been logged out.

I certainly understand why the developers add that feature, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that idling all day in TERA not only is allowed but also grants me the Full Time Job achievement, which tickled me to no end.

So what's your opinion on idling out? Should you be allowed to be AFK as long as you'd like, or should idlers always be disconnected after a certain amount of time? How much time should be allowed? Let us know in the comments!

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Should we be disconnected for idling too long? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 May 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How do you feel about AFK progression?

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

AFK progression is an accepted part of many MMOs these days. Crafting in Fallen Earth can be set up, started, and done while you're logged out. Come back after a certain amount of time and you've got a new vehicle and a load of XP. The newly-launched Glitch is another example -- you can learn your skills while you're doing other things in game, and learning continues while you're logged out.

There are various other methods set up by developers here and there for players to advance while they're afk and logged out. On one hand, it makes quite a bit of sense. If crafting a vehicle in Fallen Earth takes over a full calendar day, for example, it can seem a little unreasonable to expect a player to sit there and work on it the entire time. On the other hand, many players argue that it's unreasonable to reward players for not playing the game.

What do you think? Hit the comment button and let us know!

The Daily Grind: How do you feel about AFK progression? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Rant powers activate!

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

So there I was, with another topic planned and article well on its way to completion when fate intervened and thrust a new subject upon me. And not in a happy-Fed-Ex-guy-handing-it-over kinda way either, but a growling, grumbling, grit-my-teeth-and-try-not-to-speak-in-asterisks (%#$**!) kind of way. Oh yes, this is a topic of great rantiness for me.

I freely admit that I rarely reach the heights of true frustration within Aion (not counting launch queues where I simply chose to stop logging in altogether), especially to the point of actually tossing aside another column to express and share said frustrations with you. But now, you have a second opportunity to witness my small yet developing rant lobe -- placed, I believe, somewhere behind the occipital lobe judging by the fact that when it revs up people tend to see red. And the truth of it is, I am going to derive great pleasure from venting about this topic. So what has me so fired up right now? The venerable AP harvesting grounds of the truly lazy: AFK Dredgions.

Queue up then enter past the break for a discourse on the evils of this practice and what NCsoft should do about it.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Rant powers activate!

Wings Over Atreia: Rant powers activate! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game

Jef Reahard — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Darkfall, Massively Meta, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure

Welcome back to Massively's Choose My Adventure. As I'm gearing up for the fifth week of my excursion through Darkfall and the lands of Agon, I've settled into something of a groove based on my own personal playstyle and the schedules of folks that I've met in the game. Aventurine's sandbox is a game that sucks you in in a number of different ways. It's a game that you can (and really should) play a lot, and it's not a game that I'd recommend to folks who are dabblers and game-hoppers or those who have a ton of additional demands on their free time. This isn't solely because of the skill grind, either, but also because of the large degree of freedom a player has to choose his own goals, path, and endgame.

Ultimately, Darkfall is a pretty large middle finger in the face of the popular notion that MMORPGs are casual games. In fact, Aventurine said as much several months ago, and this attitude informs just about every aspect of Agon. Though some might consider this a negative, I've thus far found it to be quite a bit of fun as well as a refreshing change from the vast majority of the disposable MMOs I've played over the past half decade.

Join me after the cut for a look at time management in Agon as well as my weekly recap.

Gallery: Choose My Adventure - Darkfall Gallery #3

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game

Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Your journeys

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Opinion, The Game Archaeologist

These days just about everyone thinks he has what it takes to be a Knight of the Round Table. It takes more than a shiny shield and a sharp sword, as the Game Archaeologist discovered. It also requires a $14.95 credit card charge.

Former and current knights poured out of the woodwork to offer up some of their very favorite memories of Dark Age of Camelot. It is, in a way, a better testimony to the game than an objective history and developers' opinions. For some, DAoC was their first MMO love, and more than a couple people said it was the single best MMO experience they've ever had. While many players have moved on, these memories burn bright, and it didn't take much prompting for DAoC vets to wing a quick word of praise our way.

Blink twice to clear out any eye irritants, and prepare yourself for a marvelous trip back in time to an era of hodgepodge PvP and fierce realm rivalries.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Your journeys

The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Your journeys originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth mobile app goes live

Jef Reahard — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Fallen Earth, News items, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, Post-Apocalyptic

Those hard-working wasteland crafters over at Icarus Studios are taking the wraps off their latest creation, as today not only brings the new Patch 1.5, but also marks the launch of the Fallen Earth Companion App for Android and iPhone mobile units. Developed in a partnership with AFK Interactive, the app allows real-time access to the Fallen Earth game server and gives players the ability to perform a number of in-game functions on the go.

While life for your post-apocalyptic clone characters couldn't be much tougher, the Companion App makes your out-of-game life a breeze by allowing you to:

View the world map
Examine character pages and gear
Check active crafting recipes
Browse auction house bids
Chat with clan members and online friends
Check in-game mail
View Achievements (iPhone version only)

"The degree of mobile interactivity is unparalleled. Players now have the ability to interact with the live game server in ways that, until now, weren't possible without a PC," said Icarus CEO Phil Hall. In addition to the launch day functionality, Icarus and AFK are already planning future upgrades, including the ability to buy and sell from the auction house, send in-game mail and attachments and craft new items.

You can pick up the Companion App via iTunes or the Android App Store for $1.99 (USD). The Blackberry version will be available in the coming weeks for $2.99.

Want to see it for yourself before buying? Check out our exclusive video presentation of the app on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms right after the jump.

Continue reading Fallen Earth mobile app goes live

Fallen Earth mobile app goes live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you hate being left behind?

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Real life happens, and as unreasonable as it seems, it even happens when we're gaming. The phone rings, a parent needs you to take the garbage out, a child gets out of bed for a drink of water, the cat wants out and in and out again, the spouse needs help carrying something in. That kind of thing takes precedence over a game -- we all (should) know that. When it happens, you afk to take care of it.

Chances are that this has happened to you, and you returned from afk to find that your group has raced ahead without waiting, leaving you to catch up as best you can. We've all been there, so what are your feelings on it? Are you okay with being the straggler trying to find the group if you are called afk or have to stop to sort inventory, or do you prefer the "stay with the group" approach?

The Daily Grind: Do you hate being left behind? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daze of Darkfall Week 3: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', yeah

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Culture, PvP, Opinion, Hands-on

Hey there avid Darkfall readers! It's week three of The Daze of Darkfall, and that means we only have one week left in our feature! Time sure does fly when you're getting your butt kicked in defense of your city!

And that is totally what I did this week! Yes, that's right, it's time for a real look into "hardcore" PvP and raiding! I was out in the PvE sections killing skeletons, I was defending our city against enemy invaders, and I was working with others in harvesting camps.

So this is it. This is the cream of the Darkfall crop. This is what people say is the most amazing part of this game. Is it? Will it live up to the hype? Skip along with me after the break, and we'll go through week three, step by step.

Continue reading The Daze of Darkfall Week 3: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', yeah

The Daze of Darkfall Week 3: Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', yeah originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daze of Darkfall week 2: AFK your way to fame and fortune

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Culture, Exploits, PvP, Opinion, Hands-on, Humor

Confused as to why this isn't in Anti-Aliased? Well, "The Daze of Darkfall" month long feature has moved to a new home as a standalone feature! Isn't that grand? Now I can talk about my adventures in Darkfall while still unleashing my biased opinions upon you in Anti-Aliased. It's a win/win situation, if you ask me.

So what's in the picture above? Well that's me AFKing my way to hardcore status in Darkfall. All you need is an old college textbook and a comb cleverly placed on your left arrow key and you too can get to max run skill with just a few nights of AFKing! Forget running into walls, this is the future! I like to call it "hardware macroing."

But this isn't all, dear readers! I have lots more fun inside of this week's Darkfall report! Come, continue reading and enjoy the insanity of Agon, where AFKing is better than playing and naked is the new armored!

Continue reading The Daze of Darkfall week 2: AFK your way to fame and fortune

The Daze of Darkfall week 2: AFK your way to fame and fortune originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play

Perfect World Entertainment's new flagship game, Jade Dynasty, has pulled itself out of closed beta right on time and has jumped into open beta, swords and magic at the ready.

If you're looking to check out this new free-to-play MMO, or at least judge some of the controversial game options for yourself, you can head right on over to the Jade Dynasty website, sign up for Perfect World Entertainment's portal, and jump into the game with no beta key required.

With the release of the open beta client comes a new trailer, and we here at Massively have cleverly embedded the video after the break. If you want to see some high flying combat, just hit continue reading and enjoy the video!

Continue reading Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer

Jade Dynasty goes into open beta, supplies new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, Anti-Aliased

So that's why it's called AFK Dynasty...

When I finally found a new area to level in as my awesome level 30 self, I actually found that the quests had surprisingly become more tedious. Now it was kill 30 of a monster, or collect 10 to 15 of an item that would only drop once every 7 monsters. This is when I began to make crazy use of the invigorate feature, where I'd press the "kill stuff" button and my character would go off killing whatever she pleased.

Was I worried about dying? Pfft, no! Using my wonderous cash shop gold I got a health and mana battery! These two items carried 700,000 HP and 700,000 SP inside of them, and would use enough of their charges to bring my character back up to full HP and SP when I dropped below 10% in a category. I had absolutely nothing to fear now all because my character was basically on a potion IV drip. Everything in my path was easily slaughtered, and I didn't have to be present for any of it.

It scared me.

Is this what an MMO is?

Other games try to hide it with cutscenes, story, diversions, and other tactics. Jade Dynasty is the full, unabashed version of what a MMO is -- grindy grindy grind. But when the game becomes so advanced that it can play itself, then I need to ask an important question What the heck is the point?

"Jade Dynasty is the full, unabashed version of what a MMO is -- grindy grindy grind."

A better designer than I once said, "Making video games for a living comes down to one cold, hard truth -- you're making pushing buttons fun. Your job is making an extremely mundane task into an experience with impact." The fact that a game like Jade Dynasty exists is a scary proposition for our industry as a whole. It means we're walking the path of making timesinks, not games. It's like one of those old addages -- "How can we have fun playing a game when we're not playing the game?"

I sound like a broken record, but this is a very strong reason why I preach about the necessity of storyline and impact in a game. While gameplay is very, very important, any repetitive activity will become boring unless it is spiced up with enough change to keep it engaging. We use to have a strong grasp of making worlds with engaging content. That grasp, however, has diminished since the dawn of the EverQuest and the rise of "kill X to level" quests.

How do I know that we've lost our path regarding storyline? Well because Bioware is touting storyline as a new feature in The Old Republic. When we've gotten to the point that storyline is a "on-the-box" feature for a game, then we've done something horribly wrong in our designing.

Our original designs focused on the adventure in the world, not the quick grind sessions to max level and the repetition of raids. I wish we could re-find those designs.

My final note to you all for this week: if you want to play a game of numbers without playing the game, I have a recommendation for you. It's a "game" that runs on anyone's computer thanks to low graphical requirements and provides all of the same action and features that Jade Dynasty provides. It's called Progress Quest, it's equivolent to Jade Dynasty, and it's 100% free. Try it, you'll love it.

Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is totally level 45 in Jade Dynasty by only playing it for an hour. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.

Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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