Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What outdated game mechanic should be retired from MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-daily-grind-what-outdated-game-mechanic-should-be-retired-f/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-daily-grind-what-outdated-game-mechanic-should-be-retired-f/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-daily-grind-what-outdated-game-mechanic-should-be-retired-f/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Abandoned Lonely Phone Booths
Returning to an old game is like hopping in a time machine and surveying the horrible mistakes made by MMO studios a decade ago. Forget those five guys who still murmur the word "permadeath" wistfully; we're talking corpse runs, vitae penalty, corpse looting, tank mages, experience loss, holy trinities, zone walls, hybrid class level penalties, and tree-top cities without railings, all as a matter of course for the games of the day. Nowadays, these mechanics are abandoned in a field somewhere by all but the most retro game studios.

I have to wonder what we'll look back on in another 10 years with the same feeling of "wow, I can't believe anyone thought that was a good idea." Cash shops? Flying mounts? Faction-grinds? Classes? Skill bars? Questing? Tree-top cities without railings? (Seriously guys -- stop making those.) What game mechanic is so outdated and so abhorred that it should be retired from MMOs right now?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What outdated game mechanic should be retired from MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brianna-royce-tdgcorpse-runsdaily-grindexperience-lossflying-mountshybrid-exp-penaltykelethinopinionpermadeathseriously-kelethin-suckedtank-magestdgthe-daily-grindvitae-penaltyMon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TERA's PvP features light death penalty]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/teras-pvp-features-light-death-penalty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/teras-pvp-features-light-death-penalty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/06/teras-pvp-features-light-death-penalty/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The TERA news beat has fairly quiet recently. Aside from the Korean server merges, there hasn't been a whole lot new to report regarding the exiled realm of Arborea. Fansite TERAPvP to the rescue, then, courtesy of an interview with En Masse community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman.

The interview is brief, and if you've been the following the game closely, you've probably heard most of this before. For casual fans, or those just getting wind of all things TERA, there are a few interesting PvP nuggets that might be worth your time.

First up is the question of character transfers between PvE and PvP servers. TERAPvP points out the balance issues inherent in allowing players to level (and gear up) their characters on a PvE server before moving them to a PvP shard. Berman doesn't give a definitive answer as to whether this will be allowed or not, saying that it's something En Masse will "have to evaluate for TERA." Friendly fire is also a no-go in TERA's PvP combat, and there is no experience loss or item degradation. As Scapes says, "items in TERA do not have a durability mechanic."

MassivelyTERA's PvP features light death penalty originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blueholebluehole-studiodeath-penaltydurabilityen-masseen-masse-entertainmentevan-bermanexperience-lossfriendly-fireinterviewpvpscapesteratera-onlineMon, 06 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: To die, to sleep no more...]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

There's one way in which MMOs universally mirror life -- in the words of William Shatner, you are going to die. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but sooner or later your character is going to expire. Unwanted aggro, environmental damage, unmatched PvP, misuse of skills, healer AFK... there are a lot of ways you can bite the dust time and again.

Of course, death in real life is a lot more permanent than that of an MMO -- but dying still carries consequences, ranging from losing your hard-won equipment to a slightly longer delay before your next level. On the one hand, harsher penalties make cheating death that much more satisfying, and they help encourage teamwork and community in hopes of avoiding that fate. On the other hand, you are going to get hit by those harsh penalties sooner or later, and it makes experimentation much less feasible when you're constantly on guard for death.

Where do you prefer a game's death penalty? Do you want to cautiously avoid falling, or would you rather get hit with a slap on the wrist so you can get back in the game quickly?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: To die, to sleep no more... originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deathdeath-penaltydyingequipment-damageequipment-lossexperience-lossopinionpenaltytdgthe-daily-grindSat, 13 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST