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Wings Over Atreia: Attitude of gratitude

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

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

For Solorius, I expounded on my wish list for Aion, detailing things I wanted to see in game. Now, however, 'tis the season to express thankfulness for that which we have. While contemplating the many things I am grateful for in my life, I also considered the things that I am grateful for in the world of Atreia. Sure, things are not perfect (what world, real or pixelated, is?), and there are problems, bugs, and things I still hope are changed or added, but that does not diminish the fact that Aion still offers many things to gamers in general -- and me in particular.

Originally slated to release during the holiday, this topic was preempted by last week's announcement. No matter -- I certainly don't mind stretching out the season of gratitude. So while it might be more trendy to troll and spread hate, I dedicate this week's Wings Over Atreia to just saying thanks.

Don't believe there are things to be thankful for? Step past the cut (or roll, if you enjoyed as much turkey as I did) to check out my reasons and a chance to express your own.

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Wings Over Atreia: Attitude of gratitude originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guild Counsel: PAX East panel explores online communities

Karen Bryan — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Guilds, MMO industry, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous

There were two things that really stood out for me at PAX East: the ridiculously long lines and the throngs of fans who happily sat down together to play games face to face. On the surface, PAX East might seem to be about who has the best card deck or who has the quickest twitch reflexes, but it's actually much more than that.

We've looked at the growing importance of online communities and the relationships that have been created by them, so it's little surprise that PAX was full of players who were there to meet and play with friends they met through gaming. And among the many panels this weekend, there was one that explored this very issue. The speakers were all experienced managers of online communities, and they shared their stories of how they got started and why these communities are so important. Read on to hear their stories.

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The Guild Counsel: PAX East panel explores online communities originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: The ties that bind

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST

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

Flaws. Bugs. Annoyances -- like a level 45 slaughtering you while your little level 18 self is quietly going about gathering Lumesia. Moments that just make you want to find a dev and toss him off the nearest high rise; all games have them, no one denies this -- not even Aion players (although they usually don't feel the need to discuss them with those who don't play).

So why is it we stay in games that, at times, make us want to rip our hair out by the fistfuls? With such a plethora of games catering to a wide variety of play styles, how do we stay faithful to a particular one over the long haul, even when we know it isn't perfect? No, it isn't because we are all secretly masochistic. Or because we detest our barber/hairdresser. Looking around me in games both past and present, watching those who could be considered die-hards stay in (and enjoy) games long after the masses have fled, I found themes that mirrored some of my own reasons -- because, alternately, there are the moments that make it worth it. Not the art, the features, or the wittiness of the quest dialog. Rather, the ties that bind us: Friendships, epic memories, and just plain stubbornness.

Charge across the bridge and we'll delve into my top reasons for sticking with a title, even in the face of the raging malcontents.

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Wings Over Atreia: The ties that bind originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI devs threaten players with forced server moves

James Egan — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Guilds, MMO industry, Opinion

Server populations in massively multiplayer online games can be a delicate balancing act. Popular servers are very much the hubs of these games, where players can easily forge bonds with one another in a lively social environment. But log into a desolate server and you'll wonder what the point of playing an MMO is when there's no one else around. Many developers try to balance server populations by offering free server transfers, and sometimes bonuses of one type or another as a reward for making the jump. This has been an issue for developer Square Enix with Final Fantasy XI and the overcrowded Odin server. However, their efforts to disperse the crowds have been unsuccessful, leading them to take a more drastic measure: forced emigration.

FFXI-centric website Petfoodalpha suggests that Square Enix's deportation solution (or alternately, world splitting) creates more problems than it solves. Fusionx writes, "Surely there has to be a better way to deal with this than randomly distributing people from the server to others. Friendships would be broken, linkshells would be destroyed. More importantly though for Square Enix: They would lose subscribers."

When a developer identifies a high server population as being a problem, and when players don't take advantage of free server transfers or other incentives, do the devs really have any other choice but to take away choice?

Final Fantasy XI devs threaten players with forced server moves originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Is the real draw of MMOs the company you keep?

James Egan — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Daily Grind

One of the main things that keeps us playing MMOs are the communities that populate them. While some players can, and do, play their chosen game solo, for most it's the social component of these titles that pulls us away from those stunning graphics of consoles games and RPG titles for the PC. By comparison, while they're beautiful, many of those games seem 'empty' after having spent time with a massively multiplayer title.

Communities in whatever form they take -- be it a guild, alliance, or corporation -- are essential to the success of an MMO, but interest in playing a given title can wane over time. Likewise with the social aspects of these titles, tempers can flare and patience wears thin. Sometimes you find you just don't have that much in common with the people you're playing with and it's time to move on. Bearing that in mind, are the people you choose to play with in your MMO of choice the same people you started out with? Do you see any parallels between how the company you keep in-game changes over time and how your real-life relationships with friends is always changing?

The Daily Grind: Is the real draw of MMOs the company you keep? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recommending MMOs to friends

Dan O'Halloran — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion

In his latest weekly column for GameSetMatch, Simon Parkin talks to the friend who took over his Final Fantasy XI account when he moved on from the game. Since he sent her his account information and deleted the game from his hard drive, he has been nagged by a feeling of guilt. Did he ruin her life by introducing her to the time-sucking grind of MMOs? He discovered that while she does spend large amounts of time in the game, she is happy for the time she has invested. She has made lasting friendships within the game and while she would not try other games, she doesn't regret her adventures in Vana'diel.

Most of us find a balance between the total immersion of these virtual worlds and the demands of real life. And many real life friendships come from time spent in-game, which should be no surprise given that most relationships spring from common interest. On the other hand, we all know someone who spends far too much time in our shared worlds to be healthy.

So here's the question: knowing how enjoyable MMOs can be, but also knowing that they have the potential to take over one's life, how comfortable are you in recommending them to your friends?

Recommending MMOs to friends originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gonna try with a little help from my friends...

Chris Chester — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Game mechanics, Grouping, Opinion

As much as players and designers have lauded the Massively Multiplayer genre for being the social future of gaming, allowing players from disparate geographic and sociological backgrounds to come together in a virtual space to accomplish goals together, they're often still very anti-social experiences. As Van Hemlock explored in a blog post recently, the City of Heroes series is really one of the few games out there that let players of disparate levels play together in a meaningful experience.

In some ways, its strange that more games don't offer the same kind of Sidekick/Exemplar system, where players can have their attributes raised or lowered to an appropriate level to be able to play with friend. As Van Hemlock discusses, part of it has to do with the way the CoX battle systems work. By working with relative percentages instead of absolute values, it's easier to tweak content difficulty by level. But some of it also just seems like willful disregard for how much more difficult keeping up in-game friendships is when you level at different rates. In any case, we were delighted to see that Age of Conan has its own sort of apprentice system already in place, and we hope it becomes the trend in the future.

Gonna try with a little help from my friends... originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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