Massively

Surviving in Darkfall: A guide for new players

Rubi Bayer — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST

"Agon can be a rough, frustrating, confusing, and unfair place at times..." Truer words were never spoken. If you've heard of Darkfall, this is probably a good approximation of what you've heard. If you've played Darkfall, you've experienced it firsthand.

This full-PvP niche game comes by its dog-eat-dog reputation honestly, and the players who love that sort of thing thrive in the environment. It can be pretty daunting for a new player, so a little hand up is always welcome. Syncaine over at Hardcore Casual provided that very thing with yesterday's Darkfall Online FAQ.

The post is full of helpful hints regarding everything from character creation to long-term gameplay plans, and is a good resource for anyone new to Darkfall.

Surviving in Darkfall: A guide for new players originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time

Brendan Drain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

MMOs are a popular hobby for hardcore and casual players alike. While some people love getting firmly embedded in their favourite MMO every night, a growing number of players prefer to log in occasionally and just kill a few hours at a time. EVE Online is no exception, with a mix of both casual and hardcore players. Taking part in things like alliance warfare, starbase industry or corporate management may require that a player log in every night but most other avenues of gameplay don't. A lot of EVE's gameplay can be picked up for a few hours and set back down with no added responsibility. In fact, player demographic data shows that most players prefer to live in the more casual environment of high security space. So what kind of things can you do if you just fancy playing internet spaceships for a few hours?

In this opinion piece, I look at five of my favourite ways to kill a few hours in the name of EVE. What's your favourite way to spend a few hours?

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time

EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Darkfall gets its own analog of EVE University: Newborn on Agon

James Egan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, EVE Online, Guilds, PvP, PvE

The settings of Darkfall and EVE Online are worlds apart, but there is some common ground between the titles. PvP combat permeates both sandbox games, and given a potentially hostile environment when starting out, it's always good to have a helping hand. EVE Online players have training corps like EVE University to show them the ropes in what can sometimes be a brutal game. Darkfall now has an analog of EVE University called "NEW" which Syncaine recently pointed out on his blog, Hardcore Casual. NEW is short for "Newborn on Agon", a North American server clan that provides training in most any facet of the game for those willing to learn.

Although Darkfall can be harsh to newer players, NEW provides a (comparatively) safe environment where players can spend 30 days learning what interests them, or developing the skills to succeed in the game once it's time to move on. The clan is politically neutral and owns the city of Hammerdale, contributing to NEW's potential to become a haven for new players. Also, some of Darkfall's major alliances support the idea of NEW which could be beneficial in the long run.

It's great to see things like this happen in sandbox MMOs, and hopefully Darkfall will continue to see its players establish lasting institutions in the game.

Darkfall gets its own analog of EVE University: Newborn on Agon originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You wouldn't like Aventurine when they're angry...

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Darkfall, Business models, Culture, Exploits, PvP, Opinion

Aventurine smash! Well, they smash people who attempt to impersonate GMs and cheat in their game, at least.

Over at Hardcore Casual, Syncaine has put up a post discussing Aventurine's hardline attitude to players in their game, Darkfall. The company has already said, straight out, that they will ban players for an offense like attempting to impersonate a GM or cheating in their game. No warnings, no temporary boots, we're talking a full ban on the first offense.

What is unclear, from the perspective of a player, is how well Aventurine is implementing their own policies. From one player's perspective, it seems that the GMs are certainly on the ball and are dealing with people who attempt to use joke names. But as to how many people may have been banned by Aventurine's staff? Well, that's an unknown number that most likely will never be released outside of the company.

Even so, a hardline stance like the one Aventurine is taking isn't seen very often in MMOs. Companies worry about alienating their player base with moves such as those.

Interested in the full post? Check it out over at Hardcore Casual.

You wouldn't like Aventurine when they're angry... originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Is it luck?

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

If you've been paying attention to the MMO blogosphere at all recently, you'll notice there's been some banter back and forth between Syncaine and Tobold in regards to what Syncaine calls "WoW Tourism". If you're not familiar with the concept, the idea is that someone who has only played WoW, and thus has that shiny "first mmo love" with it (as anyone who has played MMOs over the years can attest - the first one that really gets you always has a part of your heart long after you leave) but then proceeds to judge everything else by World of Warcraft. The further away it is, the more it sucks, the more it will fail, etc. This is really telling when they are talking about a game with completely different mechanics like say, EVE Online, which you can't even begin to put into the same general neighborhood if you've ever actually played the two games. But we digress...

In all the bantering back and forth, one thing was stated that's been ringing around in our heads ever since. In his most recent posting, Syncaine ends off with "Perhaps then we can finally stop using 11 million as the size of the MMO genre, and realize WoW (along with being a good game) was a product of market timing and luck." Regardless of your feelings on the recent banter, this is an interesting observation, and one we wanted to ask you about this morning. Do you think that World of Warcraft's 11 million players was just a fluke that no other MMO will ever see again - including Blizzard with their next MMO? Was WoW just a product of right-place, right-time? Or do you think that there really is some type of 'magic formula' as it were; more properly will Blizzard - or anyone else - ever be able to repeat that 11 million players number?

The Daily Grind: Is it luck? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Players the source of Warhammer's problems?

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Endgame, Warhammer Online, Opinion

Hardcore Casual recently put out a very concise view of what is currently holding back a truly enjoyable game experience from Warhammer Online -- the players.

The post truly sums up what makes many of the features of Warhammer Online break -- the fact that players aren't playing the game in the way Mythic expected. Instead of enjoying the content and dabbling into all the intricate facets of the game, players are engaged in a grindtastic rush towards the endgame content with the misshapen belief that "the game truly begins at maximum level." As the post itself says, people aren't comfortable with a game that starts at level 1 and not the cap.

Continue reading Players the source of Warhammer's problems?

Players the source of Warhammer's problems? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Natural selection applied to MMOs

James Egan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Guilds, MMO industry, PvP, Endgame, Opinion

There tend to be some fundamental differences between players of World of Warcraft and EVE Online, due in part to the contrast in rules and game mechanics, and the types of personalities each title attracts. This was mentioned in a recent Shut Up. We're Talking. podcast and provided some fuel for further discussion by Syncaine, from the Hardcore Casual blog.

He observes that "EVE players embrace scams, trickery, underhandedness, and generally resent any changes that would 'dumb down' EVE. In WoW that gets you quickly banned, and before that rivers swell from all the tears shed while players scream mommy." There's also a huge divide between the titles in terms of how 'hardcore' or PvP-centric the games are. "EVE is harsh on day one, and stays that way," Syncaine writes. "WoW holds your hand from 1-80, and makes sure you get a cookie regardless if you win or lose. EVE not only takes your cookie, but laughs at you for bringing one in the first place."

Continue reading Natural selection applied to MMOs

Natural selection applied to MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Burnout: This MMOG isn't what it used to be

Matt Warner — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion

The loading screen in your brain is stuck. What is this madness? Is it the same tireless errands disguised as quests, social ties torn asunder leaving your guild in disarray, maybe it's the same old rigmarole and you need a new routine in-game. You don't want to give up, you turn to leveling endless alts, doing unorthodox things in the game you'd never do before, even playing less to help stave off the ennui to help reclaim the magic isn't working. You're burned out. Maybe it's time for a break, probably not your first time around either if you've been playing any MMOG for years it's something many of us struggle with.

Over on Hardcore Casual, Syncaine addresses the topic and brings up some interesting points like when the MMOG genre was in its infancy players were a lot more tolerable to game debilitating bugs and hardcore server rulesets. It was an amazing time, most players describe an awestruck wondrous feeling of enjoyment with their first MMOG, but at the beginning of the graphical online genre it really was a revolution in gaming with a much different atmosphere. Today, MMOG players are less patient; newer MMOGs have spoiled the masses, and sometimes we really don't know what will make playing our dream MMOG an exhilarating experience even when thinking we do. Are you in a burnout now? If so, let us know how you are dealing with it.

Burnout: This MMOG isn't what it used to be originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hardcore Casual on (un)reasonable expectations

Kyle Horner — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, Opinion

There's a good post over on Hardcore Casual concerning the use of World of Warcraft as a yardstick of success in the MMO industry. While we generally agree that using a game like WoW -- which by no means was expected to get this big -- as your goal for success is a bit of a pipe dream. We have to disagree with the post's claim that the movie and music industry doesn't try to do this as well.

Movie studios try to recreate the Harry Potter movies' success all the time and the music industry has also been busy trying to recreate the popularity of various bands for a while now. We guess our point is that this sort of behavior isn't just in the massively game industry, it's in pretty much every industry. It's human nature, really.

Continue reading Hardcore Casual on (un)reasonable expectations

Hardcore Casual on (un)reasonable expectations originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You're not special

Eli Shayotovich — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Forums, MMO industry, Opinion

Hardcore Casual has a very interesting article up discussing how current MMOs trick players into thinking they're special when they're really not. And after reading the rather convincing argument - I have to agree. Sort of. However, I'm not convinced that it's the fault of the MMO developers. Rather, they are but a part of the overall picture.

Gaming is mainstream and the "hardcore" gamers, while still out there and still as boisterous as ever (see any online gaming forum), are the minority. What, you don't really think the majority of the nine million WoW players are hardcore gamers do you? Gaming is major league big business now. It's not like it used to be back in the day (late 80's and early 90's) when a few folks could get together and bang out a game that became a cult hit. It just doesn't work like that anymore. Thus, games must cater to the lowest common denominator, to the largest group of people willing to pay the monthly fees. And that means casual gamers who don't, or more likely can't, spend hours upon hours in game. Thus, the game mechanics (i.e., instances) have to change or the game simply won't survive. It's a matter of economics. ESPECIALLY in the jam packed MMO arena where everyone is fighting in a very limited revenue pool. Even the hardest of hardcore gamers can't play more than a few at any one time.

Plus, the whole "carebear" mentality goes hand in hand with how our society has developed. In our country especially, most everyone (that does not mean ALL people) now expects things to to be given to them. A life, a job, a car, an "epic sword".. whatever. They want it all, want it now, and don't want to work to get it. Sadly, that's a fact and not just the ramblings of a mad man. Why this "entitlement" mentality has evolved is a topic for another time and another place however.

So give the Hardcore Casual artcile "You are not special" a read and let us know your thoughts!

You're not special originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The EVE Challenge

Mike Schramm — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, EverQuest, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion

Hardcore Casual has thrown down the gauntlet, and challenged all comers to prove something interesting: that EVE Online hasn't yet solved our MMO problems. That's a strange thing to prove, but we here at Massively love nothing more than a challenge, so here goes.

HC's point is that in EVE, you can pretty much do anything the way you want to, anywhere at any time. EVE is limitless in terms of both progression and size-- skills can be leveled for months and years, and even if all the skills are maxed out (they won't be, because CCP keeps adding new ones), there's always more ISK to be made. And because the game is so big and mostly empty space, everyone can play on one world, and there's no need for the sharding that other games must do to keep their servers up.

However, as much as I love EVE, it is not a perfect MMO.

Continue reading The EVE Challenge

The EVE Challenge originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments