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 Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with rage and bad players]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/the-summoners-guidebook-dealing-with-rage-and-bad-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/the-summoners-guidebook-dealing-with-rage-and-bad-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/the-summoners-guidebook-dealing-with-rage-and-bad-players/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

League of Legends screenshot
Like any competitive multiplayer game, League of Legends induces its fair share of rage. People hate to lose. When your team is only three to five people, each contributor has a distinct identity, making it very easy to single out that feeding Ezreal. Compared to a game like Global Agenda, where teams are very large and individual contribution is harder to measure, League of Legends makes blame very easy to assign.

This week in the Summoner's Guidebook, we're going to talk about the effects of nerdrage on your team and how to deal with those violent emotions in a more productive manner.

Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with rage and bad players

MassivelyThe Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with rage and bad players originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anger-managementf2pfeaturedfree-to-playleagueleague-of-legendslolmobanerdrageopinionrageriotriot-gamesThu, 03 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: UI see what you did there]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/12/anti-aliased-ui-see-what-you-did-there/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/12/anti-aliased-ui-see-what-you-did-there/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/12/anti-aliased-ui-see-what-you-did-there/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Dear user interface designers: please stop making trashy-samey UIs. (Bree is going to kill me for making up a word.) I really am sick and tired of seeing World of Warcraft in every game I pick up.

While many people say that graphics are the game's "first impression" tool, I'd disagree. UIs are the game's true first impression. These are the menus, artwork, and tools that will make a huge impact on how you perceive any game, yet we seem to be stuck in a rut with them as well. Many of today's UIs, instead of taking advantage of new approaches to deliver information in a stylish way, seem to fall flat against the screen.

So this week I'm going after my biggest beefs with the default UIs that games ship with, and how I'd like to see user interfaces improve. Interested? Well then keep up with me and jog past the break!

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: UI see what you did there

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: UI see what you did there originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessibilityanti-aliasedfancyglamourinformationnerdrageopinionprettyrantreadibilityu-g-ui-ly-you-aint-got-no-alibiuiuser-interfaceThu, 12 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: A few reasons to cage the nerdrage pt. 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage-pt-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage-pt-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage-pt-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


3. Because almost every game has a silver lining

This is a sentence that I abide by in almost everything I do. Even in games I don't like, I can usually find something that really wows me and makes me appreciate the developer's work.

I know Darkfall is one of those games that many people just really don't like. I'm the same way -- I don't care for the way the game handles itself. But where it failed in game design, it didn't fail on unique vistas and sharp combat. Sure, the graphics aren't top notch, but there are still areas in the game where you just have to go, "Wow, that's an incredible sight." Plus, it's real time combat in a MMO. That's really, really hard to do and kudos to an independent developer for pulling it off.

"You've heard that everyone's a critic, yes? Well everyone's also apparently a game designer."
Even when you completely hate a game, I urge you to look back at it and consider your experiences. You wouldn't have played it for a while unless there was something that made you enjoy the experience even a little bit. Then again, maybe you hate it all. But if you do, see the piece of advice above before you begin nerd vomiting all over forum threads.

Although... there certainly are gaming exceptions to this rule...

2. Because it doesn't help anybody

This is the part where people seem to totally and completely miss the boat. And when I say miss the boat I mean that the boat as totally pulled away from the dock, is 500 feet away, and people still run off the dock and jump into the sea holding their suitcases.

Nobody benefits from aimless criticism that amounts of nothing more than the screaming of biased opinions. You get to look like an inconsiderate idiot, the community gets irritated at your groundless claims, and the developers learn nothing about how to improve their game.

Bad criticism isn't bad as long as it's appropriately constructive. It's actually some of the best stuff you can possibly get in regards to your product. Positive feedback means you're going the right way, but constructive feedback shows exactly what's going wrong with your current design and where you can improve.

"If you think making any game is easy, then I challenge you to sit down and start making your own pen and paper roleplaying game, or a board game, or a card game."
My favorite comment in this regard was made by a Bungie developer during the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. A journalist asked him, "What did you learn from this beta test?" and I recall the developer responding that all he got from the bug reports was that the level sucked. He didn't know why the levels sucked because everyone just wrote that they sucked.

1. Because you may not know what it's like to make a game

You've heard that everyone's a critic, yes? Well everyone's also apparently a game designer. Everyone knows what's best for a game, how to balance the design, and how to make it so "X class doesn't suck."

I think that many people think it's super easy to make a game. Slap some abilities in, render a few areas, get a server, and you have an MMO, right? Heck no! You have programming bugs, design bugs, art asset bugs, pathing to worry about, scripts to run, a whole set of connections between servers to worry about, and much, much more.

So here's my challenge. If you think making any game is easy, then I challenge you to sit down and start making your own pen and paper roleplaying game, or a board game, or a card game. Share it with your friends and see what they say. But, above all, see how long it takes you to make a "simple" game. Include with that the testing you do with your friends, the fine tuning you may make to the rules. You'll find it's more work than you probably through it was. Believe me, I know, I'm doing it.

So next time before you rocket fire your hate mail out onto the intarwebz, think about a couple of these things before you trash someone's game. You might just find yourself holding back, just because you understand a little bit more about gaming and a little bit more about how frivolous it is to hold such pointless grudges.
Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who hates aimless hate. 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.

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: A few reasons to cage the nerdrage pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>angeranti-aliasedcommentscriticismdarkfallfeedbackforumsgame-designnerdrageopinionWed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: A few reasons to cage the nerdrage]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/20/anti-aliased-a-few-reasons-to-cage-the-nerdrage/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


There's so much anger in the consumer market these days. It seems like when a new product comes up, there has to be this bandwagon of people who roll in and start nerdraging over the product. Oh, APB isn't up your alley? Better nerdrage about that! You don't like Warhammer Online? Rev that nerdrage engine nice and loud so your neighbors can hear it.

Everyone's a critic and gaming consumers are far from an exception. Some of the comments around these parts are some of the most spiteful sentences that could be constructed. You have console hate, game hate, genre hate, even particular MMO genre hate. But, honestly, why? It obviously doesn't help anyone except maybe the person doing it. A catharsis, perhaps?

So what's this Anti-Aliased about? Honestly, I need rant article that's all about ranting. A hate article on game hate. Do two hates make a happy? I dunno, but I'm interested enough to try it out. So here's a few reasons why you should cage the hate and think twice before you open your trap on the forums you love so much.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: A few reasons to cage the nerdrage

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: A few reasons to cage the nerdrage originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>angeranti-aliasedcommentscriticismdistressfeaturedforumshatejoystiqfeaturesnerdragenoobzopinionWed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: I should market fanboi pesticide]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/anti-aliased-i-should-market-fanboi-pesticide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/anti-aliased-i-should-market-fanboi-pesticide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/anti-aliased-i-should-market-fanboi-pesticide/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


This week's column is going to be a little different than the norm I usually cover, but it still falls into that which I love and dedicate my craft to -- the analysis of MMO culture. And who better to analyze than the bane of a game's existence, the fanboi!

They're right, you're wrong. Their opinion is obviously the best opinion on the planet, even if it consists of "this gaem is teh rox, ur dumb and obviuosly a gey retard." (It always fascinates me how they can screw up a word like gay, but can somehow gain the coherence to spell retard correctly.) They clog up the message boards by defending everything the developer does, right down to eating an egg sandwich during their hour long lunch breaks.

They probably mean well and want their game of choice to succeed, but they end up doing more damage to the community at large than good. So let's dedicate this column to the fanboi and how much they screw things up for everyone.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: I should market fanboi pesticide

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: I should market fanboi pesticide originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbrowniescultureea-mythicfanboifanboyfeaturedhumorjoystiqfeaturesmxomythicmythic-entertainmentnerd-ragenerdrageopinionthe-matrix-onlinewarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST