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Behind the Mask: The separation of newbie and expert

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

Last week on Behind the Mask, we got into a little discussion about why Champions Online's Elite difficulty needs to be buffed (and possibly also the very hard difficulty as well). This led to a discussion of whom Elite would be tailored for. I'm sure this is a big issue over at Cryptic right now. If Elite is increased in difficulty, whom should it be designed to suit?

I was asked this burning question a few times, and I've made my opinion clear: that Elite should be for the top tier, the tip of the iceberg of player ability. Don't take that to mean Gold players only. There is a sharp divide between an expert Silver player and a poor Gold player. In fact, the poor Gold player is likely to be worse than a bad Silver player. How good is good enough? This week, we'll find out.

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Behind the Mask: The separation of newbie and expert originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: When does friendly turn frustrating?

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

We all know, from years of experience, that there's a certain community duty to help newer players get acclimated to the game. Or younger players, or... really, anyone. It's in the community's best interests to be friendly and open. But there's always the threat of the player who seems friendly and enjoyable... until you log on again and he whispers you almost instantly. And then the next time. And again. He's always there, latched onto you as if you're the only beacon of kindness in the world, and while you want him to keep playing, you want to play City of Heroes, not City of Helping the Socially Maladjusted.

The worst part of these situations, naturally, is that it spoils you on helping former players. It makes the community as a whole more hostile, and even though you still know helping new players is a good thing, it's hard not to be colder. So when have you run into a player whom you wished you hadn't helped out? When has being friendly and open wound up frustrating you to no end?

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: When does friendly turn frustrating? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What are the unwritten rules of MMO etiquette?

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

When my wife first started playing MMOs, I realized that she had absolutely zero comprehension of how to interact in a multiplayer environment. After all, she had only experienced single-player games up to this point in her life, so all of her habits from those games were simply carried over into the new one. She'd attack mobs that other players were fighting, she thought players were stalking her if they sent her tells, and no mining node was safe if she was in the vicinity.

As her quote-unquote teacher, I knew that it was my responsibility to teach her basic MMO etiquette -- the unwritten rules of how most players behave and interact in these worlds. Most of my instruction was helping her to see that these other computer characters were actually piloted by people (something we take for granted, but trust me, it's a weird concept to outsiders) and they should be treated as such.

So if you were teaching a complete newbie in the ways of MMOs, what unwritten rules of etiquette would you stress? I'll get you started with one: CAPS LOCK HURTS OUR MINDS. DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU ARE LITERALLY ON FIRE AND NEED ASSISTANCE.

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: What are the unwritten rules of MMO etiquette? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wasteland Diaries: Try not to be such a noob

Edward Marshall — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Guides, Crafting, Leveling, Making money, Tips and tricks, Quests, Wasteland Diaries

Fallen Earth has a steep learning curve. It's not hard to die a horrible death in Fallen Earth because you simply didn't have even the slightest clue what you were doing. But life doesn't have to be short and brutal in the wasteland. In fact, you can eke out a decent living and make quite a name for yourself. There are a few things you can do to minimize the bewilderment you will face once you emerge from the LifeNet pod for the first time into the unforgiving desolation of the apocalypse. After reading this guide, you are likely to be heard saying things like: "Y'know what? The apocalypse isn't all that bad." and "I wish this place were just a little more dangerous."

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Wasteland Diaries: Try not to be such a noob originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Noob could be millionth English word

Lesley Smith — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Academic

Every gamer, at some point, has been called a noob. It's almost a rite of passage and it's not unique to MMOs either. Indeed such is the power of this simple word, which is short for newbie, that it could well become the millionth word in the English language.

MSN are reporting that the Global Language Monitor (we've never heard of them either) have predicted that at the rate the English language is growing, the millionth word will arrive at approximately 10:22am British Summer Time on June 10th. How they can be this exact we don't know but various British newspapers, including tabloids like The Sun, to more reputable papers like The Independent, have decided that word is going to be 'noob'. Personally I was hoping for a brand new word rather than one that's been around for so long but we shall see.

Noob could be millionth English word originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ten things every new player should know about EVE Online

James Egan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Tips and tricks

There are some valuable lessons learned as you progress in EVE Online, lessons which get pounded into you when making mistakes. There are so many things you wish someone had told you before you went out and made a noobish ass of yourself.

Even with the much-improved Aura tutorial that's been implemented in EVE, there are lots of things that still cause players to scream something to the effect of, "Why didn't anyone warn me?!" This is often accompanied by frantically warping away from one's obliterated ship in an escape pod with a liberal amount of cursing. Of course, it doesn't have to be this way.

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Ten things every new player should know about EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online creates guide to factional warfare

James Egan — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items

Factional warfare is the center of attention in most EVE Online news, given the changes affecting players in The Empyrean Age expansion. While these changes are new to everyone, they may not be terribly complex to seasoned players. However it's definitely a lot to grasp at once for newer players of the game -- much less those who are giving EVE a shot for the first time. CCP Games is trying to dispel some of the complexities surrounding the factional warfare game mechanics. In other words, they're answering the question: Where do I start?

They've added a new section to the online player guide, which explains the main aspects of participating in factional warfare. The guide walks a player through enlisting in a factional militia, the consequences of being a combatant, territorial control, ranks, and everything in-between. They've also added new knowledge base articles related to factional warfare, such as explanations of ship restrictions in militia missions and battlefield intelligence. If you're interested in giving The Empyrean Age a go, but your head is spinning trying to figure it all out, these new sites are what you need to get a handle on it all.

EVE Online creates guide to factional warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: The Little Newbie

Moo Money — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Contests, Second Life, Free-to-play, Machinima

(This video contains some unnecessary language. You've been warned.)

Koinup, a virtual world multimedia sharing site, recently held a Second Life music video contest. Yesterday, the judges, including Codebastard Redgrave and Tao Takashi, gathered to announce the winners of the contest. They picked two winners by jury, and the other was selected by the community.

The Community Award went to a video, The Little Newbie, by Alienhearts. We previously featured the work of this talented machinimator back in November, with the first, and only, episode of NooB. The video highlights a moment we've all had in SL where we create something we think is beautiful, but turns out to be not so great. Set to a fast-paced electronic mix, it blends newbie gestures with cheesy group dance scenes typically seen in real-life music videos.

[Via the Koinup Blog]

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

Cinemassively: The Little Newbie originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 May 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Gaming Iconoclast: Discomfort Zone

Rafe Brox — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Game mechanics, Grouping, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, The Gaming Iconoclast

A mind, once opened, can never be shut again.
-- Alfred Einstein

Have you ever wondered how the other half lives? Maybe you're a tank, and know the intricacies of threat and mitigation inside and out, but can't figure out what those finger-wigglers at the back are going on about. Or perhaps you're a sniper, and don't care about what goes on in the melee fracas.

When the game itself runs out of challenges for you, and you're not ready to move on, it becomes time to challenge ourselves. We may not be ready or willing to move to another virtual world altogether -- we've got friends in a guild that we want to keep playing with, for example, not to mention all the sparkly toys we've accrued. If you've gotten too good at your primary role, and keep frequent company with a group who is likewise adept at what they do, it can be easy to grow complacent. There are ways to spice things up once in a while, by doing themed events, or partaking in certain vices. But these are temporary measures, more the exception than the rule.

To truly push ourselves, we need to step fully clear from what we've mastered. For some folks, it may be sidling around from the bad guy's face to their back, or trading in some brass knuckles for a crossbow. For me, it meant wading into the thick of the fray, rather than lobbing damage or healing from a more-or-less safe distance. In this spirit, I wanted to learn what those sneaky guys at the top of the damage charts were up to.

How hard could it be, right?

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The Gaming Iconoclast: Discomfort Zone originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TV shows that could be MMOs: Battlestar Galactica

Akela Talamasca — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, At a glance, Sci-fi, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Hellgate: London, Tabula Rasa, Races

Watching the final season of the new Battlestar Galactica the other night, and getting only a taste of the amazing, chaotic, shaky-cam ship-to-ship action left us wanting more. But even better than a full episode devoted to space combat would be an MMO based in that world. How would that work, you ask? We're glad you did! Keep in mind that this article assumes basic knowledge of the show universe and its characters. If you haven't seen it, get thee to a torrent, or a rental store immediately!

First, consider some of the great two-sided rivalries in MMOs: Horde vs. Alliance; AFS vs. the Bane; Humanity vs. Hell -- Mankind vs. the Cylons fits right in. In fact, since the show itself manages to portray both sides as sympathetic, there isn't too much storyline massaging to be done; the universe of Galactica is nicely morally ambiguous. All that really matters is survival.

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TV shows that could be MMOs: Battlestar Galactica originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What was your first guild like?

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST

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

We're not entirely certain how this topic got started up recently, but we've seen both Scott at Pumping Irony and Mightydar have a bit of fun with it, and we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon. (We just can't resist fun and funny topics!) So, this morning we'd like to ask you what was your first-ever guild like? Was it a great place to play with some thoughtful and kind folks, or was it one drama-bomb after another? Personally, I landed in a guild in EverQuest that was self-destructing, but managed to make good friends there fast enough to score an invite to a much better guild a week or so after the first one imploded. (I also think it gave me a great example of what not to do when running a guild!) How about you? What was your first-ever guild like?

The Daily Grind: What was your first guild like? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: NooB - Episode 01

Moo Money — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Video, Second Life, Cinemassively, Machinima

When a new resident arrives in Second Life, he meets an equally clueless girl. Together, they figure out how to fly, but when he loses her in the sky, he begins to worry. His adventures take him to a club, where he is tricked into looking stupid, then to the home of a griefer, where he is imprisoned.

Will he be able to escape? Who is that strange lady and what does she want with him? What happened to the girl he first met? I really hope that there's an episode 02 to answer these questions!

NooB is the SL Machinima that I've been waiting for. It's smart, witty, and informative. They even manage to fit in advertising! While I can tell that the UI is on, but covered up, it's not as obvious as many others. I do have to warn you that there is some strong language on occasion, however it's not that bad. My only actual complaint is that they used the word "first" to describe it.

Cinemassively: NooB - Episode 01 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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