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The Daily Grind: What's your ideal group size?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

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

Every MMO lets you team up with other players. This is unsurprising, seeing as how it's one of the main selling points of the genre. But there's always an upward limit, and always target team sizes that the game bases content around. Content is largely designed in World of Warcraft to target groups of five, Guild Wars tailors most of its content for groups of eight, and Final Fantasy XI expects a team of six. But each of these games also provide content for more variable sizes.

Today's question isn't whether or not you like teaming up, it's about what your ideal majority size would be. Do you generally prefer to have a group of three? Groups of two? Groups of five? How many people do you like to party up with on a regular basis? Or would you prefer that most content simply scaled to the number of participants involved?

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's your ideal group size? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pathfinder Online will let players run the kingdom

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items

If you've played the Pathfinder tabletop game that Pathfinder Online is based upon, you know that you need to have grouping. After all, the former is all about bands of adventurers exploring the wilds. So it's fitting that the most recent developer blog is all about the game's methods of managing groups and playing in different numbers. And this isn't just a matter of parties or solo play -- at the high end, players can be running entire kingdoms as a social unit.

Solo play is meant to be somewhat discouraged, as the blog notes it will be a much more difficult road for a dedicated lone wolf. Parties will be the next step up, holding an undetermined number of players (the working target has about 24 players at the high end). Above those are chartered companies, settlements, and as mentioned, entire new player-run kingdoms. It's going to produce some interesting dynamics to have player organizations in such abundance, but the developers seem to have some confidence in their initial designs.

Pathfinder Online will let players run the kingdom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Party planning committee, assemble!

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Considering that Fellowship of the Ring begins with a huge party -- thrown in honor of Bilbo Baggins' eleventy-first birthday -- I think it's appropriate that Lord of the Rings Online is conducive to parties. I'm not just talking about dev-designed festivals, although those are great; I'm referring to parties that the community whips up from time to time.

Part of the appeal of LotRO to me is that it isn't just all about killing and leveling; it's also about exploring and living in this virtual Middle-earth. Life for the Free Peoples means celebrating even in the midst of oppressive evil, and it's in keeping with the spirit of the enterprise to throw a shindig now and then.

Turbine's given us quite a few tools and resources to use when assembling a party, and I thought that today we'd take an unusual detour from the Road to Mordor and go through the steps of throwing a memorable and enjoyable soirée. Ready to cut loose? Footloose? Good! Let's tear up the dance floor!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Party planning committee, assemble!

The Road to Mordor: Party planning committee, assemble! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you like to level in parties?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Back in the old days of MMOs -- and feel free to insert your own jokes about dinosaurs roaming the earth -- leveling was something that was done in groups. Soloing was for farming or running from place to place, but for the most part, you leveled with several other people, meaning that you knew from a very early level what you needed to do when in a group. It also meant, unfortunately, that it was really difficult to just play on your own schedule instead of the times when everyone else was on and available.

To some players who grew up on games like EverQuest, the idea that almost every game can be soloed to max level is a bit jarring. But there are lots of reasons to level in parties anyway, ranging from working with others when you play a group-centric build to just wanting other people around when you level.

So do you like to try and level up in groups? Or do you group up for special events and level on your own for the most part?

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: Do you like to level in parties? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you attend fan-created events in game?

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Guild Wars has Wintersday, Lord of the Rings Online has the Spring Festival ... heck, many MMOs have at least one developer-created party per year, often more.

Those aren't the only ones, though. Enthusiastic fans love to get involved and create events to celebrate milestones, support charities, or just have fun and blast through content as a big group. Large or small, these sorts of events are everywhere.

What we want to know today is whether or not you participate in them? If the community is promoting a party in your game of choice, do you add it to your calendar and make sure to stop by? Are there deciding factors that help you decide whether you'll attend or not, factors like event size, level of organization, or potential prizes and loot?

Hit the comment button and let us know!

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: Do you attend fan-created events in game? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Groupthink

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

I can pinpoint exactly the moment that the luster of World of Warcraft's big old-game-changing expansion wore off for me. And it didn't take very long, just long enough for me to pick up a quest named It's Raid Night Every Night for my Dwarf. It was an unremarkable quest in every way, with the only really clever-ish bit being the title that slyly winks at players about one of the game's criticisms.

Except that it's not exactly an unfair criticism. If you were at the level cap and wanted to keep playing the game with anything approaching forward motion, it was raid night every night. The joke left a bad taste in my mouth.

Of course, this isn't an article about WoW except in passing and by association. It's about the temptation and tendency to have group content as the panacea, as the overwhelming focus of any new content. It's about why we get so much content that focuses on large group efforts, and why that isn't necessarily such a good thing -- for the players or even the developers.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Groupthink

The Soapbox: Groupthink originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What was your favorite experience as a healer?

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

If you're going to play a game in which your allies will rush forward into their imminent death despite your best efforts, someone's going to need to take the task of keeping them from death. Sometimes the healer is up on the front lines like the Warrior Priests of Warhammer Online, but most often your job in the healer is to stand back and keep everyone alive in spite of their determination to stand in fire. It's not a glamorous job, but boy is it ever important.

From games like World of Warcraft that require a dedicated healer to games like City of Heroes where your "healer" may have no direct healing spells, the third part of the holy trinity sees the least direct action but still tables a lot of responsibility. So what's your favorite experience from taking on the role of the walking band-aid? Were you stuck in a group with members who couldn't keep themselves alive at all if not for your healing? Or is there a particular game that always made healing feel more fun than any other task in the game?

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 was your favorite experience as a healer? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Between the lines of PAX

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

I think that the first year of PAX East spoiled me for any and all future City of Heroes panels. At the time Paragon Studios held that panel, there was a new expansion due out in that marvelous sweet spot when it's just far enough away that a lot of questions are unanswered but not so far away that we can't be told all of the cool parts. Every panel since then has had a bit less to share, but really, that's kind of the nature of the beast. Until we get expansion number three on deck, we aren't going to have another panel with that much information and that many surprises unloaded all at once.

Still, another part of my brain can't help but feel as if the most interesting part of this year's presence for City of Heroes wasn't the panel itself but the other elements surrounding the panel. (Considering that I already wrote up what happened there, this may also serve a stunningly convenient purpose for writing a column about the convention.) There's certainly no hints of a big revelation around the corner, but there were little elements hither and yon that piqued my interest for various reasons.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Between the lines of PAX

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Between the lines of PAX originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Embark Beach and Mercenary Heroes coming to Guild Wars

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Guild Wars, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

Do you play Guild Wars with nothing to lose and nothing to prove? Then you might wind up dancing with yourself in the newest update to the game, which will add a new system of Mercenary Heroes -- turning other characters on your account into special heroes just for your use. And since this update also gives players the option to have a full party of seven heroes, there's plenty of reason to improve alts and play with them even on other characters.

Of course, that's the least of the features packed into the new update, and you may not even need the new heroes with the introduction of the group-focused Embark Beach. Allowing players transport to a multitude of locations and missions, the outpost serves as a waypoint for players to find groups and get right into the action of a mission without any trouble. It's also a hub for services, making it an ideal place for players to congregate and look for any needed assistance.

That's not even touching upon the new daily quests in Pre-Searing Ascalon, the changes to the Survivor title track to make it earnable on an existing character even after that character has died, and a new Minion UI feature. In short, Guild Wars players have plenty to dance about in the new update, whether by themselves or with others.

Gallery: Guild Wars Core Gallery

Embark Beach and Mercenary Heroes coming to Guild Wars originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV explains the ins and outs of party play

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XI's development team was notorious for being silent on every aspect of the game, no matter how much players begged for an explanation of systems. It's a tradition that has most certainly not been carried over to Final Fantasy XIV, where the developers have taken the time to answer a number of questions and explain several parts of game systems left unclear elsewhere. The most recent development team dispatch covers the MMO staples of parties and quests, explaining everything from the exchanging of guildleves to the effects of scaled difficulty.

Party bonuses are among the bigger elements in this particular dispatch, with an explanation of the necessary level range to receive bonus skill points and experience. The short version is that while players are not penalized in any fashion while solo, as long as all the class ranks of the party are within a five-level band, all members will gain the party bonus. Since linking leves also increases the chance of a gil-laden treasure chest appearing, it's another step in the game rewarding party play without punishing solo players. Final Fantasy XIV players should take a look at the full dispatch, as well as glancing at the patch notes for the most recent version update.

Final Fantasy XIV explains the ins and outs of party play originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

Hey, guys, did you know that Going Rogue is launching in less than a week? That's crazy. It feels especially strange to me, since this was an expansion that had barely been announced when I started here, and has since become pretty personally important. But we're not here to talk about my vague feelings about the impending launch, we're here to talk about its larger implications for City of Heroes -- namely, the obvious systemic changes that might well be coming when the expansion goes live.

Now, some of you are doubtlessly going to point out that we're not even getting our first Incarnate slot, the expansion isn't changing any part of the system, and so forth and so on. But you forget that there is an interesting change to the system coming that we all know about: the fact that archetypes will no longer be allegiance-locked. That's right -- whether you're in City of Heroes or City of Villains, you'll no longer be limited to five different archetypes. And considering the fact that the archetypes are roughly analogous on both sides now, this might have just a bit of an impact.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Party like a rock star in Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Final Fantasy XIV

There are players out there who might be dreading parties in Final Fantasy XIV. Well, not precisely; they might well be dreading that the mechanics will be similar to the parties from Final Fantasy XI, where some classes could seemingly wait for ages without a trace of a group. Mercifully, the fine bilingual team at FFXIVCore has continued its apparent tradition of translating information to coincide with the new beta testing, with the newest translation being a guide to getting a working group in the game.

Guildleves are the game's core leveling mechanics, but new ones can only be accepted every so often, and they can be hard to complete on higher settings alone. By grouping up, players gain access to more guildleves from other players and more support in tackling the game's bigger challenges. The full translation has information on everything from the interface to form a party to the game's battle regiments, the equivalent of Final Fantasy XI's skillchains. (We're guessing they meant regimens, but that's the challenge of translation.) Final Fantasy XIV fans are advised to take a look at the article to start gearing up for the game's release in two months.

Party like a rock star in Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Grouping, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

So, guess what beta I didn't get an invitation for. You can go consult with the instant replay if you want, I can wait.

I know that everyone is stunned. I certainly was. Of course, I assuaged my sadness by telling myself that I didn't really want to be in their stupid beta anyway, because I bet it smells bad and it sets my computer on fire. That line of reasoning worked real well. I don't honestly think my column got me kicked from the running for a Final Fantasy XIV beta slot, but it's a bit more reassuring than the idea that I just didn't get picked for some other reason. (I'm putting money on Square-Enix not knowing I exist, for the record.)

All things considered, I can live without the beta, even though I'm chomping at the bit to play the game. But I'm not the only person, place, or thing not currently darting about the world of Eorzea. And as long as I'm on a streak of making long-winded predictions, why break with formula? There are three other things that I suspect aren't in the beta either, and I intend to make a guessing game out of seeing how close I am to the truth.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway

The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

A few nights ago, I was in one of the worst pick-up groups I have ever seen. It was World of Warcraft, we were in Halls of Lightning, and we had opened up with a dramatic wipe on the first boss. (He wasn't even in his powered mode, which surprised me.)

Valiantly, we tried the battle again, but found the same effect. Everyone looked like they had enough gear -- I had done that boss with "worse" people backing me up. Of course, while I was pondering that, the squabbling had already begun in the party. Priest blames hunter, hunter blames mage, mage blames paladin, then the paladin stops pondering why we were failing, realizes people were blaming her, and becomes flustered that someone would actually blame her for the wipe. Meanwhile, the rogue sat in stealth and went afk. Perfect party dynamics.

Before long I found myself outside of Halls of Lightning again, sitting on the steps in my pristine holy plate armor. I held up a sign that said, "Will tank 4 food," while I kept up hopes that another party would take me in. (Note: Apparently Game Informer used "Will tank 4 food" in their latest magazine, which just read 5 minutes ago, well after this article was completed. Scary.)

Party dynamics seem to be on the decline, but why? Pick-up groups were always a scary prospect, but lately they seem to have become something entirely more nightmarish. What the heck has changed?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine

Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How do you say 'shut up'?

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Yesterday, Matt Low of the our sister site WoW Insider and the very awesome World of Matticus blog pointed out a fairly interesting conversation going on over at PlusHeal. Apparently, the original poster had been using the phrase 'shut up' during a raid to try to quiet down people cross-chattering over voice comms, but after dealing with the upset it caused, they're looking for something new and more effective instead of 'shut up'.

Having been a group/raid leader myself, I can say in all honesty that this is absolutely one of my pet peeves; talking during instructions/pulls or loot distribution. It distracts from the important things and can cause quite a bit of confusion. On the flip side, clamping down on cross-chatter too much will make a group or raid feel less like fun with friends and more like a second job. As such, this morning we thought we'd ask you - how do you tell your group to quiet down without sounding like the guy from the Onyxia Wipe animation? (Link language NSFW) Are there any phrases or methods you've found effective to quiet a noisy group down without ruffling feathers? Or sometimes are you justified in telling people to shut it?

The Daily Grind: How do you say 'shut up'? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EverQuest II anniversary celebrations much larger than SOE had planned

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Culture, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry

When are overcrowded servers and multiple crashes a good thing? Probably when you work for SOE and your game's fourth anniversary party has more people in attendance than you'd ever imagined.

EverQuest II had its fourth anniversary last month, and the parties were a bit more epic than SOE had imagined, or planned. According to Kiara, SOE's EverQuest II Community Relations Manager, the parties were so large that she was crashed multiple times herself, and the EQ2 devs had to actually come in and create hotfixes for mixed parties on the PvP servers and a way to distribute presents to an entire room at one time. This story by Kiara seems to mostly be a light-hearted look back at how much fun those anniversary parties were, but it also goes to show just how strong the EQ2 community remains four years after the game's launch.

EverQuest II anniversary celebrations much larger than SOE had planned originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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