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For entirely unrelated reasons, I've been giving the Vanguard 14-day trial a go. It is a game that has many things, and lacks many things also, but one thing it certainly doesn't lack, is room. Its initial Isle of Dawn starter map is an immense place, and judging by the map tabs for the three different mainland continents, this theme of great open spaces and expansive countryside appears to continue throughout the game. Early quests send you off on lengthy runs to distant places and the minimap barely flinches, suggesting a very large land indeed.

I found myself quite surprised at the distances and travel times involved, and in turn, surprised that I was surprised. Clearly, I have become used to a much smaller kind of vast wilderness in my online gaming, and for a self-diagnosed Bartle Explorer type I wonder if I haven't gotten a bit soft when it comes to all things distance related. Was this a trend that had crept up on me, or does size simply not matter any more, in our MMO gaming?

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MassivelyA Sense of Space... originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eve-onlinefeaturedguild-warslord-of-the-rings-onlinemapsmountsstar wars galaxiesStarWarsGalaxiestravelworldSat, 08 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Cycle of Change...]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/26/a-cycle-of-change/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/26/a-cycle-of-change/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/26/a-cycle-of-change/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Logging into Guild Wars for the weekly guild night this Tuesday saw a bit of an unwelcome surprise; the personal fallout of the latest in a very long line of skill balancing patches. As a Mesmer, I'd generally done quite well out of these in recent months; a somewhat less popular class than most, they had seen quite a bit of improvement over a number of months, but this latest patch saw 'Visions of Regret' and 'Cry of Pain', two very potent skills I use almost all the time, significantly reined in.

Of course the initial reaction was one of personal indignation, coupled with envy at the perceived winners of this round of adjustments. It isn't fair! A moment of reflection however and I began to consider more than just my own side of the thing, and perhaps for the improvement of the wider game, the changes to these specific skills might indeed have been warranted, and in any event, those imposing the changes were sure to have far more data at their disposal, and a view of a much larger picture than me.

Balance is something all MMOs seek for themselves and their players, and yet very few achieve a state of equilibrium, in which all players share equal potential, equal possibility and equal enjoyment. Can the cycle of buffs and nerfs ever please everyone, or is an continual procession of patches a sign of life and vibrancy that the single player off-line game lacks?

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MassivelyA Cycle of Change... originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asherons-callbalancebufffeaturedguild-warsnerfngepatchesstar wars galaxiesStarWarsGalaxiesFri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST