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 Daily Grind: Should MMOs offer respecs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/12/the-daily-grind-should-mmos-offer-respecs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/12/the-daily-grind-should-mmos-offer-respecs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/12/the-daily-grind-should-mmos-offer-respecs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Glitch skill tree
MMOs last for so long that you're almost guaranteed to get bored or make a mistake at some point during character development. Most games know this and allow you a do-over, be it through unlearning skills in sandboxes like Glitch and Ultima Online or respecing talent point choices in World of Warcraft. Lest your choices be trivialized, certain games insist on making respecs prohibitively expensive; City of Heroes and Champions Online even charge real money for respecs should you deplete your in-game allotment.

But other MMOs simply provide no outlet for a do-over at all, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, which currently locks you into your advanced class choice at level 10, long before you're really capable of making that kind of decision. While the devs are still debating respecs as a post-launch addition, a surprising number of players are vehemently opposed to the entire concept on the grounds that it makes character choices irrelevant.

What say you -- should all games have respecs, or are do-overs just another form of "easymode"?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Should MMOs offer respecs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advanced-classesbrianna-royce-tdgchampions-onlinecity-of-heroescohdo-overeasymodeglitchopinionrespecrespecsskillskillsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtortalent-pointstalent-treestalentstdgthe-daily-grindultima-onlineunlearnunlearninguoWorld-of-WarcraftwowMon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[First Impressions: Alganon]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/first-impressions-alganon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/first-impressions-alganon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/first-impressions-alganon/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Today's First Impressions could use a little bit of external reading before you go too deeply into it. So I'm going to start by linking an article that's nearly seven years old but still excellent -- Fantasy Heartbreakers.

Now that you've all clicked "Back" in some confusion or just avoided the link in the first place, some explanation. The article is the origin of a term that pen-and-paper RPG fans have come to use to describe a certain type of game referenced in the article. It's referring to the countless game companies who thought they could make a game that was better at being Dungeons and Dragons than, well, Dungeons and Dragons. Many of the games in question weren't bad games -- sometimes even good ones -- but they were built on the fundamental premise that they would be "like D&D but with X."

Some of you probably see where this is going, or got it as soon as you saw the term. Because we're all very aware of how predominant World of Warcraft has become in the MMO marketplace, to the point where it's the essential standard that other MMOs are judged against. Alganon, then, could be seen as our genre's first fantasy heartbreaker. Because it's genuinely tough not to play the game and see that there's some really good stuff in here.

Continue reading First Impressions: Alganon

MassivelyFirst Impressions: Alganon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alganonanimationsbugsdddnddungeons-and-dragonseveeve-onlinefantasy-heartbreakerfirst-impressionslandscapesmechanicsmyalganonquest-onlinestudiessurrealtalent-pointstalentsworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST