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[Final Fantasy XI developers answer more player questions]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/final-fantasy-xi-developers-answer-more-player-questions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/final-fantasy-xi-developers-answer-more-player-questions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/final-fantasy-xi-developers-answer-more-player-questions/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Let's face it, sometimes Final Fantasy XI players can be all "???" about the game. And that's not apropos of nothing, since the most recent developer dispatch talks about the multi-function "???" used for both Notorious Monster spawns and event triggers. While players had asked to see a change to distinct symbols such as a "!!!" for events, the technical effort required to make the switch wouldn't be worth the relatively minor functional update. The same rule goes for the /names command, which players would like to see toggle for NPCs or PCs selectively.

The latest answers aren't all bad news, however, with one of the more interesting factoids being the roundabout announcement of official forums for the game. There's also news about updates to General Rughadjeen in response to his strange behavior following Protect V or Shell V, a problem originating from the fact that the spells didn't exist when Besieged was created. Final Fantasy XI players are encouraged to read the full list of answers.

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XI developers answer more player questions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adjustmentsbehaviorevent-triggersffff11ffxifinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-xinotorious-monstersnpc-ainpcspatchesplanned-patchesplanned-updatessquaresquare-enixtriggertriggersuiupdatesuser-interfaceversion-updatesFri, 25 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Disguising the grind, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind-part-2/#commentsContinue reading Disguising the grind, part 2

MassivelyDisguising the grind, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developersdevelopmentdisguisingeventseverquest-2game-mechanicsgameplaygoalsgrindgrindingkill-ten-ratslazymechanicsopinionpredictablequestquestsrepetitivetriggerworld-of-warcraftxpMon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Disguising the grind]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/disguising-the-grind/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Believe it or not, grind is an essential part of an MMO and we might be pretty lost without it. Repetitive content is the cornerstone of the MMO genre but it's not all just smacking monsters over the head for hours on end or completing yet another "kill ten rats" quest. The repetitive elements in an MMO give us predictable gameplay in a form we can digest. We don't feel lost when we pick up a quest because it uses similar mechanics to previous quests we've done. From a development standpoint, the amount of time it takes to create new and unique gameplay for an MMO is quite large and it's just not feasible to churn out unique gameplay with every new piece of content. Instead, developers are forced to re-use the same gameplay mechanics over and over again. So if we genuinely appreciate predictable, repetitive gameplay and it's not feasible to do otherwise, why are we always so up-in-arms about the evils of grinding?

In this probative opinion piece, I look at why we need repetitive gameplay in MMOs and the various ways developers disguise grind to keep the game entertaining.
Update: Link to page 2 fixed. Thanks Brian!

Continue reading Disguising the grind

MassivelyDisguising the grind originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developersdevelopmentdisguisingeventseverquest-2game-mechanicsgameplaygoalsgrindgrindingkill-ten-ratslazymechanicsopinionpredictablequestquestsrepetitivetriggerworld-of-warcraftxpMon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST