We Fly Spitfires – MMORPG Blog

Expansions for MMOs are commonplace and, perhaps even more so, expected and highly anticipated. Personally I love expansions as they can often reinvigorate a flagging game and add a whole degree of life to it. Wrath of Lich King was a perfect example of this as it refreshed a lot of people’s interest in the game and gave them a whole thing new set of things to do.

With the announcement of BlizzCon 2009 in August a lot of people have started to predict the next WoW expansion, WotLK having been announced two years ago at BlizzCon 2007. It made me start to think about what I’d like to see in the next Warcraft expansion.

Character Model Upgrade

I’ve really love to see the player character models upgraded. Everquest did this with The Shadows of Luclin and it helped keep the game technically and visually competitive and interesting. I think the original WoW character models are pretty terrible and look very outdated now (particularly humans) – I’d love to see them get a visual overhaul.

Low Level Content

Everquest 2 is a fantastic example of using expansions to enhance existing gameplay for all levels and the entire player base. Both the Echoes of Faydwer and Ruins of Kunark expansions added a mix of low and high level content and I think it’s great way of attracting new players and keeping existing ones happy by letting them either roll new alts or try out the new high level zones. WoW seems to shun and ignore the low level gameplay and I think that’s a damn shame.

A 4th Talent Tree

Adding a 4th Talent tree to each class could be an inspiring addition to the game. Imagine Priests having a melee talent spec or Warriors with a support/buff/crowd control spec. Sweet.

Open Dungeons

Seriously, Blizzard, seriously. Open f’ing dungeons. Not instances. Not single group zones. Full, continual, open to everyone, dungeons. Now throw in a couple of PvP enabled dungeons and you’ve got a great bit of fun happening right there.

So that’s what I’d like to see. No new races or hero classes? Sure, I wouldn’t mind some new races (I love the Draenei) but I don’t think it’s as necessary as the other stuff I mentioned. A new hero class would be fun too but I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the Deathknight so unless Blizzard really push the boat out and try something original, I don’t think a new hero classes will be very exciting.

I’ve decided to write another article about Darkfall today because the blogging community is buzzing with articles about it and most are pretty negative about it’s lastability and long term appeal. I started to wonder – are people just suffering from a bad case of schadenfreude?

Schadenfreude is a German term which means to take pleasure in other people’s misery and I think a lot of people would actually enjoy seeing Darkfall flop. Am I one of those people? My previous article about Darkfall wasn’t exactly a glowing hype-fest, so I wasn’t sure where I stood on the subject. Time to retreat to my Meditation Chamber and do some serious thinking!

- Hours pass -

Ok, I’m back. And yes, I’ve done some serious thinking… and you know what, I think I am actually having a mild case of schadenfreude towards Darkfall. Sorry Aventurine! I feel kinda bad about this because to Aventurine’s (Darkfall’s developers) credit, they haven’t actually hyped or marketed the game a lot or trolled forums and blogs trying to promote it. They seem pretty happy just going at their own pace and getting whatever players they can. Kudos to them for being the calm centre in this emotional storm. The two big problems I do have with Darkfall are that I just absolutely loathe the type of MMO that it’s trying to resurrect and I can’t stand all of the hype some people are heaping onto it.

Darkfall is essentially trying to recreate the original style of MMO like UO and EQ from 1999. It’s a nostalgia fest and blast from the past all packed into one. And it sounds God awful. It frustrates me because I hate MMOs that reward time over skill and that’s exactly what Darkfall is doing. It’s also going by the mantra that ‘hardcore’ is ‘unaccessible’. When EQ first came out, it didn’t have a map system, a quest journal, a convenient travel system, a friendly death mechanic or any of the things that todays more accessible MMOs have… and you only need to look at the evolution of EQ to understand that these things were not done on intention but were simply there as the developers didn’t know any better. Darkfall is a game that encourages activities like grinding and, to me, it simply demonstrates that they are trying to ‘pull another Vanguard’ – recreating nostalgia by making the game less friendly to play, without consideration for playability.

The other thing that bugs me about Darkfall is the hype that surrounds it, something beneficial to Aventurine but completely uncontrolled by them. I really hate seeing comments aboutow  hgreat a game is going to be before anyone has actually had a chance to play it. It also bugs me when people start applying abstract terms to a game to somehow prove that it’s introducing amazing new game mechanics to the genre. We saw this with the whole ‘Third Generation’ maxim of Vanguard and now we’re seeing it with the term ’sandbox’ for Darkfall. I highly doubt Darkfall is going to be any less linear than any other MMO out there – removing character levels and making people grind skill points a non-linear game does not create.

So there you have it, my feelings towards Darkfall. They aren’t very noble feelings but I guess that’s what makes me human and, if anything, if you didn’t like the article at least you can now use the word ’schadenfreude’ during a conversation with your friends over dinner and sound like you know shit.

Reading Keen and Graev’s latest article is like watching a kid on a sugar-high right before he’s about to get his presents on Christmas morning (bless ‘em). Man, they are excited about Darkfall. Me, however, well I’ve been a MMO player for a long, long time and I’ve seen many games come and go. All are different, a few make it huge, some survive, but a lot of them flop and disappear. One thing that never fails, however, is the hype that always surrounds them.

The hype with Darkfall seems to have more than a passing resemblance to the hype that surrounded Vanguard. I guess that’s because they both appeal to the same type of players – the hardcore and the nostalgic. I briefly got sucked into the hype with VG and came away wondering why I ever believed any of it. Hype is one of those things – like crowd mentality – were people get absorbed with the emotions that go with it and never stop to actually address the facts. Let’s fix that.

From Keen and Graev:

• It’s not for everyone.  If you don’t like PvP (especially open pvp), a Sandbox Style, or a skill based system then don’t comment on Darkfall – it’s not the game for you!
• If you’re wanting the next graphical messiah and can’t stand looking at dated graphics (albeit not so bad, save for animations) then (in the words of Bartlebe) this is the game for you.
• If you get attached to your phat loots and consider your sword a status symbol, then save yourself the grief. (There is full looting in Darkfall)
• The game is not World of Warcraft.  It’s not Warhammer Online.  It’s not LOTRO.  Honestly, it’s not like any game currently being played by this generation.  It draws some influences from UO, Shadowbane, EVE  and some other older PvP/Sandbox/oldschool MMORPGs.  You’ve been warned.
• If you don’t like grinding then this game is not for you.  You gain skills by using them.  If you’re going to B.M.C. about having to raise skills by using them over time as you play then this is not the game for you.  In Darkfall you can raise your skill by shooting a tree or shooting a player.  I choose to shoot players.   You have to work towards what you want in Darkfall – that gives it meaning and worth.   Again, if you see working for something as “a grind” then you’re probably not going to enjoy Darkfall.
• If you want a Sandbox game that allows you to raise your skills by playing your way; a game that allows you to build cities and take them from enemies; become a crafter and sell your wares in a completely player driven economy; and most important if you want a game that is different in a sea of ‘the same’, then give the game a shot.

So… first off, they’re telling me that most people won’t actually even like the game – O…K. And then they’re telling me it’s got shitty graphics – well, at least they’re being honest. And then they’re telling me it’s actually just one huge grind-fest and that I probably won’t even be able to keep my hard-earned loot cause someone from a guild called ‘The Unemployed’ will have grinded even more than me and be able to kick my ass and steal my shit. Not exactly sounding very appealing.

And what the fuck is a sandbox?

sand·box (sndbks)

n.

1. A low box filled with sand for children to play in.

2. A litter box, especially for a cat.

So there you have it. Darkfall is a sandbox.

Wrath of the Lich King saw the addition of the first ‘heroic’ class to World of Warcraft. But is it really heroic? Here’s a definition of the term:

he·ro·ic (h-rk)

adj. also he·ro·i·cal (--kl)

1. Of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of literature, legend, or myth.

2. Having, displaying, or characteristic of the qualities appropriate to a hero; courageous: heroic deeds.

3.

a. Impressive in size or scope; grand: heroic undertakings.

b. Of a size or scale that is larger than life: heroic sculpture.

I guess we might get away with the first point but hardly the second or third. Not that I actually have any problems with the DK but I was just pondering the entire concept of the class. Let’s be honest, it’s not really ‘heroic’ is it? The only differences between a DK and any other classes is that firstly you have to already have a level 55 character before you can play it and secondly they start in their own contained area already already at level 55. They aren’t any more powerful or spectacular than anything else and, in my personal opinion, don’t really feel very special at all.

I remember years ago, before WoW was released, when Blizzad first talked about heroic classes, they were throwing around the idea of having your character become a heroic version after hitting the level cap. That sounds far more interesting to me than just adding another generic class to the game albeit it’s a lot more complicated and will, realistically, never happen. But the whole DK class does make me wonder what the future of WoW will bring. Will the next expansion have another heroic class? Will it be available to both Alliance and Horde again? If so, will Blizzard sacrifice the game lore too much in order to facilitate it (it would be nice if each side got their own unique hero class). Will they continue to start at level 55 even if the level cap is increased to 90?

Ultimately, the DeathKnight isn’t very heroic at all. It’s just a class which is defined slightly differently from the others so it can have special parameters like starting at a higher level and requiring a high level character to unlock it. Not very exciting but certainly a great way to encourage people to play more. I smell the cash cow burning.

Moving away from the DK, I didn’t see Blizzard’s April Fools joke from last year (I wasn’t playing WoW then) until today. I have to take my hat of to them when it comes to humour – I love their jokes and geeky references. If you haven’t already seen it, check out the Bard hero class. “This one goes to eleven.” Classic.

Here is a excerpt from an interview with a Ghostcrawler (WoW games designer) about the fourthcoming dual spec system on the World of Warcraft Europe site.

Nethaera: Who will be able to use it?
Ghostcrawler: Players who have reached the maximum level will be able to set up dual specs.

Nethaera: Why do players need to be max level in order to do this?
Ghostcrawler: We didn’t want to burden lower-level players with extra complexity as they’re working to level up and learn their class. But if the feature proves popular we might consider expanding it.

What?!? So only level 80 characters will be able to dual spec? Because it’s ‘too complex’ for low level players? What? Sorry? Huh? Isn’t the entire point of the dual spec system to introduces flexibility and free up some of the restrictions currently in place with the talent system, namely that everyone solos and it’s impossible to find a group. So basically my Priest is still going to be stuck as Shadow spec all the way until level 80 thus either making my chances of grouping extremely small or completely destroying my ability to solo if I want to heal. And then at level 80 I can choose between two specs… when actually I have absolutely no need to. All of this because the mechanic is deemed too ‘complex’ for low level players. How is it any more complex than any other mechanic currently in the game?!

Blizzard have completely dropped the ball on this and I’m bitterly disappointed. What could have been an amazing feature to really stimulate flexibility and group play throughout all levels of the game has just become another silly add-on for level 80s to play with. Looks like WoW is going to be stuck as a quest grind, solo-fest for a long time to come… and people complain that no one knows how to play their class!

A character’s appearance in a MMO usually dictates two things: what they are and how powerful they are.

Originally, older MMOs didn’t really have a lot of variety in clothing and, if you look at Everquest, it only served to define what type of character you were. Obviously armour and clothing could grant a vast array of stats, bonuses and abilities but there wasn’t much of a way to tell a level 50 character apart from a level 40 one. EQ eventually started to buck that trend though by introducing more and more elaborate looking weapons, visually rewarding the player as well as statistically.

Now, flash forward to today, and MMOs use appearance for more than defining what class you are, they use it as a milestone for character development and achievement. Compare a level 1 Priest in World of Warcraft to a level 80 one and you’ll see a huge difference. The low level character will be wearing bland, uninteresting clothing whilst the level 80 will have far more interesting garb. And of course raiding and PvP plays a part… the more you play your character and the more you take part in activities, the more you are rewarded with an aesthetically pleasing appearance. A player who raids in WoW will likely be wearing huge, glittering and glowing shoulder pads the size of small cars whilst a non-raider will look decidedly more bland. Appearance is more than just a collection of items with useful stats, it’s a status symbol.

No doubt MMORPG developers are keen to show off new graphic engines with complex and attractive visuals but they’ve also discovered that appearance is another carrot they can dangle in front of players. It’s become a tool to reward people and indulge their egos – “the more you play, the cooler you’ll look!”. I don’t have a problem with the principle of that but sometimes it gets frustrating.

Age of Conan is a perfect example of badly done appearance scaling (note: I haven’t played in 6 months so it have changed). I remember wearing the same tunic from level 14 until 50 just because it looked so much cooler. Also, trying to get a full set of decent looking gear was a grind at best – I must have done the Sanctum of the Burning Souls several dozen times with my Assassin just to get some decent looking, matching gear. It wasn’t fun and, upon reflection, not remotely worth it because I out-leveled the armour soon after.

I guess my feelings towards appearance is that I don’t mind the raiders and the PvPers having the best looking gear and I quite like the idea of appearance actually ’scaling’ as I level but ultimately I still want to look half decent and reasonably cool without having to sell my virtual soul to the Gods of Hardcore. Plus, not only do I want to look good when I hit the max level, I also want to look good as I level. Call me vain but appearance matters. It’s how you get with the ladies.

The following is a guest post by Guaka.

When I was in primary school the first girl I ever liked was called Eve. I used to stay late just so I could work on a geography project with her. All of this is totally irrelevant but provides a nice human interest introduction to my adventures with EVE Online.

I’ve been hearing all sorts of good stuff about this game. People say that it rewards the casual gamer (which I would count myself as), others say it has depth that no other MMO can touch, still others have called it boring. Who is right? Over the next couple of weeks I will sample the game and see what all the commotion is about for myself.

EVE Online is a space-based MMO – like a mix of Elite, Mass Effect and X-wing. You have no avatar in the traditional sense but you do have a splendid spaceship to begin with.

I downloaded the client and installed. The client comes in two types; original-graphics and new-graphics. I went for the new graphics. The first problem I had was launching the installer, I run vista-64 and found there to be a 5minute delay between double-clicking on the setup button and the program actually launching  (by which point I had four different copies running – not so good).

The game loads with an intro movie that has a lot of in-game spaceship models flying around and the occasional still head-shot of a sexy alien or sour-faced fascist mixed in. It’s fine, it introduces the universe very effectively and you get a real sense of back-story.

So, once it loads it’s a very easy set-up and you go straight into character creation. I should say here I didn’t find  any way of selecting a server but maybe I’m just being backwards.  The character creation is pretty standard, choose race, class, specialisation etc… You do create a face for your character but this is fairly pointless as no-one except you will ever see it, all other players will ever see is your ship (there is talk of an expansion where your avatar would walk around space stations but that’s all just talk for now).

The game launches and we go straight into tutorials. The game is based on the old “get quest from X, fetch Y or destroy Y, then return to X” formula so the tutorials just teach you where everything on the screen is and how to pilot your ship.

There’s no ‘WASD’ here, you chose a destination (or target) and select a speed with a slider or drop-down menu. This separates you from the game a little and loses the sense of immediacy you get when running through Outland dodging mobs.

The screen is fairly cluttered with windows popping up over other windows and obscuring your view. This isn’t so great as the tutorial will ask you to click on something which you only find after clearing away four different windows.

The first quest-giver is an ‘agent’ lurking inside a space-station. I docked with the station and found myself staring at the inside of a hanger while more windows popped up. The conversation is all with a small portrait of the agent and again I started wishing I could just run up to someone hanging out in some kind of ’space-cantina’ and ask them for missions. The way that EVE works is fine but I want to feel more involved and a sense of setting and place REALLY helps with that.

Anyway, thats my initial thoughts. I’ll keep updating as I progress through the game and even go on  my first mission. I’d really like to hear other people’s experiences with the game or suggestions for things I’m missing.

guaka’s space-epic suggestions to go along with EVE Online:

Alastair Reynolds ‘Revelation Space’ saga – a fine read.

Battlestar Galactica (but you already knew about that).