We Fly Spitfires – MMORPG Blog

Some people look at this screenshot and see the struggle that takes place between the enslaved gamer and the tyrannical MMO. Others just see boobies.

I’m used to always having an itch. An itch in the back of my mind to log in and play a MMO. It’s a strange sensation but also a welcome one, an old familiar friend that gives me something to think about when I’m on a bus or in the bath or having a boring conversation with a work colleague. In this sense it’s rather nice because, as someone with an incredibly active mind (too much caffeine maybe?), it stops me losing my sanity to boredom. On the negative side though it can also be frustrating because it’s a tough tyrannical master that holds me enslaved to its mercy by filling me with desire to play. Feeling compelled to do anything is never nice.

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The red stick figure was shot soon after bucking the social convention

In my early days of playing MMOs I never really gave much through to the social conventions that enforced the unwritten rules of behaviour we all abided by. Conscious thought that is though because, obviously, sub-conciously I was obeying every single convention and thriving as a result. I knew how to interact with others on the level that got me added to friends lists and invited back into groups. I knew how to get the items I needed without being branded a ninja-looter or a greedy player. I knew how to get players to help me with my quests without alienating them towards me. In fact, I pretty much knew how to do or get everything I needed to help me progress as an individual.

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The future of gaming is looking like a dick in front of your computer

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately that have been discussing the disappointing turn of events surrounding RIFT’s first world event. Apparently it was queues galore, resulting in a fair number of players missing out on the narrow window of the opportunity to complete the event, a real shame all in all (although no doubt some folk are overreacting in the manner only the Internet can allow). But here we are again, even with the most slick and advanced MMO, facing queues, that old MMO nemesis. Will we ever be able to move past it all?

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Traditional verbal communication will soon be replaced completely with silence and Facebook updates only

It’s been a while since I’ve spread the link love and shared articles from around the blogosphere so, perhaps because feeling overly guilty right now due to the fact I’m on my man period or something, I’ve decided to acknowledge a handful of posts that have tickled my fancy recently. Apologies to all of the hundreds of wonderful articles and bloggers that I’ve not mentioned – feel free to stab pins into Gordon shaped voodoo dolls if that helps appease yourself.

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Silence is golden

Her name was Renneque. She was probably a man. We met in the dark, gloomy woods of Gloamwood. Aptly named, I thought. She was fighting the undead; so was I. I clicked a button and we formed a group, becoming one without ever saying a word, a single, cohesive fighting force of man/woman death.

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Being told how to tank is always fun

Over a year ago I wrote a (slightly provocative) guest post for World of Matticus entitled “Tanks And Healers Should Get The Biggest Rewards“. Everyone went ape shit. Fast forward 14 months and it turns out though that I’m no mere mortal blogger but rather some sort of Nostradamus-esque visionary as Blizzard announced there intention to reward tanks and healers for using the random Dungeon Finder tool. I’m expecting a royalties cheque in the mail any day now.

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Raiding in Everquest involved waiting around for four hours then dying multiple times before being unable to retrieve your corpse

I think most people would agree that your typical themepark MMORPG is a real dichotomy of gaming. On hand, it presents a journey of progression through leveling, creating a character and then traversing a vast virtual world, accruing power and knowledge as you go, often either alone or in small groups. Then on the other hand, we have the end game experience, a sequence of complex and challenging raid encounters for large, well-prepared cohesive teams and multiple groups. The simple fact is though that these two forms of gameplay are completely different and utterly unlike each other, practically two separate games in their own right. So why not just admit this truth and keep them apart?

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