> At present the website isn't much more than the presentation of an idea
> for a MMOG with a post-holocaust environment. Then again it could be
> just another 'Dawn'.
Looks like a crossover of the matrix and starwars...
A lot of people swears by mmog's as the future but I don't really see what
the hype is about...
I played some of them now, but none of them were really any good...
Most of them gives you a string of very uninteractive, repetitive, short, no
suprise, no twist, nobrainer type things which you're more or less forced to
do to keep current with all the other players and after a while it just gets
tedious and boring. Bring this, kill this, shoot that, and repeat until you
puke... And sometimes these things aren't even available; if it's all pvp
(player vs player), and then lag and unintuitive gameplay gets you down
eventually and usually very fast... You're much better off playing another
3d shooter... And if the game has the "quests" but no pvp it just gets even
worse because there's no outlet for your efforts, and if it does has pvp,
you often have way too much to lose so you hang in the safe zones and just
do the repetitive things...
If you don't do the repetitive things or don't do them at the pace of the
average player or better, you get horribly behind and can't compete with
them, especially in pvp, and that's just like losing...
Imagine all the NPC's in fallout suddenly were leveling with skills and
traits just like you, as you played... All of a sudden you have to do stuff
as fast or faster than them or you'll just get behind and eventually unable
to catch up... The result? You die.
In Fallout you'd simply load a recent save game and then that's out of the
world, try again or do something else till you're better able. Some mmog's
combats this with amazingly ridiculous solutions, such as letting you get
back what you lost when you die and other silly sh.t... And those that
doesn't, makes you cry when you lose it all... Life's tough, buy a freakin
helmet...
And heavens forbid you joined the game 6 months after the release because
you'll NEVER catch up - Prepare to die, noob...
You have to deal with more than just psychopathic players too.. lag death...
crash death... bug deaths... exploits deaths... you think fallout had many
bugs? Try an mmog and you'll see what "many bugs" really means...
You can't contact support, because exploits resulting in loss are taking up
most of their time and fuckwits with numnut requests and questions are
taking up the rest... But then again, why would you want to? You'll just add
to the 2 week queue of "sorry nothing we can do" answers...
If you don't leave the game despite all this, it's almost always because you
made friends that you don't want to lose touch with. Not exactly the idea
you get before you start and you regret you ever started eventually...
Recently, former BIS employee John Reiley said on a gamebanshee.com
interview: "Online gaming is, in my opinion, the way of the future."
That kind of stuck to my head...
In my opinion it's just the commercial game publishers wet dream of constant
and increasing revenue through monthly payments and the ease of only ever
having to work on "one" game, as we all know it's somewhat easier to do just
one success than doing many. But instead of telling people a well thought
out story with twists and intrigue or display wonders of art they are
playing with peoples addictions using the least complications possible. And
if the hook fails they rely on the feelings that are created in the
community until they can implement a new addiction.
okay... I'm bored...
Elephant - 19 Jan 2004 17:06 GMT
Lol, i never started with the mmog's because i always feared it would be
something like you descriped it. This is the first time i read it.
The only way a mmog can evolve to remain an interesting game is that the
players not only play in the world, but also create it. Ranging from
players who build objects with CAD-like programs to players who just play. A
world that is free to enter as a guest until you choose to participate.
A bit like an operating system. Most pple use it and the programs they have
with it. Some pple write new programs for it. The usefull programs survive
and get upgraded.
O well, you never know.
For now, give me single play mode any day. Lock me up and throw away the
key.
> > At present the website isn't much more than the presentation of an idea
> > for a MMOG with a post-holocaust environment. Then again it could be
[quoted text clipped - 56 lines]
>
> okay... I'm bored...
4too - 20 Jan 2004 00:20 GMT
I too am puzzled. Is this chant like prediction of a future of
universal online gaming, wishful thinking by the game professionals for
an online milk cow, and an utopian dream of implied "security" by being
a "stable" service provider like a public utility?
Damn, why does everybody want to be my 'phone' company?
Maybe when they're all bored with massive online nirvanas, the next new
th'ang might be single player games with networked co-op.
Will have to wait for the smart money to come around, again.
We don't know the faces of our next door neighbors, but we can spend
hours every day typing across the planet.
Massive online structured socializing, smells like a distopia to me.
My job requires a degree of physical activity. The workplace politics
is stressful and my wages compensates me adequately at this time. If I
am to be learning to ""game"" a system I guess it should be there.
Time?
Who has the time for a subscription to "Brave New" role playing?
""Hug me 'till you drug me"" and all that orgy-porgy conformity.
Well someone's out there spending money and greasing the game industry.
I'll still be here, or over there, next time the fashion cycle spins
this way.
4too
4too - 20 Jan 2004 10:11 GMT
http://www.gamespy.com/preview2004/
My Netscape doesn't like something on the Gamespy pages, or the ad
formats don't like my browser, whatever.
Another "laundry list" article by Gamespy, the most anticipated games of
2004. Starts with number 40, the lastest reincarnation of the Ultima
Online effort. Must be ready enough to rate the journalist passing on
what the makers are barking on the street, "'step right UP ... !""
The brief text clip touches on all the warts of past Massives and then
quotes the press info of this being different and better in graphics and
REAL role playing game play. Real rat killing, or more varmit
extermination? Real gameplay ''that matters'' in that virtual
storyland. That's kind of funny if all those before were mere point
generating, level up boutiques, divine-vaporous consumerism ... At
level 7,889 you get the ball cap of renown and 2 extra cup holders in
your cosmic SUV.
Wonder if this is the ""Brave New"" product the smart money chose to
fund and the guy that chose the "Lord British" personna chose-d to leave
for development more to his choosing. Always choices.
The smart money in charge of Blizzard made decisions, a Massive Online
focus, and many Veteran Warcraft dev's left too.
Wonder if it was only about pay, or about the positions offered, or both
that made the option of leaving look better than the steady paycheck.
In my experience, sometimes leaving is the only way one can get a
meaningful pay raise and an escape from "thankless work" and, or
entrenched slackers that depend on others to get the job done.
4too