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[Insert cute but trite "WoW"-esque comment here.]

Published
by
ringthree
on June 23, 2005
in General
. 0 Comments

[World of Warcraft] I fail today at naming this post but I do provide you with information about World of Warcraft. Cold hard facts from the Lead Developer Shane Dabiri (we go way back, we do!) about the great and wonderful-ness of WoW, and how they plan on taking over the universe on the backs of Epic White Tigers.

There were some comments of note:

We are committed to delivering the highest quality online experience for our players. Some of our upcoming plans have already been mentioned on our community site. For example, in our next major update, we will be releasing Blackwing Lair, a 40-person raid dungeon, where you will be able to battle against the epic dragon Nefarian and his minions. We are also working on a 20-person dungeon called Zul’Gurub, and the mysterious lands of Ahn’Qiraj in Silithus. Outside of dungeons, we want to continue adding new world events, such as a carnival that will take place in Mulgore and Elwynn forest.

Awesome! A third dungeon to grind through endlessly when you have nothing else to do after you ding 60!

Of course, on top of all this, each content update will also bring new quests, items, professions recipes, and continued class improvements. Some have asked about an expansion and what it might hold. I wanted to let players know that it is in the works, and we’ll release details as soon as we can.

Yes, Azeroth, not everyone has left Blizzard to go work at NCSoft! We still have the guy that brings me coffee in the morning. And we managed to shackle two of the junior interns to a desk. They are now being instructed in game coding, a la A Clockwork Orange! So there is an expansion on the way, but the GM’s will be forced to ban you if you ever ask when it might be released. Oh yeah, forgot to mention we tossed that in the last ToS update…

Anyway, back to reality, Blizzard looks like they are working pretty hard at content development, so there should be more for everyone soon.

Blatantly stolen from the WoW general discussion forum.

ringthree

Update of Irrelevancy

Published
by
ringthree
on June 22, 2005
in Final Fantasy XI
. 1 Comment

[Final Fantasy XI] As the resident Final Fantasy XI guy I figured it was my duty to bring you any and all updates for the game, but man, I wish they gave me something more that Chocobo rustlin’…

From the FFXI homepage:

Adventurers, take up your swords and staves! A plethora of action-packed quests is currently in the works for the upcoming FINAL FANTASY XI version update…

The following is a sample of the excitement that awaits:

*A quest requiring adventurers to deliver a lost chocobo to its home stables. Test your riding skills while competing for jaw-dropping prizes and the title of “Vana’diel’s Fastest”!

*Quests to obtain masks designed after your favorite beastmen. Only those who obtain the unique headwear will be able to unlock the equipment’s true power…

And that is only the beginning! Keep your eyes glued to this page for the latest in update information!

FINAL FANTASY XI Development Team (6/22/2005)

Woohoo… Chocobo racing and funny-looking hats.

Stolen from the FFXI developers page.

ringthree

The Oath of the Rational MMO player.

Published
by
ringthree
on June 21, 2005
in General
. 4 Comments

I read online forums. Alot of online forums. Not just for MMO’s either, but that is a story for a different day. I have found one constant in the forums about MMO’s. Everyone bitches. They bitch about everything. They bitch about bugs, they bitch about nerfs, they bitch about RMT, MPK and anything else in the alphabet soup of complaints. It gets to the point where I wonder why some people play these games.

In amongst all of this bitching there is the occasional voice of sanity. This is a list of the sane and rational thoughts that I have compiled that, if followed, will likely help to improve everyone’s game experience.

1. Have fun. Seriously, if you are not having fun playing these games then something is wrong. If something is wrong, maybe it’s time to find something else to do.

2. Be nice. Its a pretty simple idea. Don’t grief, gank, MPK, or in general piss people off. I am sure it’s fun at the time (actually, I dont even understand how it could be fun at all), but you are just ruining the experience for everyone else. It’s kind of the American way now to only think of yourself, so I guess it’s the cool thing to do, but almost all of these games are based on some kind of community and if you are not helping the community, then you are just hurting it. Even, if you only care about yourself, then you should still be nice, because no one is ever going to help you if you dont.

3. Dont buy or sell in game currency. What is the freaking point? This is not Doom 2. There is no “idclip” command or god mode. What is the purpose in cheating in an MMO? This one has always gotten to me, I just dont understand the motivation. Do they think that all of their friends will think they are “uber” just because they instantly have “uber” gear? More like they will think that you are an attention whore.

4. Want to have “uber” gear, but don’t “need” it. We all want to have our epic armor, or our rings of doom or whatever, but that doesn’t mean its necessary to have them to play the game. Farm, work, quest, do whatever to get it but dont let it frustrate you that you dont have it.

5. Understand simple economics. Just because things are expensive and they are continuing to get expensive doesn’t mean the economy is broken. A contstant in all MMO’s is that money is always coming into the economy, through farming, crafting and questing, and less of it is going out of the economy, through loss, buying NPC items, etc. This means that there is a constant state of inflation in all games. Inflation isn’t bad, per se, because the cost of the item that you want may be increasing but so is the cost of the items that you are farming. It all balances out.

6. The developer is not out to get you. Blizzard really is trying to fix the bugs. SOE really does want you to be happy when you are playing. Square Enix isn’t out to get you. They have tons of people that are working on the games to make them better all the time. Just because YOU feel slighted because YOU perceive a problem doesn’t mean that it is an actual problem.

So, I guess I just spent a bunch of time bitching about bitching. I know I feel better.

ringthree

What has WoW done for you lately… well besides Battlegrounds…

Published
by
ringthree
on June 17, 2005
in Final Fantasy XI
. 0 Comments

[Final Fantasy XI] The game that loves to be neglected is giving you more and more. And they do it without promising it 6 months before release and finally patching it in 6 months after. Looks like Final Fantasy XI is getting more named mobs, and all the yummy items that entails in the next update. These will be quested mobs (to prevent over camping) or instanced mobs that are available through the Chains of Promathia storyline.

From the official site:

The FFXI development team will soon add a slew of notorious monsters! These monsters may be challenged in several areas, and others may be discovered during all-new quests! As if that weren’t enough, brand-new battlefields await, including rematches with formidable opponents from Chains of Promathia! Keep your eyes peeled for this exciting new update!

One eager FFXI player that can’t wait for mid-July!

-ringthree

New update for Final Fantasy coming mid-July.

Published
by
ringthree
on June 16, 2005
in Final Fantasy XI
. 0 Comments

[Final Fantasy XI] Square Enix posted on the Final Fantasy XI main page that the new update will be available in mid-July. As usual, the update will include new quests, equipment and mobs. It will also include the conclusion to the Chains of Promathia storyline which, if it is handled the way the Rise of the Zilart storyline was handled, may indicate that the next expansion is around the corner. My guess? It will be released with the Xbox 360 version.

The development team is currently working on the next version update, which will include all the usual goodies–new quests, new Notorious Monsters, and various system additions and improvements–as well as the thrilling climax to the Promathia story. Watch this space for the latest announcements regarding update details.

The next version update is scheduled to take place in mid-July.

- ringthree

WoWzors!

Published
by
ringthree
on June 16, 2005
in General
. 0 Comments

[World of Warcraft] Well this explains alot:

A lot of people are leaving, mainly because they feel their hands were tied over WoW. Corporate refuses to put much money into the WoW project, and it frustrates us as much as the customers. When Vivendi forced the game out in November, we literally spent weeks stuck in the office because the servers were constantly crashing. Some co-workers didn’t see their families for a week, sleeping on the floors and couches in the break room. Management was bitching all the time about how much money “we’re” losing.

Many desks are empty now, more and more co-workers are leaving, rumor is NCSoft is promising faster release schedules, and Vivendi not breathing down our necks. The morale is awful, mainly the long cycles for each project, working 4..5 years on something takes a lot out of you, then the massive rewrites because another company came out with a feature we planned to use, or the hardware changed, it erodes you. Ghost won’t be out by christmas, expect it delayed again until summer 06, and the next pipeline project isn’t due out until 2008. It’s expected that WoW will keep the company in enough funds to remain solvent until then. I’ll probably be looking somewhere else, I pity the kids they end up hiring.

This is probably old and recycled news by now, and is credited to a dissatified Blizzard employee, so take is for what you will, but wow.

This along with the news that NCSoft stole Blizzard employees that were working on the first expansion means that all the level 60’s will be raiding Molten Core for quite some time.

Stolen from Slashdot.

- ringthree

Wither World of Warcraft?

Published
by
ringthree
on June 13, 2005
in Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft
. 8 Comments

[Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft] So I actually spent some time playing World of Warcraft over the weekend. I play a human mage, starting a frost/arcane spec. I have gotten to level 16 so far. The question I keep asking myself, is why should I go any further.

I actually want to get to 20. 20 is the lowest acceptable level that I can do the Dead Mines instance. Instances are what really drew me to this game in the first place. In Final Fantasy XI, there are very few instances and they involve just one combat scenario. But the idea of an extended dungeon with goals that must be completed to accomplish the mission has so much intrigue for me. The problem that I am having is actually getting there.

I can’t comment on any more than what I have experienced so far, but so far I just don’t see the overall appeal of the questing system. The quests are generic, and when I say generic I mean, they are all one of three kinds. Thats it. In FFXI, let alone most other games, quest systems are far more advanced than this. The newness of WoW is also no excuse because many other new games have had far more engaging quests from the very beginning. I mean the quests get to the point of being so simple (but not easy) and dull that, at some point, I figure that the NPC’s will just walk me over to the mob that I need to kill and sit there with an “I’m waiting” expression on their face.

I love the idea of experience rewards for quests, because this is more along the line of the original pen and paper RPG’s of yore. You are also not left wanting for equipment or money. This is a good thing, for now, at least. We will see how the economy changes. I just don’t feel compelled to sit down and start playing. I did feel compelled the first few days that I played. It was interesting, learning the battle system, doing (at the time) interesting quests, and exploring new areas. Now that I have done the introduction to the game, I am having trouble finding out when the game is supposed to become intriguing.

I think there is one major thing that WoW is missing, and that is one of the things that is keeping me engaged in FFXI. There is a complete lack of cutscenes in WoW (besides the opening one, but I mean if that is the only cutscene for the entirity of the game, that is pathetic). There is a story to be found if you read the quest givers notes, but there is nothing to make me feel like I am the one that is doing this quest for a specific reason. With cutscenes, your character is inserted into the storyline supposedly as the story is taking place. This is engagement, this is intrigue, this is not “Kill Ten Rats.”

And so I genero-quest onward to 20 so I can try an instance. I have built up instances in WoW to a great level in my own mind, lets hope WoW doesn’t let me down.

Ringthree

The beauty and woe of multi-jobbing.

Published
by
ringthree
on May 24, 2005
in Final Fantasy XI
. 6 Comments

[Final Fantasy XI] In Final Fantasy XI players are afforded the opportunity to play as multiple jobs on the same character. The idea behind this is a great one, as players can play as any and all jobs that are available to them (some must be unlocked through quests after a certain level has been attained with one of the basic jobs). Players can become attached to one character, instead of playing a job for the life of the character, as is the case with almost all other currently available MMO’s. Another added benefit is that it prevents the game from getting “old.” Meaning that there will always be players that are leveling low level jobs, and since FFXI is almost exclusively based upon partying after level 10 (out of 75) there will always be players that can party in low level areas (well at least for a very long time).

There is a deep beauty in this formula. If one becomes disinterested in the job they are currently playing, they would only need to return to their Mog house and select a new job. This combined with the sub-job system allows players to create combinations that are useful for leveling, farming, soloing, etc. Many people start off playing MMO’s as a job/class because of the external appeal of the job and are unable to switch when they find that they don’t actually enjoy playing that particular job. Instead of the forced choice of pursuing a profession they don’t enjoy or creating a disconnect by having to produce a new character from the beginning, this system creates a level of immersion in the world that they play and creates the attachment that is necessary to keep players within the MMO.

But with the beauty also comes the woe. I currently play a character who’s main job is Dragoon. This is a job that many people are proud to play because it has one of the deepest storylines in the quest to open it. It is a popular class but it also has some weaknesses as the game progresses to the higher levels. This is not a problem for most people that play it, and there is no real deficit in those that play as Dragoons. But for me, the problem of envy arose. I wished to play a job that was much needed and always wanted. This came in two forms, Ranger and Ninja. Respectively, these are the highest damaging job and most sort after (well, equally with Paladin) tanks in the game. The problem with these jobs is that they cost gil. Lots and lots of gil. Playing these two jobs costs twice the lots and lots of gil. I enjoy them both so I have to pay through the nose to maintain them. This is not a problem, per se, with a system that allows players to have multiple jobs, but it does illustrate the harder work that is necessary to maintain them.

I believe that more and more MMO’s will pursue this multi-job tract. The attachment I feel to my FFXI character is definitely deeper than the attachment I have to my World of Warcraft characters. I suppose this may also be because of the “casual gamer” friendliness of WoW, but others have discussed the potential lack of sustainability of “casual gamer” friendly MMO’s. Attachment to MMO’s come from, I believe, attachment to the player’s role in the game. The friends they make, the level of there character, etc. The ability to sustain the same character while not being locked into the same job helps to cement the commitment of players to a particular MMO.

ringthree