Author: Zubon

How Do You Manage EVE Faction?

EVE[EVE Online] I am back on the far side of the EVE Gate for another month. The last time I was here, I was working for the Gallente Navy, which made me lots of Gallente friends but the Caldari may hate me forever. Between the derived modifications and actually blowing up Caldari ships en masse in missions, the Caldari State stopped inviting me to parties.

This time, I have been working to balance that out. I am now in Caldari space, running missions for Caldari corporations. With some social skills, my gains from Caldari faction have been higher than my losses to Gallente faction… until they sent me to fight Gallente invaders. A single mission can do significant damage to the Gallente good will I earned last time. I am not even working for the Caldari Navy; my contact is with the Corporate Police Force, a friend to Hyasyoda Corp.

Is there a way to keep taking combat missions without blowing up one of the four empires? I don’t mind pirate hunting, but blowing up my own race is not a winner. Or do you have a better notion of how to manage faction?

: Zubon

Some Things City of Villains Did/Does Right

cov[City of Villains] We conclude Shiny Happy Week with the follow-up to yesterday’s post, the other side of our superhero game. Does it merit it’s own write-up? It is a standalone game, and I have more hours playing it than whatever the next MMO down the list would have been, so yes. We can talk about the things that City of Villains does uniquely that City of Heroes does not (or does not yet, or did not at CoV release, etc.). Also, I have remembered a couple of other things I wanted to note about City of Heroes, so flip over there to see my love for the sidekick/exemplar system.

I have, of course, written quite a lot about City of Villains, since I have been KTR’s lone representative there. New game, exciting things, so I have had various things to say here, here, here, here, and here, and those are the varieties of “CoV is pretty cool” posts. So you can look at those to see some things I have enjoyed.

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Some Things City of Heroes Did/Does Right

coh[City of Heroes] Cast your eyes upon Paragon City, a place devastated by interdimensional war but filled with the hope of a thousand heroes. The strange magic and science of the place have birthed a collection of heroes and villains, and others from around the world flock there to conquer or protect this seat of superheroic power.

I started blogging at Kill Ten Rats with City of Heroes, and you may have noticed it as my most frequent topic. It has been my usual game these past two years, although my account lapses today so I will be on break. What is it about City of Heroes that has brought me so much entertainment?

[edit: added comments on the sidekick/exemplar system below the break]

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Some Things Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates Did/Does Right

[Puzzle Pirates] Next we have an MMOArrPG. Oh, those clever puns!

Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is not a game I have played a lot. I have played enough to sample most things, but I have not done everything and I have never gotten involved in the in-game politics of blockades and such. When I feel like playing the game of mini-games, I log on, find a shop or pick-up crew, and merrily play whatever amuses me. When I have had enough, I collect my pieces of eight and head out.

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Some Things EVE Online Did/Does Right

EVE[EVE Online] A new day, a new galaxy! While most games content themselves with taking us to a new world, EVE Online takes us to a new galaxy filled with worlds. You could control an entire system on the other side of the EVE Gate!

I do not need to say as much about EVE, I suspect, because most of our contributors here have played and commented. Still, there are some things I would like to address. After all, even if you do not enjoy EVE, you must respect what they are doing. The game has an independent vision, an increasing player base, and bold prospects for the future. It strikes out from the mainstream “Yet Another Fantasy MMORPG” approach and has a different take on what a MMO should be and do. Even the one-server approach is rare. I expect to return to EVE sometime soon.

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Some Things A Tale in the Desert Did/Does Right

Today, we head far far outside the mainstream to a game that many of you know little about. A Tale in the Desert is often cited as a niche game, usually serving a population of 1000-2000. eGenesis’s Egypt is certainly an unusual place, where the head developer might respond to your bonfire problems and Pharaoh himself could pop in to for a glass of wine or a puff on your hookah. It is an Egypt knowingly in continual beta, where citizens work out the bugs in new technology as it is implemented on a daily or weekly basis.

It may or may not make sense to speak of A Tale in the Desert, as the third telling of the tale approaches. ATitD is designed to work in cycles: the tale starts, it winds to its conclusion, and it ends. After the end of the world, the world is reborn again. You bring into the new Egypt your experiences and your connections but not your previous wealth. It is a land where knowledge and networks are worth more than gold or blood.

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Shocking Tidbits About Project Entropia

1. It exists. If I hadn’t been a diligent Van Hemlock reader, I might never have realized how much fun was there.

2. The developers need to work on this IRL PvP thing they are trying out. No worries, though, it always takes practice before you can become effective. The important thing is to keep trying!

3. They are getting better at generating free press, although they are about as likely to get a free link as Horizons.

: Zubon

Some Things Dark Age of Camelot Did/Does Right

[DAoC] After we graduated from college, many of my friends decided to stay in touch in Albion. Despite no two of us being in the same time zone, we set up a play time when we all logged into Dark Age of Camelot. I had intended to be our Cabalist, but the lure of the run speed buff led me to be a Theurgist. Fear my bladeturn! It was also where I started learning all the EQ jargon we did not use in AC. Mez?

Let us turn to the three-part land of swords and sorcery. Okay, there are hundreds of fantasy RPGs, but what made this one fun to play (and presumably still keeps thousands playing it, if you will forgive the use of past tense)?

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Some Things Asheron’s Call Did/Does Right

[Asheron’s Call] Asheron’s Call, my first MMO. We spend years hoping the next game will give us back that sense of fun, joy, and wonder at our first game. Our first anything. The newness itself is probably what we are seeking.

On Dereth, we were all humans, visitors from the next dimension over who fought monsters to reclaim another race’s lost lands. Our souls bound to lifestones, we fought to the death and beyond against monsters that returned to plague is in a cloud of purple smoke. We began our days with Drudge and longed for the day we could meet the deadly Olthoi. And, over time, we went hunting for phat lewts and tried to keep on leveling.

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