Month: October 2006

Many people quit at max level and walk away. I have seen much discussion about a lack of end game content, unwillingness to start the treadmill over, lack of direction without the treadmill, and a few others, but there is one explanation I have heard rarely if ever: people get sick of the treadmill well before 50, but tough it out to “finish the game” before they quit.

Before housecleaning, I would look at our CoH SG and see level 47-49 characters who just walked away one day. “How can you get that close,” I wondered, “and just let it go?” Then I remembered, wait, I did exactly the same thing in Dark Age of Camelot. I quit a few levels shy of the level cap, and I would not have gotten that far if my class were not in demand AFK/borrowed dual box (Earth Theurgist with bladeturn chant). It is easy to get sick of the level grind, and many people have quit in their minds but just want to “beat it,” to say that they did (to themselves, mostly).

For a variant perspective, consider studies in the timing of death. People really do hold on for that birthday, new year, grandson’s graduation, or change in inheritance laws (check Ig Nobel prizes for that last one; it actually is solid research). Yea, the soul-crushing agony of the level grind unto death.

: Zubon

Heroes is a really good show, and I’m not just saying that because I’m the huge nerd who blogs about City of Heroes here.

The surprise hit of the show is Masi Oka, Hiro on the show. In-character blogging is here. It’s not terribly cool, but Hiro is obviously one of our people.

: Zubon

One of the more amusing ways to create a disincentive for goldfarmers, bots, and other fun things that come with real money transfers is to have unrestricted PvP (or nearly so). In EVE Online, for example, there are channels devoted to hunting down gold sellers and AFK miners, and good luck getting involved in the actual game part if half the server has you on its hit list as an eBay twink. If someone can kill you and take your stuff, you are less likely to buy stuff.

In Asheron’s Call, there is the classic story of a Darktide (PvP server) character sold on eBay, advertised as having three Mattekar Robes (are those still worth anything?). Let’s call him Bob. Bob told his friends he was selling the character and where he last logged off. Not long after the sale, “Your friend Bob has logged on.” While new Bob was getting his bearings, old Bob’s friend was traveling through portal space. Old Bob’s friend liked his new robe. Old Bob’s friends also knew which lifestone Bob used. Rough start on the new server, new Bob.

If that story is just an urban legend, please don’t disillusion me.

: Zubon

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: Zubon

Or, “Mudflation – Now in Strawberry Flavor”

I should preface by saying I raid in WoW 2-5 times a week, and raided in EQ for far too many years. That’s to defuse the inevitable “u don’t know raiding!!1!!” comments I’ll see emailed to me, in between the mortgage refinance spam. It’s been fun to see my gear scale up from AH Bargain Bin, to mostly blue, to purple. And of course the power gain is handy. My solo ability has gone from adequate to quite fine, and I no longer have the endurance of a wet napkin. Having the ol’ mana bar last longer always helps too. That’s the primary carrot of raiding – new, more powerful items and gear you can’t get elsewhere.

That is, until that scantily dressed harlot known as Miss BC swings by.

Continue reading Uber – Not Just For Raiding Anymore

Yes.

Without them, the fish just flop around on the floor, and that’s cruel.

: Zubon

Believed to be a first, a Senator has used her promotion of video game censorship in a television ad explaining why she should be re-elected. This will allow the junior Senator from New York to rejoin her colleagues in their efforts to tax virtual transactions.

: Zubon

HT: H & R