Obviously one of the biggest bits of news to break while I was "away" was the announcement of Star Wars: The Old Republic going "freemium." (Please don't call it free-to-play. It really isn't. Freemium is a different animal altogether. See previous post on the topic.) I'm sure this subject has already been beaten to death around the blogosphere and to be honest, I haven't read any of it. What follows is my own opinion and my opinion only, and if it happens to be the same as something someone else had to say... well, so be it. I'll jump right to the climax for the "too long; didn't read" crowd.
This is the end of "Subscription Only" as a payment model for MMO's.
Frankly SW:TOR was never a good candidate for a subscription-only game in the first place. Its story driven content and heavy reliance on people creating alts was tailor made for "freemium" from the get-go. Something like the DC Universe Online model would have been perfect for SW:TOR. Charge people for content packs and "nickel and dime" them in the cash shop for Legacy perks, but offer a sub option that grants the content packs automatically and currency for the shop. Easy money. But alas, EA/Bioware was seduced by the WoW-side of the Force and was convinced they could play in the sub-only ballpark. To be fair to them however, as stated above what this really shows is that in all likelihood, "sub-only" is dead as a payment model.
Subscription MMO's also dabbling in microtransactions is nothing new. From the newly launched The Secret World to the old WoW warhorse, many sub-only games have additional things that players can buy. Heck WoW has been doing it for years, overcharging for simple conveniences like server transfers. But for such a high profile release like SW:TOR to abandon the sub-only model so quickly, the writing is on the wall for the entire concept itself in terms of MMO payment models. I can't see any other studio anywhere putting their "eggs" in the subscription basket now that a well financed, heavily hyped game like SW:TOR has failed on that model. Throw in the impending launch of Guild Wars 2 and it's "buy-to-play" model, and I think you have an even stronger argument for the death of "sub-only."
(Side note: I would be shocked to see Blizzard's Project Titan launch as sub-only. Even Blizzard has to realize that their "golden goose" was one of a kind and that ship will never sail again.)
As I said before, I am an advocate of subscriptions. Every "free-to-play" MMO I have sampled has been garbage, either because it was poorly designed or supported, or because the cash shop led to nothing but a "buy-to-win" mechanic where you could simply purchase anything you needed to power up your character and actually playing the game is impossible without making such purchases. So from that point of view, the death of "sub-only" bothers me. However, as I have also said before, "freemium" is not "free-to-play." And I think that it is "freemium" that will become the new dominant model. Some people will always prefer the convenience of subscriptions. I am one of those players. Companies would be foolish to leave that money on the table by not offering that option. Similarly, they would be foolish to go the cash shop only route as that inevitably leads to "buy-to-win" and turns off the majority of players when they realize they will be nothing but food for the "whales."
But sub-only is going the way of the do-do. SW:TOR throwing in the towel slammed the lid shut on the coffin and the GW2 launch will nail it closed. Change is inevitable in any industry and MMO's are no different. This is just another shift in the river like Ultima Online, Everquest, and WoW were before this. It is a paradigm shift, a change in the way the entire industry is going to do business. But like when a river changes direction, those caught unaware, are swept away. Anyone trying to launch a sub-only MMO in 2013 or beyond is in for a very rude awakening. And those companies still running sub-only games today need to take a hard look at their economic realities. I'm looking at you Funcom (TSW) and En Masse (TERA). If either of those games make it to the one year mark as sub-only, I will eat my shorts.
Incidentally, and in the interest of full disclosure, EA/Bioware's decision to go freemium has already earned them some extra money. After I read the announcement, I bought a 60-day game card to jump back into the game and see if it would be worth my time as a freemium/part time game. It is exactly the kind of game I could see myself playing off and on due to its design. Three quick things:
1) It feels like they really tuned the engine over the past couple months. Before I would have framerate issues in crowded zones or heavy effects... now I don't even get so much as a hiccup.
2) The group finder is just as terrible as it is in WoW and RIFT. Spent an hour in queue, finally got a group with a "gogogogo" tank, a "healer" who wasn't spec'd for it, and the other DPS just shot things randomly.
3) Server consolidations worked in terms of overall population, but the way the game is designed, you are still essentially "playing alone in a crowded room."
Tomorrow some thoughts on just how much MMO's and the people who play them have changed, and how I may have been "swept aside" myself by some of those changes.
11 August 2012
10 August 2012
A Month to Ponder
So part of that down time was planned, and part was not. I did manage to squeeze a vacation in there but that wasn't the only thing that kept me away. And boy... did some big news break while I was "out on the lake." I've had a lot to think about in terms of what is going on in the MMO world, and subsequently, lots to say. So this weekend I'm going to be doing a bit of a "brain dump." I'm trying to "categorize" my thoughts into topical posts, but I make no promises. The whole thing may be a bit scattershot. And they will definitely be "walls o' text," so bring a tank if you're afraid of getting smashed.
Short version: Big, meaty posts coming this weekend. Big topics, deep thoughts, heavy reading. Be prepared. :)
Short version: Big, meaty posts coming this weekend. Big topics, deep thoughts, heavy reading. Be prepared. :)
02 July 2012
Lost in The Secret World
Howdy folks. Yes I know I missed my news post yesterday. Yes I know some BIG news hit last week (Guild Wars 2 launch date, etc.) But I have an excellent reason for being "absent." I have been knee deep in The Secret World's early release. So far I have to say that Funcom has shed it's "Failcom" reputation and put together a very solid launch. Is it perfect? Far from it. RIFT's title as "best launch ever" is still secure in my book. But on a scale of "RIFT to Anarchy Online," I would have to rate TSW's launch somewhere below Star Wars: The Old Republic, but above pretty much everything else. I am working on a much more in depth analysis of the launch, but I want to save that for after the "official" launch date on July 3rd, so look for that probably on the 4th. In the meantime, here are a few "quick hit" impressions to hold you over. And so that I don't sound like a "fanboi" again, I'll hit the negatives first.
The Wrongs
* Mission Bugs- There are several missions that are bugged and either cannot be completed at all, or require you to jump through unnecessary "technical" loops to finish, and this includes several of the "Investigation" type missions which are among TSW's biggest selling points. There was a patch and maintenance early this morning though, so maybe they fixed this. I haven't been in the game yet today to check it.
* Cabal Functionality/Interface- Oh my frakkin' god... the cabal interface in this game makes me want to kick puppies, club baby seals, and eat unicorns all at once. It is easily my most hated feature in this game. Since my guild has members spread out through many different regions and time zones, we set up "inviters" at different times of day to get everybody in. I was made one of these to help cover the late night US "shift." Good grief... just inviting a person to a cabal made me feel like I was pulling teeth. Nothing about the cabal interface or functions is intuitive... nothing at all. Frankly they'd be better off scrapping the whole thing and starting over. It is an absolute joke.
* Inventory Issues- I am "OCD" when it comes to my bags, bank, and inventory. I like to sort and store things as neatly as possible. TSW allows a great deal of flexibility in this by allowing you to custom create bags of any size. But for me, this is not working properly. Every bag I create, and even my default inventory bag, will not allow me to place any items in the far right column of the bag. So essentially every bag I create is one column "smaller" than intended. For a "neatnick" like myself this is immensely frustrating. I've sent in a "bug" report on it but no one else in my cabal is reporting similar problems, so I'm not sure what exactly the issue is.
The Rights
* Client Stability- Ok I can only report my experience, but for me the client has been 100% rock solid. I have not had any "crash to desktop" events, lag spikes, or any other sort of anomalies. I have played for several hours at a time and never experiences unexplained slowdowns or other issues. I would say the client is still not fully optimized in terms of CPU/GPU utilization, but it feels much better than my last experience with the beta client. So while there is always room for improvement, for a launch client Funcom has done an exceptional job so far.
* Server Structure- This seems to be the wave of the future as both this game and GW2 are taking new approaches to the concept of servers and allowing players to interact with each other. TSW's solution is to have each player tied to a "home" server (ie. the one you created your character on) but allow you to "meet up" and join any other player on any other server. The only aspect of the game this does not apply to is the persistent PvP zone (Fusang.) So there is no more "Gee I'd love to play with Tommy but he's on the Unicorn Meat server and I'm on the Puppy Love server." Rigid server structures like World of Warcraft are on their way out it would seem.
* Moving Up- As I said in my beta impressions a few weeks ago, TSW combat just feels good. It did then, and it still does. Going out and blasting zombies is just plain fun. Yes the content in this game is more difficult than average, but even if you are looking to "relax" there are things to do and still advance your character. For example, gaining achievements gives XP. So running around exploring a zone or collecting lore fragments will still contribute to your overall progress aside from simply gaining the achievements themselves. This may seem like a small thing, and to the "explorers" among us it may be irrelevant. But it is nice to see that XP bar move every time you unlock something.
Now that I've "come up for air" for a bit and talked about the game... I want to get back to it! Look for more impressions later in the week.
The Wrongs
* Mission Bugs- There are several missions that are bugged and either cannot be completed at all, or require you to jump through unnecessary "technical" loops to finish, and this includes several of the "Investigation" type missions which are among TSW's biggest selling points. There was a patch and maintenance early this morning though, so maybe they fixed this. I haven't been in the game yet today to check it.
* Cabal Functionality/Interface- Oh my frakkin' god... the cabal interface in this game makes me want to kick puppies, club baby seals, and eat unicorns all at once. It is easily my most hated feature in this game. Since my guild has members spread out through many different regions and time zones, we set up "inviters" at different times of day to get everybody in. I was made one of these to help cover the late night US "shift." Good grief... just inviting a person to a cabal made me feel like I was pulling teeth. Nothing about the cabal interface or functions is intuitive... nothing at all. Frankly they'd be better off scrapping the whole thing and starting over. It is an absolute joke.
* Inventory Issues- I am "OCD" when it comes to my bags, bank, and inventory. I like to sort and store things as neatly as possible. TSW allows a great deal of flexibility in this by allowing you to custom create bags of any size. But for me, this is not working properly. Every bag I create, and even my default inventory bag, will not allow me to place any items in the far right column of the bag. So essentially every bag I create is one column "smaller" than intended. For a "neatnick" like myself this is immensely frustrating. I've sent in a "bug" report on it but no one else in my cabal is reporting similar problems, so I'm not sure what exactly the issue is.
The Rights
* Client Stability- Ok I can only report my experience, but for me the client has been 100% rock solid. I have not had any "crash to desktop" events, lag spikes, or any other sort of anomalies. I have played for several hours at a time and never experiences unexplained slowdowns or other issues. I would say the client is still not fully optimized in terms of CPU/GPU utilization, but it feels much better than my last experience with the beta client. So while there is always room for improvement, for a launch client Funcom has done an exceptional job so far.
* Server Structure- This seems to be the wave of the future as both this game and GW2 are taking new approaches to the concept of servers and allowing players to interact with each other. TSW's solution is to have each player tied to a "home" server (ie. the one you created your character on) but allow you to "meet up" and join any other player on any other server. The only aspect of the game this does not apply to is the persistent PvP zone (Fusang.) So there is no more "Gee I'd love to play with Tommy but he's on the Unicorn Meat server and I'm on the Puppy Love server." Rigid server structures like World of Warcraft are on their way out it would seem.
* Moving Up- As I said in my beta impressions a few weeks ago, TSW combat just feels good. It did then, and it still does. Going out and blasting zombies is just plain fun. Yes the content in this game is more difficult than average, but even if you are looking to "relax" there are things to do and still advance your character. For example, gaining achievements gives XP. So running around exploring a zone or collecting lore fragments will still contribute to your overall progress aside from simply gaining the achievements themselves. This may seem like a small thing, and to the "explorers" among us it may be irrelevant. But it is nice to see that XP bar move every time you unlock something.
Now that I've "come up for air" for a bit and talked about the game... I want to get back to it! Look for more impressions later in the week.
29 June 2012
My "Secret" Journey: Prologue Concluded
And finally we have the last "chapter" of my character prologue for The Secret World. Just a bit of a disclaimer before we get to it. I am "skipping" ahead in time. I am not describing the events depicted in the game where your character is awakened to the "secret world." For the purposes of my character, I consider the sequence depicted in the game introduction as "canon" and will not seek to explain it or elaborate on it. Thus this final portion picks up after she has experienced the "Tokyo Flashback" and is undergoing her initial training with the Templars. I realize this may be a bit confusing for those who are following the story but not actually playing the game, so hopefully this helps explain things somewhat. Enjoy!
Awakenings (one week later)
"Dead? What do you mean dead?" Medina shouted at the stone-faced Templar auditor who was calming typing away at his computer. "What about my family? Samantha?"
"The flat which you were occupying has burned down," the auditor replied without looking up from his keyboard. "You died in the fire. This was reported in the news and relayed to your family and acquaintences."
"A fire? But I didn't..." Medina stuttered and tried to compose a response.
"Of course you didn't," the auditor was beginning to sound exasperated. "What part of 'secret' did you not understand? Did you think we would just send you home with a 'Hi, I'm a Templar' t-shirt? They said you were college educated. I am beginning to wonder." After everything else she had been through in the past week, the attack on Medina's intellect was particularly damaging. She flinched as if physically struck.
"I just don't understand..." she whispered softly, holding her head in her hands. "I don't understand anything anymore." The auditor finished typing and finally looked at her.
"Good. Then perhaps there is hope for you after all." He tapped one final key on his keyboard and the large mahogany doors behind him opened. "Your profile has been uploaded. Report to Mr. Sonnac for further instructions." Medina took a moment to try and compose herself. She tugged on her ponytail, straightened her jacket, and walked as steadily as she could towards the large double doors. As she was about to pass through them the auditor spoke one last time. "Ms. Zhon?" She stopped and turned.
"Welcome to the Templars."
She managed a wan smile and a nod and continued into the office of Richard Sonnac. It looked like something out of one of her history textbooks; immense paintings, bookshelves filled with archaic texts, elaborate chandeliers. It all conveyed a sense of power and knowledge. Knowledge, Medina thought to herself as her eyes scanned the room. I thought I had knowledge. I thought I understood the world. She sighed and focused her eyes on the only other occupant of the room, seated behind a large, oak desk. I am such a fool. Politics, philosophy, history... what does it all mean? Nothing. It was all a lie. I devoted my life to understanding a lie.
"Ms. Zhon!" Richard Sonnac's voice cut into her reverie. "Do come in, make yourself comfortable. We have much to discuss."
"That's an understatement," Medina mumbled under her breath as she took a seat opposite Sonnac's desk. He smiled wryly and steepelled his hands in front of him.
"Yes, I would imagine you have a lot of questions. Some I can answer, some I cannot, and some it would be best if you answered for yourself." She glared back at him angrily and allowed her growing frustration to show.
"Which category would telling everyone I know that I'm dead fall under?" she shot back at him.
"That I can answer," Sonnac replied thoughtfully. "But I don't think I have to. You can understand the reasoning of it just as well as I, even if you can't accept it yet." Her laser-like intensity wavered as she considered his words. He's right, she sighed and slumped slightly in the chair. They can't know what has happened to me, what I've become, what the world truly is. I'm alone in this. "But you aren't alone," he continued as if reading her thoughts. "The Templar is your family now. You will find all the support you need within our organization. That support is not without cost however. As you are now aware, there are dark forces moving in the world, and it is up to us to stop them." He stood up and began pacing the length of his office.
"Who..." Medina paused and reconsidered her response. "What are they?"
"That I cannot answer," he said, stopping his pacing and looking at her directly. "At least not in so many words, and at this point it would only confuse you further." He returned to his desk and punched up her profile. "We already have your first assignment, but there are two people you need to speak to before you depart. The first is our weapons master. You'll find him in the Crucible."
"Weapons? But I've never..." Medina began to protest.
"You're a soldier now, Ms. Zhon," Sonnac stated evenly. "You will find that much of being part of our organization is 'on the job training,' so take advantage of the safe environment while you can." The true gravity of the situation began to dawn on Medina just a bit more at that point. A soldier... in a war. If only I had listened to my mother... "The weapons master will give you a basic introduction to hand-to-hand combat, firearms training, and martial magic."
"Magic?" she gasped.
"Magic," Sonnac said. "What? Did you think only the things that go bump in the night were real? You have the capacity within you to 'bump' back, so to speak." He typed up some more commands on his computer and blinked slightly at the results. He composed himself so quickly that Medina almost didn't catch it. "When you are finished in the Crucible, report back to me and I will direct you to your second contact before you depart." She nodded and stood, leveling her emerald eyes on Sonnac.
"So what do I call you? Sir? Boss? Something more formal and imperious?" Sonnac chuckled softly.
"Mr. Sonnac will do, or just Sonnac. We may be a thousand year old organization, but not all of us are so pretentious." Medina turned on her heel and left the room, heading for the Crucible.
.
.
.
It was just a short walk from Sonnac's office and as she entered the chamber she was taken aback by the shackled demons throughout the room. Well if there was any doubt that this was real, that about takes care of that, Medina thought to herself. The surly weapons master stood in the center of the chamber and beckoned her over.
"Get a move on, lass!" he shouted. "Time and tide wait for no man, or no lady either." She quickly made her way down to the lower level and listened intently as the weapons master gave her information about all the weapons at her disposal. She glanced around the room at each weapon in turn as he described them, filing away the basics of each. For the first time since this bizarre ordeal began, her academic training came back to the forefront as she was able to easily categorize and memorize the basic training the weapons master was giving her. But one decision had already been made.
Her father had always wanted her to learn how to shoot, but the idea of holding a gun had always scared Medina too much. Being a woman of small stature, she was always afraid that if she carried one, it would just be taken and used against her, so she never learned. Well... now is my chance. As the weapons master concluded his presentation, she purposefully ignored the melee weapons and magic foci and strode directly to the firearms station. Glancing over the available options, she settled on the pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. Lifting it in her hands, she tucked it against her hip and smiled. This is for you, dad. And to all you things that go bump in the night... she closed her eyes and cocked the shotgun. I'm going to make you pay for taking my life away.
"Made your choice already, lass?" the weapons master shouted from behind her.
"I'm ready," Medina told him, strapping the gun to her back and confidently leaving the room.
.
.
.
"Well that didn't take long," Sonnac's mellow tones declared as Medina strode back into his office. "I was expecting you to be gone at least an hour, considering how little martial training you currently possess."
"Let's just say I had an... inspiration," she told him, placing the shotgun in her lap as she sat down in the same chair as before. "After all I've been through, there is something reassuring about a gun. Nothing supernatural about a bullet between the eyes." Sonnac regarded her thoughtfully.
"True enough, now let's talk about your second contact." He sat and turned his computer monitor to face her. On it was a single word, <ASYLUM>.
"Asylum? Is that a person?" Medina asked him. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"No, it is... a society within a society, so to speak." He turned the monitor back to face himself and continued. "It is a group within the Templars made up of individuals with more unique talents than our typical 'foot soldiers.'" She began to question him but he continued over her. "Yes, yes, I know. The weapons master gave you the 'you are not special' speech. It is true, there are many with your talents, and many with talents that exceed yours. But there is something that sets you apart none the less. I cannot tell you what it is because I do not even know what it is." He cleared his computer screen and stood. "Compartmentalization of information is the name of the game in an organization such as ours. But for whatever reason, you have been assigned to the Asylum. They are based in an apartment complex not far from here. Your contact there is a Ms. Ainslee Simpson. Report to her and then we can discuss your first assignment. And do take your time, all jokes about 2012 aside, the apocalypse will still be waiting when you get back."
"Yes, sir Mr. Boss Sonnac," Medina said as she gave a mock salute and made her way out of the office.
"Oh and one last thing," Sonnac called as she placed her hand on the door. "Since Medina Zhon is 'dead' you'll need a new identity. Among the Templar you will simply be known as 'Xintia.'"
"Xintia?" she said, sounding confused. "Where did that come from?" Sonnac only smiled and shrugged.
"Compartmentalization of information, remember? But do remember, you are dead to the rest of the world. Xintia is who you are now. Medina... is gone." She took a moment to consider the impact of his words.
"Yes I suppose she is," Xintia said, turning her hand on the knob. "In more ways than one." Behind her Mr. Sonnac sighed softly.
"Unstable indeed..."
.
.
.
Leaving the massive Templar complex, Xintia paused a moment and looked up into the evening London sky. I'm a scholar, not a soldier. I'm a seeker of knowledge, not a destroyer. She closed her eyes and wanted to scream. But all that knowledge was useless, empty, a lie. I need to know. She clenched her fists and her sides and let the frustration boil out of her.
"I NEED TO KNOW!" she screamed into the night air. I need to understand THIS world, the real world... the secret world. And with that she turned down the street to seek out the Asylum and one Ainslee Simpson.
Awakenings (one week later)
"Dead? What do you mean dead?" Medina shouted at the stone-faced Templar auditor who was calming typing away at his computer. "What about my family? Samantha?"
"The flat which you were occupying has burned down," the auditor replied without looking up from his keyboard. "You died in the fire. This was reported in the news and relayed to your family and acquaintences."
"A fire? But I didn't..." Medina stuttered and tried to compose a response.
"Of course you didn't," the auditor was beginning to sound exasperated. "What part of 'secret' did you not understand? Did you think we would just send you home with a 'Hi, I'm a Templar' t-shirt? They said you were college educated. I am beginning to wonder." After everything else she had been through in the past week, the attack on Medina's intellect was particularly damaging. She flinched as if physically struck.
"I just don't understand..." she whispered softly, holding her head in her hands. "I don't understand anything anymore." The auditor finished typing and finally looked at her.
"Good. Then perhaps there is hope for you after all." He tapped one final key on his keyboard and the large mahogany doors behind him opened. "Your profile has been uploaded. Report to Mr. Sonnac for further instructions." Medina took a moment to try and compose herself. She tugged on her ponytail, straightened her jacket, and walked as steadily as she could towards the large double doors. As she was about to pass through them the auditor spoke one last time. "Ms. Zhon?" She stopped and turned.
"Welcome to the Templars."
She managed a wan smile and a nod and continued into the office of Richard Sonnac. It looked like something out of one of her history textbooks; immense paintings, bookshelves filled with archaic texts, elaborate chandeliers. It all conveyed a sense of power and knowledge. Knowledge, Medina thought to herself as her eyes scanned the room. I thought I had knowledge. I thought I understood the world. She sighed and focused her eyes on the only other occupant of the room, seated behind a large, oak desk. I am such a fool. Politics, philosophy, history... what does it all mean? Nothing. It was all a lie. I devoted my life to understanding a lie.
"Ms. Zhon!" Richard Sonnac's voice cut into her reverie. "Do come in, make yourself comfortable. We have much to discuss."
"That's an understatement," Medina mumbled under her breath as she took a seat opposite Sonnac's desk. He smiled wryly and steepelled his hands in front of him.
"Yes, I would imagine you have a lot of questions. Some I can answer, some I cannot, and some it would be best if you answered for yourself." She glared back at him angrily and allowed her growing frustration to show.
"Which category would telling everyone I know that I'm dead fall under?" she shot back at him.
"That I can answer," Sonnac replied thoughtfully. "But I don't think I have to. You can understand the reasoning of it just as well as I, even if you can't accept it yet." Her laser-like intensity wavered as she considered his words. He's right, she sighed and slumped slightly in the chair. They can't know what has happened to me, what I've become, what the world truly is. I'm alone in this. "But you aren't alone," he continued as if reading her thoughts. "The Templar is your family now. You will find all the support you need within our organization. That support is not without cost however. As you are now aware, there are dark forces moving in the world, and it is up to us to stop them." He stood up and began pacing the length of his office.
"Who..." Medina paused and reconsidered her response. "What are they?"
"That I cannot answer," he said, stopping his pacing and looking at her directly. "At least not in so many words, and at this point it would only confuse you further." He returned to his desk and punched up her profile. "We already have your first assignment, but there are two people you need to speak to before you depart. The first is our weapons master. You'll find him in the Crucible."
"Weapons? But I've never..." Medina began to protest.
"You're a soldier now, Ms. Zhon," Sonnac stated evenly. "You will find that much of being part of our organization is 'on the job training,' so take advantage of the safe environment while you can." The true gravity of the situation began to dawn on Medina just a bit more at that point. A soldier... in a war. If only I had listened to my mother... "The weapons master will give you a basic introduction to hand-to-hand combat, firearms training, and martial magic."
"Magic?" she gasped.
"Magic," Sonnac said. "What? Did you think only the things that go bump in the night were real? You have the capacity within you to 'bump' back, so to speak." He typed up some more commands on his computer and blinked slightly at the results. He composed himself so quickly that Medina almost didn't catch it. "When you are finished in the Crucible, report back to me and I will direct you to your second contact before you depart." She nodded and stood, leveling her emerald eyes on Sonnac.
"So what do I call you? Sir? Boss? Something more formal and imperious?" Sonnac chuckled softly.
"Mr. Sonnac will do, or just Sonnac. We may be a thousand year old organization, but not all of us are so pretentious." Medina turned on her heel and left the room, heading for the Crucible.
.
.
.
It was just a short walk from Sonnac's office and as she entered the chamber she was taken aback by the shackled demons throughout the room. Well if there was any doubt that this was real, that about takes care of that, Medina thought to herself. The surly weapons master stood in the center of the chamber and beckoned her over.
"Get a move on, lass!" he shouted. "Time and tide wait for no man, or no lady either." She quickly made her way down to the lower level and listened intently as the weapons master gave her information about all the weapons at her disposal. She glanced around the room at each weapon in turn as he described them, filing away the basics of each. For the first time since this bizarre ordeal began, her academic training came back to the forefront as she was able to easily categorize and memorize the basic training the weapons master was giving her. But one decision had already been made.
Her father had always wanted her to learn how to shoot, but the idea of holding a gun had always scared Medina too much. Being a woman of small stature, she was always afraid that if she carried one, it would just be taken and used against her, so she never learned. Well... now is my chance. As the weapons master concluded his presentation, she purposefully ignored the melee weapons and magic foci and strode directly to the firearms station. Glancing over the available options, she settled on the pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. Lifting it in her hands, she tucked it against her hip and smiled. This is for you, dad. And to all you things that go bump in the night... she closed her eyes and cocked the shotgun. I'm going to make you pay for taking my life away.
"Made your choice already, lass?" the weapons master shouted from behind her.
"I'm ready," Medina told him, strapping the gun to her back and confidently leaving the room.
.
.
.
"Well that didn't take long," Sonnac's mellow tones declared as Medina strode back into his office. "I was expecting you to be gone at least an hour, considering how little martial training you currently possess."
"Let's just say I had an... inspiration," she told him, placing the shotgun in her lap as she sat down in the same chair as before. "After all I've been through, there is something reassuring about a gun. Nothing supernatural about a bullet between the eyes." Sonnac regarded her thoughtfully.
"True enough, now let's talk about your second contact." He sat and turned his computer monitor to face her. On it was a single word, <ASYLUM>.
"Asylum? Is that a person?" Medina asked him. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"No, it is... a society within a society, so to speak." He turned the monitor back to face himself and continued. "It is a group within the Templars made up of individuals with more unique talents than our typical 'foot soldiers.'" She began to question him but he continued over her. "Yes, yes, I know. The weapons master gave you the 'you are not special' speech. It is true, there are many with your talents, and many with talents that exceed yours. But there is something that sets you apart none the less. I cannot tell you what it is because I do not even know what it is." He cleared his computer screen and stood. "Compartmentalization of information is the name of the game in an organization such as ours. But for whatever reason, you have been assigned to the Asylum. They are based in an apartment complex not far from here. Your contact there is a Ms. Ainslee Simpson. Report to her and then we can discuss your first assignment. And do take your time, all jokes about 2012 aside, the apocalypse will still be waiting when you get back."
"Yes, sir Mr. Boss Sonnac," Medina said as she gave a mock salute and made her way out of the office.
"Oh and one last thing," Sonnac called as she placed her hand on the door. "Since Medina Zhon is 'dead' you'll need a new identity. Among the Templar you will simply be known as 'Xintia.'"
"Xintia?" she said, sounding confused. "Where did that come from?" Sonnac only smiled and shrugged.
"Compartmentalization of information, remember? But do remember, you are dead to the rest of the world. Xintia is who you are now. Medina... is gone." She took a moment to consider the impact of his words.
"Yes I suppose she is," Xintia said, turning her hand on the knob. "In more ways than one." Behind her Mr. Sonnac sighed softly.
"Unstable indeed..."
.
.
.
Leaving the massive Templar complex, Xintia paused a moment and looked up into the evening London sky. I'm a scholar, not a soldier. I'm a seeker of knowledge, not a destroyer. She closed her eyes and wanted to scream. But all that knowledge was useless, empty, a lie. I need to know. She clenched her fists and her sides and let the frustration boil out of her.
"I NEED TO KNOW!" she screamed into the night air. I need to understand THIS world, the real world... the secret world. And with that she turned down the street to seek out the Asylum and one Ainslee Simpson.
26 June 2012
Defining "Free-to-Play"
The topic of what constitutes "free-to-play" is somewhat frustrating to me. All too often people consider F2P as a "one size fits all" proposition and that it is a single design with a single outcome. As more and more games adopt versions of the F2P model, this thinking seems to become more and more prevalent, which frustrates me all the more. Why? Because nothing could be further from the truth. The concept of F2P is not a single, unified scheme. There are several different ways to approach F2P and they are quite different in terms of the access a non-paying user has to the game, or how a non-paying user can play the game. People who think the F2P "revolution" will result in them being able to "freeload" their favorite franchises are sorely mistaken. The way I see it, F2P can be broken down into two general frameworks, and I want to use this post to lay out the major differences between the two.
Disclaimer: I don't like F2P. I've said so before, but I just want to be clear. The tenor of this post is going to be rather negative. But I do want to differentiate the two major "schools" of F2P as I see them.
Free to Play, But Pay to Stay
Ok, these are the kind of games I think most people have in mind when they think of F2P. I use Runes of Magic as an example because it is a game I actually played for a bit during my "wanderings" after leaving World of Warcraft. In this type of game, the client itself is free. There is no charge or fee to download, install, or run the game. And within the game itself, the vast majority of the actual content is accessible to any player without regard to payment. You don't need to buy access to questing zones, raids, PvP battlegrounds, etc. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Well, just because you can access something doesn't mean that you will, at least not for free.
Where a game like this makes its money is through its shop. Since they aren't selling content per say, a game of this type sells power boosts, conveniences, or both. It is common to find items such as XP boosting potions, travel mounts, inventory expansions, even just the ability to speak in global chat channels in the shops of these games. Depending on the game, you can even directly buy weapons, armor, and other items to boost your character. Often in games that allow this, the content is designed with the assumption that you are going to purchase this gear, or XP boosts, or other cash benefits. The result of this is that non-paying players will find their advancement very slow and "grindy" as they are playing on a lower "curve" than the content is designed for.
Conveniences are also often only available through cash purchases, or heavy accumulation of in-game funds. What do we mean by conveniences? Mostly we're talking about mounts, inventory space, and chat privileges. A non-paying player in a game like this will often find that they are limited to normal running/walking speed, or short duration "rental" mounts, a small personal inventory, and only have access to local/spatial chat channels. Now how much these things matter is going to vary from person to person, but again the game is designed around the notion that you are going to buy these conveniences to some degree, limiting the options of a non-paying player.
What appeals to the average player about this system, and the reason I believe people think it is the "wave of the future," is the issue of content access. In a game like this, if a player is willing to make do with limited conveniences and "grind" their way through things, they can do anything a paying player can do and see all the content the game has to offer. The game itself is free and the content expansions are provided for free. And by providing alternate paths to acquiring cash shop benefits, the illusion is maintained that anything is possible without paying a dime. While this is true in theory, in practice I would argue that very few players are willing to put in the time and effort that these games require in order to obtain the same "free" benefits. Let's be honest here, instant gratification is already the "word of the day" in modern MMO design (hi there, WoW). Do you really think that the "average" player is going to grind themselves to death in a "free" game just to avoid paying a few bucks? Because I don't see it.
Freemium: The Trial Model
The second F2P camp, and the one I think developers really have their eye on, as opposed to the above model, is what I like to call "freemium." Dungeons and Dragons Online is the first game I can think of that adopted this model after launching as a standard subscription product. If anyone can think of an earlier example of "freemium" though, do let me know. As with the "true" F2P model, the client of a "freemium" game is also free. But that is where the similarities between the two end. While "true" F2P does not rely on payment to access content, "freemium" games are based primarily around that very concept.
While "freemium" games employ a cash shop much like "true" F2P does, the emphasis of that shop is much different in a "freemium" game. Here the emphasis is not so much on convenience or boosting (although those may or may not be present as it varies from game to game). Instead the emphasis is on selling you content. A non-paying player in a "freemium" game is going to find large portions of the game inaccessible. A game of this type focuses on selling things such as quest packs, additional zones or dungeons, and even full sized expansions. If you are not going to pay any money for a game like this, you are essentially playing an "extended trial" rather than the full game itself. Doesn't sound too great does it? So why have games that switched to this model (DDO, Lord of the Rings Online, DC Universe, Star Trek: Online) become more profitable?
This model puts a degree of choice into the hands of the player. Very often a "freemium" game will continue to offer a full subscription option. If you really enjoy the game and know you will play it monthly, you can continue to pay according to the traditional model. In most "freemium" games this means automatic access to each content update as they are released and a monthly "stipend" for the game's cash shop. So for the "traditional" MMO player, nothing much changes, which is appealing to them. For others, "freemium" gives them the option to purchase content as they use it, rather than on a flat fee schedule that may not suit their needs. Don't feel like booting up the game this month? No problem, no investment. Big content update next month? Drop in and pick it up. A great deal of flexibility is afforded to the player.
"Free" is really an illusion with this model, much more so than with "true" F2P. Yes you can play a "freemium" game without paying anything. But often you will reach a point where you simply have no alternative than to pay in order to continue. And unlike "true" F2P, it is much more rare in a "freemium" game to find alternate paths to obtaining the same content for free that other players are paying for. They may allow you to save up enough to buy some new bags or a mount, but getting access to that next questing zone or dungeon is often only the realm of the cash shop.
The Misconception
Which brings us full circle to why the discussion of F2P frustrates me. Based on the comments I read around the 'Net, I am left with the impression that when the average gamer thinks of F2P, they are thinking of the first model. The game is free, the content is free, you just get "nickle'd and dime'd" on conveniences and shortcuts, and people think to themselves, "Well I can live without those things. I beat the system!" Not only are they underestimating just what is necessary to truly play for free in these kind of games, they are misinterpreting the intent of game developers. Because when they talk about embracing F2P, I don't think developers are looking at the first model, they are looking at the second.
The precedent is already there for many current games and franchises. When you look at games like Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Battlefield, etc. you can already see the "freemium" concept at work. Yes for now you are still paying for the "client" up front, but what are you paying for after the fact? Content. DLC in these games often takes the form of new maps, new quests, new zones to play in, much like what you find in a "freemium" MMO. THIS is what MMO developers have in mind when they say the "future" of games is F2P. They don't want to sell you a backpack (although some of them will do that too) they want to get you in the door for "free," and then "sell" you the rest of the game piece by piece.
So yes, F2P may be the inevitable future of games, but don't think it means that we'll be living in some gaming utopia where we are playing World of Warcraft II for free. If you look at what developers are really saying, I think you will find the actual message to be something much different.
Disclaimer: I don't like F2P. I've said so before, but I just want to be clear. The tenor of this post is going to be rather negative. But I do want to differentiate the two major "schools" of F2P as I see them.
Free to Play, But Pay to Stay
Ok, these are the kind of games I think most people have in mind when they think of F2P. I use Runes of Magic as an example because it is a game I actually played for a bit during my "wanderings" after leaving World of Warcraft. In this type of game, the client itself is free. There is no charge or fee to download, install, or run the game. And within the game itself, the vast majority of the actual content is accessible to any player without regard to payment. You don't need to buy access to questing zones, raids, PvP battlegrounds, etc. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Well, just because you can access something doesn't mean that you will, at least not for free.
Where a game like this makes its money is through its shop. Since they aren't selling content per say, a game of this type sells power boosts, conveniences, or both. It is common to find items such as XP boosting potions, travel mounts, inventory expansions, even just the ability to speak in global chat channels in the shops of these games. Depending on the game, you can even directly buy weapons, armor, and other items to boost your character. Often in games that allow this, the content is designed with the assumption that you are going to purchase this gear, or XP boosts, or other cash benefits. The result of this is that non-paying players will find their advancement very slow and "grindy" as they are playing on a lower "curve" than the content is designed for.
Conveniences are also often only available through cash purchases, or heavy accumulation of in-game funds. What do we mean by conveniences? Mostly we're talking about mounts, inventory space, and chat privileges. A non-paying player in a game like this will often find that they are limited to normal running/walking speed, or short duration "rental" mounts, a small personal inventory, and only have access to local/spatial chat channels. Now how much these things matter is going to vary from person to person, but again the game is designed around the notion that you are going to buy these conveniences to some degree, limiting the options of a non-paying player.
What appeals to the average player about this system, and the reason I believe people think it is the "wave of the future," is the issue of content access. In a game like this, if a player is willing to make do with limited conveniences and "grind" their way through things, they can do anything a paying player can do and see all the content the game has to offer. The game itself is free and the content expansions are provided for free. And by providing alternate paths to acquiring cash shop benefits, the illusion is maintained that anything is possible without paying a dime. While this is true in theory, in practice I would argue that very few players are willing to put in the time and effort that these games require in order to obtain the same "free" benefits. Let's be honest here, instant gratification is already the "word of the day" in modern MMO design (hi there, WoW). Do you really think that the "average" player is going to grind themselves to death in a "free" game just to avoid paying a few bucks? Because I don't see it.
Freemium: The Trial Model
The second F2P camp, and the one I think developers really have their eye on, as opposed to the above model, is what I like to call "freemium." Dungeons and Dragons Online is the first game I can think of that adopted this model after launching as a standard subscription product. If anyone can think of an earlier example of "freemium" though, do let me know. As with the "true" F2P model, the client of a "freemium" game is also free. But that is where the similarities between the two end. While "true" F2P does not rely on payment to access content, "freemium" games are based primarily around that very concept.
While "freemium" games employ a cash shop much like "true" F2P does, the emphasis of that shop is much different in a "freemium" game. Here the emphasis is not so much on convenience or boosting (although those may or may not be present as it varies from game to game). Instead the emphasis is on selling you content. A non-paying player in a "freemium" game is going to find large portions of the game inaccessible. A game of this type focuses on selling things such as quest packs, additional zones or dungeons, and even full sized expansions. If you are not going to pay any money for a game like this, you are essentially playing an "extended trial" rather than the full game itself. Doesn't sound too great does it? So why have games that switched to this model (DDO, Lord of the Rings Online, DC Universe, Star Trek: Online) become more profitable?
This model puts a degree of choice into the hands of the player. Very often a "freemium" game will continue to offer a full subscription option. If you really enjoy the game and know you will play it monthly, you can continue to pay according to the traditional model. In most "freemium" games this means automatic access to each content update as they are released and a monthly "stipend" for the game's cash shop. So for the "traditional" MMO player, nothing much changes, which is appealing to them. For others, "freemium" gives them the option to purchase content as they use it, rather than on a flat fee schedule that may not suit their needs. Don't feel like booting up the game this month? No problem, no investment. Big content update next month? Drop in and pick it up. A great deal of flexibility is afforded to the player.
"Free" is really an illusion with this model, much more so than with "true" F2P. Yes you can play a "freemium" game without paying anything. But often you will reach a point where you simply have no alternative than to pay in order to continue. And unlike "true" F2P, it is much more rare in a "freemium" game to find alternate paths to obtaining the same content for free that other players are paying for. They may allow you to save up enough to buy some new bags or a mount, but getting access to that next questing zone or dungeon is often only the realm of the cash shop.
The Misconception
Which brings us full circle to why the discussion of F2P frustrates me. Based on the comments I read around the 'Net, I am left with the impression that when the average gamer thinks of F2P, they are thinking of the first model. The game is free, the content is free, you just get "nickle'd and dime'd" on conveniences and shortcuts, and people think to themselves, "Well I can live without those things. I beat the system!" Not only are they underestimating just what is necessary to truly play for free in these kind of games, they are misinterpreting the intent of game developers. Because when they talk about embracing F2P, I don't think developers are looking at the first model, they are looking at the second.
The precedent is already there for many current games and franchises. When you look at games like Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Battlefield, etc. you can already see the "freemium" concept at work. Yes for now you are still paying for the "client" up front, but what are you paying for after the fact? Content. DLC in these games often takes the form of new maps, new quests, new zones to play in, much like what you find in a "freemium" MMO. THIS is what MMO developers have in mind when they say the "future" of games is F2P. They don't want to sell you a backpack (although some of them will do that too) they want to get you in the door for "free," and then "sell" you the rest of the game piece by piece.
So yes, F2P may be the inevitable future of games, but don't think it means that we'll be living in some gaming utopia where we are playing World of Warcraft II for free. If you look at what developers are really saying, I think you will find the actual message to be something much different.
25 June 2012
Post #100
Well I'm not normally the kind of person to indulge in "milestones," but I'll make an exception for this one. This post marks the 100th post to this blog. It is significant to me in the sense that this blog is actually my fourth attempt at blogging, not all on the same topic. I've tried to start blogs based on many of my hobbies including cooking, sports, and politics, but for one reason or another they always fell flat. Now if you measured success strictly through readership or pageviews, then this blog hasn't been much more successful than any of those were. I'm still sitting somewhere around 50 visits per day. But it's never really been about the size of the audience to me. I am grateful to each of you who take the time to read what I have to say when I post. Do I wish it were more? Sure, who doesn't? But I am appreciative simply for the opportunity and the platform to speak my mind about things that I am passionate about.
I know that the tenor of my posts has been a little strange lately. Aside from the character prologues and the Sunday news posts, I haven't had much "direct" to say about specific issues. As I said, I think this is mostly due to it being a sort of "down time" for me right now in that I am not playing an MMO full time at the moment. But that is going to change very soon when The Secret World launches at the end of this week. Once I have a game to sink my teeth into, I think it will stimulate my interest not only in that game itself, but in the broader issues affecting the genre as a whole as well. It is just difficult to feel fully "invested" in what is going on when you don't really have a "stake" in the game, and I suppose that describes how things are for me with no specific game to play.
So while I certainly don't intend to take the time to "pat myself on the back" for every milestone number that I come across, one-hundred is one of those nice, round numbers that is easy to take a moment to recognize. Things were a little touch and go with this blog too. I know I went over a month without posting, but that's how life is sometimes. One of the lessons to be learned with any hobby is how to manage it against the more important things in your life. That is not to say that hobbies aren't important. I would argue that creative outlets, in whatever form they may take, are an important part of anyone's life. But they can't come at the cost of a job, or spouse, or family. They can prevent you from killing your family though... ;)
I enjoy taking the time to share my thoughts here and I hope that you will continue to enjoy taking the time to read them.
I know that the tenor of my posts has been a little strange lately. Aside from the character prologues and the Sunday news posts, I haven't had much "direct" to say about specific issues. As I said, I think this is mostly due to it being a sort of "down time" for me right now in that I am not playing an MMO full time at the moment. But that is going to change very soon when The Secret World launches at the end of this week. Once I have a game to sink my teeth into, I think it will stimulate my interest not only in that game itself, but in the broader issues affecting the genre as a whole as well. It is just difficult to feel fully "invested" in what is going on when you don't really have a "stake" in the game, and I suppose that describes how things are for me with no specific game to play.
So while I certainly don't intend to take the time to "pat myself on the back" for every milestone number that I come across, one-hundred is one of those nice, round numbers that is easy to take a moment to recognize. Things were a little touch and go with this blog too. I know I went over a month without posting, but that's how life is sometimes. One of the lessons to be learned with any hobby is how to manage it against the more important things in your life. That is not to say that hobbies aren't important. I would argue that creative outlets, in whatever form they may take, are an important part of anyone's life. But they can't come at the cost of a job, or spouse, or family. They can prevent you from killing your family though... ;)
I enjoy taking the time to share my thoughts here and I hope that you will continue to enjoy taking the time to read them.
24 June 2012
This Just In: Missed the Deadline Edition
Good morning Internet denizens. I just managed to crawl myself out of bed so this post is up a little late. Sleep however, is a good thing. Some interesting stories came out this week, and I'm planning some larger posts based on a few of the issues that came up. But I didn't want to skip my usual news rundown. So here we go, the big stories of the week.
Free-to-Play is Inevitable?
Much was made of the news that trickled out that EA/Bioware was considering a free-to-play conversion for Star Wars: The Old Republic at some point in the future. But then Kotaku published this interview with EA COO Peter Moore. In it he discusses the future of video gaming in general, and specifically how games are paid for and financed. He suggests that microtransactions will make their way into every game, and that every game will essentially be paid for by the few who purchase these add-ons while the majority play for free. The interviewer asks if Moore sees all games adopting this model and this was his reply:
"I think there's an inevitability that happens five years from now, 10 years from now, that, let's call it the client, to use the term, [is free.]"
I would highly recommend reading the entire article and interview. It is not only relevant from the perspective of MMO's, but anyone who follows the gaming industry in general. I am preparing a more in-depth post for later in the week on the concept of what exactly "free-to-play" means, both in this context and for MMO's. So I am going to refrain from more specific commentary here. But really, do yourself a favor and read the interview. Love EA or hate them, they are big players in the market and the direction they take will send ripples through the whole industry.
Thank You for your Purchase of Diablo 3, Wait Please...
Speaking of big players in the industry, Blizzard was back in the news for a less than flattering reason as this story broke regarding digital purchases of Diablo 3. It would seem that Blizzard is having issues with less than scrupulous individuals using hacked and stolen credit cards to purchase copies of the game. In response to this, Blizzard implemented a policy in which players must wait up to three days after purchasing the game to play the full version. Until this authorization takes place, the player is restricted to a "trial" version of the game where they are limited to the first Act, a level cap, and cannot access the auction house.
I'm of two minds on this issue. The first is that Blizzard is trying to protect itself, and its customers against fraud. When it comes to this, I am very much in the camp of "better safe than sorry." I don't mind a company being somewhat overzealous if it means protecting my finances and identity. Somewhat related to this, I can say that when I made my purchase of the lifetime subscription of The Secret World, my financial institution flagged the purchase as "potentially fraudulent" and I had to authorize to them personally. I did not mind doing this as I knew they were looking out for me.
On the other hand, this is a slightly different set of circumstances. The money has already changed hands. Blizzard already has your money, so why do you have to wait to use the product that you paid for? Some people also say this reflects poorly on Blizzard's decision to have an essentially single-player game be so heavily dependent on Internet connectivity. While that is still a controversial issue, I don't consider it part of this problem. It certainly isn't an elegant solution, but I think Blizzard's intentions are good in this case.
Schilling Shut Out
The news about the bankruptcy and shut down of 38 Studios is sad and unfortunate, and has been commented on both in this blog and in dozens of other places on the 'Net. But this past week, founder and former baseball player Curt Schilling gave an interview to Boston radio station WEEI where he shed some light on his financial exposure and a bit more of "his side of the story." In it he states that the money he earned while playing baseball is essentially gone. Much of his personal savings was invested in the company and he says that "life will be different now." He also reiterates his criticism of Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, claiming that he was close to securing private financing to keep the studio afloat, but negative comments from the governor scared off potential investors.
While on the one hand it is difficult to feel sorry for a millionaire when so many of us are going through our own financial struggles, and it is true that Schilling's outspoken nature makes him even less likeable to many average folks, I still say there are no winners here. I think Mr. Schilling really was passionate about what he was trying to do with 38 Studios. I think he is somewhat of a kid at heart and wanted to use the money and fame he accumulated as a baseball player to fulfill a dream of creating video games. Unfortunately his financial and technical acumen did not match his athletic ability or his dreams. So while I don't think anyone will cry over Mr. Schilling's lost personal fortune or the "hardship" he will endure because of it, I think we can all lament the loss of the studio itself, the lives that were impacted, and the games we will never get a chance to play.
Free-to-Play is Inevitable?
Much was made of the news that trickled out that EA/Bioware was considering a free-to-play conversion for Star Wars: The Old Republic at some point in the future. But then Kotaku published this interview with EA COO Peter Moore. In it he discusses the future of video gaming in general, and specifically how games are paid for and financed. He suggests that microtransactions will make their way into every game, and that every game will essentially be paid for by the few who purchase these add-ons while the majority play for free. The interviewer asks if Moore sees all games adopting this model and this was his reply:
"I think there's an inevitability that happens five years from now, 10 years from now, that, let's call it the client, to use the term, [is free.]"
I would highly recommend reading the entire article and interview. It is not only relevant from the perspective of MMO's, but anyone who follows the gaming industry in general. I am preparing a more in-depth post for later in the week on the concept of what exactly "free-to-play" means, both in this context and for MMO's. So I am going to refrain from more specific commentary here. But really, do yourself a favor and read the interview. Love EA or hate them, they are big players in the market and the direction they take will send ripples through the whole industry.
Thank You for your Purchase of Diablo 3, Wait Please...
Speaking of big players in the industry, Blizzard was back in the news for a less than flattering reason as this story broke regarding digital purchases of Diablo 3. It would seem that Blizzard is having issues with less than scrupulous individuals using hacked and stolen credit cards to purchase copies of the game. In response to this, Blizzard implemented a policy in which players must wait up to three days after purchasing the game to play the full version. Until this authorization takes place, the player is restricted to a "trial" version of the game where they are limited to the first Act, a level cap, and cannot access the auction house.
I'm of two minds on this issue. The first is that Blizzard is trying to protect itself, and its customers against fraud. When it comes to this, I am very much in the camp of "better safe than sorry." I don't mind a company being somewhat overzealous if it means protecting my finances and identity. Somewhat related to this, I can say that when I made my purchase of the lifetime subscription of The Secret World, my financial institution flagged the purchase as "potentially fraudulent" and I had to authorize to them personally. I did not mind doing this as I knew they were looking out for me.
On the other hand, this is a slightly different set of circumstances. The money has already changed hands. Blizzard already has your money, so why do you have to wait to use the product that you paid for? Some people also say this reflects poorly on Blizzard's decision to have an essentially single-player game be so heavily dependent on Internet connectivity. While that is still a controversial issue, I don't consider it part of this problem. It certainly isn't an elegant solution, but I think Blizzard's intentions are good in this case.
Schilling Shut Out
The news about the bankruptcy and shut down of 38 Studios is sad and unfortunate, and has been commented on both in this blog and in dozens of other places on the 'Net. But this past week, founder and former baseball player Curt Schilling gave an interview to Boston radio station WEEI where he shed some light on his financial exposure and a bit more of "his side of the story." In it he states that the money he earned while playing baseball is essentially gone. Much of his personal savings was invested in the company and he says that "life will be different now." He also reiterates his criticism of Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, claiming that he was close to securing private financing to keep the studio afloat, but negative comments from the governor scared off potential investors.
While on the one hand it is difficult to feel sorry for a millionaire when so many of us are going through our own financial struggles, and it is true that Schilling's outspoken nature makes him even less likeable to many average folks, I still say there are no winners here. I think Mr. Schilling really was passionate about what he was trying to do with 38 Studios. I think he is somewhat of a kid at heart and wanted to use the money and fame he accumulated as a baseball player to fulfill a dream of creating video games. Unfortunately his financial and technical acumen did not match his athletic ability or his dreams. So while I don't think anyone will cry over Mr. Schilling's lost personal fortune or the "hardship" he will endure because of it, I think we can all lament the loss of the studio itself, the lives that were impacted, and the games we will never get a chance to play.
22 June 2012
My "Secret" Journey: Prologue Part IV
Almost forgot to post the next segment for the week. It's been one of "those" kind of days, but thankfully Friday is here and relief is in sight. Enjoy the post and enjoy your weekend!
Transitions
Medina sobbed and huddled beneath the scorching rock face. She could run no longer. The abominations followed no matter where she choose to go, and each direction was the same as the others. As far as the eye could see stretched a vast, barren plain. There was nothing but blistering rocks, fiery prominences, and a foreboding empty sky. It was to this sky that Medina turned her gaze, seeking something familiar, anything to steady herself, but there was nothing to be found. Suddenly another roar erupted from the horde that was slowly surrounding her. Again it was the four-winged demon, the beast that had been haunting her for days now, and the buzzing, the constant buzzing never stopped. Medina lowered her head into her hands and squeezed her fingertips against her temples, trying anything to shut the noise out. Maybe it would all just go away if the noise would stop...
Suddenly the buzzing coalesced into a voice, a soft, comforting whisper that echoed through Medina's mind. You cannot run forever, child. She opened her eyes and blinked frantically, looking around for the source of the voice. You cannot outrun fate, and the fate of this world is about to be decided. She looked out from behind the rock that was shielding her and saw the demon horde had stopped advancing. It stood there, gathered beneath the wings of the massive demon, chattering ominously. You have but a small role to play, but play it you must. Suddenly Medina's limbs ignited in a bizarre otherworldly fire. She screamed and bolted up from beneath the rock, flailing her arms to try and put out the indescribable flame. You must face your fear.
The fire was a beacon to the demon horde and the grotesque four-winged beast bellowed, ordering its minions to snuff out the puny little blaze. Medina began to backpedal as the voice dispersed back into the droning buzz from before, but the last few words lingered in her mind... face your fear.
.
.
.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are on our final approach to Heathrow. If you would return your seats and tray tables to their full..." Medina blinked and struggled to focus as the flight attendants went through the usual series of landing announcements. She looked and saw Samantha packing up her laptop in the seat next to her. Glancing around the cabin, she tried to determine if she had cried out in her sleep or made any other sort of scene. No one seemed to be paying undue attention to her or otherwise taking any notice of her. Medina sighed in relief and pushed her seat back up.
"Wow did I really sleep the whole way over here?" she asked her friend. Samantha smiled back wryly.
"I think you could have slept through the apocalypse, Medina. I even asked if you wanted to watch my movie with me and you didn't even blink." Medina tried to suppress a shudder at Samantha's mention of the apocalypse. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to know what exactly had been troubling her dreams, especially not on the verge of their vacation. Medina already had a reputation for always finding a way to "spoil the fun" and she was determined not to be that person on this trip.
"Probably because it was one of those sappy romantic comedies you can't seem to get enough of," she replied, hoping the weak attempt at humor would conceal how shaky she was feeling inside.
"I'll have you know it was nothing of the sort," Samantha said indignantly. "Ok, ok... so it was. But it's not my fault that's all Jennifer Anniston has done since Friends ended!" Samantha owned the entire series on DVD and practically worshiped Jennifer Anniston in particular. "She's so much more talented than that. Why doesn't she branch out?" Medina smiled and clapped her friend on the shoulder as the plane's wheels hit the ground in London.
"These are life's questions that we will never have answers to." Medina's mind was full of questions that had no answers. And none of them had anything to do with Hollywood...
.
.
.
It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Medina fumbled with the key to the lock of their rented London flat. It was difficult to work the mechanism with Samantha slouched over her shoulder. Finally she fit the key in and gave it a turn. Stumbling into the living room, they both collapsed on the couch. Samantha's eyes fluttered softly and she began to chuckle.
"I told ya, Zee..." she slurred as she curled up on the faux leather sofa. "We are gonna have... the time of our lives." Barely one day into their London adventure and Samantha wasn't wasting any time. She had already selected an upscale London nightclub for their first "adventure," and even Medina had to admit it was a good choice, much better than the college hangouts she was used to. Several men had made "friendly overtures" to her, but none of the overaggressive "pawing" that had driven her from the club scene as an undergrad. Medina pulled the tie from her hair and let her scarlet trusses loose.
"Yeah Sam, better rest up so we can have the 'time of our lives' again tomorrow." She crossed over to the linen closet and pulled one of the spare blankets. Draping it over her friend, she turned off the light and stepped into the bedroom. The flat was a spacious one; two large bedrooms, a full kitchen, living and dining spaces, and stocked with amenities that had saved them considerable packing space. Medina didn't really want to know what it had cost Samantha to reserve it. She felt bad enough "tagging along" on this trip as it was. She had a feeling she would feel even worse if she knew the full cost of it.
Medina dropped her purse on the nightstand and made her way to the bathroom. Flipping on the light, she took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror. At Samantha's insistence she had allowed her friend to "doll her up" a bit with more makeup than she was accustomed to wearing. She had to admit that it had held up well under pressure. Even after a full night on the dance floor, she still looked good. You do have some talents after all, Sam, Medina thought to herself. Too bad they just don't run to the academic. She smiled at her reflection, tossed some water on her face, and began to scrub off the "war paint." Turning back to the living room, she found Samantha sound asleep on the couch. She double checked the front door locking it securely and then undressed for a shower.
.
.
.
Feeling a bit more human after washing off the evening's exertions, Medina dressed herself for bed and found herself staring at the ceiling. Sleep had become her enemy; the four-winged demon, the maddening buzz, and now this ethereal voice. I AM facing my fears. Why else would I even be here? She had crossed her parents, stepped well out of her "comfort zone," and now even in her dreams she is faced with her insecurities. Is that all it is? My subconscious punishing me for doing this? A sense of guilt? Medina sighed with frustration and pulled the blankets up over her chest. That would just be my luck. Even my own brain won't forgive me for trying to have some fun. She closed her eyes and quickly sleep found her.
But that was not all that found her. One feature the flat they had rented did lack was air conditioning, so Medina had left the window of her bedroom open to allow more air to flow in. London was far from the warmest place on earth, but the humidity could make things quite uncomfortable depending on the time of year. And so as Medina drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard the buzzing yet again. But this time it was not her mind playing tricks on her. A small bee slipped through the opening of her bedroom window. Alighting briefly on the frame, it then flew across the room to where Medina lay. It danced across her lips, and as her mind shifted into deep sleep, it crawled into her mouth and insisted on being swallowed...
Transitions
Medina sobbed and huddled beneath the scorching rock face. She could run no longer. The abominations followed no matter where she choose to go, and each direction was the same as the others. As far as the eye could see stretched a vast, barren plain. There was nothing but blistering rocks, fiery prominences, and a foreboding empty sky. It was to this sky that Medina turned her gaze, seeking something familiar, anything to steady herself, but there was nothing to be found. Suddenly another roar erupted from the horde that was slowly surrounding her. Again it was the four-winged demon, the beast that had been haunting her for days now, and the buzzing, the constant buzzing never stopped. Medina lowered her head into her hands and squeezed her fingertips against her temples, trying anything to shut the noise out. Maybe it would all just go away if the noise would stop...
Suddenly the buzzing coalesced into a voice, a soft, comforting whisper that echoed through Medina's mind. You cannot run forever, child. She opened her eyes and blinked frantically, looking around for the source of the voice. You cannot outrun fate, and the fate of this world is about to be decided. She looked out from behind the rock that was shielding her and saw the demon horde had stopped advancing. It stood there, gathered beneath the wings of the massive demon, chattering ominously. You have but a small role to play, but play it you must. Suddenly Medina's limbs ignited in a bizarre otherworldly fire. She screamed and bolted up from beneath the rock, flailing her arms to try and put out the indescribable flame. You must face your fear.
The fire was a beacon to the demon horde and the grotesque four-winged beast bellowed, ordering its minions to snuff out the puny little blaze. Medina began to backpedal as the voice dispersed back into the droning buzz from before, but the last few words lingered in her mind... face your fear.
.
.
.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are on our final approach to Heathrow. If you would return your seats and tray tables to their full..." Medina blinked and struggled to focus as the flight attendants went through the usual series of landing announcements. She looked and saw Samantha packing up her laptop in the seat next to her. Glancing around the cabin, she tried to determine if she had cried out in her sleep or made any other sort of scene. No one seemed to be paying undue attention to her or otherwise taking any notice of her. Medina sighed in relief and pushed her seat back up.
"Wow did I really sleep the whole way over here?" she asked her friend. Samantha smiled back wryly.
"I think you could have slept through the apocalypse, Medina. I even asked if you wanted to watch my movie with me and you didn't even blink." Medina tried to suppress a shudder at Samantha's mention of the apocalypse. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to know what exactly had been troubling her dreams, especially not on the verge of their vacation. Medina already had a reputation for always finding a way to "spoil the fun" and she was determined not to be that person on this trip.
"Probably because it was one of those sappy romantic comedies you can't seem to get enough of," she replied, hoping the weak attempt at humor would conceal how shaky she was feeling inside.
"I'll have you know it was nothing of the sort," Samantha said indignantly. "Ok, ok... so it was. But it's not my fault that's all Jennifer Anniston has done since Friends ended!" Samantha owned the entire series on DVD and practically worshiped Jennifer Anniston in particular. "She's so much more talented than that. Why doesn't she branch out?" Medina smiled and clapped her friend on the shoulder as the plane's wheels hit the ground in London.
"These are life's questions that we will never have answers to." Medina's mind was full of questions that had no answers. And none of them had anything to do with Hollywood...
.
.
.
It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Medina fumbled with the key to the lock of their rented London flat. It was difficult to work the mechanism with Samantha slouched over her shoulder. Finally she fit the key in and gave it a turn. Stumbling into the living room, they both collapsed on the couch. Samantha's eyes fluttered softly and she began to chuckle.
"I told ya, Zee..." she slurred as she curled up on the faux leather sofa. "We are gonna have... the time of our lives." Barely one day into their London adventure and Samantha wasn't wasting any time. She had already selected an upscale London nightclub for their first "adventure," and even Medina had to admit it was a good choice, much better than the college hangouts she was used to. Several men had made "friendly overtures" to her, but none of the overaggressive "pawing" that had driven her from the club scene as an undergrad. Medina pulled the tie from her hair and let her scarlet trusses loose.
"Yeah Sam, better rest up so we can have the 'time of our lives' again tomorrow." She crossed over to the linen closet and pulled one of the spare blankets. Draping it over her friend, she turned off the light and stepped into the bedroom. The flat was a spacious one; two large bedrooms, a full kitchen, living and dining spaces, and stocked with amenities that had saved them considerable packing space. Medina didn't really want to know what it had cost Samantha to reserve it. She felt bad enough "tagging along" on this trip as it was. She had a feeling she would feel even worse if she knew the full cost of it.
Medina dropped her purse on the nightstand and made her way to the bathroom. Flipping on the light, she took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror. At Samantha's insistence she had allowed her friend to "doll her up" a bit with more makeup than she was accustomed to wearing. She had to admit that it had held up well under pressure. Even after a full night on the dance floor, she still looked good. You do have some talents after all, Sam, Medina thought to herself. Too bad they just don't run to the academic. She smiled at her reflection, tossed some water on her face, and began to scrub off the "war paint." Turning back to the living room, she found Samantha sound asleep on the couch. She double checked the front door locking it securely and then undressed for a shower.
.
.
.
Feeling a bit more human after washing off the evening's exertions, Medina dressed herself for bed and found herself staring at the ceiling. Sleep had become her enemy; the four-winged demon, the maddening buzz, and now this ethereal voice. I AM facing my fears. Why else would I even be here? She had crossed her parents, stepped well out of her "comfort zone," and now even in her dreams she is faced with her insecurities. Is that all it is? My subconscious punishing me for doing this? A sense of guilt? Medina sighed with frustration and pulled the blankets up over her chest. That would just be my luck. Even my own brain won't forgive me for trying to have some fun. She closed her eyes and quickly sleep found her.
But that was not all that found her. One feature the flat they had rented did lack was air conditioning, so Medina had left the window of her bedroom open to allow more air to flow in. London was far from the warmest place on earth, but the humidity could make things quite uncomfortable depending on the time of year. And so as Medina drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard the buzzing yet again. But this time it was not her mind playing tricks on her. A small bee slipped through the opening of her bedroom window. Alighting briefly on the frame, it then flew across the room to where Medina lay. It danced across her lips, and as her mind shifted into deep sleep, it crawled into her mouth and insisted on being swallowed...
19 June 2012
Is The Secret World for you?
Alright, I have made no qualms about the fact that I am excited about The Secret World. It is a game that has been on my radar for quite some time, and when pre-orders opened back in April, I immediately took advantage of the lifetime subscription option. So I was very excited to actually get my hands on the game and see if it was going to meet the expectations that I had for it. Overall I would have to say that it did... and it did not. As I said yesterday, I do not want my beta impressions to come off as the ravings of a fanboi. The game does have some shortcomings, and it will certainly not be for everyone. With all that in mind then, here is my "Three UP and Three DOWN" impressions of TSW based on this past weekend's beta.
UP- Character Development, Classless but not Roleless
I will say right off the top that I am a big fan of the way TSW approaches character development. There are no classes in the game. That is to say, you are never "locked" into a certain set of skills and abilities. Every weapon and every skill in the game can be learned by a single character. Now the biggest misconception that people have at this point is that this means that TSW is "roleless" as well, akin to what Guild Wars 2 is attempting to do (but doesn't really pull off, but that's a discussion for another time.) But this is not the case. In its group content, TSW still relies on the "Trinity" archetypes of tank, healer, and damage dealer. The ways these roles are performed are more "loose" than more standardized MMO's like World of Warcraft or RIFT but the roles do exist. So do not mistake the "open" development system for a non-trinity grouping mechanic.
This open system allows you to create basically any kind of character you want, and to change your combat abilities at will in order to meet new challenges. If you want to play a fireball slinging "mage," you can focus on those skills. The sky really is the limit, but you have to remain open to new possibilities. What I mean by that is, TSW's content is not easy. Even the "solo" missions will occasionally confront you with an enemy or a situation that will require you to use different skills and tactics to overcome it. This will be a turn off to some, but the answers are always available. You just have to think about your character and your capabilities in a different way than you are used to in most MMO's.
UP- Combat System
You have heard me talk before about combat "feel" in an MMO. There is just something about the flow, the pace, and the style of combat in a game like this. It is a difficult concept to put into words and for me, either a game has it or it doesn't. Well in my opinion TSW has it. The combat feels responsive, it feels fun, and it adds just enough of something "new" to differentiate it from its "hotbar/cooldown" brethren. There are over 500 abilities to be learned in TSW but your character can only use fourteen of these at any one time, seven active abilities and seven passive abilities. I love this in and of itself for two reasons. First, it forces you to think creatively about combinations of abilities and creating synergies. And second, you avoid the situation of having your screen totally overwhelmed with buttons and icons for abilities.
And going out and using those abilities is a blast. As I said, the combat just feels good. Like with Age of Conan, Funcom has tossed in a few extras here to add just a bit of spice to what might otherwise be fairly standard MMO combat. First off, enemies with special abilities will often lay out an area of effect for those abilities and give you time to evade it. If you can move out of the targeted area, you can avoid the attack. This is helpful in solo content, and vital in group content. And to assist with this, Funcom has included a "dodge" mechanic. Simply tap a directional key twice in succession and your character will dive/jump/roll in that direction. This ability has a cooldown so you can't just somersault your way through a fight, but it does allow you to evade those targeted attacks. Put it all together and TSW's combat does just enough things different to set itself apart and still "feel" fun.
UP- Atmosphere and Story
Star Wars: The Old Republic really upped the ante in terms of the stories being told in the MMO space. TSW is not that ambitious, but it does go above and beyond the average in setting the mood, creating a story, and giving you a reason to do many of the things you are doing. As with SW:TOR much of the quest-givers dialogue is voiced. Clicking on an NPC to start a quest almost always starts a cutscene where the NPC will give you some background or explanation for what you are about to do. However unlike SW:TOR these are not interactive scenes. Your character is always a "silent protagonist" and does not participate in the conversation. There are no branching dialogue options or any form of interaction. I think this strikes a good balance between SW:TOR's "story is everything" approach, and the typical MMO where every quest devolves into "skip the text, kill ten rats, repeat."
Along with the storytelling, the game also excels at setting the mood. Now I can only speak to the two zones that were open in this beta, but in both there is a definite sense of dread and foreboding. I won't go so far as to call it a "survival horror" mood like you might hope to find in a game like Resident Evil, but you definitely get the sense that you are in a place where things have gone horribly wrong. The lighting, the music, everything lends itself to a sense of the macabre and it does a good job of making you feel like you are in this world that they are trying to create.
DOWN- Missing Key Features
Ok as I said, I don't want to overlook the game's problems and it does have some. The first is that several key features of the game were still missing as of this test. Now I know, it is still in beta, but we are less than two weeks now from early access and exactly two weeks from launch. That is very late in the process to still have some very important features not implemented. Among these are guilds (or as TSW calls them, cabals), banks, and the auction house. These are not just "quality of life" features. They are necessities. No MMO should launch with these features not in place and if TSW were to do so, I would be the first to call them out for it, no matter how big a fan of the game I might be.
The fact that these features are not yet in the game for testing is a troubling sign. One might think that they would be fairly simple to implement, but my experience with other games would hint that is not the case. When RIFT put guild banks in there were some major issues with items being lost, entire banks being wiped out, etc. And anyone who has played SW:TOR can tell you what a mess using the AH in that game is. So what may appear simple on the surface is rarely that simple to implement. Can Funcom get these things into the game and functioning properly in less than two weeks? I don't know, but they had better.
DOWN- Performance Issues
Reports have been all across the board in terms of how TSW performs on various machines. People with amazing rigs report great performance, but others with similarly powerful machines claim major problems. And it is the same for minimal machines as well. Some say they can play just fine, others claim it is unplayable. All I can report here is my own experience and what I got was rather uneven. My CPU/GPU are no longer top of the line, but they are well above average, and certainly well above the recommended hardware for this game. Yet the client's performance was very inconsistent. I could not even identify specific situations or effects that would cause a slowdown. In some games I know heavy particle effects or shadows can give me trouble.
Which brings me to my other complaint on this issue... the video settings do not allow you to configure specific effects options like particle effects, shadows, etc. It just has a series of sliders with some vague descriptions of some graphical effects. Further, it says that if you alter the settings (ie. put one slider at say 4 and another at 2) that technical support will not assist you as you are not using a recommended "setting." Now in all fairness, that may just be a holdover of beta, I don't know. But the lack of flexibility and customization in the graphics options is another real problem in my opinion, especially for those at either the top or the bottom of the performance spectrum.
DOWN- Content Concerns
I would call this final issue a "provisional concern" because obviously not all the content was available in the beta, but what I did see left me concerned enough to make it an issue. TSW will launch with eight zones, two of which were open in this beta. I played heavily on Friday, quite a bit more on Saturday, and hardly at all on Sunday. In that time I easily finished all the content in the first zone (Kingsmouth) and made decent progress into the second zone (The Savage Coast.) I did not attempt either of the dungeons that were open in this beta. But altogether I still completed a significant amount of the available content in a fairly limited amount of playing time. Even broken into shorter sessions, completing the first zone in its entirety could easily be completed in a couple days.
Now there is no way to know if the unplayable zones in Egypt and Transylvania will be as easy to complete. There is no way to judge that at this point. That is why I called it a "provisional concern." In addition, Funcom has already said that while large group content (ie. raids) will not be available at launch, they will be coming soon after, and each current dungeon will have an "elite" setting as well. So there will be other options for content. I just have a feeling... the game will feel a little shallow at first. And I am afraid the "content locusts" are going to devour what is available inside of a couple weeks and take to the forums to declare they have nothing to do. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the later zones are much deeper, but right now I am concerned.
Overall Impressions
This game is not going to please everybody. Even the solo content will require a level of effort that is more than the casual MMO player will probably want to give, having been "spoiled" by the mindless leveling content of games like WoW and RIFT. The game is difficult. Random enemies you encounter in the course of average missions WILL kill you, sometimes with regularity. The first time it happened to me, my jaw literally dropped. I hadn't been "challenged" like that by MMO solo content since the original WoW. The lack of class and role structure will also turn some off. As I said, roles are present but the implementation is much looser, meaning you have to be willing to adapt. If your attitude is, "I am DEEPS and that is all," your usefulness to a group will be almost zero. You have to be willing to swap in a heal, or a snare, or a buff, or something to help overcome a particular boss or encounter.
But to me, that is all a good thing. Frankly I want this game to have a "niche" or cult following. I want it to have a small, loyal following. I'm tired of chasing the "next big thing." I don't want to be WoW or SW:TOR. I would rather be a part of a small, dedicated, and caring community than a part of a faceless mass just consuming content. So as long as it has enough players to be profitable, that's good enough for me.
UP- Character Development, Classless but not Roleless
I will say right off the top that I am a big fan of the way TSW approaches character development. There are no classes in the game. That is to say, you are never "locked" into a certain set of skills and abilities. Every weapon and every skill in the game can be learned by a single character. Now the biggest misconception that people have at this point is that this means that TSW is "roleless" as well, akin to what Guild Wars 2 is attempting to do (but doesn't really pull off, but that's a discussion for another time.) But this is not the case. In its group content, TSW still relies on the "Trinity" archetypes of tank, healer, and damage dealer. The ways these roles are performed are more "loose" than more standardized MMO's like World of Warcraft or RIFT but the roles do exist. So do not mistake the "open" development system for a non-trinity grouping mechanic.
This open system allows you to create basically any kind of character you want, and to change your combat abilities at will in order to meet new challenges. If you want to play a fireball slinging "mage," you can focus on those skills. The sky really is the limit, but you have to remain open to new possibilities. What I mean by that is, TSW's content is not easy. Even the "solo" missions will occasionally confront you with an enemy or a situation that will require you to use different skills and tactics to overcome it. This will be a turn off to some, but the answers are always available. You just have to think about your character and your capabilities in a different way than you are used to in most MMO's.
UP- Combat System
You have heard me talk before about combat "feel" in an MMO. There is just something about the flow, the pace, and the style of combat in a game like this. It is a difficult concept to put into words and for me, either a game has it or it doesn't. Well in my opinion TSW has it. The combat feels responsive, it feels fun, and it adds just enough of something "new" to differentiate it from its "hotbar/cooldown" brethren. There are over 500 abilities to be learned in TSW but your character can only use fourteen of these at any one time, seven active abilities and seven passive abilities. I love this in and of itself for two reasons. First, it forces you to think creatively about combinations of abilities and creating synergies. And second, you avoid the situation of having your screen totally overwhelmed with buttons and icons for abilities.
And going out and using those abilities is a blast. As I said, the combat just feels good. Like with Age of Conan, Funcom has tossed in a few extras here to add just a bit of spice to what might otherwise be fairly standard MMO combat. First off, enemies with special abilities will often lay out an area of effect for those abilities and give you time to evade it. If you can move out of the targeted area, you can avoid the attack. This is helpful in solo content, and vital in group content. And to assist with this, Funcom has included a "dodge" mechanic. Simply tap a directional key twice in succession and your character will dive/jump/roll in that direction. This ability has a cooldown so you can't just somersault your way through a fight, but it does allow you to evade those targeted attacks. Put it all together and TSW's combat does just enough things different to set itself apart and still "feel" fun.
UP- Atmosphere and Story
Star Wars: The Old Republic really upped the ante in terms of the stories being told in the MMO space. TSW is not that ambitious, but it does go above and beyond the average in setting the mood, creating a story, and giving you a reason to do many of the things you are doing. As with SW:TOR much of the quest-givers dialogue is voiced. Clicking on an NPC to start a quest almost always starts a cutscene where the NPC will give you some background or explanation for what you are about to do. However unlike SW:TOR these are not interactive scenes. Your character is always a "silent protagonist" and does not participate in the conversation. There are no branching dialogue options or any form of interaction. I think this strikes a good balance between SW:TOR's "story is everything" approach, and the typical MMO where every quest devolves into "skip the text, kill ten rats, repeat."
Along with the storytelling, the game also excels at setting the mood. Now I can only speak to the two zones that were open in this beta, but in both there is a definite sense of dread and foreboding. I won't go so far as to call it a "survival horror" mood like you might hope to find in a game like Resident Evil, but you definitely get the sense that you are in a place where things have gone horribly wrong. The lighting, the music, everything lends itself to a sense of the macabre and it does a good job of making you feel like you are in this world that they are trying to create.
DOWN- Missing Key Features
Ok as I said, I don't want to overlook the game's problems and it does have some. The first is that several key features of the game were still missing as of this test. Now I know, it is still in beta, but we are less than two weeks now from early access and exactly two weeks from launch. That is very late in the process to still have some very important features not implemented. Among these are guilds (or as TSW calls them, cabals), banks, and the auction house. These are not just "quality of life" features. They are necessities. No MMO should launch with these features not in place and if TSW were to do so, I would be the first to call them out for it, no matter how big a fan of the game I might be.
The fact that these features are not yet in the game for testing is a troubling sign. One might think that they would be fairly simple to implement, but my experience with other games would hint that is not the case. When RIFT put guild banks in there were some major issues with items being lost, entire banks being wiped out, etc. And anyone who has played SW:TOR can tell you what a mess using the AH in that game is. So what may appear simple on the surface is rarely that simple to implement. Can Funcom get these things into the game and functioning properly in less than two weeks? I don't know, but they had better.
DOWN- Performance Issues
Reports have been all across the board in terms of how TSW performs on various machines. People with amazing rigs report great performance, but others with similarly powerful machines claim major problems. And it is the same for minimal machines as well. Some say they can play just fine, others claim it is unplayable. All I can report here is my own experience and what I got was rather uneven. My CPU/GPU are no longer top of the line, but they are well above average, and certainly well above the recommended hardware for this game. Yet the client's performance was very inconsistent. I could not even identify specific situations or effects that would cause a slowdown. In some games I know heavy particle effects or shadows can give me trouble.
Which brings me to my other complaint on this issue... the video settings do not allow you to configure specific effects options like particle effects, shadows, etc. It just has a series of sliders with some vague descriptions of some graphical effects. Further, it says that if you alter the settings (ie. put one slider at say 4 and another at 2) that technical support will not assist you as you are not using a recommended "setting." Now in all fairness, that may just be a holdover of beta, I don't know. But the lack of flexibility and customization in the graphics options is another real problem in my opinion, especially for those at either the top or the bottom of the performance spectrum.
DOWN- Content Concerns
I would call this final issue a "provisional concern" because obviously not all the content was available in the beta, but what I did see left me concerned enough to make it an issue. TSW will launch with eight zones, two of which were open in this beta. I played heavily on Friday, quite a bit more on Saturday, and hardly at all on Sunday. In that time I easily finished all the content in the first zone (Kingsmouth) and made decent progress into the second zone (The Savage Coast.) I did not attempt either of the dungeons that were open in this beta. But altogether I still completed a significant amount of the available content in a fairly limited amount of playing time. Even broken into shorter sessions, completing the first zone in its entirety could easily be completed in a couple days.
Now there is no way to know if the unplayable zones in Egypt and Transylvania will be as easy to complete. There is no way to judge that at this point. That is why I called it a "provisional concern." In addition, Funcom has already said that while large group content (ie. raids) will not be available at launch, they will be coming soon after, and each current dungeon will have an "elite" setting as well. So there will be other options for content. I just have a feeling... the game will feel a little shallow at first. And I am afraid the "content locusts" are going to devour what is available inside of a couple weeks and take to the forums to declare they have nothing to do. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the later zones are much deeper, but right now I am concerned.
Overall Impressions
This game is not going to please everybody. Even the solo content will require a level of effort that is more than the casual MMO player will probably want to give, having been "spoiled" by the mindless leveling content of games like WoW and RIFT. The game is difficult. Random enemies you encounter in the course of average missions WILL kill you, sometimes with regularity. The first time it happened to me, my jaw literally dropped. I hadn't been "challenged" like that by MMO solo content since the original WoW. The lack of class and role structure will also turn some off. As I said, roles are present but the implementation is much looser, meaning you have to be willing to adapt. If your attitude is, "I am DEEPS and that is all," your usefulness to a group will be almost zero. You have to be willing to swap in a heal, or a snare, or a buff, or something to help overcome a particular boss or encounter.
But to me, that is all a good thing. Frankly I want this game to have a "niche" or cult following. I want it to have a small, loyal following. I'm tired of chasing the "next big thing." I don't want to be WoW or SW:TOR. I would rather be a part of a small, dedicated, and caring community than a part of a faceless mass just consuming content. So as long as it has enough players to be profitable, that's good enough for me.
18 June 2012
A Bit of Patience
I am afraid I must ask for a bit of patience on your part. I would like a bit more time to condense and prepare my thoughts on this weekend's The Secret World beta. I know I am very enthusiastic about this game, but there are also things I saw that concerned me. So I don't want my summary to come across as either too "fanboi" or too "alarmist." That's why I'd like to take another day to sort it out and make sure it strikes the proper balance to give you, my readers, the best overall impression of the game that I can. Consider this a... Monday FUBAR and if this is the worst thing that goes wrong today, I would consider it a good Monday indeed. See you all tomorrow!
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