Readers from the Path of Bones may remember a previous mention of a game called EVE Online, and I suspect that anyone that has surfed the net, particularly game related sites, has probably seen their banner and sidebar adds.
My wife and I first encountered EVE Online shortly before it's May 2003 launch as beta testers. At the time we felt it was a game with potential, but too many bugs and too steep of a learning curve to be enjoyable. The game also prominently featured an open PvP focus, and that did not appeal to us at the time. (My personal opinion of open PvP has changed over the years, and now I believe that, properly handled, it can be a great way to add depth and realism in MMOs.)
But let me back up for a moment for those that don't know what EVE Online is about. Personally I consider EVE to be one of the most innovative MMOs to date, with many elements that I would love to see developing MMOs consider adding to their feature list. The concept is simple enough - your character is a pod pilot, a starship pilot above and beyond a simple commander. Your neural interface to your pod, and thus your entire ship, gives you a serious edge to normal starship captains (NPCs), and you're looking to make your mark on the big bad universe through combat, trade, manufacturing, or some combination there of. But within that basic simplicity is the full complexity of the universe ... there is a reason that CCP hired a real economist to manage and report on the in game economy of EVE.
The depth and complexity of the game, however, nearly killed it before it had a chance to blossom. Between the bugs that are inherent with a system that complex and a learning curve that, to a new player, appeared to be a sheer cliff with no hand holds in sight the game nearly didn't retain enough players to survive launch. The developers stuck to their guns, fixing bugs, improving the new player tutorial, and launching an internet ad campaign that was nothing short of viral. Over the 7 years that the game has been 'live' they have managed to build one of the most successful MMOs to date with their single server hosting more than 40, 000 players online simultaneously at peak times. (I know I've seen over 44,000, I believe they've had 46 or 47,000 ... and in June of this year they broke their previous record with 60,543 concurrent accounts logged in.)
Roughly 3 years ago my wife and I were looking for something different and decided to give EVE a try to see what had changed in the 4 years since the beta. What we found was a game that we not only enjoyed immensely but one that has certainly captured a place in our top MMOs. While we have departed from the game a few times, we have come back to it again fairly regularly.
So what brings us back? Speaking for myself, of course, it's hard to say exactly. It's a number of things really, the expansive, thriving, player driven economy, the skill based character advancement, and the variety of things available to a player; mission running, mining, PvP, or even just trading ... and almost all of it is available to all players of any skill level. (Though admittedly a player looking to carve out a place for himself out in the lawless frontier of 0.0 space is either going to need serious Corporation (guild/clan) support, a large number of skill points, or probably both.)
EVE, however, is a game that is well suited to a goal oriented player. The problem for a new player can be the sheer number of goals available to pursue, but in EVE given time and effort just about any goal is achievable. Time is, of course, one of the keys, even more so in EVE because skill advancement is based on real time; not played time ... real time. If a skill lists the training time as 4 days 12 hours when you start training, it will finish in 4 day and 12 hours online or offline, unless you interrupt it, or change your stats in a way that decreases the time requirement. This is great for a casual player because it means that as long as you have a skill in training it doesn't matter if you can only play an hour every other day that 30 day training plan will take 30 days to train (provided that you stay on top of the training to always have that next skill lined up and ready to go when it is time.)
Where the casual player can fall behind is, of course, money, but this is something that is easier for the player to equalize with friends than it can be in other MMOs where they can't give you XP to help you level. In EVE the casual player can either have the support of friends that are playing to help him, or it is also possible to purchase game currency indirectly in game by buying PLEX (an in game item that represents 30 days of game time) and selling the PLEX for in game currency. This also means that those players that have the means of generating enough ISK (in game currency) can basically play the game for free by buying their game time through PLEX in game.
In fact the community itself has developed a thriving economy outside of the game as well with several EVE related website hosting companies and other service type providers accepting ISK in exchange for their services.
The game, of course, does have it's flaws, from occasional glitches and bugs to griefers and pirates. Some people find it repetitive and cumbersome; though I believe that the latter complaints are more a result of player focus and perspective ... I mean when you break it down, life is repetitive - you get up in the morning, go to work, do the same basic things at work all day, come home, and most people have a daily or weekly routine that takes up much of the rest of their waking hours.
Many players also complain about a disconnect between the player and character due to the 'disembodied' nature of the game. That is to say that, at this point in the game, you can not leave your ship; you never see your character except for a portrait that you make at character creation. Likewise you can not customize the appearance of your ship. And other players consider the game a giant spreadsheet with a sci-fi user interface.
Certainly it's not a game for everyone, the PvP element alone will turn a lot of people off. For those fans of space trading games in the vein of Elite, Wing Commander: Privateer, or the X series the game offers a deep universe with some 7000+ systems, a manufacturing system that allows players to make everything from ammunition to largest capital ships in the game. For players that love PvP EVE offers full FFA open PvP (with some restrictions) and the opportunity to carve out their own section of frontier space and defend it against all opponents. For those that want a mix there's mission running, mining and exploration for the PvEers, and for those that want some PvP but not the full hard core of the frontier there's 'low sec' pirate hunting or Militia faction warfare.
If you do give it a try do remember that the universe is a very big and very unforgiving place, while there are certainly plenty of players out there willing to help a new player learn the ropes (EVE University for example) there are also plenty of sharks looking for fresh meat. Also remember, reputation can have an impact, while there are restrictions EVE is essentially FFA PvP (anyone can attack you at anytime) and even though most of the time 'empire' or 'high sec' is pretty safe, it is usually not a good idea to move highly valuable cargo in small unprotected ships: Link.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Just Cause 2
Okay ... I don't just play MMOs ... I enjoy a good stand alone game from time to time, and my wife and I recently picked up Just Cause 2 on the 360 after kicking around the demo on Steam for a bit. We decided to go with the 360 version rather than Steam mainly because it requires Windows Vista/7 to run on a PC ... and well ... I'm still running XP until I upgrade my system.
So what's the deal with Just Cause 2? You are a US Operative set loose in a small island nation to look for a rogue agent. The key words there are 'set loose' ... you can go, drive, shoot, and blow up just about anything and the only repercussion is that you get paid and the local police/military will shoot back.
First things first though ... if you are looking for a strong story based game, or a realistic shooter, keep on walking. The first sentence in the paragraph above pretty much tells you the whole story, the physics are superhero cartoon physics at best.
So why did my wife and I drop down the money and buy the game? Simply put ... it's fun. It's not a serious game, but it's a great game to get home from work and blow off stress and frustration with. It's a game that if you don't play for a bit you don't have to go back and figure out where you were in the story, or try to remember what you were doing .... you can load up the game, pick a random direction from your last save point and be shooting things and blowing things up in a couple of minutes with no goal beyond 'create chaos'.
In any case here are some preliminary observations about the game from my short time playing:
Controls are solid ... even if I do frequently throw grenades when I meant to use my grapple but that's my own addled brain, not because the grapple is hard to use.
Graphics are great ... the mountains, the forest, the scenic coast line. It's a tropical paradise and even just running around to admire the scenery can be a relaxing time. Though in most cases I expect bullets and explosions will follow before you get too far.
Story and missions ... they're pretty much what you expect - go over here and blow things in this area up for various reasons. As I said earlier, this isn't really a story game so don't go in expecting much in the way of story or reason behind what you're doing ... it's not really what the game's purpose is.
It can get a little repetitive as areas tend to have the same general 'goals' but I don't think that this is a game that they really intend for anyone to sit down and play from start to finish in a single play session, I think that the game's strength is as a casual 'stress relief' pass time in the true sense ... that is to say that its something fun with which to pass time ... if you start trying to make it something more than that then I think you're probably better off looking for a different game.
So what's the deal with Just Cause 2? You are a US Operative set loose in a small island nation to look for a rogue agent. The key words there are 'set loose' ... you can go, drive, shoot, and blow up just about anything and the only repercussion is that you get paid and the local police/military will shoot back.
First things first though ... if you are looking for a strong story based game, or a realistic shooter, keep on walking. The first sentence in the paragraph above pretty much tells you the whole story, the physics are superhero cartoon physics at best.
So why did my wife and I drop down the money and buy the game? Simply put ... it's fun. It's not a serious game, but it's a great game to get home from work and blow off stress and frustration with. It's a game that if you don't play for a bit you don't have to go back and figure out where you were in the story, or try to remember what you were doing .... you can load up the game, pick a random direction from your last save point and be shooting things and blowing things up in a couple of minutes with no goal beyond 'create chaos'.
In any case here are some preliminary observations about the game from my short time playing:
Controls are solid ... even if I do frequently throw grenades when I meant to use my grapple but that's my own addled brain, not because the grapple is hard to use.
Graphics are great ... the mountains, the forest, the scenic coast line. It's a tropical paradise and even just running around to admire the scenery can be a relaxing time. Though in most cases I expect bullets and explosions will follow before you get too far.
Story and missions ... they're pretty much what you expect - go over here and blow things in this area up for various reasons. As I said earlier, this isn't really a story game so don't go in expecting much in the way of story or reason behind what you're doing ... it's not really what the game's purpose is.
It can get a little repetitive as areas tend to have the same general 'goals' but I don't think that this is a game that they really intend for anyone to sit down and play from start to finish in a single play session, I think that the game's strength is as a casual 'stress relief' pass time in the true sense ... that is to say that its something fun with which to pass time ... if you start trying to make it something more than that then I think you're probably better off looking for a different game.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Questing or Camping
In MMOs one of the primary complaints has always been the 'grind' ... that is to say the repetitive completion of an action in order to gain the XP needed in order to gain the next level and advance your characters skills/abilities/power.
First of all I have always said, and continue to hold that the 'grind' is mental and is therefor never going to be eliminated. It is a state of mind rather than a function of any specific game mechanic. That is to say that all games (and life in general for that matter) have repetition, it is up to the player whether that repetition is a 'grind' or not.
The mental aspect of the 'grind', however, isn't what I intended to write about today.
As I've played MMOs over the years I've seen games move from the 'camp' based grind to the 'quest' based grind ... both have their advantages and their problems.
The 'camp' grind - This is the main 'grind' in many of the older MMOs such as Everquest where the majority of a characters experience was earned through defeating NPC foes. This lead to players finding NPC concentrations and setting up 'camps' pulling and killing the NPCs for the experience. Larger or stronger groups of players could, thus, lay claim to larger or stronger 'camps' in order to receive greater experience.
The primary disadvantages to the 'camp' style of grinding in the older MMOs were that 'good' camping areas became known and were often crowded or claimed by other players. It's static nature also contributed significantly to the 'grind' mentality as players frequently sat in an area for days or weeks worth of play time camping in a given area or zone. (20 levels or so fear kiting in the Overthere to name a personal experience)
The advantages, however, are more subtle and often over looked both by players and by designers. One of these is socializing - the ability to sit and chat while 'camping' in a given area. Socially there is also an advantage in creating multiple areas in which people can meet up and gather; that is to say that people will tend to go to the known camping areas, often logging out in the area as well, and as a result there will be a ready 'pool' of people with the same goal to form groups with.
This brings us to the 'quest' grind - Newer MMOs, in an attempt to 'eliminate the grind' have, of course, simply replaced it with another form of grinding. Basically they weighted the experience gain heavily toward quest completion, so hours of killing mobs was replaced with hours of running around completing quests. Tougher quests require stronger groups and give better rewards and experience.
The down sides to the 'quest' model are primarily travel and decreased socialization. Travel in that you spend time going to a quest hub, getting the quests, going to the quest areas, completing the quests and returning to the hub to turn in the quests and get follow-ups or new quests. The decrease in socialization is due both to people socializing less while traveling, and the complications it creates in group formation.
That is to say that even if you are at a quest hub you need to find a group, ideally, that is on the same quests as you, otherwise either you are repeating quests at minimal benefit to yourself to get others up to where you are, or others are repeating quests to catch you up to them. As a result some players will be unwilling to admit anyone into their groups if they aren't currently on certain quests.
The advantages are that it is a more active method of playing and sometimes can be easier to see progress as quest goals get checked off and experience is usually gained in large chunks at once. It keeps people moving and engages them more with the world around them and its lore.
Presently most games are all one way or the other ... that is to say that either questing experience gain so over powers camping experience that it is pointless to camp, or questing experience is virtually irrelevant and quests are only done for loot rewards or flavor by players interested in those things.
In many ways I think that this is a mistake. I like both systems, though I have to admit that in many ways I prefer the 'camp' system, and would like to see these two systems be able to live more in harmony than has yet been achieved.
Yes, in most 'quest' based systems you can choose to 'camp' in a traditional sense. You will still earn experience of course, but the problem is that you are essentially putting your character advancement on hold because the experience for killing NPCs is so anemic. In a single player game this wouldn't be an issue, but in a game where you end up dragging down your friends or guild as a result of your preferences it creates stress and tension if you choose to 'buck the game design.'
One of the 'problems' in balancing the two systems and having them work in harmony is the inherent boost that the 'quest' grind naturally gets ... that is to say that as you do the quest you get experience for killing the NPCs as needed for the quest, and then when you complete and turn in the quest you get an additional chunk of experience as a reward. So 'balancing' the two paths is somewhat of a developer's nightmare; too much of an experience boost from the turn in and we're essentially back to a pure quest grind system punishing those that choose not to quest, not enough and then the travel time and other such factors can quickly make questing too inefficient a path for leveling.
Of all the MMOGs I've played over the years, however, I find that I still, in many ways, prefer the 'camp' based grind of the original EverQuest. It may purely be nostalgia related as EQ was my first ever MMO, but actually I think it is because of the freedom it offers. I can still go and work on quests, and while it may mean putting my character's level advancement on hold for a bit while I do, the quests themselves offer their own rewards for completing them. It allows me to take a break from 'the grind' and still accomplish something, and, since quests themselves have their own advantages, it can be just as fun helping a friend finish a quest as it is gaining a new level.
On the other hand, in a 'quest' based system I find that since questing becomes the 'norm' in terms of gaining experience and levels the sense of accomplishment is really lost and as a result there is no satisfaction in the act of completing the quest itself. Psychologically there becomes nothing else to the game except earning the next level, or getting the next piece of gear and as a result it actually becomes more of a grind than camping ever really seemed to be.
First of all I have always said, and continue to hold that the 'grind' is mental and is therefor never going to be eliminated. It is a state of mind rather than a function of any specific game mechanic. That is to say that all games (and life in general for that matter) have repetition, it is up to the player whether that repetition is a 'grind' or not.
The mental aspect of the 'grind', however, isn't what I intended to write about today.
As I've played MMOs over the years I've seen games move from the 'camp' based grind to the 'quest' based grind ... both have their advantages and their problems.
The 'camp' grind - This is the main 'grind' in many of the older MMOs such as Everquest where the majority of a characters experience was earned through defeating NPC foes. This lead to players finding NPC concentrations and setting up 'camps' pulling and killing the NPCs for the experience. Larger or stronger groups of players could, thus, lay claim to larger or stronger 'camps' in order to receive greater experience.
The primary disadvantages to the 'camp' style of grinding in the older MMOs were that 'good' camping areas became known and were often crowded or claimed by other players. It's static nature also contributed significantly to the 'grind' mentality as players frequently sat in an area for days or weeks worth of play time camping in a given area or zone. (20 levels or so fear kiting in the Overthere to name a personal experience)
The advantages, however, are more subtle and often over looked both by players and by designers. One of these is socializing - the ability to sit and chat while 'camping' in a given area. Socially there is also an advantage in creating multiple areas in which people can meet up and gather; that is to say that people will tend to go to the known camping areas, often logging out in the area as well, and as a result there will be a ready 'pool' of people with the same goal to form groups with.
This brings us to the 'quest' grind - Newer MMOs, in an attempt to 'eliminate the grind' have, of course, simply replaced it with another form of grinding. Basically they weighted the experience gain heavily toward quest completion, so hours of killing mobs was replaced with hours of running around completing quests. Tougher quests require stronger groups and give better rewards and experience.
The down sides to the 'quest' model are primarily travel and decreased socialization. Travel in that you spend time going to a quest hub, getting the quests, going to the quest areas, completing the quests and returning to the hub to turn in the quests and get follow-ups or new quests. The decrease in socialization is due both to people socializing less while traveling, and the complications it creates in group formation.
That is to say that even if you are at a quest hub you need to find a group, ideally, that is on the same quests as you, otherwise either you are repeating quests at minimal benefit to yourself to get others up to where you are, or others are repeating quests to catch you up to them. As a result some players will be unwilling to admit anyone into their groups if they aren't currently on certain quests.
The advantages are that it is a more active method of playing and sometimes can be easier to see progress as quest goals get checked off and experience is usually gained in large chunks at once. It keeps people moving and engages them more with the world around them and its lore.
Presently most games are all one way or the other ... that is to say that either questing experience gain so over powers camping experience that it is pointless to camp, or questing experience is virtually irrelevant and quests are only done for loot rewards or flavor by players interested in those things.
In many ways I think that this is a mistake. I like both systems, though I have to admit that in many ways I prefer the 'camp' system, and would like to see these two systems be able to live more in harmony than has yet been achieved.
Yes, in most 'quest' based systems you can choose to 'camp' in a traditional sense. You will still earn experience of course, but the problem is that you are essentially putting your character advancement on hold because the experience for killing NPCs is so anemic. In a single player game this wouldn't be an issue, but in a game where you end up dragging down your friends or guild as a result of your preferences it creates stress and tension if you choose to 'buck the game design.'
One of the 'problems' in balancing the two systems and having them work in harmony is the inherent boost that the 'quest' grind naturally gets ... that is to say that as you do the quest you get experience for killing the NPCs as needed for the quest, and then when you complete and turn in the quest you get an additional chunk of experience as a reward. So 'balancing' the two paths is somewhat of a developer's nightmare; too much of an experience boost from the turn in and we're essentially back to a pure quest grind system punishing those that choose not to quest, not enough and then the travel time and other such factors can quickly make questing too inefficient a path for leveling.
Of all the MMOGs I've played over the years, however, I find that I still, in many ways, prefer the 'camp' based grind of the original EverQuest. It may purely be nostalgia related as EQ was my first ever MMO, but actually I think it is because of the freedom it offers. I can still go and work on quests, and while it may mean putting my character's level advancement on hold for a bit while I do, the quests themselves offer their own rewards for completing them. It allows me to take a break from 'the grind' and still accomplish something, and, since quests themselves have their own advantages, it can be just as fun helping a friend finish a quest as it is gaining a new level.
On the other hand, in a 'quest' based system I find that since questing becomes the 'norm' in terms of gaining experience and levels the sense of accomplishment is really lost and as a result there is no satisfaction in the act of completing the quest itself. Psychologically there becomes nothing else to the game except earning the next level, or getting the next piece of gear and as a result it actually becomes more of a grind than camping ever really seemed to be.
Monday, April 5, 2010
A second Blog, am I nuts?
No, not yet anyway. I've always meant to review and talk about one of my main hobbies - computer gaming - more on my blog. But as the 'Path of Bones' grew it became a place for political and news ramblings and I wanted to keep it focused in that area, but I never got around to setting up another blog to talk about some of the things that I enjoy pondering outside of the news/political realms.
Those that know me (and if you're here at this point then there's a good chance it's because you know me either in the meat world, or you've gotten to know me online in one of the myriad of MMOs that I've played over the years.) know that I love to play games ... computer games, online games, console games, and I love to talk about them. More importantly I like to consider, from a design aspect, what about them works and what doesn't ... from my perspective at least.
Anyway ... not going to promise frequent or even regular posts here ... but as I play games or make observations about games that I am playing or have played I'll likely write something up to share here. I'll probably have something up soon with some observations and opinions about MMOs and how it relates to those currently available.
Until then ... remember to keep you gun loaded and your towel handy.
Those that know me (and if you're here at this point then there's a good chance it's because you know me either in the meat world, or you've gotten to know me online in one of the myriad of MMOs that I've played over the years.) know that I love to play games ... computer games, online games, console games, and I love to talk about them. More importantly I like to consider, from a design aspect, what about them works and what doesn't ... from my perspective at least.
Anyway ... not going to promise frequent or even regular posts here ... but as I play games or make observations about games that I am playing or have played I'll likely write something up to share here. I'll probably have something up soon with some observations and opinions about MMOs and how it relates to those currently available.
Until then ... remember to keep you gun loaded and your towel handy.
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