The Daily Quest: Let's play a game
by Anne Stickney 
Mar 21st 2011 at 2:00PM
WoW Insider's on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.
Of all the games I've played, I don't think any was quite as frustrating as Zork. Trying to keep track of which way I'd moved was an exercise in sheer annoyance, and I was eaten by a grue far too many times for my taste. But there was an addictive quality to the game that kept me coming back and still sees me going back every now and again to wander in that eternal forest looking for that one tree with the egg in it.
Today, we've got a few posts from around the blogosphere regarding the mechanics of the game we play and how it's made: character design, naming, and replayability.
- Jinxed Thoughts talks about character design and commitment.
- Tobold's MMORPG blog discusses the replayability of Cataclysm.
- MMO Reporter ponders the problems of naming characters.
Editor's Note: Since writing this post, Anne Stickney has been eaten by a Grue.
Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment, and you may see it here tomorrow! Be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites.
Filed under: The Daily Quest
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris Mar 21st 2011 2:06PM
N, N, Climb, Get Egg
(anyone who doesn't remember this game, get offa my lawn...)
Glaras Mar 21st 2011 2:08PM
A grue? What were you doing stumbling around in the dark??
Paulio Mar 21st 2011 5:58PM
ikr? You either had to shut your lamp off on purpose or wander around without skill for 600+ moves until the lamp run out of oil before a grue would eat you.
And to all the people talking about paper maps, that is exactly why the Infocom guys created the "maze of twisty little passages, all alike..." (i.e. it was quite difficult to map the maze by hand... you needed to leave objects in each room as landmarks.)
Zork... good times. Hated that thief, though... got so tired of him looting my bags. Good thing I started playing WoW so I could loot the boss' bags.
Galestrom Mar 21st 2011 2:09PM
You have been eaten by a Grue.
soup of the day Mar 21st 2011 2:20PM
Blasted Grues...
Radioted Mar 21st 2011 2:21PM
Ye can't get ye leaflet.
Necromann Mar 21st 2011 2:26PM
RIP Anne
Bynde Mar 21st 2011 2:28PM
I miss Zork. The Hitchhikers' guide was fun, too. I never found it that frustrating.
The original Bard's Tale played on a commodore . Now that was one frustrating game.
Luci Mar 21st 2011 2:28PM
Thanks Anne, now I am lost in the forest.
Shawn Putnam Mar 21st 2011 2:36PM
that bit was included in "Kingdom of Loathing" as an homage... its just as frustrating there, too! MWWAHAHAHHAHAH
Henrah Mar 21st 2011 2:37PM
"Oh, no! You walked into the slavering fangs of a lurking grue."
Maybe I should've just taken the peppers from the table and not gone upstairs.
Kurly Mar 21st 2011 2:42PM
I have the 2-CD Best of Infocom set with pretty much every one of the Infocom games.
There is still something to be said for sitting there drawing and redrawing your map so you wouldn't get lost.
Cataca Mar 21st 2011 2:42PM
I'll never forget this moment. I was working 3rd shift as a Financial Counselor in a small ER. There really isn't much to do on 3rd shift between checking in the drunks so I had installed World of Warcraft on one of the computers to pass the time. (My boss was really cool)
One of the physicians on staff was this really old grouch of a guy that everyone hated. One night he came by and saw me on WoW. He muttered "Bah, WoW. You should be playing a MUD like a real man!" My jaw nearly hit the floor. We passed the rest of the night geeking out over things like Zork.
biglou Mar 21st 2011 2:51PM
Lets play Global Thermonuclear War!
Drakkenfyre Mar 21st 2011 5:41PM
You can actually do that, now.
http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/
The creators designed the game after WarGames. The game looks like the situation board in the movie.
They have a fully-functional demo available. Only limitation is online you can only have 1 demo player per game.
Little video of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfETZiFxq8
lidstrom Mar 21st 2011 2:52PM
omg, i loved playing zork. those old adventure games really paved the way fo-
lidstrom Mar 21st 2011 2:53PM
my apologies.
my post was eaten by a grue.
wutsconflag Mar 21st 2011 2:56PM
I am amused at how many people responded to the replayability article talking about how bored they'd gotten of WoW, how grindy it was, etc ... and they started playing Rift.
*snicker*
Randolyn Mar 21st 2011 5:07PM
Indeed. I don't see how Rift can be so "refreshing", as it is a mostly copy of WoW with different artwork.
jfofla Mar 21st 2011 8:27PM
If you go on The RIFT Forums max level Chars are quitting in droves.