Recent Comments:
Leaderboard: Ultima Online vs. EverQuest vs. Asheron's Call {Massively}
Apr 2nd 2012 3:23PM @Miffy
Absolutely LOATHED Luclin and it started the roll that saw me leave the game permanently. Kunark is, to this day, still my gold standard for what an expansion should be. There has never been a better expansion to an MMO, imo, at least for any that I've played.
SOE releases PlanetSide 2 alpha gameplay video {Massively}
Mar 29th 2012 5:43PM As a guy who never really played PS1, how twitchy was it? I stopped playing online FPS games years ago (to date myself, it was around Quake III or IV) and I got tired of both my lack of reflexes (heh) and ping being a big factor in eating too many rockets to the face.
Is there enough strategy in games like PS2 to allow people whose reflexes have slowed a bit as they age, or is this game primarily designed for the whipper-snappers who can perform a snap-turn and fire while simultaneously drinking a Red Bull and laughing at you on Vent?
The Daily Grind: Would you pay extra for a filtered community? {Massively}
Mar 29th 2012 11:54AM @laelgon
The problem with a model like that, aka the walled garden, is it becomes nearly impossible to find new people. How would you find people you like? Would MMO's become even MORE like a job in that players would have to apply to a given guild, go through a vetting process, and be invited into their "private club?"
Sorry, it sounds like a recipe for even more segregation and obnoxious behavior to me. I do think that the communities, by and large, are terrible but I think that putting better tools in the hands of players is preferable to more segregation.
I do think that moderated chat and expedited support would be worth paying for. A "premium" server for an extra $5 a month with a dedicated staff of GM's would be worth every dime so that in large games you didn't have to wait days and days for a response. If griefers knew that they could be reported and penalized on the same day, I can virtually guarantee they'd behave.
Auto Club Revolution open beta starts today {Massively}
Mar 29th 2012 11:32AM Man, the definition of what constitutes an MMO seems to be sliding every day. All they have to do is tack on some weird form of progression and a cash shop, and--voila!--the MMORS (massively multiplayer online racing simulation) is born.
In the old days, before they invented color, we used to call these things single player games with online multiplayer. Oy vey, I need a shot of Stoli, my cigar, and my smoking jacket!
Ngmoco exec: Free-to-play is not exploitative {Massively}
Mar 28th 2012 11:04AM @aurickle
Nobody is talking about fairness. The article was about whether or not F2P models are inherently exploitive. Many of us believe they are because they rely upon a very small number of players subsidizing the rest. As others have noted, this happens with smoking in the real world.
A ridiculous number of government programs are reliant upon the funds generated by sales of cigarettes. Many, if not most, of these programs have nothing to do with helping the smokers overcome their addiction, rather they rely upon a certain percentage of the population remaining hooked in order to continue funding those programs. That's not charity, that's exploitation.
Gaming is addictive and only the most addicted can justify spending the hundreds if not thousands upon the vanity gear and items in games. Just because they can afford it, just like smokers can find ways to afford $50 cartons of cigarettes, doesn't make it non-exploitive.
Ngmoco exec: Free-to-play is not exploitative {Massively}
Mar 28th 2012 10:58AM I'm sure that most casino owners would say the same thing. When a business model relies heavily upon those that lack self-control, it's exploitive.
SOE answers Vanguard free-to-play questions {Massively}
Mar 27th 2012 11:17PM I just hope they stay true to the spirit of Vanguard. I desperately hope they avoid using instancing and instead focus on what makes VG so unique in an overcrowded theme park MMO environment. I normally avoid F2P like the plauge, but if they do offer a sub option and they stick to their original design principles, I can see myself opting to play this instead of GW2 and definitely instead of Pandaria.
Darkfall polishes content until it shines {Massively}
Mar 23rd 2012 5:58PM @Space Cobra
You know, in some Middle Eastern countries you can be stoned to death for linking to ABBA songs...
Then again, some people might argue that in order to withstand ABBA you HAVE to be stoned...
Darkfall polishes content until it shines {Massively}
Mar 23rd 2012 5:56PM @Daemodand
"Why didn't someone TELL me my axe was so big?"
The Daily Grind: What would make you cancel a pre-order? {Massively}
Mar 23rd 2012 10:31AM @avaloner
I'm with you on this. My kids play League of Legends and they often spend more in a month on new skins and champions than I spend in six to play a sub-based game like WOW. I find that F2P games work well for some, but they can be catnip for the acquisitive types, especially children.
