Just earlier today I was blogging about the lack of social features in games correlating to fewer females playing, and I came across this:
"enVie Interactive™ announces the development of a new game that targets the most underserved market in the gaming community: women. This massively multiplayer online social game (MMOSG) caters to women looking for an engaging online game that speaks to them."
Speak to me! It goes on to say, "VIE is an online playground for adults that offers stunning graphics, unique customization and the ultimate entertainment experience to a market that has been virtually ignored by the gaming industry. VIE offers an ongoing series of episodic content, unique shopping experiences, high fashion, art design, and intimate encounters, all in a tropical island setting. It provides a mature audience the opportunity to escape and indulge in mysterious adventures at their leisure."
High fashion and intimate encounters? Bwow-chika-bwow-bwow
And it appears there could potentially be some real life benefits! "VIE supports the theory of Productive Play allowing gamers to explore and expand their creative and artistic sides as well as their social interaction in a virtual world. Reports show that people who engage in Productive Play are actually more productive in their real world lives."
Despite my silliness, let's just say my interest has been piqued and I did sign up for the beta.
Maybe it will actually speak to me.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Loss of Community
It's hard to find positive posts lately on the Star Trek Online forums. The amount of rants filling the pages is overwhelming. Most of the rants are directed at Cryptic and what they aren't doing right or aren't doing at all.
But I came across one post in particular where the poster had ended his subscription in large part due to the community. The zone chat is pretty horrific and has been one of the worst I've seen anywhere. For some reason I had envisioned Star Trek attracting more of role play community, or at least a more mature one. While that was part of the poster's issue, his main beef was lack of response from anyone when auto grouping. I had positive experiences in beta, but once the game went live, players just stopped talking when grouped. I've made a point to speak in every single auto team encounter, whether it's just "hello" or "thanks for the team." Pretty close to 100% of the time I get nothing back. It made me wonder where all the loud mouths from zone chat are. Do they only speak in community zones? Or maybe they just never leave the zone or team up.
There were several responses, however, indicating that many are in voice chat with their fleets or friends and pay absolutely no attention to the chat tab. And so their solution was to join a fleet. While I agree a guild/fleet can make all the difference in one's gaming experience, unfortunately many will never bother to pursue that route when their first impression is such a lack of community.
But I can't imagine every single person I teamed with who didn't speak was in voice chat. I'm sure some just want to get the quest done and not be bothered, while others may not even speak English since we're all on one server. But whatever the reasons, the silent treatment most are receiving combined with the obnoxious zone chat is very discouraging.
When I think of games that I consider to have great communities, I place LotRO at the top with EQ2 following behind. What those mmo's both have that's missing from most others is non-combat social activities. LotRO has a wonderful music system and I always stopped to enjoy any impromptu concerts. Often I'd strike up conversations with the band when they were done or with other listeners as we gave them a round of applause. Then there are those wonderful festivals and fairs, which both games offer, with EQ2 having a slight edge. Add to that the housing and guild halls, and there are just so many opportunities for socializing and meeting other players.
When you see these type of activities in an mmo, you also see more females. And when there are more females, the community is nicer. Yeah, yeah I know I'm stereotyping. I know there are some women out enjoying Darkfall ganking with the best of them. But in general, when I notice a higher female population, I notice a nicer community. And there is a distinct lack of females in STO. Our guild of 60+ in EQ2 has more women than men playing. In my fleet in STO, there were four of us out of 90 members.
The new crop of mmo's just completely overlook this aspect of gaming. I know budgets are tight these days when making games. But they're really missing an opportunity here. Without the foundation of a good community, they're just an empty shell of pew pew.
But I came across one post in particular where the poster had ended his subscription in large part due to the community. The zone chat is pretty horrific and has been one of the worst I've seen anywhere. For some reason I had envisioned Star Trek attracting more of role play community, or at least a more mature one. While that was part of the poster's issue, his main beef was lack of response from anyone when auto grouping. I had positive experiences in beta, but once the game went live, players just stopped talking when grouped. I've made a point to speak in every single auto team encounter, whether it's just "hello" or "thanks for the team." Pretty close to 100% of the time I get nothing back. It made me wonder where all the loud mouths from zone chat are. Do they only speak in community zones? Or maybe they just never leave the zone or team up.
There were several responses, however, indicating that many are in voice chat with their fleets or friends and pay absolutely no attention to the chat tab. And so their solution was to join a fleet. While I agree a guild/fleet can make all the difference in one's gaming experience, unfortunately many will never bother to pursue that route when their first impression is such a lack of community.
But I can't imagine every single person I teamed with who didn't speak was in voice chat. I'm sure some just want to get the quest done and not be bothered, while others may not even speak English since we're all on one server. But whatever the reasons, the silent treatment most are receiving combined with the obnoxious zone chat is very discouraging.
When I think of games that I consider to have great communities, I place LotRO at the top with EQ2 following behind. What those mmo's both have that's missing from most others is non-combat social activities. LotRO has a wonderful music system and I always stopped to enjoy any impromptu concerts. Often I'd strike up conversations with the band when they were done or with other listeners as we gave them a round of applause. Then there are those wonderful festivals and fairs, which both games offer, with EQ2 having a slight edge. Add to that the housing and guild halls, and there are just so many opportunities for socializing and meeting other players.
When you see these type of activities in an mmo, you also see more females. And when there are more females, the community is nicer. Yeah, yeah I know I'm stereotyping. I know there are some women out enjoying Darkfall ganking with the best of them. But in general, when I notice a higher female population, I notice a nicer community. And there is a distinct lack of females in STO. Our guild of 60+ in EQ2 has more women than men playing. In my fleet in STO, there were four of us out of 90 members.
The new crop of mmo's just completely overlook this aspect of gaming. I know budgets are tight these days when making games. But they're really missing an opportunity here. Without the foundation of a good community, they're just an empty shell of pew pew.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Alganon - The Big March 1 Patch
Well the patch didn't come. This was to be the content patch that included new dungeons as a result of the Dawning event.
What did come, however, as the official announcement regarding their new subscription-free model. They are calling it subscription-free rather than free to play because there will still be a purchase price. Their hope is that this will minimize the troublemakers and help maintain some social maturity in game.
They are adding a Tribute Market System as their method of real money transactions. Those of us with prepaid subscriptions will have Tribute deposited into our accounts following the official relaunch in mid-April. Along with items typically seen in ftp such as mounts, pets, and equipment, they also will be selling study time. Currently, longer term subscribers would have had an advantage due to the study system. However, those with padded wallets will now be able to buy their studies rather than wait. Also, it appears items such as mounts will not just be purchased outright. You will need to continue to pay for them in the form of maintenance.
Also coming with the April relaunch will be a redesigned starter experience and new starter areas, along with a collection of dungeon instances.
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of it yet. It's still over a month away, so I'll have to wait and see what sort of pricing structures they have. But I am disappointed the studies will now be tied to how much money you have rather than how long you've been playing. That was probably the biggest let down of the whole thing.
What did come, however, as the official announcement regarding their new subscription-free model. They are calling it subscription-free rather than free to play because there will still be a purchase price. Their hope is that this will minimize the troublemakers and help maintain some social maturity in game.
They are adding a Tribute Market System as their method of real money transactions. Those of us with prepaid subscriptions will have Tribute deposited into our accounts following the official relaunch in mid-April. Along with items typically seen in ftp such as mounts, pets, and equipment, they also will be selling study time. Currently, longer term subscribers would have had an advantage due to the study system. However, those with padded wallets will now be able to buy their studies rather than wait. Also, it appears items such as mounts will not just be purchased outright. You will need to continue to pay for them in the form of maintenance.
Also coming with the April relaunch will be a redesigned starter experience and new starter areas, along with a collection of dungeon instances.
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of it yet. It's still over a month away, so I'll have to wait and see what sort of pricing structures they have. But I am disappointed the studies will now be tied to how much money you have rather than how long you've been playing. That was probably the biggest let down of the whole thing.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
TERA - Open PvP or Not
Back when I first heard about TERA a year ago, their comments on how PvP would be handled was really vague. Now that they've found a publisher to bring this Korean product to the West, and seeing that it will actually be a subscription-based model, I took a look over at the site to see if there was further detail.
But looks like that aspect is still undecided. They have a poll in their forums asking players if they would still play TERA if PvP was highly limited. Based on the current poll numbers, about 50% would not play without open PvP and the other 50% either don't want PvP at all or prefer PvP in a battleground/arena environment. But if you read the posts that follow it, you would think 90% of the posters prefer open PvP. PvE types tend not to post as we don't want to be ganked in the forums any more than in our MMO's.
My guess is they will go with some form of forced PvP. It may not come till later levels, it may be through content restrictions, or through some other mechanisms. And that would be a shame, as the majority of the Western audience won't play it. They may try it. They may enjoy a few levels of it. And then they move on.
The world graphics are pretty from what I've seen, and the character models are pretty spiffy too, including the obligatory cute player critter. It's still a year away from release, so maybe there's still hope yet for me.
But looks like that aspect is still undecided. They have a poll in their forums asking players if they would still play TERA if PvP was highly limited. Based on the current poll numbers, about 50% would not play without open PvP and the other 50% either don't want PvP at all or prefer PvP in a battleground/arena environment. But if you read the posts that follow it, you would think 90% of the posters prefer open PvP. PvE types tend not to post as we don't want to be ganked in the forums any more than in our MMO's.
My guess is they will go with some form of forced PvP. It may not come till later levels, it may be through content restrictions, or through some other mechanisms. And that would be a shame, as the majority of the Western audience won't play it. They may try it. They may enjoy a few levels of it. And then they move on.
The world graphics are pretty from what I've seen, and the character models are pretty spiffy too, including the obligatory cute player critter. It's still a year away from release, so maybe there's still hope yet for me.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Comings and Goings
Over a year ago I posted about an upcoming steampunk mmo called Gatheryn. They went into open beta the end of last summer but I doubt few really noticed. It was a huge disappointment and the few times I logged in, it was rare to see another player. The last official posting came last October and the game suddenly went offline with no further posts as to why or the status. So I guess this one is done. It was to be the first released mmo using the new HeroEngine, but I guess that honor will now go to SW:TOR.
I'm not losing hope yet for a steampunk mmo. Though still in very early, rough stages, I continue to follow AIR and also found out about Clockwork Symphony. At least there's still official activity there anyway.
Also way back when, I was in the Gods and Heroes beta--another one which went kablooie. Looks like it may see the light of day yet. Heatwave Interactive has obtained the rights and launched a new website. No information yet, but my beta experiences were pleasant enough that I will watch the progress of this one.
I also recently gave City of Eternals a try. If you have a Facebook account, you can just log right in. It's a vampire-themed game and nothing particularly fancy, but hey it's free.
I'm not losing hope yet for a steampunk mmo. Though still in very early, rough stages, I continue to follow AIR and also found out about Clockwork Symphony. At least there's still official activity there anyway.
Also way back when, I was in the Gods and Heroes beta--another one which went kablooie. Looks like it may see the light of day yet. Heatwave Interactive has obtained the rights and launched a new website. No information yet, but my beta experiences were pleasant enough that I will watch the progress of this one.
I also recently gave City of Eternals a try. If you have a Facebook account, you can just log right in. It's a vampire-themed game and nothing particularly fancy, but hey it's free.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Alganon Going Free to Play?
Even though I am mostly playing STO, I still log into Alganon to keep my studies updated and just generally tinker around a bit. Yesterday I noticed a new icon on my screen placed next to my total money display. A few discussed it in general chat coming up with some theories and a GM responded we will found out quite soon.
Today a dev posted to explain this was part of a new Tribute system as part of "the new subscription-free pricing model that Alganon is adopting, as seen elsewhere on the site." Unfortunately, there is no mention of free to play elsewhere on the site at this point, but I guess it's coming.
I was one of thoseidiots supportive people who purchased a one-year subscription in hopes of bigger things coming. I have yet to enjoy any free to play model I've tried to date, particularly the communities it attracts. But I'll have to wait and see how it actually evolves.
Today a dev posted to explain this was part of a new Tribute system as part of "the new subscription-free pricing model that Alganon is adopting, as seen elsewhere on the site." Unfortunately, there is no mention of free to play elsewhere on the site at this point, but I guess it's coming.
I was one of those
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Blowing Stuff Up and Putting Out Fires
Having spent much of the last ten MMO years stabbing bugs and woodland creatures for various farmers and citizens, there's been a lot of satisfaction in blowing up ships and vaporizing Klingons. One quest has you removing a fire extinguisher from the wall and putting out the fires in your way. Oddly, even spraying that extinguisher is heck of a lot of fun and I wished I could keep it once the quest was over.
I haven't been focused on leveling at all and am just enjoying the quests and story line. But by the end of the head start weekend, I did receive my first promotion which granted me my new ship. I went with a science vessel and first order of business was to customize my vessel, including my bridge.
Along with a ship upgrade, I gained an additional officer. I did have concerns about being overwhelmed managing so many officers or "pets", but even this aspect of the game has been fun. You can name them and play dress up, but I opted for a matched team in Next Generation garb.
The weekend wasn't without a few glitches. The server came down a few times both Friday and Saturday for emergency maintenance. But by Sunday it seemed they worked out some kinks and things ran fairly smoothly. Today is the official launch date. We'll likely be seeing even more subscribers come in to strain the server further, so we'll see how it goes.
I haven't been focused on leveling at all and am just enjoying the quests and story line. But by the end of the head start weekend, I did receive my first promotion which granted me my new ship. I went with a science vessel and first order of business was to customize my vessel, including my bridge.
Along with a ship upgrade, I gained an additional officer. I did have concerns about being overwhelmed managing so many officers or "pets", but even this aspect of the game has been fun. You can name them and play dress up, but I opted for a matched team in Next Generation garb.
The weekend wasn't without a few glitches. The server came down a few times both Friday and Saturday for emergency maintenance. But by Sunday it seemed they worked out some kinks and things ran fairly smoothly. Today is the official launch date. We'll likely be seeing even more subscribers come in to strain the server further, so we'll see how it goes.
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