Broken Toys

I’m gaining schaudenfrede from posts elsewhere that blame SOE for G&H’s failure. Especially since there were cheers when PE kinda-but-not-really separated from SOE because G&H was finally free of SOE’s influence.

SOE – the most EEE-vil company in MMOs, even when they aren’t.

I think that this event puts SOE’s actions more in a “didn’t want another Vangard” than a “PE wanted more money for themselves with their awesome game” light.

It just goes to show, you can’t change ANYTHING without SOMEONE whining about it.

RE: WOW & SOE
There is a market for easy fantasy MMOGs – deal with it. The hardcore grind horse has been ridden to death – there is no money in it anymore.

So many people are so thoroughly stuck in the 1999 mindset and so is the industry.

I guess SOE finally got tired of funding the umpteenth Everquest clone.

It’s not that easy. It just happens that the hard part is the part he doesn’t like.

Hey, new content to provide an alternative to Stranglethorn Vale! How can anyone complain about that???

Quoting Ubvman: “There is a market for easy fantasy MMOGs – deal with it.”

Hell yes.

The easy fantasy MMORPG (may I add: soloable) IS the market. The developpers are better take notes.

- Grinless

I’m a bit disappointed in the Gods and Heroes news; I was curious about it, and planned to pick it up and take advantage of Station Access. However, I’m not even mildly curious about/interested in Star Trek Online.

I don’t know why SOE is always blasted as the root of all evil in MMOs; EQ had some major problems, but it was still a fun game, and judging by EQ2 they’ve learned a lot of lessons over the years. Vanguard’s blow-up was not due to Sony, and yet they are doing their best to fix the mess Brad left behind. Not having played SWG I can’t speak directly to its issues, but I suspect Lucas Arts is a good chunk of the problem.

Re: WoW

I don’t really think this is “going EZ mode lolz,” if you think about it long term. Remember, by next spring, the level cap will be freaking *80.* In terms of creating alts and getting friends into the game, the 10-level jump with every expansion is a major drag. If you’re finally rolling that Lock now, or you’ve finally talked your girlfriend into seeing what the whole MHMOOGPG thing is about, do you really want to be looking at a level cap of 80?

This is exacerbated on the PvP servers, where the relatively short curve between levelers and gankers, the environmental protections, and the other careful considerations of yesteryear were asploded by the 10 level bump and the haphazard BC itemization. An edge for levelers would be well advised.

I like Mr. Jacobs.

So, does that mean I have to re-sign-up for the warhammer beta when the next phase comes in? I’m a little confused how this is different from sitting in my inbox waiting for the fateful email.

WoW’s level grind is a nice step. Although I would’ve given everyone a free bump to 20 and convert most of the 1-20 spaces into “liberated” zones, where most monsters don’t hang around anymore and it’s more active with npc peoples, perhaps make them into tourist zones where people can do simple errand quests and talk to npcs who retell the quests that used to be there.

Looks like noone will be publishing gods and heroes. Cancelled.

http://community.godsandheroes.com/

Should surprise no one.

Don’t expect Star Trek Online to ship, either.

As someone who’s leveled to 20ish on several characters in WoW, the changes to leveling from 20 to 60 are so very very welcome. I won’t say the game ever gets… painful, but leveling from 1-20 is at least more or less fun… and after 20, it’s not quite as fun.

AFAIK (from what I have read) is if you already are in WAR beta you still will be when it comes back

I don’t have the time to play WoW even with these changes, I won’t be resubscribing.

Now, Guild Wars? I can not play for a month and it’s no big deal. If I don’t play WoW for a month I need to find a new guild.

Anyone who enjoys these games in 3-4 hour chunks a week, and takes weeks off or even months off, can’t enjoy WoW.

Re: time off in WoW

It depends on your gameplay focus, and it’s not that different from any other MMO that’s in its second year or more. If you’re talking about the raiding endgame, yes, that’s true, you can’t take time off and expect to enjoy yourself. But a majority of the subscribers in WoW never raid and still have fun just a few hours a week.

I’m only playing once or twice a week for a couple of hours, to do arena with my other four arena teammates. It’s rewarding enough to keep a subscription for now, although if one of those players drops out, I think we all would. It is very similar to how I ended my DAOC subscription, dinking around in the low level battlegrounds until my teammates stopped showing up.

The concept of more PvE/quests/rep grinds with the next expansion holds very little interest for me, but there are lots of people who are still interested and engaged.

“…although I would’ve given everyone a free bump to 20…”

That is essentially what the BC newbie zones are. I’m not even close to hardcore, and I can level from 1 to 20 in a single weekend day in the Ghostlands.

In fact, every single one of my characters aside from my main is level 20-ish, because every time I make a character I go to Ghostlands, kick butt, level up, and then stop playing when I have to go back to the pre-expansion content and grind.

Oh, and on SOE: They actually are evil. They have evil mind control rays and sent us a shipment of evil pills as a ‘welcome aboard’ gift. Since we started working with them, I’ve been wearing my evil underwear every day.

In fact, every single one of my characters aside from my main is level 20-ish, because every time I make a character I go to Ghostlands, kick butt, level up, and then stop playing when I have to go back to the pre-expansion content and grind.

…but the best part about Ghostlands is that from there, you can move along to Stonetalon and not have to endure any of the Barrens! Unless you’re going after the Wingblade in Wailing Caverns, in which case you’ll have to endure the Barrens for approximately 60 full minutes while visiting each oasis.

My only worry about making the 20-60 grind easier is that it may lead to even more high-level players who just simply don’t know how to play their class, as they’ve powered through the grind to Outland on sheer luck and some blue drops along the way.

“don’t know how to play their class” ~shudder~

That phrase, and phrases like it, being banned from language would be my first First Ammendment destroying act as despot. I reserve that kind of arrogance for judging people with real weapons: like words. Like the ones up there, wielded by the frustrated resulting in the quelching, by harm or intimidation, of innocent, creative, or more daring minds.