VirginWorlds MMORPG News Host: Brent VirginWorlds is a weekly news podcast covering Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Eve Online, Vanguard, Lord of the Rings Online and many many more. The VirginWorlds MMORPG Podcast is the flagship podcast of the VirginWorlds MMO Podcast Collective found at http://www.virginworlds.com
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Massively Multiplayer Gaming News for this week includes:
- Salaries of US-based game developers - Pirates of the Burning Sea reduces server count - EVE Online client code is leaked and posted - MMO games didn't make the top 100 list in past 12 months - 4 MMOs that should have been great - Vanguard update 5 - 5 Problems with WoW - SOE Fan Faire 2008
'Planetside' by Token Submitted on 2008-04-21 18:10:57 CST SOE will have my eternal love for making Planetside, the best video game I ever owned.
'Planetside' by Luper Submitted on 2008-04-21 20:29:09 CST I loved Planetside as well! The problem right now is that its more 10 vs 10 rather than army vs army as it was in the past. I miss two day long tower fights and massive three way fights on Searhus! =(
AS of now, I play Vanguard and I do love it. I just think there is a lot of improvement that needs to be done.
~Luper (Voyages of Vanguard Co-Host)
'MxO should have been great' by Belo Submitted on 2008-04-22 20:07:07 CST Agree 100% - I've been playing MxO for a long time now but its always been because of the people who play it with me. It certainly could have been done better, I just hope Monolith learned their lesson. Which would save us another crappy mmo effort in the future. Kudos to SOE though, not sure any other company would have even bothered trying to save it.
'DDO etc' by scytale2 Submitted on 2008-04-23 19:39:04 CST I think in its way DDO is a great game - it just isn't what everyone was expecting - another EQ clone. I'm not so sure that you can equate "great" with "making loads of money". To me the two coincide only rarely.
DDO isn't perfect even at what it does, but I don't think it should be criticised for doing something different, just because it was less appealing to the "me too" players.
Too often mainstream bland and grey is pronounced "great" because it does the same old thing well. is WoW a "greater" game than "Tale in the Desert"? Which is more original? Earth and Beyond was a "great" game too.
I would put EVE On-line on my list of games that could be great but stayed bland and "safe". I might even put WoW on the same list, because it never stretched the boundaries of the genre and still doesn't despite their raking in cash.
Other than this, I felt a synergy with most of your views, as usual. Thanks again for your perceptive podcast.
'Dude I want your microphone!' by Beauturkey Submitted on 2008-04-23 22:28:44 CST Sounds good, as usual.
Did I hear a uhm, a ...MISTAKE in this one? Brent doens't make mistakes. He edits them out!! I looked at Leala and said "did he just make a mistake?"
My puppy even looked concerned, and he's pretty laid back. Well, it was more of a repeated sentence, but still...Brent you are the standard for quality in podcasting. If you start to make mistakes then what are WE to do??
Seriously, I agree with some of the WOW list. The whole soloplay/finding a good guild thing: we don't agree. It's easier in WoW than in any other mmo we've played, namely cuz there's so many people that play it. I could just ask people to try it and once they did, we had a guild. If you mean RAIDING guild, well then, that's a whole nother story. Raiders eat their kids.
Great show. Now send me an advanced copy of Troy's new show. Theeeeennnkkssssss.
Beau
'rolls eyes at Beau' by Brent Submitted on 2008-04-24 00:37:59 CST Did I forget to mention that I fell asleep in my chair several times when I was editing?
Paid the price too.
If you've listened carefully, you'd know that every so often I miss an edit. I'd like to officially state that Darren is to blame for most of that. Picture me happily and attentively editing a podcast, when suddenly the Skype IM starts rattling at me. Oh no, it's Darren and he's here to distract me! Crap missed an edited!
('Course I've been know to pester Darren while he's actually recording his show.)
And seriously, I actually was nodding off during the edit. Kept waking up and rewinding, but apparently I didn't rewind far enough once.
'rolls eyes at Brent' by darrenl Submitted on 2008-04-24 12:36:05 CST Oh...I did not just read that you blame me? Did I just read that?
War has been declared ladies and gents. War!!
'SWG DIssapointment' by dalith Submitted on 2008-04-25 12:38:19 CST I would have to agree with SWG being the biggest disappointment. The main reason being was that when they kept going through all the combat and class changes, they kept driving more and more of their fan base away.
'I started listening to your podcast too.' by FarScapeIII Submitted on 2008-04-25 13:55:20 CST I guess it is pretty good, :)
Also I must be getting interested in MMO's as a whole, and I don't know, you are pretty good at doing this IMO.
Awesome podcast Brent.
Far
'AoC == Vanguard 2' by Isanox Submitted on 2008-04-25 18:20:42 CST I'll say it here and now. Age of Conan is this years Vanguard.
It will close half it's launch servers by the end of the year, maybe even in less time than it took PotBS.
'The doomsingers have started' by scytale2 Submitted on 2008-04-26 08:02:07 CST Today I read from the tabloids that petrol is in short supply and that I had better fill up my tank. Last time the tabloids said this, petrol ran out due to the panic, not due to the supply. Panic sells papers, of course.
A snipe at Age of Conan, Vanguard, Pirates of the Burning Sea is not what is needed on this web-site, which is trying its hardest to promote the concept of innovative MMORPG, against a backdrop of recent problems.
When I was in the LOTRO Beta, Codemasters used to continually say, please don't judge the finished product before it is launched. The product in Beta was always pretty good, but still they did not want people downplaying their big launch, because this first wash of buyers is often what is needed to finish the polish of a game. Snipers who ridicule those who buy a product or advise others not to bother are actually helping the product to fail, as investors are less likely to stick with a game that does not meet early targets.
So, please let's be positive and vote for a great game experience in AoC. Let's all buy it and recommend it to our friends, give constructive criticism early on, so they can make amends, before they lose too many players as a result and support our industry, not whinge at it.
Funcom have the talent, so let's hope they can deliver.
'Planetside' by Token
Submitted on 2008-04-21 18:10:57 CST
SOE will have my eternal love for making Planetside, the best video game I ever owned.
'Planetside' by Luper
Submitted on 2008-04-21 20:29:09 CST
I loved Planetside as well! The problem right now is that its more 10 vs 10 rather than army vs army as it was in the past. I miss two day long tower fights and massive three way fights on Searhus! =(
AS of now, I play Vanguard and I do love it. I just think there is a lot of improvement that needs to be done.
~Luper (Voyages of Vanguard Co-Host)
'MxO should have been great' by Belo
Submitted on 2008-04-22 20:07:07 CST
Agree 100% - I've been playing MxO for a long time now but its always been because of the people who play it with me. It certainly could have been done better, I just hope Monolith learned their lesson. Which would save us another crappy mmo effort in the future. Kudos to SOE though, not sure any other company would have even bothered trying to save it.
'DDO etc' by scytale2
Submitted on 2008-04-23 19:39:04 CST
I think in its way DDO is a great game - it just isn't what everyone was expecting - another EQ clone. I'm not so sure that you can equate "great" with "making loads of money". To me the two coincide only rarely.
DDO isn't perfect even at what it does, but I don't think it should be criticised for doing something different, just because it was less appealing to the "me too" players.
Too often mainstream bland and grey is pronounced "great" because it does the same old thing well. is WoW a "greater" game than "Tale in the Desert"? Which is more original? Earth and Beyond was a "great" game too.
I would put EVE On-line on my list of games that could be great but stayed bland and "safe". I might even put WoW on the same list, because it never stretched the boundaries of the genre and still doesn't despite their raking in cash.
Other than this, I felt a synergy with most of your views, as usual. Thanks again for your perceptive podcast.
'Dude I want your microphone!' by Beauturkey
Submitted on 2008-04-23 22:28:44 CST
Sounds good, as usual.
Did I hear a uhm, a ...MISTAKE in this one? Brent doens't make mistakes. He edits them out!! I looked at Leala and said "did he just make a mistake?"
My puppy even looked concerned, and he's pretty laid back. Well, it was more of a repeated sentence, but still...Brent you are the standard for quality in podcasting. If you start to make mistakes then what are WE to do??
Seriously, I agree with some of the WOW list. The whole soloplay/finding a good guild thing: we don't agree. It's easier in WoW than in any other mmo we've played, namely cuz there's so many people that play it. I could just ask people to try it and once they did, we had a guild. If you mean RAIDING guild, well then, that's a whole nother story. Raiders eat their kids.
Great show. Now send me an advanced copy of Troy's new show. Theeeeennnkkssssss.
Beau
'rolls eyes at Beau' by Brent
Submitted on 2008-04-24 00:37:59 CST
Did I forget to mention that I fell asleep in my chair several times when I was editing?
Paid the price too.
If you've listened carefully, you'd know that every so often I miss an edit. I'd like to officially state that Darren is to blame for most of that. Picture me happily and attentively editing a podcast, when suddenly the Skype IM starts rattling at me. Oh no, it's Darren and he's here to distract me! Crap missed an edited!
('Course I've been know to pester Darren while he's actually recording his show.)
And seriously, I actually was nodding off during the edit. Kept waking up and rewinding, but apparently I didn't rewind far enough once.
'rolls eyes at Brent' by darrenl
Submitted on 2008-04-24 12:36:05 CST
Oh...I did not just read that you blame me? Did I just read that?
War has been declared ladies and gents. War!!
'SWG DIssapointment' by dalith
Submitted on 2008-04-25 12:38:19 CST
I would have to agree with SWG being the biggest disappointment. The main reason being was that when they kept going through all the combat and class changes, they kept driving more and more of their fan base away.
'I started listening to your podcast too.' by FarScapeIII
Submitted on 2008-04-25 13:55:20 CST
I guess it is pretty good, :)
Also I must be getting interested in MMO's as a whole, and I don't know, you are pretty good at doing this IMO.
Awesome podcast Brent.
Far
'AoC == Vanguard 2' by Isanox
Submitted on 2008-04-25 18:20:42 CST
I'll say it here and now. Age of Conan is this years Vanguard.
It will close half it's launch servers by the end of the year, maybe even in less time than it took PotBS.
'The doomsingers have started' by scytale2
Submitted on 2008-04-26 08:02:07 CST
Today I read from the tabloids that petrol is in short supply and that I had better fill up my tank. Last time the tabloids said this, petrol ran out due to the panic, not due to the supply. Panic sells papers, of course.
A snipe at Age of Conan, Vanguard, Pirates of the Burning Sea is not what is needed on this web-site, which is trying its hardest to promote the concept of innovative MMORPG, against a backdrop of recent problems.
When I was in the LOTRO Beta, Codemasters used to continually say, please don't judge the finished product before it is launched. The product in Beta was always pretty good, but still they did not want people downplaying their big launch, because this first wash of buyers is often what is needed to finish the polish of a game. Snipers who ridicule those who buy a product or advise others not to bother are actually helping the product to fail, as investors are less likely to stick with a game that does not meet early targets.
So, please let's be positive and vote for a great game experience in AoC. Let's all buy it and recommend it to our friends, give constructive criticism early on, so they can make amends, before they lose too many players as a result and support our industry, not whinge at it.
Funcom have the talent, so let's hope they can deliver.