The Falconry of Photons... http://blogs.chimpswithkeyboards.com/vanhemlock/archive/2008/04/03/1884.aspx "A Nifty! from the Periphery today, and a bit of a walk down memory lane. Pet classes are nothing new, and pretty much every MMO since Ultima Online has offered some mechanism whereby an Adventurer (of any epoch) need not have to rely on their own strength alone. From EQ's Magician and Necromancer, through AO's Metaphysicist, (Which wins a special Nifty! mention for being the single most abstract MMO Class Concept EVER! "I think, therefore I am...uber!"), Bureaucrat and Engineer, right up to Wow's Hunter and Warlock, CoV's Mastermind and LotR's Captain; almost all MMOs have something that'll let you form a team of two or more, without having to go near another player. Its no surprise that these are often also the good solo classes." Submitted by Wilhelm2451 on Apr 04, 2008 15:18:26 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 267 / comments: 0
The Myth of Ownership in Games http://www.eldergame.com/2008/03/31/the-myth-of-ownership-in-games/ "A recent post by Tobold on virtual property rights was interesting to me because it's a very common player perception. His argument, roughly, is that it would be great if the courts could rule on virtual property, so we know whether we "own" what our characters own, or if game companies do. If a character is worth $10,000, should we be allowed to sell it regardless of what the game companies want? The courts should rule on this.
Well, actually, that's a terrible idea "" given the level of knowledge the courts have, they couldn't possibly make an informed and nuanced decision. Hell, we as an industry can't do it because the rules are changing all the time, and forming a meaningful question is impossible." Submitted by brent on Apr 03, 2008 22:38:33 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 262 / comments: 0
"I've seen quite a lot of what the game has to offer, but I think that Blizzard's masterful MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) is in big trouble and needs to be fixed. Here are ten reasons why World of Warcraft sucks and what Blizzard needs to do immediately to fix the game and save it from losing customers. " Submitted by Wilhelm2451 on Apr 03, 2008 15:17:27 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 604 / comments: 0
Multiverse Unveils 2D Interfaces for 3D Worlds http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/multiverse-unve.html "Many in the industry look at 3D virtual worlds as the future, though potentially only for the long-term, explains Multiverse Co-Founder and Executive Producer Corey Bridges. For now, 2D seems to be taking over the mainstream. "With Multiverse, you can choose both," said Bridges. "What we're going to show is a Flash-based virtual world that's a 2D world where you walk around as in any Flash game. Behind that is the full strength and flexibility of the Multiverse server engine. That can be put to use to power those Flash games. There's nobody else out there who has the depth of extensibility on the server side of the Flash-based world."" Submitted by brent on Apr 03, 2008 14:23:38 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 205 / comments: 0
World of Warcraft Exposed: Before You Make Your First Character http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/04/world_of_warcraft_exposed_befo.php "Even before you load up World of Warcraft for the first time, there are a few things you need to consider. Most importantly, why are you playing? My hope is that it is because you've heard it is fun. You might already have some friends playing it, or perhaps you're just curious about virtual worlds. Regardless of your motivations, keep them in mind before you make your first character. Are you going to be playing alone most of the time? Are you rolling up a character on a server where your friends are already playing? If so, do you know what kinds of characters they play? " Submitted by Wilhelm2451 on Apr 02, 2008 21:25:14 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 452 / comments: 0
CCP's Torfi Frans Olafsson On The Future Of Eve http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1448 "This interview with Eve Online's senior technical producer, Torfi Frans Olafsson, focuses on his work on the "walk-in stations" concept for Eve Online. This initiative is the thing that will finally give the disembodied character portraits of Eve some substance. We'll be able to hang out on stations, interact, and participate in station activities with embodied avatars. As always, the theme is human interaction, only this time there's not going to be any combat." Submitted by crazykinux on Apr 02, 2008 14:24:25 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 311 / comments: 0
Ten Tips to Community Etiquette http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/29688 "One of the greatest things an MMORPG can provide is a strong and sociable community, but often times some people can inadvertently annoy and draw the contempt of their fellow players. This is a simple thing to avoid and Ten Ton Hammer is here to provide you with ten simple etiquette tips to follow when interacting with your fellow players. By following these simple guidelines you can become a community member respected by all and avoid getting shouted down for a simple mistake that you may not realize is a common annoyance in most MMORPG's." Submitted by brent on Apr 01, 2008 08:36:45 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 280 / comments: 0
Ten Ton Hammer's New Gold Selling Stance http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/29703 "It's like those old commercials: a man strolls down the sidewalk eating from a jar of peanut butter, and a woman struts down the same sidewalk eating a chocolate bar. Both are oblivious; lost in peanut buttery and chocolaty bliss. Inevitably, they collide. After a few moments of consternation ("You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!"), they realize that chocolate and peanut butter go great together and--voila!--Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are born!" Submitted by brent on Apr 01, 2008 08:33:26 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 267 / comments: 0
April Fool's in GW: Pick up sticks http://www.massively.com/2008/04/01/april-fools-in-gw-pick-up-sticks/ "Ahhh! Where's my gorgeous new 15k armor? What happened to my beautifully-rendered Necro?! Well, don't fret and take a glance at the calendar. ArenaNet has done it once again in Guild Wars with a hilarious new prank for April Fool's Day. If you remember, last year there was the infamous gender-switching incident, where all male characters were female, and vice versa. That sure caused some heads to turn, and probably netted the most screenshots taken in one day, ever. We'll have to check with Guinness on that one, though. " Submitted by brent on Apr 01, 2008 08:33:14 CST(more)(comments) clicks: 279 / comments: 0