The Digital Continuum: Single-player MMO

Injecting the single-player special sauce into MMOs is hardly a new idea. In fact Phantasy Star Online has done it more than once in the past. It's also been done in small amount, though. Nobody has taken the chance to go all out and merge the single-player and massively multiplayer styles of gaming together like a tasty digital version of peanut butter and chocolate.

My recent excursion into the Age of Conan closed beta has made me realize that I really enjoy having some singleplayer flavor in my massively multiplayer online games. There is definitely something to be said for a game that can give you the best of both worlds: solo story and grouping experiences.



Let me put it in another way. When recounting my exploits in the recently released GTA IV, I can have different types of amazing experiences from the offline mode versus the online multiplayer mode. I think that MMOs can harness this as well.

The recent purchase of Diablo3.com by Blizzard was perfect in its timing, as it got me thinking about what that game could be like. I really think that if Blizzard was going to make Diablo 3 at this point, it wouldn't be anything like the last two games. Diablo is dead, Baal is dead -- so what else can be done at this point?

A new world with new characters could be one thing. Maybe even a new storyline involving Diablo himself would be worth exploring. The big difference could be in the way the game is designed: as a single-player MMO.

It's simply, really. If you've ever played the first two Diablo games then you remember how much fun the single-player experience was. Just keep the singleplayer side of the game while throwing out the multiplayer aspect for more of an MMO experience. Blizzard could use an upgraded version of their Battle.net service to have players login to the play the single-player game (as to avoid cheating and such) and then if players wanted to they could jump into the MMO version of the game at one point or another. Of course, in Age of Conan you have to wait until you're level 20 to get into the full-blown MMO aspects of the game. I suppose a similar restriction would have to be put into place for Diablo 3.

All it really comes down to letting people choose the kind of experience they want from an RPG. Nobody has really done a full-on single-player RPG that dovetails into a complete persistent online RPG. There are all sorts of chances to blend together different gameplay experiences with a single-player MMO. You can have the traditional solo experience, play with a friend co-op style or even play the entire game like a big story-focused instance with five or more friends. Just imagine the kind of water cooler-style discussions you'd be able to have with friends about all your shared exploits. There are some very cool possibilities here.

Allowing people to play in the way they want with the people they want is what's most important about this idea, that's the single-player MMO at its core.

Source : Massively.com

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World of Warcraft: Children's Week Begins

Type: Children's Holiday
Date: May 1 - 7
Location: Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Shattrath

Sightseeing



Stormwind Orphanage

All orphans wish they had someone to show them the wonders of the world. Throughout the year, they spend their time wandering around their home cities of Stormwind or Orgrimmar, dreaming of the day they'll be old enough (and big enough) to venture out into the world alone and see the sights their parents would have shown them. During Children's Week, though, brave adventurers for the Horde and the Alliance can make these kids' dreams come true! To help these kids see the world, all you have to do is visit the orphanage for your faction. Talk to either Orphan Matron Nightingale in Stormwind (Alliance) or Orphan Matron Battlewail in Orgrimmar (Horde). After that, you and your young friend can adventure together across Azeroth! Below are some of the places and people the orphans want to visit:

Orgrimmar Orphanage

* The bank in Darnassus (Alliance)
* The lighthouse in Westfall (Alliance)
* Jaina Proudmoore in Theramore (Alliance)
* Mor'shan Rampart (Horde)
* Lordaeron Throne Room (Horde)
* Cairne Bloodhoof in Thunder Bluff (Horde) Source : WarCry

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Final Fantasy XI 2008 Edition hits stores May 28th

Square Enix has announced that they plan on releasing the 2008 edition of Final Fantasy XI at the end of this month on May 28th. The box will come with the original game plus every expansion released to date. That means players will get Final Fantasy XI, Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urghan, and Wings of the Goddess all in one purchase.



This is nothing new from Square Enix, as they've done this the past couple of years. We would just like to thank them for keeping all the expansions purchasable in a single box, as it makes things a lot easier on newer players trying to get into the game -- or even returning players who've lost their original boxes.

[Update] May 28th is actually the release date for the EU version of Final Fantasy XI 2008 Edition. The US version of this bundle was released on April 15th, 2008.

Source : massively.com

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Age of Conan's raiding treadmill

Race to the level cap. If you're too slow, you lose. If your gear sucks, you lose MORE. The people who got there first have your number and know where you live. You finally struggle to max level -- but you need to raid to get the gear to continue. The game may be built around PvP, but you have to raid in order to get the gear to PvP. You need to raid to get the gear to do more raiding. Then comes the first expansion, and all your old gear is trash. Rinse and repeat. Thus goes the raiding treadmill. Invented by EverQuest and polished to a mirror-finish by World of Warcraft, the raiding treadmill is no stranger to MMOs.



Does it really have to happen again? To see all there is to see and partake in all that can be partook, must we jump on the treadmill and, Red Queen-like, run as fast as we can, just to stay in one place? In a recent blog post, Keen looks at the Age of Conan news that performing in the top echelons of PvP in the Border Kingdoms will depend on grinding out mini-games and doing a fair amount of raiding for the gear to compete. In the end, he decides to purchase the game, despite indications he will not be able to fully enjoy the game. Must modern games still reward fanatical devotion so highly? Is there a way in which casual and hardcore players can both enjoy all the game? We'll know in May if Age of Conan's PvE-gameplay can satisfy gamers who don't wish to climb upon the raiding treadmill. Source : Massively.com

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The lifecycle of an EverQuest 2 hotfix

EverQuest 2 Associate Producer Jennifer Gerull posted an entry on the official EQ2 developer's blog the other day, discussing the process involved in pushing out a hotfix to the game. Though she equates herself to 'George Jetson with longer hours', endlessly pushing buttons all day, it's an interesting look into Sony Online Entertainment's revision process.

As Gerull describes it, code fixes are pushed to an internal server, where the QA department can take a look at them. If the build of the game compiles nicely, it's reviewed by Quality Assurance to ensure the changes are working as intended. If the build doesn't compile nicely, some poor developer gets saddled with "a really ugly doll named 'BoB' that gets to sit on their desk until the next coder gets the "Breaker of the Build" title."

While most of the time the team waits patiently for QA to do its work, important hotfixes result in rushed phone calls and nervous waiting. Inelegantly applied solutions can have the QA team sending one or two of the items on the hotfix list back to the coding team, which in turn requires Jennifer to start a new internal update. She notes that each internal update is labeled with a letter, starting with A and working down. "A few times I've gotten all the way to L, M and N builds, but that is usually the exception rather than the rule on the number of iterations in one day. By the time we get to N, its usually time to go home and try again the next day." Make sure to read on for the full view of this process, and hints of future developer updates to come.

Source : Massively.com

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Stratics : Mythos Preview

Stratics has the latest preview of the free-to-play MMO, Mythos, currently in closed beta. Flagship Studios, developers of Hellgate: London, is also developing Mythos.

Overall, I found playing this MMO to be a great experience. This game is cute and I had a lot of fun. With playable quests, instanced dungeons, a complex skillset, an achievements list and more, Mythos has a surprising amount of content and customization for the free-to-play genre of MMOs. The gameplay will not only appeal to the casual gamer, but also to the cash-conscious one who is looking for a game that offers just as much as those big boy subscription titles without a huge sacrifice of quality or quantity. By : WarCry Network

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Age of Conan - Laissez les abattage rouler!

It might not have the same ring as "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" (That's "Let the good times roll!" in Mardi Gras-ese, for you non Francophones out there), but we are a month away from the release of Age of Conan, and the hype machine is going to kick into high gear shortly. Here at Ask Massively, we have been awaiting this release with great anticipation as you may have noticed from our frequent references to Age of Conan in previous columns.

In fact, our friend and fan, Muskulls, even noticed the references. Trust me when we tell you that in order for something to penetrate that dense cranium of his, it takes the kind of force usually found near event horizons or Oprah's bathroom scale.

Hey stoopid,

What's the deal with Age of Conan? I'm a little burned out on World of Warcraft, and I'm looking for something else to try for a little while. Why are you so hyped on this game?

Muskulls

Using the logic of "If that lunkhead noticed, then it must be painfully obvious to the rest of humanity" and assuming that we've been hyping Age of Conan more than the average gaming site, We'll go ahead and tell you guys exactly why some of us are anticipating this game so eagerly. All you have to do is read past the jump. If you have a question for us here at Ask Massively, feel free to stop by our tipline or drop us an email at ask AT massively DOT com. We don't need any herbal supplements or fake Rolex watches, but if you've got a good deal on a 1957 Harley Panhead, We're all ears!

Some of you may be wondering along with Muskulls why Age of Conan is any different than any of the other "WoW Killers" out there. We don't know that is. The notion of a "WoW Killer" is a false promise. Any game with as many subscribers as World of Warcraft will be able to coast on its own momentum for years, assuming of course that Blizzard is extremely foolish and rests on its laurels for a few years in order to give everyone else a chance to catch up. What we hear in our conversations with other gamers is the desire for "something different". Some folks say that World of Warcraft is "an MMO on training wheels". Others have experienced everything that WoW has to offer and are looking for more challenges. They realize that new models and new ranks of the same spells and abilities can only take you so far. In short, they want a new virtual world with its own rich lore and backstory, but with new challenges and gameplay.

Enter the Barbarian.

With Age of Conan, we have the same "Swords & Sorcery" setting as Ultima Online, EverQuest, EverQuest 2, World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, Vanguard, and so on, and on, and on, and you get the idea. Here is the difference between all of those worlds, and the world of Conan. All of the games listed above are descended in some way from Dungeons & Dragons, and by extension, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The stories of Conan the Barbarian were written well before Tolkien put pen to paper. Robert E. Howard's world is much grimmer and darker than the land of Elves and Hobbits. One quote from Conan, in the book "Queen of the Black Coast" sums up his philosophy.

"I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."

It isn't quite as well known as the "What is best in life?" speech from the movie, but it illustrates that the world of Conan is a lot bloodier, gutsier, and lustier (both in blood and flesh) than the world of Tolkien (and most of the derivatives thereof). Compare this world to the worlds of WoW and EverQuest. Nothing against Azeroth and Norrath, but those worlds were designed for appeal to a broad audience. We predict that you won't see any tree-borne elven villages, or cute pastoral halfling villages, or anything else designed to appeal to a younger audience in Age of Conan.

Last year, at Dragon*Con, when Jørgen Tharaldsen showed the audience a demo of Age of Conan. The character he created didn't start out in a village close to home. He was a slave on a galley ship and would up shipwrecked in the middle of a thick, and very nasty, jungle. Navigating your way through the jungle on the way to your first "town" was your orientation into the world of Conan. That alone is a significant departure from the "start in your hometown" vibe of most existing MMO's.

According to Tharaldsen, the game is designed for a more mature audience. The game features decapitations, blood, guts, and even a fair amount of nudity. This isn't a sugar-coated version of Howard's world, it's the real deal. Once gamers get over the "Beavis and Butthead" factor, they will reach the realization that this game is actually challenging to play. The combat and magic systems require strategy and coordination. Spells can be woven together to achieve unique effects. Melee combat relies on combinations and attacks of opportunity. There be no "auto attack" here, lads.

It isn't entirely a game of blood and guts. Crafters will have a more important role in Age of Conan. Not only can crafters make weapons and armor, but they can design and build siege engines and city defenses. There are five crafting specializations inn Age of Conan, Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Gemcutter, Alchemist, and Architect. In addition, the classes in Age of Conan aren't exactly the run-of-the-mill warriors, priests, druids, and rogues that you are so familiar with. In AoC, you have twelve classes to choose from featuring exotic names like "Dark Templar" , "Tempest of Set", and "Herald of Xotli" as well as more traditional names like "Ranger" , "Necromancer", and "Assassin".

We won't even mention the other innovations promised by the folks at Funcom. Mounted combat, siege warfare, large scale PVP, player owned cities are all elements of Age of Conan that promise a radical departure from existing MMORPGs. If you are looking for a different kind of MMORPG, or are looking to lose your training wheels, then you should definitely give Age of Conan a whirl.

That's all we have for this week in Ask Massively. If you have a question for us here at Ask Massively, feel free to stop by our tipline or drop us an email at ask AT massively DOT com.

Source : massively.com

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