For those of you that haven't read, valor will no longer be a requirement to purchase PvP gear in SWTOR. Instead, the tier 1 set will be bought with credits and tiers 2 and 3 will be bought with warzone commendations. They have added a new set of PvP gear called "war hero", but have also gotten rid of both centurion and champion gear, thus their claim that they have added anything at all is somewhat misleading.
I am disappointed by the changes to PvP gear in 1.2. First of all, since there is no valor requirement for gear, what's the point of valor at all? I would hate to be someone who has been grinding out warzones and Tuesday night Ilum brawls to get to 65 in order to wear battlemaster, only to be told that next patch anyone who has enough commendations can buy the gear I have worked very hard to acquire. I can imagine open world PvP will also be non-existent on most servers. Yes, I know they are taking out Ilum to work on it. But, if valor is all but meaningless, what sort of incentive could they possibly come up with to draw people to the new and improved Ilum once they do get around to fixing it? Since hearing about the changes last Thursday, I have played a total of 5 warzones. Only 5. What's the point? The week leading up to the patch all I have to do is play enough to get my 1000 commendations and call it a day.
There is one idea that could let Bioware take away valor requirements, yet still leave incentive to PvP: Introduce a full line of orange gear with empty slots that are tied to valor rank and purchased with credits or commendations. Imagine that every 3-5 valor ranks there would be a new piece of gear to buy. Yes, of course it would be purely cosmetic, but that's the point. You can show off your shiny new gear that says "I am higher rank than you" but without all the stat disparity. Sure, coming up with new armor models isn't exactly easy and Bioware isn't exactly good at it, however there were countless times during my trek to level 50 that I have thought, "man, I want that armor that NPC is wearing." I guess the watershed moment will come when they announce the changes to Ilum, but until then, count me out of the warzone marathons and Tuesday night fights on Ilum.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Help Wanted!
I have begun actively recruiting people to help me with my project. If you are an artist or programmer who loves turn-based strategy games, SciFi, and/or table top gaming, then this just might be the project for you!
Click here for more information.
Click here for more information.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
My Very Own Mega Corporation!
Okay, so it may not be a mega corporation (although my character in EVE does have his megacorp management skill to level 4), but it will do in the meantime. I have decided to start up a website that will be home to the "company" that will produce my computer game. The company will be called "Computer Top Games." The name will make way more sense once the details of the game start being released. I am going to start it off as a blog, which will eventually turn into a full fledged website once I get around to building it.
I will mainly use this blog to write about the actual process of creating the game, as well as my trials and tribulations in the world of computer gaming. I am going to continue to write at least 3 or 4 times a week, as the game's blog will only be updated as new features or news are released.
There is not much to see, but definitely head on over to the new site:
Computer Top Games
I will mainly use this blog to write about the actual process of creating the game, as well as my trials and tribulations in the world of computer gaming. I am going to continue to write at least 3 or 4 times a week, as the game's blog will only be updated as new features or news are released.
There is not much to see, but definitely head on over to the new site:
Computer Top Games
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Haven - First Contact
(This is the first installment of the back story to the universe in which my game will take place in. It's been a long, long time since I have attempted to write any fiction, so please, be gentle.)
The residents of Haven lived an insignificant existence. A small spec of a planet located somewhere in the endless void of the galaxy, little has changed on the world in the last 300 years. Its people know little of their origins. Bits and pieces of history have survived since the first settlement was founded, but even what remains is cryptic at best. It is almost as though their forefathers were hiding something from future generations. Then again, there was little reason for the people of Haven to uncover those secrets. The technology passed down from the original settlers of the planet made life comfortable for the Havenites. There have been no major wars since the Unification Treaty was signed centuries before. Life on the planet offered its inhabitants what every human sought after: stability.
It is not as if the Havenites thought of themselves as alone in the galaxy. The technology they possess rivals that of some space faring civilizations. Astronomers have mapped the stars, satellites crowd the planet's orbit, and astronauts have set foot on two of Haven's three moons. But, the desire to expand their frontier ended there. It is very difficult to motivate a population to explore when there is no necessity to do so. The human population of Haven is a miniscule 107 million spread across eight continents. The largest city is just under two million, making pollution a non-issue for all but the most densely settled areas. This does not all come without a price. For over a century, technological advancement has been at a standstill. With no wars to fight, no pollution to clean, and no mouths to feed, what is there to strive for? As long as the populace could earn a living and provide for their families, what is there to change? What the Havenites needed was a question to answer, a problem to solve. Something that would allow their civilization to once again begin moving forward.
On a blustery spring day, a house-sized object streaked across the sky on the southernmost continent. Although monitoring stations had been tracking it since it hit the stratosphere, it still took the first responders over four hours to arrive. The object had come to rest in a field, far from any major city, leaving a half mile trench behind it. Those at scene that had surmised it was some sort of spacecraft were proved right when the body of the unconscious pilot was pulled from the wreckage. The news outlets had reported a defense satellite had malfunction and fell from the sky. In reality, it was Haven's first known contact with an alien race.
Over the next forty seven hours, Haven's best doctor's did their best to keep the pilot alive while Haven's best linguists did their best to communicate with the alien. All that could be deciphered was the following:
"Followed. Arrive soon. No one knows. Reject brothers. You still have choice."
Although the greatest minds on the planet converged to decipher the meaning, their efforts proved fruitless. It would take another event, second contact, to shed light on those eleven simple words.
The residents of Haven lived an insignificant existence. A small spec of a planet located somewhere in the endless void of the galaxy, little has changed on the world in the last 300 years. Its people know little of their origins. Bits and pieces of history have survived since the first settlement was founded, but even what remains is cryptic at best. It is almost as though their forefathers were hiding something from future generations. Then again, there was little reason for the people of Haven to uncover those secrets. The technology passed down from the original settlers of the planet made life comfortable for the Havenites. There have been no major wars since the Unification Treaty was signed centuries before. Life on the planet offered its inhabitants what every human sought after: stability.
It is not as if the Havenites thought of themselves as alone in the galaxy. The technology they possess rivals that of some space faring civilizations. Astronomers have mapped the stars, satellites crowd the planet's orbit, and astronauts have set foot on two of Haven's three moons. But, the desire to expand their frontier ended there. It is very difficult to motivate a population to explore when there is no necessity to do so. The human population of Haven is a miniscule 107 million spread across eight continents. The largest city is just under two million, making pollution a non-issue for all but the most densely settled areas. This does not all come without a price. For over a century, technological advancement has been at a standstill. With no wars to fight, no pollution to clean, and no mouths to feed, what is there to strive for? As long as the populace could earn a living and provide for their families, what is there to change? What the Havenites needed was a question to answer, a problem to solve. Something that would allow their civilization to once again begin moving forward.
On a blustery spring day, a house-sized object streaked across the sky on the southernmost continent. Although monitoring stations had been tracking it since it hit the stratosphere, it still took the first responders over four hours to arrive. The object had come to rest in a field, far from any major city, leaving a half mile trench behind it. Those at scene that had surmised it was some sort of spacecraft were proved right when the body of the unconscious pilot was pulled from the wreckage. The news outlets had reported a defense satellite had malfunction and fell from the sky. In reality, it was Haven's first known contact with an alien race.
Over the next forty seven hours, Haven's best doctor's did their best to keep the pilot alive while Haven's best linguists did their best to communicate with the alien. All that could be deciphered was the following:
"Followed. Arrive soon. No one knows. Reject brothers. You still have choice."
Although the greatest minds on the planet converged to decipher the meaning, their efforts proved fruitless. It would take another event, second contact, to shed light on those eleven simple words.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Back Story Revealed!
Just a short post to let everyone know I am announcing what the back story of the game will be about. I have decided to go with the SciFi/Space theme as it interests me far more than any other genre. Thanks to all those who contacted me with their input!
Without further ado, the title of the story is:
The story will involve an abandoned human colony that hasn't had any contact with Earth in half a millennium. All that changes when an alien ship crashes onto the planet with a cryptic message of what is to come. There will be three factions involved in the fighting, all with varying technological advancements. I have written a short story that gives a synopsis of the colony's background which I will post tomorrow.
Without further ado, the title of the story is:
Second Contact
The story will involve an abandoned human colony that hasn't had any contact with Earth in half a millennium. All that changes when an alien ship crashes onto the planet with a cryptic message of what is to come. There will be three factions involved in the fighting, all with varying technological advancements. I have written a short story that gives a synopsis of the colony's background which I will post tomorrow.
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do...uh, the Same.
As I have been researching methods on making a computer game, two websites have caught my eye and have made me exclaim, "THAT'S what I want to do!" As I move forward with my project (which needs a codename, by the way. Any ideas?), one of the most important aspects I am going to have to think about is the design process itself. Take a look at the two sites below and let me know what you think.
1. Games2Gether
Games2Gether is a project created by Amplitude Studios based out of Paris. The goal of the project is to allow players to take part in the game design process. They do all the programming, players do *most* of the design. I imagine that the goal of this is to make people feel invested in the end product and thus be loyal to the game. Perhaps they are even banking on these "player developers" to provide some free advertising as well via social media.
I must say that I am very impressed that someone else out there came up with the same idea as me. Okay, I lied, I am not impressed at all and realized I cannot claim proprietorship over the concept. I will definitely be following how Amplitude handles the whole process.
2. Kick Starter
No, I don't want to create a site like kickstarter.com, but I definitely want to utilize it. It was this site that actually motivated me to up and write a blog to get my computer game idea off the ground. There are several computer game developers on the site already and many of them have received double, and in some cases over triple, the amount needed to fun their project.
Article about KickStarter.com and Computer Games
Monday, March 19, 2012
SWTOR: Follow Up on 50
As you may have read last week, I finally hit level 50 in SWTOR. The post I wrote last week talked mainly about the gear gap that exists between a new level 50 player and one who has been 50 for a while. My fear was that I would be utterly useless in warzones and it would take a long grind in order to be a factor for my faction in PvP.
Let me give you a run down of what I have accomplished in the one week since hitting fifty. I have gone from valor rank 25 to valor rank 45. I have completed the daily and weekly PvP quests once each (yah, my faction doesn't win a lot of WZs). I have acquired 4 pieces of Centurion gear, along with a full set of Centurion relics, implants, and earpiece. My PvP bonus currently stands at 6.44%. I have also done the Belsavis and Ilum dailies 3 or 4 times each, earning me 54 daily commendations plus about 6 item mods I have used to upgrade my orange gear. I must admit that the progress has been satisfying and has certainly fit the casual lifestyle of gaming I must adhere to. There is always something to do when I log in and I have not felt once that a certain tier of gear is unattainable. Sure, there isn't any open world PvP to speak of, and there won't be anytime soon as Bioware is taking out the objectives on Ilum in order to give them a much needed overhaul. To be honest, one of the top reasons I am enjoying SWTOR so much these days is that I finally joined a guild I like. It is filled with like minded people who help out one another and simply have fun while playing.
So what's left to do? Well, my goal is to reach valor rank 50 by the time 1.2 comes out, and it looks like I will far surpass that. Valor rank 65 is also a big deal as then I can wear the top tier PvP set (Battlemaster). I have yet to run any of the top level flashpoints or operations, but then again, I am not a big PvE guy. I will most likely start running them when my guild does just to satisfy the completionist in me.
Even though I have yet to feel like I am through with this game, I can see how people get to level 50 and then quit as it does become your traditional MMO at the endgame. Hopefully it will take a while for me to acquire that feeling, but in the meantime, SWTOR will be my game of choice.
Let me give you a run down of what I have accomplished in the one week since hitting fifty. I have gone from valor rank 25 to valor rank 45. I have completed the daily and weekly PvP quests once each (yah, my faction doesn't win a lot of WZs). I have acquired 4 pieces of Centurion gear, along with a full set of Centurion relics, implants, and earpiece. My PvP bonus currently stands at 6.44%. I have also done the Belsavis and Ilum dailies 3 or 4 times each, earning me 54 daily commendations plus about 6 item mods I have used to upgrade my orange gear. I must admit that the progress has been satisfying and has certainly fit the casual lifestyle of gaming I must adhere to. There is always something to do when I log in and I have not felt once that a certain tier of gear is unattainable. Sure, there isn't any open world PvP to speak of, and there won't be anytime soon as Bioware is taking out the objectives on Ilum in order to give them a much needed overhaul. To be honest, one of the top reasons I am enjoying SWTOR so much these days is that I finally joined a guild I like. It is filled with like minded people who help out one another and simply have fun while playing.
So what's left to do? Well, my goal is to reach valor rank 50 by the time 1.2 comes out, and it looks like I will far surpass that. Valor rank 65 is also a big deal as then I can wear the top tier PvP set (Battlemaster). I have yet to run any of the top level flashpoints or operations, but then again, I am not a big PvE guy. I will most likely start running them when my guild does just to satisfy the completionist in me.
Even though I have yet to feel like I am through with this game, I can see how people get to level 50 and then quit as it does become your traditional MMO at the endgame. Hopefully it will take a while for me to acquire that feeling, but in the meantime, SWTOR will be my game of choice.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put 'P' and 'V' and 'P' together.
(This is the second of a series of posts that will outline my own game design
philosophy. These will be a work in progress and I may go back and edit
them in the future)
Games that facilitate interaction between players always provide the more varied gameplay experience. Take League of Legends, for example. Here we have a game that does not have cutting edge graphics or game mechanics, yet is hugely popular due to the fact is is PvP focused. Imagine playing a single player version of LoL? It is safe to assume it would have not gained the notoriety that it has if you were playing against computer controlled opponents.
EVE Online is another wonderful example how forced player interaction makes for a better game. No matter what you do, you MUST interact with other players at some point (and don't say mission runners never interact with other players, they have to sell that mission loot to someone at some point). Even if you are an industrialist who manufactures ships, you are buying materials from some people and selling your final product to others. If you are a pirate, your time is spent hunting other players down and negotiating ransoms. At one point I lived in a wormhole, by myself, for months. Days would go by with no sign of other players or even the outside world of EVE. I would go about my business fighting Sleepers, mining Arkonor, and harvesting gas. No matter how much fun I was having, no matter how I much I loved having no kids cutting through my lawn, I would be paid a visit from other players. Sometimes it was a lone explorer searching for an empty wormhole to clear. Other times it was an organized fleet looking for some pew pew. Most of the time I would head back to my POS and wait them out. Although there was this one time I got the jump on a gang's Noctis as it was clearing out wrecks by itself and was subsequently bitched out in Swedish in local. The point I am trying to make is that in EVE, player interaction is inevitable and unavoidable, which is the way it should be in a PvP game.
What it all comes down to is unpredictability. When playing with or against another actual human, anything can happen. Case in point: Leroy Jenkins. Would this video be even 1/100th as funny as it is if that event happened every single time you entered that encounter? Actually, my guess that it did happen hundreds of times following the making of that video, much to the chagrin of raid leaders. It is the choices of actual humans that make all the difference in not just their experience, but the experiences of other players as well. It enriches the gameplay for all those involved by generating fresh content and allowing replayability. The magic word here is: choice. This is what makes games so immersive. Why do you think the Mass Effect series is so popular? Sure, it is not a PvP game, but players do have a much greater hand in affecting the outcome of the story.
In any game that I create, you can be certain that all battles, games, and competitions will be decided between players and not one player and a computer.
Games that facilitate interaction between players always provide the more varied gameplay experience. Take League of Legends, for example. Here we have a game that does not have cutting edge graphics or game mechanics, yet is hugely popular due to the fact is is PvP focused. Imagine playing a single player version of LoL? It is safe to assume it would have not gained the notoriety that it has if you were playing against computer controlled opponents.
EVE Online is another wonderful example how forced player interaction makes for a better game. No matter what you do, you MUST interact with other players at some point (and don't say mission runners never interact with other players, they have to sell that mission loot to someone at some point). Even if you are an industrialist who manufactures ships, you are buying materials from some people and selling your final product to others. If you are a pirate, your time is spent hunting other players down and negotiating ransoms. At one point I lived in a wormhole, by myself, for months. Days would go by with no sign of other players or even the outside world of EVE. I would go about my business fighting Sleepers, mining Arkonor, and harvesting gas. No matter how much fun I was having, no matter how I much I loved having no kids cutting through my lawn, I would be paid a visit from other players. Sometimes it was a lone explorer searching for an empty wormhole to clear. Other times it was an organized fleet looking for some pew pew. Most of the time I would head back to my POS and wait them out. Although there was this one time I got the jump on a gang's Noctis as it was clearing out wrecks by itself and was subsequently bitched out in Swedish in local. The point I am trying to make is that in EVE, player interaction is inevitable and unavoidable, which is the way it should be in a PvP game.
What it all comes down to is unpredictability. When playing with or against another actual human, anything can happen. Case in point: Leroy Jenkins. Would this video be even 1/100th as funny as it is if that event happened every single time you entered that encounter? Actually, my guess that it did happen hundreds of times following the making of that video, much to the chagrin of raid leaders. It is the choices of actual humans that make all the difference in not just their experience, but the experiences of other players as well. It enriches the gameplay for all those involved by generating fresh content and allowing replayability. The magic word here is: choice. This is what makes games so immersive. Why do you think the Mass Effect series is so popular? Sure, it is not a PvP game, but players do have a much greater hand in affecting the outcome of the story.
In any game that I create, you can be certain that all battles, games, and competitions will be decided between players and not one player and a computer.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
It has to start somewhere, even if somewhere doesn't exist yet...
The first step I am going to take in making my computer game is creating the universe in which it will exist. I am actually really excited to do so. I don't want to brag or anything, but I am a published author. When I was in 7th grade, I had to write a story for English class for a statewide contest. The winners of the contest were then published in an anthology that was read by middle schoolers across the state. I know, I know, it is obvious to those who have been reading my blog that I simply dominated the contest. I wrote story that was good and stuff and people liked my story because I use good words in it. The short story I wrote did end up getting selected and it remains to this day the high point in my writing career. I remember staying up late for a week just working on the backstory. I went as far as to create a timeline for the events that led up to where the story begins. I am pretty sure I had more fun with that than actually writing the story itself.
So join me, will you? Join me in the creation of a world, the shaping of a universe. I would absolutely love for all of your input and suggestions as to where to begin, which direction to go, and how it should all end up.
I have narrowed it down to four different genres, listing with them what I believe their limitations are. Feel free to prove me wrong.
1. SciFi
Limitations: Not many, we could create any race, have it take place at any time, with whatever level of technology we want. Expansion options are limitless, I mean if Star Wars can introduce the Yuuzhan Vong, anything is possible, am I right?
2. Modern/Near Future
Limitations: Only race would be human, not much room for expansion in the future. Technology would be somewhat limited.
3. Post Apocalyptic
Limitations: Only race would be humans (I suppose you could have mutated humans). Limited to planet earth. Also not much room for expansion in the future.
4. Fantasy
Limitations: I would hate having to create a fantasy world that does not only involve my wife and/or Mila Kunis.
I am going to link this post on the front page and I will change/add things as they are suggested.
So join me, will you? Join me in the creation of a world, the shaping of a universe. I would absolutely love for all of your input and suggestions as to where to begin, which direction to go, and how it should all end up.
I have narrowed it down to four different genres, listing with them what I believe their limitations are. Feel free to prove me wrong.
1. SciFi
Limitations: Not many, we could create any race, have it take place at any time, with whatever level of technology we want. Expansion options are limitless, I mean if Star Wars can introduce the Yuuzhan Vong, anything is possible, am I right?
2. Modern/Near Future
Limitations: Only race would be human, not much room for expansion in the future. Technology would be somewhat limited.
3. Post Apocalyptic
Limitations: Only race would be humans (I suppose you could have mutated humans). Limited to planet earth. Also not much room for expansion in the future.
4. Fantasy
Limitations: I would hate having to create a fantasy world that does not only involve my wife and/or Mila Kunis.
I am going to link this post on the front page and I will change/add things as they are suggested.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ding, 50! Begin Rant...
Last night, after months of playing and a server reroll, I hit the top level in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I will admit, it was very bittersweet. I really did enjoy the leveling process. The Jedi Knight story was particularly interesting, with a few twists and turns along the way. I thought it was a great idea by Bioware to include mini-zones that serve as bridges between planets, and in the Jedi Knight's case, the final stop for the story arch. I don't want to give anything away, but the final fight was a fitting end for all the hours of spent progressing my character.
I know some of you may not believe it, I haven't gotten the "now what?" feeling just yet. I have dabbled in the Belsavis dailies and have not even been to Illum yet and I plan on holding out as long as I can so I have something to do when I get sick of warzones. Speaking of which, I played only one level 50 warzone thus far. I was placed in a Void Star that was halfway through. I died lots and lots and didn't do that much damage, but what really irked me was that I did not earn a single medal. I know I am at the bottom of the totem pole since I just turned 50, but it dawned on me that it's going to be a looooong grind to valor rank 65. One of my guildmates in vent made a good point when I brought this up. She said that for every player that achieves valor rank 50, the next player will have a harder time gaining valor since they will be competing against more players with better gear. For example, by New Years Day, there were, for the sake of argument, 100 valor rank 50 players on any given server. By the end of January, there were 200, and now there are 300. When I enter a warzone, the chance for there to be Battle Master geared players are much higher than if I had been playing in them in January. Isn't Warhammer Online running into this problem and are considering scenarios bracketed by renown ranks and not just level?
It's not just the gear that is the problem, it's also the expertise stat. Not only is a new level 50 player facing a gear deficit (which I really don't mind, I mean, earning kick ass gear means you should kick ass), but they are facing a massive stat deficit as well. Expertise affects the damage you do as well as reduces the damage you take. With my current hear, I do 2.1% more damage to players and take 2.1% less damage from players. If a player has ten times more expertise than me, they are doing 10% more damage to me AND they are taking 10% less damage from me. Stack that with the stat differences from their better gear and you can see why people don't exactly care for the current state of PvP in SWTOR.
I would love to hear what you all think, as PvP gear balance and progression is one of my favorite topics to rage...I mean debate about.
 |
| Rylanor Malcador, Jedi Guardian (can you tell I love War40k?) |
It's not just the gear that is the problem, it's also the expertise stat. Not only is a new level 50 player facing a gear deficit (which I really don't mind, I mean, earning kick ass gear means you should kick ass), but they are facing a massive stat deficit as well. Expertise affects the damage you do as well as reduces the damage you take. With my current hear, I do 2.1% more damage to players and take 2.1% less damage from players. If a player has ten times more expertise than me, they are doing 10% more damage to me AND they are taking 10% less damage from me. Stack that with the stat differences from their better gear and you can see why people don't exactly care for the current state of PvP in SWTOR.
I would love to hear what you all think, as PvP gear balance and progression is one of my favorite topics to rage...I mean debate about.
Friday, March 9, 2012
The Plan
If you have been reading this blog since the beginning (i.e. last week), you know my ultimate goal is to develop my very own computer game. As I started to think more about what it is going to take to actually create it, I realized one thing is for certain, I need a plan. What you will read below is a simple overview of the direction I am going to head. Nothing is set in stone and I most certainly welcome feedback.
Phase 1
-Write. Write as much as I can and post it on this blog. Get all of my gaming stories, loves, hates, ideas and ignorance and slap it into some posts.
-Gain some readers. Not sure how I am going to go about doing this. My initial thought would be to contact some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis and exchange links. (Thanks Werit!)
Phase 2
-Start acquiring feedback from readers about certain aspects of the game, such as setting and gameplay features.
-Unveil the core design aspects of the game.
-Begin building website for the game.
Phase 3
-Assemble a super friends type team to actually get the game off the ground.
-Tweak game design and begin programming.
-Try our hand at kickstarter.com to see if we can actually get some backing.
As you can see, there are no dates or timetables as of yet. I want to be as open and as flexible as I can when it comes down to the process.
Phase 1
-Write. Write as much as I can and post it on this blog. Get all of my gaming stories, loves, hates, ideas and ignorance and slap it into some posts.
-Gain some readers. Not sure how I am going to go about doing this. My initial thought would be to contact some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis and exchange links. (Thanks Werit!)
Phase 2
-Start acquiring feedback from readers about certain aspects of the game, such as setting and gameplay features.
-Unveil the core design aspects of the game.
-Begin building website for the game.
Phase 3
-Assemble a super friends type team to actually get the game off the ground.
-Tweak game design and begin programming.
-Try our hand at kickstarter.com to see if we can actually get some backing.
As you can see, there are no dates or timetables as of yet. I want to be as open and as flexible as I can when it comes down to the process.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
What should I buy?
In yesterday's SWTOR patch, end game crystals are now available for purchase, but only until 1.2 is released. I purchased a +41 endurance purple crystal for my Jedi Guardian, but I am not sure what else to get.
I am not swimming in credits, but I should have enough to buy 1 or 2 other items from this new vendor. Here are my options:
1. Another end game +41 stat purple crystal (Bind on Equip).
2. Schematic for a +33 magenta crystal (Bind on Pickup, previously only available from downing world bosses).
Both are 250k. I am leaning toward the purple crystal only because they are BoE and they are only available through end game dungeons (I think), which I most likely won't be running anytime soon (if ever). If I end up farming 500k before 1.2 comes out, should I get one of each, or two purple crystals? If I can raise 1 million credits, I can buy a white crystal, then again, who needs a job or a wife that will talk to me.
Thoughts?
1. Another end game +41 stat purple crystal (Bind on Equip).
2. Schematic for a +33 magenta crystal (Bind on Pickup, previously only available from downing world bosses).
Both are 250k. I am leaning toward the purple crystal only because they are BoE and they are only available through end game dungeons (I think), which I most likely won't be running anytime soon (if ever). If I end up farming 500k before 1.2 comes out, should I get one of each, or two purple crystals? If I can raise 1 million credits, I can buy a white crystal, then again, who needs a job or a wife that will talk to me.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
What SWTOR Did Wrong
I have been playing SWTOR since early access and I must say I have been enjoying my experience thus far. The single player story lines are engrossing and I have been taking my sweet time to get to 50 (I hit level 45 last night). I am a PvP'er at heart, so a lot of my leveling has come from warzones. Coming from WAR and EVE, I, like may out there, find that the PvP in SWTOR is missing something. Okay, it's missing more than a thing, it's missing several things, but I think one of those things will do more to hurt the future of PvP in the game than any other:
No Faction Pride
This may not seem like it's a big deal to some, but for me, this is a deal breaker. As I was looking through old screenshots of my days in WAR for a previous post, I actually recognized many character names, not just from Destro, but from Order as well. I loved being in the RvR lake and hearing someone scream, "There's Dissb, focus Dissb!" There was something exciting about seeing a guild tag and being able to attach a reputation to it. Believe it or not, I actually liked being recognized, and subsequently focused, while fighting. All it did was elevate my level of hatred for the opposing faction and make me want to fight that much harder next time around. In the grand scheme of things, it also helped develop a sense of realm pride. Forums posts were filled with emotion and smack talk. Order hated Destro and Destro hated Order, it was as simple as that.
In SWTOR, anyone can make a character on any faction on any server, which completely forfeits any chance of fostering a PvP community. Even if they added meaningful open world objectives, like capturable bases, many players would simply log into whatever faction was winning at the time. Sure, there would be players and guilds who would stick to their side no matter what, but they are few and far between. Even in WAR, there were stories of Mitt Romney-esque flip floppers who would keep two subscriptions going just so they could play for whichever realm was dominant at the time. What incentive does a player have to stick with his/her faction when they are outnumbered and getting rolled by superior numbers? I hate to say it, but many players would just logout then login with their character that's on the winning side in order to take advantage of the easy valor gains.
I could be wrong about all of this. They could introduce a revamped Illum in the future that does a much better job luring players to the planet. They could come up with take-and-hold objectives that give faction-wde buffs which would be enticing enough for players to clobbers each other over. But in the end, what's the point? Do I actually feel like I have have accomplished something when I logout? Sure, my character hits level 60 valor and the fights are fun, but all I am doing is running on that incentive based hamster wheel that only keeps me playing to gain a higher level so I can wear better gear, which helps me gain a higher level so I can wear better gear, which helps me....oh, wait.
No Faction Pride
This may not seem like it's a big deal to some, but for me, this is a deal breaker. As I was looking through old screenshots of my days in WAR for a previous post, I actually recognized many character names, not just from Destro, but from Order as well. I loved being in the RvR lake and hearing someone scream, "There's Dissb, focus Dissb!" There was something exciting about seeing a guild tag and being able to attach a reputation to it. Believe it or not, I actually liked being recognized, and subsequently focused, while fighting. All it did was elevate my level of hatred for the opposing faction and make me want to fight that much harder next time around. In the grand scheme of things, it also helped develop a sense of realm pride. Forums posts were filled with emotion and smack talk. Order hated Destro and Destro hated Order, it was as simple as that.
In SWTOR, anyone can make a character on any faction on any server, which completely forfeits any chance of fostering a PvP community. Even if they added meaningful open world objectives, like capturable bases, many players would simply log into whatever faction was winning at the time. Sure, there would be players and guilds who would stick to their side no matter what, but they are few and far between. Even in WAR, there were stories of Mitt Romney-esque flip floppers who would keep two subscriptions going just so they could play for whichever realm was dominant at the time. What incentive does a player have to stick with his/her faction when they are outnumbered and getting rolled by superior numbers? I hate to say it, but many players would just logout then login with their character that's on the winning side in order to take advantage of the easy valor gains.
I could be wrong about all of this. They could introduce a revamped Illum in the future that does a much better job luring players to the planet. They could come up with take-and-hold objectives that give faction-wde buffs which would be enticing enough for players to clobbers each other over. But in the end, what's the point? Do I actually feel like I have have accomplished something when I logout? Sure, my character hits level 60 valor and the fights are fun, but all I am doing is running on that incentive based hamster wheel that only keeps me playing to gain a higher level so I can wear better gear, which helps me gain a higher level so I can wear better gear, which helps me....oh, wait.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Must. Have.
Coming to a Taco Bell near you on March 8. Huffington Post reported that 85 million Dortito taco shells were prepared for Thursday's unveiling. Below is a simple math equation detailing how I will be spending my spring break afternoons:Doritos Locos Taco + March Madness Basketball + Adult Beverages = Happy Chow.
The King is dead! Long live the King!
In February 2010, I was privileged enough to take part in an event that would go down as one of the greatest achievements in an MMO of my entire gaming career.
First, a little background. It was the summer of 2009 and I was firmly entrenched playing Warhammer Online. Being a teacher, I had the summers off so I had ample time to sink into the game. My goblin shaman had hit level 40 sometime in March and I was steadily moving up the renown ranks. The guild I was with was small, but tight knit. Two or three days a week we put together a group of 6 to RvR or run Blood/Bile to gear up our guild mates. With the introduction of keep timers that spring, each realm had the opportunity to raid each others' cities a handful of times. But alas, the king was never killed.
For those of you that don't remember, the only way to obtain sovereign gear back then was to kill the king. After you lock a zone, you had to assault the fort. If you succeeded, you moved onto another zone. Once you locked down that zone, you had to assault that fort and if you succeeded, the opposing city would be open to invasion. Once inside the city, your realm had to do its best to win a zone-wide public quest several times against the opposing realm, all while spread across multiple instances. If you lost 1 PQ in 1 instance early on, it could spell disaster for your side. If your realm did manage to sweep the city instances, then you would be granted access to the end game PvE content that included 3 mini-bosses and finally the opposing realm's king. As you can see, this was no small undertaking and required the coordination of your side's tier 4 forces to succeed.
On the evening of February 20, a king push was called by our alliance. The plan was to push each zone back to just before locking it over the course of the night. (they had gotten rid of the fortresses by this point, which in hindsight, was not a good sign). At about 3:30am, our forces were then to begin locking the first zone down. Yes, you read that correctly, 3 FREAKIN' 30am. I remember helping out until about 2am, then "resting my eyes" until about 3 or so, getting into the main warband just in the nick of time. Eataine locked without a hitch, as most sane gamers were sound asleep. As our now 3 warband strong army began storming Reikwald, the word went out to get your friends online to help lock with the push. By the time Reikwald locked around 5am, we had almost 5 warbands,(over 100 players) online and salivating at the chance to push the city.
To make a long story even longer, we ended up sweeping through the city PQ's in dominant fashion, Order not able to muster a force to deal with our 2 A-Team groups (you couldn't enter the 2nd instance until the first was filled, and so on). We had been to the king once before and failed, so this time we wanted retribution. After a long, hard fought battle, our warband ultimately downed Karl Franz at 8:52am eastern time, much to the jubilation of our Destro allies. Never had the king been taken down by either side on the Badlands server, or on my previous 2 servers (Ostermark and Phoenix Throne). It was one of the greatest feelings I had ever had as a gamer up to that point.
I have yet to experience anything even close to this in any game I have played since. We didn't just down a boss in a dungeon, we didn't beat a rival premade in a scenario. We attacked and defeated an entire realm of opposing players. It meant something. King kills on most servers didn't happen every day, or even every week or month. From the time I quit playing WAR, only THREE king kills had been achieved on our server. Why only 3? Because WAR is a game based on PvP, so you had to overcome the unpredictability of human action in order to succeed. Every keep attack, every skirmish, every one vs. one was different. Heroes were created and rivalries were cemented over the course of many epic battles in the RvR lakes, which in my opinion is what kept many players logging in, even in the those days of low populations and disappearing servers.
First, a little background. It was the summer of 2009 and I was firmly entrenched playing Warhammer Online. Being a teacher, I had the summers off so I had ample time to sink into the game. My goblin shaman had hit level 40 sometime in March and I was steadily moving up the renown ranks. The guild I was with was small, but tight knit. Two or three days a week we put together a group of 6 to RvR or run Blood/Bile to gear up our guild mates. With the introduction of keep timers that spring, each realm had the opportunity to raid each others' cities a handful of times. But alas, the king was never killed.
For those of you that don't remember, the only way to obtain sovereign gear back then was to kill the king. After you lock a zone, you had to assault the fort. If you succeeded, you moved onto another zone. Once you locked down that zone, you had to assault that fort and if you succeeded, the opposing city would be open to invasion. Once inside the city, your realm had to do its best to win a zone-wide public quest several times against the opposing realm, all while spread across multiple instances. If you lost 1 PQ in 1 instance early on, it could spell disaster for your side. If your realm did manage to sweep the city instances, then you would be granted access to the end game PvE content that included 3 mini-bosses and finally the opposing realm's king. As you can see, this was no small undertaking and required the coordination of your side's tier 4 forces to succeed.
 |
| Taking down King Karl Franz...no, he did not pump <clap> us up. |
To make a long story even longer, we ended up sweeping through the city PQ's in dominant fashion, Order not able to muster a force to deal with our 2 A-Team groups (you couldn't enter the 2nd instance until the first was filled, and so on). We had been to the king once before and failed, so this time we wanted retribution. After a long, hard fought battle, our warband ultimately downed Karl Franz at 8:52am eastern time, much to the jubilation of our Destro allies. Never had the king been taken down by either side on the Badlands server, or on my previous 2 servers (Ostermark and Phoenix Throne). It was one of the greatest feelings I had ever had as a gamer up to that point.
I have yet to experience anything even close to this in any game I have played since. We didn't just down a boss in a dungeon, we didn't beat a rival premade in a scenario. We attacked and defeated an entire realm of opposing players. It meant something. King kills on most servers didn't happen every day, or even every week or month. From the time I quit playing WAR, only THREE king kills had been achieved on our server. Why only 3? Because WAR is a game based on PvP, so you had to overcome the unpredictability of human action in order to succeed. Every keep attack, every skirmish, every one vs. one was different. Heroes were created and rivalries were cemented over the course of many epic battles in the RvR lakes, which in my opinion is what kept many players logging in, even in the those days of low populations and disappearing servers.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Persistance
(This is the first of a series of posts that will outline my own game design
philosophy. These will be a work in progress and I may go back and edit
them in the future)
How does that quote from that guy from that movie go? "If you let them build it, they will come...and then stay." Yes, I know I am slightly misquoting, but the quote I quoted fits better than the quote I didn't quote. Got that?
Gamers should feel connected to the content. At the end of the day, there has to some sort of tangible gain. MMOs and RPGs use many forms of this to keep players coming back. There are levels to gain, currency to acquire, and gear to obtain. After a long session of gaming, most players can see how their character has changed, whether it be visibly with a new piece of armor, or intrinsically by learning new, more powerful abilities. There is a sense of accomplishment, a sense of gain. More importantly, those gains are there to stay.
EVE Online, one of the greatest sandbox MMOs ever created, is by definition a persistent world. What you do on in game one day could not only effect you, but the hundreds of other players across the server. Systems are conquered and reconquered, reputations are built and destroyed, and billions of ISK are earned or lost every single day in EVE. There are no server transfers, no rollbacks, no respawning with all of your gear in a friendly station after having been ganked while mining. Your actions, your triumphs, your failures are all permanent fixtures in the game. As a result, you write your own history as you progress through the game. There is no NPC telling you have earned the rank of Supreme Galactic Overlord, it is the playerbase itself that bestows (or strips away) the titles to other players.
The game I am looking to design will most certainly include an experience that persists for the gamer from the time they create their character to infinity and beyond. A sense of growth is what will keep players playing. I feel it is important that players feel as though they are invested in the content they are creating. The player should be able to connect to the units that they create and the battles that they fight. Every time they log in, their deeds and actions should be accessible to them, whether it be their winning percentage, that new unit they had just unlocked due to a victory the day before, or simply a skill that has finished that took a week to train. This will be their army, and although there may be many like it, this one will be theirs.
How does that quote from that guy from that movie go? "If you let them build it, they will come...and then stay." Yes, I know I am slightly misquoting, but the quote I quoted fits better than the quote I didn't quote. Got that?
Gamers should feel connected to the content. At the end of the day, there has to some sort of tangible gain. MMOs and RPGs use many forms of this to keep players coming back. There are levels to gain, currency to acquire, and gear to obtain. After a long session of gaming, most players can see how their character has changed, whether it be visibly with a new piece of armor, or intrinsically by learning new, more powerful abilities. There is a sense of accomplishment, a sense of gain. More importantly, those gains are there to stay.
EVE Online, one of the greatest sandbox MMOs ever created, is by definition a persistent world. What you do on in game one day could not only effect you, but the hundreds of other players across the server. Systems are conquered and reconquered, reputations are built and destroyed, and billions of ISK are earned or lost every single day in EVE. There are no server transfers, no rollbacks, no respawning with all of your gear in a friendly station after having been ganked while mining. Your actions, your triumphs, your failures are all permanent fixtures in the game. As a result, you write your own history as you progress through the game. There is no NPC telling you have earned the rank of Supreme Galactic Overlord, it is the playerbase itself that bestows (or strips away) the titles to other players.
The game I am looking to design will most certainly include an experience that persists for the gamer from the time they create their character to infinity and beyond. A sense of growth is what will keep players playing. I feel it is important that players feel as though they are invested in the content they are creating. The player should be able to connect to the units that they create and the battles that they fight. Every time they log in, their deeds and actions should be accessible to them, whether it be their winning percentage, that new unit they had just unlocked due to a victory the day before, or simply a skill that has finished that took a week to train. This will be their army, and although there may be many like it, this one will be theirs.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
My Gaming History
1987 -My earliest memory of video gaming is of my older brother threatening to clobber me if I didn't get Legend of Zelda for NES for my 6th birthday. I then was allowed to watch him play through the entire game before I even got a chance to make my own character.
1991-1994 -Super NES changes the way I game, introducing me to the 4 button concepts. Sim City, NBA Jam, and Super Baseball Simulator 1000 rules my life.
1995 -My computer gaming life truly begins. Command and Conquer, Civilization 2 and Master of Orion 2* dominate much of my play time. X-Wing, Tie Fighter, and you guessed it, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter throw me s-foils first into the SciFi genre.
*Side note: Game sequels have a much better chance to being better than the original than movie sequels do, am I right? And if you say D2 was better than Mighty Ducks I just may have to punch you in the face.
1998-1999 -Starcraft 2 introduces me to online multiplayer gaming. I dominate myworldwide, national, county, high school homeroom ladder. Alpha Centauri sears itself into my brain as being one of the greatest turn based strategy games I will ever play.
2000-2005 -College and my entry into the so called "real" "world" causes me to focus more on being an actual contributor to society rather than play games. It was a dark time.
2006-2007 -My foray into massive multiplayer online gaming begins as I download the trial for Eve Online. Oddly enough, the reason I didn't get into the game earlier was that I thought you needed to own a joystick to play, which I did not own at the time and was too lazy and go buy. During this time I also purchase Lord of the Rings Online when it is released. I still remember being blown away that when you equipped new armor, the appearance of your character changed as well. I mean, who are the ad wizards that came up with that one?
2008-2010 -I take a much needed break from EVE and join my brother who was currently playing Warhammer Online. Being a WAR junkie from the time I was a kid, the game immediately consumes all my available play time. The guild I join goes from 15-20 active members online at once to 5-10 (which certainly mirrored WAR's declining player base at the time). I stick with the game for about 15 months, which is my longest stint in an MMO to date. During this time, I had the chance to be a realm captain of sort, organizing city raids and taking part in our server's first ever king kill (more on that in a later post).
2010-2011 -With the release of Tyrannis, EVE sucks me right back in and I begin making oodles of ISK making control towers. The click-fest that was planetary interaction slowly gets to me, and I experiment with other games like Fallen Earth and Perpetuum. I also purchase Starcraft 2 and once again begin to dominate all those oppose me...in the bronze ladder. During this time I also play through Fallout 3, which in a nutshell, was rad.
Present Day -I am currently playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. In middle school, I was reading an average of 2 Star Wars novels a month and promised myself to name my first born Wedge. That, coupled with married life and this "job" my wife keeps making me go to, it is the perfect fit for me right now.
1991-1994 -Super NES changes the way I game, introducing me to the 4 button concepts. Sim City, NBA Jam, and Super Baseball Simulator 1000 rules my life.
1995 -My computer gaming life truly begins. Command and Conquer, Civilization 2 and Master of Orion 2* dominate much of my play time. X-Wing, Tie Fighter, and you guessed it, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter throw me s-foils first into the SciFi genre.
*Side note: Game sequels have a much better chance to being better than the original than movie sequels do, am I right? And if you say D2 was better than Mighty Ducks I just may have to punch you in the face.
1998-1999 -Starcraft 2 introduces me to online multiplayer gaming. I dominate my
2000-2005 -College and my entry into the so called "real" "world" causes me to focus more on being an actual contributor to society rather than play games. It was a dark time.
2006-2007 -My foray into massive multiplayer online gaming begins as I download the trial for Eve Online. Oddly enough, the reason I didn't get into the game earlier was that I thought you needed to own a joystick to play, which I did not own at the time and was too lazy and go buy. During this time I also purchase Lord of the Rings Online when it is released. I still remember being blown away that when you equipped new armor, the appearance of your character changed as well. I mean, who are the ad wizards that came up with that one?
2008-2010 -I take a much needed break from EVE and join my brother who was currently playing Warhammer Online. Being a WAR junkie from the time I was a kid, the game immediately consumes all my available play time. The guild I join goes from 15-20 active members online at once to 5-10 (which certainly mirrored WAR's declining player base at the time). I stick with the game for about 15 months, which is my longest stint in an MMO to date. During this time, I had the chance to be a realm captain of sort, organizing city raids and taking part in our server's first ever king kill (more on that in a later post).
2010-2011 -With the release of Tyrannis, EVE sucks me right back in and I begin making oodles of ISK making control towers. The click-fest that was planetary interaction slowly gets to me, and I experiment with other games like Fallen Earth and Perpetuum. I also purchase Starcraft 2 and once again begin to dominate all those oppose me...in the bronze ladder. During this time I also play through Fallout 3, which in a nutshell, was rad.
Present Day -I am currently playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. In middle school, I was reading an average of 2 Star Wars novels a month and promised myself to name my first born Wedge. That, coupled with married life and this "job" my wife keeps making me go to, it is the perfect fit for me right now.
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