Filed under: The Daily Grind

The Daily Grind: You or not you, in Star Trek Online?

by Kyle Horner Nov 21st 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, Star Trek Online, The Daily Grind

This isn't often a question we find ourselves asking others when it comes to character creation in an MMO, but, well Star Trek Online is different in this regard. Considering the very specific sort of wish fulfillment Cryptic's next game offers, do you plan to first create a fictional captain or in-game version of yourself to captain a starship?

You see, we began thinking on this very subject not too long ago and a dilemma struck. While being a Vulcan or some odd new species is undoubtedly a tempting concept, seeing ourselves sitting in the captain's chair is nearly as exciting. Considering Cryptic's knack for powerful character creation tools, we've no doubt that coming up with a close approximation of our likeness wouldn't be too difficult.

We know that every Star Trek fan is going to create themselves at some point but your first "main" is so very important. Since creating a Klingon-sided character is unlocked after some initial Federation play, we're thinking of making ourselves first, and then, wait for it... a Gorn second. Yes!

The Daily Grind: How do you like your references?

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 20th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

We gamers do love our nods to other media. From the earliest days of gaming and software, the easter egg has been a staple, something hidden without mention in the recesses of code. These days, we're as likely as not to have entire areas devoted to a drawn-out reference, or in some cases an entire element of gameplay added mostly as a long-standing joke. Some games have elevated the art of reference almost to an art form, with major storyline characters introduced as a sort of extended cameo from their original media.

Of course, that's also the problem with references: it can sort of cheapen the game you're playing if it's subtle, and it destroys immersion if it's mind-shatteringly overt. So what do you think? Do you like little snuck-in references to books and movies, or do you like your world to be totally consistent? Do you prefer it when the inspiration is kept under the radar, or would you rather just have the whole thing out in the open? What's your favorite instance of a game calling back to something else?

The Daily Grind: What's a fair price for subscription fees?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 19th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Subscription fees are a fact of life for us MMO players. Most of our favorite games come with one, and it's usually 14.99 nowadays. Ages ago, we could remember paying the 9.99 a month for our games, before that slowly rose to 12.95 a month and then became the current plateau of 14.95 a month.

Sure, we always have the option of playing more money up front to pay a reduced monthly cost, thanks to the miracle of multi-month subscription plans, but today's question isn't about that. It's about your thoughts on the subscription fees. What do you think is a fair price to charge?

Now don't be silly and say free, because we all know servers don't run themselves and bandwidth isn't free. While we're not all in the know about the cost to a blockbuster MMO, we do know how much we're willing to shell out for our games. What's the price you'd like to be able to shell out?

The Daily Grind: Attending the 1 vs. 100 season premiere?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 18th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

It's massive. It's multiplayer. And it's adding achievements! 1 vs. 100 is back again on Xbox Live, and the live version of the online game show where you can win real prizes is starting up again on November 19th.

While the game doesn't exactly generate a cash cow of news, it is a lot of fun to play. Plus, you know, it is free if you have yourself an Xbox Live gold account (which almost every Xbox 360 owner does, otherwise you're doing it wrong.) So we want to know are you going to be there? Will you be jumping in with your friends online, or are you assembling yourself a 1 vs. 100 premiere party? Are you going to be aiming for prizes, or are you going to be shooting for all of the achievements you can grab?

Dropping your thoughts in the comment box below and clicking send is way easier than pushing A, B, or X on your Xbox controller! (Ok, so maybe it isn't, but you should really do it anyway. It's fun!)

The Daily Grind: When's your MMO time?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 17th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We're all busy people. (Well, at least some of us are busy people.) We'd all love to play our games all day long, but we just don't have that luxury. (Plus, your eyes would probably explode out of their sockets.) So, in lieu of playing endlessly, we play for the times of the day that we have free.

So today's question is: when do you sit down to play your MMOs? Are you an after-work person? Are you more of the before-and-after-dinner type of gamer? Or do you play MMOs so late at night that you worry about Dracula breaking into your home and sucking out your blood before you get done with your raid?

You guys know the drill by now. Think up an answer, smash it into your keyboard with the help of the comment box below, and clicky-click the send comment button. We're waiting!

The Daily Grind: Punish or protect?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 16th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Ah, this morning we have a true opinion question for you. One that many players are very divided on. In your honest opinion, dear readers, do you think games should punish players for missteps, or do you believe the game should protect you against loss and minimize it at all possible places?

In the old days of MMO gaming, death was a ruthless beast that could steal hours of your playtime away from you, setting you further away from your goal than you'd be comfortable to admit. But, as we've progressed in our designs, death is no more threatening to our adventures than the gentle breeze of the hills. Death penalties have been reduced, experience loss has been removed, and dropping items has become a dropped practice.

So what's your opinion? Drop it in the box, and let it ring loud and clear!

The Daily Grind: Your shooter of choice?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 15th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: PlanetSide, Culture, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, All Points Bulletin, Global Agenda, MAG

Lots of shooter/action MMOs coming out in the future, and we here at Massively are eager to play them all. From the 256 player battlefields of MAG to the chaotic, persistent territory control of Global Agenda and even over to the streets of APB, more MMOs are taking the route of the action title and avoiding the point-and-click style of the MMORPG.

So, readers of Massively, what's your shooter of choice? Are you more of the first person, character development style of player that's embodied in MAG? Would you rather customize your character and your ride while shooting up the town in APB? Or are you up for some spy-fi jetpack action in Global Agenda? Or, do you want to take the none of the above option and lay down all of your chips on PlanetSide or PlanetSide 2? (Mmmmm... PlanetSide 2....)

Shoot your mouth off in the comment box below! See what we did there?

The Daily Grind: Do you read the quest text?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 14th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Serious question time. You guys ready? We hope you are, because we're about to do this.

Do you read the quest text?

We're not kidding. That's today's morning question. No better way to start your day than by having your favorite MMO news site ask you if you read the quest text. Now don't lie to us -- we know when you're lying thanks to that lie detector we installed in your keyboard. If you've found it and disabled it, don't worry, we put lie detector software in our comment box just for you.

So, tell us, do you skip right over it? Do you read it enough to get the gist? Or are you a writing fiend, taking the time to savor each and every word? Drop us a line and remember, we know.

The Daily Grind: How important are character models to you?

by Rubi Bayer Nov 13th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We spend nearly all of our time staring at their backs, so you wouldn't think it would matter so much, but many gamers spend a significant amount of time on that character creation screen. The options for height, body type, skin tone, face shape, eye color, hairstyle and so on can seem endless. Details for eye, skin, and hair shades, as well as facial details like scars and piercings number in the hundreds in some games.

But in spite of the options at hand, the avatar is just a tool to get the job done, right? Your Paladin's hairstyle won't give him any sort of tactical advantage in battle, so those players who zoom right past the character creator and accept the randomly-generated avatar can get straight to killing. They're having just as much fun."

With so many options at your disposal, do you spend the required time getting your character's hair the perfect shade of red and experimenting with that facial scar to get it just so? Or do you skip the vanity part and get to the killing already?

The Daily Grind: uGame on your iPhone?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 12th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Many games are now coming out with iPhone extensions, breaking down the lines between being in-game and being out of game. Now you can check your character's skills in EVE, or go sell some things on the Fallen Earth auction house, or have a shoot out with your homies in CrimeCraft all thanks to specialized apps for your iPhone. What's next, a Snowboarding Conan mini-game?

Well, today's question is all about how much you guys play your MMOs with your phones. Are you the "true addict?" The person who uses his phone to stay connected to your game of choice even if you're nowhere near your PC? Or are you the person who'd rather have developers working on the game and not on their iPhone extension programs.

Secondary question for super-awesome bonus points: How many people could Conan kill while on a snowboard? Eleven or Eleventybillion?

Compile those comments in your head, and then throw them into our comment box and submit to your heart's content.

The Daily Grind: What part has stayed the same?

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 11th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

MMOs change. A lot, in fact. There are always new updates or new developments, always something that's being improved or altered, added or removed, whatever. But even with all of that, there are certain things that don't change after all. If you've been with your current favorite game for a couple months or several years, there are usually fixed aspects that weather the changes and can server as comforting touchstones. Sometimes it's that certain classes always have the same role, sometimes it's the way the game plays, sometimes it's even just the look of a very familiar area. Whatever it is, there are constants that don't move even as the rest of the game does.

We ask you today: what part of your preferred MMO has stayed the same for you? What feels like a bedrock portion of the game, something that you'd miss immeasurably if it was removed or altered? No matter how silly or serious, there are things we use as fixed points of commonality, so what serves that purpose in your game of choice?

The Daily Grind: Is Warhammer Online doomed?

by Shawn Schuster Nov 10th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

With yesterday's news of layoffs at Mythic, the MMO blogosphere is on fire with speculation and opinions. According to many, everything is to blame for these staff cuts, from World of Warcraft to software piracy. In the worst job market in almost 30 years, we can't help but think the recession plays a large part. Despite the reasons for these layoffs and "restructuring" by EA, there's always that underlying fear that Warhammer Online may be the next victim.

But we want to know what you think, faithful readers. Do you think WAR is doomed, or is this "restructuring" (along with the recent news of an unlimited free trial) part of a plan to ultimately save the game?

The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like to see be brought back to life?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 9th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Today is a day where we should honor our fallen. Motor City Online. Tabula Rasa. Auto Assault. Asheron's Call 2. Earth and Beyond. Underlight. Shadowbane. Castle Infinity. The Matrix Online. The Sims Online. Seed. All of these games, and more, are MMOs that have launched, played, and then died.

Each of these games has a reason for why it was cancelled, but the outcome remains the same -- they aren't online today and their clients are nothing more than wasted code sitting on a disk. Some of these games were our introduction to the genre. Others were our favorite games -- the ones that could trump even the largest names in the MMO business.

So Massively readers, which dead MMO would you like to see be resurrected? Tell us some stories as to why you pick your game of choice, and drop them all in the comment box below. Mourn with others, we encourage it!

The Daily Grind: How much do you care about subscription numbers as a consumer?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 8th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We've all heard that infamous World of Warcraft line -- "12 million people can't be wrong." People say it whenever a person doubts that World of Warcraft is the "omgbestestgameevar!11" but how much weight does that line actually hold?

Specifically, what we want to know here at Massively is how much do you pay attention to a game's perceived subscription numbers? Do you avoid games that don't seem to be doing so well? Or are you the type of person who just pulls the game off of the shelf due to content and content alone? Does a game have to have some huge number of subscribers to be successful in your eyes?

You know the drill. Words go in the comment box below. Typing is super effective!

The Daily Grind: Do you believe MMOs have one month to make a positive impression?

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 7th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

This seems to be a divisive issue for many people... which makes it the perfect cannon fodder to use in a morning Daily Grind question! Readers of Massively, do you think that MMOs have a single month to make a gloriously positive impression on our player base?

Is the first month really the sink or swim times that internet buzz makes it out to be? Or do you believe an MMO is something that grows and refines itself over time like a fine wine, or cheese? A product that gets distilled by its developers and eventually turned into something brilliant?

Crash and burn or slow evolution, we want to hear your opinions loud and clear! Throw them into the white comment box below, and watch as our magical opinionating-opinionators whirr to life and print your wordymajigs on the Interwebz!