tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60624422506365415222024-03-06T00:01:39.203+00:00The grey in my beardUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-56364772555345396292016-06-03T14:13:00.001+01:002016-06-03T14:13:15.168+01:00Tomb RaiderI got the Tomb Raider reboot waaaay back for "free" on PlayStation Plus on my PS3 and I just picked it up and started playing it again. I recently had the opportunity to fast travel back to some previous areas and do some completion I'd missed the first time round. Having completed that I was delighted to find I was only at about 66% total completion so hopefully got a huge chunk of the game left to enjoy.<br />
<br />
When it launched there was some <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/13/tomb-raider-lara-croft-rape-attempt">pretty valid criticism </a>of some of the tropes employed in the story telling and that jaded my experience at first but, as a game, I can't recommend it enough. If you like that sort of thing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-74068837599333820482016-06-01T10:35:00.000+01:002016-06-01T10:35:07.765+01:00What it's like to play FFXIBack in the day we all played FFXI. My brother occasionally gets tempted back for a dabble. On his most recent foray he has what can only be described as the quintessential FFXI experience. I never played any other old school MMOs so I dunno how typical this is but it's classic Final Fantasy.<br />
<br />
He writes (FYI he's dyslexic and I haven't proofed or corrected it):<br />
<br />
<div>
So, the other day I started to collect blue spells again. It was
going well but I realised if I upgraded some of my gear to llvl119,
there were some with more blue skill etc which would make it easier. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So
I looked into it and the upgrade to Relic Feet 119, was much easier if
I upgraded the old relic to +1 before making the jump to 109, then 119.
It also saved me a lot of money. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So I needed to farm dynamis for some currency and the -1 item so that I could make it. before then upgrading it to ilvl119. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So
I changed to thief, and I was annoyed that I was still using the Thf
Knife and assassins armlets for TH, as it was brining down my ilvl score
which in turn reduces the effectiveness of my Trusts therefor making
anything I do on Thf more hassle.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So I thought, I
will see what I can do to get some of the better TH items, I saw that I
had the +2 version of the Empyrean armour from Abysea for the feet, and
when upgraded to the new ilvl109 version had +2 TH and +3 on the
ilvl119. I looked at the upgrade requirements and all I need was 1 item
from an NM in Abysea. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Excellent I thought, and I
said the one thing you should never say when playing FFXI "i'll go do
that quickly then". Bored yet? this hasn't even got to the long winded
bit. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So I looked at the NM. To pop the NM, you
needed a Key Item from a lesser NM, and to guarantee the Key Item you
need to get the red proc on the mob by using the right weapon skill. So I
tool up as my newly levelled and skilled up warrior, as its the send
best job for procs, covering about 80% (nin is best). I check the NM I
needed to kill and it is popped using 3 farmable pop items, all for sale
on the AH house. So I buy a pop set and head off as War/thf. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I
choose the wrong atmas, and didn't pick the one with TP regen, I pop
the NM and trying to proc the Red !!! was taking a long time as I was
wafting on some weapons. Anyway, the proc turned out to be a WS from
SAM, and as I had subbed Thf not SAM I couldn't proc it. Bugger I
thought. but luckily the KI dropped anyway.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I
popped the NM with the KI, without reading the wiki. turns out the NM
does a disease breath move which knocks down your HP to a tiny amount if
you tank it from the front. I was using a Trust tank who stood in
front, died and the NM them proceeded to kill everyone else.
GREEEAAATTTTT.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It's ok, ill just farm another 3 pop items.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
First pop item, drops from normal mobs, I rounded up about 15 of them, fell cleaved a few and got a pop! </div>
<div>
Second pop item, drops from a 10 min respawn NM, went and killed it, it didn't drop....</div>
<div>
Third pop item comes from an NM, to pop this NM, you need a pop item from the mobs round his spawn...</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It takes me 20 minutes, to farm another full pop, I pop the NM again, but the proc is Samurai again and the KI doesn't drop.</div>
<div>
I
then farm another pop, I get lucky, and its done in 5 minutes (still
got sub thf here with TH2). I pop and no joke the proc is Sam again! no
drop</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So fuck it, I got back to Jueno and go
War/Sam with the wooden katana. head back, minus TH. I buy another pop
set and pop the NM! The proc this time is now NIN, so I cant proc and
the KI doesn't drop....</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So I go to farm another
pop, with out TH. it takes 60 minutes to farm one pop set. In the end I
ended up getting the bloody pop item I needed from a golden chest rather
than the bloody NM.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I pop and proc the NM and the KI item drops, hurrah.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I pop the NM and tank it myself, making sure I am behind the mob, I kill it and item drops hurrah.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It's
now 11pm, im arsey tired and stressed at the fact I spent 4 hours,
doing something that stopped being fun after about 45 minutes, that I
didn't even need to do, to do the thing I actually wanted to do. I log
out and uninstall the game.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So the thing I did, to
speed up the thing I wanted to do, to speed up the thing, to speed up
the other I thing I was already doing, took 4 hours in the end. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<strong>TLDR - don't fucking play FFXI, until I reinstall it again in 2 weeks (read days). </strong></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-24536608271964583772016-03-08T15:03:00.002+00:002016-03-08T15:03:34.757+00:00PvP matchmaking revelationsWell, <a href="http://askagamedev.tumblr.com/post/140337818627/in-designing-multiplayer-games-with-a-competitive">this was an eye opener</a> and no mistake.<br />
<br />
It basically says that, if the matchmaking system is working perfectly, when you're playing at the peak of your ability you should have a 50% win/loss ratio. If your ratio is above that, you're probably playing against weaker opponents.<br />
<br />
And there we go. If you ever looked enviously at players with a win/loss ratio above 0.5 console yourself with the fact that the matchmaking system is giving them easy games.<br />
<br />
What it also means is that your ratio doesn't measure how good you are. It measures how good you are against people that have the same skill level as you. For me, this is great news because I'll I want from PvP is fun and not to be dead weight on my team. Now I have a good idea when I am achieving that.<br />
<br />
N.B. this whole theory goes to hell in team gamesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-91284732316031292442016-02-19T20:08:00.001+00:002016-02-19T20:08:35.468+00:00Who's in the wrong #FFXIVThis literally just happened to me.<br />
<br />
I rouletted (yes, that's a verb) into Thousand Maws and straight off the bat the Healer says: "I can't cast Protect because I'm Level Synced D:" The Tank immediately drops and I explain (guessing because I'm not sure) that the Healer needs to reorder the Additional Skills so that Protect is further left.<br />
<br />
We then had to disband because... well, what tank is going to Roulette into "Party in Progress"?<br />
<br />
Personally, I think the Tank was a 1st class asshat. What do you think?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-57606736844168297972016-02-15T14:03:00.000+00:002016-02-15T14:03:16.472+00:00"Your mother was a hamster and..." #D&DIf you've played D&D as, or with, a Bard you'll be all too familiar with this. Bard can cast a few spells and one of the spells it can cast for free (a cantrip) is called Vicious Mockery, which is described thus:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You unleash a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at a creature you can see within range. If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.</blockquote>
So, basically, it hurts their feelings and puts them off what they are doing. It's kind of like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sledging_(cricket)">sledging in cricket</a>. As a level 1 Bard you'll basically do this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2TpQyx9Y9FeUGFO4xlUeS3ZOgvYg8BAwoEm1lkNajtEdvosAkfTgacURCpeH7Q7rXybSEUrpDM2LxWAxL8IVUpTZ25TOKkTaGO__j9onaI072ld7wQE92upn0QmF1zUcS_Wrkee4pwE/s1600/AtH7dAWxbbM4LGGeXEwgRXHUskxU3bGVYxK9gkPUwtc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2TpQyx9Y9FeUGFO4xlUeS3ZOgvYg8BAwoEm1lkNajtEdvosAkfTgacURCpeH7Q7rXybSEUrpDM2LxWAxL8IVUpTZ25TOKkTaGO__j9onaI072ld7wQE92upn0QmF1zUcS_Wrkee4pwE/s320/AtH7dAWxbbM4LGGeXEwgRXHUskxU3bGVYxK9gkPUwtc4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1413042338"></span><span id="goog_1413042339"></span><br />
It's pretty much your only direct damage spell at L1. Or so I thought.<br />
<br />
I just hit level 2 and in preparation for tonight's session I was looking at which new spell to add to my list and I discovered Dissonant Whispers:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You whisper a discordant melody that only one creature of your choice within range can hear, wracking it with terrible pain. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d6 psychic damage and must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you.</blockquote>
Well, gee, that looks good! Not sure how I missed it or why it's not recommend in the "quick build" for Bard as it seems pretty decent. What I also noticed is that it's exclusive to Bard: no other class can cast it. Since we're a big group there is a real danger of taking spells that another class could cast better and that got me thinking: what other spells are exclusive to Bard in D&D 5E?<br />
<br />
It wasn't all that easy to find out. I actually used the data from <a href="http://ephe.github.io/grimoire/">Grimoire</a> and searched inside the files for all the Bard spells, then each other caster class in turn, deleting as I went. I ended up with four. Yup, just four spells that Bard and only Bard can cast. Two of them I've already mentioned and the other two are Compulsion and Power Word Heal.<br />
<br />
Power Word Heal is a level 9 spell (so you need to be level 17 to cast it) and is pretty straight forward:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A wave of healing energy washes over the creature you touch. The target regains all its hit points. If the creature is charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned, the condition ends. If the creature is prone, it can use its reaction to stand up.</blockquote>
Compulsion on the other hand, like VM and DW, is pretty fun:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Creatures of your choice that you can see within range...On a failed save...Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to designate a direction that is horizontal to you. Each affected target must use as much of its movement as possible to move in that direction on its next turn.</blockquote>
The creatures can still attack, so not much use against ranged enemies, but you can use this to provoke opportunity attacks or just control the room a bit. It's a level 4 spell, though, so there may be much better options available by the time you can access that.<br />
<br />
And finally, Heroism is another notable level 1 spell, which can otherwise only be cast by a Paladin.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A willing creature you touch is imbued with bravery. Until the spell ends, the creature is immune to being frightened and gains temporary hit points equal to your spellcasting ability modifier at the start of each of its turns.</blockquote>
For a level 1 spell it's a decent buff and I can think of a few occasions so far where I would have used it. So far our DM has rolled very badly and we haven't taken much damage but it's only a matter of time before our luck runs out...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-16945845541917961002016-02-13T10:00:00.000+00:002016-02-13T10:00:04.053+00:00The elements #FFXIV #FFXIAlong with crystals, elemental magic is a long standing part of Final Fantasy lore. Aside from providing familiar and consistent spell names like Aero, Firaga and Meteor these elements have been deeply embedded in the MMOs created by Square Enix. Well, one of them at least...<br />
<br />
In Final Fantasy XI, the elements were involved in almost everything. There were eight elements: fire, ice, water, earth, wind and lightning/thunder plus light and dark. Of course these were associated with your usual Black Mage nukes like Blizzard and Stone but also Ninjutsu spells and a Summoner Avatars. What's more there were eight days of the week, one for each element and a point on the compass dedicated to each element. There was also weather associated with each element, which could result in a storm, also known as "double weather". Most obvious and, I guess, frequently encountered was the double ice weather that caused blizzards but the double light storms in Qufim Island were rare and beautiful.<br />
<br />
Each of the elements also had corresponding elemental strengths and weaknesses as shown below:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ffxi/images/4/4a/Chart_elements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ffxi/images/4/4a/Chart_elements.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was widely believed, but never confirmed, that this elemental relationship even affected synthesis. In other words, attempting synthesis with a Wind Crystal on Earthsday was more likely to result in success, while using it on Iceday increased the chance of an HQ result. The speculation extended to which compass point you faced!<br />
<br />
The weather also affected some weaponskills and activated certain bonuses on some equipment. One of the most sought after was the <a href="http://ffxiclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Desert_Boots">Desert Boots</a>, which made you run faster in a duststorm. When the Scholar job, which could create it's on own localised duststorm, was introduced some people got very rich...<br />
<br />
In many ways, the degree to which the elements were involved got a bit daft. If you were a mage and wanted to maximise your damage you needed a corresponding staff and even a <a href="http://ffxiclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Elemental_Obis">belt</a>! The speculation about how the elements affected crafting bordered on tinfoil hat crazy and let's not even get into how the moon affected skill gain!<br />
<br />
However, I can't say I'm not disappointed to see a lot of this missing from Final Fantasy XIV. One of the things I loved about Black Mage in FFXI was that you were a true master of all the elements. In FFXIV the elemental spells have been split between Thaumaturge and Conjurer. This does make a lot of sense when you consider that a max level BLM in FFXI would only ever cast Blizzard and Thunder spells as, for some reason, they were created to be the most powerful. Also, the Light and Dark elements have been replaced by the Astral and Umbral dichotomy.<br />
<br />
In FFXIV a lot centres on the Twelve, and I expect the days of the week are named for them but if they are, I haven't been able to confirm it. The Twelve also don't seem to be mentioned much in the story, except by swearing pirates. Maybe I'm too new to the game to fully appreciate the implications of the new "affinities" but I suspect that a lot of the details were lost, or never fleshed out, when the original FFXIV died. If that's the case it's totally understandable but the elemental system in FFXI really added a richness to the lore that I am, so far, missing in FFXIV.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-55905247422593143052016-02-12T14:51:00.000+00:002016-02-12T15:04:46.399+00:00First steps to pen and paper<div class="MsoNormal">
In September I changed jobs and instead of taking a 3.5 hour
round trip to work it’s now more like 1.5. Obviously this is good for all sorts
of reasons, the main one being I get to see much more of my children, but what
it also meant is that I could do some “after school” activities.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQfZF5Tstqu63KH2K-32i89LZYBEhLMKlXvQ-HW6C-APT9I6tIIaiGeoN84RgfIYrBLK-ZUGlJsQRKPJY7HgAYrVxfijAyATRu-wGwl1QyzExr957jLsVE2EZzClTAqiPqpi08xHaywM/s1600/DSC_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQfZF5Tstqu63KH2K-32i89LZYBEhLMKlXvQ-HW6C-APT9I6tIIaiGeoN84RgfIYrBLK-ZUGlJsQRKPJY7HgAYrVxfijAyATRu-wGwl1QyzExr957jLsVE2EZzClTAqiPqpi08xHaywM/s320/DSC_0441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because of my work hours I haven’t really been able to make
any friends where we live so that was the first thing to be remedied. I thought
a lot about what I’d ultimately like to do with my new friends so I’d know
where to start. The resurgence of board games was very much on my radar, as was
a desire to play some of the <a href="http://shiverpeakskiing.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/before-mmos-part-1-of-2.html">40k table top games I loved in my early teens</a>. I'd also been listening to a new podcast called <a href="http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/adventure-zone">The Adventure Zone</a> and that made D&D sound like an awful lot of fun. But, to be honest, I thought RP was something people would be less inclined to do with complete strangers. So finding
some people to play an RPG with wasn’t a strong motivation; it was
more something I thought might come with time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Armed with this self-awareness I set about searching for
groups and message boards for clubs in my area. A lot of the clubs seemed to
play old school war games or straight board games and games like 40k didn’t get
much of a look in. The best bet was a local group on meetup.com that seemed to
do a bit of everything. It felt a bit weird signing up to try and meet people
online until I thought about online dating. If people can find love, I said to
myself, I can surely find some people to play toy soldiers with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As chance would have it, the first meetup I attended was actually
a one-off D&D 5E taster session that the meetup leader ran. After that it
turned out that I didn’t actually have all that much time to attend the meetups
and I only managed to attend a few of the more social events. That did the
trick, though, because me and another prospective dungeoneer managed to find our way
into a D&D group starting a campaign with a novice DM. We’re now playing 5E with a nice mix of beginners
and experienced, but patient, players. <o:p></o:p>It really couldn’t have been a better start for me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We've only played two sessions so far and both have been fun. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the group better and I think the campaign could be pretty long running. I'm already formulating a plan to broaden my horizons even further but more on that another time.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-89438166743583128452016-02-09T10:00:00.000+00:002016-02-09T10:00:13.521+00:00My alter egos #FFXIV #GW2 #Aion #FFXI All the hashtags!<br />
<br />
When I started out play FFXIV my main intention was to level Arcanist and play a Summoner. This is because it's what I always wanted to play in FFXI but felt I was never really allowed. Back then a SMN was basically known as a "sub-par WHM" and you'd never get a spot in an exp party. It's since become much easier to solo on SMN but that came too late for me.<br />
<br />
So, when I picked up FFXIV Summoner is what I wanted right from the get go. However, I very quickly started to lean towards Bard and today I find that my Archer has fractionally more EXP than my Arcanist. Now, this seems totally out of left field to me because I never held even the smallest interest in Bard in FFXI but is it really out of character? I thought I'd have a look back at all the classes I have played and see what, if anything, is my type.<br />
<br />
<b>Final Fantasy XI</b><br />
I always wanted to be a Summoner and I was a Tarutaru. I was thus effectively fated to be a career Black Mage, which I ultimately was, at least in raids. When I played alone I enjoyed Puppetmaster and Ninja much more. I think you can readily call PUP a pet job so I guess that scratched the itch.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgwG_qvceXDBu3CCPOdwER2REQKaxk857qFJ9Q-c0fUF8KeoDKkkekl-hF-mMrpAZjxyR7I7735f_P_jHKu7GPp-ifPqFwNrkqKXHe2r-h5HiTl_yj2AN1R5lE1wZPfJO67C36s7eUvw/s1600/img_20090713_001717.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgwG_qvceXDBu3CCPOdwER2REQKaxk857qFJ9Q-c0fUF8KeoDKkkekl-hF-mMrpAZjxyR7I7735f_P_jHKu7GPp-ifPqFwNrkqKXHe2r-h5HiTl_yj2AN1R5lE1wZPfJO67C36s7eUvw/s200/img_20090713_001717.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black 'n' Blue: me (on the left) in my full Relic AF</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0JfOorpjejjisNxKCMeOk2k1vUPS5d20p_z18N2e90_zNmxB3L2_1x615KCnHnGvuUa78PfUzDQJsKTSkDvq38r4mYqRJIZJw3GFHs5-XGEHXfemrcJpHAMSQ7qShFzQuYbzO0zTBEY/s1600/img_20110508_104143.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0JfOorpjejjisNxKCMeOk2k1vUPS5d20p_z18N2e90_zNmxB3L2_1x615KCnHnGvuUa78PfUzDQJsKTSkDvq38r4mYqRJIZJw3GFHs5-XGEHXfemrcJpHAMSQ7qShFzQuYbzO0zTBEY/s200/img_20110508_104143.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clowning about: in my PUP Relic AF</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Aion</b><br />
My first class in this initially enjoyable but ultimately grindy Korean import was Ranger and I loved the departure from my FFXI classes but after a while, standing at the back going pewpew got boring and I rolled a Chanter to get closer to the action. Chanter was probably the first pure support job I played.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yDn610pRO9EXI_C6ki3PoPICLT_cR-L451Fl_qAYmyOEw9lguK2gDTrsLgHSoy3izaUf4QuH2maUDOvbZjbytZP6hzwt_LU3iXVLEm8Y94OFI5kk3Q5nnw7xITXmJpy-AoZnr0L3ju0/s1600/Aion0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yDn610pRO9EXI_C6ki3PoPICLT_cR-L451Fl_qAYmyOEw9lguK2gDTrsLgHSoy3izaUf4QuH2maUDOvbZjbytZP6hzwt_LU3iXVLEm8Y94OFI5kk3Q5nnw7xITXmJpy-AoZnr0L3ju0/s200/Aion0005.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power Ranger: big wings, big hair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Guild Wars 2</b><br />
I went back to FFXI after Aion but Guild Wars 2 was my next big game. The first character I rolled was a norn Necromancer. I think this was the closest I could see to being a Summoner and I liked the idea of having an undead legion at my command. Didn't really work out that way. I soon switched most of my time to my Engineer whose gadgets evoked fond memories of Puppetmaster. I also spent quite a lot of time on a DoT asura Thief, which, come to think about it, must have tied back into my love of being a back-flipping Taru Ninja.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rS0GOV_kGNTI6g4vJpwtyWcTLarXFVRCfv6abcfy9h2IeKbfwfWHsxSrXacfBitdA6gQM9-L2aLYiP6xHQA5iYnxiA22j3nH8yMyuLiJHdIFtyJwuPs6RzjogTnqOd_nT5ESQ4MncU8/s1600/gw698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rS0GOV_kGNTI6g4vJpwtyWcTLarXFVRCfv6abcfy9h2IeKbfwfWHsxSrXacfBitdA6gQM9-L2aLYiP6xHQA5iYnxiA22j3nH8yMyuLiJHdIFtyJwuPs6RzjogTnqOd_nT5ESQ4MncU8/s200/gw698.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saga of the norn: frankly, most Necros are a walking cliche. I tried to avoid that by playing up the norn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfAD6G4EMS3iEst_WW7aNtRlOQRTJRNT8-CRu395EsCzH5wbgJRb-iKsXIQzNcD2Zfoe-7BzOmaxs5mmHJpq3waUL-BvovXkrY3zoD40Ebfx_0d66bb2H3vUJPpNzoRGDmyt3vZ3kcZw/s1600/gw938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfAD6G4EMS3iEst_WW7aNtRlOQRTJRNT8-CRu395EsCzH5wbgJRb-iKsXIQzNcD2Zfoe-7BzOmaxs5mmHJpq3waUL-BvovXkrY3zoD40Ebfx_0d66bb2H3vUJPpNzoRGDmyt3vZ3kcZw/s200/gw938.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorious: one of two or three medium armour bodies that aren't coats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Wildstar</b><br />
I played a Medic for about 10 levels. I don't even have any screenshots.<br />
<br />
<b>The Secret World</b><br />
I've only played this for about two weeks so far but the first starter deck I worked on was the Commando, followed by the Maverick. Again, slim on screenshots but you can definitely see that melee isn't my thing.<br />
<br />
<b>Blade and Soul</b><br />
I played in one CBT session and, guess what, I played a Summoner. It didn't really gel with my existing notions of what a Summoner should be and once again, the lack of screenshots kind of emphasises the lack of love. I did call my cat Mr Bigglesworth, though.<br />
<br />
<b>Final Fantasy XIV</b><br />
As I mentioned at the start, my two main classes in FFXIV have been Arcanist and Archer, although my Fisher is a higher level than both (but that's another post in itself).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w2_q-lsnOOCX2tDLt79Woz2euV8zqGohc9cH7oEgJlJKRmc_UcOybG1gCDHEGPYaAzOrKpWzrPEaAl_G-q3D0X20Kdt-mj7U6-LbzqBAydEPfj9UON7_IDZVkykIEL6WFXi2Y9Z6HKI/s1600/ffxiv_02022016_163832.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w2_q-lsnOOCX2tDLt79Woz2euV8zqGohc9cH7oEgJlJKRmc_UcOybG1gCDHEGPYaAzOrKpWzrPEaAl_G-q3D0X20Kdt-mj7U6-LbzqBAydEPfj9UON7_IDZVkykIEL6WFXi2Y9Z6HKI/s200/ffxiv_02022016_163832.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serious business:</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have tried some other classes, mainly to get access to other skills, but nothing has really appealed. I am levelling Conjurer (ultimately White Mage) because I know I can walk right into any group content that appeals but spamming cure is pretty dull.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusions?</b><br />
While I <i>think</i> I like pet classes I'm not sure that's true. Looking at the evidence I haven't consistently played pet classes and many of my favourite classes haven't had pets. What is obvious is that I'm not much of a front line fighter. The only real exceptions you'll see above are Ninja in FFXI and Thief in GW2. However, I played that Thief with a short bow most of the time and throwing (yeah, really) was one of the things I liked most about Ninja. You see, when they introduced Ninja into FFXI it was supposed to be a debuffing, ranged damage dealer and that was what caught my imagination. I never really liked tanking as Ninja, though I enjoyed the skill required.<br />
<br />
Considering my history I think my affinity with ranged classes is undeniable, whether the damage be via magic or weapons, so my enjoyment of Archer makes a lot of sense. In many ways it's nice to be standing at the back but not using magic. However, the draw in FFXIV isn't Archer, it's definitely Bard and, while
the two become effectively synonymous past level 30, being a Bard adds a
certain "<span class="st"><em>je ne</em> sais <em>quoi</em>".</span><br />
<br />
In FFXI Bard is very much a support job but I know that's an extremely minor function in FFXIV. Also, looking at my track record, it doesn't seem like I'm a support class kind of guy. Ultimately, it might just come down to aesthetics. Maybe Bard has just captured my imagination that bit more than your usual ranger class. There could also be something to the fact that I am playing a Bard in my D&D campaign but the similarities between the FFXIV class and D&D class could be listed on one hand!<br />
<br />
The fact is looking back I can't actually tell you why Summoner appealed so much to me in FFXI. Summoning has always been a big part of Final Fantasy lore but I was never that big a Final Fantasy fan. I only ever finished FFX.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I guess it just comes down to what feels right for the character you want to play and that might depend on a whole bunch of choices like race and faction, as well as class. I think lore also plays its part and something that's always been important to me is how classes and their roles have been woven into the overarching world. I think I'll explore that a bit more another day.<br />
<br />
For now, I'll continue my efforts towards Bard and Summoner in parallel. Fortunately, I don't think Square Enix will ever make me choose between the two and that's one thing that makes FFXIV a great RPG.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-75366603018036330202016-02-08T11:26:00.001+00:002016-02-08T11:26:19.073+00:00GamerGate, the perils of being a "hashtag warrior" and what Anita really meansI wrote this post AGES ago but I didn't post it at the time as it was absolute flamebait. Still, I'm quite proud of it, so here it is:<br />
<br />
OK, so GamerGate is starting to take some flak. The worm has turned. Time for my 5p.<br />
<br />
Once there was a political party called the German Fatherland Party. It was anti-capitalist, nationalist and deeply anti-Semitic. It later became the Nazi Party. But the party didn't start out with genocidal intentions. Not everyone that signed up wanted that. All it takes is one nutter and suddenly you're membership is implicit approval of all sorts of shit you didn't sign up for.<br />
<br />
And so, GamerGate. Whether it was ever a legitimate pro-consumer, anti-corruption campaign or a false flag operation initiated by women-hating trolls, we'll never really know. What we do know is that, fairly or not, GamerGate is now synonymous with misogyny, sexism and threats of rape, murder and violence.
As a GamerGate supporter you might not see if that way. You might still be holding fast to the ideals for which you believe the "movement" was created. Well, good for you! Except you should understand that the internet is looking at you and thinking twice.
The problem with a hashtag is that anyone can take it up for their cause: how many times have we seen clumsy marketing campaigns with poorly conceived hash-tags get <a href="http://www.mysugardaily.com/askrobinthicke-qna-goes-hilariously-wrong-on-twitter-you-wont-believe-the-crazy-questions-fans-asked/">co-opted and turned into a laughing stock</a>?<br />
<br />
With regard to NotYourShield, as I understand it, this hashtag says "I'm BME/female/gay and I like games they way they are, so don't speak for me and say they need to change!" That's correct?<br />
<br />
Well, the fact is, that's a lot like saying black people can't be racist towards other black people. Or that women can't have sexist attitudes towards women. In short, that's an ignorant position to take.
You might not understand why some games are deeply sexist and, frankly, watching Anita Sarkesian's videos won't help you. She's an academic. She uses academic language. It's tough to follow.<br />
<br />
What you need to know is this:<br />
1) the natural state of the majority of the world is sexist<br />
2) feminism (which has an extremely broad meaning) basically recognises this and critiques it<br />
3) because of 1) games are inherently sexist but, knowing better via 2), they could be less sexist <br />
<br />
Sexism is currently a lot like racism was 70 years ago. You didn't need to be racist, you just were. Everything around you taught you that racism was normal. Times have changed and racism is no longer socially accepted in many countries, similarly homophobia. But sexism still persists and that's because it is so deeply ingrained within society. It's so ingrained it's almost impossible to imagine how different the world would be if we swapped the gender of every world leader in the last 100 years. A lot of things might be the same but many things wouldn't be. Feminism simply points this out and says, "hey, why don't we give that a try? Could it be worse?"<br />
<br />
So, much in the same way I can't hold it against my Dad for saying racist things when I was younger, I can't hold being sexist against anyone. It's not your fault, you don't know better. Most importantly society doesn't want to punish you for your ignorance. You didn't even know there was something you were ignorant of. That's how deep sexism goes. That's what feminism says, anyway.<br />
<br />
But, if my Dad says racist things now (<strike>he never does</strike> wait, does Scotland count?) I would be very angry because he knows better. The work of Anita Sarkesian means the world knows better about sexism in games. If you pretend not to have got that message and feign ignorance, then you might soon find yourself in a socially unacceptable minority.<br />
<br />
Finally, let's also consider this. It's not illegal to hate gay people, or black people, or Asian people or women. What is illegal is to act upon that hate, verbally abuse, make threats, discriminate again, assault and murder people.<br />
<br />
In the privacy of your head, it's still OK for you to look for a white person in a black area to ask directions. That's not a crime. It's OK for you to move seats if the two guys kissing in front is making you feel sick. That's not a crime either. It might even be what the majority of people might do. That doesn't mean it's not racism, not homophobic.<br />
<br />
What's not OK is to suggest that these thoughts and feelings should, in any way, be portrayed in a video game as normal and accepted. Or that games should be an enabler for you to act on those thoughts or feelings. We should be thinking about sexism in video games exactly the same way. That's all Anita is saying. She's pointing at examples and saying "this is bad". This is perpetuating harmful stereotypes or, at worst, championing them. This is teaching young people that some things are OK, which aren't. That's all she's saying.<br />
<br />
She's not advocating that there should <b>never</b> be another game with a white male protagonist. She's saying it would be more inclusive if some games didn't. She's not saying young white men need to be punished.<br />
<br />
We're also not going to see games suddenly have men rescuing men. We won't have a scenario where a straight man, working as a stripper, has been raped and beaten by another straight man because of reasons. We won't have that because, to a big proportion of the gaming audience that would be considered "faggy". "A man, sexually abused by another man, helped by another man. What a bunch of gays." <br />
<br />
You swap the gender of that stripper to female and suddenly that's a completely acceptable scenario: man protects woman from other man. That ticks all of our preconceived gender role boxes.<br />
<br />
But Anita's not saying that scenario is wrong. That's a perfectly acceptable story telling device: "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StuffedIntoTheFridge">fridging</a>" a loved one is easy to relate to. What Anita is saying is that it's almost always <a href="http://lby3.com/wir/">women in the fridge</a>. Her series was called "Tropes vs Women" for a reason. These tropes are reinforcing the sexist norms of the world and that games could, and should, know better and do something about it.<br />
<br />
Because hey, in games, we're always the good guys, right?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-25784211170970567192016-02-07T13:55:00.000+00:002016-02-07T13:55:28.146+00:00A few #FFXIV regretsI'm not a big fan of guides to games. I tend to find they are a bit spoilery and I do like a surprise. I also wanted to have a fairly "raw" experience of FFXIV as my experience of the original was so poor I wanted to have a comparison untainted by the benefits of someone else's experience. However, there are a few things that, with hindsight, I wish I had prioritized.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNG8HTYJOV2K_9vS8iSj1Sq2AU7XdSg6tb2gBOLU95CJajYQM-EDcPo9_APk9GZqprGA0VDYGNO9oVbEclLDCfoG_jWcDdmhO3DnNEAC6q9IgHPKJ279-R1XxWiX4nBnT60WyG8zUgLug/s1600/ffxiv_02022016_163853.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNG8HTYJOV2K_9vS8iSj1Sq2AU7XdSg6tb2gBOLU95CJajYQM-EDcPo9_APk9GZqprGA0VDYGNO9oVbEclLDCfoG_jWcDdmhO3DnNEAC6q9IgHPKJ279-R1XxWiX4nBnT60WyG8zUgLug/s320/ffxiv_02022016_163853.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New fan club members</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1489955196"></span><span id="goog_1489955197"></span><br />
I've now reached the point in the main story where I have joined a Grand Company and I've realized that I could have been earning seals for things that I have been doing all along anyway. Admittedly the only thing I want seals for right now is a Chocobo license and I'm more than half way there after just a few hours but still. Want compounds this is that I have spent quite a lot of time leveling my "sub jobs" as they used to be known in FFXI.<br />
<br />
In FFXI, you set a main job and a sub-job. You had access to all the abilities of the sub-job up to half the level of your main job. So, a max level (99) Black Mage with a White Mage sub-job (BLM99/WHM49) could cast all WHM spells up to level 49. FFXIV works in a similar way with cross class skills.<br />
<br />
So I've been busy leveling Pugilist, Thaumaturge and a bit of Lancer. This is mainly for access to Bard and Summoner but also for some cross class skills. Since I have been doing this using a lot of FATEs and Duty Roulette I really have missed out on a lot of seals. It's not the end of the world but I do wish I had put more emphasis on working through the story and left this stuff for later.<br />
<br />
Looking ahead to the near future I'm looking forward to lots more Roulette on my Conjurer; lots of FATEs, Leves and exploration on my Archer and hammering the main story on my Arcanist. I certainly won't be sad to see the back of Thaumaturge. That really was super dull!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-51065598808875401012016-02-02T14:49:00.000+00:002016-02-02T14:49:22.224+00:00The #FFXIV Ego TripWe know it's a bit of a tired trope but MMOs really are in love with the "only you can save man kind!" storyline and none more so than Final Fantasy XIV.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfijRCyYPvg_p1XHdKsULVxly9byMiANh-zpzv99S9_ijvB1EkUjFgEhM3h8asEOvnm4s5TXlStC1ln91NzwEYOvV8oevgeWfFwMrfMfUf2xo1y2dCQgw-Vio8ty7sw_n_JBMFzWjy1I/s1600/ffxiv_10012016_123305.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfijRCyYPvg_p1XHdKsULVxly9byMiANh-zpzv99S9_ijvB1EkUjFgEhM3h8asEOvnm4s5TXlStC1ln91NzwEYOvV8oevgeWfFwMrfMfUf2xo1y2dCQgw-Vio8ty7sw_n_JBMFzWjy1I/s320/ffxiv_10012016_123305.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some members of my personal fan club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm really enjoying Final Fantasy XIV. As I recently tweeted I had absolutely no compunction about subscribing as soon as my trial period ended; it's been a pleasure to play. Whether that will last into the "elder" game and gear grind remains to be seen but in the short term there is plenty for me to enjoy.<br />
<br />
A few QoL niggles aside (<a href="https://biobreak.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/six-gripes-i-have-with-ffxiv-right-now/">these are fine examples</a>) the only thing that really bugs me about the game is how awesome I am. Not only am I obviously fated to save the Universe (I can only assume that's the case) but every new class I try my hand at I'm just incredible. The incidental characters in the class story lines pale in comparison to my skill. The only person who I don't seem able to impress is <a href="http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Silvairre" title="Silvairre">Silvairre</a> from the Archer's Guild but since he's a right-wing xenophobic maniac I don't have a problem with that.<br />
<br />
So, yeah. This really breaks my immersion. It's not an issue unique to FFXIV, I think the Secret World is one of the few MMOs I have played that actively avoided the "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheChosenOne?from=Main.ChosenOne">chosen one</a>" trope, but it is pretty lazy. However, what would also be lazy is for me to look East and examine "cultural" issues for the reasons behind the popularity of this type of story line. I see a lot of people doing that when considering FFXIV idiosyncrasies. Hell, I used to do it with FFXI all the time. I'm starting to think that's wrong and we can do better.<br />
<br />
(This post went in an unexpected direction at the end there.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-29382038079389811752016-01-08T14:09:00.000+00:002016-01-08T14:09:00.291+00:00My FFXIV Alpha rantOn the 1st of July 2010 I took to my FFXI linkshell's forums to post my feelings about the recent FFXIV alpha and beta testing. Of course the eventual fate of the original FFXIV is well known and documented so why am I posting. Let's just say I wanted to record my opinion for posterity.<br />
<br />
Here goes: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
Admittedly I've only played the <span class="il">alpha</span> but it was woefully lacking in multiple areas, not least some sort of guidance on basic gameplay.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Imagine
the early days of FFXI... where you have to run everywhere, no-one
knows where anything is and it takes ages to do anything.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's exactly like that - but then it's a new game... I've played several new games that weren't like that though.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We dunno what the new combat system is like but the old one was terrible...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So far it's the 2002 MMO we are all familiar with but with 2010 graphics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Apart
from looks, compared to recent MMO releases, it's amaturish and seems
to have been designed completely in isolation from any understanding of
what the modern MMO community wants or needs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My biggest complaint is map and quest markers. Do
you think that having to rely on the wiki for basic quest and mission
guidance in FFXI is good or bad?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For me, the
Wiki exists due to a failure on SEs part, to understand that having to
remember the name of an NPC you have been sent to see is not fun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My Avatar does not rely on my strength in order to
fight monsters, so why does it rely on my memory to recognise people or
navigate the map?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a fairly minor issue but
it's hugely indicative of SEs philosophy. I can forgive FF11 because
it has a certain charm and it's very old now, but I can't see this
philosophy earning a big audience outside JP.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think having the community rely on a wiki PRODUCED
by the community is pathetic, especially as up until recently, looking
at that wiki while playing required a 3rd party program or, for PS2
users, another PC.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, I've never placed much stock in SEs actual
development chops -<a href="http://ffxiv.zam.com/story.html?story=22547"> a games designer that changes an entire battle system 3 months before it's release is doing it wrong</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What exactly have they been working on for the last, what, 4 years? how
did they not realise the previous battle system was shit and why did it
take basically the entire <span class="il">alpha</span> period to acknowledge?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Why are there no community managers actually talking to testers and making it feel like a two way process?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As
a tester it was basically impossible to "test" anything because you had
no idea how it was SUPPOSED to work or what you were supposed to be
doing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I could go on and on...</div>
</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-9229961346246944052015-12-03T10:08:00.002+00:002015-12-03T10:08:31.504+00:00Questions, questions, questions #TSWI bought The Secret World in the recent Steam sale and I've already racked up more hours than I did in either Wildstar or Blade and Soul. I literally didn't get the point of those games. It was XP and gear for the sake of it. So far I don't feel like TSW is like that.<br />
<br />
I would have liked my first post to be about the things I like so far but, as usual, it's much easier to identify the things that I'm struggling with than pin down just what makes it feel so good!<br />
<br />
Firstly, there is the suggested difficulty levels presented in the game. I just don't get it. Some quests are marked as "Very Hard" but are actually simple. Some are marked as "Very Hard" and are apparently impossible. So, that's frustrating.<br />
<br />
The mob "con" system is confusing too. Without levels, it's hard to understand what you are capable of taking on and the tool tips for each mob, again, don't seem that representative of the actual challenge. Of course this all comes down to your build and skill but it's quite a learning curve.<br />
<br />
Last, and certain not least, I'm stuck on the Story Mission already. That's not actually a problem in itself; I was stuck on a side quest for a few days until I figured it out. The problem is that I'm not sure why I'm stuck. In other words, I am I just doing it wrong? I'm not sure if I'm not high enough "level" to get to the area I need to go to carry on (I can see some badass mobs around); if I've missed side quests that lead me to the right places or if I'm just being too much of a wimp to get out there.<br />
<br />
I don't want to been spoon fed, or ride on rails, and maybe it's just a question of adapting to the game, but I do feel a bit lost. It's not necessarily the lack of direction but the apparent lack of means (or ignorance of their existence) to find the right direction. Fortunately, I'm absolutely happy (at this point) to keep plugging away but I can understand the attrition rate being very high.<br />
<br />
I guess I'll just stick at it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-29561447329164651642015-11-13T17:08:00.000+00:002015-11-13T17:08:26.321+00:00Paid Beta: problems vs genius #GW2 #GW2HOTLewis at TTH has just posted what looks to be a decent <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/columns/persistent-worlds/persistent-worlds-5-ways-heart-thorns-could-improve">article</a> about how HOT could be improved. I don't have HOT so I can only guess how accurate the article is but it looks sensible enough.<br />
<br />
However, as I just said to him on Twitter, I have to take exception to the opening line:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There's no doubting that Heart of Thorns is a fantastic expansion pack</blockquote>
I have doubts. I have such strong doubts that it's even a decent expansion pack that I haven't bought it. Maybe my expectations were too high? Who could be to blame for that?<br />
<br />
Anyway, the 2nd closed beta for Blade and Soul starts in an hour or so and I'm lucky enough to have a key, so I'll be taking a look at it. Sadly, that's not something I had the opportunity to do with HOT. Lewis did get several looks, even prior to the beta, and I'm not saying that biases him but it might have helped to temper and balance his expectations. For everyone else you had to buy the product.<br />
<br />
OK I concede that, in retail, that's hardly exceptional, but it's pretty exceptional for video games. Demos or trials have been around since I was buying magazines with cassette tapes sellotaped to the cover. And it's all to encourage you to buy the full product. I really don't get why Arenanet shunned that tradition.<br />
<br />
The exclusive paid beta means that people like me (cynical, "miserable", thrifty, old) didn't "test" the game. Or to put it another way: the only people that "tested" the expansion were the people that thought they'd like it enough to buy it.<br />
<br />
It should be obvious why that's not a good thing UNLESS your business plan is to literally double-down on "fanboys", thereby ensuring that you're only listening to people who have already decided to back you and tailor your product to them. Is that a bad strategy? Well, again (as I so often say!), no it's not. It's probably quite smart. It avoids that whole "trying to please everyone" trap that I think many developers fall into.<br />
<br />
Of course, the other way to avoid that trap is to have some creative integrity: decide on a direction and stick to it. However, this is clearly NOT part of the Arenanet business model and I think that, ultimately, without that clear, uncompromised developer vision, Guild Wars 2 will always rest in popular mediocrity.<br />
<br />
But, again, that's hardly a bad place to be, is it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-82562519279403686672015-10-30T15:11:00.000+00:002015-10-30T15:11:00.514+00:00The other thing I was doingI've been "training" to run 5k! My first official 5k is on November 22 and I'll be raising money for charities under the Movember banner.<br />
<br />
I can keep this very short because there isn't much to tell. As I said in my last post, I decided I needed to get fitter, and started off by trying to lose some weight. I knew it would take more than that so I decided to invest in success and bought the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.active.aps.c25k&hl=en_GB">Couch to 5K (tm) app</a> (C25K) on Android. And... well, that was it. I started doing it.<br />
<br />
It's taken me WAY longer than 8 weeks (3.5 months!) but I have stuck at and I have one more run to go before I graduate. The GPS on my phone went nuts on my last run out so I have no idea how I did but I think I'm VERY close to running the 5k in 30 minutes. I'm absolutely delighted with that!<br />
<br />
Again, I've kept it simple. I haven't invested in loads of gear. I use an ancient HTC Wildfire with the C25K app and some music on. I wear an old pair of jogging bottoms that I bought last time I thought about getting fit (nearly 4 years ago). My only real investments have been a proper pair of running shoes (health and safety first!) and a lurid yellow running jersey (health and safety second!).<br />
<br />
C25K is a walk-run programme and in the first session the run segments are 1 minute. 1 minute. That first session I ran just 1km in total and I found it SO hard. I mean, checking my pulse, "am I going to have a heart attack" hard. Now, I'm running 5k. I'd find it hard to believe if I wasn't there when it happened.<br />
<br />
The potential of the human body to adapt is really astonishing and, again, it comes down to willpower. The C25K programme was amazing for me. I very rarely ever <b>felt </b>that I couldn't finish the segment I was on. Most of the time I found it quite comfortable but even when I didn't I never gave up. I did repeat a few sessions because I wasn't sure I was ready for the step up to the next level but that's cool. After all, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon*. I really do recommend it.<br />
<br />
What makes all of this all the more strange is that I actually <b>hated</b> running. With a passion. I found it boring and hard. Now I think about going for fun. For fun! Crazy stuff.<br />
<br />
* It's a not a marathon - that's just a phrase. A marathon is 42km and those people are idiots.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-34130419225253373602015-10-27T10:35:00.000+00:002015-10-27T10:35:53.954+00:00Completionists win #GW2HOTI've cool my heels a bit on Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and decided that maybe I could get on board with it.<br />
<br />
My current GW2 playtime consists of logging on to my level 24 norn Warrior, harvesting my home instance and logging off. That's it. On most days, at least. If there is a Mystic Forge daily I will throw watchwork sprockets in to get Blade Shards. That was until I realised I don't want the Ascended Spinal blades (crazy expensive) and then realised I had enough Blades to complete the Exotic version already. Doh.<br />
<br />
So, I'm not playing GW2 by any reasonable definition of the word. I went into this holding pattern when I got my 10k achievement chest. And the reason I stopped there was because, with the annoucement of HoT, I knew there was nothing but achievement grind to do until release. This has been my main beef with the expac all along.<br />
<br />
As a result of my uninterest in HoT I haven't been following the news at. A few headlines but no in-depth readathons. I have heard about the disatisfaction with unlocking the Elite specs and seen the word "grind" bandied about. It always puzzles me when people complain about having to DO the new things added in an expac.<br />
<br />
Having decided that HoT might be worth a bit more of a look, this morning I decided to explore some of the new stuff added to the character UI on my way back from the Forge. I noticed that new Achievements had been added to categories I had completed and I realised that some of these were linked to Masteries. Full realisation dawned and then I got angry.<br />
<br />
So "Masteries" are Achievements 2.0? "NO," the fan people cry! "You get abilities instead of items! You can grow your character!" Yeah, but to do what? Unlock more Mastery points that are "gated" behind obstacles that can only be passed with abilities you get from Masteries. That's a genius system for long-term player buy in. But actually it's just a massive facade of busy work.<br />
<br />
Before I go on I just need to make a critical point: if you are still enjoying the <b>gameplay</b> of GW2 there is nothing wrong with this system. If you can go and kill Tequatl every day and enjoy every battle, then HoT must be right up your street. If like me you <b>don't</b> enjoy that gameplay and were looking forward to something fresh in HoT, well, forget it.<br />
<br />
I'm not into Achievements. I never have been. I was delighted when I Anet broke the Achievements away from the story in Season 2 of the Living World. Now, looking at the UI, I can see Mastery points attached to all that crap I have zero interest in doing. Once again, it's a great system: force players to do content that you already built instead of building new content. Genius.<br />
<br />
But you can grow your character! Well, no, that's actually impossible in GW2 because everyone can do everything. Because those same people that are complaining about having to unlock Elite Specs would NEVER allow a situation in which they cannot obtain ALL the Achievements. So you will never be able to differentiate your character in terms of abilities. Hence your character never really grows; there's no richness. When every PC can do everything you don't have an RPG. What you actually have is closer to a MOBA. I could write a whole post about how GW2 is cleaving closer to a MOBA philosophy than an MMORPG philosphy with each release but it should be obvious to anyone that gives it any thought. Yet again, that's probably very good business!<br />
<br />
As someone with a pretty busy lifestyle, being a completitionist would mean a life of disappointment. So when a game becomes about completitionism at it's very core, it becomes impossible for me to engage with. By ensuring that everyone can do everything, and that the only differentiation between characters is how much of it they have done, Arenanet have ripped the heart out of Guild Wars 2.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-12762334384115092762015-10-23T15:10:00.003+01:002015-10-23T15:10:56.720+01:00While I wasn't playing MMOsIn the last 3 months I've lost about 10% of my body weight. Fortunately, unlike in late 2012, this time it was entirely deliberate. I just want to take a few minutes to say why I did that and how.<br />
<br />
When the summer came around and we started playing outside again I quickly realised that I couldn't actually play with my kids. I was so unfit I got out of breath and physically tired playing a 2 minute game of tag. The time had absolutely come to stop talking about it and do something. But I still didn't. Then one day the scales told me I'd hit what I'm pretty sure is my highest weight ever. That really shook me.<br />
<br />
I've always maintained a fairly steady weight. I found by being a careful for a few weeks I could get occasional blips, like Christmas, back under control quite quickly. It seems those days are behind me! I also partial blame learning to drive. Obviously I was walking a bit less (walking distance trips are still done on foot mind!) but the biggest problem was that any food I desired was a short drive away. So, it started to mount up.<br />
<br />
The first thing I did was cut the following from diet completely:<br />
<ul>
<li>most fizzy drinks</li>
<li>chocolate bars & other confectionery (I miss you Starburst!)</li>
<li>desserts (yeah)</li>
<li>lattes</li>
<li>pastries</li>
</ul>
The next thing, in collaboration with my wife (who was also trying to shift a few pounds post-pregnancy), was to reduce portion size in our evening meals. It's very easy to over eat. This is relatively simple to deal with and we follow the "GI diet" recommendations, which is something like 30g of pasta and 40g of rice (that's dry weights). We'd done that in the past and noticed it made a big difference.<br />
<br />
Before this starts to sound too preachy let me tell you want I do still eat:<br />
<ul>
<li>takeaway chinese and curry</li>
<li>Lilt and Sprite</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddo">Chocolate Frogs</a></li>
<li>americanos (mainly decaff)</li>
<li>sugar (a bit on my cereal and a bit in my tea/coffee) </li>
</ul>
On weekdays I eat what most people would consider to be a normal (British) packed lunch: sandwich, apple, bag of crisps. And for dinner we have totally "normal" things, like spaghetti bolognase, chilli, fish fingers and chips, sausage and mash. We just eat a bit less.<br />
<br />
My trick has been to find snacks or treats that are under 100 kcal and limit how many of those I have a day. I normally aim for 2 at the most but sometimes it's 3. And I spread them out: never eat two together!<br />
<br />
Basically, it comes down to: don't eat shit. We eat so
much crap. There's almost no nutritional benefit in most of it, it's
just extra calories. My favourite example of this has become Starbucks.
Apart from a small selection of sandwiches literally everything they
sell has no real benefit. It's just extra calories. What makes Starbucks
even worse is <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11812141/Why-eating-breakfast-on-the-go-helps-pile-on-the-pounds.html">this</a>, we don't even notice we're eating these things!<br />
<br />
And, that's it! I just stopped eating things I didn't need to eat and eat a bit less of the stuff that I do. Of course it takes willpower but that's all it really takes. There's no need to follow some complex diet plan. Eating better is mainly about stopping doing things, rather than needing to do anything differently.<br />
<br />
Of course, none of this actually made me any fitter but it made the <b>other</b> thing I've been doing that it easier.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-50294058720901320392015-09-15T13:15:00.000+01:002015-09-15T13:15:00.411+01:00The real audience for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar #AoS #WFB #WarhammerSince the announcement and release of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar there have been a lot of posts about dumbing down of the old rules, the <a href="http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2015/07/04/age-of-sigmar-and-the-end-of-warhammer/">ridiculous new unit specific rules</a> (see image below) and the <strike>removal</strike> side-lining of the, frankly pervy, Slaanesh Chaos deity. The culprit responsible for these heinous crimes is apparently children, a.k.a kids. That's bollocks.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
"Mustache length IRL" is now an actual Age of Sigmar game mechanic. <a href="http://t.co/kMRk5lQF4s">pic.twitter.com/kMRk5lQF4s</a></div>
— Luke Maciak (@LukeMaciak) <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeMaciak/status/617174329105592320">July 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
It should be absolutely clear simply from <a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Scenery">the cost of the new scenery pieces</a> from Games Workshop that they are not trying to appeal to a younger audience. Even the most profligate parent would balk at those prices. GW themselves have talked at length about becoming a company that produces miniatures, not games, and that "Warhammer" is more about collecting, painting and modelling. Again, the audience isn't kids. So who is it?<br />
<br />
It should also be obvious to anyone with some sort of social life that the changes in Age of Sigmar actually make it a much better game to play with your mates (plural - it's no longer two player) while you have a few beers. This perfectly explains the need to a) make the rules simpler and b) the addition of the stupid rules, which, quite frankly, you need to be drunk to appreciate.<br />
<br />
It's as simple as that. The audience for Age of Sigmar is the well paid, bearded, craft beer-sucking hipster that "got back into board games a while ago". Board gaming is experiencing a resurgence of social acceptability and, generally, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVmmYMwFj1I">being a dickhead's is now actually cool</a>. GW is simply trying to piggy-back on this revival. It also explains the Slaanesh thing.<br />
<br />
The whole concept of Slaanesh is based in some weird <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succubus">succubus</a>-related wish fulfillment, spawned from a generation of men that really didn't understand women. I don't mean role-playing/table-top nerds, I mean the 70s. And, quite frankly, the whole "<a href="http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Keeper_of_Secrets">daemons with tits</a>" thing is embarrassing. Thematically, I love the idea of how Slaanesh fit into the original Chaos pantheon, the Dark Eldar (this <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/mistress-baedas-gift.html">short story</a> is amazing), etc but I'm not sure it really has a place in a modern, mainstream gaming product. It's a niche and basically sexist anachronism and we're in an age where even a whiff of sexism is bad.<br />
<br />
So, again, the down-grade of Slaanesh has got absolutely nothing to do with children and damaging their young sensibilities. Want to know what adds even more weight to that argument? Well, I've read "The Gates of Azyr", the novella that accompanied the launch of Age of Sigmar, and that ain't no kids book! It's bleak, violent and horrific. On reflection I actually really enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
Oh, I almost forgot. A few weeks ago I passed (what turns out to be) the Warhammer Flagship store on Tottenham Court Road. I knew GW planned to rebrand all their stores (and I guess themselves eventually) as simply "Warhammer" but until then I had no idea how that brand looked.<br />
<br />
This is the current/old logo:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Gwlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Gwlogo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
This is the new one:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/v/t1.0-9/10437688_1406886479607383_8497664719886138960_n.jpg?oh=50d1e05dad3d7e21bd09d70a5db17769&oe=569E8786" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/v/t1.0-9/10437688_1406886479607383_8497664719886138960_n.jpg?oh=50d1e05dad3d7e21bd09d70a5db17769&oe=569E8786" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One of these is a modern, minimalist brand designed to appeal to a sophisticated demographic. The other one looks like something you'd see in a toy shop.<br />
<br />
Get the picture?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-49447733025358451052015-07-17T10:14:00.000+01:002015-07-17T10:14:52.852+01:00Have I been wrong all along? #GW2 #FFXI #FFXIVI came to Guild Wars 2 from Final Fantasy XI around August/September 2012. My relationship with FFXI was always mixed. I played with a bunch of great people (that I miss even today) and had a very strong bond with my character (Dibble). I'm not a huge FF franchise fan but I loved the world of Vana'diel too. What I didn't love was that the <a href="http://dibstaru.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/things-i-hate-about-ffxi-part-2-player.html">mechanics of the game never really changed with the times</a>, development was slow and communication from the developers was terrible. It was also unforgivingly hard and anything worth doing needed a group.<br />
<br />
But looking back at <a href="http://dibstaru.blogspot.co.uk/">my blog</a> from those times I'm overwhelmed by how positive most of what I wrote was. I did things in FFXI that I am still proud of today. An anecdote about how we were once pursued across a whole zone and
slaughtered by an angry sheep even made it into my speech at my
brother's wedding. Yes, really. It was subtle but it was there. <br />
<br />
Hindsight is a great thing. When I switched from FFXI to GW2 it was if the lights had been switched on. <a href="http://shiverpeakskiing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/things-about-mmos-that-gw2-made-me.html">Frustrations that I had had with FFXI</a> vanished in GW2 and I wondered why I ever spent a good 5 years playing it. Admittedly my personal circumstances and expectations changed a huge amount over those 5 years of play and I think, ultimately, it was the birth of our first child that really put the nail in the FFXI coffin for me. The need to group, the gear treadmill, the sub: none of these things gelled with having a new baby. But as we approach the third anniversary of GW2 I'm starting to wonder if I did FFXI and Square Enix (SE) a gross disservice.<br />
<br />
When I started out with GW2 buy-to-play seemed like the greatest thing in the world. I didn't have loads of play time so the amount of content was more than enough to keep me busy. At one point I was evening complaining that we had too much content. However, we've now been talking about an expansion for about a year and when, seven months ago, it was confirmed the content all but dried up. If GW2 had kept it's Living Story model I think I'd probably still be playing it. I never wanted an expansion and as soon as one was announced there didn't seem much point doing what I'd been doing as it would all change come release. That was a pretty astute prediction on my part.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in <a href="http://shiverpeakskiing.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/gw2-is-dead-long-live-gw2hot.html">a recent post</a>, I'm starting to wonder if B2P is suddenly not actually <a href="http://shiverpeakskiing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/mmo-business-models.html">all that</a>. I'm looking over in the direction of FFXIV and thinking the same as everyone else: it's bucking the subscription model trend. It's not just bucked it, it's out of the corral and over the fucking hills. From a distance it looks like SE has addressed most of my FFXI bug bears and assuaged my greatest concerns about FFXIV: that they weren't responsive enough to the player base and that they didn't communicate what they were doing at all well. They've not only sorted that out but they're a strong candidate for MMO PR done right. I guess they did have that blip with the housing...<br />
<br />
This has all made me look back at FFXI and the time and money I spent in a different way. SE may not have gone about it in the best way but they RELENTLESSLY delivered more of exactly what people wanted. The amount of content in FFXI today is mind-blowing. The contrast with GW2 is stark and the most obvious difference is business model. Subs (should) mean content.<br />
<br />
But then you have WoW. Millions of subs, zero/shitty new content (apparently). I think Blizzard's problem is plain greed. They're so used to having all that cash that they'll do anything to tap new markets and I just don't think it's working out for them in the long run. FFXIV seems happy to have a small player base that the devs completely understand and can meet the needs of. By necessity GW2 is in the same situation as WoW; they want new players. The new Adventures detailed yesterday? I don't even begin to understand who they're trying to appeal to with that.<br />
<br />
Looking at it all from a distance I'm starting to see the huge benefits of the sub model and the obvious weaknesses of the Guild Wars 2 B2P model. I daresay The Secret World's B2P model would have been a nice fit for GW2 but it's too late now.<br />
<br />
I've dabbled with the idea of re-subbing for FFXI for a month (especially now I have 37 "meg" broadband) but the barrier to entry is colossal even for me not just in terms of content and gear but the interface is actually archaic. Instead I'm content to look back today and realise that, far from being a disaster, FFXI was a great gaming experience and I have no regrets.<br />
<br />
Well, not many.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-34554336558032845932015-07-09T18:43:00.002+01:002015-07-09T18:43:15.510+01:00Meat and potatoes #GW2HOTHaving established a bit of emotional distance from Guild Wars 2 I hope I can write about it without ranting.<br />
<br />
I read <a href="http://mmoarlee.com/2015/07/07/everything-we-officially-know-about-heart-of-thorns/">this fantastic article</a> by MMO Arlee about what is coming in Heart of Thorns. My first reaction was "wow, there really is a lot coming!" A lot more than it seems when you drip it out over weeks and weeks, which is why the article exists.<br />
<br />
To recap, one of my main concerns about Heart of Thorns is a) "what will we actually be doing with all these new systems/mechanics/traits" and b) "is it different enough to be interesting?"<br />
<br />
Arlee's post makes this really easy to get to grips with: it's the whole first section, "The Heart of Maguuma Region." Aside from Stronghold (meh) and the new Borderlands (meh) what are we going to use our masteries and specialisations for?<br />
<br />
At the moment, based on the info we have, I'm very much thinking of Wildstar and their Path system, which when announced seemed like it would be a wealth of "content". It's quite telling that the first three links in Arlee's article are to the Youtube video of the initial announcement. We've had very little information about where were going. I've mentioned before that they might be saving the best for last because I am sure that these aspects are the meat and potatoes to the majority of players. But I am concerned that we've heard so little because, like the Wildstar Paths, the devs have put more time into other things and haven't put much flesh on the bones.<br />
<br />
What am I really looking for from this content? To be satisfied it would have to be:<br />
<ul>
<li>at least three to five zones the size of the original zones</li>
<li>on three levels</li>
<li>with skill points, vistas, POIs (hearts make no sense because they're intended to guide levelling players and we're all 80)</li>
<li>have regular, side quest-like, dynamic events</li>
<li>have World boss dynamic events </li>
<li>have these Adventures</li>
<li>have these Quest Hubs (sorry "outposts")</li>
</ul>
If the Outposts and Adventures replace the Dynamic Event system, that's no good. If there are less than three zones or they drip feed them in the way they have through Season 2, that's no good. That covers concern a).<br />
<br />
What about b)? Well, the specialisations <i>should</i> herald a whole new playstyle for every class. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen. The Condition Damage changes <i>should</i> have improved build diversity but, as I understand it, they haven't. New enemies and encounters in the jungle <i>should</i> introduce new combat mechanics.<br />
<br />
I don't know about you but this is all the important stuff for me. Doing the same old sh-stuff <i>just </i>for mastery points is not going to cut it.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-16272163978519062112015-07-02T11:22:00.002+01:002015-07-02T16:00:43.741+01:00"Change is good, no?" #GW2 #WHFB #AoSMost of my fears about Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns could be ascribed to simply fear of change. I wouldn't blame anyone for levelling that finger at me. Change is obviously a tricky thing to manage hence Change Management is an entire professional discipline and career itself.<br />
<br />
Lewis Burnell recently askled:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Persistent Worlds: What do you think is the biggest issue facing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuildWars2?src=hash">#GuildWars2</a> <a href="http://t.co/0fQznfxl7I">http://t.co/0fQznfxl7I</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GW2?src=hash">#GW2</a></div>
— Lewis B (@PersistentWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/PersistentWorld/status/616138316480688128">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
My, reply was simply "bad PR". I don't mean in the sense of that whole pre-purchase non-event, where people who'd already spent hundreds of dollars on a game were placated by ten bucks worth of bytes, but the whole information management of this release. As I mentioned last time out, where is the news about the "meat" of the expansion? I suspect it's all being held back for a big "wow" just before release. That'll prolly work but it seems like a gamble. They have to be banking on people like me who have done nothing but nay say just screaming "All is forgiven!" and buying the expansion in droves when we finally see... well, I dunno what they're actually holding back.<br />
<br />
Elsewhere in the world of immersive, time consuming hobbies, the realm of Games Workshop, and arguably wargaming itself, is experiencing a seismic event.<br />
<br />
<h3>
A bit about Games Workshop</h3>
In case you don't know, Games Workshop is a wargaming minatures manufacturer based in the UK. It started in 1975 (even older than me) but it was a while before it became the business as it is now known. As a company, Games Workshop is notoriously tight lipped. It has no community team or even a corporate/customer service presence on social media. There is a YouTube channel, which is quite good, but all comments are disabled. The individual retail stores have their own Facebook pages but that's about it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?s=07116113385fced7af9b9bb1bc664795&attachmentid=66777&d=1423745682&stc=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?s=07116113385fced7af9b9bb1bc664795&attachmentid=66777&d=1423745682&stc=1" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? They had geeks in the seventies and, damn, those geeks were chic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you venture into the unofficial GW communities you will find a lot of vitriol aimed at the company, generally themed along the lines of profiteering, bait-and-switch, etc. I hope you are starting to see the similarities between the Games Workshop "hobby" and MMORPGs with regard to business modelling and "player" relations. Games Workshop continues to make a healthy profit so it must have
legions of fans but I suspect it relies very heavily on the same
"whales" that keep the lights on in F2P and B2P games. Like MMOs, Games Workshop is for people with a lot of disposable income or generous parents.<br />
<br />
In 1983 Games Workshop released <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_Fantasy_Battle">Warhammer</a>,
a game of fantasy battles (straight off the box). Warhammer is GW's
longest running core game but, by most accounts, this
<a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/editorial-nuke-the-old-world-to-fix-the-game.html">ancient behemoth had been in decline</a>*, especially when compared to it's
sci-fi cousin-brother Warhammer 40k. One of the biggest (suspected) problems with Warhammer is that it is not drawing enough new players. This is, again, something we're familiar with as MMORPG players: the business makes the bulk of its money from follow-on purchases, not upfront costs i.e. the box price. You need players to literally and figuratively invest in the game.<br />
<br />
In the last few months Games Workshop's solution to the Warhammer problem has been creeping into the light by way of <a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/new-age-of-sigmar-miniatures-revealed.html">leaks</a>, <a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/revealed-age-of-sigmar-release-info.html">more leaks</a>, <a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/is-new-fantasy-age-of-sigmar-release-doomed.html">rumour</a>, <a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/omg-age-of-sigmar-free-rules.html">cock-ups</a> and <a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/06/age-of-sigmar-rumor-tidalwave.html">out right lies</a>. However, at last the truth is in sight: the Age of Sigmar is upon us!<br />
<br />
<h3>
What's this Age of Sigmar, then?</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ageofsigmar-tease.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ageofsigmar-tease.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So is Christmas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strike>We're still not absolutely sure but</strike> it's <strike>either</strike> a completely new system to replace the old Warhammer system, <strike>or it's a boxed introductory game that will pave the way for a completely new Warhammer system</strike>***. <strike>Either way</strike> the old Warhammer system is done for. It's not the 9th edition of Warhammer.<br />
<br />
GW have been building up to this for a while. They had this whole Warhammer campaign thing called "The End Times", which was accompanied by several hundred dollars worth of <a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/Home/endtimes.html">Black Library fiction</a> alone. There were also some amazing minatures. I don't play Warhammer, in fact I don't play any GW tabletop games, and I haven't read the End Times novels or source books, but I understand that the old Warhammer world was literally destroyed, then some wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff happened and boom: retcon of the whole system.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/99120207023_Nagash01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/99120207023_Nagash01.jpg" height="320" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagash - because I wanted another image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, I am surely not the only person that can see the symmetry of this new Games Workshop release and what we've seen from ArenaNet with Heart of Thorns or even Square Enix and FFXIV:ARR. What happened in Warhammer could have been inspired by what they did to FFXIV for all I know. It certainly proves that this sort of total reboot can work. Two more good examples, with the <a href="http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Trousers_of_Time">"trousers of time"</a> in action, are the new Star
Trek movies and the retcon enabled by X-Men: Days of Future Past. You should know from my Thunderbird fandom I'm not opposed to reboots that work. Obviously Heart of Thorns isn't actually a reboot but most systems have now been changed beyond recognition from launch. There's been some pretty huge changes when you think back.<br />
<br />
Needless to say this reboot/relaunch/retcon has got the Warhammer community in a right two and eight. Some people are pretty optimistic. They see the need for the game to draw new players and accept that some change is inevitable. Others are in a wtf-bbq, table-flipping rage. Others still are <a href="http://plastickrak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-intro.html">just a bit sad</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Where has PR gone wrong? Has it gone wrong? </h3>
I can't help but think that an MMO-esque community team could have paved the way for Age of Sigmar release a bit better. I don't understand why Games Workshop have (officially) kept EVERYTHING under wraps until pre-order day (4th July) when everything will apparently be revealed in White Dwarf. On the surface it looks like Games Workshop's notorious secrecy may have backfired (again?)<br />
<br />
Personally, I'm excited to see Age of Sigmar. For me, Warhammer has always had a high barrier to entry but then I generally prefer a board game. I can appreciate the sentiments that, in short, this is the Warhammer 40k version of Fantasy Battle, especially when you see the "Sigmarines" (clever that), but do existing 40k players really want to play two major systems? Is this really aimed at them?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/aos-closeup01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/aos-closeup01.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sigmarine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The real question is have they completely alienated the tournament-playing Warhammer core? In terms of keeping veterans on side they have done a smart thing. The rules for the new system will be completely free, as will everything you need to play the new system with your existing Warhammer armies. They have also promised that all existing minis will be supported, though I suspect a statute of limitation applies. Huge, innit? Existing players don't need to buy anything, at least that's how it looks at the minute.<br />
<br />
With regard to Heart of Thorns, well, I've been predicting the ongoing "PR" fail but I don't think I believed it would just run and run. Just when will they announce that killer tidbit that makes HoT a must have? How much longer do they really think they can string people along for? It boggles my mind. A vocal part of the player base said GW2 desperately needed an expansion and, lo, one was provided but, damn, those vocal players were bored THEN! I have no idea how they must feel now. I actually think the pre-purchase nonsense actually helped ArenaNet. I think they've probably earned some goodwill back after that and it was a small concession for them.<br />
<br />
I still believe that community hype is a valuable tool for promoting a product but community hype isn't the same as traditional publicity. If your community hates a proposed feature and starts tearing it to pieces you CAN'T sit back and say "hey, at least they're talking about it!" That's bad "publicity" and it looks worse when you don't address it. In a post-gamergate** world players don't really trust the mainstream gaming press any more. They know it's all spin and expertly worded non-statements.<br />
<br />
So, having said that, maybe Games Workshop is actually doing it right. They don't do press. Their own press, White Dwarf, is very little more than a product catalogue. They have a nice steady stream of releases and associated information but they don't drip feed teasers for big releases. There is no "it's ready, when it's ready" because it's all be planned out in minute detail. You have to do that when you have a range of physical products and a supply chain.<br />
<br />
Maybe this is the way forward? As video gamers we've all become accustomed to the hype train and the seemingly endless trickle of pre-release non-information. I guess when you don't know when something is going to be finished this is a good model but do they really not know when HoT will be done? I'm sure the investors would want to know so I find it hard to believe the date is THAT fluid. Also, you'll never see GW buttering up the "community" with meaningless platitudes about what a great bunch they are. They simply have customers that they intend to sell a product to. There is little pretence that we're some how part of the team and shaping the direction of the product.<br />
<br />
So maybe GW does have it right. Refuse to be drawn into debate, stick to your guns and be honest about what you're doing: making money.<br />
<br />
* Personally, I suspect this is due to them getting the Tolkien license and peeing on their own chips. I mean, why have two core systems set in a fantasy world? Especially when one heavily riffs on the other and doesn't have a multi-billion dollar movie franchise backing it up? I expect players will tell me that the two systems are so different they are not even comparable. Well, that's as may be but... new players.<br />
** If you believe it was actually about that, which I don't<br />
*** We know it's the former. A lot happened between 1st and 2nd July!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-33753823337387355722015-06-23T22:27:00.000+01:002015-06-23T22:27:48.908+01:00GW2 is dead, long live GW2HOTToday's patch confirmed my worst fears. Up until now a lot of my negativity has been sort of gallows humour of the "wouldn't it be terrible if" variety. I was actually a bit excited when I logged in today. Not excitement of the "OMG I've devoured every morsel of information and can't wait to see it in action" variety, just general curiosity.<br />
<br />
Now my (well documented) fears are confirmed. As a veteran player currently without interest in Heart of Thorns I don't want to relearn everything before I can enjoy the three basic game modes again. If I was sold on HoT and intended to head to Maguuma, then, yes, it would make it worthwhile but I'm not. Yes, the meta did need a shake up but that's all it needed. It didn't need demolishing and rebuilding. I was fully invested in GW2 and happily coasting along and all that's gone out the window. I don't want to start over in GW2, it's just exhausting. <br />
<br />
As a veteran player the message I get from ArenaNet today is "HoT or GTFO". And you know what? That's fine. It's a buy to play game. This is how you make money and move your player base onto your next expansion. It's great business. Games Workshop have been doing this for years. Their stated business model is to manufacture and sell miniatures and the best way for them to do that is by changing the rules constantly so you need to buy new models to get the most out of each new iteration. It's genius. Of course the internet doesn't think so but, hey, shareholders are happy.<br />
<br />
Suddenly buy to play isn't looking like the panacea it did two and half years ago. <br />
<br />
One of the main reasons I'm not sold on HoT (and this opinion I've discovered is shared by many others) is that all these new systems like Masteries and Specializations have been introduced but it's not clear what we're going to be doing with them. When HoT was announced <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2tjxe8/pax_announcement_wordforword_transcription_of/">CJ said this</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now as Mo [Mike O'Brien] said earlier, the maps in the Heart of Maguuma are some of the richest, deepest content experiences that we have ever built in GW2. The game space is tremendous, the amount of space that you can play in, and the jungle is made up of three distinct biomes: The Core (the jungle floor itself), The Roots of the jungle that run deep beneath the jungle itself, and The Canopy, high above, where the remains of the Pact fleet are scattered across the top of the jungle. You're going to get to go and explore all of these areas, from the very depths, to the very top of the jungle, and as you explore, you'll find a secret that the last known good dragon, Glint, left hidden in the jungle for us, right as the story of Guild Wars 1 concluded. And now, hundreds of years later, we will go into the jungle, and find that secret, and find Glint's legacy.</blockquote>
Well, if that really is the case then, damn, they are saving the BEST for last announcements wise because so far I ain't seen NOTHIN' to back that up. I suspect the "content" we're going to see in HoT is going to be no more than 3 zones with lots of "verticality". I could be wrong. If I am wrong I'll be happy. If there is a variety of rich new experiences and zones to explore I might completely change my mind about all this. However, I and many others suspect it's simply Silverwastes in the jungle.<br />
<br />
What I DO hope ArenaNet is doing is laying the ground work for all future expansions. That's what <a href="http://south.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/guild-wars-2-beyond-the-point-of-no-return">they said Heart of Thorns was</a>: "a new framework for how an MMO can grow its universe." What concerns me is that in the 3 years since launch this is the 2nd big overhaul of traits and I wouldn't be surprised if we get to the next expansion and they have changed their mind again. From my experience of logging in today I don't think the new system is "simpler" than the previous one. I hate the fact I now have to unlock skills consecutively (I must have missed that announcement). Yes, it's more like other games but that was what made GW2 great, it wasn't like other games. When I logged on today I had traits equipped in slots where an actual trait I had been using wasn't selected. Whoever derived the logic for the "comparable build generator" is an idiot. Also, I hover over some traits and two boxes come up. I dunno what that means any more. Looking at this as yet another stab at revamping the NPE they've confused me, a veteran player. So, is this a fail right off the bat? Do we now need yet another iteration? Who decides?<br />
<br />
May be that's the big question: who exactly is deciding the direction of Guild War 2? ArenaNet, NCSoft or the players? One thing is for sure, as the answer to that question becomes less clear, the worse it will be for the game.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-62626584624062722052015-06-17T07:41:00.000+01:002015-06-17T07:41:55.814+01:00Told you so? #GW2HoT #GW2I dunno that I did, I just repeated what other people said. That's hardly a prediction. But, yes, GW2HoT is expandalone and current players are upset that they have to "buy" the core game again. Obviously you're not buying the core game since they have all but given away the last few months but still. This makes the most sense for ArenaNet as what they need is new players and this is the simplest introduction for them.<br />
<br />
My 2nd "prediction" is that I said it wouldn't include a character slot. I didn't say that here but I had a heated argument in-game with someone about it. They got heated, not me.<br />
<br />
As for pricing, well, I was eating my breakfast and it struck me as genius. If you buy Deluxe you would be an idiot not to buy Ultimate since the gem value more than covers the "additional" cost. In UK pricing the gems in Ultimate make it "cost" just £2.50 more than Standard. Since you get an £8 character slot plus extras for that £2.50 it's an amazing bargain. What that does mean though is that the £60 basic Deluxe pack is disgustingly over-priced and it's obviously been priced that way to make the upgrade to Ultimate more attractive. So, congrats on that one Anet/NCSoft!<br />
<br />
So, which will I pre-order? Have you guessed? That's right! None of them!<br />
<br />
Pre-ordering a game with no release date is an absolute mug's game. Oh, and testing their game for them is supposed to be a bonus? Yeah, you can stick that where the sun don't shine.<br />
<br />
I was pretty sure that HoT wasn't a day one purchase for me, now I won't even think about it until it goes on sale.<br />
<br />
TTFN!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-7602228076474444132015-06-12T15:51:00.000+01:002015-06-12T15:51:05.834+01:00Before MMOs: Part 1 of 2I recently changed the title of this blog. My main motivation was to emphasis my advancing years in mitigation of my apparent grumpiness. I'm not unusually old for an MMO player, if you played vanilla WoW at 14 you're now 25. If you played in college, well, you're in your early thirties. I played my first MMO in 2007 when I was 29. At that point I felt like I was pretty late to the game. My younger brother got me into it and I dunno if I should even thank him.<br />
<br />
For me MMOs scratched an itch that I'd forgotten I had. Somewhere around 1985 I had a day off school because I was sick and had to go shopping at Havant Hypermarket with my Mum. They had a small book section and in it I found a book called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forest_of_Doom">The Forest of Doom</a> (also <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/270490/">on Steam</a>). I asked my Mum to buy it for me and she did. I don't remember my Mum buying us a lot of things on the spur of the moment and I have fond memories of this, so I guess it must have been to make me feel a bit better.<br />
<br />
This was the first fantasy book I ever owned and my introduction to roleplaying. I absolutely cherished that book and if it ever magically reappeared in a loft somewhere I would be unspeakably delighted.<br />
<br />
At some point in the not too distant future I came into possession of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_Basic_Set#1983_revision">D&D 3rd edition</a> and, although I don't think I ever played a sit down game of it more than twice, I just loved reading the monster and spell descriptions. I would also have been heavily influenced by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_%28TV_series%29">cartoon</a>, which would have been on UK TV in the mid-80s. What I loved most about my D&D books was inventing and equipping characters with lots of magical gear I'd never earned. Around the same time I must have read the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dragonlance_novels#The_Chronicles_Trilogy">Dragonlance Trilogy</a>. I'm happy to say I still have those original books and re-read the first two quite recently. Since I can't have been older than 10 I do remember having odd feelings regarding Tika and being a bit distressed when Riverwind buys it. That was probably the first graphic death scene I ever read.<br />
<br />
I then went through a slightly traumatic period in my young life when my parents decided it would be a good idea for us to move house again. For some reason they decided we should change schools first and commute for a time. However, what's never been made clear to me is why we did this a third of the way into the school year. What makes it worse was that it was a hub school and took pupils from around ten smaller schools. If I had started a few months earlier I would have been in the same situation as everyone else. So, late 1988, I was 10 and completely restarting my social life. I remember it being very hard to make friends.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 1989, I stumbled across a copy of White Dwarf in a local newsagent. I immediately found it fascinating and the first issue I bought was White Dwarf 115. Now, I know that's never going to resurface because I remember the day I threw them all away but it would be nice to be hold that bundle of paper and know that it changed the course of my hobby interest forever.<br />
<br />
Issue 115 was important for several reasons. Firstly it had Heroquest on the cover and a Heroquest feature inside. Secondly, it had rules for additional weapons in Space Hulk (which I knew nothing of at that time). Thirdly, it had a 2 double page spreads on a new game called Space Marine, which promised epic battles from the Horus Heresy (so it was technically W30k) and with which I was, again, immediately fascinated. Lastly, it had a section on genestealers, a "race" that I remain a massive fan of even if it did get retconned into the Tyranid vanguard.<br />
<br />
Since the thing I enjoyed most about D&D was reading the rules you can imagine what a mine of imagination and enjoyment White Dwarf became to me. Over that summer, I remember it being hot, I cleaned out several back issues they had still on the shelves and then started buying it on an almost weekly basis. On my 12 birthday, February 1990, my Dad drove me to Brighton for the day and he bought me Space Marine and some paints. Sadly, I remember my first time in a Games Workshop as being a terrifying experience. I remember the sales assistant trying to be really helpful and that terrifying me even more. I was hooked from there. At one point I had two lever-arch folders full of rulebooks (they punched them back then) and I couldn't fit the boxes under my bed any more. The games I didn't have my friends did and there was much borrowing and lending. However, by the Summer of 1993 my interest had dwindled greatly. I probably thought, having recently turned 15, that it was time to grow up a bit.<br />
<br />
It's worth noting that during that period, I also got my first console, the Sega Mega Drive. And I think it was probably Christmas 1993 that I played <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/71120/">Shining Force</a>, I don't think I even went downstairs Christmas morning I was enjoying it so much. Yup, this is definitely a period where my interests were shifting.<br />
<br />
So that was pretty much it for me and Games Workshop until Necromunda was released in 1995. My brother, having reached 12 had finally grown into a hobby I was quickly growing out of and I have fond memories of playing with him while back on holidays from university. Necromunda was about gang warfare and we each had our own gang.<br />
<br />
Then that really was it. For the next ten years I had little more than a passing interest in video games even. I guess I'll make that part 2.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062442250636541522.post-1078537259545443112015-06-08T09:05:00.001+01:002015-06-08T09:05:55.156+01:00I had a great holiday #GW2...and didn't think about playing Guild Wars 2 once.<br />
<br />
I did see the announcement about Ventari and was trying to work on some sort of "tree-hugging, hippy crap" joke but my heart wasn't in it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0