MMOs

[Nightshape]

"Haha, actually I was testing something, because intimating that you get your money from your mom made you say "I make $5 500 a month" and now this. I got two thumbs up for you, champ!"

 

?? I'm not sure I follow you here, you're choosing to ignore what I'm saying in favor of ascertaining the identity of my employer? Is this how they teach you to argue where you're from?

 

also nightshape: I hate to break it to you but I am extremely underpaid (I blame the current economy for discouraging people from spending money on their estate planning work right now).

 

I am tight fisted, by training and desire. I only spend money on things I think are worth the value as measured by entertainment and edification and necessity. I'm also getting close to purchasing my first home, and thats gonna set me back several hundred k.

 

You also have no sense of humour.

[Hell Kitty]

I'm too busy banging broads and making loads of cash to play MMOs. That is, when I'm not bench-pressing kirottu.

 

PS: "Bench-pressing" is a euphemism.

[Killian Kalthorne]

Banging broads?

 

I hope you are wearing ear plugs because broad banging can be quite loud, like really loud drums. Also it is a good idea to use a spotter when bench pressing kirottu. I am sure he tends to squirm a lot.

 

[Blarghagh]

I'm too busy banging broads and making loads of cash to play MMOs. That is, when I'm not bench-pressing kirottu.

 

PS: "Bench-pressing" is a euphemism.

 

If that takes so much time and effort that you're too busy to play an MMO, you're doing it wrong.

[Humodour]

I'm too busy banging broads and making loads of cash to play MMOs. That is, when I'm not bench-pressing kirottu.

 

PS: "Bench-pressing" is a euphemism.

 

If that takes so much time and effort that you're too busy to play an MMO, you're doing it wrong.

 

I bang broads and make loads of cash inside MMOs!

 

So in effect I'm inside the broads inside the MMOs.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Seeing as the proponents of Massively Multiplayer Online games have been making their case without many challenges, here are some of my thoughts on some of the issues that have been raised throughout the thread and, while I must concede that some of the points brought up by the supporters are, in theory, valid, there are also some weaknesses that have been glossed over.

 

Firstly, I agree that companies are primarily in business to make money – something that a monthly-fee system is designed to accomplish. While this makes sense fanatically, successful MMOs such as World of Warcraft are, presumably –and it is a fairly safe presumption although I do not have the exact numbers to back this conclusion (1) -, making much, much more than is being invested in maintenance and updates, it is not clear that a subscription-based pay-to-play method is necessary for the developers and publishers to succeed. For instance, Guild Wars, a MMO (2), –although some dispute this, I would say that Guild Wars qualifies as a Massively Multiplayer Online game despite its use of instancing (3)-, do not charge a monthly fee and, instead, only require a fee when a players buys the main game, one of the newer campaigns –stand-alone products in their own right that can function independently of the original-, or the expansion pack. This type of financial planning mirrors that of a young, pre-WoW Blizzard, something that might be explained by the fact that the founders of ArenaNet were ex-Blizzard employees who had helped develop Battle.net, and, at least to me, seems more appealing than the more common “pay-to-play” business module used by many of their competitors. Even though they offer free on-line play ArenaNet have effectively turned a substantial profit through the use of expansions and other services –id est extra character slots for those who wish to run more but do not wish to delete one of their allotted slots (there are normally five-six of these although this depends on the package you bought, for example the Game of the Year edition and Platinum editions have more than the normal editions)- both features that Blizzard has also been using to extract money from World of Warcraft players in edition to their monthly stipend. If the fees are really necessary, as some people claim it is, -and it might very well be in the beginning, before your products are on the top of nearly every best-selling games lists- why is Guild Wars and other such games not going under? You can claim that they do not offer the same services but the truth is that the two games are not as different as many people would like to think – and, yes, that includes the use of instancing although I will address this point later.

 

Now, to those who claim that Massively Multiplayer Online games help them save money –and this idea has been posted elsewhere on the internets so I am not just talking about the Obsidian Forums when I say that (4)- I have to point out that this is a subjective fact that would not be true in all cases – in fact, I am sure it would not be true in my case, something as I proved after my brief stint with the alleged “Word of Warcrack.” Because I found it unenjoyable I did not play it, even though I knew that I only one month of play-time and had leveled my characters quite a bit, and instead bought a few more games – games that I could play at any time, be it now or years from now. For the amount of enjoyment provided I would rather spend money on something that I know I will enjoy and, while it might not provide the best value-per-dollar the first time you go through it, can be picked up at any point in the future without having to pay extra fees or re-enable a cancelled subscription.

 

Speaking from experience I can say that I found Warcraft rather dull, the only thing that even drove me to invest any time in it at all was the fact that I had said that I would run some instances with a few friends so that one of them could take advantage of the triple-experience-point bonus given to those who “recruit” another player, although I will admit that some would consider me biased against it from before I actually played the game. Guild Wars also lacks super-engaging combat and quests but, for the most part, is on par with, or, in some cases, above, World of Warcraft in these respects. Sure, you can have more players at a time in WoW but I never saw these amounts outside of major hubs (id est cities) or in battlegrounds – both of those are things that free MMOs, in particular Guild Wars as that is the game that is generating most of the comparisons, are known to provide. That said, the times when there was a large group of people was no favorable either for I found them, for the most part, annoying and bothersome. Maybe it is just me, but I would rather pay fifteen-dollars-a-month for a dedicated sever running a good role-playing game than pay the same amount for a glorified grind-fest and chatroom. The MMO experience was lacking and, frankly, not worth the price Blizzard and others are asking.

 

 

(1) Two of the articles I consulted while trying to figure out how much Blizzard was making off WoW:

http://www.wow.com/2008/01/24/how-much-mon...illion-subscri/

http://kotaku.com/5050300/how-much-has-wow...zard-since-2004

 

(2) A list of awards given to Guild Wars, including many that refer to it as either a MMO or MMORPG:

http://www.guildwars.com/events/press/awards/

 

(3) I feel it is only right to say that ArenaNet says that “we [ArenaNet] prefer to call it [Guild Wars] a CORPG (Competitive Online Role-Playing Game)” although they willing admit that “Guild Wars has some similarities to existing MMORPGs.” Both of these statements were taken from the Guild Wars Frequently Asked Questions page, something that can be found here:

http://www.guildwars.com/products/guildwar...res/default.php

 

(4) Here are two articles that address the issue:

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pl...ve-money-524919

http://www.wisebread.com/could-you-save-mo...-addictive-game

[Aristes]

Wow, I'm actually impressed that someone took the time to put all that down. With references.

 

I'm not an MMORPG apologist per se. I'm just say that they provide a product and it's well within my means to purchase it. I have mixed feelings about MMOs in general, but I also play one, so it's tough for me to think they're all that bad. I have saved money some months by playing WoW or LotRO, but some months have been wasted.

 

I think it all boils down to what you want as a consumer and if an MMO fits that bill. If it does, then you shouldn't feel bad about it. I guess, like all other purchases, you should decide what it does for you and whether it's worth the expense.

 

Anyhow, I've mostly been lurking. I would say you should definitely not let folks pressure you into playing World of Warcraft if you don't find it enjoyable. I wasn't much of a Guild Wars fan myself, but I also didn't have a group of friends and family invested in that game, unlike WoW. For me personally, I think I would much prefer either the Warhammer game (if it were stable, which is wasn't for me) or LotRO. In fact, I certainly wish I could convince family to go into LotRO with me. I think that would be my favorite.

[Rosbjerg]

Fair points DN - especially about the value of games..

 

Sure 50$ is a lot (more like 80$ for me) to spend all at once instead of 15$, but you can essentially replay that month as many times as you want.. But all in all, I still think WoWsers save more money if they stick to their game and don't buy much else..

[Oerwinde]

Spent a couple hours on the Champions Online beta today. Its basically City of Heroes only way better.

[kirottu]

By saving money I have always ment that WoW usually kept me home atleast one weekend per month instead of going out drinking.

 

No matter what anyone says I

[Aristes]

On a different note I read upcoming patch notes for 3.1.3 and now I

[Hurlshort]

I don't have a problem with MMO's dropping the monthly fee. I just think it's less feasible for games not named WoW. I really think a company like Turbine and Mythic are relying heavily on those subscription fees to stay financially viable.

 

I will probably give the next Guild Wars a try, I enjoyed the original. I have a fairly small complaint about it compared to other MMO's, and that is simply the fact that when I'm out in a hot spot, I will never run across another player or adventuring group. That is by far my favorite part of MMO's, the random encounters with other players on the field of battle.

 

I definitely don't save any money playing MMO's. I buy way too many games. MMO's are also the primary reason I pay for the internet. I used to actually just rely on the internet at work and used the PC at home strictly for single player games and typing reports. It's really just a matter of tastes. I understand all the reason's that people dislike MMO's, but I personally find them extremely engaging. They've also managed to really tap into the casual gamer market like no other genre.

[Kjarista]

I'm too busy banging broads and making loads of cash to play MMOs. That is, when I'm not bench-pressing kirottu.

 

PS: "Bench-pressing" is a euphemism.

 

 

What, in your dreams? You sound like a 12 year old.

[Hurlshort]

I'm too busy banging broads and making loads of cash to play MMOs. That is, when I'm not bench-pressing kirottu.

 

PS: "Bench-pressing" is a euphemism.

 

 

What, in your dreams? You sound like a 12 year old.

 

I understand you are fairly new, but that was pretty transparent humor. You might want to have a doctor examine that funny bone.

[Nightshape]

The developers don't call Guild Wars an MMO.

 

The technology doesn't function like an MMO.

 

There is nothing Massively Multiplayer about Guild wars.

 

EOF.

[Kjarista]

If you want to try a real MMO, try Gemstone from Simultronics. Complex character design, extensive and even "scientific" magic system, friendly spells can kill players. Haven't played in several years, so I'm unaware of any changes. It's a professional MuD, so no graphics.

 

It's certainly not for everyone, bu no graphical MMO can beet it's completelness and complexity.

[Gfted1]

On a different note I read upcoming patch notes for 3.1.3 and now I

[Blarghagh]

I know some people who run a cracked WoW server, and with only a few hundred people playing, they already have a staff of about fifty just to keep track of all the problems, let alone do server events.

 

I think people are underestimating how much maintainance WoW requires. More people means more problems. They have like ten million people. And they're developing new content, sometimes through expansions but often through free server events and content patches as well.

 

Now, I know that WoW is a machine that prints money. But it also takes a lot of effort and costs a lot of effort. Also, it allows Blizzard to pump cash into their other games. You remember pre-WoW Blizzard? That Blizzard would never have been able have StarCraft II, Diablo III and another unannounced game in full production at the same time. So anything that gives me more Blizzard quality games in a time where casual crap rules the market, I say yay for it!

 

This is just my opinion on Blizzard's money maker, I do recognize that as a game it is lacking a lot for more hardcore gamers (which I am not). I do enjoy the fact that many people I know play it making it a social venue for me as well as a game (one that entertains me at times when I don't feel like doing anything else, which is probably it's strength). As opposed to a lot of other people who feel they have to run through all the content, I just play it with no pressure at all. Hell, I've never gotten a character past level 40.

 

Also, for the dumb people who are posing as true gamers, http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=282.

Edited June 2, 2009 by TrueNeutral

[Purkake]

Also, for the dumb people who are posing as true gamers, http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=282.

 

Man, VGCats has really gone down the tubes lately. I miss the old days of Dr Hobo

[Blarghagh]

In it's defense, it's been going down the tubes very slowly.

 

Because it never updates.