Over the weekend, I decided to create a new character in Wildstar. Not because I needed another crafter to complement my first character or act as a mule. No, because my first character, and Exile engineer, just didn't feel right. I'd hit level 15 and about to do the quests in Thayd when I realized I didn't want to be a tank and the Exile story was getting pretty stale. So I created a Dominion medic and began the game again from level 1. Last night I hit level 5 and the story, for now, is much better.
Rerolling a new character because I don't like my original class isn't something new for me. In EverQuest 2, I originally created a paladin before switching my main to a ranger. Guild Wars 2 saw me create a thief before rerolling as a ranger. Alright, I like ranged DPS. What can I say?
Rerolling isn't so bad when the original characters are below level 20. But in Star Wars: The Old Republic, I wound up rerolling after my smuggler reached level 37 because the story turned so bad. That, more than any bugs or lag, killed the game for me.
Of course, EVE Online doesn't have levels. In EVE, a character is defined by its skills, not its class. So if I want to do something else, like fly Gallente ships instead of Minmatar, I don't have to create a Gallente character; I just start learning the skills to fly Gallente ships. The same holds true for crafting. My industrial character can theoretically make anything once she learns the skills, although some things are better, and more easily, made with friends. No armorer or weaponsmith crafting classes in EVE. And I only have an industrial character because EVE allows me to train characters on multiple accounts at the same time, even when I'm not logged into the game on any of the accounts. But that's a discussion for another post.
The skill-based system does have some benefits over the level-based one found in most MMOs. For instance, because learning new skills on an existing character or new character is basically the same, players will create fewer characters. Fewer characters created not only means fewer characters for the game to track, but less names used. Anyone remember the uproar when Wildstar's name reservation system didn't work quite right? Names are important to many players and the fewer good names on characters who never play the game, the better.
But for me, the biggest benefit is that some of the core skills I learned, like Engineering, Navigation, and Mechanics, are good for anything I wish to do. Even Accounting comes in handy for players changing from a trading style of play to PvP. Paying less in taxes when selling items is always a good thing. So if I want to change the type of ship I fly, or even my style of play, I don't have to start from scratch, which I have to do in a level-based system.
Don't misunderstand, a skill-based system doesn't automatically mean a game is so good I'll play for 5 years like I have EVE. While I enjoyed my time in The Secret World, another skill-based game, I never reached Egypt. And the fact that I'm playing Wildstar shows that level-based systems won't deter me from playing a game if the game looks interesting. But I do wish that I had more skill-based games to look at and possibly play.
Showing posts with label TSW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TSW. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Patch Day
Yesterday was the launch of Rubicon 1.1. Admittedly I don't think the patch will affect me at all, although I haven't seen the new UI changes yet. The feature that adds the training time to reach a certain mastery level for a ship is pretty cool, but nothing that would make me log in and have to see right away. After finding out that the display of pilots' status in the chat channels was broken, I decided I'd wait until today to log in since CCP Explorer tweeted that a hotfix installed during downtime today would fix the issue. While I'm happy that bots were broken for a day, I just figured I'd make sure no blues tried to shoot me.
I should add that I know what the issue is. Since the only difference between the Singularity test shard and Tranquility is that CCP Punkturis has pink chat text on Singularity and not on Tranquility, the answer is obvious. Give CCP Punkturis pink chat text on Tranquility. I think you could persuade her to make the sacrifice.
That doesn't mean I didn't do anything EVE-related yesterday. I listened to Big Country's EVE Radio show on my iPhone until I could get home and log into Twitch. That got me caught up with the latest on the patch and with the aftermath of the B-R fight Monday. Today I'll find out what really happened (maybe), as Goonswarm fleet commander Lazarus Telraven and Pandemic Legion's Manfred Sideous were intereviewed yesterday by the Crossing Zebras podcast. The podcast is available now, which impresses me. I guess that's why they are the CCP-certified #1 podcast in EVE history.
So if I didn't log into EVE, what did I do? After looking at the secondary ISK market (which is leaking sellers again) I switched from the EVE Radio Twitch stream to Funky Bacon's Twitch stream and watched him play The Secret World. I know that watching someone play a video game isn't as fun as playing yourself, but the handful of us watching and helping Funky out when the going got tough was fun. So much fun that afterward I updated my client and rolled a new character. I stopped when I got inside Solomon Island because of the time, but with a new computer since I last played, the game looked great. Now if the Templars didn't have the best looking clothing rewards for completing decks. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything.
So that's a quick rundown on my day when CCP releases a new patch for EVE Online. Probably not what non-EVE players expect. But that's why we always set long skills before a patch. While we didn't need it this time, something always seems to happen. I realize that's the case with every MMORPG I've ever played, but maybe when CCP finally gets rid of all the legacy spaghetti code we can have nice things with less pain. Both for us and for the poor programmers who have to work with that ...
I should add that I know what the issue is. Since the only difference between the Singularity test shard and Tranquility is that CCP Punkturis has pink chat text on Singularity and not on Tranquility, the answer is obvious. Give CCP Punkturis pink chat text on Tranquility. I think you could persuade her to make the sacrifice.
That doesn't mean I didn't do anything EVE-related yesterday. I listened to Big Country's EVE Radio show on my iPhone until I could get home and log into Twitch. That got me caught up with the latest on the patch and with the aftermath of the B-R fight Monday. Today I'll find out what really happened (maybe), as Goonswarm fleet commander Lazarus Telraven and Pandemic Legion's Manfred Sideous were intereviewed yesterday by the Crossing Zebras podcast. The podcast is available now, which impresses me. I guess that's why they are the CCP-certified #1 podcast in EVE history.
So if I didn't log into EVE, what did I do? After looking at the secondary ISK market (which is leaking sellers again) I switched from the EVE Radio Twitch stream to Funky Bacon's Twitch stream and watched him play The Secret World. I know that watching someone play a video game isn't as fun as playing yourself, but the handful of us watching and helping Funky out when the going got tough was fun. So much fun that afterward I updated my client and rolled a new character. I stopped when I got inside Solomon Island because of the time, but with a new computer since I last played, the game looked great. Now if the Templars didn't have the best looking clothing rewards for completing decks. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything.
So that's a quick rundown on my day when CCP releases a new patch for EVE Online. Probably not what non-EVE players expect. But that's why we always set long skills before a patch. While we didn't need it this time, something always seems to happen. I realize that's the case with every MMORPG I've ever played, but maybe when CCP finally gets rid of all the legacy spaghetti code we can have nice things with less pain. Both for us and for the poor programmers who have to work with that ...
Friday, February 1, 2013
A Guilty Pleasure
I currently play three games, Eve Online, The Secret World and Guild Wars 2. Which of these games is not like the other? I would say Guild Wars 2.
Eve Online is the famously niche sandbox skill-based PvP sci-fi game that, inexplicably to those who don't play the game, not only refuses to die but is still growing almost 10 years later. The learning curve is considered extreme and in order to continue growth CCP is attempting to lessen the curve while keeping the complexity. The game that seemingly never ends, Eve Online's real-time skill system takes years and years to learn all the skills offered. As for content, the real content are the players themselves and the way they use the sandbox. The game only ends when a player becomes tired and moves on.
The Secret World is another niche game, but this time of the PvE variety. Set in a parallel modern world where all conspiracies are true, this horror-influenced MMORPG is also skill-based and while clearly a theme-park game I haven't figured out the order a player is supposed to go in once hitting a zone. Of course, after about 60 hours of play I'm still on Solomon Island so I'm getting the most out of my purchase price. Like Eve, once skill points are spent in The Secret World there are no resets. Also, the game is hard at times. Not Eve Online learning curve hard. Just hard getting through some of the obstacles. But getting through those obstacles gives a sense of accomplishment. For instance, figuring out the morse code mission the way I did made me feel really smart. And when I finally defeated The Boogy Man in the amusement park after the 15th attempt I cheered out loud. Sure, these events don't compare to the thrill and adrenaline rush of PvP combat in Eve, but I love them anyway.
That leaves Guild Wars 2, which I consider a guilty pleasure. Why? The game is pretty much a theme park that I really haven't found that challenging once I switched to playing a ranger. I die a lot sometimes but I pretty much brush it aside. And leveling is easy. While I was writing the series about the Eve News 24 botting expose I would go into Guild Wars 2 and just kill things as a break. I decided I needed cotton scraps to level my leatherworking so I decided to walk from Lion's Gate to Blazeridge Steppes because I heard of a good farming spot. I started out as a level 62 ranger and five hours and three game sessions later I was level 67 and I don't think I ever ran into a mob that was higher than level 50 along the way. While the game lowered my effective level while traveling through the lower zones, I received a lot of level 60+ drops along the way. These are really clever game mechanics designed to allow higher level players to play with their lower level friends. They also made the trip worthwhile.
So while I'm in low-sec in Eve Online probing down sites avoiding the faction warfare militias and facing complex puzzles in The Secret World, I can always go to Guild Wars 2 and relax by doing some farming. Farming I have to do by grinding mobs. But that kind of mindless game play does have a place as a change of pace.
Eve Online is the famously niche sandbox skill-based PvP sci-fi game that, inexplicably to those who don't play the game, not only refuses to die but is still growing almost 10 years later. The learning curve is considered extreme and in order to continue growth CCP is attempting to lessen the curve while keeping the complexity. The game that seemingly never ends, Eve Online's real-time skill system takes years and years to learn all the skills offered. As for content, the real content are the players themselves and the way they use the sandbox. The game only ends when a player becomes tired and moves on.
The Secret World is another niche game, but this time of the PvE variety. Set in a parallel modern world where all conspiracies are true, this horror-influenced MMORPG is also skill-based and while clearly a theme-park game I haven't figured out the order a player is supposed to go in once hitting a zone. Of course, after about 60 hours of play I'm still on Solomon Island so I'm getting the most out of my purchase price. Like Eve, once skill points are spent in The Secret World there are no resets. Also, the game is hard at times. Not Eve Online learning curve hard. Just hard getting through some of the obstacles. But getting through those obstacles gives a sense of accomplishment. For instance, figuring out the morse code mission the way I did made me feel really smart. And when I finally defeated The Boogy Man in the amusement park after the 15th attempt I cheered out loud. Sure, these events don't compare to the thrill and adrenaline rush of PvP combat in Eve, but I love them anyway.
That leaves Guild Wars 2, which I consider a guilty pleasure. Why? The game is pretty much a theme park that I really haven't found that challenging once I switched to playing a ranger. I die a lot sometimes but I pretty much brush it aside. And leveling is easy. While I was writing the series about the Eve News 24 botting expose I would go into Guild Wars 2 and just kill things as a break. I decided I needed cotton scraps to level my leatherworking so I decided to walk from Lion's Gate to Blazeridge Steppes because I heard of a good farming spot. I started out as a level 62 ranger and five hours and three game sessions later I was level 67 and I don't think I ever ran into a mob that was higher than level 50 along the way. While the game lowered my effective level while traveling through the lower zones, I received a lot of level 60+ drops along the way. These are really clever game mechanics designed to allow higher level players to play with their lower level friends. They also made the trip worthwhile.
So while I'm in low-sec in Eve Online probing down sites avoiding the faction warfare militias and facing complex puzzles in The Secret World, I can always go to Guild Wars 2 and relax by doing some farming. Farming I have to do by grinding mobs. But that kind of mindless game play does have a place as a change of pace.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Where's My Headset?
As a sign of how bad at Eve I am, this weekend I couldn't find my headset. I have a solo style and usually just multi-box, which is how I got my last two kill mails. The last time I used voice comms in a game was back when I flew in Eve University. But I had two reasons for digging them out. First is I know a DUST bunny at work and who knows if I'll need them now. The second is some advice I read about The Secret World.
I don't remember the blogger, but he or she stated that The Secret World is a much better game with the sound on. Games have sound? Who knew? So I resolved to turn off the tv, close down the podcasts and just let the sounds of The Secret World wash over me. I put on my headphones and ran around the world, visiting London among other places to do an investigation mission.
Once I got my equipment working and all the drivers updated I realized what I was missing. First, the sound is in stereo and the sounds are synced up to make it sound like they are coming from one direction or another. For example when I walked between two Templars walking toward Temple Hall I heard the one on my right make a snide comment as I walked past. The police sirens wafting occasionally in the background to make the place a more modern urban feel. And the buzz of the bees as I exited the city into Agartha set the mood for the transition to another location a lot better than the explosion of yellow does alone.
I have to say that the sounds associated with combat are also good. The sounds of zombies devouring dead bodies on the other side of a car lets players know where the danger is. The sound of spent brass tinkling on the ground after firing a three-round burst from my assault rifle is a nice touch. However I could use without the squishing sound when a zombie attacks me; it is kind of creepy. But I do like hearing that final wisp of air leaving a zombie's body when I kill one.
I do have to give Funcom credit for their use of music as well. When travelling the music doesn't get in the way of hearing your own footsteps along the road or crows cawing in the distance. During a battle the music builds with the intensity of the fight giving the feel of something epic since fighting five zombies at once should give some sense of accomplishment. Overall I think the choice and use of music is well done.
I know that Eve has sound. From the bopm of my 1400mm howitzers firing to Aura saying "Warp drive active" to the soundtrack Eve has some memorable sounds. But The Secret World goes to a whole different level in using sound to help immerse players into its world. I used to just worry about the gameplay and the visuals but now I'll have to listen to a game before turning the volume down to pay attention to other things.
I don't remember the blogger, but he or she stated that The Secret World is a much better game with the sound on. Games have sound? Who knew? So I resolved to turn off the tv, close down the podcasts and just let the sounds of The Secret World wash over me. I put on my headphones and ran around the world, visiting London among other places to do an investigation mission.
Once I got my equipment working and all the drivers updated I realized what I was missing. First, the sound is in stereo and the sounds are synced up to make it sound like they are coming from one direction or another. For example when I walked between two Templars walking toward Temple Hall I heard the one on my right make a snide comment as I walked past. The police sirens wafting occasionally in the background to make the place a more modern urban feel. And the buzz of the bees as I exited the city into Agartha set the mood for the transition to another location a lot better than the explosion of yellow does alone.
I have to say that the sounds associated with combat are also good. The sounds of zombies devouring dead bodies on the other side of a car lets players know where the danger is. The sound of spent brass tinkling on the ground after firing a three-round burst from my assault rifle is a nice touch. However I could use without the squishing sound when a zombie attacks me; it is kind of creepy. But I do like hearing that final wisp of air leaving a zombie's body when I kill one.
I do have to give Funcom credit for their use of music as well. When travelling the music doesn't get in the way of hearing your own footsteps along the road or crows cawing in the distance. During a battle the music builds with the intensity of the fight giving the feel of something epic since fighting five zombies at once should give some sense of accomplishment. Overall I think the choice and use of music is well done.
I know that Eve has sound. From the bopm of my 1400mm howitzers firing to Aura saying "Warp drive active" to the soundtrack Eve has some memorable sounds. But The Secret World goes to a whole different level in using sound to help immerse players into its world. I used to just worry about the gameplay and the visuals but now I'll have to listen to a game before turning the volume down to pay attention to other things.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Tis The Season To Exploit And Bot
A lot of people see Eve Online as a game filled with bad people who do bad things. When thinking of these evil acts people look at things like scamming and unconsensual PvP. Regular readers of my blog know I define actions a little differently. I look at things like botting, 3rd party RMT and exploits as the really bad acts. Looking at the first days of 2013 shows evidence that bad people don't just play Eve.
The first example comes from The Secret World. Funcom held a Mayan zombie apocalypse event to celebrate the move to a buy-to-play model and the coming end of the world. As part of the event the top 1000 scoring players would receive a title and the top 100 would receive an in-game pet. On 7 January that planned changed due to some players discovering a way to "exploit the mechanics and reach impossible amounts of points which in turn alters the rankings to unrealistic results." In this example of players exploiting game mechanics all that was at stake were some titles and pets. Funcom resolved the situation by giving all players the title and pet.
A more serious situation arose during Guild Wars 2's Wintersday holiday event. On 3 January Massively described the exploit.
In the wake of major botting problems in addition to the previous exploit ArenaNet is taking a hard line with violators. ArenaNet Support Liason Gaile Gray issued the following statement on the GW2 forums:
The first example comes from The Secret World. Funcom held a Mayan zombie apocalypse event to celebrate the move to a buy-to-play model and the coming end of the world. As part of the event the top 1000 scoring players would receive a title and the top 100 would receive an in-game pet. On 7 January that planned changed due to some players discovering a way to "exploit the mechanics and reach impossible amounts of points which in turn alters the rankings to unrealistic results." In this example of players exploiting game mechanics all that was at stake were some titles and pets. Funcom resolved the situation by giving all players the title and pet.
A more serious situation arose during Guild Wars 2's Wintersday holiday event. On 3 January Massively described the exploit.
"Players were able to use a single high-level snowflake, a Black Lion salvage kit, and a bit of metal to generate effectively limitless globs of ectoplasm (which are kind of a cornerstone of the economy, as they're used in the majority of high-end items). The exploit was closed, but not before an apparently large number of people took advantage of it."Many players are upset with the permanent bans issued by ArenaNet but this is not the first big exploit encountered in the game. Back in August over 3,000 players were permanently banned for using an exploit for crafting high-level weapons “one thousandth of their normal price.” ArenaNet relented and reduced many of the bans down to 72 hours but apparently the event did not deter many from taking similar actions over the holidays.
In the wake of major botting problems in addition to the previous exploit ArenaNet is taking a hard line with violators. ArenaNet Support Liason Gaile Gray issued the following statement on the GW2 forums:
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas In My Virtual Worlds
I'm not a big fan of Christmas appearing in my video games. Unless I absolutely stumble across the events in-game I don't take part. Okay, that's not quite true. If the event drops crafting items and I can make special items then I'm interested. But if a game doesn't have holiday events I'm not upset.
In 2012 I played four MMORPGs and purchased three of them this year. So this being the Christmas season I thought I'd just take a quick tour of the games I've played, Eve Online, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World.
Going slightly out of order, I think that fantasy games have the easiest time of incorporating Christmas into their lore. Humans have instituted celebrations around the winter solstice since pre-historic times so having some sort of celebration in-game makes sense. Also, unless the game uses an established IP like Lord of the Rings Online, the developers have the freedom to establish their own lore. In this tradition Guild Wars 2's Wintersday fits right in.
I'm not sure how immersion breaking Wintersday is hardcore GW2 players but it does seem an out of the way bit of fun as Lion's Arch is transformed into a winter wonderland. Okay, maybe not that idyllic, but I think the place looks prettier.
GW2 does have a substantial cash shop and ArenaNet has populated the store with holiday product for those interested. I actually don't plan on buying anything although the ear-muffs are pretty cute. The interface does allow players to preview what their purchases look like on their characters which is nice. While I'm not interested in the weapons skins available for sale I am intrigued by the crafted skins I can make. Turn my short bow into a sling shot? Who could resist.
I should also add that even though ArenaNet has a cash shop the company has also given out gifts this Wintersday. The one I really like is the 15-slot gift box. Even though I'm level 52 and am a leatherworker I still had an 8-slot bag. Seven extra slots means I can use the materials I gather for leveling instead of for adding more carrying capacity.
Moving away from fantasy, next on my list is Funcom's The Secret World. If any game is going to portray Christmas as a holiday in-game, The Secret World is the mostly likely candidate. Set in an alternative universe where all conspiracies are real, I saw no sign of the holiday even in the cash shop. That doesn't mean that Funcom didn't put anything in players' Christmas stockings. Given that TSW also falls into the horror genre, what better gift could Funcom give players that a portrayal of the Mayan prediction of the end of the world? And since the Mayans were not too specific, Funcom took the liberty to make it a zombie apocalypse. A zombie apocalypse? What better gift could players receive for Christmas than that?
Next I jump 22,000 years into the future into my main game, Eve Online. Icelandic developer CCP sticks to the lore and since Earth is just a vaguely remembered myth no official Christmas, or any holiday celebration for players. Of course, Eve being Eve the players usually organize events here and there, holding Secret Santas and such. But CCP also gives out presents during the season. This year the developers have incorporated an Icelandic tradition, the "Yule Lads", to get players into the holiday spirit.
So far on my two main accounts I've received 2 Inner Zone Shipping Imicus faction exploration frigates, a set of Genolution Core Augmentation implants, 7 New Eden Open trading cards and perhaps most importantly, 2 Festival Launchers and 1200 snowballs. CCP actually provided players a second set of snowballs due to all the fun everyone had launching snowballs at each other. We still are due to receive a set of fireworks on the 30th to use to kick-off the new year. They should add some sparkle to the light shows players usually organize around New Year's Eve.
The last MMORPG I played this year also takes place in a galaxy far, far away. I have to give credit to EA/Bioware for not putting an in-game holiday event into the game. The developers promised not to violate the IP like that and they kept their word. Well, for free anyway. But look in the cash shop and one finds this mount.
That's right, a snowblower with Christmas lights on it. Did I mention the price is $18? The other items for the Wookie holiday Life Day had what I thought was a Star Wars feel. But this mount? Ugh.
When the subject is what is in the cash shop, EA/Bioware is doing the same thing as ArenaNet is doing. Both GW2 and SW:TOR have a lot of holiday items for sale. The difference is what the two companies are giving their players. GW2 players do get a bunch of gifts to go along with all the items in the cash shop. SW:TOR players, even subscribers, receive nothing. EA/Bioware should have either followed GW2's lead or should have followed Funcom's practice in The Secret World of just ignoring the holiday season altogether.
I never thought that holiday events, and especially Christmas, would influence what games I play. I've played MMORPGs for seven years and this is the first time I've felt differently. I still want to play SW:TOR and this little money grab won't deter me from eventually returning. The one thing holding me back was eliminated with the raising of the character slot limit for F2P players from two to six. But I probably will wait until I've completed The Secret World now since that game is not only engaging but the Funcom actually seems to like their player base. EA/Bioware? I'm not so sure.
In 2012 I played four MMORPGs and purchased three of them this year. So this being the Christmas season I thought I'd just take a quick tour of the games I've played, Eve Online, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World.
Going slightly out of order, I think that fantasy games have the easiest time of incorporating Christmas into their lore. Humans have instituted celebrations around the winter solstice since pre-historic times so having some sort of celebration in-game makes sense. Also, unless the game uses an established IP like Lord of the Rings Online, the developers have the freedom to establish their own lore. In this tradition Guild Wars 2's Wintersday fits right in.
I'm not sure how immersion breaking Wintersday is hardcore GW2 players but it does seem an out of the way bit of fun as Lion's Arch is transformed into a winter wonderland. Okay, maybe not that idyllic, but I think the place looks prettier.
 |
| Entering Lion's Arch |
GW2 does have a substantial cash shop and ArenaNet has populated the store with holiday product for those interested. I actually don't plan on buying anything although the ear-muffs are pretty cute. The interface does allow players to preview what their purchases look like on their characters which is nice. While I'm not interested in the weapons skins available for sale I am intrigued by the crafted skins I can make. Turn my short bow into a sling shot? Who could resist.
I should also add that even though ArenaNet has a cash shop the company has also given out gifts this Wintersday. The one I really like is the 15-slot gift box. Even though I'm level 52 and am a leatherworker I still had an 8-slot bag. Seven extra slots means I can use the materials I gather for leveling instead of for adding more carrying capacity.
Moving away from fantasy, next on my list is Funcom's The Secret World. If any game is going to portray Christmas as a holiday in-game, The Secret World is the mostly likely candidate. Set in an alternative universe where all conspiracies are real, I saw no sign of the holiday even in the cash shop. That doesn't mean that Funcom didn't put anything in players' Christmas stockings. Given that TSW also falls into the horror genre, what better gift could Funcom give players that a portrayal of the Mayan prediction of the end of the world? And since the Mayans were not too specific, Funcom took the liberty to make it a zombie apocalypse. A zombie apocalypse? What better gift could players receive for Christmas than that?
Next I jump 22,000 years into the future into my main game, Eve Online. Icelandic developer CCP sticks to the lore and since Earth is just a vaguely remembered myth no official Christmas, or any holiday celebration for players. Of course, Eve being Eve the players usually organize events here and there, holding Secret Santas and such. But CCP also gives out presents during the season. This year the developers have incorporated an Icelandic tradition, the "Yule Lads", to get players into the holiday spirit.
So far on my two main accounts I've received 2 Inner Zone Shipping Imicus faction exploration frigates, a set of Genolution Core Augmentation implants, 7 New Eden Open trading cards and perhaps most importantly, 2 Festival Launchers and 1200 snowballs. CCP actually provided players a second set of snowballs due to all the fun everyone had launching snowballs at each other. We still are due to receive a set of fireworks on the 30th to use to kick-off the new year. They should add some sparkle to the light shows players usually organize around New Year's Eve.
The last MMORPG I played this year also takes place in a galaxy far, far away. I have to give credit to EA/Bioware for not putting an in-game holiday event into the game. The developers promised not to violate the IP like that and they kept their word. Well, for free anyway. But look in the cash shop and one finds this mount.
 |
| Czerka LD-1 Celebrator - From DarthHater.com |
That's right, a snowblower with Christmas lights on it. Did I mention the price is $18? The other items for the Wookie holiday Life Day had what I thought was a Star Wars feel. But this mount? Ugh.
When the subject is what is in the cash shop, EA/Bioware is doing the same thing as ArenaNet is doing. Both GW2 and SW:TOR have a lot of holiday items for sale. The difference is what the two companies are giving their players. GW2 players do get a bunch of gifts to go along with all the items in the cash shop. SW:TOR players, even subscribers, receive nothing. EA/Bioware should have either followed GW2's lead or should have followed Funcom's practice in The Secret World of just ignoring the holiday season altogether.
I never thought that holiday events, and especially Christmas, would influence what games I play. I've played MMORPGs for seven years and this is the first time I've felt differently. I still want to play SW:TOR and this little money grab won't deter me from eventually returning. The one thing holding me back was eliminated with the raising of the character slot limit for F2P players from two to six. But I probably will wait until I've completed The Secret World now since that game is not only engaging but the Funcom actually seems to like their player base. EA/Bioware? I'm not so sure.
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Secret World Is Not SW:TOR
Except for running a couple of radar complexes in low-sec this weekend I spent all of my gaming time in The Secret World. I was a bit quick buying the game on Steam for $30 because Amazon sold it the next day for $15. Oh well.
I'm often amazed at the reactions to the game and wonder what would have happened if the game launched with the same buy-to-play model as Guild Wars 2. I work with a DUST bunny who's never played a subscription MMO but now that TSW has dropped the sub he's ready to go. Even the prospect of buying monthly DLCs doesn't phase him. That's because the game harkens back to the days of puzzle solving.
When I first heard of the game I thought the intellectual challenges might appeal to Eve players. I found out on Twitter that Seismic Stan loves the game and Sugar Kyle was persuaded to try it out. Yes, Sugar started a second blog for her non-Eve writings. So I do have some other opinions about the game to let me know I'm not completely crazy.
First is that I really think that The Secret World was really influenced by the design philosophy at EA, especially Star Wars: The Old Republic. The two biggest similarities between SW:TOR and TSW is the single-player feel of playing the game, at least so far, and the vast use of cut scenes. I would say that the developers in Norway looked at SW:TOR, figured story, the famed "fourth pillar" of game design, was the next big thing and decided they needed to make the game similar in order to ride the wave. Instead the wave is a tide going out to sea.
Next, I think that The Secret World is in a better position to recover from a rough start than SW:TOR. The EA/Bioware free-to-play formula more resembles a trial pushing people to subscribe while Funcom is emulating ArenaNet's business model with Guild Wars 2. I also wonder if EA and Funcom had any conflicts over the business model. I only think that because when The Secret World launched Xfire listed EA as the game's publisher and now Xfire lists Funcom as the publisher. Did something occur I don't know about?
Apart from the payment model, I also think that The Secret World is a higher quality game. On the graphics scale, TSW is closer to Eve Online while SW:TOR is closer to World of Warcraft. The Secret World is just pretty. At this point I also have to mention the cut scenes. In SW:TOR the voice acting for some gender/class combinations just led me not to play them. In TSW Funcom created "Hello Kitty" cut scenes; your avatar's lips don't move. While cut scenes can break immersion, at least I don't have an annoying voice representing me. That's a plus!
I also prefer the combat in TSW to SW:TOR. The 7 active and 7 passive attacks and abilities based on the two weapons equipped is similar to that found in Guild Wars 2. I should add that I'm equipping blade/assault rifle in TSW and I was playing smuggler/imperial agent in SW:TOR so perhaps the different combat styles account for part of this. But I've never had a mob stay standing for 2-3 seconds after I killed it in TSW like I did in SW:TOR.
The biggest draw for me is the puzzles. Star Wars: The Old Republic has jumping puzzles to get datacrons but that's really about all I saw. I'm only on Solomon Island in TSW but in addition to all the jumping puzzles to get to the honeycomb lore icons I've negotiated a booby-trapped laser maze, cracked a password on a smart phone and hacked into a computer. I currently have a mission to investigate a series of murders that requires using the Internet. Now I just need to avoid all the spoiler sites.
I should add one additional difference that is rather important. While Star Wars: The Old Republic is pretty family friendly The Secret World has an ESRB rating of M due to "Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence."
With the puzzles, rating and genre (modern day horror) The Secret World has all the characteristics of a niche game that will never pose a threat to the likes of World of Warcraft. But I've played Eve Online for over three years so I know that niche does not mean bad. The question now is what is Funcom's expectations for the game. Before launch I thought they expected a niche game to put up Guild Wars 2 numbers. Hopefully the change to the business model will allow TSW to last a long, long time.
I'm often amazed at the reactions to the game and wonder what would have happened if the game launched with the same buy-to-play model as Guild Wars 2. I work with a DUST bunny who's never played a subscription MMO but now that TSW has dropped the sub he's ready to go. Even the prospect of buying monthly DLCs doesn't phase him. That's because the game harkens back to the days of puzzle solving.
When I first heard of the game I thought the intellectual challenges might appeal to Eve players. I found out on Twitter that Seismic Stan loves the game and Sugar Kyle was persuaded to try it out. Yes, Sugar started a second blog for her non-Eve writings. So I do have some other opinions about the game to let me know I'm not completely crazy.
First is that I really think that The Secret World was really influenced by the design philosophy at EA, especially Star Wars: The Old Republic. The two biggest similarities between SW:TOR and TSW is the single-player feel of playing the game, at least so far, and the vast use of cut scenes. I would say that the developers in Norway looked at SW:TOR, figured story, the famed "fourth pillar" of game design, was the next big thing and decided they needed to make the game similar in order to ride the wave. Instead the wave is a tide going out to sea.
Next, I think that The Secret World is in a better position to recover from a rough start than SW:TOR. The EA/Bioware free-to-play formula more resembles a trial pushing people to subscribe while Funcom is emulating ArenaNet's business model with Guild Wars 2. I also wonder if EA and Funcom had any conflicts over the business model. I only think that because when The Secret World launched Xfire listed EA as the game's publisher and now Xfire lists Funcom as the publisher. Did something occur I don't know about?
Apart from the payment model, I also think that The Secret World is a higher quality game. On the graphics scale, TSW is closer to Eve Online while SW:TOR is closer to World of Warcraft. The Secret World is just pretty. At this point I also have to mention the cut scenes. In SW:TOR the voice acting for some gender/class combinations just led me not to play them. In TSW Funcom created "Hello Kitty" cut scenes; your avatar's lips don't move. While cut scenes can break immersion, at least I don't have an annoying voice representing me. That's a plus!
I also prefer the combat in TSW to SW:TOR. The 7 active and 7 passive attacks and abilities based on the two weapons equipped is similar to that found in Guild Wars 2. I should add that I'm equipping blade/assault rifle in TSW and I was playing smuggler/imperial agent in SW:TOR so perhaps the different combat styles account for part of this. But I've never had a mob stay standing for 2-3 seconds after I killed it in TSW like I did in SW:TOR.
The biggest draw for me is the puzzles. Star Wars: The Old Republic has jumping puzzles to get datacrons but that's really about all I saw. I'm only on Solomon Island in TSW but in addition to all the jumping puzzles to get to the honeycomb lore icons I've negotiated a booby-trapped laser maze, cracked a password on a smart phone and hacked into a computer. I currently have a mission to investigate a series of murders that requires using the Internet. Now I just need to avoid all the spoiler sites.
 |
| Amazing what you find when you hack a computer |
I should add one additional difference that is rather important. While Star Wars: The Old Republic is pretty family friendly The Secret World has an ESRB rating of M due to "Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence."
With the puzzles, rating and genre (modern day horror) The Secret World has all the characteristics of a niche game that will never pose a threat to the likes of World of Warcraft. But I've played Eve Online for over three years so I know that niche does not mean bad. The question now is what is Funcom's expectations for the game. Before launch I thought they expected a niche game to put up Guild Wars 2 numbers. Hopefully the change to the business model will allow TSW to last a long, long time.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Day The MMO Subscription Model Died
With the news yesterday that The Secret World had abandoned (kind of) the subscription model and gone with buy-to-play (with freemium plans added) I purchased and downloaded the game last night. The Secret World is one of those games I was interested in purchasing but wanted to wait until the game dropped the subscription fee.
I think that was Funcom's problem with TSW. Everyone expected the subscription model to go many people just waited. They only had to wait five months. I am calling this development the day the MMO subscription model died.
Some, well maybe most, will disagree. Wasn't the free-to-play model on the rise for the past few years? True, but I think Guild Wars 2's buy-to-play model will become the industry's standard for the next few years.
How about Star Wars: The Old Republic? EA/Bioware turned that game into a free-to-pay/freemium model within a year after launch. Doesn't that game show the subscription model was already dead? Not in my eyes. If Bioware had developed a truly well developed MMORPG with engaging gameplay without spending at least $200 million the Star Wars universe would have carried the game to success and we would see an avalanche of stories stating the subscription model is not dead yet. The subscription model did not harm SW:TOR, SW:TOR seriously, if not fatally, wounded the subscription model.
The reason that 12/12/12 should go down in MMORPG history as the day the subscription model died is that yesterday was the day that MMO fans forced a game company into acknowledging that they could not charge a subscription. The pre-launch buzz I received was that Funcom had developed a nice little game that a lot of people were interested in playing. But the game wasn't engaging enough to purchase as launch. How many decided that they would wait until the game dropped subscription fees? We will see over the next few weeks.
I think that was Funcom's problem with TSW. Everyone expected the subscription model to go many people just waited. They only had to wait five months. I am calling this development the day the MMO subscription model died.
Some, well maybe most, will disagree. Wasn't the free-to-play model on the rise for the past few years? True, but I think Guild Wars 2's buy-to-play model will become the industry's standard for the next few years.
How about Star Wars: The Old Republic? EA/Bioware turned that game into a free-to-pay/freemium model within a year after launch. Doesn't that game show the subscription model was already dead? Not in my eyes. If Bioware had developed a truly well developed MMORPG with engaging gameplay without spending at least $200 million the Star Wars universe would have carried the game to success and we would see an avalanche of stories stating the subscription model is not dead yet. The subscription model did not harm SW:TOR, SW:TOR seriously, if not fatally, wounded the subscription model.
The reason that 12/12/12 should go down in MMORPG history as the day the subscription model died is that yesterday was the day that MMO fans forced a game company into acknowledging that they could not charge a subscription. The pre-launch buzz I received was that Funcom had developed a nice little game that a lot of people were interested in playing. But the game wasn't engaging enough to purchase as launch. How many decided that they would wait until the game dropped subscription fees? We will see over the next few weeks.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Impressions From The Final The Secret World Beta
I took a break from running around low sec Saturday because I received a beta key from Funcom to play their new MMORPG, The Secret World. Since I've stated that I think The Secret World is one of the top stories of 2012 I thought I should at least play the beta since I had the chance. As always when I do a post about a game, I am only giving my impressions as I don't feel playing 6-7 hours really allows me to see enough of an MMORPG to do an actual review. Hopefully those who don't play Eve Online won't mind all the Eve references since I do see a lot of similarities between the two games.
"A Thinking Man's Game." I have read this or a variation of the phrase on the forums and in general chat and I have to agree. At its heart I believe The Secret World is a puzzle game. In general chat I read requests that people send answers via direct tell and not in chat. Unlike games like Star Wars: The Old Republic that lead players right up to people, TSW will lead players to a general area and then the player has to figure out how to get to the objective. Sometimes that is not easy, involving climbing up and down objects or looking really carefully at the map. At other times the quest only gives clues and the player needs to figure out the answer. And I didn't even try to do an investigative quest which I hear requires researching facts in the real world via the Internet. TSW contains an in-game browser and unlike the one in Eve Online can play videos.
Where are Will Smitty and Tommy Lee Jones? The Secret World is set in a modern-day setting with a twist; every conspiracy theory and myth is true. Instead of a group of guys in black suits running around trying to keep a lid on all the weirdness, Funcom created three player factions, the Templars, Illuminati and Dragon. The Templars and Illunimati are modified versions of "existing" organizations while the Dragon is a composite of secret societies from eastern Asia.
Update? But I did! I knew I might be in trouble when I was prompted to update my video drivers. The problem was my drivers were up to date. The Secret World website did provide a link to check out if my computer meets the recommended requirements. Sadly, it does not. But by running the default settings I can gladly report I didn't notice any problems while running around the game. Of course, I didn't do any dungeons, so I don't know how my computer would have fared. For the record, here are the minimum and recommended system requirements.
Is This Clone Wars? To say that the character creator was pretty basic is putting it kindly. I realize that I'm used to Eve Online's amazing character creation process but TSW's was disappointing. The only customization to appearance is the head and selecting starting clothing. Of course, I should add that Funcom greatly added to the selection of clothing after I created my character, so that helped with the problem of everyone looking the same. But everyone does have the same body type, so that is a bit of personalization out the window. Of course, given the system requirements, that might help me run the game.
I'm Not Watching A Cartoon. Given that my graphics card barely meets the minimum requirements to run The Secret World, I have to say I still liked the graphics. I do have to preference this by stating that I always liked the realistic graphics in games like EverQuest 2 over those found in World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic. The one question I will have is the ability to keep the graphics updated long term like CCP has done with Eve if the game is a success. Will the desire to have graphics that last a long time requiring higher-end graphics cards to run limit the potential player base for TSW?
Class? What's That? Up until now, the creation of skill-based classless games like Ultima Online, Eve Online and Darkfall was done by independent game studios. So how does Funcom handle the challenge of creating a game in which players can know every possible skill?
Skill classes: The Secret World has three main classes of skills, magic, melee and ranged, which are then further divided into three sub-classes. But wait, didn't I write that TSW has no classes? That's right, no class that a player is locked into playing. That means no re-rolling a new character if a player wants to try something completely different. Just start learning the new skills on an old character.
Action bar slots: I was struck by the similarity of TSW's design of active, passive and talisman slots reflects CCP's ship design using high, mid and low slots. In The Secret World, a player is limited to only having 7 skills in the Active skill bar and 7 skills in the Passive skill bar. Thus a player must pay attention to the skill selection. Combine that with the 7 talisman slots a player receives to supplement a character's skills and once I actually had purchased 8 active and 8 passive skills I began to feel like I was trying to fit my Hurricane in Eve.
Weapons slots: Funcom keeps the entire skills system from spiraling out of control by limiting the skills in a player's action bar to those associated with the weapons the character is carrying. A character can only carry two weapons and only one of each skill. Funcom is actually putting together something called decks that describe how different combinations of skills work together. The best description I can come up with are multi-class characters in D&D or hybrid characters in World of Warcraft like druids or paladins.
That's A Mighty Small Journal. The quest, or I should say mission, system in The Secret World is unusual in that only six missions are allowed in the quest journal at any one time. And those six missions are broken down further into categories. As TSW is a theme park game, one of the missions is called the story mission. I've never played Lord of the Rings Online, but I wonder if LOTRO does the same thing with its chapters. Another mission slot is reserved for dungeon missions, a third for main missions and the other three for side missions. No carrying around 75 quests like I could do in EverQuest 2.
One nice thing about the quest givers is that they display all of the possible missions they will hand out. That helps when deciding whether to accept a quest from another source when wandering around. Also, some quests are repeatable and by clicking on the quest icon the cool down for the quest is visible. I think the repeatable quests would really come into play when attempting to level up some secondary skills on a character.
Did I Fall Into A Rift? I have to say that the combat system reminded me a lot of RIFT's. Some skills generate resources that are then consumed by more powerful skills. Also, moving around is good, standing still is bad. The one nice feature is that using a skill that generates resources generates for both weapons if a character has two equipped. Since the weapons (at least the ones I played with) use different resources a player can use damage dealing skills and still have the resources needed to cast powerful heals. That type of ability is what I think will make TSW's combat system stand out.
Do All EA MMOs Do This? The Secret World and Star Wars: The Old Republic have more in common than the fact that Electronic Arts is the publisher for both games. Moving between areas in both games just takes so long to do because waiting to load the assets for the new zone takes so long. In TSW perhaps the reason is that my computer only has 4 GB of RAM instead of the recommended 6. I will have to say that unlike what I used to experience with the excessive instancing when moving around the old Qeynos in EQ2, at least the reason for the instancing makes sense travel-wise. And I do have to admit that I like how the screen that is displayed while the new zone loads starts out in black-and-white and slowly fades into color. But be warned.
She's Wearing What? Given the discussion about sexism, especially women's clothing, in gaming, I almost think that anyone planning on writing their thoughts on a game needs to create a female character. How female characters are dressed can tell something about the mindset of the developers. In The Secret World, the developers didn't go out of their ways to make women into sex objects. Sure, female characters can wear bikini tops and hot pants, but they also get the option to wear turtle neck sweaters and jeans. And no shoes with 5-inch heels like in Tera in sight. If any controversy about sexism is generated by TSW, I don't think the game design will be the cause.
One thing I do like about the clothing in TSW is that I did not see any stats on it. That means no mis-matching of clothes unless done intentionally.
Would You Like Fries With That? Looking at the menu brought me to a mockup of a cash shop for TSW using the Funcom currency. As of right now the impression I get is the plan is to only sell vanity items like clothing. But remember that TSW is a subscription game that will charge $14.99 / €14.99 incl. VAT / £12.99 incl. VAT.
Will I play? From what I saw, my having a lower-end computer would not stop me from playing The Secret World. In addition to a mission system that actually requires paying attention to the fine cut scenes, I liked the puzzles I was presented, even if I did do some cursing when I was temporarily stumped. Completing those missions actually made me feel like I had accomplished something. I also liked the exploring I did. I enjoyed my time wandering around Seoul looking for little pieces of lore. So I intend to play The Secret World ... eventually.
Why won't I play at launch? Two reasons. The developer is Funcom and the publisher is Electronic Arts. Funcom does not have a stellar history with MMORPG launches, with the launches of Anarchy Online and Age of Conan arguably amongst the worst of all time. Will TSW break the trend? I'm hopeful, but I'm afraid the game is not ready for prime time just from a couple of things I saw and heard. The launch was delayed once already and I'm afraid the publisher EA won't let Funcom get everything in order.
EA itself is in a bit of a mess right now because of the problems concerning Star Wars: The Old Republic. I think that EA needs a new revenue source to help make up for disappointing news with SW:TOR and they see TSW as a quick fix to make the books look better. Ironically, one could argue that EA pushed Bioware to publish SW:TOR before Christmas when it wasn't ready, thus helping to cause SW:TOR's problems.
So while I want to play TSW, Funcom's and EA's reputations have led me to the decision to wait until August or September to purchase the game and play. I really hope I'm wrong because I really want to see The Secret World be the surprise hit of 2012. But for now I'm going to stay in Eve and fly around low sec. I think I'm safer there.
"A Thinking Man's Game." I have read this or a variation of the phrase on the forums and in general chat and I have to agree. At its heart I believe The Secret World is a puzzle game. In general chat I read requests that people send answers via direct tell and not in chat. Unlike games like Star Wars: The Old Republic that lead players right up to people, TSW will lead players to a general area and then the player has to figure out how to get to the objective. Sometimes that is not easy, involving climbing up and down objects or looking really carefully at the map. At other times the quest only gives clues and the player needs to figure out the answer. And I didn't even try to do an investigative quest which I hear requires researching facts in the real world via the Internet. TSW contains an in-game browser and unlike the one in Eve Online can play videos.
Where are Will Smitty and Tommy Lee Jones? The Secret World is set in a modern-day setting with a twist; every conspiracy theory and myth is true. Instead of a group of guys in black suits running around trying to keep a lid on all the weirdness, Funcom created three player factions, the Templars, Illuminati and Dragon. The Templars and Illunimati are modified versions of "existing" organizations while the Dragon is a composite of secret societies from eastern Asia.
Update? But I did! I knew I might be in trouble when I was prompted to update my video drivers. The problem was my drivers were up to date. The Secret World website did provide a link to check out if my computer meets the recommended requirements. Sadly, it does not. But by running the default settings I can gladly report I didn't notice any problems while running around the game. Of course, I didn't do any dungeons, so I don't know how my computer would have fared. For the record, here are the minimum and recommended system requirements.
Minimum System Requirements
- Internet Connection: 512 KBPS or faster
- OS: Windows XP (SP 1)/Vista (SP 1)/Windows 7 (SP 1)
- DVD-ROM: 8X or faster DVD drive
- Processor: 2.6 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
- Memory: At least 2GB RAM for Windows XP / 3GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
- Hard Drive: At least 30GB of free space
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA 8800 series 512 VRAM or better
- DirectX: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
- Input: Keyboard & Mouse
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 64 bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5 3.0Ghz or equivalent
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
- Memory: 6 GB
- OS: Windows 7 64 bit
- Processor: AMD A4-3400 APU with Radeon HD Graphics, 2.7 GHz
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6410D
- Memory: 4 GB
Is This Clone Wars? To say that the character creator was pretty basic is putting it kindly. I realize that I'm used to Eve Online's amazing character creation process but TSW's was disappointing. The only customization to appearance is the head and selecting starting clothing. Of course, I should add that Funcom greatly added to the selection of clothing after I created my character, so that helped with the problem of everyone looking the same. But everyone does have the same body type, so that is a bit of personalization out the window. Of course, given the system requirements, that might help me run the game.
I'm Not Watching A Cartoon. Given that my graphics card barely meets the minimum requirements to run The Secret World, I have to say I still liked the graphics. I do have to preference this by stating that I always liked the realistic graphics in games like EverQuest 2 over those found in World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic. The one question I will have is the ability to keep the graphics updated long term like CCP has done with Eve if the game is a success. Will the desire to have graphics that last a long time requiring higher-end graphics cards to run limit the potential player base for TSW?
Class? What's That? Up until now, the creation of skill-based classless games like Ultima Online, Eve Online and Darkfall was done by independent game studios. So how does Funcom handle the challenge of creating a game in which players can know every possible skill?
Skill classes: The Secret World has three main classes of skills, magic, melee and ranged, which are then further divided into three sub-classes. But wait, didn't I write that TSW has no classes? That's right, no class that a player is locked into playing. That means no re-rolling a new character if a player wants to try something completely different. Just start learning the new skills on an old character.
Action bar slots: I was struck by the similarity of TSW's design of active, passive and talisman slots reflects CCP's ship design using high, mid and low slots. In The Secret World, a player is limited to only having 7 skills in the Active skill bar and 7 skills in the Passive skill bar. Thus a player must pay attention to the skill selection. Combine that with the 7 talisman slots a player receives to supplement a character's skills and once I actually had purchased 8 active and 8 passive skills I began to feel like I was trying to fit my Hurricane in Eve.
Weapons slots: Funcom keeps the entire skills system from spiraling out of control by limiting the skills in a player's action bar to those associated with the weapons the character is carrying. A character can only carry two weapons and only one of each skill. Funcom is actually putting together something called decks that describe how different combinations of skills work together. The best description I can come up with are multi-class characters in D&D or hybrid characters in World of Warcraft like druids or paladins.
That's A Mighty Small Journal. The quest, or I should say mission, system in The Secret World is unusual in that only six missions are allowed in the quest journal at any one time. And those six missions are broken down further into categories. As TSW is a theme park game, one of the missions is called the story mission. I've never played Lord of the Rings Online, but I wonder if LOTRO does the same thing with its chapters. Another mission slot is reserved for dungeon missions, a third for main missions and the other three for side missions. No carrying around 75 quests like I could do in EverQuest 2.
One nice thing about the quest givers is that they display all of the possible missions they will hand out. That helps when deciding whether to accept a quest from another source when wandering around. Also, some quests are repeatable and by clicking on the quest icon the cool down for the quest is visible. I think the repeatable quests would really come into play when attempting to level up some secondary skills on a character.
Did I Fall Into A Rift? I have to say that the combat system reminded me a lot of RIFT's. Some skills generate resources that are then consumed by more powerful skills. Also, moving around is good, standing still is bad. The one nice feature is that using a skill that generates resources generates for both weapons if a character has two equipped. Since the weapons (at least the ones I played with) use different resources a player can use damage dealing skills and still have the resources needed to cast powerful heals. That type of ability is what I think will make TSW's combat system stand out.
Do All EA MMOs Do This? The Secret World and Star Wars: The Old Republic have more in common than the fact that Electronic Arts is the publisher for both games. Moving between areas in both games just takes so long to do because waiting to load the assets for the new zone takes so long. In TSW perhaps the reason is that my computer only has 4 GB of RAM instead of the recommended 6. I will have to say that unlike what I used to experience with the excessive instancing when moving around the old Qeynos in EQ2, at least the reason for the instancing makes sense travel-wise. And I do have to admit that I like how the screen that is displayed while the new zone loads starts out in black-and-white and slowly fades into color. But be warned.
She's Wearing What? Given the discussion about sexism, especially women's clothing, in gaming, I almost think that anyone planning on writing their thoughts on a game needs to create a female character. How female characters are dressed can tell something about the mindset of the developers. In The Secret World, the developers didn't go out of their ways to make women into sex objects. Sure, female characters can wear bikini tops and hot pants, but they also get the option to wear turtle neck sweaters and jeans. And no shoes with 5-inch heels like in Tera in sight. If any controversy about sexism is generated by TSW, I don't think the game design will be the cause.
One thing I do like about the clothing in TSW is that I did not see any stats on it. That means no mis-matching of clothes unless done intentionally.
Would You Like Fries With That? Looking at the menu brought me to a mockup of a cash shop for TSW using the Funcom currency. As of right now the impression I get is the plan is to only sell vanity items like clothing. But remember that TSW is a subscription game that will charge $14.99 / €14.99 incl. VAT / £12.99 incl. VAT.
Will I play? From what I saw, my having a lower-end computer would not stop me from playing The Secret World. In addition to a mission system that actually requires paying attention to the fine cut scenes, I liked the puzzles I was presented, even if I did do some cursing when I was temporarily stumped. Completing those missions actually made me feel like I had accomplished something. I also liked the exploring I did. I enjoyed my time wandering around Seoul looking for little pieces of lore. So I intend to play The Secret World ... eventually.
Why won't I play at launch? Two reasons. The developer is Funcom and the publisher is Electronic Arts. Funcom does not have a stellar history with MMORPG launches, with the launches of Anarchy Online and Age of Conan arguably amongst the worst of all time. Will TSW break the trend? I'm hopeful, but I'm afraid the game is not ready for prime time just from a couple of things I saw and heard. The launch was delayed once already and I'm afraid the publisher EA won't let Funcom get everything in order.
EA itself is in a bit of a mess right now because of the problems concerning Star Wars: The Old Republic. I think that EA needs a new revenue source to help make up for disappointing news with SW:TOR and they see TSW as a quick fix to make the books look better. Ironically, one could argue that EA pushed Bioware to publish SW:TOR before Christmas when it wasn't ready, thus helping to cause SW:TOR's problems.
So while I want to play TSW, Funcom's and EA's reputations have led me to the decision to wait until August or September to purchase the game and play. I really hope I'm wrong because I really want to see The Secret World be the surprise hit of 2012. But for now I'm going to stay in Eve and fly around low sec. I think I'm safer there.
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