Politics and Gaming
I watched an interesting video on You Tube recently, exploring the perennial subject of “politics in gaming”. Produced by the Extra Credit, who specialise in video games studies, it succinctly points out that it is impossible to remove any sort of political input from creative content. However, this is not a universally held point of view. The recent release of Mass Effect: Andromeda has seen a lot of discussion regarding whether politics and political agendas negatively impact upon game development. This has ranged from measured debate about inclusivity and representation to diatribes about how “feminazis” are “ruining gaming”.
Super Mario Run
Super Mario Run is now available for Android smartphones, so I thought I’d show willing and check it out. Despite Nintendo’s shockingly inane business decisions in recent years and their dogged determination to still approach the video games market as if it were still the nineties, I like many others still have a degree of good will towards them due to their franchises. So, I downloaded the game from the Google Play Store to find that, despite it’s free moniker, it is effectively a trial. Players get access World Tour, Toad Rally, and Kingdom Builder modes, with a selection of courses. The full game requires a single in-app purchase of $9.99 after which there are no further micro-transactions.
Update 20: Battle of the Black Gate
Finally, ten years after the launch of LOTRO, we find ourselves outside the Black Gates of Mordor. Dagorlad is the latest zone to feature in Update 20, released today and it’s a stark contrast after the lush and verdant hills of North Ithilien. Yet as ever with LOTRO the new area is beautifully realised and filled with lore references. The fact that we’ve finally arrived before the Morannon and will be entering Mordor in the next expansion, compensates to a degree for the years of unnecessary diversion we’ve endured, with prior zones such as Mirkwood, Enedwaith and Dunland. I make no bones about the fact that I never liked these areas and felt the stories they told were somewhat superfluous. However, that is all behind us now and Mordor awaits.
Am I a Whale?
Whenever reading about game monetisation, I often come across the term “whale” and their alleged importance to the free-to-play business model. Primarily they seem to be associated with the mobile gaming industry, due to the way the games are constructed. Paying does more than enhance game play, it is required to facilitate it. However, the whale is no stranger to the MMO genre. The proliferation of cash stores, lock boxes and cosmetic customisation means that there’s always something that people want. Furthermore, gaming in many respects can be a more economic form of entertainment compared to others. Therefore, occasional expenditure is often seen as providing value for money. Fans also like to support the developers that create the games that they enjoy, so again spending money is perceived as a positive thing.
What’s My Name Again?
A few Weeks ago, I created a new Dwarf Hunter in LOTRO and started playing through the game from scratch. Why? Because I wanted to. As ever with MMOs that have been around for a while, all the best names are taken. I spent at least thirty minutes trying various names that I had planned in advance. All were conspicuous by their absence, including Burton, which really irked me. I remember having a similar experience trying to secure a suitable name during the WildStar beta. I wanted Brother Numpsay but it was not available, so I had to settle for Captain Queeg. I guess WildStar players are more conversant with Eddie Murphy than Herman Wouk. But I digress. I ended up calling my new Dwarf Hunter Gryg, as a homage to a character in the film The Last Starfighter.
Star Trek Online: Beyond Endgame
The recent Arena of Sompek Event in STO was immense fun and presented me with an opportunity to fine tune the ground build on my primary character. Furthermore, the current return of the Phoenix Prize Pack has allowed me to spend a lot of my surplus Dilithium. I obtained a Kobali Samsar Cruiser [T6] last night which allowed me to complete the Kobali Space Set. It’s also nice to be able to finally own the iconic Red Matter Converter, which was only previously available in the Collector’s Edition of STO on launch. However, for me the best item available from the Phoenix Prize Pack is the special Phoenix Upgrade Tech (equivalent to multiple Universal Superior Tech Upgrades, with no Dilithium costs). I have used a hundred plus and have now managed to upgrade a lot of my gear to Epic quality. Finally, after months of tweaking and customising, I’ve broken the 30K DPS barrier.
The Average LOTRO Player
Despite my claims to be a casual gamer, I tend to go all-in when a title takes my interest. Therefore, I will make it my business to read and learn about the various mechanics and systems in a game. I also like to be active in the wider community, so I write and podcast about the games I enjoy. Social media is an invaluable way to keep up-to-date with both developers and publishers. Forums and websites also play an integral role in keeping a player informed, by providing guides, press releases and a platform for sharing opinions. In recent years, many games have looked to Reddit as an additional way of communicating with their player base and fostering a community.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
I was sceptical about Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor when it was first announced back in 2014. Let it suffice to say that despite the hype and the marketing controversy that ensued, the game was surprisingly good, especially the nemesis system. The "extrapolation" of the lore was also quite intriguing and although I tend to be a Tolkien purist at heart, I really liked the narrative and the overall aesthetic of the game. The look and feel of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was very much based on Peter Jackson's movies. At the time of the games launch, I managed to purchase a discounted steam code via a CD key seller and also received the "Dark Ranger" cosmetic skin as a bonus. Overall, I spent about one hundred and forty hours playing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor which was good value for money.
For Honor: Multiplayer Problems
Most multiplayer games use peer-to-peer networking as a cheap and easy way to connect players. Running dedicated servers and writing the accompanying connection code is costlier and requires a greater degree of developer involvement with a game, post launch. If you play Overwatch or any of the Call of Duty franchise, then you’ve experience multiplay via this technology. It’s cost and convenience are offset against its technical weaknesses. The player that hosts a game has a potential speed advantage and if they quit the game will pause while a new host is found among those still playing. Then there are exploits and cheats that can be used by unscrupulous players such as lag switches and DDoS attacks. Thus, P2P networking is far from an ideal alternative to dedicated third party hosts.
Starting from Scratch
I was watching a LOTRO stream this week by Kaz Travio who is currently levelling a Dwarf Hunter on the EU server Laurelin. The Hunter class is both enjoyable and straightforward to play. It can satisfy your “pew pew” itch and doesn’t have a particularly steep learning curve. It’s porting and poison curing skills use to be invaluable. Overall, the Hunter is a great way for a new player to discover and explore the Lord of the Rings Online. This becomes very apparent in Kaz Travio’s stream. So, to cut a long story short, I decided to create a new Hunter myself and go tool around in Middle-earth.
Arena of Sompek Special Event
Star Trek Online regularly runs short term events with unique rewards to keep the player base engaged. The latest of these, the Arena of Sompek Special Event, has just gone live today and will run until to February 27th at 9:00 AM PST (17:00 PM GMT). Level 50 to 60 Captains can queue publicly or form bespoke groups to battle in the ancient Klingon tradition of the qaD HoS; an endless battle against allies and enemies alike. Set in a holodeck, teams of six players face waves of ever increasingly powerful enemies as well as environmental hazards. There are infinite respawns as long as there’s one active player. Once all players are incapacitated, the event ends and rewards are distributed based on how many rounds are completed. These include a choice of reputation marks, Dilithium, crafting materials and a voucher once per day, that can be applied toward a special reward, The Sompek Lightning Universal Kit Module.
Mordor or Bust: A Retrospective
My friend and regular podcast co-host, Brian, celebrates a significant birthday today. So first off let me wish him many happy returns of the day. Now while the Burton & Scrooge podcast is on hiatus, Brian has been pursuing his own side project; namely the Scrooge Uncut podcast. The latest episode is a retrospective look at Brian’s former LOTRO fansite and show, Mordor or Bust. The both these creative endeavours were a significant part of the LOTRO community, back in the halcyon days of the MMO. Brian had the unique experience of predicting LOTROs transition to F2P, days before Turbine’s announcement. He also caused a minor furore when he posted screenshots of every item in the LOTRO store while the beta test was going on.
For Honor
Every now and then, I’ll see a trailer for a game and think to myself, “man, that looks cool. I want that”. The curious thing is, the ones that enthuse me the most are those that I know I’ll be utterly crap at. For Honor definitely falls into that category but I just liked the idea of running around hitting things with a huge sword so much I ended up buying the Gold Edition today. Luckily, I got a very good deal on a key, so if this game is beyond my skills set or fails to meet expectations I won’t be too disappointed. The last time I “come a cropper” with an impetuous purchase of this nature was with Watch Dogs, back in 2014. Spookily enough that was a Ubisoft game, same as For Honor.
The Return of the DPS Meter
Back in the Summer 2015 I wrote about my flirtation with DPS meters in STO and how they are both a boon and a bane. Eighteen months later I’m still of the same opinion. Chasing numbers is addictive and a source of frustration when you don’t see any significant change. And that is what has happened to me. My overall DPS on my main Federation character has increased from under 5K DPS to somewhere between 23K and 26K DPS. These are perfectly respectable numbers but I hit 30K once and I want to see it again to ensure it wasn’t a fluke. So, I’ve been tinkering with various aspects of my build and regularly parsing my output but the results have been inconsistent. This has led me to do some further research which has highlighted a new set of problems.
The TGEN Tribunal #6
The Gaming and Entertainment Network was set up in 2014 by several podcasters as a way to promote each other’s shows and reach a wider audience. All the networks members have strong views regarding creating and maintaining communities. Hence it was decided to produce a quarterly roundtable podcast made up of network contributors to discuss and explore a wide variety of subjects. The shows are lively and informal in nature, although there’s often a lot of passion when it comes to the topics being discussed. Frequently the shows are based around questions that our network listeners have asked and the idea of the tribunal is to reflect the feedback we receive.
Star Trek Online and the MMO Trinity
Although I will happily espouse the virtues of Star Trek Online, the multiplayer element of this MMO is very much optional. The central mission arcs are all solo friendly and although you can play through this content in a group, there is no major incentive to do so. The only times I have grouped during standard PVE content has been to help another player new to the game and when replaying a specific mission for the rewards if offers. The latter can be done a lot faster when grouped. The space and ground queues that are available at level 50 are designed for 6, 10 or 20 players but again the multiplayer aspect of these is somewhat arbitrary. Players can either join a PUG via the group finding system or set up bespoke event themselves with friends of fellow Fleet members. Beyond that there is no compelling interaction between players.
To Grind or Not to Grind?
As soon as I returned to LOTRO last October I immediately started replacing my level 100 gear with more appropriate items. I finally started using slotted armour and essences, using mainly the gear that dropped from quests along the way. As ever it’s not the best but it’s better than what I had. I never started the Dol Amroth repeatable quests that yield armour sets and as the gear is now only level 100, I’ve decided against that option. As I no longer have the time to regularly run instances, I can’t get a set from the Throne of Dread Terror (T2). Luckily, Turbine (now Standing Stone Games) introduced the Flora Barter system with Update 19: March of the King, which provides an alternative method of obtaining level cap appropriate gear.
MMORPGs: A Recurring Talking Point
Last night, I hosted the recording of the latest TGEN Tribunal, a quarterly roundtable podcast made up of members of The Gaming and Entertainment Network. Myself, Syl, Braxwolf and Brian discussed several subjects, one of which was regarding the MMORPG genre. The initial question was quite specific but the discussion soon expanded to cover wider aspects of online multiplayer games. Overall it was an interesting debate, as all present have been playing MMOs for years and have certainly seen their relationship with them evolve. When we finished recording it occurred to me that the subject of MMOs has been a major theme of many of the podcasts I’ve been involved with over the years.
UI Customisation
Game complexity can be both a boon and a bane; a selling point and a source of irritation. There are many titles that I enjoy that have a wealth of systems and mechanics that add greatly to the overall immersion and entertainment. The MMORPG genre excels at this. However, this data all needs to be displayed visually, in an efficient and intuitive fashion. It has to be readily available and easy to navigate. Naturally, there’s a fine balance between making such a system accessible without becoming a source of distraction. This is the challenge that all developers face when designing a user interface. However this problem is compounded further by the human element. Regardless of how well crafted a game’s UI may be, players will always wish to change it to suit their own needs and requirements.
The Geography of LOTRO: Part 2 Bree and Bree-land
In the second part of our look at the geography of Middle Earth, we shall be focusing of the town of Bree. It has a pivotal role in the events of the book and subsequently play a similar part Standing Stone Games Lord of the Rings Online. Before we start, let us remind ourselves exactly what Tolkien writes when introducing Bree to the reader. The following quote is the opening paragraph of chapter nine; At the sign of the Prancing Pony from The Fellowship of the Ring.