LOTRO: Vales of Anduin Preview
Update 24: Vales of Anduin is currently available for preview along with an initial build of the new 64-Bit game client for LOTRO, on the Bullroarer test server. The new virtue configuration system is among the many revisions that are included in this forthcoming update. The following change also raised a wry smile. Renaming the "Laketown Outhouse" to the more era appropriate "Laketown Boghouse". As ever there are extensive patch notes available on the official forums and players are once again reminded that this is not the final version of the update and therefore everything can potentially change.
Update 24: Vales of Anduin is currently available for preview along with an initial build of the new 64-Bit game client for LOTRO, on the Bullroarer test server. The new virtue configuration system is among the many revisions that are included in this forthcoming update. The following change also raised a wry smile. Renaming the "Laketown Outhouse" to the more era appropriate "Laketown Boghouse". As ever there are extensive patch notes available on the official forums and players are once again reminded that this is not the final version of the update and therefore everything can potentially change.
To enable the new 64-Bit game client, LOTRO players need to toggle the appropriate setting in the launcher “options”. The 64-Bit game client has a separate .ini file that maintains the graphics, sound settings, UI and input settings independently from the 32-Bit version. Note this does not include keymap preferences. I tested the new client by riding around Minas Tirith, an area of the game notorious for random crashes, hitching and animation stuttering. The results so far seem positive and the game appears to run smoother and with less juddering. However, to fully appraise the system a far more rigorous test is required. I also quickly checked out the new virtue UI and noticed that the cap had been raised to 60. However, this new way of presenting the data seems far more intuitive.
As for the new zone, the Vales of Anduin can be accessed via three existing zones. From the North High Pass in the Misty Mountains, near Goblin Town. Via the Forest Gate in Eryn Lasgalen and from North Eastern Lothlórien, along the shores of the Anduin. The region includes the Beorning Lands (and incorporates Grimbeorn’s house from the Beorning starter zone) the Gladden Fields and Rhosgobel, former residence of Radagast. Other iconic locations are The Carrock, which features an Eagle instead of a stable, which then takes you to Gwaihir’s eyrie on the Western shore. There are further Beorning settlements at Hultvis and Duskenvales. Overall the zone is green and verdant and matches the description of Tolkien’s original text. The Beorning settlements are suitable rustic and mossy, although some of the assets are obviously repurposed elements from Rohan.
As with previous zones that have lore references from The Hobbit, visiting certain locations will trigger an onscreen passage of text from that book. There are also some interesting embellishments in the Gladden Fields. There seems to be traces of abandoned dredging and mining equipment. There are also some Half Orc Dredgers in the vicinity. I wonder if this is a reference to Saruman’s search for The Ring in the area where Isildur died. It should also be noted that Rhosgobel is overgrown and abandoned, again as referenced in the source text. As ever with new zones, there are several routes that are currently blocked, indicating what may be coming in future content. There’s a road to the East that leads to Middle Mirkwood and a Northerly path that potentially goes to the Upper Anduin and possibly Mount Gundabad.
So far, the new zone looks aesthetically pleasing and is relatively light and colourful. There is at present a lot of fog as you travel from the Misty Mountains down into the river valley. As with parts of Western Gondor, much of the zone is contained by high cliffs and other natural obstacles, so despite the initial impression of size, it does feel once again that the player is being funnelled from quest hub to quest hub. However, as long as the Epic Story continues to maintain it’s ongoing high standard, none of these minor criticisms are a deal breaker. The success of the 64-Bit client is perhaps a bigger issue for the LOTRO community. Will it remedy the performance issues that impair the game? Or will it solve one problem but create another. Judging by the current timetable we’ll more than likely no sooner rather than later, as I wouldn’t be surprised if Update 24 is formerly launched by the end of May.
Bits and Pieces
I have multiple blog articles outstanding in my “draft posts” folder. But time has not been on my side of late, so very little of these are going to be completed and see the light of day, any time soon. However, there are always alternative strategies. If you’re in doubt about what to write, or more likely just pushed for time, simply create an eclectic post that allows you to reference multiple subjects and news stories without having to write a thousand words on each and then make it a regular feature. If you also want to raise a wry smile with an older demographic, make the title of this new recurring piece a particularly bad pun about a popular sixties’ song by a well-known “beat combo”. With this now explained, let’s get on with things.
I have multiple blog articles outstanding in my “draft posts” folder. But time has not been on my side of late, so very little of these are going to be completed and see the light of day, any time soon. However, there are always alternative strategies. If you’re in doubt about what to write, or more likely just pushed for time, simply create an eclectic post that allows you to reference multiple subjects and news stories without having to write a thousand words on each and then make it a regular feature. If you also want to raise a wry smile with an older demographic, make the title of this new recurring piece a particularly bad pun about a popular sixties’ song by a well-known “beat combo”. With this now explained, let’s get on with things.
There was an interesting episode of The Jimquisition that was posted on Monday 15th April. It was about PC Gamer journalist James Davenport who wrote a detailed article about how used a mod to complete the game Sekiro and its extremely tough final boss fight. The point of his post was to discuss the subject of difficulty and its wider culture. However, fundamentalist gamers didn't see things his way and were vocal in their criticism. A somewhat theatrical comment was tweeted by Fetusberry 'Ass Bastard' Crunch, which then became a meme. Ironically, this negative comment was subsequently usurped by Jim Sterling and his comic character, Duke Amiel du H'ardcore, to mock its supporters. For those who are not aware of the original tweet, here it is in all its hyperbolic glory. “You cheated not only the game, but yourself. You didn't grow. You didn't improve. You took a shortcut and gained nothing. You experienced a hollow victory. Nothing was risked and nothing was gained. It's sad that you don't know the difference”.
Like Jim Sterling, I find this perennial argument extremely tedious. I wrote a post about two years ago which covers pretty much the same ground. Back then it was the claim that people were playing MMOs “wrong”. The assumption being that there is only one orthodox way to play this genre of games and if you fail to do so, not only are you a fool to yourself, you’re somehow causing harm to others and the gaming industry. Hence self-appointed gatekeepers feel obliged to “hold the line” or something to that effect. This argument, like the latest example above, is founded upon several completely false axioms. With regard to Fetusberry’s assertions, it is not a mandatory for a player to grow, improve, or risk anything. Games are no entirely founded upon notions of self-improvement and are not primarily conduits for personal realisation. In short, some games can provide these and some gamers will seek such things but other don’t and are not mandated to do so. Games are multi-faceted mediums than can provide numerous things and serve multiple purposes to those who play them. Sadly, many still fail to comprehend this and therefore I think this “debate” is going to regularly return like a bout of malaria.
Another gaming debacle that has held my interest has been the ongoing tale of the unofficial resurrection of City of Heroes via a public server. It has been a rollercoaster of a story with copies of the defunct game’s core code publicly disseminated, alleged legal threats from the copyright holders and fans arguing among themselves. For me the matter that stands out the most is not the bellicose, emotionally dysfunctional nature of some aspects of the gaming community as that’s been a known quantity for quite a while. It’s the fact that people are still very excited, passionate and invested in an MMORPG that has been unavailable for seven years. It’s an interesting contrast to the general levels of indifference and ambivalence shown towards games in development and pending release.
In other news, Gimli has proven to be politically incorrect (insert smiley face). Hyperbole aside, the actor John Rhys-Davies recently appeared on the popular political BBC panel show Question Time. This long-standing program is based around a selection of guests, mostly politicians, journalist, and broadcasters (and in recent years the pop stars, comedians and actors) being quizzed on “hot topics” by members of the public. The panel are not aware of the questions in advance and therefore have to rely on their knowledge, ideologies and public speaking skills to address each topic. Sadly, in recent years as the quality of UK politics and public discourse has declined, so has the show. Rather than an orderly, rational and intelligent debate, it has simply become a bear pit for the worst sort of Punch and Judy politics. The audience shows evidence of being contrived and too many representatives from the fringes of politics are given the oxygen of publicity. It can be cogently argued that the show has contributed to the normalisation of extreme concepts and its associated unsavoury discourse, that would have been laughed off any respectable platform a decade ago.
Returning to the matter of Mr Rhys-Davies, he clashed with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas over President Trumps visit to the UK this summer. “He’s elected head of state of a great democracy, the last best hope for mankind of course”, he said. “He represents the American people”. Mrs Lucas pointed out that Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million, which prompted a rather unseemly outburst from Mr Rhys-Davies. The controversy is mainly due to the manner in which he expressed himself and no so much about what views were espoused. The phrases, “patronising, condescending and bombastic” spring to mind. But should we really be surprised that a man of his age group, social demographic and known political views and affiliations chooses to conduct himself in such a fashion? What has subsequently proven interesting is that the manner in which this story has been reported both online and in traditional media. Ones position on the political spectrum naturally plays a role in how you interpret this.
Star Trek Online continues to focus upon the popularity and success of Star Trek: Discovery with the release of the forthcoming update Rise of Discovery on May 14th. Actors Rehka Sharma, and Jason Issacs will be joining the already prestigious voice cast, by reprising their respective roles as Commander Ellen Landry and Captain Gabriel Lorca. Developer’s Cryptic have also announced that Tier 6 ships will become useable at any level and will scale accordingly. This is an interesting development that addresses the perennial MMO paradox of the trivialisation of gear while progressing towards level cap. It will be interesting to see how this system works in reality and whether it will be applicable to all vessels in the game or simply those bought in the in-game store for Zen. Oh and “hello to Jason Isaacs”.
Maintaining a Standard
I do not advocate that mindset that some gamers pursue, where they don’t see game publishers as a company selling them a product, but instead see their vendor/consumer relationship in a more personal light. I think it is both wise and healthy to see things as they are; namely that buying a game is a transactional relationship governed by consumer law. That is not to say that we should by default, think ill of all video games publishers, but it is pertinent to reflect upon what we know about the business practises of such companies as Riot Games, Blizzard- Activision and more recently BioWare. To be concise, some video games companies are shitty to both their customers and their staff. Others are not. Let the buyer beware and all that.
I do not advocate that mindset that some gamers pursue, where they don’t see game publishers as a company selling them a product, but instead see their vendor/consumer relationship in a more personal light. I think it is both wise and healthy to see things as they are; namely that buying a game is a transactional relationship governed by consumer law. That is not to say that we should by default, think ill of all video games publishers, but it is pertinent to reflect upon what we know about the business practises of such companies as Riot Games, Blizzard- Activision and more recently BioWare. To be concise, some video games companies are shitty to both their customers and their staff. Others are not. Let the buyer beware and all that.
Is this ramble going anywhere, I hear you ask? Yes, it is. I want to reference the British video games developers and publishers Rebellion Developments Limited. They are practical and realistic regarding their franchises and the scope of their projects. The games they produce are polished, well made and cater to their customers needs. And as far as I’m aware, the company doesn’t treat their staff like a Dickensian Mill owner. Furthermore, Rebellion doesn’t take liberties with the monetisation of their games. Their base game and season pass policy is not excessively priced. Furthermore, in the case of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered which is due to be released on 14th May, the price reflects that this is an overhaul of an existing game. It cost £29.99 but if you pre-order, there’s a 10% reduction to £26.99, applicable regardless of platform. If you happen to own the original game, then £6.99 will secure you an upgrade to the remastered version.
Rebellion have some great franchises in their back catalogue. As well as the Sniper Elite series, which improves and becomes more streamlined with each iteration, the company also holds the rights to publish 2000 AD. It has released in the past both a Rogue Trooper game which has since been remastered, along with a Judge Dredd title. Hopefully this too will be retooled or perhaps a new project will manifest itself. Strange Brigade is also one of its newer titles which was well received upon release last year. The company seems to consider very carefully what it does and doesn’t over extend itself or take unnecessary risks. It appears to know its market well and understand its customers needs. From the live streams I seen along with the interviews I’ve read, the developers along with founders Jason (CEO) and Chris (CTO) Kingsley strike me as being grounded and unburdened with the hubris shown by other larger companies.
At a time when it is common place to read about the iniquities of games publishers, it is easy to become very cynical of the entire industry and paint a negative picture with broad strokes. However, there are some good companies out there which seem to conduct themselves with decorum, as well as producing good games. I wrote recently about a lack of excitement that seems to blight some quarters of the gaming community at present. However, when pre-ordering Sniper Elite V2 Remastered, I was reminded that it can be found and not always where you expect it. So I guess the moral of this rambling narrative is that some companies still do maintain a standard and that gaming per se hasn’t quite totally gone to the dogs. I just hope that in the next few days there isn’t an expose that revels that Rebellion are a bunch of bastards.
When LOTRO Gets It Right
As I previously mentioned, Dunland is far from the most enthralling region in LOTRO. Aesthetically speaking the zone is quite varied but that is not where the problem lies. The trials and tribulations of the various Dunlending tribes does not make for the most engaging narrative. So in the last few days I’ve been doggedly playing through the Epic Story and a selection of regional quests, so I can simply move my High Elf Guardian forward. However, I subsequently arrived at Nan Curunír and remembered that that I was playing through the third expansion for LOTRO; The Rise of Isengard. And things began to change for the better. Because the game content at this point includes some innovative story lines within an iconic setting and is a clear example of when this MMO gets things right.
As I previously mentioned, Dunland is far from the most enthralling region in LOTRO. Aesthetically speaking the zone is quite varied but that is not where the problem lies. The trials and tribulations of the various Dunlending tribes does not make for the most engaging narrative. So in the last few days I’ve been doggedly playing through the Epic Story and a selection of regional quests, so I can simply move my High Elf Guardian forward. However, I subsequently arrived at Nan Curunír and remembered that that I was playing through the third expansion for LOTRO; The Rise of Isengard. And things began to change for the better. Because the game content at this point includes some innovative story lines within an iconic setting and is a clear example of when this MMO gets things right.
There are limitations as to what a player can do in an MMO, via their avatar. Ultimately it comes down to either combat, interaction through “clicking”, or dialogue trees. Therefore it is incumbent upon a game developer to strive to present these options with a degree of creativity and novelty. Turbine (now Standing Stone Games) managed to achieve this once the Epic Story entered Isengard. Betrayed by the Falcon Clan the player finds themselves a captive of Saruman and is sent to work within the pits below the “ring of stone”. Initially saddled with an overseer who dogs your footsteps, the player is forced to labour in the forges, clean up in the kitchens and then feed the prisoners. There is then further toil on the surface, where “good behaviour” earns you a trustee’s independence.
This is a major shift in the players perspective, and although many of the quests are arbitrary “fetch and carry” related tasks, they work well within the ongoing narrative. There is also an interesting session play, where you see former events from the perspective of Acca, The Steward of Isengard. This shows Gandalf detainment by Saruman and his relationship with Gríma Wormtongue. Overall, the entire storyline set within Isengard is a highlight of this otherwise average expansion. I have always been interested in Saruman’s fall from grace and have sought out additional references to it in the various books published after Tolkien’s death. What were his reasons for turning from his “mission”? Exactly how far did he go in implementing the ring lore he had learned? These are all intriguing questions. Therefore, having this embellishment within LOTRO is a real bonus from my perspective.
LOTRO is a twelve-year-old MMO that was designed and created around the technology and prevailing trends of the time. It has been revamped and retooled several times over the years and now exists as a curious online Chimera. Driven by a much loved and lore rich IP, the game is often arbitrary in its mechanics but every now and then, there are flashes of inspiration that do much to redress the balance. Being a prisoner of Isengard is one such example and I must admit that revisiting this part of the game has done much to improve its standing with me. When LOTRO gets it right it can be more than just another MMORPG. The question remains can Standing Stone Games continue to innovate in this fashion. Will there be future interactive visits to iconic locations and session play that allow us to access classic instances in the history of Middle-earth. I do hope so.
The “Holy Grail” That is a Single Games Launcher
First off, the title of this post is meant with a liberal does of irony. Secondly, here is a left field anecdote that does have a bearing on the forthcoming discussion. I can remember going to the local Co-op Supermarket with my Mother circa 1975. A small selection of groceries were purchased. My Mother then went to pack the shopping when she realised that she didn’t have her regular shopping bag with her. If memory serves it was a typical seventies monstrosity made out of lurid coloured nylon. However she did have a plastic bag from a rival supermarket. I vividly remember the outrage this breach in social etiquette caused. Simply put, the Co-op did not like its products being put in the bag of a competitor. Needless to say, words were exchanged, there were red faces and indignation all round and we left after threatening to write a strongly worded letter to The Times.
First off, the title of this post is meant with a liberal does of irony. Secondly, here is a left field anecdote that does have a bearing on the forthcoming discussion. I can remember going to the local Co-op Supermarket with my Mother circa 1975. A small selection of groceries were purchased. My Mother then went to pack the shopping when she realised that she didn’t have her regular shopping bag with her. If memory serves it was a typical seventies monstrosity made out of lurid coloured nylon. However she did have a plastic bag from a rival supermarket. I vividly remember the outrage this breach in social etiquette caused. Simply put, the Co-op did not like its products being put in the bag of a competitor. Needless to say, words were exchanged, there were red faces and indignation all round and we left after threatening to write a strongly worded letter to The Times.
Moving on to the present, it would appear that the Epic Games Store is continuing to batten down the hatches of “exclusivity”. Not only are they offering games developers lucrative deals to tie new titles to their platform for a limited amount of time, they’re apparently blocking their games from being accessed by rival launchers. Steam currently has a facility where you can search your PC for games bought and installed elsewhere and launch them with their client. But it would appear that titles bought and installed via the Epic Games Store, are not shown. There may well be a workaround and if there isn’t, I’m sure some cunning gaming zealots are busy working on one to circumnavigate this “outrage”. However, in the meantime, it would appear that Epic Games are pursuing a protectionist policy, not unlike my light-hearted anecdote. I’m not exactly sure how I should react to this. Seems to me to just be business as usual.
I have written before about having to come to terms with multiple online game stores and their bespoke launchers. There are some legitimate concerns regarding their proliferation, but I do not consider the minor inconvenience of having to juggle multiple games launchers to be the highest on the list. I appreciate that some gamers have hundreds of titles that they’ve bought overtime and that curating them may well be a chore, but excuse me if I don’t compare it with one of the twelve Labours of Hercules. We have to face similar inconvenience with such services as Netflix and Amazon Prime. As far as I’m aware society is coping and the issue hasn’t become a major campaign point in any western country’s electoral proceedings. The video game market is fragmented and is likely to get more so in the years to come. Therefore contriving some myth about a single game launcher being the new “Holy Grail” is spurious, specious and some other word beginning with “S”.
A Month in Gaming
My gaming time was somewhat erratic throughout March. Therefore when I did log in to an MMO I tended to pursue daily repeatable activities and linear quests. Content that could be easily managed and did not require a great degree of planning or concentration. My High Elf Guardian in The Lord of the Rings Online is currently level 72 and the PVE content I’m playing through is about five or so levels below that, so unless I make an obvious mistake, the risk of “defeat” is not high. I’ve also used these short periods of gaming to do further inventory management in Star Trek Online. My current policy for surplus items is to either pass it on to an alt if possible, sell it via in game auctions or just vendor it. It’s remarkable the number of items you accrue in MMOs that you out grow or simply never get around to using. Outside of MMOs, I simply did some game installation housekeeping. It seems there’s always a patch that need to be downloaded and installed.
My gaming time was somewhat erratic throughout March. Therefore when I did log in to an MMO I tended to pursue daily repeatable activities and linear quests. Content that could be easily managed and did not require a great degree of planning or concentration. My High Elf Guardian in The Lord of the Rings Online is currently level 72 and the PVE content I’m playing through is about five or so levels below that, so unless I make an obvious mistake, the risk of “defeat” is not high. I’ve also used these short periods of gaming to do further inventory management in Star Trek Online. My current policy for surplus items is to either pass it on to an alt if possible, sell it via in game auctions or just vendor it. It’s remarkable the number of items you accrue in MMOs that you out grow or simply never get around to using. Outside of MMOs, I simply did some game installation housekeeping. It seems there’s always a patch that need to be downloaded and installed.
March in Review:
I’ve been experimenting with live streaming and have run several technical tests recently. So far, I have only played STO as I cannot get LOTRO to “co-operate”. To make these tests less tedious for viewers, I stockpiled some Infinity Lock boxes and keys. I managed to acquire a Tier 6 ship which I subsequently sold on the exchange for 595,000,000 energy credits. I used these funds to buy the very rare Photonic Science Officer which use to be a reward from Cryptic for their player subscription referral scheme. This is the only bridge officer candidate that comes with Photonic Officer III ability, which reduces the recharge time of other bridge officer powers. I also acquired a Holographic James Kurland bridge officer. I wasn’t aware that these were even a “thing”. I was most pleased and amused.
In LOTRO I have been questing in Dunland with my High Elf Guardian and due to my current level earning little XP. This is the second time I’ve played through this zone and I’m still not especially enamoured with the story. The plight of the Dunlending is hardly riveting and they continue to be an annoying and unsympathetic group. I am currently in Galtrev, the primary town in the region, but it is a phased due to major plot development. If I want to leave the current phase I have to clear several secondary quests that will move the story along. It far from difficult, but it’s hardly enthralling either. Hence my progress though the game has reduced. I may consider relocating back to The Great River zone, for a greater challenge and a more engaging narrative.
I decided to revisit Assassins Creed: Odyssey which I’ve had installed on my PC since last November. There was a 5.9 GB patch outstanding which took a while to download and install. Once this was done, the proverbial “moment” was gone, so I played something else. I must get around to spending time in this game at some point. I subsequently found that all the various game launchers such as Uplay, Origin, and Steam needed similar patching.
I finally resolved all my addon issues with The Elder Scrolls Online. I now have my UI organised and have access to the data that I need. Shame I didn’t actually play any ESO after all that.
April Goals:
The annual First Contact Day Event has started in STO, offering the usual cosmetic awards and one practical item of gear. This year it’s a Replica Thompson Submachine Gun, as used by Captain Picard in Star Trek: First Contact. There’s the usual fun group activity where players assemble a replica of Zefram Cochrane’s ship the Phoenix. However, due to a flaw in the game design, players can go AFK if they so choose and wait out the event, collecting their anniversary vouchers when it finishes. I’m personally happy to do the arbitrary activity. So the simple goals I’ve set myself in STO this April are to obtain the Replica Thompson Submachine Gun and then finishing another featured TFO event, Peril Over Pahvo, that I started in March.
I guess the only practical plan I can implement for LOTRO is to keep going. I’m going to try and clear the Dunland related Epic Story and then brace myself for Rohan. Because Rohan means mounted combat and having a tank on a horse doesn’t sound like a recipe for fun. Maybe I can find someone in my kinship to buddy up with and see if this somewhat “taxing” stage of the game can be blitzed through.
I also intend to do my first “official” Contains Moderate Peril Twitch TV stream this month. It will be a somewhat minimalist affair. I’m not into the various bell and whistles that some streamers like. I simply want to play some games and have a discussion with a few guests. The technical side of things seems to be sorted so it’s just a question of actually getting the proverbial show on the road.
A Lack of Excitement
“Do you still get excited about upcoming MMORPGs?” asked Massively Overpowered today. My first reaction was to say something flippant, so I left the following comment. “As I’ve got older, I’ve swapped excitement for schadenfreude. The ROI is far better”. However, upon mature reflection I think there’s more to this enquiry than meets the eye and that it requires a more thorough response. Because the more I think about it there seems to be a total lack of excitement from my perspective about any new MMORPG currently in development and more importantly, for those that I currently play. Both of which (The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online) have released a road map for the year ahead. Is a lack of any excitement indicative of an issue with me or with the genre of games that I have made a major part of my leisure time?
“Do you still get excited about upcoming MMORPGs?” asked Massively Overpowered today. My first reaction was to say something flippant, so I left the following comment. “As I’ve got older, I’ve swapped excitement for schadenfreude. The ROI is far better”. However, upon mature reflection I think there’s more to this enquiry than meets the eye and that it requires a more thorough response. Because the more I think about it there seems to be a total lack of excitement from my perspective about any new MMORPG currently in development and more importantly, for those that I currently play. Both of which (The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online) have released a road map for the year ahead. Is a lack of any excitement indicative of an issue with me or with the genre of games that I have made a major part of my leisure time?
Having been a regular MMO player since 2008, I think the most fundamental thing that has robbed the genre of excitement for me is hype culture and bogus marketing. MMORPGs have consistently failed to live up to their potential, have too often plagiarised the successful formula of World of Warcraft and has consistently failed to evolve, take risks or countenance anything truly innovative. So many titles have been released and hailed as a major paradigm shift within the genre, only to make the same mistakes as their predecessors. Furthermore, publishers have frequently mismanaged their players needs, failed to address problems groups and have generally eschewed any real responsibility for the communities they’ve contributed to creating. And then there is the egregious monetisation and the woeful mismanagement of loot boxes and similar mechanics.
Beyond the failings of the actual MMO games themselves, there are other factors that leech the joy out of the genre. The video games industry seldom covers itself in glory. Yes, there are good studios but we are regularly presented with details of the those who treat their employees poorly, have senior staff who hold questionable views and affiliations, as well as the general indifference to ethics, accountability and even legislation. Then there is the section of the player base and fan community that came to the wider public’s attention during the 2014 #Gamergate debacle. This loose cabal of professional malcontents, the socially dysfunctional and the extreme right continues to plague the gaming scene. It is yet another factor that keeps me and many other gamers from fully embracing and identifying with gaming culture.
And then there’s my age as well as my own journey of self-discovery and personal awareness to consider. Over time, idealism is often replaced with realism. I find that nowadays, my sense of excitement, anticipation and generally looking forward to something is far more restrained. I tend to focus upon things that I know are not likely to disappoint. Which is more likely to let me down? A cold beer or a multi-million-dollar video game that has been designed primarily as a “live service”? Excitement is all too often the unwitting bed fellow of naïveté. So returning to the original question, no I don’t tend to get excited about MMOs anymore, but that’s not down to some simple binary reason. It’s a change brought about by the evolution of the video games industry and my own life experience. Excitement still exists for me in a measured, targeted way but It is no longer a default reaction or something freely given. And that saddens me a little.
Why Am I Doing This?
"Why am I doing this?" is the question currently posed over at KeenandGraev.com and it certainly makes for some interesting introspection and personal reflection. Most gamers have at some point found themselves carrying out some arbitrary task in a game, pausing and then musing as to why they have chosen to do something as mundane and possibly even as tedious as “kill 10 rats” or “pick up nails” (yes, I’m looking at you LOTRO). Regardless of whether such mechanics are right or wrong, lazy or “classic”, grinding is an inherent aspect of most video games, especially the MMO genre. Players burn through narrative driven quest content far too quickly, therefore there has to be systems to slow player progress down and make then repeat content. However, the point of the original post isn’t to debate whether grinding is right or wrong. It’s about what you as a player do next when you finally ask yourself this question.
"Why am I doing this?" is the question currently posed over at KeenandGraev.com and it certainly makes for some interesting introspection and personal reflection. Most gamers have at some point found themselves carrying out some arbitrary task in a game, pausing and then musing as to why they have chosen to do something as mundane and possibly even as tedious as “kill 10 rats” or “pick up nails” (yes, I’m looking at you LOTRO). Regardless of whether such mechanics are right or wrong, lazy or “classic”, grinding is an inherent aspect of most video games, especially the MMO genre. Players burn through narrative driven quest content far too quickly, therefore there has to be systems to slow player progress down and make then repeat content. However, the point of the original post isn’t to debate whether grinding is right or wrong. It’s about what you as a player do next when you finally ask yourself this question.
I found the reply from MMO blogger Bhagpuss to be particularly illuminating. “Because” usually works for me”. Sometimes playing an arbitrary game and pursuing the most mundane of tasks is a source of relaxation for players. Not everyone is motivated by the quid pro quo of gear grinding and levelling, although these are powerful motivators. Sometimes just logging into an MMO and crafting, or resource gathering or even just touring the virtual world is an invaluable means of unwinding. Often when playing through such content, gamers will often do other things, such as listen to podcasts. Hence the game is facilitating another activity. Another common occurrence is that when players log into a game and “grind” through repetitive content, they are often logged into Discord and speaking with friends and colleagues. So viewed from a broader perspective the “because” reason that Bhagpuss mentions, is potentially a conduit to wider pastimes or social interaction.
“Look Crusty Fur, there’s some repetitive tasks we can do ad infinitum…
On a slightly more serious note, the “planting crops and watering them” that Keen references in his original post, is the sort of game mechanic that some gamers will use as a coping mechanism during times of stress and anxiety. Losing oneself in a virtual world can be a very appealing prospect when one has a great deal of major real-world problems. The routine and structure of repetitive game play can have therapeutic value. I know many gamers who struggle with depression and other mental health issues who find that games provide a very stabilising influence, keeping them focused and occupied. And on a simpler level, day to day life is hard for many people for economic and logistical reasons. I certainly find a degree of comfort in the mundane at times. Pursuing such goals in an MMO helps block out the tedium and worry associated with contemporary politics.
However, we should all remember that although the question “why am I doing this?” may be a universal constant, our personal responses are subjective. As I’ve written before, one person’s grind is another’s hog heaven. Hence the point when a gamer asks themselves “do I really need to go to Splaticon IV yet again and retrieve the Sword of Kagnazax?” is different for everyone. I certainly know where my own personal lines in the sand are drawn. I view gaming very much in a transactional fashion. I do something because of the reward it offers or the amusement it affords. The moment those criteria are not met, I’ll do something else, although it took me several years to come to terms with this policy. Social obligation and the sunk cost fallacy can be hard habits to break. So overall, I think encouraging gamers to police themselves from time to time by contemplating this question is a good thing, because the tail doesn’t wag the dog.
You Are Not the Intended Customer
After reading a lot of the recent coverage of Google Stadia, I find some of the comments and reactions from existing PC and console gamers just as “interesting” as the actual product itself. As for the basic concept of games running remotely at a datacentre, which does all the “heavy lifting”, we’ve been here before. On Live tried this in the UK back in 2009. They also had bespoke controllers just like Google Stadia but ultimately there was too many people in the UK at the time with low end internet connections, so the business failed. I believe Sony ended up buying all their patents. Obviously, technology has moved on in the last decade and certainly Google has more resources that it can bring to bear on the development of this product. But as I said, I find the way the news of this product was greeted to be of equal interest, because as ever core gamers are blinkered by their own erroneous perspective. They see themselves as the target demographic of any new service or game, which is not the case in this instance.
After reading a lot of the recent coverage of Google Stadia, I find some of the comments and reactions from existing PC and console gamers just as “interesting” as the actual product itself. As for the basic concept of games running remotely at a datacentre, which does all the “heavy lifting”, we’ve been here before. On Live tried this in the UK back in 2009. They also had bespoke controllers just like Google Stadia but ultimately there was too many people in the UK at the time with low end internet connections, so the business failed. I believe Sony ended up buying all their patents. Obviously, technology has moved on in the last decade and certainly Google has more resources that it can bring to bear on the development of this product. But as I said, I find the way the news of this product was greeted to be of equal interest, because as ever core gamers are blinkered by their own erroneous perspective. They see themselves as the target demographic of any new service or game, which is not the case in this instance.
Google Stadia is a service can run top titles on most domestic platforms. Does everyone have a PC or console? No. Does everyone have a TV and a smartphone? Yes (or as near as damnit). So I would hazard a guess that this new service is viewed by Google as a means to expand the reach of games to those who are currently either playing on the margins, or our entrenched in bespoke market such as cell phone games. Google do not seem to be offering anything to core PC gamers, who will more than likely not be interested in such a service. Game mods, high end graphics on “über” gaming rigs, and live streaming are some of the aspects of PC gaming culture that keep it distinctly separate from other video games communities. If anything, Google Stadia could be more of a threat to the console market. However, irrespective of both these issues, if Google can get casual gamers who play mobile games via a phone, to expand the scope of their hobby and start paying to play the latest console/PC titles, they could be on to a winner.
Potentially pitching to this particular quarter of the gaming diaspora, could prove extremely lucrative. Mobile revenue accounts for more than 50% of the global video games market. As of last year that was $65.4 billion. For those who don’t have a console or do not wish to purchase the latest titles at their current retail price, a gaming service such as Google Stadia, pitched at a comparable cost to something like Netflix could be a major hit. Naturally this service will not necessarily appeal to competitive gamers for obvious technical reasons such as lag. Nor will it be embraced by the PC Master Race/professional malcontents/zealous gamer purists who are disdainful of anything outside of their purview. But again, they’re not the target demographic and frankly they’re not a group that endears itself to either marketing departments or the wider gaming community. Gaming has become an everyday pastime in recent years and the term itself has also evolved. Making gaming even more accessible is naturally a logical business goal.
However change always has winners and losers. Although I see the business sense in a service such as Google Stadia, it also represents yet another nail in the coffin of “ownership”. I’m old fashioned and in some respects very much a product of the era I grew up in. I like to pay once for something and move on, and so do not warm to concepts such a recurring charges and live services. But I’m wise enough to understand that markets evolve and that the business models of the past are not immutable. You only have to look at the decline of physical media, especially in the music industry for proof. This is the age of “games as a service” and Google Stadia could potentially be the “killer” product that helps to normalise that, just as iTunes drove a stake through the heart of CD sales and made us all subscribers with virtual collections.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum in Development
In recent years there has been a shift in position of both Middle-earth Enterprises and the Tolkien Estate. Saul Zaentz died in 2014 leading to a relaxing in licensing requirements and Christopher Tolkien stepped down as the director of his father’s estate in late 2017, further contributing to increased commercial use of Tolkien’s intellectual property. Since then we have learned that Athlon Games are developing a new MMORPG set in Middle-earth and that Amazon Prime is producing a major TV show set in the Second Age. It would appear that the firm grip that has prevailed over the last forty years is now waning and that Middle-earth Enterprises and the Tolkien Estate are more disposed towards expanding the reach and financial potential of the Tolkien franchise.
In recent years there has been a shift in position of both Middle-earth Enterprises and the Tolkien Estate. Saul Zaentz died in 2014 leading to a relaxing in licensing requirements and Christopher Tolkien stepped down as the director of his father’s estate in late 2017, further contributing to increased commercial use of Tolkien’s intellectual property. Since then we have learned that Athlon Games are developing a new MMORPG set in Middle-earth and that Amazon Prime is producing a major TV show set in the Second Age. It would appear that the firm grip that has prevailed over the last forty years is now waning and that Middle-earth Enterprises and the Tolkien Estate are more disposed towards expanding the reach and financial potential of the Tolkien franchise.
Despite the major canonical deviations made by Monolith Productions with both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel Shadow of War, both games were substantial commercial and critical successes. Perhaps other studios have seen the creative possibilities that the Middle-earth IP can finally offer, now that both controlling parties are being more flexible in their approach to licensing. That is my pet theory, and perhaps it might explain the recently announced Gollum themed role-playing game that is currently in development by German video game studio Daedalic Entertainment. Of all the characters and scenarios they could have picked, the studio have elected to create a narrative driven game based upon the life of Frodo Baggins’s nemesis and former ring bearer, Sméagol. I’m not sure if this is a bold or insane move.
According to Carsten Fichtelmann, CEO and Co-Founder of Daedalic, “The Lord of the Rings is one of the most epic and renowned stories of all time - it's an honour for us to have the opportunity to work on our own contribution to this universe. In Gollum, players will assume the role of one of the most iconic characters in Middle-earth. We tell Gollum's story from a perspective never seen before, in any storytelling medium, all the while staying true to the legendary books of J.R.R. Tolkien. At a time when the games industry is undergoing structural changes and seeing new business models evolve, we are excited to realize a huge new production based on a story that has stayed fresh and relevant for more than 60 years”. As with most soundbites, it tells us very little about the game itself. Den of Geek managed to speak to Carsten Fichtelmann and Jonas Hüsges (Project Manager and Head of Business Development), although there still isn’t much to tell.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
Due to the terms of the licensing agreement, Daedalic Entertainment will be creating their own unique Middle-earth aesthetic and are not pursuing photorealism or the visual style established by the film trilogies. Perhaps they will take the same stylised approach they did with their adaptation of Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth. I personally would have no issue with such a choice. The game play will potentially involve stealth, as this is an integral part of Gollum’s character (both with and without The One Ring). So maybe we will see a game mechanic similar to that of Sniper Elite or Ghost of a Tale? It has also been indicated by Daedalic Entertainment that there may be further games to follow as their license covers more that just The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Tentatively, the game is scheduled for a release in 2021. If this title does bear any similarity of Pillars of the Earth, then it could be released on Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and iOS.
Age has greatly tempered my position on fandom and I look back at my former zealous, lore-based fundamentalism of multiple popular IPs with a degree of embarrassment and mirth. For example, did Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War take massive liberties with the source material? Yes. Did they ruin my enjoyment of Tolkien’s work? No. Did I have fun and enjoy both games? Again, yes. Therefore, however incongruous a Gollum themed role-playing game may sound, I believe there is scope for it to be of interest. Narratively speaking there’s a lot that can be done with the character with and some noticeable gaps in his back story to explore. As for a video game based around stealth and silent kills, we know that if done right, such a concept can definitely work. So I am happy to extend the benefit of the doubt to Daedalic Entertainment and remain cautiously optimistic for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Get Your House in Order
Theoretically, the fallout from the Christchurch mass shooting should be far reaching. There is at present an opportunity to address numerous problems and issues while the tragedy still has both political and social momentum. Because “it is the doom of man that he forgets”. 24-hour news culture has severely strained the public’s attention span. Plus it is in the interests of numerous institutions for the news cycle to move on, because current scrutiny is highlighting how culpable they are. The tabloid press, media commentators, tech companies and internet communities have been found wanting for a while and last weeks carnage is now raising questions over their involvement in the growing culture of hate and therefore their potential regulation. This may be the last chance for many to put their own house in order before the establishment does. And considering the knee-jerk, ham-fisted nature of contemporary western politics, the latter is not likely to be either subtle, efficient or even beneficial.
Theoretically, the fallout from the Christchurch mass shooting should be far reaching. There is at present an opportunity to address numerous problems and issues while the tragedy still has both political and social momentum. Because “it is the doom of man that he forgets”. 24-hour news culture has severely strained the public’s attention span. Plus it is in the interests of numerous institutions for the news cycle to move on, because current scrutiny is highlighting how culpable they are. The tabloid press, media commentators, tech companies and internet communities have been found wanting for a while and last weeks carnage is now raising questions over their involvement in the growing culture of hate and therefore their potential regulation. This may be the last chance for many to put their own house in order before the establishment does. And considering the knee-jerk, ham-fisted nature of contemporary western politics, the latter is not likely to be either subtle, efficient or even beneficial.
It sadly did not come as a surprise that Brenton Tarrant is steeped in numerous aspects of the unsavoury side of internet culture. Namely, 8chan, shitposting and the alt-right. A “manifesto” allegedly attributed to him is filled with the usual weaponised use of memes to try and obfuscate and confuse. And then there’s the fact that he was allegedly a gamer and conversant with You Tube sub-culture to consider. While old school politicians, mainstream journalists and senior members of the public struggle to catch up, those of us who are more familiar with fluid and rapidly evolving nature of internet culture are facing the stark reality that it played a part in shaping this killer’s beliefs. Furthermore gaming, online communities and You Tube personalities are some of the many intersecting circles of a wider and ultimately harmful Venn diagram. Memes aren’t necessarily “just harmless, movements such as #gamergate aren’t purely about “ethics in gaming journalism” and when You Tube personalities say racist, sexist or homophobic things, it not just “banter” or “a joke”.
Tarrant stated, “Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie!” just before he started shooting. Felix Kjellberg has made a statement disavowing any association with him, his ideology and being “sickened” by his comments. However, Kjellberg has used racist language in the past, as well as given shout-outs to questionable individuals. With 89 million plus YouTube subscribers who are predominantly young, male and white, he has a lot of reach. Then there are other personalities and channels that cater and court this specific demographic. One filled with poorly skilled, disaffected young males, struggling with emotional literacy and social awkwardness. Add to this a growing adversarial culture that eschews nuance and increasing zealotry in previously benign social interactions and pastimes such as fandom and there’s trouble. PC culture has failed and the pendulum has now swung the other way with populist bandwagons such as Brexit and MAGA. A perfect storm has been forming for a while and it appears to have now arrived.
It is both sad and ironic that the old cautionary mantra of “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” which has almost become hokey in recent years, has suddenly become alarming relevant again. Online communities, You Tube, Twitch, even game developers have not done enough (if indeed anything) to adequately police and moderate the communities they financially benefit from. They’ve hidden behind “freedom of speech”, claims they are not publishers and generally complained that the technology or man power required to do the job would be too difficult to manage and inefficient. And so we saw both Facebook and You Tube desperately trying to get in control of the continuous reposting of video content of the Christchurch shootings. “Why not just suspend all uploads during such circumstances?” some politicians have asked. The ensuing silence from the tech companies was deafening. And the real answer is money as anyone with a functioning intellect knows.
There are no simple reasons for the rise in hate crimes or easy explanations for such tragic events such as that in Christchurch. Nor are there any quick fixes. Multiple factors have contributed to an ongoing drip, drip, drip of populist rhetoric that have normalised racism, xenophobia and hatred of “the other”. Online culture has evolved quickly from a quirky, backwater niche to an unchecked, unpoliced “frontier town”. We now find that such an environment is dangerous and action needs to be taken. Codes of conduct need to be enforced, moderation is required and we must stop mollifying sanctions with bogus attempts at reform, because we still want everyones money. We all need to play our part and call out those who peddle hatred. We also need to be smart and ensure we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. With regard to the bigger players such as You Tube and Facebook, if they don’t take real steps now to prevent abuse of their services, they will find control rested away from them and given to the politicians. Not the most desirable solution. The time for “whataboutery” and generally prevaricating is over. There is guilt by association and in some cases blood on the hands of those who profit from the status quo. So to all involved, get you house in order. While you still can. The consequences for not doing so don’t bear thinking about.
Yet More Politics and Video Games
Setting aside Jim Sterling’s showmanship, which may not be to everyone’s taste, he is consistently astute in his ongoing analysis of the Triple A Video Games Industry. Today’s episode of the Jimquisition addresses how major publishers are using political and social issues as the basis for the plots of many of their most popular franchises, while simultaneously denying any political stance or affiliation. He highlights how Terry Spier (the creative director for Red Storm Entertainment who developed The Division 2), and David Cage (the writer and director of Detroit: Become Human), have tied themselves in knots claiming their games are apolitical. It makes for interesting viewing and as ever Sterling’s arguments are compelling and sound. Furthermore, it shows that all the vices and ethical failures of traditional leisure industries such as TV and movies, inevitably bleed into the video games. Namely, wanting to reference “grown up” subjects without being hampered by their accompanying baggage.
Setting aside Jim Sterling’s showmanship, which may not be to everyone’s taste, he is consistently astute in his ongoing analysis of the Triple A Video Games Industry. Today’s episode of the Jimquisition addresses how major publishers are using political and social issues as the basis for the plots of many of their most popular franchises, while simultaneously denying any political stance or affiliation. He highlights how Terry Spier (the creative director for Red Storm Entertainment who developed The Division 2), and David Cage (the writer and director of Detroit: Become Human), have tied themselves in knots claiming their games are apolitical. It makes for interesting viewing and as ever Sterling’s arguments are compelling and sound. Furthermore, it shows that all the vices and ethical failures of traditional leisure industries such as TV and movies, inevitably bleed into the video games. Namely, wanting to reference “grown up” subjects without being hampered by their accompanying baggage.
What many find distasteful is not so much the “having your cake and eating it” attitude, but the underlying cynicism. Game publishers are not just sitting on the fence in this fashion to avoid having to take a stance on complex socio-political issues but doing so because they broadly have no opinion. Ubisoft is not interested in the implosion of western politics or the issue of gun control. Sony Interactive doesn’t have an agenda with regard to racial or gender oppression. But both are happy to exploit them for financial gain. Problems that real people face every day are simply a means to an end and if it became fiscally prudent to abandon such subjects, then I’m sure these companies would do so without hesitation. I am reminded of the concept of exploitation movies and how they differ from films that genuinely explore a subject. Think Penitentiary (1979) versus I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932).
It has been argued that game publishers are pursuing a “politically neutral” policy to avoid controversy with specific online groups and avoid a #gamergate style debacle. Certainly the hostility of certain sectors of the video games community is problematic. But I suspect this claim is spurious, as it is founded upon an assumption of ethics. Something that it conspicuous by its absence in the Triple A video games industry. So once again we return to the myth of keeping politics out of gaming and how those who advocate such a position either don’t understand its inherent contradiction, or in the case of the game publishers, simply don’t care. Why let facts and honesty stand in the way of a dollar? And the last point actually highlights how unnecessary this stance is. Even if the publishers admitted to a political perspective, I doubt it would greatly harm sales. Not all genres are dependent upon their narrative to sell. Plus gamers per se suffer acutely from cognitive dissonance.
Star Trek Online: City on the Edge of Never
Out of the original seventy-nine episodes of Star Trek, one of the most respected and beloved is The City of the Edge of Forever. Written by Harlan Ellison the story is one of the more thoughtful and tragic in Trek Canon. It was also the first episode to feature a temporal plotline. Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) accidently receives an overdose of medication and flees the Enterprise while in a delusional state. Beaming down to an alien planet he uses a temporal gateway (The Guardian of Forever) to travels back in time to earth during the Great Depression. By doing so he accidentally changes history. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) follow him through the gateway to New York in hope of correcting the timeline. While awaiting the arrival of McCoy, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) who runs the 21st Street Mission. However he and Spock soon determine that to restore the timeline they must allow her to die.
Out of the original seventy-nine episodes of Star Trek, one of the most respected and beloved is The City of the Edge of Forever. Written by Harlan Ellison the story is one of the more thoughtful and tragic in Trek Canon. It was also the first episode to feature a temporal plotline. Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) accidently receives an overdose of medication and flees the Enterprise while in a delusional state. Beaming down to an alien planet he uses a temporal gateway (The Guardian of Forever) to travels back in time to earth during the Great Depression. By doing so he accidentally changes history. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) follow him through the gateway to New York in hope of correcting the timeline. While awaiting the arrival of McCoy, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) who runs the 21st Street Mission. However he and Spock soon determine that to restore the timeline they must allow her to die.
One of the most enjoyable elements of the MMORPG Star Trek Online, are the various game missions that reference plot lines and characters from all of the Star Trek franchises. One such mission is City on the Edge of Never which involves the player character travelling to the Gateway system and using the Guardian of Forever to travel through time to 2270 to stop Klingons intent on altering history. The episode has the Guardian projecting a time portal into space, allowing the player to take their vessel through to the past. It also features voice acting by Nimoy which adds further to the sense of nostalgia. City on the Edge of Never is a part of the Klingon War story arc and is certainly one of the more engaging missions. Due to its iconic nature it was well received by reviewers upon the release of STO back in 2010. Kotaku writer Mike Fahey said "This mission might have just made the entire game for me. Everything about it was simply perfect. If Star Trek Online fails for some reason, this mission will always be remembered”.
Sadly this mission, along with several others has been temporarily removed from the game as part of an ongoing content revamp. Cryptic mentioned in a previous Priory One podcast interview that the missions were supposed to get revamped before the end of 2018, but the developer who was undertaking the task is on leave. However, it was still their intention to see the content restored to the game. At present the absence of these missions, especially City on the Edge of Never, does have an impact upon the overall story arc of the Klingon War. The storyline is somewhat briefer and lacking in its original impact. For fans who feel that TOS era specific content is a little thin on the ground in STO, the swift return of these missions couldn’t come sooner. It would also be interesting if Cryptic could expand further upon use of the Guardian of Forever. Some additional scientific research missions under the Vulcan Science Council would be a welcome addition to the game and a pleasant addition to the non-combat related content.
LOTRO: Thoughts on the Current Downtime
As I am writing this post, the popular MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online has been offline since 2:00 AM EST on 6th March (7:00 AM GMT). The game servers, website and account portal are offline for maintenance and it would appear that the actually physical hardware is being relocated within the datacentre that Standing Stone Games uses. Like any complex IT project of this nature there are always potential problems and it would appear that some have occurred as the initial 22 hours projected down time has now become nearly 3 days. Naturally this has had an impact upon the LOTRO community as Friday evening is often prime gaming time. From SSG’s perspective the extended outage is not good for business or community relations and so they have been using social media to keep players informed.
As I am writing this post, the popular MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online has been offline since 2:00 AM EST on 6th March (7:00 AM GMT). The game servers, website and account portal are offline for maintenance and it would appear that the actually physical hardware is being relocated within the datacentre that Standing Stone Games uses. Like any complex IT project of this nature there are always potential problems and it would appear that some have occurred as the initial 22 hours projected down time has now become nearly 3 days. Naturally this has had an impact upon the LOTRO community as Friday evening is often prime gaming time. From SSG’s perspective the extended outage is not good for business or community relations and so they have been using social media to keep players informed.
Community manager Cordovan (Jerry Snook) presented a brief live stream earlier tonight to provide a more hands on summary of issues and to endeavour to placate LOTRO players. He re-iterated that the downtime was too facilitate a server move and that there have been hardware issues and other related problems as a result. He also stated that no data had been lost. Third party contractors are involved, and overall trouble shooting is progressing. He stated that the downtime would continue to at 6:00 PM EST (11:00 AM GMT March) and that hopefully by then “there would be good news. Once service has been resumed for both LOTRO and DDO, there would be a more comprehensive statement put out about player compensation, an extension of the skirmish event and general billing enquiries. He couldn’t be specific at present, but he was clear that players would be suitably recompensed as they have been in the past.
“In technical terms, I thinks it’s totally fucked. Let’s blame it on the intern Colin”.
Having worked in the past in such technical environments as datacentres and been involved in projects of similar scope, I am sympathetic towards SSGs plight. No matter how well you plan there is always potential for something to go pear shaped. It’s often something innocuous or an aspect of the project that was deemed trivial and left to the intern Colin to sort out. Frankly there is never a good time to shut a server down. Just a period that is the “least inconvenient”. Clearly in this case the situation has gone beyond this and I ‘m sure there are a lot of folk working very hard to pull the company’s proverbial chestnuts out of the fire. Who knows, maybe this extended downtime has a valuable moral lesson to teach us about something or other. I’m not really sure, as I’m not known for my morality and I’ve just played more Star trek Online instead. However, I am looking forward to seeing LOTRO back online. I’d miss it if it wasn’t about anymore.
Update:
Cordovans deadline has been and gone and sadly the downtime has been further extended. As of 23:25 PM GMT the current speculative end to the outage is 12:00 PM Eastern (5:00 AM GMT) Saturday, March 9th.
Learning How to Live Stream Part 1
Sometimes, it’s good to try something different and to learn new skills. I’ve been mentally restless of late and miss applying myself to technical problems and expanding my skills. It’s one of the few aspects of traditional “work” that I miss. So after some deliberation, I’ve decided to try live streaming. Whether I’m successful at it and maintain a regular streaming schedule is another matter altogether. But I’m going to give it a go and have already determined how I intend to approach it and what “my angle” is going to be. However, first things first. Matters such as style, tone and presentation are concerns for later. I spent today getting to grips with Streamlabs OBS and learning the basics. I thought I’d share my experiences because it hasn’t been as straight forward a process as I’d imagined.
Sometimes, it’s good to try something different and to learn new skills. I’ve been mentally restless of late and miss applying myself to technical problems and expanding my skills. It’s one of the few aspects of traditional “work” that I miss. So after some deliberation, I’ve decided to try live streaming. Whether I’m successful at it and maintain a regular streaming schedule is another matter altogether. But I’m going to give it a go and have already determined how I intend to approach it and what “my angle” is going to be. However, first things first. Matters such as style, tone and presentation are concerns for later. I spent today getting to grips with Streamlabs OBS and learning the basics. I thought I’d share my experiences because it hasn’t been as straight forward a process as I’d imagined.
First off, this post is not intended as a guide, it is more of a commentary on SLOBS and the wealth of information that is available online. Like most “free software” there is a minimal amount of information contained within the program itself. There are some video links for a standard installation and an overview of the software’s functionality. New users are encouraged to use the SLOBS Discord channel but getting help in such an environment is a mixed bag. You’re at the mercy of who’s online, how helpful they are and whether they’re a good communicator. The latter is a criticism that plagues most of the You Tube content on this matter. I sat through dozens of videos today, that were intended to help and share information. Sadly most were rambling, vague and poorly expressed. Fortunately, I have access to an existing streaming community who managed to answer most of my enquiries. Therefore I’d say lesson number one is to speak to other streamers if you can and try to replicate their settings.
Having configured SLOBS, I attempted a test. Rather than “Go Live” on my Twitch account, I opted to record the results. This proved very useful. New streamers will save themselves hours of grief if they ensure from the beginning to run SLOBS as an administrator. Otherwise it will not find the game that you’re streaming. Another foible of the software happens when tabbing between the game you’re playing and SLOBS itself, which mutes the sound of your live stream. This is an “active window” issue and the only immediate solution is to not do this while you’re “live”. Fortunately, there is a SLOBS Remote app for phones and tablets, so you can manage your scene transitions and management without the need to tab to SLOBS itself. However, this brings me to lesson number two. It is not essential, but it will certainly make matters easier if you have a second monitor.
And therein lies the rub. It is casually implied by Streamlabs and many of the internet guides that you can just install the software and “go”. However, the reality is not quite as simple. SLOBS has multiple functionality and there’s a wealth of widgets you can add to manage subscriptions and social interactions. It even integrates the chat from your Twitch channel into the UI when you “Go Live”. Therefore having a second monitor, a mobile device for SLOBS Remote and establishing a lot of additional key binds for extra functions are all desirable. All of which have to be implemented in a way that is accessible, while you’re playing a game. I’m sure a lot of good streamers get by in their own unique fashion, but for optimal performance, you need a large desk with lots of space, a multiple monitor set up and possibly a tablet or bespoke device such as Stream Deck.
I don’t really have the room for a second monitor on my desk nor want at this stage in the proceedings to invest in any further hardware. So I’ve settled for having SLOBS Remote on my phone for scene management and having chat from my Twitch channel displayed on my tablet. At this point I am not going to complicate matters by having a webcam and integrating myself into my live streams. Coming form a podcast background I prefer things to be about what is being discussed rather than my sartorial elegance and rugged good looks. Today’s test streams worked although they were minimalist in nature. Now comes the task of templates and scene design, although I want to keep this as basic and functional as possible. I shall cover the next stage of my “adventures” in my next post on live streaming. In the meantime, I have adjusted my opinion on all who try this medium as it isn’t as straightforward as it first seems.
Cryptic to Close the Foundry
Cryptic have announced that they will be removing the Foundry from both Star Trek Online and Neverwinter on April 11th. The Foundry was first introduced to STO back in 2011 and has proven a popular means for players to create and share their own missions, using in-game assets. Cryptic state in their press release that “the legacy knowledge required to maintain the Foundry at our quality standards is no longer available”. This is a roundabout way of saying that the member of staff responsible for curating and quality testing the service has no left the company. Naturally, Cryptic has stated that they will acknowledge those players who have contributed to the Foundry over the years by handing out various virtual trinkets and baubles. There has been quite a strong reaction of the STO subreddit as no one like to see content removed from a game. However, the isn’t a black and white as it first appears, because the Foundry has been broken for a while.
Cryptic have announced that they will be removing the Foundry from both Star Trek Online and Neverwinter on April 11th. The Foundry was first introduced to STO back in 2011 and has proven a popular means for players to create and share their own missions, using in-game assets. Cryptic state in their press release that “the legacy knowledge required to maintain the Foundry at our quality standards is no longer available”. This is a roundabout way of saying that the member of staff responsible for curating and quality testing the service has no left the company. Naturally, Cryptic has stated that they will acknowledge those players who have contributed to the Foundry over the years by handing out various virtual trinkets and baubles. There has been quite a strong reaction of the STO subreddit as no one like to see content removed from a game. However, the isn’t a black and white as it first appears, because the Foundry has been broken for a while.
I personally haven’t played a Foundry mission for at least two years and have often only tried those I’ve specifically read about. One of the systems biggest faults is poor indexing and curation. Finding good player created content beyond the most popular missions that has been voted to the top of the list, has always been a challenge. Then for several years now every time Cryptic have revised STO in some way or simply added a new feature episode, it has always resulted in the Foundry going offline. Yes there have been some standout player created missions over the years that reflect the passionate nature of the STO community and that of Trek fans per se. But for every good mission you also get three indifferent ones. Often the latter have been created by opportunists trying to facilitate some sort of in-game benefit or provide a fast path to advancement. And on a narrative level, many of these missions are just further examples of poor fan fiction.
The recent introduction of the Personal Endeavor system in STO, pretty much the last nail in the coffin for the Foundry. Endeavors are essentially daily missions that earn statistical upgrade points and are designed to encourage players to try Task Force Operations (group PVE content) and repeat old missions. However, many players looked to Foundry content to try and clear Endeavors as quickly as possible. Why spend thirty minutes in a structured TFO that runs to a timed script, when you can run a player created mission that allows you to achieve your goal far quicker? Naturally, Cryptic were not going to allow this to continue. So when you consider this along with the flaky nature of the system to begin with, and the fact that no one is available to maintain it, it’s surprising that the plug wasn’t pulled earlier.
The Foundry in STO is one of those concepts that looks great on paper and seems like an invaluable community service when discussed. But the reality is that it never delivered as much good content as hoped for and its curation and cataloguing further hindered “the cream from rising to the top”. It can also be argued that Cryptic never promoted the service as much as they could. But irrespective of the quality of content and its accessibility, this is still a case of something being taken out of both STO and Neverwinter and that is never an easy sell. If content is taken out, one naturally feels that something else should replace it. Whether Cryptic does this remains to be seen and I won’t hold my breath. As for the Foundry, I suspect it’s a bit like the concept of “shopping locally”. It’s something we all like in principle but seldom do in reality, therefore we as players, have actively contributed to its demise.
A Month in Gaming
Every other video game blogger I know writes a monthly summary of what they’ve been playing and then details what they hope to achieve in-game over the next four weeks. It’s a very effective example of blogging as it’s easily to relate to and it’s nice to see what everyone else is focusing their “gaming attention” on. So I’ve decided to do the same. It’s a relatively straight forward post to write and it also makes collating an end of year analysis of my gaming habits a lot easier. So here is a broad breakdown of what I got up to last month, gaming wise.
Every other video game blogger I know writes a monthly summary of what they’ve been playing and then details what they hope to achieve in-game over the next four weeks. It’s a very effective example of blogging as it’s easily to relate to and it’s nice to see what everyone else is focusing their “gaming attention” on. So I’ve decided to do the same. It’s a relatively straight forward post to write and it also makes collating an end of year analysis of my gaming habits a lot easier. So here is a broad breakdown of what I got up to last month, gaming wise.
February in review:
I initially put off starting the Siege of Mirkwood expansion in LOTRO because it remains as frustrating a zone as it was back upon its release in 2009. The mobs are densely packed and it’s a dull and dismal region that’s difficult to navigate. So I spent some time levelling both in Enedwaith and in The Great River zones, which was more enjoyable and challenging. Having reached level 70 on my Guardian a few days ago, I have now returned to Southern Mirkwood and will blitz through the Epic Story. As I’ve out levelled the content, this shouldn’t be such an uphill struggle and I can focus on the narrative which is the main point of interest for me at present.
Having created a new Discovery era alt in Star Trek Online, I’ve been working my way through the various episodic missions and it’s been quite a revelation. Like LOTRO, a lot of the earlier content found in the game has been revised, streamlined and has new cutscenes added. Hence there are cameo appearances by Trek actors early on in the game. However, although the stories do make sense, there are often details and embellishments to be found when you create a new alt from a different race and experience the same story form a different perspective. Also levelling this new alt is proving a lot easier this time round as I have access to a lot of account wide assets, that I’ve unlocked on previous characters. Playing through at a lower level makes experimenting with different ship builds a lot cheaper.
Alas, my return to Tamriel has stalled and I haven’t progressed beyond installing ESO and tweaking my addons. Plus to effectively play the game, it’s best to subscribe as this unlocks all DLC and gives the player a separate crafting inventory, which greatly improves loot management. However, I don’t really want to subscribe until I’m in a position to play the game regularly and at present I don’t think that’s a realistic option. I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that my present circumstances only allow me to focus on two MMOs. However, I shall keep ESO installed and updated, just in case things change.
March Goals:
I’m currently re-installing the Bullroarer test client for LOTRO, as SSG were hinting recently that new content would be available for testing soon. LOTRO is currently saddled with a very slow installer that drags on for hours, irrespective of the speed of your internet connection, so I thought it best to get this copy of the game installed now, rather than on the day when Bullroarer next goes live.
I’m also considering returning to my primary, level cap Lore-master on Laurelin and clearing some of the outstanding deeds I have. Deeds have always been a grind in LOTRO however many now provide Motes of Enchantment, which the player can then barter for gear or cosmetic items. Plus if I have all virtues at maximum level by the time SSG revise the system it means I won’t have to spend any additional time on improving them.
I want to diversify my ship builds in STO as I tend to broadly favour the existing meta, which is primarily beam boats. I’ve been experimenting with cannons although success does hinge upon effectively flying your ship and be able to strafe efficiently. I find torpedoes interesting and have been reading about how the Quantum Phase Torpedo can be a major asset in a projectile based build. The great thing about STO is that a lot of the best gear in the game is tied to specific missions, all of which are repeatable. So it’s easy to collate a shopping list and clearly work towards what you want.
Death in MMOs
There was a post today over at Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog, which raised the subject of “corpse runs” in old school MMOS such as Ultima Online. In-game death came with penalties back then and there was the prospect of XP loss or that your corpse could be looted, and you could potentially lose rare gear. It got me thinking because I’ve never played an MMO that has had, to my mind, such harsh sanctions. In fact game mechanics such as permadeath, corpse runs, and the loss of equipment will put me off playing any such game that has them. I suspect that unless you’re a player who is particularly motivated by achievement, competitiveness and challenge, then such systems are seen mainly as an inconvenience and impediment.
There was a post today over at Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog, which raised the subject of “corpse runs” in old school MMOS such as Ultima Online. In-game death came with penalties back then and there was the prospect of XP loss or that your corpse could be looted, and you could potentially lose rare gear. It got me thinking because I’ve never played an MMO that has had, to my mind, such harsh sanctions. In fact game mechanics such as permadeath, corpse runs, and the loss of equipment will put me off playing any such game that has them. I suspect that unless you’re a player who is particularly motivated by achievement, competitiveness and challenge, then such systems are seen mainly as an inconvenience and impediment.
Death in MMOs and the function it is supposed to serve, is just another aspect of the genre that has changed over time. The genre is not the same time sink it used to be and an ageing player base has meant that many core mechanics have had to become more flexible and accommodating to shorter periods of gameplay. Many players who played MMOs because of the raiding, competitive PVP and the culture of league tables and results have moved on to other games that still focus on such systems. For me, MMOs are about the narrative, levelling and occasional social gameplay. Death is mainly an inconvenience and not something I wish to have any greater impact than it does already. Gaming is for me a primarily a leisure activity.
In STO, death means just respawning and mainly serves as a warning to change your strategy or to consider revising your build. If you play the TFOs at a higher level, then your ship will get damaged if destroyed, but the cost of repair is hardly prohibitive. In LOTRO defeat is again not a major setback. If you’re playing in a group, then your team mates can revive you and the only cost incurred is your armour repairs. However, reviving yourself is limited to once per 2 hours, which means that if you cannot do so, you must retreat to a Rally Circle. This is a nuisance in the more recent zones as SSG doesn’t seem to be so generous with the quantity of rally circles in the game. Also being kicked from an instance can mean a major journey back to the entrance. ESO has a similar mechanic with either self-resurrection via Soul Gems or retreating to a Wayshrine. However, I found that stockpiling Soul Gems is an easy undertaking, therefore easily mitigating death.
I’ve mention in the past that as games have become more mainstream and more monetised, players have subsequently revised their own perspective on death mechanics. If you aren’t interested in the challenge of planning a carefully considered strategy to avoid death, its presence just becomes a source of annoyance. Especially if you see video games more as a leisure service, rather than means of testing yourself. Being inconvenienced by a mechanic in a game that you are paying for is a difficult line to tread. An incentive that shapes your gameplay is one thing. A penalty that wastes your time is something entirely different. Hence, I think it is something we will continue to see diminished in mainstream MMOs, yet I suspect it will linger as a key component of more challenging games.
Politics and Video Games
I frequently read blog posts, forum comments and reddit rants that can be broadly filed under the heading “keep politics out of video games”. Actually, there’s a tendency to put a far more possessive inflection on the statement by saying “keep politics out of my video games”. It’s a rather unsophisticated response to a broader and more nuanced question about the whether it is both desirable or indeed possible to keep a socio-political subtext out of any gaming narrative. But as a lot of gamers don’t do “nuance” and there’s a growing aversion to thinking per se these days, debating such a position is often an uphill struggle. However, I saw a gaming news story today that addressed this issue head on, and it wasn’t the usual pussyfooting around the issue.
I frequently read blog posts, forum comments and reddit rants that can be broadly filed under the heading “keep politics out of video games”. Actually, there’s a tendency to put a far more possessive inflection on the statement by saying “keep politics out of my video games”. It’s a rather unsophisticated response to a broader and more nuanced question about the whether it is both desirable or indeed possible to keep a socio-political subtext out of any gaming narrative. But as a lot of gamers don’t do “nuance” and there’s a growing aversion to thinking per se these days, debating such a position is often an uphill struggle. However, I saw a gaming news story today that addressed this issue head on, and it wasn’t the usual pussyfooting around the issue.
Ndemic Creations, the developers behind the virus-spreading strategy simulator Plague Inc, are to add a new scenario to the game which sees anti-vaxxers as the threat. This is due to a request from core fans who felt that this subject was both topical and relevant to the game. They even went so far as to set up an online petition. Ndemic responded via Twitter and stated, “If this petition gets to 10k, will add a specific new anti-vaxxer scenario to Plague Inc.”. The requirement was subsequently met and so Ndemic are now working on creating a suitable scenario and integrating it into the game.
At a time where there is a significant increase in measles cases across the United States, it is reassuring to see a video games company buck the trend and make an overt political statement on an issue that affects everyone. Hopefully by adding to the public debate on the issue and robustly standing against the ludicrous position of anti-vaxxers, it will contribute to a positive outcome. Already State legislatures in both Washington and Oregon are considering laws that would remove non-medical exemptions for the routinely administered measles vaccine. Both states currently allow parents to opt out of the measles immunisations if they have a religious or philosophical objection.
As for those players of Plague Inc and the wider gaming community, who may object to such an overtly political subject being added to “their game”, I would encourage them to step back for a moment and reflect upon the nature of the what is it that they’re exactly playing. Plague Inc is a Pathogen simulator designed to infect the world. The game touches upon such issues as vaccination, global pharmaceutical companies and the political aspects of combating a global pandemic. The CDC have even talked to the games developer regarding how the game can be used to educate the public. All of which are directly or indirectly political issues in themselves. Surely this renders any complaints redundant?
Not all, but many video games have some sort of underlying narrative to facilitate the game’s systems and mechanics. Irrespective of the genre, there is usually some sort of plot that justifies the players actions in the game. It may be something simple and childish such as theft of bananas in Donkey Kong Country, but it’s there all the same. And unless the developers go out of their way to make this narrative as basic and neutral as possible, there is scope for it to be interpreted in wider socio-political terms. Furthermore, many mainstream, popular games are predicated on violence, conquest, the acquisition of territory and the vanquishing of an opponent. None of these are apolitical ideas and themes. Which is why I despair of the “keep politics out of my video games” mantra. It shows an immense lack of self-awareness. Plus consciously trying to purge video games of any semblance of political opinion is by its very nature, a political act.
They Don't Work for Us
If you want a good quote to use as a starting point for a blog post then Bree Royce, the Editor-in-Chief and writer for the video game website Massively Overpowered, seems to have a good line in them. In the latest Massively OP Podcast, Bree and Justin Olivetti where discussing the recent round of layoffs that have seen over 800 Activision Blizzard staff lose their jobs. Like many others, Bree and Justin were far from impressed with these events, especially in light of the companies increased profits. When referencing the faux angst of CEO Bobby Kotick who claimed it was a “tough call”, Bree stated “they’ve definitely proven who they work for. It ain’t us”. A simple and inescapable conclusion about the triple A video game industry. Yet it is something that many gamers still struggle to come to terms with. Because so many do not see video games purely as a product, there seems to be an emotional blind spot associated with the game themselves, the developers who make them and the companies that publish them.
If you want a good quote to use as a starting point for a blog post then Bree Royce, the Editor-in-Chief and writer for the video game website Massively Overpowered, seems to have a good line in them. In the latest Massively OP Podcast, Bree and Justin Olivetti where discussing the recent round of layoffs that have seen over 800 Activision Blizzard staff lose their jobs. Like many others, Bree and Justin were far from impressed with these events, especially in light of the companies increased profits. When referencing the faux angst of CEO Bobby Kotick who claimed it was a “tough call”, Bree stated “they’ve definitely proven who they work for. It ain’t us”. A simple and inescapable conclusion about the triple A video game industry. Yet it is something that many gamers still struggle to come to terms with. Because so many do not see video games purely as a product, there seems to be an emotional blind spot associated with the game themselves, the developers who make them and the companies that publish them.
Perhaps this is why so many ill-conceived, crowd funded gaming projects get championed my enthused gamers, who choose to ignore the realities of modern business practises. The romantic notion that independent games development is some sort of artisan “cottage industry” still persists. That devs exist in anarco-sydicalist communes, producing quality games and thriving on the bountiful revenue supplied by the likes of Kickstarter, is still believed by some. But such success stories are few and far between. Crowd funded games have a high mortality rate, often due to poor management and unrealistic promises. Which leaves the mainstream industry which exists primarily to make money and to keep shareholders happy. That’s not to say that they don’t make good games, because they do. We’ve played them. But too often the artistic and creative vision of the developers is either sidelined or hobbled to accommodate multiple means of monetising the overall product.
The triple A video game industry seems to be pursuing unsustainable growth and if left unchecked, will eventually end in a crash. Gamers will eventually balk at their business practices, although they still seem to be enabling them at present, and the fall in revenue will lead to an exodus of investors as they seek a new market to exploit. Venture capital companies seldom have any deep and abiding commitment to that which they seek to monetise. Their loyalty is to profit and if it becomes financial expedient to play the opposite side of the fence to that which they’re playing today, then they’ll do so. It’s not personal, it’s just business. And that is why the likes of Activision Blizzard don’t work for you. Gamers are not strictly the customer. The gamer or should I say the gamer’s money is the crop to be harvested. The shareholders are the real customers and they bankroll the tools needed to harvest that “available cash”. Therefore gamers need to get over the way their passion for their hobby blinds them to the nature of business.