Incidental Emergent Gameplay
According to Wikipedia, emergent gameplay refers to “complex situations in video games, board games, or table top role-playing games that emerge from the interaction of relatively simple game mechanics”. Emergent gameplay often can stem from the relatively simple decisions a player makes, the sum of which lead to more complex outcomes. It also can be created by adding multiple players to the same game environment or situation and having their individual actions impact upon the overall evolving situation. Or to put it another way, it is the human factor that comes with undertaking a task. For example, a story driven video game may offer the player a quest to travel to the valley of Constant Drizzle, vanquish the foul Myrmidons and reclaim the Heretical Grimoire of Colin. It is a very specific task with a binary outcome. But in an open world game without a pre-written story, the player has to find the aforementioned valley and their actions while exploring determine the fate of both the grimoire and the Myrmidons.
According to Wikipedia, emergent gameplay refers to “complex situations in video games, board games, or table top role-playing games that emerge from the interaction of relatively simple game mechanics”. Emergent gameplay often can stem from the relatively simple decisions a player makes, the sum of which lead to more complex outcomes. It also can be created by adding multiple players to the same game environment or situation and having their individual actions impact upon the overall evolving situation. Or to put it another way, it is the human factor that comes with undertaking a task. For example, a story driven video game may offer the player a quest to travel to the valley of Constant Drizzle, vanquish the foul Myrmidons and reclaim the Heretical Grimoire of Colin. It is a very specific task with a binary outcome. But in an open world game without a pre-written story, the player has to find the aforementioned valley and their actions while exploring determine the fate of both the grimoire and the Myrmidons.
Emergent gameplay is a weighty subject and a source of heated debate about gamers. Some prefer to be able to traverse a virtual world and “make their own fun” as they go along. Certainly a game such as EVE Online is an exemplar for this. Other gamers prefer to have a clear story, quests hubs and an underlying game system that “guides” them from A to B. Personally I like aspects of both. However, I agree that emergent gameplay that organically arises from undertaking a simple task in video games, is a powerful experience. For some it is comparable or indeed preferable to traditional pre-written stories. If you’re an advocate for emergent gameplay, then even a journey to the shops in real life has the potential for adventure. If you have children then this is definitely a “thing”. Doing chores with my 6 year old granddaughters can easily turn into a “quest”. Dragons may well lurk behind a garden hedge and there may be orcs hiding in the wheelie bins.
Now the reason I’ve mentioned both emergent gameplay and the more scripted variety, is that I’ve found of late that neither kind is proving especially satisfactory. Sometimes the densely plotted quests of The Lord of the Rings Online are enthralling but on other occasions they’re dull and arbitrary. Especially the fetch quests and kill ten Gibbons variety. I have also found that going exploring in a game such a GreedFall has not been as satisfactory as it usually has. I suspect this may be down to some of the game content being a little mundane and also my general outlook on gaming at present. It is a major leisure activity for me and so one can suffer from gaming fatigue from time to time. However, sometimes it is the little things and the positively mundane that can delight you when gaming as I’ve recently discovered while playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. And when they do they certainly reinvigorate your passion for gaming.
Big franchise RPGs such as Assassin’s Creed straddle both types of gameplay. The story is heavily scripted and very much on rails. But then there is a lot of open world busy work to be done, which you can do at your own leisure. It is the latter that has kept me engaged this week, due to what I describe as incidental emergent gameplay. IE my response to minor things going on around me in the game. The game is set in 1715 in the West Indies and has a nautical and pirate themed plot. There are side missions where you can hunt whales and sharks and I have found these particularly engaging. They have fairly simple mechanics and some ambient dialogue but the rest is pretty much up to the player. I’ve found that it is very easy to get lost in this activity. After successfully hunting a white whale, I found myself quoting both Herman Melville and Khan Noonien Singh.
It is this incidental emergent gameplay on top of the main story and overall game design that keeps gamers hooked. I think if done well it can tip the scales so that an average game becomes a superior one. I love walking around Havana in Black Flag and listening to the ambient dialogue and activities of the NPC. Sailing the seas is also a compelling act in itself. Occasionally I encounter a pod of dolphins or see a whale breach the waves and it is really quite compelling. I’ve not encountered an RPG with such an engaging virtual world since The Witcher III. I think I understand now why some gamers feel the need to write about their ingame characters and create a backstory for them or pen their own stories. Emergent gameplay both directly and indirectly fuels the imagination and one’s sense of narrative. I don’t think I’ll be so dismissive of the concept from now on.
LOTRO: What Happens Next?
Around the middle of May, it was announced on the official forums that the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online had a new Producer, Oleg Brodskiy (AKA Raninia). This news was hardly “shouted from the rooftops” and I only found out about it when Raninia was recently “interviewed” by LOTRO streamer Louey7. So what do we know about Mr Brodiskiy? Well he comes from a mobile game background, having worked on such titles as Archer: Danger Phone and Marvel Puzzle Quest. He has experience as a game producer and in QA. According to the introductory post he made on the forums “Sev remains the Executive Producer, I'm coming in as support under him. I'll be spending my time exclusively on LOTRO, and am hoping to be reasonably communicative”. As mentioned, he recently appeared on a live stream and answered some questions regarding what’s happening with LOTRO in the next 6 months or So. He also alluded to 2022.
Around the middle of May, it was announced on the official forums that the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online had a new Producer, Oleg Brodskiy (AKA Raninia). This news was hardly “shouted from the rooftops” and I only found out about it when Raninia was recently “interviewed” by LOTRO streamer Louey7. So what do we know about Mr Brodiskiy? Well he comes from a mobile game background, having worked on such titles as Archer: Danger Phone and Marvel Puzzle Quest. He has experience as a game producer and in QA. According to the introductory post he made on the forums “Sev remains the Executive Producer, I'm coming in as support under him. I'll be spending my time exclusively on LOTRO, and am hoping to be reasonably communicative”. As mentioned, he recently appeared on a live stream and answered some questions regarding what’s happening with LOTRO in the next 6 months or So. He also alluded to 2022.
Briefly, here is a recap of the points that were discussed in the stream. The original summary appeared on Massively Overpowered, care of Justin Olivetti and I have further condensed it for brevity.
2021:
The Gundabad expansion is due in autumn and will be tied to the new Brawler class.
The Brawler class has a tank and DPS role. Specific race options are not yet decided.
Gundabad will feature missions and an older system that SSG is returning in a revised state.
Gundabad will include Legendary Item changes. The older LI system will be “phased out”.
The new LI system will be easier to use and for players to catch up.
2022:
The development team have proposed years’ worth of potential content, although nothing beyond Gundabad has been completed.
Trait lines, crafting and kinships may have future systems revisions.
Visual and technical upgrades are being planned, although specifics have not been decided. A possible console edition cannot be discussed at present.
Multithreading is “possible” but very difficult to achieve with LOTRO’s game engine.
There are no plans at present for level compression (like WoW).
Changing the acquisition of class trait points has been discussed.
SSG would like to have an EU-based server, but there are definitive plans at present.
Character transfers from closed worlds to live ones are being tested.
There are no planned server merges.
This is more information than we’ve seen for a while and certainly Oleg seems to be far more comfortable talking about the game than other members of Standing Stone Games. The interview was casual, upbeat and suitably vague. As previous new classes or races have been tied to expansions, it’s no surprise that the Brawler will follow suit with the arrival of Gundabad. The community knew the LI revision was coming so it will be interesting to see how simplified it will be. I wonder if the “older system” that is making a comeback in a revised state is skirmishes? Missions after all are just a variation of these and skirmishes were always a welcome alternative to traditional quests. As for next year, there seems to be a lot that is being discussed but it would appear that there may be technological restrictions. I don’t expect to see visual changes, multithread support and a console port any time soon. I suspect that SSG will focus on what can be achieved easily first. So expect skills bloat, skill points and crafting to be tackled sooner.
As ever with LOTRO much remains unanswered. Not only game specific details but wider aspects of company policy. Is Oleg Broadskiy’s employment a direct result of EG7 new ownership? Because from what I've seen of them so far (their YouTube channel has proven very informative) they are facilitators and enablers, rather than old school autocratic owners. They don't appear to have a vision for LOTRO that they wish to impose upon SSG. They seem more disposed towards supporting SSG financially and administratively, so they can take the game forward. If that is the case then LOTRO’s future development and direction is still being driven by SSG and that is what concerns me. They haven’t always struck me as that imaginative of companies and they often seem to be tone deaf to community concerns. However, more money and potentially more staff may well change this, bringing fresh ideas. Having played LOTRO for 13 years and followed the games development closely, the most I can do at present is remain cautiously optimistic.
Looking at the long term future of the game, it does seem like LOTRO is at a crossroads in its lifecycle. Fortunately there are several positive factors in the games favour at present. In recent years there have been major changes to the Tolkien Estate and Middle-earth Enterprises affording greater leeway with licencing and use of Professor Tolkien’s intellectual property. EG7 acquiring Daybreak Gaming Company and their portfolio, has revealed a lot of data regarding LOTRO and it has shown that the playerbase is quite robust, generating stable revenue. Plus there’s a very good chance of renewed interest in all things Middle-earth when Amazon Prime’s new TV show which is set in the Second Age launches at the end of 2021. Hence if the game is adequately funded, developed and promoted it could see an increase in players. A console port would be invaluable, as could revising the games engine and mechanics for the PC market.
For LOTRO to survive and thrive, it requires a development team and chain of command with sufficient love and vision. If such skills are lacking in SSG at present, then perhaps EG7 can recruit them. Potentially, if managed well LOTRO could endure for another decade. A revamped game with modern attributes, yet still founded on strong narrative gameplay should do well. Being made available on EG7’s growing platform 4Game would be a major shot in the arm. When you consider the huge international appeal of Tolkien’s work (since publication The Lord of the Rings has sold 150 million copies) it seems ludicrous that a massively multiplayer game based upon that work hasn’t secured a bigger place in the market. In many ways LOTRO is now in the best position it has ever been in to reach its full potential. However, if this process of self improvement doesn’t start soon, then the opportunity may be missed and like Galadriel the game will diminish and go into the West. As always, time will tell.
Screenshots and Photo Mode
Despite its many flaws, Cyberpunk 2077 launched with a very comprehensive “photo mode”. Developer’s CD Projekt Red put a lot of resources into creating the game's aesthetic and recognised that players would want to explore it and record how their avatars interact with it. The ability to take screen captures is a selling point for many games, especially in the RPG and MMORPG genres. It allows players to keep a permanent record of their activities over time and also adds another social aspect to proceedings. Players love to share screenshots that showcase their avatars and record events they’ve participated in. Some fan sites are predicated purely upon in-game photos. Either highlighting the various cosmetic items that are available or capturing the beauty of the virtual world. I still have screenshots from The Lord of the Rings Online going back to the day I started playing in December 2008.
Despite its many flaws, Cyberpunk 2077 launched with a very comprehensive “photo mode”. Developer’s CD Projekt Red put a lot of resources into creating the game's aesthetic and recognised that players would want to explore it and record how their avatars interact with it. The ability to take screen captures is a selling point for many games, especially in the RPG and MMORPG genres. It allows players to keep a permanent record of their activities over time and also adds another social aspect to proceedings. Players love to share screenshots that showcase their avatars and record events they’ve participated in. Some fan sites are predicated purely upon in-game photos. Either highlighting the various cosmetic items that are available or capturing the beauty of the virtual world. I still have screenshots from The Lord of the Rings Online going back to the day I started playing in December 2008.
There is a surprising amount of skill involved in composing a good screenshot and it is not just a case of point and click. Framing and the “rule of thirds” are important factors. A Google search will provide you with plenty of common sense advice. However it helps immensely if a player can readily swap from third person to first person perspective. There will be times when you do not want or need your own avatar in the picture that you are taking. Thankfully most major MMOs have the facility to easily change between camera views and to turn off the user interface. However, photo mode, found in single player games, provides a far greater degree of creative freedom. It allows the game to be paused and the in-game camera to be detached from its preset configurations and to navigate in three dimensions around the desired image.
Considering that so many games these days have a business model based around the sale of cosmetic items, it comes as no surprise that gamers want to take in-game selfies. It has to be said that the MMORPG genre, especially the role playing community, has a somewhat vain streak running through it. After all it is your avatar that is at the centre of the game. Hence, it seems logical and good business sense to ensure that all games come with facilities to accommodate and support screen captures. Where possible I’d personally like to see the more comprehensive photo mode supported. This really appeals to me in the same way as drawing and painting does. There is immense satisfaction to be had in trying to compose and frame a shot. It is something I can happily spend hours on. And then there is the option of post processing although that can be a somewhat contentious issue. Does it enhance the image at the expense of the game?
Sadly, some games still lack integral screenshot support or do not have a specific photo mode. Furthermore, some even go so far as to actively block third party screen capture apps from working. For years I used the screen capture program FRAPS but some Ubisoft games see it as a security threat and consider its activity suspicious. So I found myself having to use for a while the screen capturing tool that comes with Nvidia’s GeForce experience software, to take pictures in certain games. Fortunately, I subsequently discovered Bandicam which offers a one stop screen and video capture solution, bypassing the issues caused by certain developer’s security protocols. There’s a free version that allows for unlimited screen captures without watermarks but it does restrict video capture to 10 minutes. The full version of the software cost $40.
Defining Immersion in Video Games
Like any leisure activity, video games have their own unique lexicon. Some of these terms have become so ubiquitous that they have bled through from pop culture into everyday parlance. Hence we have the UK Prime Minister talking about “levelling up”; a suitably nebulous and vacuous soundbite. Gaming terms are elastic and often their meaning shifts, just like many other words in daily use. Hence the acronym MMO doesn’t really mean what it did two decades ago. Fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus wrote about a very specific gaming phrase yesterday. One that he feels very passionately about. Namely the term “immersion”. Gamers often refer to it in heated debates but due to its ill defined nature, it is inherently ambiguous. Wilhelm explored this in both his post and its subsequent comments. I’d like to continue with that train of thought here.
Like any leisure activity, video games have their own unique lexicon. Some of these terms have become so ubiquitous that they have bled through from pop culture into everyday parlance. Hence we have the UK Prime Minister talking about “levelling up”; a suitably nebulous and vacuous soundbite. Gaming terms are elastic and often their meaning shifts, just like many other words in daily use. Hence the acronym MMO doesn’t really mean what it did two decades ago. Fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus wrote about a very specific gaming phrase yesterday. One that he feels very passionately about. Namely the term “immersion”. Gamers often refer to it in heated debates but due to its ill defined nature, it is inherently ambiguous. Wilhelm explored this in both his post and its subsequent comments. I’d like to continue with that train of thought here.
The obvious question to start with is “what is immersion?”, so I did a quick Google search to see if I could determine the most commonly used definition. This proved to be “deep mental involvement in something” according to Oxford Languages. The next step is to dip our toe tentatively into the sea of semantics, because there are many words that technically have a comparable or similar definition as immersion but their associated usage and linguistic baggage make them subtly different. For example, is immersion the same as concentration? I think not. I would associate competitive gaming more with that term. Esports is more about focus, IE concentrating on your technical skills, rather than getting lost in the moment which to me has more philosophical connotations. However, the phrase “in the zone” at first comes across as more of a sports orientated term. Yet it is equally applicable to creative and artistic endeavours. A role player could find themselves “in the zone” as they spontaneously weave an engaging narrative.
Such is the nature of semantics. As you can see, we’re no nearer to a more precise definition of immersion. So perhaps it would be better to approach it from a more philosophical angle. Do all gamers place significance upon immersion? I’d argue not. Competitive gaming is more akin to sports hence I wouldn’t expect immersion to be high on such gamers agenda. So called “core gamers” are more disposed toward technical mastery and exercising their skills precisely, rather than musing on the motivations of their avatars or the beauty of the virtual world in which they are playing. In fact when one considers the cultural divide between different gaming groups, I would hazard a guess that “core” gamers eschew immersion, as it represents a major aspect of social gaming, which they despise. Hence it is fair to say that immersion is more the province of the casual gamer, the role player and virtual explorer. Furthermore its importance is possibly genre dependent.
So what have we discovered so far? That immersion is a broad church that loosely means getting lost in the game that you’re playing. I would also suggest that immersion has a scale associated with it and what sort of player you are and the kind of game that you are playing dictates where you are on that scale. Using the MMORPG genre as an example, I would suggest that role players would be at one end and casual players like myself somewhere in the middle and PVP players at the other. One’s relative immersion is dependent upon variations of the following. Concentrating upon exactly what you’re doing within the game, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. Being engaged with the written narrative (or your own headcanon), your avatar’s actions and caring about what is happening and the potential outcome. For me, it is similar to being lost in watching a film, with the added bonus of having direct involvement upon events.
Naturally, there are many different things that can impact upon our personal sense of immersion. For example, first person versus third person perspective may make a difference. When playing from a first person view, you are the character. However, with a third person view you are observing the character. It is a small and subtle distinction but people may well react differently because of it. Animations, on screen prompts player chat can also be a source of distraction and objection that spoils one’s sense of immersion. And then there is the thorny issue of in-game stores and business imperative that comes with video games. This is often an anathema to those who see video games as a refuge from the iniquities of modern corporate life, despite the fact that video games are in many ways a microcosm of the fruits of capitalism.
For me, immersion in video games is something I find when I am on my own and free from interruptions. I can spend as much time as I like following the narrative, or reading the various lore books I find. It’s about stopping to take in a view and reflecting upon its beauty. It’s about watching the hustle and bustle of both NPCs and players in major cities. Immersion is the sense of satisfaction, achievement and joy I feel after beating a boss, completing a major quest arc or simply travelling round a virtual world. Anything that comes between these things breaks that immersion. I dislike skipping through quest bestowal text or dialogue as it somewhat mitigates my “motivation”. At times I do feel like a method actor seeking for “reasons” for my in-game actions beyond the obvious.
Immersion is a subjective and enigmatic thing. As there is no comprehensive and universally accepted definition that we all buy into, debates upon the subject will always be contested as not everyone’s experience is identical. Overall I believe that in light of this conclusion, the best we can hopefully agree upon is that immersion exists as a spectrum or scale. Exactly where we fit on it is unique to each of us. As to arguments that there is no such thing as immersion that are proposed from certain gaming quarters, I believe them to be flawed. Immersion is about feelings and one’s personal perceptions. It is not solely defined within logical parameters and in legally binding terms. Immersion in games is akin to what we feel when we are enthralled by a good book or that emotive response you have to a great song or piece of music. We do these uniquely, however it is entirely possible to find ourselves in part of the Venn diagram shared with others.
A Month in Gaming
The last installment of A Month in Gaming was at the end of April. I have decided to update this recurring post less often to ensure that I have more to write about than just cataloguing my generic activities in The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online. The only downside of such an approach is that it invalidates the title but that can’t be helped. Fortunately, I have done more than usual over the last two months. My daily schedule has changed temporarily and I now have a little more leisure time available. Hence I’ve dabbled with several new games as well as using my Nintendo Switch more often. I also took part in a “tag team” playthrough of XCOM 2, which was a very interesting experience. And I finally took the time to go through all my games libraries on the various different platforms to catalogue exactly what I have. I found a few hidden gems but the majority is just “filler” that you find in most video game bundles.
The last installment of A Month in Gaming was at the end of April. I have decided to update this recurring post less often to ensure that I have more to write about than just cataloguing my generic activities in The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online. The only downside of such an approach is that it invalidates the title but that can’t be helped. Fortunately, I have done more than usual over the last two months. My daily schedule has changed temporarily and I now have a little more leisure time available. Hence I’ve dabbled with several new games as well as using my Nintendo Switch more often. I also took part in a “tag team” playthrough of XCOM 2, which was a very interesting experience. And I finally took the time to go through all my games libraries on the various different platforms to catalogue exactly what I have. I found a few hidden gems but the majority is just “filler” that you find in most video game bundles.
Let’s start with MMOs. The new Blackwood expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online has provided me with a reason to return to the game. I have written at length about the companion system in another post but I would like to reiterate how it does provide a major shot in the arm for the solo player. I have ventured into several dungeons with Mirri providing ranged DPS in support of my melee combat and it has proven a most effective combination. Especially if you configure your companion with at least one healing skill. Alternatively you could equip either of them with a Restoration Staff and make them a dedicated healer. The companion system seems very flexible and I do hope that developer’s ZeniMax continues to improve it further.
In STO, I have levelled one of my new Delta Recruits and have now optimised their build and gear. The toughest aspect of fine tuning an alt in STO is reaching Tier 6 with all reputation factions. If you have completed this on one character, there is a 50% reduction in the time it takes on all subsequent alts. However, even with this benefit, it still takes 50 days and requires you to grind out a prodigious amount of reputation marks. The Summer Festival started today on the resort planet of Risa, so I currently have an alt permanently stationed there to undertake the repeatable daily quest and hence earn the new free Tier 6 ship. I have deferred returning to LOTRO for the present, preferring to keep Update 30 for the Autumn. At present I’m more interested to see what developer’s Standing Stone Games are up to and whether EG7 has any announcements pending for both DDO and LOTRO.
I have continued with the RPG GreedFall and try to have one major play session a week. The game supports mods, so I have one currently installed that removes the brown filter that blights the visuals. I appreciate that game designers like to use the colour palette to create an aesthetic that reflects the narrative themes. But this grimy veneer that has been applied does become tiresome after a while. Once removed the colours of the environment become far more vibrant. I prefer it when games make such visual affectations optional and allow players to toggle such features off if they so please. Adding faux film grain to cinematic cutscenes is another common technique and one that can be quite distracting. GreedFall is a very satisfying RPG, combining many of the elements found in BioWare games. It is the sort of game that provides “comfort entertainment”, as it feels very familiar and traditional.
Perhaps the most challenging game I’ve played of late is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. This is mainly down to the fact that I’m playing the Switch version and using a pro controller. I’ve tackled other instalments in the franchise on the PC. The combination of the unfamiliarity with using a controller plus the absolute plethora of buttons, menus and actions has meant that my progress has been very slow. Plus when playing on a PC, I am sitting directly in front of the monitor. Using a large screen TV and sitting further away also takes some getting used to. Although I can see quite well, the incongruity of this manner of gaming seems to add to my sense of discombobulation. However, I shall persevere as I like this game and the naval combat is proving especially enjoyable.
In early May, I took part in an XCOM 2 succession game, in which each player undertook a mission and then saved the game and shared the file with the next participant. It was a very interesting experience as playing a turn based strategy game is somewhat out of my comfort zone. Broadly I enjoyed this experience but as ever there were a few caveats. Some of the missions in XCOM 2 have time sensitive objectives. Mercifully, I did not have to endure one of these. I don’t care for time based game mechanics and find them annoying rather than tense or motivating. And then there was the issue of incurring a fatality among your squad when undertaking a mission. Usually, I wouldn’t worry so much about such a thing but as this was a team undertaking, I felt a greater sense of responsibility to prevent this. Ironically, I failed but it is interesting how participating in a team activity changes your outlook and how you play a game due to a perceived sense of obligation to others. Perhaps I’m just not a good team player.
As I mentioned initially, I finally catalogued all games that I currently own and have been trying to draft a short list of the titles I would like to try this year. Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone and Elite Dangerous are the current favourites. Possibly 70% of what I own will more than likely never be played. In many ways this highlights the ephemeral nature of video games. Like popular music from time to time someone will create a timeless classic but there is also a lot of disposable content produced on a seemingly endless conveyor belt. And much of that seems to end up in my video game collection. I must admit, when I finally move over to Windows 11 as an operating system, I’m curious to see how well support for Android apps goes. I tend not to play mobile games on my phone or tablet and the biggest stumbling block of running them on my PC is the use of an emulator. Finally being able to try some titles from the comfort of my PC could prove convenient. Or it may validate my existing prejudice towards mobile games.
ESO: “Where am I and What am I Doing?”
The other day, I was undertaking a daily mission for the Undaunted in The Elder Scrolls Online. I do these to level my companion’s associated skills line. The mission required me to go to a particular delve, set some soul traps and defeat the boss. Nothing unusual there, so off I went. Whenever I go into a delve in ESO, I usually do the quest associated with it. It provides a story and some additional experience points. Thus I arrived in the vicinity of the delve in question and found a note not far away. I read it and accepted the quest assuming it to be the one associated with the delve. To cut a long and confusing story short, it turns out it wasn’t. I discovered this about 20 minutes later when I found myself running around, confused with three separate lots of quest markers on my in-game map. Not for the first time I found myself pondering “where am I and what am I doing”.
The other day, I was undertaking a daily mission for the Undaunted in The Elder Scrolls Online. I do these to level my companion’s associated skills line. The mission required me to go to a particular delve, set some soul traps and defeat the boss. Nothing unusual there, so off I went. Whenever I go into a delve in ESO, I usually do the quest associated with it. It provides a story and some additional experience points. Thus I arrived in the vicinity of the delve in question and found a note not far away. I read it and accepted the quest assuming it to be the one associated with the delve. To cut a long and confusing story short, it turns out it wasn’t. I discovered this about 20 minutes later when I found myself running around, confused with three separate lots of quest markers on my in-game map. Not for the first time I found myself pondering “where am I and what am I doing”.
I have subsequently discovered after conducting some research that the quest I picked up outside the delve was in fact the prologue for the Blackwood expansion. A quest that I would have undertaken at some point but one that I wasn’t specifically intending to do at the time. I’m a bit picky regarding questing in ESO and I’m trying to do the content in narrative order on this particular alt. However, I believe this situation highlights a flaw in the way quests are presented to players in the game. The most obvious problem from my perspective is that there was nothing to indicate on the initial quest bestowal text (which in this case was a handwritten note) that it was for this specific quest chain. Because content scales in the game now, you can travel Tamriel and pick up missions from the original story, regional quests and faction specific missions. Unless you check every quest offered against one of the various ESO Wikis, you’ll find yourself involved in multiple stories and it all gets confusing.
ZeniMax have given quest bestowal a great deal of thought in ESO, as you can pick up the major ones in several different ways. If you miss one NPC you may subsequently receive a letter to prompt you. It’s all rather clever. When you start playing the MMO for the first time, the way some NPC will run up to you to ask for your help is quite exciting. But it gets old very quickly and Stuga, Bera Moorsmith and others soon become very irritating. Another issue I have with ESO is managing quests via the in-game journal. Even when using an addon, it is still difficult to filter and order them in a way that I feel is logical. The easiest way to avoid confusion is to undertake just one quest at a time but that is hardly practical. And don’t get me started on the game’s inability to abandon the redundant Cadwell’s Silver and Gold quests. For a game that excels in many other ways it’s odd that they have fumbled the ball on this basic aspect of MMO gameplay.
I do not have this problem in other MMOs. In The Lord of the Rings Online quests are level specific and there is no scaling of content. Hence you cannot accidently stray into a new zone and pick up a major quest in error, if you’re below the level of content in that area. Star Trek Online has an interesting quest bestowal system where most content is offered by senior leaders of your faction. The player is hailed via subspace communication and the bestowal dialogue is clear regarding which storyline the mission is associated with. The ingame mission journal also has a tab showing what story arcs are available and all of their subsequent missions. It is a far less confusing system and much easier to stay on top of. However, what cannot be cured must be endured, so in the meantime I shall have to be more cautious about what quests I do or do not accept in ESO. I shall also see if there’s a more comprehensive addon for the quest journal.
Thoughts on “Classic LOTRO”
Cordovan (AKA Jerry Snook), Community Manager for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, stated in the last Developers Live Stream that “the idea of a formal classic (server) is never off the table”. Naturally, this comment has led to a lot of speculation on the official LOTRO forums. Many players by inference have concluded that the original code does exist for the game as it was at launch or immediately thereafter. As you can imagine this has resulted in much debate as to whether a classic LOTRO server based upon the original Shadows of Angmar release could be created. Assuming that this is the case and technically developer’s Standing Stone Games can do this, it raises the question of whether they should or not. Because a classic server is a different beast to the previous legendary progression servers. 14 years has seen a great deal of change within the MMO industry and with LOTRO as well. Let us take a moment to reflect.
Cordovan (AKA Jerry Snook), Community Manager for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, stated in the last Developers Live Stream that “the idea of a formal classic (server) is never off the table”. Naturally, this comment has led to a lot of speculation on the official LOTRO forums. Many players by inference have concluded that the original code does exist for the game as it was at launch or immediately thereafter. As you can imagine this has resulted in much debate as to whether a classic LOTRO server based upon the original Shadows of Angmar release could be created. Assuming that this is the case and technically developer’s Standing Stone Games can do this, it raises the question of whether they should or not. Because a classic server is a different beast to the previous legendary progression servers. 14 years has seen a great deal of change within the MMO industry and with LOTRO as well. Let us take a moment to reflect.
A classic LOTRO server would differ greatly from the game as it stands today. In the original version of the game the world map was subject to the “fog of war” meaning you had to explore each region of Middle-earth for the map to show what was there. Players did not get a mount until level 35. It cost a lot of gold and was tied to the successful completion of a specific series of quests. Talking of which, there was no quest tracker with quest locations marked on the in-game map. Players were given a broad location such as “visit southern Chetwood” and had to find things for themselves. The trait system was radically different, skills had to be bought from trainers as you levelled and gear came from quests, crafting or players trading via the auction house. There was no barter wallet so storage frequently became an issue. The current cosmetic system also didn’t exist back in 2007, so the level of sartorial elegance was much lower. And perhaps the biggest difference was that the game was still heavily focused on group play and not all PVE content was soloable.
LOTRO in 2007 was very much a product of its time. Clearly, as the forums show us, there is a percentage of the existing LOTRO community that would be happy to play such an iteration of the game. However, it would take a lot of developer resources to bring Shadows of Angmar back in a form that is playable on contemporary PC architecture and hardware. Modern screen resolutions and the need for a fully scalable UI are just a few examples of technical problems that would need to be addressed. Gamers often use World of Warcraft Classic as an example of how an older version of an MMORPG can be brought back. However, a completely different development team was established to achieve this and the project had the financing of Activision Blizzard underpinning it. SSG do not currently have such resources at their disposal. Are their current owners EG7 going to fund such an undertaking such as classic LOTRO server, with its limited appeal, or spend their money modernising the existing game, upgrading the current engine and porting it to console? The latter seems like the more fiscally prudent business decision.
I personally would not be interested in a classic server. I enjoyed the game, as it was back in 2008 when I started playing, by default. It’s systems and mechanics were what they were back then but I cannot in all honesty say that I want to give up all the quality of life improvements that have come to LOTRO since then. Furthermore, I was at a point in my life where I could sink time into an MMO as was required by the genre back then. Those days have gone. I think the most I would ever do in classic LOTRO would be to log in to the game, recreate my existing Lore-master and potter around Bree. I do not think my interest would endure beyond a few hours of nostalgia. If a classic server follows the business model of the existing legendary servers it will require an active subscription for access. I don’t consider that to be worth my while. And then there’s the entire issue of the presence of the LOTRO store in a classic version of the game.
If LOTRO is to survive, it needs to modernise and requires a major overhaul. There are systems and mechanics to fix and some that need to be removed. If EG7 can afford to do this as well as provide a version of classic LOTRO, then so be it. But I don’t think that is the case and therefore I believe the first option is the most likely option. However, this entire debate is yet another example of what I call “gaming myopia”. Some gamers habitually forget that video games are consumer products and not public services. There are dozens of products that have been discontinued during my lifetime that I’d like to see return but the realities of business mean that none of them ever will. Producing classic LOTRO at the expense of the existing game would be a mistake. Churn and new customers are a reality that drive business. Do potential new players really want a game from 2007? I think not.
NB: This subject last became a talking point within the LOTRO community last November. The matter was addressed by SSG developer Jeff Libby (AKA MadeOfLions). Whether Cordovan’s recent comments indicate a policy change or whether he was just talking theoretically, I will leave to readers to decide.
ESO: Choosing a House
This post is not intended as a player housing guide. There are plenty of those available already. Instead, it is my personal musings on the various factors that have determined my choice of player house in The Elder Scrolls Online. In fact, at the time of writing, I have not yet purchased the house in question. It is dependent not only on a large sum of in-game gold but also a substantial achievement. The house in question is Gardner House in Wayrest. As it is a large player house it costs 1,015,000 gold. Alternatively, it can be bought for 5,700 Crowns, unfurnished. If you want it furnished it will cost 7,100 Crowns. I shall not be buying this property with Crowns as it works out at about £36 or so. I think that price is a little exorbitant especially in light of what I want the house for.
This post is not intended as a player housing guide. There are plenty of those available already. Instead, it is my personal musings on the various factors that have determined my choice of player house in The Elder Scrolls Online. In fact, at the time of writing, I have not yet purchased the house in question. It is dependent not only on a large sum of in-game gold but also a substantial achievement. The house in question is Gardner House in Wayrest. As it is a large player house it costs 1,015,000 gold. Alternatively, it can be bought for 5,700 Crowns, unfurnished. If you want it furnished it will cost 7,100 Crowns. I shall not be buying this property with Crowns as it works out at about £36 or so. I think that price is a little exorbitant especially in light of what I want the house for.
According to The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages “Gardner House is a large player house in Wayrest. The home has three entrances on the east, south, and west. The eastern entrance brings you into a small courtyard on the north side of the house which possesses a stable at the western end. The house has three spacious floors, a fireplace on the middle floor where all three entrances are and a large open basement. The house is conveniently located near the Wayrest Treasury to the south and the city's writ drop-off location, which includes Rolis Hlaalu, for dropping off Master Writs”. This is all fine and dandy but I’m not after a house in ESO for furniture collections, achievements or role play. I primarily want a house for optimal access to a major in-game hub and for quick and convenient storage. Sadly, the free houses you can claim do not provide this.
Despite having two alts, my main character in ESO is a Dragonknight affiliated to the Daggerfall Covenant. As I now have companions to level, the capital city of Waywrest affords quick and convenient access to the Fighters and Mages guilds as well as the Undaunted enclave. This makes undertaking these three groups' daily quests a lot more efficient. There are also seven guild traders in the city. Therefore it seems practical to have a permanent residence in Waywrest. Housing also offers a convenient location to port to without incurring any cost. Because I am not au fait with the lore in ESO I still often have to pause and check a location when travelling, as I don’t readily know which region towns and villages are. Having a means to leave a dungeon and return to a safe location with storage available is very desirable. I recently bought Fezez the Merchant so I can sell loot on the fly.
So all things considered, the Gardner House is the most appropriate residence for me. The in-game gold requirement is not a problem. I have about 500,000 on each of my three alts. As I’m not buying with Crowns, I do have to complete the Stormhaven Adventurer achievement which requires completing 60 quests in the region. At present I am about halfway through this. Thankfully, I have an addon that marks all available quests on the map so I can see where I need to go to complete the remainder. Furthermore, acquiring this house has provided me with a useful goal to focus upon. I’m one of those MMO players that likes to play through content in a structured manner and work towards a reward or specific target. I chose my house in The Lord of the Rings Online in a similar fashion, based upon its location.
ESO: Companions
The Blackwood expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online launched a little over a fortnight ago. During that time I have become accustomed to having an AI companion. Not only are they an enjoyable new addition to the MMO, they also have quite a significant impact upon PVE gameplay. Both Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix can provide robust support and cover a variety of roles. This is down to the flexibility of the skills system associated with companions. Gear requirements are simpler and a lot easier to manage compared to that of your main character. Levelling is driven by XP gained from combat. Thus, if you go questing with either one of your companions they will level accordingly. They also have personal quests associated with them, ensuring that both companions have an appropriate backstory. The rapport system means that it is prudent to be nice to your AI chum or they’ll leave you for a time.
The Blackwood expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online launched a little over a fortnight ago. During that time I have become accustomed to having an AI companion. Not only are they an enjoyable new addition to the MMO, they also have quite a significant impact upon PVE gameplay. Both Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix can provide robust support and cover a variety of roles. This is down to the flexibility of the skills system associated with companions. Gear requirements are simpler and a lot easier to manage compared to that of your main character. Levelling is driven by XP gained from combat. Thus, if you go questing with either one of your companions they will level accordingly. They also have personal quests associated with them, ensuring that both companions have an appropriate backstory. The rapport system means that it is prudent to be nice to your AI chum or they’ll leave you for a time.
One of the great ironies of the MMO genre has been the sea change in social gameplay. Over two decades the focus has shifted from group content to solo. Apart from The Lord of the Rings Online, I play most other MMOs conspicuously on my own. However, in recent years there have been occasions when I miss playing with others. The companion system in ESO offers the best of both worlds. There are the practical benefits of having a support character available as well as the advantages of being able to play at a single player’s pace. Whenever I group with other players in any MMO, I always feel obliged to hurry things along and progress from A to B as efficiently as possible. When playing ESO with either Mirri or Bastian, I still get to read the quest bestowal dialogue, pay attention to what is going on around me and potter about in a manner I like. Companions also don’t have to go and “empty their bags” or get their armour repaired.
I also enjoy the various quips that these companions make when you’re out in Tamriel questing. Both have a selection of ambient dialogue, which although somewhat limited at present, break the monotony of combat. I was a little nonplussed when I initially misheard something that Mirri says from time to time. After a fight, she’ll occasionally remark “whew, that was a bit of a warm up”, which I heard as “whew, that was a bit of a wombat”. It took me a while to realise that I had made a mistake and that there weren't any marsupials in the vicinity. But beyond this minor confusion, I don’t have too many complaints about companions per se. They do that thing that all pets do in the MMO genre and every now and then will stand right on top of the thing you’re trying to interact with. But this may well get addressed in a future patch.
It would appear that the current iteration of companions in ESO is not the finished version. Developer’s ZeniMax intend to add further functionality in the future. Many players hope that the companion systems will eventually be as comprehensive and in depth as those found in single player RPGs. Some certainly want the romance options common to BioWare games. I would certainly like more interaction and story content associated with them. For the present, I am content to have the company of both Mirri and Bastian as well as their practical assistance. Bastian I am using mainly as a tank with sword and shield. Mirri is currently using her default bow, although I may use her as a healer for when I go into full melee mode. Finally, I have one small but invaluable pro-tip regarding companions. Change their outfit to something noticeable, as you’ll find dozens of Mirris and Bastians at Dolmens and world bosses. This way you can easily spot yours.
“Do Try and Keep Up”
Justin Olivetti posed an honest question on Massively Overpowered yesterday. “Do you have any clue what’s going on in your MMO’s storyline?” he asked and I must admit that my answer varies greatly according to what I’m playing. Yet before I give a more comprehensive response, let me make clear that one of the aspects of the MMO genre that I enjoy the most is its penchant for complex and sprawling narratives. Both The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online are based upon intellectual properties with in-depth lore and an established canon. I was also drawn to the RPG Skyrim due to its enigmatic story which linked into a much wider history. It was one of the reasons I started playing The Elder Scrolls Online, as every quest seems to have a story that is connected to another. My enjoyment of these dense plots found in the MMO genre stems from my love of reading as a child.
Justin Olivetti posed an honest question on Massively Overpowered yesterday. “Do you have any clue what’s going on in your MMO’s storyline?” he asked and I must admit that my answer varies greatly according to what I’m playing. Yet before I give a more comprehensive response, let me make clear that one of the aspects of the MMO genre that I enjoy the most is its penchant for complex and sprawling narratives. Both The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online are based upon intellectual properties with in-depth lore and an established canon. I was also drawn to the RPG Skyrim due to its enigmatic story which linked into a much wider history. It was one of the reasons I started playing The Elder Scrolls Online, as every quest seems to have a story that is connected to another. My enjoyment of these dense plots found in the MMO genre stems from my love of reading as a child.
So with this in mind, I believe I am currently on top of the ongoing plot and story elements found both in LOTRO and STO. I tend to have a primary alt in most MMOs that I play and work my way through a game’s content in narrative order. I must admit, at times it has been hard to keep up with LOTRO and I have refreshed my memory regarding the plot and especially characters by referring to the games well maintained Wiki. The game has a habit of bringing back protagonists from early stories. STO is far more episodic in its approach to stories and arcs frequently end in a definitive manner. Furthermore, expansions tend to be themed and frequently dovetail into lore from specific shows. So for example, if you’re familiar with Star Trek: Voyager then it’s far easier to keep up with the storyline featured in the Delta Rising expansion. It also helps with both LOTRO and STO that I play these games regularly throughout the year. Keeping your hand in, so to speak, helps immensely in this respect.
Keeping abreast of the major plotlines in ESO is a more difficult undertaking. Firstly, I don’t tend to play the game with the same regularity as both LOTRO and STO. I return mainly when the yearly expansion launches and then I stick around for a month or two. I came back to the game two weeks ago when Blackwood launched and immediately struggled to recall the various reasons for my quest in Vvardenfell. Fortunately some characters, such as the put upon manservant Stibbons, stick in the mind. However, in my defence it is fair to say that many of the sidequest plotlines featured in ESO centre around the shenanigans of various Daedric Princes. At times it does come across as somewhat repetitive to the casual player. The main stories tend to be far more accessible and have plenty of exposition. Indeed there is even a mechanism in the game where NPCs will give you a plot summary if you need to know exactly what your motivation is.
But let us not forget that my approach to the MMO genre is far from universal. For every player that loves the intricacies and nuances of the story there are those who are totally disinterested by it. They will dismiss cutscenes (where possible) and dialogue windows as soon as they appear. It is also fair to say that not every MMORPG has a good story to begin with. I quickly lost track of what was going on in Rift as the plot seemed very formulaic. I also struggled to “keep up” in Neverwinter for similar reasons. Plus I had no prior knowledge of the franchise associated with that game and I believe having some advance personal investment certainly helps. Overall, I find that persistence is perhaps the best way of following a plot in a game. But as I vary what I play regularly, it can be an issue at times. Judging by the comments left on Justin’s original post, I suspect this is a common issue among gamers.
Enjoying LOTRO Through Others
When you’ve been doing any leisure activity for a long time, there comes a point where over familiarity does become an issue. It tempers one’s enjoyment and impacts upon the way you experience that particular pastime. I’ve written about this situation before with regard to my relationship with cinema and films. More recently it has started to occur with my gaming activities, especially with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. I have been playing this game since December 2008 and I’ve had a long and complicated relationship with it over the course of twelve years. The game was a mainstay of my life at a time when I was living alone and doing contract work. Hence I had a lot of leisure time to sink into LOTRO and few other obligations whenever I wasn’t working. It was in many ways the perfect time to enjoy an MMO as I could “commit” to it. And so I embarked upon the same gaming journey that many others have taken.
When you’ve been doing any leisure activity for a long time, there comes a point where over familiarity does become an issue. It tempers one’s enjoyment and impacts upon the way you experience that particular pastime. I’ve written about this situation before with regard to my relationship with cinema and films. More recently it has started to occur with my gaming activities, especially with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. I have been playing this game since December 2008 and I’ve had a long and complicated relationship with it over the course of twelve years. The game was a mainstay of my life at a time when I was living alone and doing contract work. Hence I had a lot of leisure time to sink into LOTRO and few other obligations whenever I wasn’t working. It was in many ways the perfect time to enjoy an MMO as I could “commit” to it. And so I embarked upon the same gaming journey that many others have taken.
Nowadays, LOTRO is very much a game that I have placed on the back burner, so to speak. Having experimented with various alts over the years, I now play a single, primary character (a level cap Lore-master) and only return to the game when there is new content to experience. I enjoy my time in-game but LOTRO is no longer my gaming obsession. Many of my fellow gaming bloggers have invoked an analogy about video games being like relationships, as they do often share a similar course. Nowadays, LOTRO is a trusted friend whom I meet up with several times a year and spend some time together. We tend to cover the same old ground but it is still fun to do. As for recapturing that sense of excitement I felt in 2008, well we all know the expression about how “you can never go home again”. It is certainly relevant here.
However, sometimes what is needed to revitalise a situation such as this, is a fresh set of eyes or a new perspective. And that is exactly what I inadvertently discovered yesterday. During the afternoon, I had my Twitter client open and I noticed that someone was just about to go-live on Twitch TV and that they were playing LOTRO for the first time. This piqued my interest so I joined their stream and then spent the next three or so hours watching them discover the game for themselves. The streamer in question Omar, is obviously a fan of Tolkien and it was therefore doubly enjoyable as he picked a class and race, logged into the game and undertook the initial stages of LOTRO. It was nice to be able to experience this MMO from a new player perspective, especially when he recognised lore references or realised that it was Strider himself who was leading him through the initial quest stages.
I was one of several existing LOTRO players present in the chat channel and hopefully we made ourselves useful with our advice, as opposed to being a nuisance. Sometimes you have to curb your enthusiasm and let people find their own feet. In fact that adds to the vicarious enjoyment that I felt, as I watched someone navigating a new game and the complexities of LOTRO’s systems and mechanics. Omar also comes from a console background and has only recently come to PC gaming. So in many respects he really has jumped into the proverbial deep end. However, he did well and clearly had a good time, which in itself was a timely reminder of how I used to feel when playing LOTRO. And that was a major shot in the arm for my own gaming enthusiasm. It was like when you watch a classic film with someone who hasn’t seen it before and they really enjoy it. Perhaps I should watch more streams like this.
When the Game Stops You From Playing
Last night, I finally had sufficient time to log into The Elder Scrolls Online and check out the new Blackwood expansion. The plan was to go straight to the new zone and complete the relevant quests to obtain the two companions that have been added to the game. Unfortunately, life seldom goes to plan as Robert Burns alluded to in his famous quotation. As I haven’t played ESO for a while, I’ve missed several major game updates. Consequently all my champion points have been reset, along with all my skills. So, I had to spend some time trying to remember how my Dragonknight was previously set up. I checked a few screenshots to see what skills were on the hotbars but as they don’t display the name, plus the icons change after morphing a skill, it was tricky trying to reverse engineer my prior build. Eventually I just winged it and managed to blag my way through the two quests.
Last night, I finally had sufficient time to log into The Elder Scrolls Online and check out the new Blackwood expansion. The plan was to go straight to the new zone and complete the relevant quests to obtain the two companions that have been added to the game. Unfortunately, life seldom goes to plan as Robert Burns alluded to in his famous quotation. As I haven’t played ESO for a while, I’ve missed several major game updates. Consequently all my champion points have been reset, along with all my skills. So, I had to spend some time trying to remember how my Dragonknight was previously set up. I checked a few screenshots to see what skills were on the hotbars but as they don’t display the name, plus the icons change after morphing a skill, it was tricky trying to reverse engineer my prior build. Eventually I just winged it and managed to blag my way through the two quests.
Today, I spent some time researching a DPS Stamina build for solo PVE play using a Dragonknight. I further had to refine my search to ensure it was intended for two handed weapons and a bow. Eventually I found something appropriate and copied it as best as I could. Some of the skills recommended I don’t have morphed as of yet. I then made sure I had an appropriate buff from a Mundus Stone, as well as some food that gave my character a stamina boost. All in all, this process took about 90 minutes or so to sort out. I also had to tweak a few addons as these had inevitably got out of date since I last played a year ago. Finally now that these changes have been implemented, I finally feel that I’m in a position to play through the new content. I have had to print out a key map to refer to as I’m struggling to remember what skills are assigned where.
This is the great paradox that comes with the MMO genre. The games are often predicated on complex systems and arcane mechanics. For many players, this is part of their appeal. If you are the sort of gamer that relishes intricate processes and likes to master complicated rules, then good luck to you. Players such as I rely on the likes of you to produce the sort of guides that I referred to today to get my Dragonknight up and running. But not everyone enjoys this aspect of MMOs. MMO monogamy is a thing of the past these days. People come and go, flitting between games depending upon their likes and dislikes. Hence many players will return to a game such as ESO after a period of time away only to find that they’ve forgotten how to play their class or that they’ve fallen foul of a system reset like the one I encountered. In such cases the game often does nothing to help these players, which upon reflection seems counterproductive.
Elite, competent and knowledgeable players do not make up the majority of the player base in ESO or any other MMO. Over the years it has been clearly established that many players do not visit forums, read wikis, research their builds or focus on getting the best gear for their class. They just log into the game and play in a manner that suits them, often just using gear that is given as quest rewards. Skill points are assigned via guess work or random choice. Simply put these gamers are content to potter about in a laid back fashion. Hence if confronted with a major barrier to progress when returning to a game, they will often take the path of least resistance to bypass it. Which is why so many players just roll a new alt when revisiting an MMO after a lengthy absence, as the game does not make it easy to pick up where you left off. The other option is that the player just becomes frustrated that they can’t do the thing they wish to do, logs off and goes and plays something else. Which is not good for business.
If game developers and publishers want to reduce player churn, then they should try and address the needs of the returning players. Often the solutions to the problems that they face are simple. Sometimes a player just needs a brief refresher course in their class skills and such like. This could be solved by having a tutorial that can be repeated at any point in the game. Alternatively having an interactive advisory service associated with all the games systems and mechanics would be beneficial. Something that could be toggled on and off that gives a simple overview when you hover your mouse over an active window. ESO currently provides build and skills advice. Having preset builds that could be applied at the click of a mouse would be the logical next step. They don’t have to be optimal, just sufficient to allow the player to undertake PVE content in the manner they prefer.
Now there will be a small percentage of MMOs players who will balk at my suggestions but I find “git gud” culture and the self flagellating mindset of such gamers both tiresome and irrelevant. If you want to impose some self improvement ideology onto a game for your own enjoyment, that’s fine. But you have no authority to impose your competitive and self aggrandising dogma on anyone else. Video games are ultimately consumer products and as such need to be accessible and accommodating. The player who is not playing due to the games systems effectively blocking them, is a player who is not happy or more importantly not spending money. If they leave in frustration, then that’s effectively a lost sale and in today’s competitive market, that’s an error you can afford to keep making.
EG7 to Consolidate All Titles on its 4Game Platform
EG7 is very slick when it comes to corporate communications. Earlier today the company posted their Q1 Report Presentation and Q&A on YouTube. Although specifically designed for the company’s investors, CEO Robin Flodin stated that he was aware that many gamers watch these presentations and are welcome. However, he did point out that any major game related news would always come via their appropriate outlets, thus making it clear that there was not any consumer information in his briefing. He then went on to discuss how well EG7 was faring financially and even to the layperson, it is clear that the company did very well last year. However, there were two nuggets of information that were interesting from a gamer’s perspective. The first was that EG7 is going to consolidate all of its games on their current 4game platform. The second was that the company was developing a new AAA MMO linked to a major intellectual property.
EG7 is very slick when it comes to corporate communications. Earlier today the company posted their Q1 Report Presentation and Q&A on YouTube. Although specifically designed for the company’s investors, CEO Robin Flodin stated that he was aware that many gamers watch these presentations and are welcome. However, he did point out that any major game related news would always come via their appropriate outlets, thus making it clear that there was not any consumer information in his briefing. He then went on to discuss how well EG7 was faring financially and even to the layperson, it is clear that the company did very well last year. However, there were two nuggets of information that were interesting from a gamer’s perspective. The first was that EG7 is going to consolidate all of its games on their current 4game platform. The second was that the company was developing a new AAA MMO linked to a major intellectual property.
For those who may not be aware, most game publishers have a bespoke platform that allows customers to install and manage all the titles that the company produces. Activision Blizzard has Battle.net, EA has Origins, Ubisoft has Uplay and Good Old Games has Galaxy. Then there are the big digital stores such as Steam and Epic Games which similarly have their own “launchers” as they are known. So it makes sense the EG7 is to add all the titles it acquired when it bought the Daybreak Game Company. When and how this change will happen is not yet known. Will players be required to reinstall LOTRO or DDO also remains to be seen. However, Standing Stone Games’ existing launcher for LOTRO is dated and painfully slow. The other advantages of consolidating all products on a single platform are more effective marketing and dissemination of information. As and when LOTRO is added to 4games, it may well lead to an influx of new players.
The news of an AAA MMO being developed is very intriguing although somewhat vague. Robin Flodin referred to it being based upon “one of the greatest brands in the world”. Whether he was referring to franchises that EG7 already hold or something that they’ve recently acquired is a matter for speculation. As fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus pointed out in his post, Daybreak currently has a license for a Marvel game. Or has the recent closure of Amazon Game Studios Middle-earth based MMO, cleared the way for another? Are EG7 considering a LOTRO 2.0 or something similar? Whatever the outcome, things have certainly gotten a lot more interesting since the company acquired DGC. In the meantime let us see how both these two items of news are received by the LOTRO community. The consolidation of LOTRO, DDO and other titles onto the 4games launcher is an especially interesting development and needs to be handled well.
LOTRO: Bullroarer Update 30 - Preview #1
On Wednesday evening, Standing Stone Games made Update 30 The Blood of Azog for the Lord of the Rings Online available on the Bullroarer test server. The preview includes the forthcoming raid The Fall of Khazad-dûm and the continuation of the Epic Story from War of Three Peaks. They are also testing some balance changes to all classes in the game. According to community manager Cordovan “we've had to reconsider the balance of certain major group buffs and debuffs that were overpowered in the context of large fellowships. This has led to the reduction of several of these effects in order to hopefully allow for a wider breadth of class compositions in such content. We are balancing this work by not just focusing on nerfs, but DPS increases and other buffs as well”. As ever with content on Bullroarer, it is subject to change and may be altered further before final release.
On Wednesday evening, Standing Stone Games made Update 30 The Blood of Azog for the Lord of the Rings Online available on the Bullroarer test server. The preview includes the forthcoming raid The Fall of Khazad-dûm and the continuation of the Epic Story from War of Three Peaks. They are also testing some balance changes to all classes in the game. According to community manager Cordovan “we've had to reconsider the balance of certain major group buffs and debuffs that were overpowered in the context of large fellowships. This has led to the reduction of several of these effects in order to hopefully allow for a wider breadth of class compositions in such content. We are balancing this work by not just focusing on nerfs, but DPS increases and other buffs as well”. As ever with content on Bullroarer, it is subject to change and may be altered further before final release.
As I am not part of an active raiding guild, I specifically logged on to Bullroarer to look at the next instalment of the main story. Prince Durin is unhappy with the escape of Gorgar, son of Bolg and the sealing of the gates of Mount Gundabad by Hrímil Frost-heart. He is keen to launch a further assault against his foes, however Glóin hopes that a lesson in history might temper the Prince’s plan. Hence through a clever narrative contrivance, the player experiences the Battle of Azanulbizar in 2799 of the Third Age, through the eyes of Hermáth Stormhammer, a hero of Durin’s Folk. Effectively this is like Mordor Besieged in Update 25 Minas Morgul. This revised map of Dimrill Dale is a cold and harsh zone where the snow falls heavier the higher you climb toward Moria and the Redhorn Pass. As well as PVE quests there are also missions set in Azanulbizar (T.A. 2799).
The new zone extends from the Misty Mountains in the North West to the borders of Lorien in the South East. The entrance to Khazad-dûm is heavily fortified by Azog’s Orcs. A central road runs diagonally through Dimrill Dale, running parallel to the Mirrormere. A further two paths can be found hugging the mountain walls on either side of Dimrill Dale. There are six Dwarven camps in the area, four of which have stables. The major camp is Amdân to the South, on the road that leads to Rohan. You will find Dwarves of many different clans here. Within a short distance of all of these Dwarven camps there are comparable Orc fortifications, which block the roads. There are ongoing battles between both factions in strategic places such as Zirakazhar and Atrad-Zarakh. There are a few wild animals such as wolves, bears and birds in the area. Attempting to pass through the Orc encampments is problematic due to mob density.
As ever, the new zone has a great atmosphere and a suitably rousing soundtrack. There is a rather good preface to the new area in which we witness the history of Thror and Nár and their ill-fated quest to reclaim Khazad-dûm. Thror meets a suitably unpleasant fate at the hands of Azog which then leads to the Sixth War of the Dwarves and Orcs. I tend not to play too much content during these Bullroarer previews but from what I’ve seen the PVE quests are structurally very similar to those in the previous mini expansion. I’m sure that SSG will supply a good story as ever but I am concerned that many of the quests will be repeatable and of the “kill so many things” variety. There will naturally be a new reputation faction to complete and barter rewards. From what I’ve seen, Update 30 The Blood of Azog seems to be standard new LOTRO content. That is not a value judgement but a statement of fact. SSG continues to follow their established formula.
The Alts We Do Not Level
There are many factors that can add to an MMORPGs replayability. Multiple races, classes and factions can all potentially offer a new experience to the player. Some games even have unique stories associated with different types of characters, ensuring that rolling a new alt means that the player doesn’t repeat material they’ve already completed. Many gamers enjoy this aspect of the genre and will experiment with different builds, resulting in a character selection screen filled with numerous alts in various states of progress. However, irrespective of whether you get to experience a new story or if you indeed like the new character you’ve created, there comes a point when you look at your new alts progression and reflect upon the long, long journey to level cap. It is at this point that many alts fall by the wayside. The aforementioned character selection screen is often populated with unfulfilled potential.
There are many factors that can add to an MMORPGs replayability. Multiple races, classes and factions can all potentially offer a new experience to the player. Some games even have unique stories associated with different types of characters, ensuring that rolling a new alt means that the player doesn’t repeat material they’ve already completed. Many gamers enjoy this aspect of the genre and will experiment with different builds, resulting in a character selection screen filled with numerous alts in various states of progress. However, irrespective of whether you get to experience a new story or if you indeed like the new character you’ve created, there comes a point when you look at your new alts progression and reflect upon the long, long journey to level cap. It is at this point that many alts fall by the wayside. The aforementioned character selection screen is often populated with unfulfilled potential.
Some MMOs make levelling a new alt a relatively easy experience. Star Trek Online is very generous with experience points and a player can level a new character to level cap (65) over a weekend if they’re diligent. The Elder Scrolls Online similarly does not make levelling an alt to 50 a chore. Dolmen farming in the Alik’r Desert is an expedient alternative to playing through story content. The Lord of the Rings Online is a horse of a different colour and even though much of the early content in the game has been streamlined for fast levelling, progression can slow down once the player arrives in Rohan. At present the biggest levelling bottleneck is Mordor, which has a massive change in difficulty compared to previous content. However, MMOs are not just about the journey to level cap. As and when you arrive there is the issue of obtaining appropriate gear. Depending on the game this may mean working your way through various reputation progressions to get your hands on what you need or spending a fortune on the auction house. Further reasons why so many alts never arrive at cap.
However, many game developers have a “solution” to these levelling issues. Rather than seeing a mid level alt, languishing in the doldrums as an indictment of their game design, they prefer to interpret it as a business opportunity to sell the player a boost to level cap. Needless to say, such “services” divide the player base. Some see this as a convenience and a way to quickly get a new alt to level cap without the grind. Others see it as a game breaking anathema and a personal slight against their entire life and value system. And then there are those who don’t really give a shit either way. More often than not, if an alt has been abandoned then there are usually good reasons for it. It’s play style may not be to our taste or it may have failed to meet our expectations. Perhaps we didn’t like the associated story. Whatever the reason, once sidelined, abandoned alts are seldom returned to.
So what of my superfluous alts? Well I tend not to have that many. Once I find a class in an MMO that I like, I tend to go all in and focus on it. However, I do from time to time experiment. Currently in ESO I have an Argonian Necromancer, who is just kicking his heels in Shadowfen. I decided to create a new Dragonkinght and take them through the game’s entire story in narrative order. Hence the Necromancer got sidelined. In LOTRO my Dwarf Hunter is loitering around the crafting hall in Bree. Crafting eventually became too complex and so he remains a fixture next to the forge, doomed to stay at level 105. However, things are more fortunate for my new Gorn Captain in STO. He is permanently stationed in the Vlugta Asteroid Field, mining and refining Dilithium ore. It may not be the most glorious of destinies but it beats not being used at all. Such is the fate of the alts we do not level. What do you do with yours?
LOTRO: Password Reset for Dormant Accounts
Here’s a nugget of information that passed under the radar, or at least it passed under mine. The following post appeared on the official LOTRO forums last week regarding resetting password on dormant player accounts. “As part of our effort to keep people's game accounts secure we have reset the passwords for all game accounts that have not been logged into in more than two years. Your game account and all of its data remains intact! In order to log in, you will need to reset your password through the Forgot My Password? reset procedure. To further help protect your account, we also recommend that you regularly update your password details, and never share your password with anyone. If you need further assistance, please contact Account Support”. Cordovan (Community Manager).
“Is it secret? Is it safe?”
Here’s a nugget of information that passed under the radar, or at least it passed under mine. The following post appeared on the official LOTRO forums last week regarding resetting password on dormant player accounts. “As part of our effort to keep people's game accounts secure we have reset the passwords for all game accounts that have not been logged into in more than two years. Your game account and all of its data remains intact! In order to log in, you will need to reset your password through the Forgot My Password? reset procedure. To further help protect your account, we also recommend that you regularly update your password details, and never share your password with anyone. If you need further assistance, please contact Account Support”. Cordovan (Community Manager).
I am not directly affected by this situation as I regularly log in to The Lord of the Rings Online, regardless of whether I am actively playing or not. I do so to take screen captures for posts, check on new content added to the game or to see if there have been any messages left by kinship members. However, I know lots of people who have not logged into the game for 24 months but do not consider themselves “done” with the game. From a players perspective, two years may not seem like an especially long period of time to be absent from LOTRO. Real world events may mean that they can’t play at present or they may be awaiting a specific expansion or some new content. However, from a game developer’s point of view, an account that has been inactive for two years is not only not playing the game but not spending money. Such data must be very telling and certainly must give SSG food for thought.
Dormant, not Dormouse…
I understand why SSG has decided to reset the passwords on such accounts from a security perspective. But I also think that this situation presents a golden opportunity to do some proactive public relations work and marketing. In the past Cryptic, developers of the MMORPG Star Trek Online, would email players with dormant accounts and offer them incentives to return to the game. This would sometimes be a rare ship that wasn't available elsewhere. I’m not sure how effective this approach was but you would see these unique ships in-game and know that it belonged to a returning player. Would it really be too much to ask for SSG to adopt a similar approach and to offer an incentive to those players who have drifted away from LOTRO to return? Alternatively, if targeting lapsed players is too controversial (as there would naturally be complaints from some current players), why not run a welcome back event with benefits available to all? As ever with LOTRO and SSG, such obvious ideas remain conspicuously absent.
LOTRO to End Support for Windows XP
"The Lord of the Rings Online will be deprecating support for Windows XP and earlier operating systems as of June 8th, 2021. All of your characters and progress will remain, and you can continue to play the game by running LOTRO on a Windows 7 or newer operating system. Players who need to can contact Account Support at help.standingstonegames.com. Thank you" Cordovan. If my time working in IT has taught me anything, it’s that once someone has found a computer setup that works for them and that they’re comfortable with, they’ll move heaven and earth to keep it. Not everyone is an early adopter. Not everyone upgrades just because an upgrade is available. Money is also a major factor. £100 may be a trivial amount to one person but a month’s wages to another. Bearing all this in mind, it is fair to say that not everyone upgrades their hardware or software willy-nilly. Hence it is not unusual to find PC’s running Windows XP in peoples homes.
"The Lord of the Rings Online will be deprecating support for Windows XP and earlier operating systems as of June 8th, 2021. All of your characters and progress will remain, and you can continue to play the game by running LOTRO on a Windows 7 or newer operating system. Players who need to can contact Account Support at help.standingstonegames.com. Thank you" Cordovan. If my time working in IT has taught me anything, it’s that once someone has found a computer setup that works for them and that they’re comfortable with, they’ll move heaven and earth to keep it. Not everyone is an early adopter. Not everyone upgrades just because an upgrade is available. Money is also a major factor. £100 may be a trivial amount to one person but a month’s wages to another. Bearing all this in mind, it is fair to say that not everyone upgrades their hardware or software willy-nilly. Hence it is not unusual to find PC’s running Windows XP in peoples homes.
However, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows XP on April 8th, 2014. So I am quite surprised that Standing Stone Games has still been supporting LOTRO on this operating system for so long after it was formally retired by the manufacturer. Considering there have been four further iterations of Windows since XP, SSG are certainly justified in their decision to draw a line under this particular version. Certainly, if the game is to evolve and have the graphical upgrade that has been suggested, along with a port to the current generation of consoles, it cannot be restricted by a requirement to run on older hardware and software. I doubt if they’ll do it but I would be very interested to know exactly what percentage of LOTRO players are still running the game on this operating system. I suspect it may be more than what many people think.
This raises the question as to what players affected by this change will do. A license key for Windows 10 can cost anything from £35 to £140. There are deals to be had from grey market vendors if you search online. However, if you have a PC that came with Windows XP installed, it will be between 12 and 20 years old. Are the hardware specifications of such systems going to cope with the latest iteration of Windows 10? If so, the need to upgrade an operating system could end up as a need to buy a new PC. Will people do that just to play LOTRO? Linux enthusiasts will happily inform anyone with a pulse that it will run on an abacus and that it also supports LOTRO. But not everyone wants to go down such an alternative route. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping an eye on the LOTRO forums to see what sort of feedback this announcement generates and how supportive SSG are of those affected by this imminent change.
LOTRO: Five Things I Do Not Use Anymore
I logged into The Lord of the Rings Online today and started sorting through my inventory and vault on my primary character, which is a level cap Lore-master. After 14 years and a great deal of change, it’s hardly surprising that an MMO such as LOTRO generates so much bric-a-brac and superfluous items. Much of which is obsolete or only of use for a very short period of time while levelling. Much of this junk is linked to wider systems and mechanics in the game that are no longer relevant or at the least are no longer as important to the game as it has grown and expanded. In fact, off the top of my head, here are five aspects of LOTRO that were a big deal at one point during the games lifecycle (indeed some were major selling points) but now are not essential as you progress through the game. Certainly they don’t necessarily have any major bearing upon the average LOTRO player (follow the link for a discussion about this particular definition) with an alt at level cap.
I logged into The Lord of the Rings Online today and started sorting through my inventory and vault on my primary character, which is a level cap Lore-master. After 14 years and a great deal of change, it’s hardly surprising that an MMO such as LOTRO generates so much bric-a-brac and superfluous items. Much of which is obsolete or only of use for a very short period of time while levelling. Much of this junk is linked to wider systems and mechanics in the game that are no longer relevant or at the least are no longer as important to the game as it has grown and expanded. In fact, off the top of my head, here are five aspects of LOTRO that were a big deal at one point during the games lifecycle (indeed some were major selling points) but now are not essential as you progress through the game. Certainly they don’t necessarily have any major bearing upon the average LOTRO player (follow the link for a discussion about this particular definition) with an alt at level cap.
Mounted Combat, War-steed and War Wolf. I can remember when the Riders of Rohan expansion was being touted by then developer Turbine and the concept of mounted combat was referenced as being the alleged Holy Grail among players. All I could think of at the time was that I hadn't asked for it. When it finally arrived it was clunky, with steering your War-steed especially difficult with heavier mounts. For some classes, being on horseback was utterly absurd and far from fun. But what cannot be cured must be endured, so many players just got on with it. However once the expansion was completed I and others never touched this mechanic ever again. Hence I have never bought any further cosmetic items for my War-steed because why would I do that for something I don’t use? My only regret is that I didn’t get much use out of the War Wolf companion that the Lore-master gets through traiting in a specific fashion.
Cosmetic Items. I’ve said it before and I will say it again and again. Cosmetic outfit options for the Lore-master class in LOTRO are very limited. You can either look like Ming the Merciless or Rick Wakeman during his cape fetish era from when he was in Yes. Neither look appeals to me. Despite the fact that the developers added the ability to wear non-class related items cosmetically, a long time ago, there is precious little that looks sartorially appropriate for the Lore-master. So after finding about three outfits that I can live with, I don’t believe I’ve altered my primary alts appearance for over half a decade.
Landscape Soldier. Due to power creep and finally having obtained some good quality gear, I no longer use my Landscape Soldier any more in LOTRO, unless there is a unique situation that requires it. PVE content is manageable (to say the least) and introducing a third party after my pet is unnecessary as far as I can see. Plus, due to their chaotic AI and poor handling, Landscape Soldiers are an extremely blunt tool. Considering how useful (and fun) companions are in Star WarsThe Old Republic as well as your away team in Star Trek Online, it’s a shame that LOTRO got saddled with such a less versatile equivalent.
Food, potions and other consumables. For most PVE content in LOTRO, my current stats are sufficient to see me through. Occasionally an instance may require a boost of some kind. If that is the case, the consumables that come from Hobbit Presents will do the job. Older iterations of food, potions and such like become obsolete rather quickly due to the speed of levelling and it is easy to clutter your bag with items you don’t need. For me and the manner in which I play LOTRO at, these items are not required. Raids are a different matter but again, is that really an issue for the average LOTRO player?
Crafting. Most of the people that I know who craft regularly in LOTRO, do so for pleasure. They enjoy the process as a relaxing experience. Crafting used to be quite a lucrative activity as well. Sadly, the crafting system in the game today is bloated, so those who have kept up to date and reached the required level of competence can just about stay on top of it and create gear for themselves. You simply don’t see much low level crafted gear on the auction house anymore. I will craft during the early levels of the game as it can provide a good additional source of XP. But sooner or later, it becomes too much of an unwieldy mechanic to maintain. Again, for a player such as I, avoiding crafting at the endgame is not in any way an impediment. Good gear is available elsewhere in her game.
Now I fully expect many people reading this to disagree and extol a contrary opinion. That’s fine with me if that is the case. In some respects it means that you’re getting more value out of this ageing MMORPG than I am. However, I’m sure I am not unique in my outlook. Perhaps the longevity of LOTRO is indeed part of the problem, along with a development team that always has more work than staff. Hence, older reputation faction currencies are left to languish in player’s barter wallets, effectively worthless beyond their designated level. The enjoyment of fishing becomes somewhat strained by level cap and the other hobbies touted to be added to the game remain conspicuously absent. I live in hope that Standing Stone Games will address these issues but I suspect that as time goes by yet more items will be added to the list of “things I do not use anymore”.
LOTRO: EG7 Community Update
Last December EG7 announced that it had purchased Daybreak Game Company and its portfolio. It subsequently became apparent that DGC was not just the publisher for Standing Stone Games but in fact their owner. Something that many players had suspected for a while. After an investor briefing was published, it became clear that EG7 were not just another corporate body out to asset strip and make a fast buck but were in fact genuinely interested in growing and improving the games that they now owned. For players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, a wave of cautious optimism spread throughout the community. Hints at a graphical overhaul for the game and a potential console conversion were well received. Further news and specific details have been eagerly anticipated.
Last December EG7 announced that it had purchased Daybreak Game Company and its portfolio. It subsequently became apparent that DGC was not just the publisher for Standing Stone Games but in fact their owner. Something that many players had suspected for a while. After an investor briefing was published, it became clear that EG7 were not just another corporate body out to asset strip and make a fast buck but were in fact genuinely interested in growing and improving the games that they now owned. For players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, a wave of cautious optimism spread throughout the community. Hints at a graphical overhaul for the game and a potential console conversion were well received. Further news and specific details have been eagerly anticipated.
Yesterday, EG7 published a press release as well as a YouTube video, in which CEO Robin Flodin discusses what the company has been doing for the last 4 month in relation to its current portfolio of games. The written statement is somewhat broad in its scope and conciliatory in its tone. Robin Flodin uses a lot of management speak. That is not necessarily a bad thing. We all use the terminology of the industry that we work in. However, it is far from vague and does indicate how EG7 see their role and what their future remit is. “Many of these games, while successful and continually supported, have had their unique challenges. Many of these challenges are long standing and important, but due to their scope or other situations, haven’t been feasible to address. All of us want this to change”. He then further states “I want to assure you that this effort is a priority for me, EG7, and Daybreak. We have been listening to the community feedback and to all of your questions and concerns. This is an ongoing effort and as we make progress, the goal is to develop specific plans to create an even better game experience for all of our players”.
The video is a little more specific and proves illuminating as to the company’s policy and approach. Here Robin Flodin makes some direct comments about the company's intent. “We’re trying to make these companies better. We’re trying to help them improve in areas where we think we can create value”. He admits where they feel DGC has gone wrong which is a candid and unexpected statement of fact. He references mistakes made with the handling of H1Z1 and Planetside 2 and it would appear that the code for H1Z1 is currently being audited to see what can be done with it. Possibilities range from revamping the game and rolling it back to the iteration players liked best or to repurpose the code into another title. This is an interesting development because it shows that EG7 are not just going to arbitrarily dismiss and close games that they own. It would appear that they have a far more long term business mindset than DGC.
So what does this mean for LOTRO? Well both these statements, although not specific to the game, do inspire a degree of hope. It seems to me that EG7 see themselves as troubleshooters and facilitators who wish to invest, encourage and empower the various companies that develop their portfolio of games. The idea seems to be to foster improvement and growth, based on consumer feedback. If we are to take such policies at face value, the I think the most practical thing to do is to give EG7 a year and see if there are any noticeable changes. With regard to LOTRO let us see if they can encourage Standing Stone Games to be more innovative. I don't expect to see any major change in content design immediately but it is not unreasonable to expect a wider discussion about future development and an improvement in community relations from SSG.
EG7 doesn't strike me as corporate pirates. They seem to want to improve the titles they own and keep both customers and their investors happy. However, their position is very much one of enabling and supporting the existing developers. This approach is fine if the only previous problems a developer has experienced were a lack of funding and confidence from their owners. What concerns me with regard to encouraging and enabling SSG, is that they don’t strike me as being the most imaginative thinkers at senior level and appear to be somewhat entrenched in their views. Therefore there is still potential that they may steer LOTRO off a cliff if left unchecked. Perhaps what SSG requires is an injection of fresh talent and for LOTRO to be put in the hands of those who have a more aspirational view of its future potential. As ever, only time will tell but it is pleasant to have some hope in the interim.
A Month in Gaming
I usually write this recurring post at the beginning of each month, reflecting upon my gaming activities over the previous thirty odd days. I refrained from writing an instalment at the beginning of April as I really didn’t feel I had much to say. However, now that a further month has elapsed, I believe sufficient has happened for me to continue. I do worry that these posts get repetitive and simply writing “ I played MMO A or B” is not sufficiently engaging. Luckily, I do feel that I have more to say this time round as I’ve broadened my gaming horizons recently and feel that I’ve done more, compared to other months. So let me begin with my return to console gaming. Something I haven’t done since 1999 when I purchased a Sega Dreamcast. After some procrastination, I’ve finally bought a Nintendo Switch and it has proven quite a hit not only with me but my grandchildren.
I usually write this recurring post at the beginning of each month, reflecting upon my gaming activities over the previous thirty odd days. I refrained from writing an instalment at the beginning of April as I really didn’t feel I had much to say. However, now that a further month has elapsed, I believe sufficient has happened for me to continue. I do worry that these posts get repetitive and simply writing “ I played MMO A or B” is not sufficiently engaging. Luckily, I do feel that I have more to say this time round as I’ve broadened my gaming horizons recently and feel that I’ve done more, compared to other months. So let me begin with my return to console gaming. Something I haven’t done since 1999 when I purchased a Sega Dreamcast. After some procrastination, I’ve finally bought a Nintendo Switch and it has proven quite a hit not only with me but my grandchildren.
At present, I have three games for the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Yono And The Celestial Elephants and Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection. Essentially, any Mario based game is a joy to play and Mario Kart is an exemplar for the Nintendo brand’s virtues. It offers both fun and a challenge but it’s warm friendly graphics and inherent charm mollify the competitive elements that come with such a driving game. Yono is a A Legend of Zelda-esque adventure/puzzle game starring an elephant. Despite its child friendly aesthetic and design, there is a degree of depth to the gameplay. Due to it’s linear world design and narrative, it lends itself to short bursts of gameplay. Assassin’s Creed offers a different type of challenge, mainly because it requires mastering an action RPG using a controller, rather than keyboard and mouse. This is a very good port and I must admit I am impressed that the Switch can handle an open world environment so well.
I returned briefly to Call of Duty: Warzone recently, mainly to see the new map of Verdansk. When the game launched in early 2020 the story associated with Warzone was linked to events tied to the 2019 soft reboot of Modern Warfare. But because CoD is a yearly franchise, a new iteration was released in September and story elements began being integrated into Warzone. The only problem being that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set in 1984 thus requiring the most tortuous and convoluted plot devices to square the ongoing narrative circle. From my perspective, bringing weapons from an older period into a game set in the present was problematic to say the least, causing balance issues. Furthermore the inclusion of Black Ops content brought zombies into the game. Hence Warzone is now a sprawling mess of differing types of gameplay. A recent nuclear blast has “conveniently” destroyed the contemporary iteration of Verdansk and replaced it with a version of the zone from 1984. Simply put I just don’t like the cumulative changes that have come to the game, so once again I’m taking a break from it.
Sadly, I have spent precious little time playing The Lord of the Rings Online, returning briefly to check out the latest content update which proved to be very disappointing. I do worry that this game is just treading water with regard to its growth and that developer’s Standing Stone Games are limited in the scope of their vision. The anniversary festival is currently live in the game but it really isn’t doing anything new. Yes, the various events can be fun if you are playing them for the first time but the various trinkets and baubles that you can obtain are purely cosmetic. If you are not enamoured with collectibles there is a substantial amount of content currently available that is of no interest or use to you. Furthermore, at present I own all the content available in LOTRO. Hence if there’s very little reason for me to subscribe to the game. I find it odd that SSG don’t seem to be offering any broader incentives to become a VIP.
Star Trek Online, which has some similarities to LOTRO with regard to its age and the fact that it’s based on a popular intellectual property, seems to perpetually have events and goals for players to pursue. I created a new Klingon alt in late January due to the then recruitment event. By the end of March I had brought the character to level cap and had gotten as far as level 5 with all reputation factions. I also bought a Legendary D7 ship and have spent time trying to equip it with the best gear that I can. One of the best aspects of STO is that there’s always something to do. Since January the game has had the Klingon Recruitment event with the storyline revamped, it’s celebrated First Contact Day and there have been two Red Alert events which are great for earning reputation marks. The game is currently running a revised version of the Delta Recruitment event, so if you’re thinking of playing STO, I’d urge you to roll a new character before May 13th. I now have three new alts making a total of nine altogether. Most unusual for me.
There are a few other games I’ve been intermittently playing over the last two months. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is something I regularly return to and is fun in small doses. As I’ve mentioned before, I keep The Elder Scrolls Online up to date as I will more than likely return to the game once the next expansion launches. As for immediate gaming goals I have none of any significance at present. Naturally I’ll continue with STO and keep a weather eye on LOTRO. I want to come to grips with Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection and finally complete a game from this franchise (I’ve started Black Flag). The convenience of the Switch is a big selling point and I seem to evenly spend my time (at least for the meantime) using it as a handheld device as well as docked to the TV. It certainly has reinvigorated my attitude towards gaming which had become increasingly indifferent of late. I hope that this positive outlook continues over May and beyond.