Loading... Whose Game Is It, Anyway?

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Updated Fri, Oct 09, 2009 by Ethec

Welcome to the 1,182nd edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

In between the drinking and carousing at last weekend's EVE Online FanFest, I began to realize that there's one big thing that separates the average EVE player from other MMOs. And that's not that the average player is about 28 and of above-average intelligence, or that a female EVE account holder is almost a statistical impossibility. Rather, the average EVE player believes that EVE Online is their game at least as much as it is CCP's. Better yet, CCP has done nothing to discourage this belief. We'll look at how the many lessons of EVE can apply to a newly niche-driven MMO category in Loading... Whose Game Is It, Anyway?

The Pulse You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is The Pulse?). Here's today's top 5 Pulse results: World of Warcraft Dungeons & Dragons Online Aion (UP 1) EverQuest 2 (UP 1) Age of Conan (UP 2) Biggest movers this past week: Star Trek Online (up 29 to #11) L ord of the Rings Online (UP 2 to #6) Runes of Magic (UP 2 to #15)	Recent MMO Releases 8/25 - CrimeCraft (release date) 9/1 - Champions Online (release date) 9/9 - Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited (release date) 9/15 - Runes of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion) 9/22 - Fallen Earth (release date) 9/22 - Aion (release date) 10/8 - Cities XL (release date)
	Upcoming Releases 12/1 - LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood 12/2 - DOFUS 2.0 (release date) Early 2010 - APB
	Important Dates 10/23 - 10/24 - Hero-Con
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Perhaps the most memorable single quote from this year's FanFest 2009 came during the audience Q&A portion of the Alliance Leaders panel when Darius Johnson, ex-CEO of GoonSwarm, was asked if GoonSwarm was trying to break the game. He tagged his reponse with something almost Mission Statement worthy: "We're not trying to break the game, we're trying to break your game."

We won't look into the heady post-modernist consequences here or try to unpack its simple yet insidious justification of griefing. What's significant about the statement, to me, is that Goons in particular and EVE Online players in general identify with their game in a way that most gamers don't. EVE Online is what they make of EVE Online, and no one believes that EVE is "fair." It's incumbent on CCP to support what players want to do and provide new and interesting things to do, but CCP isn't looked at as a referee or a Santa Claus figure. It's enough that everyone has to play by the same rules, and if you artificially limit yourself so as not to break "your game", you'd better match your experience to your playstyle. Otherwise someone else might break your game for you.

Consequently, EVE Online is popularly viewed as a sterile game where "there's no right or wrong, just different kinds of profits to be made." Negative external consequences will sometimes play a factor, but not as often as you might expect. For example, CCP openly adores the influx of press they get when this or that e-bank becomes corrupt and steals 20 billion from naïve players. It sucks for the investors, of course, but the popular moralist attitude is that if you get taken in Monopoly money, maybe you'll think twice about shady investments in real life.

It's also telling that the most significant advance coming to the new player experience in the game's next expansion, Dominion, revolves around dying. That's right - the game is going to unfairly, assymetically, and ruthlessly destroy your ship. The takeaway? You are not your ship, and dying happens in EVE, a lot. Far better to fly something you can afford to lose, keep your insurance paid up and your clones up-to-date, and save your best stuff for special occasions only.

Despite the game's reputation for difficulty and it's hardcore bent, I argued in our most recent accessibility article that EVE Online is actually one of the more accessible MMOs I've played, if for no other reason than the fact that you can get a taste of the endgame on your very first day of playing (given the right charisma and/or connections). Epic mission arcs and factional warfare allow EVE to be played on a fairly casual basis as well. Participation in large-scale warfare is the endgame here, and with the sovereignty changes coming in Dominion, it's going to be possible to claim space even as a relatively small alliance.

It's this kind of "all games to all people" approach that continues to make EVE a successful game. The relatively low asset demands of making a good-looking space game allowed CCP to create a huge single shard game that's increasingly playable on a variety of levels and delivers the only experience of its kind, period. In concert with yesterday's Loading..., I agree that if the MMO category is going to be saved, it will be by community-focused niche games that do something truly new, rather than a so-called "WoW killer." WoW killers come loaded with investor expectations; they're investors' games, rather than players' games.

Quality niche MMOs like EVE take a long time to evolve though, which is why I think we're done looking at MMOs through the superficial review categories that are traditionally applied to games. It's much more important that a game have "good bones" - that the experience is new and compelling and has plenty of social "hooks" that we can hang our coat on and stay a while - than that it boasts stunning new graphics and visceral gameplay. Not to say that eye and ear candy aren't important, but it's not what makes an MMO ultimately worth playing.

Is it impossible to make a slow evolving "players' game" impossible, or do only MMOs that go after mass market appeal have a chance of success? Have your say in the Loading... forums.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our Champions Online News, Articles & Guides Forum

Editorial - "Reviewing Responsibly"

Bill "JoBildo" Murphy's editorial about MMOG reviewing ethics stirred up some decent conversation in our Champions Online forum today. He asks, "Should the media be scoring MMOGs on launch day?" When is the best time for a MMOG review? How should MMOGs, which are constantly changing, be reviewed and scored? Talk it up!

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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"I think the first review should come well before 3 months in. I understand that MMORPGs can change drastically over time because of patches and content updates. But, keep in mind that so do games of all genres. Team Fortress 2, for example, is nothing like it was when it released. Is it fair to say that all reviews of that game are incorrect because of its current state? I suppose one could argue no simply because TF2 was received well initially."

- AlexTaldren
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Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!

8 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 41 in October! 1,089 in 2009!

Today's New Interviews and Features

EVE Online Video Q&A with GoonSwarm Spymaster 'The Mittani'
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75310

The Mittani is no stranger to Ten Ton Hammer, having written almost 30 installments of his massively popular glimpses into hardcore EVE Online gaming with Sins of a Solar Spymaster. There was almost universal shock, however, when this nexus of spaceship game intrigue turned out to be a mild-mannered individual whose self-described "metrosexuality" was made manifest in some fashionable designer frames. The Mittani will share his thoughts on FanFest and the upcoming Dominion expansion, as well as a little background on how he got started doing what he does in EVE Online.
Windows 7, Gaming, and Why You Should Care
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75303

October 22, 2009 is almost here and with it, the official release of Windows 7. Gamers are a tight knit community that always makes their voices heard when it comes to their computing needs. With the pain and suffering inflicted by Vista fresh in the minds of millions, Microsoft needs to hit a home run to have any chance of winning those hearts back.

EVE Online Editorial - Sins of a Solar Spymaster #29 - How to Party the Right Way at FanFest
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75299

Back from EVE FanFest 2009, The Mittani has a few tips for fans that may be thinking of making the trip themselves next year. From flight prep to picking up women at the bar, be prepared for it all. If you do make the trip out yourself, remember the key component: showers are not optional. Take one, and don't be that guy...
Video: EVE Online "Dominion" Expansion Features & CCP's Post-Dominion Wishlist
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75312

CCP Developers Torfi Frans Ólafsson, Noah "CCP Hammerhead" Ward, and Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson tout the next wave of changes for EVE Online with December's Dominion expansion, and look ahead to New Eden's many surprising improvements to the game. Also included is CCP's wishlist for the near future of EVE Online, including combat-enhancing formations and formal treaties. Have a look at our latest compilation of Dominion Expansion and Post Dominion videos from EVE FanFest 2009.

Guides

Aion: Chieftain Kumbaron Boss Guide
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75237

Looking to get ahead so you can survive that rifting group as you climb the levels of Aion? We'll help you toughen up with some serious gear as we show you the ropes on how to tackle Chieftain Kumbaron, the first good loot farming opportunity for the Asmodeans! From spawn times to the first pull, we've got him covered, so you can get covered in those sexy blues you dream of.

Opinions, Editorials...

Editorial - Moving the Genre Forward - A Look at Innovative Game Mechanics
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75294

Over the years, the MMOG genre has evolved new mechanics, such as housing, flight, and advances to combat. While We often hotly debate whether these mechanics are good or bad for a game, few can deny their benefits. Martuk explores the virtues and vices of MMOG innovations in this editorial.
Is Space The Final Frontier? A Look at the Upcoming Changes in the MMOG Landscape
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75291

For the past decade most adventuring in MMOGs has been relegated to swords and sorcery, knights and maidens, orcs and humans. With few exceptions, each new MMOG seems like a slightly modified take on the last one. The next year promises to shake up the scene with the release of several anticipated sci-fi and space based titles. Will this resurgence of non-wizarding worlds give rise to a new era of gaming, or will we simply be playing the same basic game with a new skin and trading our spells for laser cannons? Join Medawky this week as he looks into the future to see what may be in store for us in the final frontier.
Champions Online: Are holiday themed events in MMOGs good or a waste of resources?
http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/editorial/holidayevents

Holiday themed events have become a staple in MMOGs in recent years, but can new games, such as Champions Online, afford to divert the resources that can be used to create permanent content to make seasonal content? Ten Ton Hammer’s intrepid man of mystery, Mattlow, is here to explore this important

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