Innocent, ignorant bliss.
In the current MMOG landscape, every single game that hits the market is full of numbers. Examine an axe, shield, or potion and you'll see exactly how much damage it can distribute or take, or how many hit points it can return to the user. In his latest editorial, Cody "Micajah" Bye examines how an MMOG might be different if it wasn't all about the numbers. What kind of game would we be playing if numbers weren't always involved? He examines this possibility and more in his article, "A Return of Innocence."
Yet between the decline of EQ and the current iteration of World of Warcraft, something changed. Instead of keeping to a simple formula of "let the player play the game," there now seems to be a set of numbers that correspond to every single piece of merchandise that you pick up. When you open your character screen in World of Warcraft, you're practically barraged with numbers and percentages. What's your critical chance? Armor rating? Resistance rating? Total hit points? Total mana pool? Weapon damage-per-second? All of these things have been plopped on your screen for easy viewing, but is it a good thing? Do players need to see every single piece of information that they can about their characters?
Keep reading right here at Ten Ton Hammer.
