by John Hoskin on May 02, 2007
Welcome to the 571st Edition of Loading... If you aren't reading this in your e-mail, you could be. Sign up.
Are you looking for the latest industry headlines? Look no further.
Day 3 of the "Bling Free" format test comes to you compliments of the dozens of letters that I received, filled with suggestions that were in some cases written by individuals with cases of textual tourette's disorder. Back is the header to give you something shiny. Back is "Hot Content" and I don't mean the pics from Coyote's blog. Vin is still gone, but may make some guest star appearances.
Daily Column New MMOG Articles at TenTonHammer Today (13 New) Hot Content Real World News - You Can't Make This UpSome of the denizens of this column wanted to know why a game developer like Scott Adams would play a "hydra" in a MMOG. For those of you fresh off the virtual turnip truck a "hydra" is a gamer who plays multiple characters at once in a MMOG. Scott played and still plays four characters at once in EverQuest 2. Scott was kind enough to answer your question.
"Reasons for hydra (pluses)
1) Challenging. Can I do it? How is the best way to do it? What is the best classes to use to do it? I am in no hurry to level and have actually restarted my hydra a couple times to remove classes and try others. My current setup seems very optimal for me. Troubadour, Guardian, Fury, Conjurer.
2) Like to be able to "solo" group content. It is great fun going through Crushbone for example!
3) Like to have lots of the utility spells. My classes in EQ2 hydra allow me to have druid teleports, call of the hero, sow, bard run speed buffs,rezes etc.
4) Never waiting for a group and I can provide full assistance to any friends who do need a group. That's why I only play 4 chars. Leaves two slots open for friends to join me.
5) No need to share loot.
6) Never having to say I am sorry to a group for messing up!
Downside to hydra play
1) Takes a bit more time to do travel, like climbing the cliff to Gnomeland Security or going up on a griffon tower
2) Not immersive as I rarely play in in 1st person with hydra
3) Auto follow is not always effective in some dungeons. Characters get hung up or fall off high places etc."
In Lord of the Rings Online it is a different story,
"In LOTR I have decided not to hydra as the lore there is so much fun.
After almost 5 years in EQ world I really don't know the back-story and really don't care about the characters, gods, etc. It is very obvious a rip off of Tolkien originally and it just does not make me feel like I am in a story so much as playing a game.
In LOTR I am playing on the RP server and doing it in full RP mode. It is way more immersive simply to play the one character. If I need groups for content etc, then I will group as needed. I still have that awe feeling that I am indeed in Middle Earth.
I want to play one of each race and one of each class so I have 2 lifetime accounts to allow me that flexibility. I have no plans to run a hydra with them atm. I just one to be able to play more than the 5 slots on our server that one account gives."
When asked his opinion on the SOE / Sigil coupling and the affect that it might have on Vanguard Scott replied,
"I feel sorry for Vanguard. It was very apparent that they ran out of money and had to let Sony call the shots. Having them release in the state they were in was a big minus.
I highly respect many of the folks at Sigil and SOE but I am sad they have to be under the Sony umbrella. I do not see good things of the Sony/Sigil merger at all."
I have already voiced my opinion. It appears that Sigil needs more funds to bring Vanguard to the state that they would have liked to release it in. They don't have the funds. SOE does. They either launched prematurely hoping that what they had was enough or someone in the planning department is currently banging their head firmly on their desk. Let's face it, if they thought the game would only be able to generate the current number of subscribers why wouldn't they have injected the funds earlier and released a finished game? The added bonus being that they didn't launch head-to-head with The Burning Crusade.
Looking back and knowing what they now know I can't imagine anyone in either Sigil or SOE would have launched when they did.What is extraordinary and goes a long way to showing what a profound importance the industry puts on the success or failure of Vanguard is that we are still discussing the game daily.
I continued my interrogation asking Mr. Adams for his thoughts on the potential of Lord of the Rings Online.
"Right now LOTR has a good chance to capture allot of the Wow malcontents and VG refugees. As Brad noted, it is indeed the X-factor in the mix. I think as word of mouth spread and the game matures LOTR stands a good chance to grow into a very large population MOG.
I played Vanguard in beta and it was very obviously not ready to be released. If I did play VG I would have made a hydra there. There is no immersion as there is in LOTR. That is the real secret, LOTR is a major franchise due to the books, movies and lore that Tolkien has given us.
At one point I thought SWG would be similar. I played it for a while and got a few master classes. It was very obvious though that it had no heart or story. LOTR has the epic story line and turbine is playing this like a serial novel. All their content add ons are aimed at keeping the story going. This is why I bought a lifetime account (2 actually). I want to see this story!"
A big round of clap for Scott for answering my questions... and of course yours.
--
I receive a multitude of press releases each day, some of which are worth passing on to you and some which truly make no sense at all and are for all intents and purposes just advertisements, usually for a website or company that has nothing of value to release to bring in readers.
One of the appropriate releases was from Acclaim which announced that BOTS had over 1 million registered users. To be clear, these are not paying subscribers, but registered users.
"Acclaim Games announces a major milestone for the multiplayer online robot fighting game BOTS!! with over 1 million registered players. Officially released in November 2006, BOTS!! has a growing fan base of young gamers who are addicted to the intense fighting action and social interaction with others. Over 1 million players have already had the chance to play the game for free by simply registering and downloading the game to their PC.
BOTS!! is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) allows players to battle with up to seven other players as they fight evil viruses invading Cyberspace, clash with each other in teams, or fight rivals to protect their home base. The transforming robots can be customized with various parts and upgrades including wings, heads, guns, and trans packs which allow your robot to transform into a powerful fighting machine.
Instead of paying for the game and a monthly subscription fee, all of Acclaimâs games are totally free to download and play. All of Acclaimâs games are supported by in-game advertising and an item mall featuring optional items to enhance the game experience. This innovative business model makes it easy for anyone to enjoy high quality online games with their friends for free."
Paying or not, this is an incredible achievement! Congratulations to Acclaim.
--
Gmedia has a pair of jobs based in Milan for those of you inclined to want to work in this industry.
The openings are for two different positions:
* Community Manager (Uk, Germany, France)
* Customer Support (Uk, Germany,France)
Full details can be found on the official site.
--
Nexon is launching a racing adventure game in North America called Kartrider. Beta applications are now being accepted.
"Nexon America Inc., the U.S. division of Asiaâs leading online games company Nexon Group, announced today the company will launch a North American version of KartRider. An international sensation, KartRider is a free-to-download, subscription free, online multiplayer racing-adventure game that is enjoyed by over 160 million riders worldwide.
Nexon will launch a closed beta test May 1, giving gamers the chance to compete as individuals or in teams with karts of their choice. Competitors can interact with each other online through chatting and community forums. Races are held on a variety of 3D racing tracks and courses based on particular themes, including the fast-paced Zoomtown, the dizzying sands of Desert Drift, and the icy Arctic Rim.
Nexon is allowing a limited amount of accounts to enter the beta version of KartRider. In due course, they will extend the exclusive circle of admitted beta testers. Interested gamers can register at website www.kart.nexon.net. "
It's great to see MMO games that aren't based on killing goblins. It will be interesting to see how games like Kartrider and the various dancing games pan out.--
Today's questions...
How many of you play "hydras"? How many of you have tried BOTS? How many of you will even try a MMOG that isn't cut from the standard cloth?
Vote, rank, share, comment or email me directly.
2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today
Blog: An Influx Of New FacesThanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com
John "Boomjack" Hoskin
