by Karen Hertzberg on Oct 28, 2009
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Peruse any MMOG forum and you'll hear the same criticism over
and over: "[Insert Game Title] is nothing but a grind." But are those
words critical or merely factual? Perhaps MMOGs are a grind by
their very nature. And perhaps the grind isn't such a bad thing. Join
us as we explore the grind factor in today's Loading... A Grind by any
other Game.
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.gunnars.com/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results: href="http://www.gunnars.com/">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"Biggest movers today:
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2036">TorchlightMMOG gamers have had their own special term for repetition for as long
as MMO gaming has been around: we call it the grind. Killing the same
mobs over and over to gain experience or loot is a grind. Running
repeatable quests, for the same reasons, is a grind. Youll even hear
people say that linear progression in a game--the sort of progression
that takes you from point A to point B to point C without allowing for
much deviation or exploration--is a grind. And theyre right; these
things are indeed repetitive. But is repetition such a bad thing?
We often view repetitive tasks as mundane and tedious. And yet, anyone
whos ever swung gently back and forth on a porch swing, or bounced a
ball against the pavement over and over, or chanted a mantra, or
counted sheep, knows that theres also something inherently relaxing
about it.
Ive heard a fair bit of criticism aimed at
href="http://tentonhammer.com/aion">Aion lately.
Its just another Asian grindfest, players say. And, again, theyre
right to some degree. There are indeed repeatable quests in Aion, and
youll find yourself killing some of the same mobs again and again as
you progress through the levels. For the first 20 levels or so, you
travel a pretty linear path, which makes leveling up alt characters a
grind. The criticism is valid, and yet I enjoy Aion.
The fact is, I sometimes enjoy grinding. Not long ago, I found myself
logged into Aion and running a repeat quest to kill the same mobs,
kerubim, over and over. There I was in a murky swamp, hanging around a
single location, laying waste to the same mobs over and over again as
they respawned, and harvesting the same two titanium nodes during the
brief period when there was nothing for me to kill. The xp and loot
rolled out steadily, and I was enjoying myself so much that I hadnt
even noticed a couple of hours had passed. My son, who likes to drop
into my home office from time to time to watch me play, had stopped in
twice while I was killing the kerubim.
So, youre camping these guys? he asked.
It was then that I realized I was. In fact, Id set up a camp and Id
been grinding xp and farming coin and loot for quite a while, and Id
been having fun.
Although grinding isnt everyones cup o latte, it seems to depend on
the game for me. Somehow, in Aion, I dont mind it. Ive tried to put
my finger on why, and the only real reason I can come up with is
something Ive discussed in a
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75054">previous issue
of Loading
, Aion makes me feel epic. I like the way my
character looks, and I like the way she executes her combos, and the
animations that accompany them. I dont mind playing her for a couple
hours, even though Im doing the same thing over and over. While Im
grinding, I concentrate on killing with more efficiency. I experiment
with different weapons (my gladiator has a wide variety of options
available to her). I chat a bit with my guild. And, just like rocking
back and forth on a porch swing, I find this all very laid back and
relaxing.
Grinding is inherent to just about all MMOGs--its their nature. Its
hard to find a MMOG that doesnt send you out on a mission to kill 20
of something, or collect 10 of something else. But Im going to go out
on a limb here and say that the best MMOGs arent necessarily the ones
with the least grinding, but the ones where grinding feels
less apparent by virtue of other strong game features (like that
feeling of epicness I mentioned with Aion), and where any intense
grinding (like my kerubim camping) is optional, not essential.
Dont get me wrong, Im not advocating for grindfest MMOGs. A MMOG
grind without other options--without fun and epic-feeling combat, or
interesting quests, or satisfying loot, or plenty of avenues for
exploration outside a linear progression path--is still nothing but a
grind. Ask any assembly-line worker how fun it is doing the same thing
day in and day out. I worked in a plastics factory doing repetitive
tasks for a few months when I was 20-something, and I can tell you that
although I got into a routine and managed to drag myself through each
day, it was anything but exciting. And I was working to earn my weekly
paycheck, so I had some incentive. In most cases, a MMOG developer who
expects a player to actually pay money to do boring repetitive things
(sans the fun incentives I mentioned above) is headed for disaster.
But if you can get into the right groove, with the right game, grinding
can be fun. (Yep, I mentioned grinding and fun in the same
sentence. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Just like rocking on that
porch swing, or dribbling that basketball, it can be a relaxing and
entertaining way to spend some time.
Is the MMOG grind evil? Or do you find it relaxing under the right
circumstances? Share your thoughts in the
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=47450">Loading
forum.
4 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 115
in October! 2,063 in
2009!
Today's New Features & Guides
Aion
Asmodean Aether Extraction Guide 200-299
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/general/asmoaetherpt3"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/general/asmoaetherpt3">http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/general/asmoaetherpt3
If you're on the lookout for materials to craft something a little bit
tougher than Titanium, you're going to need Aether Gems. Since leveling
aether extraction is such a pain in general, the price for the good
stuff in this area is going to get rather high in a hurry. Why is it so
difficult to be self sufficient in this? Alas, your hard work thus far
to 200 is about to pay off further. We at Ten Ton Hammer have you
covered with our guide to diving into lava on accident, or Aether
Extraction 200-299, Asmodean style.
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