by Jeff Woleslagle on Feb 26, 2010
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commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
Not too long ago, an update was simply a set of bug and exploit fixes with the occasional class nerf. World of Warcraft, with the advent of the content update, found a way to reinvigorate their game over the long stretches between expansions by offering "mini-expansions" every three or so months.
The content update concept has evolved to the point were content updates build up to expansions in not only WoW, but games like EQ2, LotRO, and Warhammer Online. This week, two more games joined the mix. So what are the keys to a great content update? That's our topic in today's Loading... The Great Update.
cellspacing="0" width="100%">You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest
movers today:
First up, congrats to Turbine for surpassing the million new users mark in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Here's hoping the DDO revamp will continue to inspire quality free-to-play games and serve as an example for aging subscription-driven MMOGs.
This week, upcoming expansions and updates for both Champions Online, Global Agenda, and City of Heroes, and EVE Online. Elsewhere, Aion and Warhammer Online now have new producers with new things to say, and SOE Austin has come out of its shell a bit with DC Universe Online.
As Reuben noted in yesterday's Loading..., the one month mark is an important time for not only just-launched subscription MMOGs, but all the titles competing for second place next to WoW. To up the ante a little more, March will bring us two significant industry events with GDC and PAX East. Every developer with something worth talking about is positioning themselves to attract attention at these conventions and hopefully get a solid chunk of airtime.
It's all about posturing, in other words, but not just for marketing and hype. Games other than WoW have learned that updates help players buy into expansion changes. No expansion is designed in a vacuum, but it did pretty much feel that way before WoW taught the industry about updates that did more than fix bugs and make fatuous additions to lore.
Over the last year, the buildup to Warhammer Online's Land of the Dead, LotRO's Siege of Mirkwood, and, more recently, to EQ2's Sentinel's Fate expansion was beautiful in concept, even if the foremost hit some snags in execution. The naysayers say that this is throwaway content - that live events and one-off content that's resolved with an expansion is a waste of time since it doesn't become a permanent part of the game. But in the right measure, it's a nice thing to do for your core audience; it turns a predominantly static game into something that at least feels dynamic for short stretches. The downside is that the game becomes a little more confusing for new players, especially since all the update excitement tends to be geared toward veteran players.
EVE Online is building up for planetary control with DUST 514's launch later this year or early next, and City of Heroes is doing the same for Going Rogue. What's the key for a good content update? Can you sell the lore angle to the mainstream if you don't have "craft" or "rings" in the title of your game? Is it best to separate bug and exploit fixes from content updates and market them almost like mini-expansions? Let's discuss in the Loading... forum!
From our Articles, News & Events Discussion
Can BioWare Put the RPG Back in MMORPG?
Remember
when we used to call the games we know and love MMORPGs? Seems the RPG
part was dropped from the equation long ago. But developer BioWare has
claimed that it's 2011 release, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be
truly story-driven, and that quests will not only bring loot and
experience, but consequences. Can they pull it off? Mattlow pondered
that question in his editorial yesterday, and our forum community is talking about it. Join them!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"Blaine's couple of hints that TOR might rely on instancing more
than other MMO's set off alarms for me considering how much MMO's like
Age of Conan and Guild Wars rely on it. Use instancing more than that
and it looks like we are just getting a Star Wars mod of Star Trek
Online. Relying to much on instancing is one of the major reasons why I
didn't buy Star Trek Online, Age of Conan, or Guild Wars."
- SirRobin
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us!
2 new Ten Ton Hammer
features today! 115 in February! 230
in 2010!
PREVIEWS
A Sneak Peek at LotRO Volume 3 Book 1
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81479
Come
Monday players of The Lord of the Rings Online will see the first major
update since the launch of Siege of Mirkwood. Volume III: Allies of the
King, Book 1: Oath of the Rangers has a ton more features for new and
old players of the game and is a fine demonstration of Turbine’s
continued commitment to the title. Ten Ton Hammer takes a look at the
update before it hits live servers.
FEATURED EDITORIALS
Star Trek Online: Putting the ‘Fleet' Back In Fleet Action
http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/editorials/fleetactions
Sometimes
developers excuse missing features at launch with the old standby,
"There just wasn't enough time to get everything in." But in the case
of Fleet Actions in Star Trek Online, the omission of a tool that
allows you to jump in as a fleet is simply inexcusable. Join Eric
“Dalmarus” Campbell as he dives into the issue.
Today's
Hottest Articles and Guides
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network! Have a great weekend!
- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle
and the
Ten Ton Hammer team