A Tale in the Desert II Goes Open Beta

Teppy writes "Yesterday afternoon, A Tale in the Desert II launched its open beta. Sometimes called 'a strange psychology experiment', ATITD is a competitive, independently developed PC MMO game, previously covered on Slashdot, based on socialization. Windows and Linux clients are available for download from the official website. If Slashdot readers use the special code 'farmertaco' and visit a school of Art and Music, special goodies await." We've previously covered the first iteration of this unique, combat-free MMO.

Comments

The problems with ATITD

[Talrias]

While I enjoyed playing ATITD for my test area, I would never have subscribed to it, for the reason that it's boring to gather stuff, make it into stones/bricks/straw and then do stuff with that, etc. etc. etc. A game has to be fun for me to want to play it, and ATITD, the epitome of the grind (repeating something to death) just doesn't do it for me.

While I didn't try it, ATITD seemed to be one of those games which you could macro incredibly easily - you click to move around, and depending on where you are standing, you can do certain things (such as pick up slate or gather mud). Did anyone try macroing in ATITD?

I can't say I strongly disliked ATITD, it is a revolutionary game which showed that MMOs don't have to be about killing monsters or other people to be fun, but I fear that ATITD II will again be a niche game to those who don't mind the monotony of repeatedly doing the same thing.

Coincidentally, I wrote an article about this on Starglade recently - "Grinding Time".

Re:The problems with ATITD

[Drawkcab]

You wouldn't appreciate a brick machine if you've never had to make a brick. It would just be the new baseline for you.

It doesn't take long at all for the game to start branching out into different goals for you to pursue, such as tests of the 7 disciplines. When you get bored of one thing, explore a little and discover more about what there is to do in the game. Try to find a way to accomplish your goal without spending so much time on it. Its only when you single-mindedly pursue one goal at a time, and approach it with raw effort instead of finesse, that things get boring.

Forming or joining guilds is one easy way to avoid having to do so much boring work to accomplish your goals. You can get into a guild or make your own almost immediately after making it off the welcome island. Some people immediately reject this idea since on other games guilds are oriented towards the hardcore gamers, but in atitd, it is casual players who benefit most from guilds, and there are very few people who play for long without eventually joining one. Most join several different guilds, some of them their primary guild(s), and many others with specialized purposes. Your social networks will be more valuable to you in the long run than your resources or buildings, and social bonds aren't reset when the telling or beta ends. If you rule out the possibility of ever banding together with other players to accomplish things, or even just trading with more advanced players for things, then yes, you may find some aspects a little tedious, but the problem is in how you're approaching things.

Of course, for some players, any time at all not spent fragging n00bs will be intolerably boring, and those people will never see the draw of this sort of game.