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Massively Multiplayer Games For Dummies
Massively Multiplayer Games for Dummies draws on Lum's many years of first-hand experience playing and making titles in the genre. Acting as a guiding hand for someone unfamiliar with the standards and expectations of what is essentially an insular society, the book assumes nothing about your knowledge of these games. The book is laid out into seven sections, which (in order) get you set up with a game, talk you through the newbie experience, cover groups, guilds, the endgame, and introduce you to the world of MMOGs outside of the gameworld. The seventh section is a great closer, with experiential and first-hand knowledge from Jennings and others who have been there and done that.
Jennings' lack of assumptions turns what could have been a limited-use dictionary into a truly universal reference. He lays out what a new player should expect when picking a first game to play, and goes into some detail on the technical requirements a PC should meet in order to play most of these games. The various classic 'roles' in a Massively Multiplayer title (tank, nuke, healer) are discussed in depth, with examples from several different titles used to add specifics to his general information. Discussions of grouping and etiquette are especially well seen. The act of 'pulling' (starting a fight in a controlled manner) is given a good deal of consideration. What might seem like quirky expectations long-time players will have when it comes to behavior (rolling on loot, frequency of healing, etc.) are explained and given a context for a player who just might not know otherwise. That, really, is the best thing about this book. It lays out the stuff that folks who have been playing these games for years just 'know', and are unlikely to even think about when describing play to a new gamer.
While this tome is aimed squarely at new players, even folks who have been playing for a while may learn something from his discussions of topics such as guilds and raiding. There is an entire section on Guild drama, and ways to know when it is time to move on. I know folks who have stayed with dysfunctional Guilds long after they should have, and this text could provide some backbone to a player with an attachment problem. The section on Raiding features some excellent pointers that will allow a player to reach a place between the common sense 'do what you're told' and scathing cries of 'learn2play!!!". Emphasis on position and considered movement is given, ensuring a new raider who has referenced this text will be a joy for any guild leader to have along. The raiding section is also one of several sections where Jennings offers up a first-hand account of the theory he's espousing. An overview of a raid on the dragon Onyxia in World of Warcraft is a useful conceit, a way to highlight the suggestions he makes in the rest of the chapter with a real-life context.
This 'learn by example' style of writing is both engaging to read, and very effective. It also fairly accurately recreates the conditions under which most new MMOG players learn how to operate within a gameworld. This gives players who use the text as a kickoff point a common reference with their more experienced brethren, and further integrates the new players with the rest of online gaming society. It also leads into the chapter on the 'game outside of the game', which ends the coddling period for a new player and thrusts them fully into online player society. Whatever illusions a new player might have about their fellow party members will be swiftly dismissed after even a single visit to an official game forum. There's also some discussion of strategy sites (like Allakhazam and Thottbot). Jenning's pragmatic approach is much appreciated; Acknowledging that there are places to go for help when you're just plain lost is not something I've seen many online game strategies do.
If you pick this book up while browsing in a store, the chapter to read when you've only got a short time available is chapter VII. The 'Part of Tens', featured in every Dummies book, is an extremely entertaining jaunt through some simple information about massive games. 'Ten things I wish I knew' are bite-sized pieces of advice for new players, all reassuring and usually funny. 'Ten MMG-Related Web Sites' detail some of the most informative sites about massive titles on the internet. It also lists some of the most 'informative', with sites CorpNews and F13 sure to give any new player a crash course in massive player society. 'Ten Proudest Achievements' is a series of firsthand accounts from actual players, each from a different game. Not only do they give the new player a humorous look at real play situations, they allow for exposure to different playstyles and gameworlds in the words of people like those they might meet in-game.
The back of the book contains pure information: a lexicon and a software disc. The lexicon is a large glossary of terms and abbreviations that are commonly used in massive games. Seeing 'WTB' or 'LFG' in your chat window can be intimidating, and new players with this available will have far less to worry about. The glossary even includes some more esoteric terms likely to be seen in-game, like STFU, FTW, and Zerg. The software disc is actually a demo disc, containing installs for the Wolfpack Studios title Shadowbane and Mythic's own Dark Age of Camelot. While I personally wouldn't suggest either of those games to a player new to the genre, it's nice that they were able to bundle in some of the actual software. Someone who hasn't even purchased a game yet will at least have the option of trying out the lessons learned throughout the book.
Scott Jennings accomplishes a laudible goal in the writing of this book. While the Massive genre's growth would indicate that there is no longer a reason to worry about the 'death of the industry', quality over quantity is something that I've always felt fairly strongly about. MMGs for Dummies is, in many ways, a citizen's guide to online worlds. It gives you the lay of the land and teaches you some of the expectations your fellow citizens will have. By introducing knowledgeable new players to the genre, Lum is improving the lot of everyone who plays. After all, gameworlds can be as good or as bad as the people that inhabit them.
Gamers who are already members of the MMOG nation will probably not get a lot of mileage out of this book. A few tidbits might prove enlightening, many of the anecdotes are humorous, and the history that Jennings imparts to the book will be informative for pretty much everyone. This text is well and truly aimed at people new to the genre, though, and experienced players can give it a pass. If you've never played a MMOG, and want to, this book will be well worth the price. For the cost of about a month's subscription fee, you can avail yourself of the knowledge of an online gaming veteran that won't ever complain about your ninja looting, your camping, or your fascination with the /dance command.
At least link to the book!
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
I'd be interested to see if Rainz' assassination of the indomitable Lord British will be depicted in the book...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471752738/qid=11 36023806/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1472913-3813725?n =507846&s=books&v=glance
Not sure of the political hoofrah surrounding this, but hey, it's my book, so I want you to buy it and stuff.
(Thanks for the review, Zonk)
It avoids repetition somewhat by giving you harder puzzles based on your performance; but in the end, there's still plenty of repetition once you learn the game. You're going to find that anywhere. Developers can only come up with so much content for a persistent world. Since there isn't an end to the game, every play session has to be an end in itself. Like most MMOGs, once it hits that repetitive point you've either met people who you want to keep playing with, or you move on.
My script don't crash! She crashes, you crashed her!
1. Kingdom of Loathing still cracks me up, especially the stick-figure graphics. /. with this, but a couple of us are working on another game: Mutant Freaks of Nature.
2. I'm a little scared to toot my own horn on
Mutant Freaks of Nature: "Frighteningly Addictive"
Do you know you can shorten amazon links? To just the first part:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471752738
(that way it will fit on web pages, and no one will be suspicious of you embedding links, and also your private amazon browsing history won't be embedded in the url.)
If you have any interest in the super hero genre I'd recommend City of Heroes as a good game to try.
In my experince there over the past half year I've found the players to be mainly nice people and helpful. I tend to learn by observing a bit and asking questions and I never ran into anyone who had a problem with my questions. Most were quite happy to show me the ropes.
Two of the nice things about the game are the fact that a high level character can "side kick" a lower level character. That means you can easily tag along with experienced player who are playing their main characters even if they are at a level quite higher than you.
The second nice thing is that with the release of City of Villains the new content has give Super Groups (read: Guild/Clan/Whatever) a reason to recruit. Members generate prestiege for their super group. That prestiege is needed by the group to build up the group's base. So if you enter the game and people see you don't have a super group name floating over your character's head you will be approached and invited to join.
Of course all groups are not created equal. Ask what they stand for, how active they are, if they often have teams made up of nothing but group members and such. Then join one.
If you find that you don't like the people say thank you and leave. Soon you'll find another group to try.
Being in a decent super group is a great way to learn the game, and also makes the game a lot more fun in my opinion. The advantages are many. Your group will have its own chat channel meaning you have a place to ask "dumb" questions about the game without much fear of anyone giving you grief for being a "noob". The group will be a good source for mentors. The group will give you a set of people you can team with and who will care about your welfare.
At least in my experience in the game that is how it has been. And let me tell you, I've asked some really dumb questions and never caught any grief aside from some gentle ribbing.
Many games have free trials that would be worthwhile. I started City of Heroes with what they called a 'bootleg' disk. It was the full game with a trial license code. I was able to play for a week to try it out without it costing me a dime. After that I had to get a license and pay for monthly access. I wouldn't be surprised if other games have a similiar trial offer.
Don't worry about age or anything. I group with a number people who claim to be 50+ and they have a great time and are great team mates.
Finally, once you are no longer a noob (or, n00b...), pass on the favors others did for you and be a mentor to new players. It's a nice thing to do, a chance to meet some new friends, and can be a good deal of fun. At least that's what I've found as I've begun to do some mentoring myself...While still asking the occassional dumb question of my own mentors.
Good luck!
Just thought I'd toss in my two cents -- I can't lay claim to quite the "old fogey" status that you can, but I'm no spring chicken either, and I'm quite notoriously bad at games requiring a lot of fast reflexes. I also dislike games which require you to die repeatedly in order to complete them or figure them out; the combination of those two dislikes has effectively kept me out of console and computer gaming (with a few notable exceptions over the years), probably to the betterment of my other hobbies. That's not to say I don't like games or gaming; I'd just never found a game that I really enjoyed that much for more than a few days.
I recommend finding someone who plays WoW and just watching gameplay for a little while before you decide if it's for you. This is what caused me to get involved recently, after having completely ignored it and other games in the genre for as long as I can remember.
I can't compare WoW to Ultima Online or any of the other competing modern MMORPGs, but I will say that I like it overall. I think they've done a good job in terms of game and level design, at least for the starting player. You usually start off in an area that's tough to kill yourself in (and dying as a new character isn't that much of an annoyance anyway, it just involves walking to your body from a graveyard). About the only thing I used the manual for was as a comparison/information source on the various races. And in retrospect I shouldn't have bothered, the "fan documentation" available online is far more complete and detailed anyway. I also find it amusing that one of the more effective ways to make money in the game is through commodities arbitrage in the in-game Auction House. This in itself is almost an 'in-game-game,' if you have a head for numbers.
The game's shortfalls are that there's no real documentation or tutorials that will help you when you start to interact with other players, which basically happens (or did in my case, anyway) when you start working your way in from your start location out in the boondocks to a more major, populated city. This might vary on a more or less crowded server, though. Also, there is a certain point you hit in your character's development, where you've gotten bored with slaughtering the beasts that spawn randomly everywhere, but are still too weak for people to want you as part of a group to do the instanced dungeon missions. This is a bit of a drag, and something I wish Blizzard would address (maybe with some lower-level instances or something), because it makes it tough to get group combat experience.
At least that I've encountered, there isn't a ton of complex strategy or "twitch" gaming in WoW. There's a certain amount of strategy to combat in groups, but it's not like playing a RTS game, it's more common sense. There's not a lot of skill involved in combat -- at least not like there is in a FPS game -- it's mainly weight-of-numbers. Combined, this makes it much more newbie-friendly than other styles of games.
Anyway, the last point I'd make is that I think for a mature, well-balanced person, with any sort of time-management skills to speak of, the whole "MMORPG addiction" thing is way exaggerated. It's a fun game, but it's not heroin. I generally play on Saturday afternoons (a suggestion -- if weekends are your style, pick a low-traffic server so there's not a wait to log on) and occasionally an hour or so on an evening if I've nothing else to do and I'm not dead tired. Sure, I don't progress very fast through the game, but that's not what it's about.
At any rate, good luck with your choice. Overall, I'd say it's put the fun back in computer gaming for me, and it's been a while since I've said that about anything.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Well, allow me to recommend City of Heroes/City of Villains. This is a Superhero/Villain based game available in two flavors (although they can be installed Symbiotically so you can play both with just one subscription). You do have to pay $15/mo for it, but it meets all your other requirements I think. Its easy to solo, fun to play, can be quite challenging, and most importantly *almost* every type of character can solo more or less (some way better than others mind you), and you can easily jump on, do a mission for 20mins then quit, and feel like you accomplished something. As well, its very newbie friendly - particularly if you find a suitable guild to play with - as characters of every level can effectively play with characters at other levels via the Sidekick/Lackeying system that allows characters to temporarily assume a higher level when partnered with someone - if you did choose to group with people. The game is primarily focused on doing missions, and so combat oriented for much of its content, but it has some great storylines to follow, and the combat system is far superior to most other games IMHO. City of Villains is the newer of the two games, and thus the more evolved. City of Heroes will catch up with future expansions I expect.
For free games, you might be ok with GuildWars. Its a fantasy based combat game with some adventure/roleplaying elements. It is primarily PvP (player versus player oriented) and I personally didn't like it, but it doesn't have any monthly fees and you only need to buy the original boxed edition to play it. As the name suggests though, it may well be group PvP oriented and might not be as welcoming to a casual player. I tried it in beta and disliked it for various reasons, but your mileage may vary.
You might also consider EVE Online, a Science Fiction far future game of space exploration and economics. You essentially play a ship in this game rather than a character and that is disconcerting to some people. Its a very PvP oriented game but has some appeal to casual players and alone of all the MMORPG games I have seen has an experience system that is very friendly to casual players (essentially you pick a skill to learn and your character learns it at a fixed rate regardless of whether or not you are online. This gives an advantage to those who are subscribed longer, rather than those who play more hours regularly). I am not sure how well you can just jump on and play for 20 mins or so though. I understand it has long travel times for your ship. It is also a payed subscription game. It is very popular at the moment but as it has a high learning curve might not be a great one to pick up as your first MMO unless you are into highly complex game systems.Links:
City of Heroes
City of Villains
Guild Wars
EVE Online
Hope that helps :)
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
Better? That's subjective isn't it?
Why you might consider Powell's:
* Help promote competition
* Powell's is independently owned (not a corporate behemoth)
* They've been in the book biz for a long, long time
* The staff is unionized
* For a time it was the largest bookstore in the world (not sure if it was in terms of square feet or number of books)
* Excellent web site
* The main store is only blocks away from my work in downtown Portland, OR (yes, I have hometown-bias).
I suppose the bottom-line reason for considering Powell's is that if you want to find a bargain from a large selection of used books - or just hard-to-find books - on the web you'd find no site better than Powells.com. It's a must-bookmark.
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