So, you're saying that the 1.10 patch, which was intended to make the game more challenging, made the game more challenging? And also gave you replayability in the form of something to strive for (better armor, a couple more levels)? Sounds horrible to me!
Online games are about finding a game that you enjoy, and wanting it to continue and expand. The monthly fee ensures this expansion, at least in games with dynamic content like the original Asheron's Call, which I'm still playing after 4+ years. A bunch of new stuff every month to roam around and explore is well worth my $9.95.
These posts always remind me of my local newspaper, the Surrey Now! There's always at least one cover story, and SEVERAL inside, of things that are utterly unnewsworthy, except that they happened in Surrey. Such as:
"Krispy Kreme outlet to open in Surrey!"
"Bif Naked practices with her band in Surrey!"
Now if only they could find a 74-channel pipe organ in Surrey. It would be the SLASHDOT-SURREY-NOW~! crossover!
Yeah, same here. Someone got sucked in by a little too much of the Vancouver evening news. The Vancouver news media is even more hysterical than the average city's. The phrase "isolated incident" just never occurs to them.
I think I remember 3 or 4 such incidents over a several year period. It was usually an elderly person or couple that was involved.
Yes. Basically, Kerafyrm was supposed to be the doer of the end of the world, opening the door for the EQ2 storyline. After getting extremely annoyed about something or other, Kerafyrm blows everything up, including complete destruction of the moon, and buggers off somewhere. Years later, civilization redevelops, only in much higher resolution and with better textures and less clothes.
No Kerafyrm, no moon blowing up, no mass destruction with a T-25 Space Modulator.
You can't take a sword with you when EQ goes away, but this will always be part of EQ lore when EQ folks think back to the game.
You should probably consider thinking along these lines for your REAL life, too. ie. doing work that doesn't pay in dollars can often mean more than...
Under your model, you get a cycle of rampant deflation, since goods constantly enter the marketplace and encounter at best steady demand.
The situation is a bit more interesting than that. There's a real world parallel that isn't even much of a stretch. Take a RL hunter, killing a buck, and selling the trophies and the meat. This is essentially goods that comes "out of nowhere", but sells for real money, and there is always demand.
The parallel breaks in two points. The proportion of RL hunters to game hunters is VERY low. Also, the RL items are mostly consumables, whereas in game items tend to me more along the lines of the +5 Mace of Thwopping. Still, deer in RL have a 100% drop rate of a head (if you shoot them right), meat, etc. -- not so in games:). Also, in RL if you have a deer head on your wall, you're probably good for rustic decorations. In a game, you ALWAYS need more maces of thwopping.
Or you could just go to the traveller guy in the second town (no, I'm NOT looking it up, www.gamefaqs.com) and get the gold chocobo that way, but I'm not masochistic...
One gets broken out every 2 or 3 weeks at my house, when we have friends over. And it's nearly always a Cheapass Game. Amazingly well-designed games that take no time at all to learn but can be quite deep, and always entertaining. Most importantly, they are fun to both geeks and non-geeks alike, AND they play in a short time (unlike, say, Monopoly).
Kill Doctor Lucky is especially recommended.
And the Mario Party series of Nintendo games are all fantastic, and are all basically board games. Mario Party 5 night tonight!:)
The entire reason you won't get 20 dollar, 5-6 hour games is because the bulk of the game design time is in the engine and other background stuff. Level design and backstory are a tiny fraction of what goes into a finished game. So a 5-6 hour game takes just a little less time than a 25-30 hour game, and no less staff. Reducing the price just isn't possible.
A GOOD idea is to split games up into parts, like.HACK. That way you get episodes of the game you like at a cheaper price ('course,.HACK didn't lower the price...)
I just clicked on an article and was treated to a bunch of offensive pap and mindless, sophomoric "wordsmithing", that...
Wait, it's the article threads. My mistake. Easy to make on today's/., you must admit...
Indeed. While in the UK recently we took a coach from Gatwick airport to Heathrow, about a 50 minute drive. From high up in the bus you could see all the truck drivers' activities. From casual viewing, we saw no less than four truck drivers fiddling with their cell phones at length, either texting or playing games, WHILE DRIVING their bloody great lorries. Glad to get up in the air where it's safe...
Outland started out as a good concept, and then morphed back into Bloom County over 6 months as Breathed realized he had nothin' for the new characters. How long until Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, etc. return? And is "oop ack!" really still funny?
I know it sounds curmudgeonly, but the only Berke Breathed I like is the one that drew the first 3 years of Bloom County. After that, it was really touch-and-go. 'Course, there's "Gene Simmons Never Had A Banana 2000", so I'm an utter hypocrite.
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So, you're saying that the 1.10 patch, which was intended to make the game more challenging, made the game more challenging? And also gave you replayability in the form of something to strive for (better armor, a couple more levels)? Sounds horrible to me!
Online games are about finding a game that you enjoy, and wanting it to continue and expand. The monthly fee ensures this expansion, at least in games with dynamic content like the original Asheron's Call, which I'm still playing after 4+ years. A bunch of new stuff every month to roam around and explore is well worth my $9.95.
Those were OK, but only half as good as the Atari console I had...
I'm so proud... my first 0: troll! :D
"Krispy Kreme outlet to open in Surrey!"
"Bif Naked practices with her band in Surrey!"
Now if only they could find a 74-channel pipe organ in Surrey. It would be the SLASHDOT-SURREY-NOW~! crossover!
Michael Moore is pro-gun? What the hell was Bowling for Columbine about, then? I'm really confused -- I thought I knew where the whackos were.
I think I remember 3 or 4 such incidents over a several year period. It was usually an elderly person or couple that was involved.
The singing fish popular? Maybe in Xmas 2001. Even the junk fad stores don't have them bargain binned anymore.
No Kerafyrm, no moon blowing up, no mass destruction with a T-25 Space Modulator.
You should probably consider thinking along these lines for your REAL life, too. ie. doing work that doesn't pay in dollars can often mean more than...
That's THE Terrasque. :)
The situation is a bit more interesting than that. There's a real world parallel that isn't even much of a stretch. Take a RL hunter, killing a buck, and selling the trophies and the meat. This is essentially goods that comes "out of nowhere", but sells for real money, and there is always demand.
The parallel breaks in two points. The proportion of RL hunters to game hunters is VERY low. Also, the RL items are mostly consumables, whereas in game items tend to me more along the lines of the +5 Mace of Thwopping. Still, deer in RL have a 100% drop rate of a head (if you shoot them right), meat, etc. -- not so in games :). Also, in RL if you have a deer head on your wall, you're probably good for rustic decorations. In a game, you ALWAYS need more maces of thwopping.
Wait, yes I am -- I did it both ways :|.
Kill Doctor Lucky is especially recommended.
And the Mario Party series of Nintendo games are all fantastic, and are all basically board games. Mario Party 5 night tonight! :)
You forgot that the Dark Empire is ruled by a long-haired prettyboy. But don't be fooled -- perhaps that's not his true form!
Best. Diet. Ever.
It's not very difficult to reach for my credit card when you have a game inviting players to shoot at separatists.
A GOOD idea is to split games up into parts, like .HACK. That way you get episodes of the game you like at a cheaper price ('course, .HACK didn't lower the price...)
Agreed. I'll call the extra $20 I spend on the Nintendo one an insurance policy versus the nerfing Nintendo's likely to do on the 3rd party one.
This is a GRRREAT idea. It also finally makes sense out of why the ghosts in Pac-Man were so hopeless at finding you -- there was Fog of War!
I just clicked on an article and was treated to a bunch of offensive pap and mindless, sophomoric "wordsmithing", that... Wait, it's the article threads. My mistake. Easy to make on today's /., you must admit...
Indeed. While in the UK recently we took a coach from Gatwick airport to Heathrow, about a 50 minute drive. From high up in the bus you could see all the truck drivers' activities. From casual viewing, we saw no less than four truck drivers fiddling with their cell phones at length, either texting or playing games, WHILE DRIVING their bloody great lorries. Glad to get up in the air where it's safe...
Makes my ed look better!
Calvin returned in a film just a couple of years ago...
Outland started out as a good concept, and then morphed back into Bloom County over 6 months as Breathed realized he had nothin' for the new characters. How long until Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, etc. return? And is "oop ack!" really still funny? I know it sounds curmudgeonly, but the only Berke Breathed I like is the one that drew the first 3 years of Bloom County. After that, it was really touch-and-go. 'Course, there's "Gene Simmons Never Had A Banana 2000", so I'm an utter hypocrite.