A Perfect game is like the perfect pie, and I like pie.

I have heard it called Minecraft on steroids.

EverQuest Next Landmark is SOE's  next chapter in the Everquest Franchise. EverQuest Next and EverQuest Next Landmark's game play is described as an Adventuring/crafting/harvesting/building sandbox as seen here. SOE being a major contributor to the MMO market, has once again taken the spotlight in touting “Pioneer” or “ Time for some new ideas in the genre and if someone is going to do it, it should be EverQuest.”

Ingredients are very important as with any recipe. Mom's homemade chocolate pie (which is to die for) is not only about ingredients but proportions and how the ingredients are added. Landmark's main ingredients are destructibility and a procedurally generated world. What we are uncertain of, are proportions and application.

We have a general idea though videos and interviews but without tasting it for ourselves, we don't know what is too much or what is too little. If all or most of the landscape is destructible, in a world which traveling is essential, it may be a challenge to find your way back without road signs or points of interest. “I turned left at the big tree or hill but its gone now.” We know the world heals itself but will it reset back to its original state. In a sense this does add flavor to adventuring but if there is an ever changing landscape it may be frustrating. Landmark is an ever changing world and being in pre-alpha development also means, its an ever changing world.

SOE's desire to include the masses (with a cover charge for entry)in an early alpha state is also something new. A chance for the player base to help in development, ideas and testing is exciting and even more so for SOE fans. It does seem that a new direction is wanted, warranted or needed in this genre of game play. Old EverQuest fans are hoping to re-capture their first love. New and old gamers are looking for something different than what they have been experiencing. Is this the “Holy Grail?” 

Iconogrial (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Landmark is released and we set our eyes on EverQuest Next, will the true replay-ability without the grind finally exist? Will we actually find ourselves in a world that is truly ever changing? It will be the Holy Grail if all the ingredients and proportions are properly applied.

Following SOE and the EverQuest Franchise for over 14 years has yielded more good times than bad, and I have complete confidence in their development team. I know what a perfect chocolate pie tastes like and I like pie. I don't know how a perfect game feels like but maybe I will get a chance to find out.

What is EverQuest Next Landmark?

EQN Landmark Teaser Trailer 1: World Of Imagination

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Time is not free..

Trying to set time aside to for a relaxing round of whatever game you enjoy can be challenging.

The early years seemed much kinder. I remember long hours on the weekend.

Eating was a quick fix or ordered out, and unless the house was on fire, interruptions were dealt with harshly.

It didn't help, or may have contributed to the madness of gaming, that my wife loved to game as well. Six hours of sleep was all we wanted through our gaming weekends, six hours for the whole weekend. We were younger then and time seemed to be free. With (gaming) Family and friends who had the same weekend ritual, we all had a lot of fun and some great memories.

Time Bandits (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These days time isn't free. There is always something that tries to use the time you set aside for a bit of “game on”. There are many desperate attempts to slide into your fav computer chair, but usually foiled at the last minute.

Stealing is the only way. Learn to be a Time Bandit

I know I should be cleaning out the garage this Saturday but it can wait until next week. See what I did there? Yep, I just stole some time and it's relatively legal, depending on your relationship with your soul mate. It's not a bad thing having a somewhat busy lifestyle as long as your "Thief" skills are adequate.

We all need “our” time and if it comes down to being "Time Bandits" (that movie sure was a lot more funny the first time I saw it) then its a just cause. Sometimes no matter how bad you want to relax and game, there is some “time” that is more important.

I need to excuse myself, I have 2 things that are patiently waiting for my time.

  

Welcome to the Jungle

“Welcome to the Jungle” - This is Jungle. It's the first portable gaming console designed exclusively for online gaming and MMORPGs.

 

“At the core is a new mobile device concept designed specifically for online gamers. We’re also working with leading online game developers to create some exciting new content.”

Panasonic is throwing their hat into the gaming device arena again. The last time was the 3DO which had healthy competition, carried a hefty price tag and was left sitting on the shelf  in most cases.

There are no details on specs and the only info we are getting is what we can see from the device. Micro USB, HDMI, headphone jack and maybe an aux jack.

This is a great concept that has been hit and miss for the last few years. Simple graphics, stand alone gameplay, co-op gameplay, Browser based but with extras. Videos, Camera, Web Browsing, E-mail, Music....Phone!

Panasonic's target is On-line gaming and MMORPG's. Is it just me or is it all in the wording.

On-line gaming and MMORPG are not essentially the same thing. Zynga products are on-line gaming, Lord of the Rings Online is an MMORPG, see the difference?

I'm not trying to bury this before it actually dies but I do have my doubts. Do people really want to play Age of Conan on the bus? Oh wait, is Age of Conan going to be Jungle friendly?

True mobile MMO? What is it going to need?

Great screen resolution: If not, then whats the buzz. Other handheld's already have a start. In order to hit the mainstream Kick Ass MMO crowd, I would imagine that it would need to run existing MMO's. If we are going to have to wait for specific MMOS to be developed then this Jungle is doomed.

Great Processing power: Along with kick ass video, one would need kick ass processing power. Okay, maybe kick butt processing power. Mid Range processor, Intel Core i5 perhaps. As an MMO gamer, to give this a second glance means running my present gaming addictions. This needs to be a Laptop that has been splashed with the latest shrinking potion, otherwise..I will just use my Laptop for any mobile gaming needed. Of course if its running Linux as an OS maybe the processing power isn't needed, but the 3G needed may. This is truly a Jungle.

Apple and Oranges: The big player right now is the Nintendo 3DS. This little powerhouse has been given great reviews from E3. Imagine 3D without the need for glasses. Given the competition is still Handheld Gaming, the 3DS offers more, of course the Jungle is On-line MMORPG games only, On-line MMORPG games only, On-line MMORPG games only. Thats how the features will be listed.

No life in the Jungle?

Without having the full details it's difficult to say where this will end up. There are several that have already sent flowers and expect a DOA device. A keyboard is what makes this an MMO device. Due to the fact that the trend is "Touch Screen" this was the only thing, so far that made sense. A keyboard and/or controller is not something that is "touch screenable" for this lifetime.

The ability to play my fav MMO's, on a hand held device, with the resolution that we have 

achieved in gaming, at my family reunion or dinner at the in-laws, makes me break out in a cold sweat. We would have arrived at the next evolution of mobile gaming., but as I try to picture my day to day MMO life in the Jungle, I cant see the Jungle for the trees.

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Back to School...Let the games begin!

I read an article awhile back and was amused at that point where we are in entertainment. Back to school still carries a certain “Blech” feeling when I hear it. Now that we are at that point or past it and school has changed the summer schedules and activities, there is always that helpful advice we get on helping our “mini-me's” survive the transition. The past few weeks, day time TV has been riddled with the helpful hints from snacks to homework, too rest and recreation. It was always a struggle for everyone to balance what's needed.

"We're going to make this short and sweet, parents: You probably shouldn't try to dodge a back-to-school gaming tuneup. Sure, talking about responsibilities and setting screen time limits is no fun. Kids hate rules, and parents hate having to play traffic cop. But back-to-school time means re-balancing languid, lazy summer schedules -- and if you're going to help your kids develop time management skills and a head for how to balance their own activities and schedules, this is the perfect teaching moment."

MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family, from tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate online games for everyone in the family.

Gaming has grown over the years and has taken its place among the “R&R” portions of our life. This is evident in several ways, but really gives notice when your local TV news mentions gaming along with other entertainment outlets, when offering the helpful hints entering the school year. For me, in the dark ages, it was a black and white TV with three channels. No real competition there, it was three channels.

I don’t have to worry about battle plans for a back to school tune up, I'm just waiting on grand kids. Those of you that do, I wish you the best, do right by your mini-me, because children are cool and deserve our best. Of course this means that Mom and Dad have to set the example and make sure they are showing restraint for the school season, it's only fair. Since I don’t have to worry about setting any examples, when asked “you played games for 6 hours?”, my retort is “I'm grown, I can do what I want”.

I remember family nights when “Alone in the Dark”, a survival horror game developed by Infogames was played.

Image via Wikipedia

"In 1925, Jeremy Hartwood, a noted artist and the owner of the Louisiana mansion Derceto, has committed suicide by hanging himself. His death appears suspicious yet seems to surprise no-one, for Derceto is widely reputed to be haunted by an evil power. The case is quickly dealt with by the police and soon forgotten by the public. The player assumes the role of either Edward Carnby – a private investigator who is sent to find a piano in the loft for an antique dealer - or Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece, who is also interested in finding the piano because she believes a secret drawer in it has a note in which Jeremy explains his suicide. The player, either as Carnby or Hartwood, goes to the mansion to investigate. As the player enters the house, the doors mysteriously slam shut behind him or her. Reluctantly, he or she continues up to the attic. In that room, the action begins."

With the lights off and the sound turned up, everyone would take their turn playing either character. Hours were spent working through puzzles, getting scared and generally laughing ourselves to tears. We played the game through to the end and when asked what shall we do on family night, “Lets play the Dark game dad.”, so we visited mansion Derceto on several occasions.

 Our family night wasn’t the norm, gaming was the majority vote. Through Monkey Island, Indian Jones to Willy Beamish and Quest for Glory, we were gamers before gaming was cool. So naturally, these days, getting ready for the new school year has to include game time adjustments. No more playing games with dad until 1am.

Everquest Smorgasboard...and there is Pie

The inter-webs have been busy on the SOE announcements concerning Everquest and Everquest II. It's a feast, a SOE feast of goodies to sink your whatever into.  Everquests 17th expansion , Everquest 2 expansion Destiny of Velious, EQNext. All the beefy tidbits that I could grab from my fav reading spots about Fan Faire 2010, had me begging for more. It appears that some great content is coming for EQ and EQ2 Fans.

Even if Everquests “House of Thule” sucks, just having 17 expansions is epic. Revisiting Velious and seeing the landmarks I remember including Velks Lab has me looking forward to Destiny of Velious. The crowning jewel though, the Pièce de résistance,  is EQNext. Mark my words, this will be the most followed development since Brad McQuaid announced Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

Everquest had the Love/Hate relationship, the Bitter/Sweet of Gaming. Traveling time sinks, the corpse runs, it was the elitists true and only real game. My move from EQ into EQ2 wasn’t due to boredom or because EQ was to hard and had too many time sinks. It was because the graphics in EQ2 was breath taking. As I've said before the cosmetics of a game is important to me.

The in game screen shots are promising and the bitter sweet of EQ will migrate to EQNext. My only hope at this point would be open zones like Vanguard, continue that feel of a vast open world and shelve the days of running along the zone walls. If SOE will truly build off the original EQ concept and salt and pepper the fine points from their other games, crafting, trades, diplomacy, flying mounts, even extending Bard abilities similar to the musician trades in Star Wars Galaxies. Okay, yeah I am reaching here but this really has some fantastic possibilities. This will be the one to watch.

Please snag the following links for more info..

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Shipwrecked into another MMO.....Final

My first introduction to “instancing” in a game was Everquest, Lost Dungeons of Norrath. The LDoN quests were unique, challenging and a nice addition to the, then present content. Instancing has become an expected feature in may games these days including DDO. Clicking on the entrance to one of these instanced areas, a window will pop up that allows you to set the difficulty level. There is also an explanation for each setting to give you an idea just what you are getting yourself into. Casual, Normal, Hard, Elite and Epic, I chose normal because it's not casual and it makes me feel like I'm not taking the easiest route. I'm not casual, I'm normal.

My normal cleric finds out there is an abnormal sound coming from the Heyton Family Crypt. Get out the recipe for Spooky and see what is needed. The ingredients were here but it lacked the flavor I was hoping for. I understand that this is still “noob adventuring” at this level, and school was still in session as the tutorials continued with new content, but it still seemed bland.

Sarcophagus smashing skill is maxed, no there is no such skill but if there was I would have been maxed out. The Crypt, appropriately so, is lined with Sarcophagi along the walls, one right after another. I suppose in order to find out where the strange sound was coming from one would indeed smash them. Process of elimination, two steps “Wack”, two steps “Wack”. Sometimes you would yield coin and other times a ticked off dead family member. There was enough Sarcophagi to Sarcopha-gag-me.

One appealing aspect that was introduced in this dungeon was the puzzle. I personally like the puzzle as long as it's done well. This puzzle was not difficult, it was...normal. Certain artifacts found in the Crypt, not in any of the 275 Sarcophacrap along the walls, but found in rooms is what allowed you to advance. Finding a way to get past the magic doorway, which was locating the items to place in the Sockets, added that little bit of mystery. This is much better than just entering the room for your final encounter.




The puzzle and the ambiance of the final room was the best parts of the this dungeon. I guess after I had to destroy crates and boxes for money when I first entered the game, I should have expected that all my coin drops would be similar.

Pillaging the Crypt made sense by busting up the Sarcophagi but I think a few would suffice. This was the part that seemed to outplay or overwhelm the reason for the adventure. It sadly dwarfed the cool puzzle and became very mundane. Speaking of Dwarf, my Cleric will be off to other adventures when time permits and hopefully as we progress, so will the puzzles and I am sure plenty of random stuff to break, smash and crush. 

Trivial as it may sound, the ability to keymap movement is critical to me. A player should not be limited to how they can move their avatar. Having the left mouse button preset and unchangeable is unnecessary.  The Free to Play option doesn't make me feel obligated or committed and makes it worth the space on my hard drive. 

Shipwrecked into another MMO.....part 2

Where I ended my last post, my Cleric made it into Korthos and of course a Tavern would've been the appropriate first stop, at least that’s what my Cleric was thinking, really..he told me. Entering into Korthos, and I mean just as soon as you zone in, it's Randall.

Good 'ole Randall standing cross-legged and waiting for all of those newly shipwrecked adventurers to guide them on their way. This is usually where I get in trouble for not following the path that is given. I am sure that Randall had some important and very informative things to tell me, but being the overzealous noob that I am I just clicked through the dialog so I could explore the village.

Korthos was familiar. The usual starting area I have seen in other games, Merchants, Trainers, quests to continue the story line and a mob of other noobs just like me. I was running around checking out all of the buildings and characters to interact with when I noticed something amusing. Every player running around, was swinging their weapon like it was a battle for their soul. It got to the point I kept turning around to see who was fighting. I ran to a merchant and a player was there hacking at the air just before he left. I came up on a trainer and another player was swinging at the wind.

When I first entered the game and began to get the feel of the controls, it was awkward. I am not used to the W-A-S-D to move my avatar. I'm not sure when the change took place because my early days of gaming, the WASD keys were the key, so to speak. These days I use or configure both mouse buttons to move forward and control the camera, it's much easier for me to navigate. Unfortunately with DDO, a player can't map the mouse buttons this way. I was able to use the scroll wheel to help create my perfect mode of movement, which brings me to my point.

So far, everyplace or person I have approached, I was swinging my mace. I run up to an NPC and turn to look at a quest, “Swiff Swiff”. I run up a ramp and adjust my camera angle “Swiff Swiff”. I wanted to make sure to get this corrected before I entered an open zone. It's embarrassing to be milling about doing your odds and ends in town, and the whole time you're swinging your weapon like someone swatting flies. It's like that Jumper syndrome that some have. You know the ones, they jump all the time, jump, jump, jump. You are at a merchant selling your wares and the whole time some Pally is jumping non-stop, It's just annoying. But if everyone is jumping....? With everyone running around me swinging their weapons wildly in the air I felt right at home, I guess there's a lot of people not used to the WASD keys.

Even with all of the running, “whooshing” and “swiffing” going on, we all paused in silence when we saw it.

Yes there it is....a Tavern. 

“Onward Lads we can do some “whooshing” in here.”

Shipwrecked into another MMO - Part 1

You wake up on a beach in ragged clothes and no belongings. The beach is littered with whats left of the ship and it's cargo, and some spry individual calls you by name. You are either in the never ending re-run of Gilligan’s Island or started a new MMO.

The spry individual is Jeets Shimis and the game is Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited. When DDO was launched I spent the first few weeks looking around but nothing held my attention enough to yield adequate game play. I remember that there were some interesting factors in DDO and since it's now a free to play model I thought I would “adventure” back in.

We all know Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I try to be fair when it comes to graphics as much as possible. It's the graphics, the “eye candy”, the detail that is somewhat important to me and why not. The gaming industry, art and development, has advanced to far not to delivery highly detailed worlds and characters. 

Looking around after entering I was not disappointed. The area was crisp and detailed from the water to the trees right down to the falling snow. Snow? On a tropical island? I bet that Dragon that is flying over has something to do with it, after all it was the reason I am shipwrecked.

The opening dialogue that moves the new player into the game, scenario or story line was rather intrusive. Jeets Shimis a rogue who stands a few feet away, relentlessly calls to you. Due to the fact that I wanted to look around first before jumping right in, poor Jeets just got on my nerves. It's almost like the developers were afraid that Jeets wouldn’t get anyone’s attention, every 3 seconds Jeets was speaking to me. I am sure it wasn’t every 3 seconds but it was annoying. 

After talking to Jeets we begin riding the MMO rail. This is where you get led around to certain points and people in the game so you can perform your daring deeds of do. This is needed of course to establish the new player with the game mechanics. Tutorial/introduction on how to talk, walk, run and if you are brand new to a game like this, its your best friend.

After breaking a few boxes for coin and getting my new weapon from Motormouth Jeets he sends you to find Cellimas Villuhne, this of course is you first real adventure type quest that further teaches you the game mechanics. There really wasn’t anything new in DDO's starting area compared to others. The only improvement, as a whole, has been making these starting areas more informative.

My little Tutorial quest introduced me to swimming, pulling levers to open doors and “Search” for searching traps. I will have to admit that this added animation when searching for a trap in a room is cool. It gives everyone that “pause” as if you were actually looking for something out of place, instead of a random behind the scenes number check that amounts to a click on an icon.

Another noticeable thing for me was the armor reward. We had bested our foes in battle, thwarted the evil Sahuagin High Priestess, and Jeets walked us to our reward. “Oh Look...a Chest.” the universal iconic graphic for reward, the proverbial pirates chest. Okay the chest wasn’t the cool thing here it was the armor. I always give a nod of acceptance to any game that can give me a variance in apparel and not only that, it isn’t painted on so 2 nods.

Got my game on, looking good like a Cleric should and our next stop is Korthos Village. Hope thay have a Tavern, getting a little thirsty.

Doing my part..

I was perusing, as that's what I do, and came across this article. Nielsen has researched and found that gaming accounts for 10% of all US internet time.

Now at first, 10% didn't sound like news, more like a passing thought or observation. It was the 407 million hours per month that sounded news worthy. I wonder how much of that is me, I'll have to check into that. I would much rather interact with my entertainment instead of digesting whatever it may be spewing out, TV comes to mind. Don't get me wrong, I like my share of Movies but very soon I get bored and want to play with my food. In other words I want to be more involved, decision making, hand an eye coordination, which I find waning these days.

Creative expression on a daily basis, your own Journal of the mundane is far more beneficial than 407 million hours of the Tube.

*I saunter off singing Frank Zappa's "I am the slime from your video"
in reference to: Nielsen: Gaming Accounts For 10% Of US Internet Time | Edge Magazine (view on Google Sidewiki)

Full Flavored MMO

Whatever happened to the days of grabbing your sword and shield for a good old killing spree.

It was bumped for a job.

I have killed 20 Bugbears, completed 15 Quests for the Mayor, saved a small village from certain doom all before noon. I'm bored, guess I'll go stand around in the center of town. It's like the game developers thought there just wasn’t enough. In fact, they thought about it to the point of creating jobs.

Image via Wikipedia

For me it all started with a box, or crate in Everquest. I would combine certain components to make Fish Rolls. It's not good enough that I had to quest all day to buy rancid water and bread, now I have a trade, I have a job. I made......fish rolls.

If that wasn’t humiliating enough. 

Not only did I have to craft things I could use,

I eventually had to go get the resources myself?

“You mean I need a pick, a shovel and an Axe?”

And what happened to my clicky crate? Now I have to slave over a hot stove and watch closely so that it doesn’t get to hot, or I fail. I remember people in EQ2 getting dead working at a forge. Too many reactions that didn’t get counteracted and you end up taking a dirt nap, that was harsh but the Forge got a "Ding".

The endeavor to make games bigger and better, more immersible and bring that “something new” to the masses, have really put the Mass in Massive.

“I am a Cleric of 50 seasons and a candle stick maker.” ..and I thinks it's cool.

It's opened up alternatives for all gamers. I've known several that spent more time harvesting and crafting than adventuring, because its what they liked to do. Of course those are the people to be friends with if you don't have a job. They have 6 character slots and each one has a trade, that person is their own store.

I know there are many debates on the need or if there is a true benefit, but in the circles I've traveled over the years craftsmen were always needed. Its just another facet of the MMO that can be enjoyed. I know myself that after a hard or long day, harvesting can be relaxing. All is good in the world. We have adventuring, crafting and harvesting. One could almost be self sufficient making their own food, armor or weapons. It seem to be a healthy balance, until someone wanted to parley,

“Parley what?”

Image via Wikipedia

When Vanguard Saga of Heroes shared their “Spheres” with the public, Diplomacy was their new, never before attempted without a safety net, show for the gaming world, one more Job for the player. I don't believe that diplomacy achieved all the goals that were set, of course there were a lot of goals for Vanguard that fell short. 

On a side note here, Vanguard was just short of perfection for what I wanted in an MMO, performance issues shortened my time there, it has so much potential.

Image via Wikipedia

The beginning concept of diplomacy was unique, and for me, very enjoyable. This was just another road to travel for the gamer along with everything else, crafting, harvesting and adventuring. We have the perfect world now, complete with work and recreation.



Friday night I am going to run a Dungeon with the guys and Saturday I am going fishing, but first a little diplomacy with the Missus.




What more can a gamer want in their fantasy world.
I know...how about some personality.

Image via Wikipedia

Curtis Johnson, one of the designers on Guild Wars 2,  gives us a little insight.

In Guild Wars 2, we’re going even further to make the out-of-combat experience a role playing experience by introducing “personality” as a player character role. How you respond to other characters develops and changes your personality over time, letting you affect how the game treats you. Personality is your character’s attitude toward others; it grows and changes as you play through your personal story and as you adventure in the persistent world

Read more of Curtis's Blog here

Okay, now we're complete. Personality is the piece that my world was lacking. I now have character for my character. Curtis does say that there are some rewards but the adverse effect doesn’t make you an outcast. If you are honorable there will be perks, if you are a jerk you will just have to pay a little more for service or they will spit in your soup at the Inn. It's really not an issue on how big a role personality will have, but more of how will the world react to you. I do remember the feeling in my early EQ2 days on how I was approached depending on my faction. It was nice the day I was saluted entering the Freeport Militia House.

There isn’t the pot of gold or a major end game advantage, it's just another, rather cool, facet of the game to work with. I do understand the benefits of crafting, harvesting, diplomacy and I am sure personality will have its place as well. I simply see this as being another choice or option for the gamer to advance as an individual in our wonderful world.

Adventure awhile, craft awhile, harvest awhile, then negotiate a night at the tavern with the Missus and cash in on your Karma. Now that’s a day at the office, if we can get them all into one MMO.

Pan and Games?

Move over George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, here comes Mr G. According to a an interview at MTV's Multiplayer Blog. The writer, director and producer of Pan's Labyrinth is heading into the gaming world. Guillermo del Toro who is probably most noted for directing the “Hell Boy” franchise, is going to share his movie/writing/directing talent with the gaming industry.

  MTV's Multiplayer blog

"One of the things we're announcing in the next few weeks is a big deal with a big company. We're going to do games that are going to be technically and narratively very interesting. It's not a development deal. We're going to do it. We're doing them. And we're going to announce it soon enough." ...Guillermo del Toro

I will be interested to see who this “big company” is and what “technically and narratively very interesting” plays like. I like this Celebrity/Hollywood trend and the more attention given to the gaming industry means more excitement to come, and Gamers continue to move into mainstream society. Okay, it's not like gamers are second rate citizens or anything but gamer acceptance has changed over the years.


Over the last 6 years or so we have seen more of Hollywood courting the video game industry. Names like Peter Jackson, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, John Woo “Face Off”, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg(though Lucas and Spielberg have been active longer), and lastly Paul WS Anderson “Mortal Kombat” and the first “Resident Evil” have expanded their creative experiences. Whether its because of new opportunities or a recession (Alex Wiltshire article, good read), its really hard to speculate.

When I first heard of a celebrity playing my fav MMO it made me feel less “geeky”, of course these days it's cool to be a “geek”. Back in the day, the idea of a superstar playing video games gave me my much needed retort. “Curt Schilling plays Everquest” was my enervated mythical. These days gaming is not only a major industry but an honorable pass time along with every other form of entertainment or recreation. The collaboration announcement of Curt Schilling; former MLB pitcher, RA Salvatore; Best selling American author and Todd McFarlane; Artist and writer best known for his Spawn comic book character, was exciting, of course the rest is yet to be told.

Game designer, movie director, extraordinary talents stepping into a new medium weaving that voodoo they do so well. This creates the “that was a great movie” conversation right with “That’s an awesome game.” It kinda of brings the whole thing together, sort of like a home coming.

Games made into movies or movies made into games are not as appealing to me, as a Game industry talent making a movie or Hollywood talent making a game, but more on that another time. Right now....C'mon Brad McQuaid, makes us a movie.

Tickets for the Big Show.

It goes something like this.

Your favorite Band is coming to town and you know its going to be a sell out. You have known this for several months and have moved your entire life to prepare. You have spent hours listening to their music and imagining yourself in the front row. At some point during this time you became a walking tribute to this band because that's all you talk about.

You follow the bands tour and know every night where they are. You read everything you can about each stop of the way. They are getting closer. The week has arrived and you find yourself driving by the place they will be playing. A few times a day as you drive by you see the signs, they are coming. You have worked yourself up to where food is an afterthought and sleep escapes you. The day has finally arrived and in one breath real life steps in and says “no”.

Okay, it's not the end of the world but it sometimes can feel like it.

I was so ready to enjoy the launch of Warhammer On-line and begin my new game life with a new guild, when it melted away. The Boss Mob called “Real Life” who we all know well, decided to give me something else to do. “Work sucks” is a branded phrase you see everywhere, T-shirts, Bumper stickers, even refrigerator magnets. “That's Life”, “Work Sucks”, hell I could probably right a wall of text about these alone.

The point? I am glad you asked.

My job is camping my corpse (72 hour's a week ).This won't last long but enough to get in the way for War's launch. There will be time to play and catch up but I was hoping to start with everyone else.

Yeah I know, “work sucks and that's life”. I'm just all dressed up with no place to go.

Spore: Single cell organism to Digital Rights Management? (DRM)

Okay it's a rainy Sunday morning and Warhammer Online is soon to open the “Head Start” for CE pre-orders. Which of course leaves me out since I fall into the “SE pre-order Wait until Monday” category, of course launch date is the 18th and for some War is further still.

In any event this gives me a few moments to “Peruse”.

Did 'Spore' copy protections backfire on EA? ( article by Jennifer Guevin )

What's the fuss about? Electronic Arts imposed copyright protections that limited the number of times a user can install the game to three.

Such digital rights management technology is intended to keep piracy to a minimum. But in this case, it seems to have had the opposite effect, angering would-be buyers and DRM opponents to such a degree that they are illegally downloading it en masse, apparently to make a statement as much as to get their hands on the game.

DRM is something of a conundrum- a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? In this case it seems everywhere you deal with a product and their DRM, the more it seems to get pirated.

On Saturday, TorrentFreak wrote that the game had already been downloaded more than 500,000 times on BitTorrent sites. Though it didn't appear to have broken any overall download records at the time this story was published, peer-to-peer research company Big Champagne told Forbes on Friday that the rate at which it was being downloaded was "extraordinary."

I believe in the rights of ownership especially when it comes to paying for a product, but until they come up with something that doesn't choke the consumer it's hard to swallow.

...besides, for the last couple of years every time I turn around it's "Pirate" something, Sparrow, Disney, Burning Seas, it's the cool thing now "Yar!"

Running down hill with baby Jesus.

Okay, the title may be extreme and I am sure I'll pay for it later but I stumbled across something today that made me just shake my head. There is an Anti Spore Blog. I have read many articles and blogs in the past that have been very brash and opinionated but none as amusing as this. Anti Spore

Apparently this blogger Mom has taken up a crusade against the new game Spore, EA and the designer Will Wright. Spore is a "massively single-player online game" that allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a single cell organism to interstellar exploration. If you have not heard or read anything about Spore, then please leave your cave now and look here Spore.

I agree that everyone has the right to an opinion and especially the freedom to voice it in whatever medium they see fit. Of course I also reserve the right to grab a bag of pretzels, a cold beer and watch the fun.

Religion and personal conviction is a powerful state of heart and mind that can lead one to do great things, but without wisdom it may do more harm than good. This blogger believes that Spore teaches evolution and evolution is “Bad Mmmkay”!

The object of the game is to evolve from a “spore” into demon-like intelligent space creatures that violently take over the galaxy.  I decided that Electronic Arts needs to hear from concerned people such as myself that this sort of game is not acceptable, and created this blog to find support and share information and progress with anyone who feels the same as I do.

Yes, the game allows the player to choose how the character looks. But the game guides you through the evolutionary theory.
If you create a character that functions badly, and you can not eat, or fight, or move fast. You have difficulty surviving. Thus you must through trial and error select a design that works. Which is the fundamental “survival of the fittest” theory behind evolution.

God did not create us through trial and error. He did not make millions of mistakes until deciding on the final concept. Each of his concepts were perfect on the first try.

I do believe every parent needs to take responsibility for what their child may or may not take part in. We can't remove what may “appear” to be evil, only instruct, teach and prepare. A crusade against publishers, developers and designers is not going to make these demons go away.

/puts soapbox away.

The read is an interesting point of view, (One post and 'nuff said) but the responses were the most entertaining. It did remind me of some forums that I tend to lurk around. I really liked the post about getting Jack Thompson to represent her and then the "strikethrough" after she realized 'ole Jack was the Real Slim Shady.
It makes me wonder of this is a gimmick or stunt, well played out for hits and attention.

With the advertisement “COMBAT ARMS; online FPS action, FRAG FOR FREE” attached to her blog, the Crusade falters. I feel like there are more important things a person can make a stand against, but a poor single cell organism trying to make a way, isn't one of them.

What are we looking for?

As one who loves the MMO universe I often ask myself what do the game gods ask themselves before creating an MMO. Getting the obvious out of the way, genre, what do they look at next? We know there are a million things that go into making a decent MMO.

I wonder at the little things that we sometimes pass over like in-game dialog, quests or story line. The hours upon hours of written text, “Hi I am Boomba and I sell pickles” or the idle chatter of NPC's as you pass by. It's hard to fathom that at 70+ levels we have read a few novels worth of written hints direction and lore.

How about the textures, lighting, shading and colors that bring an MMO to life. How many games have we played that we have stopped at some overlook and it actually took our breath away. The sunsets, the clouds, the rain, is it just fluff? Is it really needed? One would have to think that the “powers that be” would ask themselves, what are gamers wanting, what are they looking for.

I have seen concerns across the boards covering, Combat, death, questing, instancing, class balance, PVP, PVE, RVR all the way to “Does this armor make me look fat?” All of these are important but of course it depends on ones point of view.

Perplexing isn't it.

How do you serve the masses? I am glad that's not a hurdle I have to clear, its a high standard we place on the industry.

My expectations are almost impossible to meet I suppose, after a dozen MMO's I can glean from each to make the perfect game. I love the open world concept, the “wherever I can see, I can get to”. No boxed in zones except the game world itself. The ability to travel, at my discretion, and traverse mountains, plains, the oceans and stumble across that “easter egg” some developer left for me to find. This open world actually gives me the feeling I could really get lost. Time sink for some but immersive for others.

What a conundrum.

How about aesthetics or cosmetics, the eye candy that some crave from a game. You know the ones. Those robust games that need a Quadracore Gigamoose with a multimondo threaded taxibus type of PC that draws enough juice to dim the lights in your neighborhood. New game, new computer scenario because the new graphic engine is two bytes short of a hologram.

Okay, I'm guilty.

I love detailed graphics. Spin my character around to see even his nose hairs kind of detail. But at what cost, stability, gameplay? Would I play a perfect balanced game with great mechanics if my avatar was a stick figure? That would be a no, but there are others though that would run their stick figure to the level cap.

They bring us all together like some social club with the hopes of finding that niche for the masses. Success in some areas and failing in others but they try, over and over again they try. No game may be perfect but I still love the experience and am glad they keep trying.

Have I found what I am looking for?

Sing it Bono, just sing it...

“I have climbed the highest mountains

I have run through the fields Only to be with you, only to be with you

I have run I have crawled I have scaled these city walls, these city walls Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for”

Out of the corner of your eye

Peripheral Vision, which is vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze is a prime example of “Game” Forums or Sites. This is not a derogatory statement but simply an observation on my part.

There are an abundance of “Communities” that are dedicated to a game or MMO's in general, that can house the most obnoxious persona's that surf the 3 dub's (WWW).

Pick a game, pick a community and watch the “Battle of the Boards”. Not all communities harbor the insane, pro-zac smoking, retina fried, flotsam and jetsam that happens to wash up on the shore, but even those quiet “Mr Rogers Neighborhood” communities along with the “Back Alley” type serve the greater good.

The pure gold that I find in any community and I mean ANY, is the unlimited resources that the gaming industry has at their fingertips. If I was in control of a major gaming company the first thing I would do is hire, full time, to do nothing else, than to read and monitor every gaming forum as possible. Every week a full report would be submitted concerning the “State of the Gamer”.

Everywhere you look there a “State of the Game” posts and announcements. These are important and are needed. They come in several flavors, Devs explaining whats going on, where we want to be, etc, etc. Community sites reiterating to those gamers that play, but are clueless whats going on in their favorite playground. True story coming --> A player in Vanguard, never has the Chat Windows active and has played since launch did not have a clue about SOE/Sigil current events. These people need a “State of the Game” address.

11 years with MMO entertainment I have always believed the game companies were locked on to that “center gaze”, and all of a sudden, at times, something came flying at them from the corner of their eye and smacked them in the head. I would imagine hindsight was revelation to things they might have seen from the Gaming community but was lost in their straight forward gaze.

The mass of gamers that camp various Gaming sites, regardless of the Barroom or granny's house atmosphere have a role. An important calling for the present and future of all games.

Listen up gaming companies, keep your eyes on the prize and fixed on your goal, but listen to your public, we will let you know if something is going to smack you upside your head.