As you may have seen up top, my version of Twitter is just a little different, and it has been a blast to play with. Blip.FM is a great service like Last.FM that allows you to collect and play back tunes no matter where you are...
Anyways, I have been compiling the Blips (Twits?...lol) and also a playlist of other DJ's on Blip.FM with the eclectic music I listen to.
If you are interested in older Progressive, Glam, Psychedelic, or a plain Folk rock pop blues melange, then make sure to keep tabs on what I am listening to...
Most of these bands are either rare or hard to find or may even be defunct now.
Start here to see what I am Blipping...
Then check out the overall playlist here...
I plan to throw in some styles I have discussed in the past into my Blips down the road. So, hopefully if something catches your ear, you can check that genre out.
Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Warhammer Online - Props or Not?
The greenskin has posted a uh...post about a post (say that 3 times really fast) made by Mark Jacobs in regards to playing the game...
Greenskin had this to say...
Does it really deserve kudos? Cesspit had this to say...There is no team...there is Mark Jacobs
"Holy cow!
He's written seven pages to explain his dev team the problems of open RvR.
Seven f***ing pages. And here I thought I was logorrheic.
He's explaining his team the problems of open RvR, a game whose major feature is RvR, a game that was just released and whose design is only examined now.
What the f*** have you done in the last 2+ years?"
Hmmm. Who is right here? Is it great that Mark is playing NOW, and fixing issues NOW?
Weird.
Over the last week or so I have been playing the game continually focusing on RvR from a solo player’s (though I have joined a guild for one of my toons) perspective. I’ll talk about some of the changes/additions that have come from that experience in the coming weeks. The first result of that is a 7 page document that I’ve delivered to the team and I’m working on a second document that might be even longer. Changes from the first document are already going into the game and more will be added over the next month or so. Some other changes/additions will take longer (but done in stages) but there is no bigger proponent of open RvR than me (obviously) and I think our oRvR-focused players will really, really like where we are going to end up.
Greenskin had this to say...
I can’t wait to hear what he has to say and I hope he brings a range of fixes from both the solo and group side of this game.
Does it really deserve kudos? Cesspit had this to say...There is no team...there is Mark Jacobs
"Holy cow!
He's written seven pages to explain his dev team the problems of open RvR.
Seven f***ing pages. And here I thought I was logorrheic.
He's explaining his team the problems of open RvR, a game whose major feature is RvR, a game that was just released and whose design is only examined now.
What the f*** have you done in the last 2+ years?"
Hmmm. Who is right here? Is it great that Mark is playing NOW, and fixing issues NOW?
Weird.
Fable 2 - Comes to an end...or is it?
So, after 34 hours, the main storyline comes to an end.
What a blast.
The wife is still playing all the little side quests and mini games. She has not approached the final quests as she is having too much fun.
I have opened up some new possibilities in the game after completing the game. I thought this was novel, and expands longevity of the game.
In so many words, I am not done, and I have more to do, and that is besides playing through again as Evil to see the variations and gain the achievements.
How was the experience?
We still feel it was a great RPG, but be warned if you do play, the ending is anti-climactic.
The experience getting there was more of the meat of the game.
I still hold to my belief that many conventions in the game were well done, and other games (MMO's mostly) could learn from the RPG aspects.
I have also seen a few issues which have been mentioned in passing on forums.
Certain quests broke other items, yet was never a detriment to finishing the game.
And this is probably my biggest pet peeve for PC games...the bugs.
Fable 2's issues never detracted from my game time, yet, so many times have I dealt with drops to desktops, bluescreens, slower performance on high end systems.
But, I will probably never give up on the PC games, especially the MMO.
This is proving to be a good break for me, and I am enjoying my time off.
I received my DDO package today, but it cannot be used until my 30 day moratorium is up.
I will also have Tabula Rasa coming soon as well. Spellborn is supposed to launch (but with Acclaim at the helm, who knows what the heck is going on there...), so I think sharing my time with all of these games will be great fun.
Fallout 3 is being returned this weekend as no one really is into it. It just does not grab me as other games have.
I do have Devil May Cry 4 and several other games on the Xbox ready to go (Including a Conan game that was released before AoC and is an action game with Ron Perlman playing Conan and Claudia Black as a mysterious woman on an island...cool stuff).
I have one more story to share about Fable 2. It is called the experiment with marriage.
What happens when you marry a character in Fable 2 and use their awesome "nickname" tool to rename the NPC to your husband or wifes name...?
Let me say, it is never a good idea to shoot your wife in game when your REAL wife is watching...
What a blast.
The wife is still playing all the little side quests and mini games. She has not approached the final quests as she is having too much fun.
I have opened up some new possibilities in the game after completing the game. I thought this was novel, and expands longevity of the game.
In so many words, I am not done, and I have more to do, and that is besides playing through again as Evil to see the variations and gain the achievements.
How was the experience?
We still feel it was a great RPG, but be warned if you do play, the ending is anti-climactic.
The experience getting there was more of the meat of the game.
I still hold to my belief that many conventions in the game were well done, and other games (MMO's mostly) could learn from the RPG aspects.
I have also seen a few issues which have been mentioned in passing on forums.
Certain quests broke other items, yet was never a detriment to finishing the game.
And this is probably my biggest pet peeve for PC games...the bugs.
Fable 2's issues never detracted from my game time, yet, so many times have I dealt with drops to desktops, bluescreens, slower performance on high end systems.
But, I will probably never give up on the PC games, especially the MMO.
This is proving to be a good break for me, and I am enjoying my time off.
I received my DDO package today, but it cannot be used until my 30 day moratorium is up.
I will also have Tabula Rasa coming soon as well. Spellborn is supposed to launch (but with Acclaim at the helm, who knows what the heck is going on there...), so I think sharing my time with all of these games will be great fun.
Fallout 3 is being returned this weekend as no one really is into it. It just does not grab me as other games have.
I do have Devil May Cry 4 and several other games on the Xbox ready to go (Including a Conan game that was released before AoC and is an action game with Ron Perlman playing Conan and Claudia Black as a mysterious woman on an island...cool stuff).
I have one more story to share about Fable 2. It is called the experiment with marriage.
What happens when you marry a character in Fable 2 and use their awesome "nickname" tool to rename the NPC to your husband or wifes name...?
Let me say, it is never a good idea to shoot your wife in game when your REAL wife is watching...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Aion - Cool live feed
Starting November 11th, a particular player will be doing a live stream of Aion OB gameplay.
He will be taking questions during this event as well.
He does have some old character creation videos available here.
He also has some gameplay rendered scenes (meaning he has edited the footage...) HERE. (Not English).
The player is on and offline in the event right now. So, for your pleasure, a little of the feed below (hopefully this works...).
Thanks to NCSoft not carrying an NDA (how novel, must be proud of their work I guess...), this can be done...so enjoy.
Cheers
(Removed for now. Visit links for more info! CHEERS)
He will be taking questions during this event as well.
He does have some old character creation videos available here.
He also has some gameplay rendered scenes (meaning he has edited the footage...) HERE. (Not English).
The player is on and offline in the event right now. So, for your pleasure, a little of the feed below (hopefully this works...).
Thanks to NCSoft not carrying an NDA (how novel, must be proud of their work I guess...), this can be done...so enjoy.
Cheers
(Removed for now. Visit links for more info! CHEERS)
MMO levels? ...We don't need no stinkin' levels.
(EDIT:) Melf_Himself of course has a wonderful post, which seems to be a response to Syncaines posting on if levels are an effective game mechanic.
(EDIT: Looks like we are not alone discussing this issue...MMOMENT of ZEN)
Syncaine goes on to argue that MMO's should have levels, as it is what the player expects. He argues in his comments how Guild Wars is NOT fun due to the small amount of levels or none if you wish...
Melf had this to say...
"However, leveling is boring once there is too much time in between levels, as there are no new shinies to play with"
This is my major concern...and I started a nice long comment there, that has turned into today's post.
I stated:
What surprised me in Fable 2 (my current example of an RPG done right and is probably beyond irritating for most to read about now) is the fact that you really do not pay attention to level when it does not exist.
"Leveling" is the current bane of the MMO.
Due to the need to make each consecutive level take even longer than the last that the rewards start to diminish for the player, the player starts to burn out.
The need to flesh out those levels also leads to the current "sameness" of the genre as well.
Example: Most carrot/stick MMO's lose me between the levels of 40-50...meaning I just cannot go on due to boredom and lack of return on playtime.
When I started playing and could get 1-3 levels a session then it turns into a week of sessions equaling 1 level...that is a bit too much.
Guild Wars DID do this right by only having twenty levels, then the REAL meat of the game starts and allows you to progress based on your skill as a player.
Same with Fable 2. I can focus on advancing "skills" and not the levels.
As you fight you use "orbs" which after a certain amount gathered allow you to increase the power of a skill. This could be called a level for the skill per se...
As you fight you get surprised when an announcement is made that you can increase a skill...
Why is this? You realize how fun the game is (something else most MMO's today have forgotten), that you forget to even increase those powers, as it also relies on your skill with that power. Even a 2 star rating (their version of a level) skill can be as effective as a 5 star.
In so many words, if I wanted to, I would never need to level that skill, and just progress as I have been.
Also, your "orbs" (the name for their skill points system) increase based on your skill as a player. The better you use the specific attacks you already have, the more you are rewarded in that type of skill.
Use ranged more, get more ranged reward, melee attacks equals melee rewards.
I do NOT need a calculator, and charts to figure out how long it will take to get to that next level. It also puts a more "mysterious" turn into the game, and does not rely on the mechanics to calculate when I can reach that next level. (more about those mechanics in a moment...)
What it boils down to, pure and simple...I am not locked off from content due to my power being less than adequate.
Back to Guild Wars.
Each level has some basic reward, and does not inundate you with boredom in the skill dept. As well, having to be selective in your skills makes it more fun to get that new skill for you to try.
But, you were not relegated to reaching a level to get that skill either.
If you wish, you can go and capture skills or even buy them in other towns. In so many words, you were not forced to level to get the next goody.
You instead as you leveled had the capability to increase that skills power if you wished.
Also, the skills are not a ton of retreads like most MMO's. They all were unique or different in some way.
(Conan was really bad at this. I would get Stilleto I, Stilleto II, etc...snooze)
Fable 2 was the same way. Each "progression" in a skill made changes to how the skill worked. Like increasing certain ranged skills leads to getting access to bullseye and then eventually targeted shots to the head, etc...
Now, back to mechanics. This is also where the level "fails".
As has been seen in WAR. This became the overall goal.
The fun became work as the player tries their hardest to get levels.
AoC fails in levels due to the fact they decided they must be like other MMO's and add a ton.
80 levels was way too much for Conan, as it was quite fun for 40-45.
Then you were done.
Let the burnout commence.
We know we may never lose this usage of "levels" for an RPG (again a throwback to Dungeons and Dragons...unless someone has an earlier version of gaining levels while playing a role of an avatar of some sort...)
But, there needs to be some leeway of how levels are approached.
I still feel Guild Wars had the right idea. Either Insta-level or not make the gross majority of the game about the levels.
I also think some games need to make the mechanic of play time the fun part and not make it a job to level.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
(EDIT: Looks like we are not alone discussing this issue...MMOMENT of ZEN)
Syncaine goes on to argue that MMO's should have levels, as it is what the player expects. He argues in his comments how Guild Wars is NOT fun due to the small amount of levels or none if you wish...
Melf had this to say...
"However, leveling is boring once there is too much time in between levels, as there are no new shinies to play with"
This is my major concern...and I started a nice long comment there, that has turned into today's post.
I stated:
What surprised me in Fable 2 (my current example of an RPG done right and is probably beyond irritating for most to read about now) is the fact that you really do not pay attention to level when it does not exist.
"Leveling" is the current bane of the MMO.
Due to the need to make each consecutive level take even longer than the last that the rewards start to diminish for the player, the player starts to burn out.
The need to flesh out those levels also leads to the current "sameness" of the genre as well.
Example: Most carrot/stick MMO's lose me between the levels of 40-50...meaning I just cannot go on due to boredom and lack of return on playtime.
When I started playing and could get 1-3 levels a session then it turns into a week of sessions equaling 1 level...that is a bit too much.
Guild Wars DID do this right by only having twenty levels, then the REAL meat of the game starts and allows you to progress based on your skill as a player.
Same with Fable 2. I can focus on advancing "skills" and not the levels.
As you fight you use "orbs" which after a certain amount gathered allow you to increase the power of a skill. This could be called a level for the skill per se...
As you fight you get surprised when an announcement is made that you can increase a skill...
Why is this? You realize how fun the game is (something else most MMO's today have forgotten), that you forget to even increase those powers, as it also relies on your skill with that power. Even a 2 star rating (their version of a level) skill can be as effective as a 5 star.
In so many words, if I wanted to, I would never need to level that skill, and just progress as I have been.
Also, your "orbs" (the name for their skill points system) increase based on your skill as a player. The better you use the specific attacks you already have, the more you are rewarded in that type of skill.
Use ranged more, get more ranged reward, melee attacks equals melee rewards.
I do NOT need a calculator, and charts to figure out how long it will take to get to that next level. It also puts a more "mysterious" turn into the game, and does not rely on the mechanics to calculate when I can reach that next level. (more about those mechanics in a moment...)
What it boils down to, pure and simple...I am not locked off from content due to my power being less than adequate.
Back to Guild Wars.
Each level has some basic reward, and does not inundate you with boredom in the skill dept. As well, having to be selective in your skills makes it more fun to get that new skill for you to try.
But, you were not relegated to reaching a level to get that skill either.
If you wish, you can go and capture skills or even buy them in other towns. In so many words, you were not forced to level to get the next goody.
You instead as you leveled had the capability to increase that skills power if you wished.
Also, the skills are not a ton of retreads like most MMO's. They all were unique or different in some way.
(Conan was really bad at this. I would get Stilleto I, Stilleto II, etc...snooze)
Fable 2 was the same way. Each "progression" in a skill made changes to how the skill worked. Like increasing certain ranged skills leads to getting access to bullseye and then eventually targeted shots to the head, etc...
Now, back to mechanics. This is also where the level "fails".
As has been seen in WAR. This became the overall goal.
The fun became work as the player tries their hardest to get levels.
AoC fails in levels due to the fact they decided they must be like other MMO's and add a ton.
80 levels was way too much for Conan, as it was quite fun for 40-45.
Then you were done.
Let the burnout commence.
We know we may never lose this usage of "levels" for an RPG (again a throwback to Dungeons and Dragons...unless someone has an earlier version of gaining levels while playing a role of an avatar of some sort...)
But, there needs to be some leeway of how levels are approached.
I still feel Guild Wars had the right idea. Either Insta-level or not make the gross majority of the game about the levels.
I also think some games need to make the mechanic of play time the fun part and not make it a job to level.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Is console more expensive than PC?
Hudson posted this comment on one of my blog posts....
"I realized console games get boring and cost too much money"
So, I have tried to figure this out in respects to play time, play style, and overall costs involved.
Lets look at a few items that sat in the back of my mind...
It is a known issue that console games are shorter in time span than most online games or even some PC games (due to high productions with cut scenes, voice over work, etc...). So, this is a toss up. I usually get a better story than an MMO (a sore point for MMO's right now..."Story? What story?" is more like it) and better production (awesome intros, in between cutscenes).
This is a tie...
If I do not like a console game, I can at least return it for some credit toward another game (and if I wait for a sale within the first month, I can get a bonus 10-20% upgrade on that trade in).
Also, I can rent a game for my console for a monthly fee through Gamefly.
Try to do that with a PC game?
Console Wins!
But, here is the number one reason I think console games work.
Bugs.
Meaning less prevalent in console titles (though not gone by any measure), but the fact you can "put in the game" and have it work. This is to me a better value.
Also, throw in the fact that video cards cost almost as much as an Xbox 360 Arcade right now, the cost to run the game is exponentially lower.
PC's also run the risk of incompatibility issues which cause more bugs than is normal.
It is hard to say why some may like PC games compared to Console games, but I would argue cost is not one of them.
"I realized console games get boring and cost too much money"
So, I have tried to figure this out in respects to play time, play style, and overall costs involved.
Lets look at a few items that sat in the back of my mind...
It is a known issue that console games are shorter in time span than most online games or even some PC games (due to high productions with cut scenes, voice over work, etc...). So, this is a toss up. I usually get a better story than an MMO (a sore point for MMO's right now..."Story? What story?" is more like it) and better production (awesome intros, in between cutscenes).
This is a tie...
If I do not like a console game, I can at least return it for some credit toward another game (and if I wait for a sale within the first month, I can get a bonus 10-20% upgrade on that trade in).
Also, I can rent a game for my console for a monthly fee through Gamefly.
Try to do that with a PC game?
Console Wins!
But, here is the number one reason I think console games work.
Bugs.
Meaning less prevalent in console titles (though not gone by any measure), but the fact you can "put in the game" and have it work. This is to me a better value.
Also, throw in the fact that video cards cost almost as much as an Xbox 360 Arcade right now, the cost to run the game is exponentially lower.
PC's also run the risk of incompatibility issues which cause more bugs than is normal.
It is hard to say why some may like PC games compared to Console games, but I would argue cost is not one of them.
Fallout 3 - Not that fun
With so much concentration on the conversations, and the storyline, they forgot to make overall combat any good.
Especially for a game with guns, I spend half of my time swinging a melee weapon instead.
Bullets have been hard to find and buy, and money is even difficult to get to.
When fighting, you must focus on AP, which is cool, but you must fight outside of AP to get the AP...
The world is also bleak, and I think I do not want to be in a world that makes me feel so down.
I am sure there is a good game here, but I am not feeling it...(must be that Sci-Fi syndrome?)
I let my son try the game since I was done, and he liked it at first, and then got the same issues...he hated combat, and went back to Fable 2...
So did I.
Especially for a game with guns, I spend half of my time swinging a melee weapon instead.
Bullets have been hard to find and buy, and money is even difficult to get to.
When fighting, you must focus on AP, which is cool, but you must fight outside of AP to get the AP...
The world is also bleak, and I think I do not want to be in a world that makes me feel so down.
I am sure there is a good game here, but I am not feeling it...(must be that Sci-Fi syndrome?)
I let my son try the game since I was done, and he liked it at first, and then got the same issues...he hated combat, and went back to Fable 2...
So did I.
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