Something interesting happened (and continues to happen) with City of Heroes / Villains recently and it’s something that deserves a bit more attention. No, it isn’t the launch of Going Rogue – it is the announcement of the Party Pack, retailing for $8. To date, CoH/V has generally walked on the favourable side of micro-transactions … Continue reading
Filed under Player Behaviour …
Voice Overs Are The New Black
When it comes to upcoming MMOs, voice overs are the new public quests. By which I mean: thing you have to have to look cool. Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to be fully voiced. Some people are very excited about that. DC Universe Online is going to have an all-star voice acting cast. … Continue reading
The Downward Life Spiral of the Mainly PvP MMO
(Apologies for the resolution at this size – click on the images to see things a bit more clearly.)
Lord of the Rings Online Goes Free To Play: Here’s Why
Some fairly recent news has emerged that Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) is going to have a free-to-play (F2P) option added. This has surprised quite a few people, but here’s why they’ve made the move: It’s The Smart Thing To Do Turbine obviously has the experience of Dungeons and Dragons Online experiencing 500% … Continue reading
APB: Collecting Money Is Important
Although there are always cases of companies doing TOO well in collecting money from players, one of the quickest ways a MMO folds is if they can’t get enough income to keep the doors open. As such, putting thought into how that payment model should be structured is critical. Hellgate: London stands out as a … Continue reading
THQ Truth Or Lies An Even Chance
THQ has announced something a bit different – a video game that will be able to tell if you are telling the truth or lying simply by analysing your voice. Helpfully enough, they’re calling it Truth or Lies. Apparently it has a “proprietary voice calibration system” that will analyse stress levels in a player’s voice … Continue reading
Bitter Pills, Regardless of Colour: The Fall of The Matrix Online
The use of intellectual properties for MMO titles is an interesting and conflicted area. Ultima Online was the first major MMO to attract player attention, having been built on the long-standing Ultima IP, while World of Warcraft’s strength is partly built off its association with the Warcraft real time strategy franchise. However, just having an … Continue reading
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, Even If It Is Second Life
One frequent request in MMO circles is to not railroad the player into linear tasks, but to let them have greater freedom. “I’m tired of the level grind and an environment where nothing changes – let me shape the very face of the world!” is asked for at various times. In the file marked “Never … Continue reading
One Simple Step To Becoming The Hero of the Revolution
Get your head chopped off. The sudden disappearance of Daeke from the Champions Online forums, followed by the announcement that he’d “moved on to other things” was an interesting set of events. Not because Cryptic saw another Community Manager pass through ChampO – they’ve had Sporkfire, IronAngel, Kestrel, Awen (popped up but mainly Star Trek … Continue reading
Going for Prime Loot Makes One Selfish
Saw this excerpt on a study that indicated that exposure to luxury goods can make people more selfish / less altruistic. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it could potentially why indicate that guilds / players who are surrounded by the best items any MMO has to offer tend to get a “screw the … Continue reading
World Class Villains 