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I'm Tired of This Stagnation in Gaming and Entertainment in General
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Myxx
The Scope
#1 - 2012-05-03 06:07:24 UTC
So, I was going to buy skyrim before I learned that it requires installing Steam. I don't like Valve for reasons that have nothing to do with this, so instead I bought and tried Assassin's Creed 2. Between my frequent afking for real life stuff, I really don't have much time on my hands as of late. So, as a single player RPG, it fits.

I'm absolutely loving it. My main problem with many RPGs (and, for that matter, MMORPGs - Hello, WoW, STO, SWG, SWTOR, AOC, etc) is that they build their enviroments as something that is "just there" as opposed to something the player interacts with - a means to an end - that make for things being possible that are quite interesting and in a sense, dynamic.

There is a commonly held opinion that people don't want anything new, they want the same old **** tossed into a blender and forcefed to them.

Bullshit.

The thing I like about Assassin's Creed is the fact that the world shaping allows for many different methods to solving a problem whereas, for example in something like Mass Effect, or KOTOR1/2.. you're led down a hallway with a facade of it having an impact on things. The problem, likewise with Starwars Galaxies was that the worlds were basically flat save for terrain modifications and buildings. You couldn't, for an absurd example, sit on top of the Wayfar cantina while waiting for someone. Likewise, body disposal in AC2 can be pretty easy, as far as just dumping people into rivers/oceans/ponds or whatever. EVE devs, take note: When WIS comes out, I've got a list of people I want to toss out of the airlock of my ship or the station I reside in - this isn't a must, but it would make me (and im sure many others) very, very happy.

Thats my other gripe, many MMORPGs are erring on the side of controlling/protecting players from other players and themselves. For example in SWG, you could actually manufacture houses and other stuff for use in world (kind of like starbases in EVE, except houses in SWG weren't a huge pain in the ass and having one was actually pretty cool at times). They do this for fear of the creative ways we can collectively come up with to screw with each other. In turn, this excessive control hurts them (Hello, WoW, SWTOR - and quite possibly EVE. Hi Greyscale - we'll see).

Point is, sandboxes are awesome and should be used more with functions that promote creative things being done to people by other people. Games like WoW or SWTOR are fun for some and could be enjoyable, if you're into them - I am, at times, I admit - but the more that tools and functions reside with the player being given as many choices as possible - game functionality and otherwise, the better.

Don't get me started on UI and modification, thats for another time, hahaha.
Surfin's PlunderBunny
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#2 - 2012-05-03 06:25:04 UTC
Don't bother with Skyrim, the characters have no character and they're just impossible to care about. Also I don't trust magical elves that have mastered anti gravity. I lost my horse and ran around for half an hour looking for it until I looked up. It was standing there about 40 ft. above me Shocked

"Little ginger moron" ~David Hasselhoff 

Want to see what Surf is training or how little isk Surf has?  http://eveboard.com/pilot/Surfin%27s_PlunderBunny
Destination SkillQueue
Doomheim
#3 - 2012-05-03 09:29:14 UTC
Most games these days require you to install it through some kind of online service and it's going to be increasingly more common. If you're not going to deal with it, you can pretty much start ignoring all major game releases. It offers some advantages though. For example they've integrated modding support to it in steam, so you can install mods through it with a press of a button and keep it automaticly updates.

As for skyrim specifically it's a great sandbox game with good after launch support with patches and official development tools released, so there are tons of high quality mods for it with a constant stream of new content coming out. It was a good game at launch with rough edges, but patches smoothed them and with modding you can modify and upgrade it to your specific preferences and challenge levels. I recommend doing it, since the vanilla game is very easy. About 6 months after purchase and I'm still playing it fairly regularly. One of the better purchases I've made in many years.
VKhaun Vex
Viziam
Amarr Empire
#4 - 2012-05-03 10:07:33 UTC  |  Edited by: VKhaun Vex
Nearly everything new in the MMO genre copies WoW.

People always reply to that statement with 'WoW isn't the only MMO!' because they don't reallize just how much the MMO industry has copied WoW lol... I was playing MMO's when WoW came out and there were LOTS of ways to do things. Today, everything does it all WoW's way.

Example: Looting bodies.
In other original MMO's you had loot drops as bags or other widgets on the ground, direct-to-inventory looting, or no loot at all. Making bodies containers is the WORST loot system you can possibly come up with. You have to make bodies disappear or else you noobie zones will just be giant piles of dead wolves so bags let you keep loot longer than bodies and let more loot drop in an area without being covered up (bodies are much larger than bags, some bodies are larger than others), and bags let you customize by loot -IF- you want to, or just have one 'bag' graphic for all loot if you don't want to spend the dev time on it now/ever.

(EVE is bodies that pop into loot bags for reference, and it makes sense because cargo space is integral to the game, where it is an arbitrary restriction or cash shop money grab in most others)

Not only do they copy WoW, many newer MMO's such as SWTOR will go to the trouble of doing bodies as containers, and then have 'quick loot' or 'area quick loot' or even RANGED looting where you don't need to go over to it at all! They have specifically, intentionally, repeated the design KNOWING IT NEEDED FIXING and then implemented a work-around IN THE SAME GAME BEFORE LAUNCH. Think about that for a minute. That is a bean counter, investor, or producer telling them 'copy WoW' and the game dev saying 'this sucks, how can I fix it?'. There is no other explanation.





Why do I post this rant in a thread about the entertainment industry?
because it's happening again.

Shooter games are copying CoD/BF. We use to have shooter games where you... shoot... at eachother. Now all your kills are from traps, explosives, indirect fire, streak rewards, vehicles, and the majority of gun kills that DO happen are from intel advantages giving you free kills.

ARPG's are copying D2. While a great game, D2 tried to push both action, and RPG stats/gear/spec elements. In the end the scales clearly tipped too far towards RPG because the action was completely negated by it. No one playing D2 dodged anything but Big D's lightning and Meph's orb, and CRUSHED everything else with stats and gear. Ironically in this context, D3 is the -ONLY- ARPG coming out that leans on real action and many hate it for having a 'dumbed down' skill set.

Action Adventure games are copying God of War. Press X, B, A, J, Z, C - TA DA YOU WON instead of actually having to use moves for both defense and offense, it's pure offense...






Pick a genre and this trend continues. If you want progress, you have to stop getting distracted by bullshit about having to be online... having to download STEAM/Origin/Whatever... needing to guy buy a copy and can't D/L it... have to pay monthly... whatever your gripe is, the games that really try something new like GW2 are where the action is, and you shouldn't put your gripes ahead of encouraging the break from 'safe developed' clones.

Charges Twilight fans with Ka-bar -Surfin's PlunderBunny LIIIIIIIIIIINNEEEEE PIIIEEEECCCCEEE!!!!!!! -Taedrin Using relativity to irrational numbers is smart -rodyas I no longer believe we landed on the moon. -Atticus Fynch
Sidus Isaacs
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2012-05-03 10:17:37 UTC
I generally only play indie games, because many indie devs actually make new and interesting things. And thy quite often actually care about their games and see the game as an end in itself, not the money.
Bane Necran
Appono Astos
#6 - 2012-05-03 18:02:13 UTC
It's what i call the 'boardroom mentality'. You see the same thing with modern movies.

Basically, their main concern is profit, so they just copy something that was successful already, instead of taking 'risks' with uncertain things. It seems to work better with movies, as people seemingly never get tired of the same formulas. They go to a movie expecting a certain experience, and the people making the movie just try to deliver what they expect. But with games, i'm not sure how many more companies are going to try and copy WoW before they realize if people wanted to play WoW they'd just play WoW.

The same mentality is also to blame for so many movies and games not wanting to be rated anything over 13+. In the boardroom they're just thinking about getting money from as many people as possible, but it often means younger and older audiences aren't as interested in it as they would be something made for their age group specifically.

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." ~Miyamoto Musashi
Herzog Wolfhammer
Sigma Special Tactics Group
#7 - 2012-05-03 19:35:58 UTC
The first thing that must happen is this: ALL Marketers must DIE.


A marketer has but one function: take what already worked or what was already done, and try to do the exact same thing expecting people to think it's new.


Marketers are the reason why everything looks like a Honda Accord.


Once the marketers are on the bottom of the ocean being feasted upon by sharks and crabs, things will improve.


Bring back DEEEEP Space!
stoicfaux
#8 - 2012-05-03 19:49:26 UTC
OP plays Second Life?

Pon Farr Memorial: once every 7 years, all the carebears in high-sec must PvP or they will be temp-banned.
SpaceSquirrels
#9 - 2012-05-03 20:44:54 UTC
Should really get the witcher 2 then...

PS skyrim is amazing especially with the mod support built into steam.
Flex Mustang
Vodka and Vice
#10 - 2012-05-03 20:51:40 UTC
Well, The Elder Scrolls Online was announced today.

Hopefully they can carry the sandbox feel over to the new MMO.
Myxx
The Scope
#11 - 2012-05-03 21:01:03 UTC
Flex Mustang wrote:
Well, The Elder Scrolls Online was announced today.

Hopefully they can carry the sandbox feel over to the new MMO.

Now that is interesting.
TWHC Assistant
#12 - 2012-05-03 23:25:12 UTC
Myxx wrote:
Flex Mustang wrote:
Well, The Elder Scrolls Online was announced today.

Hopefully they can carry the sandbox feel over to the new MMO.

Now that is interesting.

Not to me. This pretty much sounds like the next big disappointment everyone is waiting for. My experience with TES games is that nothing is as good as the first title one has played. Everyone loves the immersion when they play it for their first time. It only never gets better from there on. Or can anyone imagine an EVE 2.0 or 3.0? A TES MMO can only be horrible ...
Myxx
The Scope
#13 - 2012-05-04 01:00:47 UTC
TWHC Assistant wrote:
Myxx wrote:
Flex Mustang wrote:
Well, The Elder Scrolls Online was announced today.

Hopefully they can carry the sandbox feel over to the new MMO.

Now that is interesting.

Not to me. This pretty much sounds like the next big disappointment everyone is waiting for. My experience with TES games is that nothing is as good as the first title one has played. Everyone loves the immersion when they play it for their first time. It only never gets better from there on. Or can anyone imagine an EVE 2.0 or 3.0? A TES MMO can only be horrible ...



I was going to refrain from this in my OP, but since you brought it up...

Part of the problem with MMOs these days is there are people that flock from one game to the next, calling each a disappointment because the game isn't the **** from the start. I equally hate stagnant, uninteresting content as much as I do these types of people.
Surfin's PlunderBunny
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#14 - 2012-05-04 01:29:34 UTC
Skyrim does become playable after installing this mod Bear

http://youtu.be/cyuNoCUm4Qw?t=1m55s

"Little ginger moron" ~David Hasselhoff 

Want to see what Surf is training or how little isk Surf has?  http://eveboard.com/pilot/Surfin%27s_PlunderBunny
Bane Necran
Appono Astos
#15 - 2012-05-04 02:03:42 UTC
Flex Mustang wrote:
Well, The Elder Scrolls Online was announced today.

Hopefully they can carry the sandbox feel over to the new MMO.


And it will probably be M rated.

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." ~Miyamoto Musashi
Jon Engel
Machete Carbide
#16 - 2012-05-05 18:03:58 UTC
Sidus Isaacs wrote:
I generally only play indie games, because many indie devs actually make new and interesting things. And thy quite often actually care about their games and see the game as an end in itself, not the money.



Nobody likes hipsters.
Herping yourDerp
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#17 - 2012-05-05 18:18:02 UTC
Pick up the witcher 2. sounds like its what you want.

also, skyrim is the best game to come out in the last 2 years.
Dapud
#18 - 2012-05-05 19:37:51 UTC
Planetside 2 has been overshadowed by GW2 a bit and it may turn out to be crap because of Sony. But it's completely F2P, no initial purchase either and part of it's skill system is similar to EVE. So you should obviously at least try that.
Shivus Tao
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#19 - 2012-05-05 21:27:11 UTC
Vanilla skyrim is ok.

It's really all about the mods. If you aren't running at least 60 core mods you're doing it wrong.
Sophia Koblenko
Imperial Academy
Amarr Empire
#20 - 2012-05-06 00:20:09 UTC
I'm currently playing AC2 as well. Not sure why you think it's a good game. The way the game is made it reminds me of City of Heroes/Villains. Just like CoX its a map with generic npcs and generic quests. Add some da Vinci code-type conspiracy mumbojumo to it and you have AC2.
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