Still Waiting for Allods
I’m still playing a little Runes of Magic while I wait for Allods to release. Many times I’ve been tempted to go back to the BETA but have resisted so far. I don’t want to preview anymore of the content. I don’t really get why anyone wants to reach max level in the BETA which means they’ve already played the game before it’s even been released. Oh I know all the content needs to be tested but that could be facilitated by providing characters at the appropriate levels as they introduce each tier to be tested. I don’t do alts much. Doing a full run in BETA means that I’ve already wasted the “newness” on a throw away character. This translates to my main will be like an “alt run” and my first alt a third trek through the content? Eh, I’ll pass. VERY FEW games have had the diversity in content and volume of quests to support multiple runs without re-doing a majority of the quests. I think Allods has enough diversity for two runs with an acceptable level of overlap, not three, so I’m done in BETA. PLEASE release already.
Azeroth Advisor Says Goodbye
I was sad to receive an email from 38 Studios that their wonderful product, Azeroth Advisor, was going offline. This was such a wonderful idea to help new players find their way around the game while providing thoughtful suggestions for class progression. From a role-player perspective this was pure genius. It was a newsletter directed toward your character and provided bits of lore, zone maps and a look at your upcoming spells and talents. Having this at the beginning of my WOW journey would have been gold.
I’m still playing a little Runes of Magic while I wait for Allods to release. Many times I’ve been tempted to go back to the BETA but have resisted so far. I don’t want to preview anymore of the content. I don’t really get why anyone wants to reach max level in the BETA which means they’ve already played the game before it’s even been released. Oh I know all the content needs to be tested but that could be facilitated by providing characters at the appropriate levels as they introduce each tier to be tested. I don’t do alts much. Doing a full run in BETA means that I’ve already wasted the “newness” on a throw away character. This translates to my main will be like an “alt run” and my first alt a third trek through the content? Eh, I’ll pass. VERY FEW games have had the diversity in content and volume of quests to support multiple runs without re-doing a majority of the quests. I think Allods has enough diversity for two runs with an acceptable level of overlap, not three, so I’m done in BETA. PLEASE release already.
Azeroth Advisor Says Goodbye
I was sad to receive an email from 38 Studios that their wonderful product, Azeroth Advisor, was going offline. This was such a wonderful idea to help new players find their way around the game while providing thoughtful suggestions for class progression. From a role-player perspective this was pure genius. It was a newsletter directed toward your character and provided bits of lore, zone maps and a look at your upcoming spells and talents. Having this at the beginning of my WOW journey would have been gold.
I was already aware that 38 Studios was running into financial troubles via a post from Darren. I think it’s sad that they’re having such a hard time raising investment capital. It’s not unexpected in the current climate but unfortunate all the same. Here’s someone who loved gaming enough to put his own money on the line – trying to live that second dream. I’m sure it’s a dream shared by many avid gamers, that they could somehow fund the development of their own MMO. I wish Curt Schilling and 38 Studios all the best. I will miss Azeroth Advisor even though I didn’t discover it until my final months in WOW.
I wish they’d try to monetize it is some way. Perhaps they wouldn’t have gotten enough subscribers to warrant the resources. Personally, I’ve felt such a decline in the RP and story of most MMOs that have released in the past few years that I’d pony-up to have this RP-styled newsletter for my characters in each MMO. It would certainly be worth a couple of bucks a month for me to have an Allods Advisor or EQ2 Advisor whenever I’m subscribed.
I’ve always been impressed by the quality and quantity of short fiction CCP pumps out for EVE Online. Besides enjoying a good fiction read, AA spoke to having an element that is external to the game keeping you connected and in touch. This was something I could read on my smart phone where ever and whenever I wanted. I’m sad that AA is stopping services and that so few players were probably even aware of its existence.
Myst Online’s Resurrection
Myst Online is a spin-off of the wildly successful Myst series. This was my first gaming obsession after The Sims 1. More importantly, this is the game that made me want to write about games. Most of you know that I fell in love with MMOs while recuperating from cancer. However, it was Myst that inspired me to write about them without feeling like a complete geek. Clearly, one could be so enthralled by a game that they’d want to share that passion since a publishing company made a 3-book deal with the Rand brothers and Dave Wingrove to do just that. I couldn’t be alone in wanting to share my adventures and small pieces of game-related fiction. If someone was willing to publish game-based fiction, there must be an audience of readers.
I read all three of the novels which presented the lore and background for Myst. Sci-fi/fantasy is my preferred genre and the first two novels did not disappoint. While I enjoyed the third, I did have a feeling that they were stretching for a storyline. Regardless, I thought it was an impressive achievement and it convinced me that writing for or about games wasn’t too insane. *smile*
For Myst fans who’d gone over to play the online version and have remained dedicated to its resurrection, I’m happy their day has come. From what I read, Myst Online is now F2P and they are going open source to allow the community to develop content for the game. OMG, WHY OH WHY, doesn’t Turbine go OS with Asheron’s Call 2 and EA with The Sims Online. There’s barely a conversation among my girlfriends and I, where we don’t lament the abomination that was released as TSO and wish it would go open source for the community to support, like they have with all the content that’s been developed for the single-player Sims games.
Myst Online while F2P, is accepting donations. I never played Myst Online. I guess I was frothing at the mouth in AC2 by then. I’ll definitely give it a try now and plan on donating even if I don’t play. My donation is a gesture to support them in their efforts to release the content to the fans.
I wish they’d try to monetize it is some way. Perhaps they wouldn’t have gotten enough subscribers to warrant the resources. Personally, I’ve felt such a decline in the RP and story of most MMOs that have released in the past few years that I’d pony-up to have this RP-styled newsletter for my characters in each MMO. It would certainly be worth a couple of bucks a month for me to have an Allods Advisor or EQ2 Advisor whenever I’m subscribed.
I’ve always been impressed by the quality and quantity of short fiction CCP pumps out for EVE Online. Besides enjoying a good fiction read, AA spoke to having an element that is external to the game keeping you connected and in touch. This was something I could read on my smart phone where ever and whenever I wanted. I’m sad that AA is stopping services and that so few players were probably even aware of its existence.
Myst Online’s Resurrection
Myst Online is a spin-off of the wildly successful Myst series. This was my first gaming obsession after The Sims 1. More importantly, this is the game that made me want to write about games. Most of you know that I fell in love with MMOs while recuperating from cancer. However, it was Myst that inspired me to write about them without feeling like a complete geek. Clearly, one could be so enthralled by a game that they’d want to share that passion since a publishing company made a 3-book deal with the Rand brothers and Dave Wingrove to do just that. I couldn’t be alone in wanting to share my adventures and small pieces of game-related fiction. If someone was willing to publish game-based fiction, there must be an audience of readers.
I read all three of the novels which presented the lore and background for Myst. Sci-fi/fantasy is my preferred genre and the first two novels did not disappoint. While I enjoyed the third, I did have a feeling that they were stretching for a storyline. Regardless, I thought it was an impressive achievement and it convinced me that writing for or about games wasn’t too insane. *smile*
For Myst fans who’d gone over to play the online version and have remained dedicated to its resurrection, I’m happy their day has come. From what I read, Myst Online is now F2P and they are going open source to allow the community to develop content for the game. OMG, WHY OH WHY, doesn’t Turbine go OS with Asheron’s Call 2 and EA with The Sims Online. There’s barely a conversation among my girlfriends and I, where we don’t lament the abomination that was released as TSO and wish it would go open source for the community to support, like they have with all the content that’s been developed for the single-player Sims games.
Myst Online while F2P, is accepting donations. I never played Myst Online. I guess I was frothing at the mouth in AC2 by then. I’ll definitely give it a try now and plan on donating even if I don’t play. My donation is a gesture to support them in their efforts to release the content to the fans.
Looks like Open Beta for Allods starts Feb. 16th and mo deletion of OB characters.
http://allods.gpotato.com/news/2010/02/10/allods-online-announces-open-beta/
Posted by: Winged Nazgul | February 09, 2010 at 05:13 PM
Thanks for the information! Last I heard CB 4 was extended and I was sadden by that since I'm SO anxious to start playing for real.
Posted by: Saylah | February 09, 2010 at 05:59 PM
"Oh I know all the content needs to be tested but that could be facilitated by providing characters at the appropriate levels as they introduce each tier to be tested."
I've argued this more than once. As a guy who works in the industry, being able to cheat ahead to spots in a game that need testing is crucial to getting it tested in a timely fashion. Since all the characters are going to be wiped, go ahead and let us start at different levels in an MMO beta already!
I'm looking forward to the 16th. I'm hoping to get my character names pinned down. ;)
I'm also going to tinker with Myst Online. I loved the original games, and I've wanted to see what they do to the IP to make it an MMO. I fear... but I'm curious. The novels were great, too.
Posted by: Tesh | February 10, 2010 at 07:23 PM
*Waves at Tesh!" We are in total agreement for BETA testing. I'm not going to ruin my live gaming experience by plowing through all the content on a junk character.
I'm more happy for the Myst fans. I know how excited I'd be if The Sims Online or Asheron's Call 2 were released as open source. ZOMG what the TSO community modders and content developers could have done.
I'm totally going to try to lock in my signature names on the 16th. Hope to see you there.
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | February 11, 2010 at 09:18 PM
I really want to see the Siveria area League-side. I could have gone there with my Gibberlings, following a quest chain, but I specifically refrained because I want to see it "live". There's something to be said for something being fun more than once (as in, if it's not, it's not as good as it should be), but even AO, as good as it is, isn't immune to grinding, and I just don't want to do that again and again. (Must be why I want to be able to change classes...)
So yeah, I'm thinking League, but all the best names I can come up with (and steampunk goodness) are Empire side. Looks like I'll be playing both. ;) See you!
Posted by: Tesh | February 12, 2010 at 12:07 PM