EVE Faction Warfare
I definitely should have considered that I play EVE in spurts before joining Faction Warfare. I have more moments where I’m not looking for an adrenalin rush, than moments where I am. I haven’t played in a couple of weeks. Work and getting my shop ready for spring and summer having commandeered much of my free time, I don’t have the availability needed to get involved with pre-planned activities in EVE. My free time, mood and temperament seem to be counterproductive to participating in long term gaming commitments.
I must be doing it wrong! Before disappearing, I was still struggling with knowing for sure when it was safe to make the first hit in FW. Several times I had the advantage, having seen the ship on the scanner as I was nearing the area. However, they were not in my overview because they were cloaked and by the time I checked the pilot info to see their status, they’d started the engagement. Once I was saved when another friendly arrived. Another time, I just barely escaped.
EQN Landmark Beta
Across several mini sessions I’ve completed my first build – exterior and interior. It was fun. I enjoyed creating custom props much more than building structures. I think the template tool is great but I’d prefer if it, and all of the tools, handled micro voxels versus the manual way I have now discovered people are making them. My issue is that your ability to manipulate custom props is limited - rotate (some) and scale (not at all). So once I create an object comprised of micro voxels it's difficult to turn that into something else or re-use it beyond the base micro voxel. I dont have the patience for it.
My current assessment is that while I enjoyed constructing my claim, I had zero desire to knock it all down and start over – make something else. The world feels too dead, barren and lacking in visible player life to inspire me to “hang around”. Most of the time I played EQNL, I felt like I was in an offline building sim not a sandbox that supported other players. I saw what others had created when I passed by but VERY RARELY did I see actual signs of life. Sure it’s alpha but I’ve done many and this is the first one where it feels empty. And yet, all the claims are taken. :-\
Without the usual MMO PVE traps and tropes, I think players will be online in spurts to farm and build. Cooperative building and new biomes will bring people back in numbers for a bit but I don’t expect to see constant hordes of players online in these zones. Consequently, I don’t know if it will give me what I need to sustain an interest. I will certainly build a “home”, maybe small town or street when it goes live and put my favorite templates on the market. But at this point, I’m not seeing what’s going to make me stick around for a long period of time other than checking in every so often to tinker with new templates. Good thing it's free to play. I won't need to make that stay subscribed or unsubscribe decision.
Hearthstone Beta
Hearthstone is a quintessential casual to however hardcore you want to make it, gaming experience. I like that it’s comprised of the standard WOW classes I know all too well. I enjoy that they’ve included that sense of humor we find endearing. Most of all, the interface is clean, easy to understand and visually engaging. Hearthstone is what I’d always hoped Kings Isle would introduce for Wizard101. A compression of the game down to the nuts-n-bolts! No travel, no groups – jump in and fight something or tinker with your decks. I've tried all the classes and so far I've decided to stick with Paladin and Mage.
I completed the quest to beat all the normal and expert NPC classes. I’ve done dailies when convenient and winning consistently, which ain't often. *smile* I've disenchanted duplicate cards and ones from classes I have no intention of playing, in order to gain the dust needed to craft a few strategic cards for my decks. I love that I can log in, play a game or two and am gone in 30 minutes. I will definitely try the iOS version when it’s available. I think tablets are the perfect platform for this game. Here again, itis free to play, so I don't have to worry over the worth of staying subscribed vs. how much I play.
Star Citizen
I’ve joined the hype train for Star Citizen thanks to Sister Julie, from the No Prisoners, No Mercy podcast! I’ve enjoyed what I like about EVE over the years but remain disappointed that walking in stations never materialized and that the PVE content is rather banal. I find my own sense of fun when I feel like playing. However, over the years, my months subscribed are getting further apart and for shorter durations. In truth, I love the idea of EVE more than the reality of what I've experienced thus far. However, I've been a CCP fan and have not minded continuing to support the game whose atmosphere I finding entreating.
I’d hoped that doing something exciting like FW might prime the pump. Instead I am finding that the timing and the way I tend to play EVE aren’t conducive to getting good at it or being part of corps that focus on it. So while I haven’t given up on EVE FW, it’s not looking good at the moment. I feel as though I don't play enough for anything to become muscle memory which keeps me at a disadvantage.
What keeps me Subscribed?
The MMOs that have held my attention the longest are those where I get a sense that I’m a part of a world with an evolving story. Where my jumbled play style of lots of solo or ocassional small group participation, focused PVE progression, willingness to PVP and heavy end game crafting, are all viable and grow with the game via expansions. For me, that’s a well rounded MMO experience. If the game is good quality and the updates reasonable, I can play for years – WOW and EQ2. If you leave me hanging at max level too long without MORE levels and new things to craft, I’ll eventually depart and probably for good. Rift and GW2 fall into the “no new levels, zones or crafting for too long” scenario. I keep holding out for GW2 but they may wait so long that by the time they do it, I'll be over it and into something else which is what happened with Rift.
EVE on the other hand, has lots to do but the core of my gaming is PVE content. The story side of EVE that I enjoy is mostly outside of the game. There's an abundance of external lore but the game doesn’t move me through it in a meaningful way. I get that the players are the content in EVE. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for me over a long period of time. But to EVE's credit, it is one of the only two games I've continued to subscribe to at least a few months out of ever year for the past 5 years. EQ2 being the other MMO.
Backing RSI’s Play
What intrigues me most about Star Citizen is the Squadron 42 solo player campaign that will be bundled into the content. I liken it to the only thing I found fun in SWTOR and FFXIV, the personal class quests. It also reminds me of the personal story instance in Age of Conan which was equally well done. It's unfortunate that I disliked GW2's version which felt lackluster and tacked on.
I've never been a fan of EVE's flight mechanic. Star Citizen's version, “flying on a wire” sounds similar to STO. Free roam flying/combat was about the only think I thought STO did right. It's feels more natrual for me to use my controls to navigate and move in combat versus finding an object in an overview and choosing preset options from a list – align, warp to, orbit, yada. I get the technical reasons for it in EVE but my preference is for STO style flight control.
I don’t do traditional RP when I play. I’m not emoting or speaking a certain way in chat. But you can best believe that my character has a back story that is resident in my head when I’m playing. I believe Star Citizen can offer me in sci-fi, the more well rounded MMO journey I’ve been able to enjoy for years in my fantasy titles. Detailed interactions with the actual ship, a body, interactive ship hanger, walking in space stations, solo episodic PVE content, persistent world PVE content, consensual PVP and land-based content, are what I believe will get Star Citizen into my playing roster.
I hope that all MMO releases succeed as it increases investor confidence to fund more games. When I see a game that speaks to my play style, I’m willing to throw some money at it early in hopes of helping things along. Our 3 copies of Kingdom of Amalur certainly weren’t for the single player RPG console game, although it was actually very good. That was a down payment for the MMO that went belly up. *so sad* Sometimes an early investment doesn't pay off but that doesn't deter me from investing in what is my preferred form of entertainment. After reading quite a bit and watching several videos I decided to make a bet on Star Citizen. I don't think it will be an EVE killer for the reasons I expressed on the No Prisoners, No Mercy podcast #138 but I think the game as wings.
Breaking out my Firefly Persona
I’d like to get my Firefly on in Star Citizen. From what I’m hearing and reading, I think the opportunity will certainly be there and I aim to try. It doesn’t hurt that they reached the funding goal to implement the salvaging career.
Salvaging as a career is right up my alley from a RP perspective. It's what I've done the past few years in EVE while running missions. But other than earning more money, salvaging in EVE doesn't have a bite to it - no character. I think a fully flushed out career path for salaving will be a richer.
Yep on the hype train early but not early as some. I missed the Kick Starter funding but have since pledged. I'll show my toys in a separate post. I’ve already joined the Brown Coats organization. Sounds crazy this far out but should you expect any less from someone whose most popular selling hand stamped item is “Still Flying”? I think NOT! '0.0 4 Life' is no slouch either but Firefly has the win. *Smile*
Have to admit, EverQuest Next is a pretty amazing game.
Posted by: James | March 06, 2014 at 09:39 PM
For custom building in a persistent universe, I agree. I haven't experienced anything like it. I didn't expect less however, since they brought my favorite housing and crafting features of all time in EQ2. I'm just not sure what will compel me to keep returning without the other MMO stuff. :-/
Posted by: Alysianah | March 07, 2014 at 10:15 PM