Gaming Signal: March 2006 Archives

Friday March 31, 2006

Three Degrees of Separation: Me and Minions of Mirth

This evening after posting the previous two entries, I find myself reading through RSS feeds while my paladin kills Diemetradon_255 in Un’goro Crater in World of Warcraft. And it happens, I find a link that takes me to something else that ultimately leads me to somethnig worth sharing.. So for today our three degrees of seperation are:

LifeHacker link about ...

A collaborative game review site called gibbity that allows users to enter reviews and would be a great resource for folks looking for a different viewpoint about a game, and had reviews for WoW and a new game...

Called Minions of Mirth and it claims to be a MMO and a single player game all wrapped in a single package. You can host your own server, you can play on either Mac or PCs, and you never have to pay a subscription fee. It looks really intriguing and I may have to plunk down the money to try it out.

There we have, and if I continue to have these experiences maybe this will turn into a real segment for GamingSignal

WOW, Gold Farming, and PC Gamer

Now, we had a whole post that discussed the ramifications about gold farming and buying items for MMO games. Heck we even submitted that lovely article to the Carnival of Gamers for March since we felt it really had a great discussion. Okay, right now you might be thinking that this curmudgeony fella is more senile and he likes to self advertise, and those facts may very well be correct. But, I digress from my point...

We still discuss the possibility of buying gold for our toons in World of Warcraft, and you would be surprised about the economics of it really. Scott has done a little research and we can see that for a small amount of cash (500 gold for $30 on our server - Khaz Modan), and you are halfway to an epic mount. Personally, I don’t want to buy gold since the market is screwy on our server and I am never guaranteed to get the items I want, and ultimately that was the gist of my comments on our previous article. Now how does this all apply to gold farming and PC Gamer. Well, as we all know they put the brakes on taking advertising revenue from companies that sell gold, and I guess that is the high road. Now in the latest issue (May 2006), Gary Whitta has posted a piece on the last page that wants to take this “high road” a step farther. I mean he really wants folks to ostracize folks who buy levelling services and refers to them engaging in “sleazy practices”. He rambles on about how the concept of paying for a person to level a character is the same as paying somebody to build you a rep in CounterStrike. That is not the same thing - they are apples and oranges.

Ultimately the problem lies in that a MMO game is not so much about the journey to the maximum level but about what you do at that maximum level. Given all the content that makes up the levels 1 to 59 in World of Warcraft, its the content that is available at 60 that garners the most interest. Combine that with a desire to see and play that content some folks are not willing to level up a character multiple times, and I understand that. I would love to get an idea who is paying for a pre-levelled character, and if they are already experienced and looking for a second toon for a spouse or a friend who started late. Furthermore, is the blame on the person buying the toon or the company that makes it possible? Gold and item farming is really the result of a system where you have demand and folks willing to provide a supply - its almost pure capitalism (PC Gamer calls them “Sludge Barons”, and implies that we, gamers, should stop paying them. Why? Who are you to say that I should only acquire money through weeks and weeks of work when my time is worth more than simple grinding through a mining circuit? I ask these folks who say not to buy gold - how much is an hour of your time worth? For me - its priceless. And during that time I want to have fun, not ride around scavenging crap to make enough money to buy a mount or my next level of spells. It is my money and I can choose how to spend it. Personally, I wouldn't buy gold, and that I have said repeatedly.

Okay, but how do we solve it Tim? Well, we have Blizzard offer you the ability to buy gold and items directly. See that will stop all this farming and gold buying nonsense right? Wrong, this step will not completely eliminate the farming, and the simple fact here is that somebody will figure out a way to sell it for a little less to folks who cannot afford to pay Blizzard’s prices. This is why folks buy imitation watches and purses and why you will always have farming. The answer at the end of the day? I say embrace it - heck I think its great for folks who make a living this way. Will I put folks who send me in game ads on ignore ? Yep sure will. Will I group with known farmers? Nope, sure won’t. Am I going to punish somebody who pays their hard earned cash for a virtual property? No, its their money - they earned it. I think PC Gamer can take the high road when it comes to advertising, but attempting to blame a consumer for deciding that grinding through the level curve is not worth it - I suggest they look at how much an hour of their time is worth to them. Once you do that calculation (and I have) you may find out that its worth a lot more than what it costs to buy a toon and play the game you want to play.

News Tidbits for March 31, 2006

Well its been a couple days since I last posted some tidbits, but the news has not been stagnant. I also thought that I should probably post a bit about how these particular topics make the list. I am pretty sure most folks who read this site are familiar with any number of pure gaming news sites. I mean these range from the big ones from Gamespot, IGN and Gamespy to the blogs from Joystiq, Kotaku and Worthplaying. So why come here for a few tidbits on any given day, well its for commentary and the fact that I try to choose tidbits that have some meat too them for rumors, analysis or for a possible rant. Today is a great day for rumors, but others may wish to give a little rant Anyways, just thought I would give a bit of information before rolling into our tidbits for today.

In our first tidbit, The state of Georgia has taken steps to really entice game development (and other entertainment) companies to do business in the state with a tax credit for peforming the work in the state. The credit is unique in that it covers money spent on things like animation and sound effects with the final product of the work being commercial distributed outside the state. Me thinks that Georgia is trying to lure companies from California and Texas and I say good for them...

Sony Online Entertainment and Ralph Koster have gone thier seperate ways. Mr. Koster was the chief creative officer for SOE and was a leader for the original development of Star Wars Galaxies. According to the article, Mr. Koster is based in Austin, and that is an excellent segue into our next tidbit...

Speculation continues to run rampant about the relationship between SOE and Lucasarts, and with the news above and the fact that Bioware have opened a studio in Austin. Could this mean a Knights of the Old Republic themed Star Wars MMO? As a self appointed Star Wars Fanboy, I can only hope. It is a prime area for a game in that it allows for jedi on both sides of the good and evil line and is pretty much open from a story perspective... Only time will tell..

To tie to our Bioware rumor, Neverwinter Nights 2 (not developed by Bioware) had its website go live a few days ago. There are some screenshots to help entice folks for the upcoming game. The original had mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. My hope is with the success of Oblivion from Bethseda that other single player games will do well this year...

Okay an unrelated item here is about GameTap where you can play a ton of older pc games through your broadband connection. I am sure we have all seen the commercials. The subscription fee dropped to $10 from its original rate of $15. This looks to be a great service for retrogamers or folks with older PCs to play a ton of different games.

An industrious person (Adrian Werner) posted a great summary of what they believe to be the best of 2006 with respect to PC games. The games are shown on the Gamespot Forums and only include a short blurb and a screenshot from the upcoming title. I think its a great overview of what we know is coming for the PC this year. I would love to get off my kiester and take what he started with and turn it into a full list of games with links to thier websites, and who knows I may darned well do it.

Finally a couple great demos came out this week, the first being for the PC version of Blazing Angels. The other is for Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends. So enjoy some free looks at a couple titles, I know I am interested in...

Wednesday March 29, 2006

News Tidbits for March 29, 2006

See this would be great if we could have that sound effect from the older news shows, and then we would be in the big time. Or not - anyways here are a few news tidbits from around the web. The first one is interesting and maybe the topic of another entry in the future...

Our first story is from Kotaku, and is a great piece regarding how previews and advertising play on web based properties. I think its best you go off and read it for yourself and it may change how some of the more prominent ads on Gamespy and Gamespot are viewed...

Fan movies seem to be the order of the day as of late, and now Zelda gets one, and in all reality this should be called Link since he really is the star. Joystiq has a YourTube video.

Shortly after announcing Shadowbane becoming free, Ubisoft shuts down its developer (Wolfpack Studios). This may mean the end of Shadowbane much like Asheron's Call 2...
Yet another movie for you to enjoy, it is a World of Warcraft rendition of the Camelot scene in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is not as funny as the Lego version, but still entertaining.

And since many of us are playing Oblivion, here is a spot that is already hosting modifications for the game. This mod community is really what makes having the game for the PC probably one of the strongest selling points.

Finally, the desire to install some software packages without having to worry about registry changes and worrying about what the heck they are doing is always a problem. The folks over at Lifehacker discuss installing software into a virtual layer using some free software from Altiris (tested by those zany folks over at PC Magazine.) The tool looks pretty cool and might allow you to test out some newer versions of your favorite software without having to worry about destroying a working copy.

Monday March 27, 2006

Gaming News Tidbits for March 27, 2006

Greetings to our readers and welcome back to your daily dose of weblinks and creative commentary. I could just babble on and on about nothing in general (which some would say is quite normal), but I will forgo that and take us right into the linkies...

Planetside is now free for a year. The client download is here, and I am sure there are limits on rank and what not. But its free and that is in our motto...

Galactic Civilizations 2 will be releasing a demo this week. This game has several things going for it: No copy protection schemes, a small independent developer, and a great game to boot. Try the demo and if you like it - pick up a copy.

The World of Warcraft boardgame will be seeing its first expansion later this year, and Gaming Report found out a few details. We played this game once and it was pretty fun and captured the computer game's essence pretty well. Now if we could just collectively write a review...

At this year's GDC, Microsoft held a Blogger's breakfast of champions, and Joystiq had some shots and details from the meeting. This would have been a great place to meet other bloggers in our little game space (including Gaming Steve). Someday when we grow up, I want to go to a Bloggers Breakfast... Well at least for the food

Avalon Hill continues to work on their collectable minis game, Axis and Allies, and have announced a naval expansion.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog...

First Look: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

I got my copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion last week (thanks to a little help from my friends) and got a chance to really play it for the first time this weekend. Here are my first impressions - all told I'm pretty happy with it.

First, I paid for this game with my own dollars, lest anybody be confused. Specifically I paid $40 for it, using the 'first week' special pricing at Fry's. I think this matters - when my hard-earned cash is on the line, I expect a game to deliver. If somebody gave you a free copy of 'Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition' for the PSP you're probably not going to be too upset, but if you paid for it (like I did) the 60-second transition loading times will have you pulling your hair out and hating yourself for buying it on a whim (again, like I did.)

Anyway, luckily Oblivion is good - really good. The graphics are really strong, with some of the best-looking character models I've ever seen in a game (the close-in NPC headshots are amazing.) Warning: it takes a beefy video card to play smoothly (luckily my 7800GTX is just right for Ultra high detail.)

The best part of this game so far are the intricate quests. The Elder Scrolls saga has always been a more open-ended gameplay that most, and this game continues that fine tradition. As long as you get the quest item from the mob, it doesn't matter if you talked him out of it, pick pocketed him, or pulled it from his cold dead fingers. Any of those approaches are fine and supported. There is plenty of combat required but even here you can put your stamp on things by choosing to use primarily your bow, magic, a big two-handed hammer, a staff, twin daggers, or whatever weapons work for you. I've been playing as a heavy-armor wearing spell caster with a focus on melee touch attacks. Needless to say, this isn't your traditional class, but it works for me and the game works fine with it.

There are some things I don't like - it must be me, but I'm not a big fan of the style that Elder Scrolls graphics are done in. They seem dingy and dull - I'm sure that's the look they were going for, but I've always found it drab. The characters all seem morose too - there are exceptions, but for the most part nobody in the game seems happy.

The voice acting is not always that good - I've heard some pretty uninspired NPCs along the way. The best ones tend to be the very non-human looking races (orcs, lizards, etc.) no doubt because there is a chance to add an accent and feel like an actor. The dialog isn't bad (some of the quest write-ups are very strong) but the performances of some needed to be redone.

I'll come back with a more detailed review once I've finished the main quest, but as that might take 30 or more hours of gameplay I figured it was best to get something out early.

Friday March 24, 2006

Gaming News Tidbits for March 24, 2006

Its time for another set of gaming news tidbits, and I know we should try to do this more regularly - but the goal here is to bring some of the better bits of news to our readers. See its a service, and that's how I plan to market it darned it!!!

From a gaming perspective, you would have to have been under a rock to not know that the Game Developer Conference occured this week. This is the mecca for all things game development related and usually has a large number of announcements and what not. The interesting thing from my perspective is that they held the Game Developer's Choice Awards during the conference. Joystiq has the highlights of nominees and who won, but I will state that Shadows of the Collossus had an excellent showing. So remember if you are looking for games - it never hurts buy an award winner or two (cough..Psychonauts...cough).
Pete's favorite company, Sony Online Entertainment have not lost the rights to Star Wars, even with rumors to the contrary...
And we all shall have a moment of silence for the end of production on the Original Playstation. I didn't realize that they were still actively making these things, but I guess they still had demand after 11 years!!! Now this message should go out to those guys at Microsoft, don't stop supporting your old console since you can milk it for like 11 years - plus then I won't feel so pressed to upgrade as my rant did not imply.
And finally for all you retro gamers out there who need a mobile fix (and we know who you are - Scott), here is Pocket UFO for the Pocket PC. It looks like a great remake of XCOM, and is provided free of charge and it looks to be a pretty good implementation. I should say that its not XCOM its Pocket UFO which is completely non-copyright infringing... That's my story and I am sticking with it.

Nintendo urges innovation

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, speaking at the Game Developer's Conference this week, urged the industry to create innovative new products rather than an endless stream of sequels. The rising costs of development are forcing developers (and more importantly the publishers funding the games) to take less of a risk on new content and instead stick with the 'tried and true' offerings (like Madden, Final Fantasy, etc.) GDC has been rife with discussion on how much it costs to develop a game, and how those costs really get crazy when you think of trying to fill a Blu-Ray disc with content.

Iwata said the industry needs to look for the next Tetris, and pointed to his own companies innovative offerings such as the wildly successful Nintendogs and forthcoming 'brain training' games.

While we all cry out for innovation and lament the sequels we can't ignore the fact that we vote with our dollars. A wildly innovative, quality game like Psychonauts does terrible (86,000 sales total), while a retread like Madden 2006 sells well into the millions of copies. People buy what they feel they are likely to enjoy, and if it comes down to buying Tony Hawk 13 or something new, they buy that 'same song second verse' product.

Tuesday March 21, 2006

Curmudgeon's Rant: XBox360 Availability and the PS3

In a conversation with my esteemed collegue, JP, he forwarded me to this lovely news item. Interesting news item, but how does that make me feel - check out the extended news below and find out...

This news gets a resounding "meh" from me. MS has managed to boost its console shipments almost six months after launch - and yes I know they said that they would. Honestly, they have a target goal of about 6 million units by June, maybe... Assuming they can get the consoles into stores - maybe they are removing them from Japan and the other areas where they just are not selling. I mean who is this lack of hardware hurting? The consumer - maybe, but probably not since they can simply spend thier hard earned dollars on upcoming titles for legacy consoles. Its not like there is not a plethora of fine games coming out that will run on PCs, Xboxs, and PS2s. Furthermore, I am willing to bet Sony will sell more PS2's with the launch of Kingdom Hearts 2 than MS will get Xbox360s shipped this month. Okay maybe that is a h8a talking, but the simple lack of hardware is a joke. It hurts the guys who make the games, but not the console maker. Not that I feel pity for EA, but the lack of hardware has to be taking a bite out of thier plans (and the plans of other developers) for each quarter and makes it more difficult for them to allocate funding for some of these titles. I mean the news is out there. Now the instant defense here is that the PS3 is vaporware and will cost more - maybe, but until it shows up in US markets this is all speculation. The lack of 360 hardware is a reality and in my opinion is not a way build a brand. Even if I had the time and disposable income to spend on a 360, I cannot obtain one without preordering through Gamestop or EB - and that means waiting - and waiting. I am a card carrying member of the immediate gratification age and the hype is wearing thin. Will the PS3 have similar problems? Who knows - probably, but I am sure they are watching the situation with MS and trying to learn from these lessons.

For me its always been about access and games, and this year has plenty of games that will play on legacy consoles and my PC. I don't need the new hardware to play many of these games, but had I wanted it - I cant get it, and to me that is an unsuccessful launch. Maybe those crazy cats over at Nintendo will be the big launch for this year with the Revolution. But for me, I will continue to wait for the next generation to arrive and in the meantime play on the consoles I currently own.

Tim the GamingSignal Curmudgeon

Monday March 20, 2006

Gaming News Tidbits for March 20, 2006

For our loyal readers, I bring you another bunch of little chunky gaming nuggets. Enjoy and would you like bar-b-que sauce with that???

PlayNC and those wacky guys with Guild Wars have a new preview event coming up on March 24. The best thing about this is that current owners of Guild Wars get full access to Factions, and they can invite folks who don't own the game to play. I really like Guild Wars, and the fact that its free to play makes it very appealing. This is a great chance to check it out.
There is no lack of gaming cartoons out there, but here is one called Extra Life and it looks quite funny.
Unless you have been under a rock, Oblivion lauches this week on the 360 and PC. Well, Bethseda has launched its construction set today as well. So if you like making modifications to games, you will need this bad boy. Also, this is another reason to play Oblivion on the PC since the 360 version won't support end user modifications.
And for you independent developers out there (and you know who you are), Microsoft has publicly released XNA as a Community Technology Preview. This was announced at the Game Developers Conference this week. This ties directly into the whole Xbox Live experience, but I am unsure how an independent might take advantage of this without purchasing a development console. Still, this is a free chance to look at some game development tools for the Xbox360 and we all know that we love free here.
Finally, Joystiq gives us a great list of games releasing this week. Now I just have to find about 80 more hours a week to play since this whole sleeping thing is still required...

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - PC or 360?

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion shipped to stores for the PC and the Xbox 360 today and will be arriving for sale in stores tomorrow. (3/21/06)

I have to admit that I am conflicted on which version to buy since I have both an Xbox 360 and a "beefy" PC. (Yes, I put beef in my PC, don't you?) I have attached a link to a good article at IGN on the topic but the reviewers in the article left it to personal choice. What is your opinion? Please post your ideas in the "Discussion" links below if you have an opinion on the subject.

IGN: Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion - PC or 360?

Friday March 17, 2006

Gaming Tidbits 3/17/2006

Yes, I know I am a slacker, but here are some tidbits from around the world of gaming for today...

Wizards of the Coast are preparing yet another collectable miniature game based in the Star Wars Universe. This one is based on space combat, and might actually interest me.

Gaming Report has some pictures of some upcoming expansions and games from Fantasy Flight Games. The highlights include Starcraft, Descent Expansion and World of Warcraft Expansion. There are more details here on the FFG site.

Sid Meier is doing another Railroad game, and we (at GamingSignal) love railroad games.

NCSoft is working on a new Diablo-esq multiplayer game called Dungeon Runners Apparently more details will be coming at E3 this year..

In the process of reading through some WOW news, I was redirected to the WoW-Wiki. This site has grown over time and contains such extensive information on the Warcraft universe. I mean I have played most of the Warcraft games, but its obvious that I was not paying that close attention to the lore that went into these games. For folks who play WOW or any of the Warcraft games, this is a great resource to learn about the universe. I know that something like this would have helped me understand what the heck was going on in Everquest when I was playing. I know somebody once wrote up an overview on the Planes of Power, but that was well after launch
Finally for today, I have some tidbits about browser based games - the first is Travian which bills itself as a MMOG where you lead your small village to glory and victory. It has an interesting graphical style, and might be worth some time if you absolutely need to get your game on. The other is a first person shooter build on Shockwave 10.1 called Phosphor. Apparently it has a pretty long load time and may not play well in all browsers, but it is still beta code. So go forth and game on people!!!...

Update: Added some information about a couple new games to keep our eyes on...