May 2009 MMO Blog Roundup

May 2009 MMO Blog Roundup
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How Do I Get My Blog Included?

We are hoping this becomes a monthly feature article here in the Bright Hub MMO channel. If you run a blog or fan site that focusses on MMOs, and would like to join our program, send a message to Michael Hartman, the ME of the Bright Hub MMO channel. We will review your site for quality, activity, and applicability of content. If we accept you into the program, we will feature a teaser about your favorite blog post in our monthly roundup.

Spicytuna

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Why I Hate Children’s Week

Normally I look forward to this in-game event. Every year for Children’s Week usually meant a new pet I can get, and a few fun quests for me to run around with. Blizzard however decided to add a few things not to make the event more fun, but actually make players hate this event. Because of the Achievements needed, Blizzard is pretty much forcing players to go out of their way to go PvP. Players that don’t PvP are angry because they don’t want to PvP. PvPers are angry because there are non-PvPers in their battlegrounds messing things up…

ZUGGaming

snuggles

Resto Shaman Arena Strategy Guide

Get the full break down on restoration shamans with our special series on arena strategy with world ranked restoration shaman, Hodzy. Hodzy breaks down his complete arena strategy healing tactics…from gear to glyphs and macros to specs, Hodzy covers everything you need to help you take your game to the next level.

Muckbeast

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Soloing in MMOs: Feature or Bug?

I certainly believe that one of the most crucial elements of an MMO is the interaction between players. If everyone is just soloing the game, interaction is minimized and fewer meaningful emotional connections are forged in the game. But on the flip side, I believe in the fun that can be had from playing a game alone, together. Sometimes a player might want to do their own thing without interruption or interference from other players, but they’d still like to chat with other players. So they go about their business solo while talking to friends in /tells or various chat channels.

TishToshTesh

channeledchaos

Channeled Chaos

Making use of variability within a ruleset to give players interesting choices, helping to maintain discovery and fun.

Some people remember the T-Rex or the lawyer from Jurassic Park. What I remember most is the mention of Chaos Theory. I understood the concept easily enough since I’d been tinkering with fractals since I was 12 or so, but before that film, I didn’t realize that there was a big “T” Theory behind it.

Naissa’s Rage

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What an MMO has to do to lure me away from WoW.

Have you ever noticed that people talk about what the new “WoW Killer” is when a new MMO comes out and thus far they’ve all fallen short of being the WoW Killer that people had hoped for and WoW has not only remained strong but gotten stronger still? What exactly would it take for a new MMO to steal away a large part of WoW’s subscribers and keep them away and interested in the new MMO? What features of WoW’s are required and what new features would be nice? Well I’ve played WoW since the start and enjoyed every moment of it and here are my thoughts on what it would take for a new MMO to lure me away and keep me away from WoW.

Convention Fans

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The Revised Top 20 Sexy Science Fiction Costumes

First of all, the Princess Leia metal bikini costume from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is not #1 on this list, which proves that the entire thing needs to be rethought. Secondly, there is nothing sexy about the female TRON costume. Period.

I may be female myself, but I have a healthy appreciation for what is sexy on another woman, and what is not. I also know a lot of hetero males which were all too happy to give their opinions on the matter. Therefore, I’ve decided to redo this tragically flawed list myself. As you will see, I’ve moved Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia metal bikini to its rightful place at the #1 spot on the list.

Wolfshead Online

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The Deafening Silence of Today’s MMO Chat

For the past few months I’ve noticed a marked decrease in people chatting in Blizzard’s WoW. Of course I haven’t enjoyed general chat in WoW for many years now because of the immaturity of the discussions — the trolling, the outbursts, the idiocy and the incessant begging. In most cases I just leave all chat channels. But occasionally I summon up the courage to have faith in humanity and I turn on general chat.

I have found that rejoining general chat channels is a way to pay it forward by helping other players and occasionally I have met some exceptional people. The problem is that chat is so dead that I mistakenly figure that I’ve turned off the chat channel when in reality I’m still there.

Is chat as a MMO activity on the decline?

Stylish Corpse

Quest design - From the sublime to the ridiculous

Most of us say we’d like quests that are a little more complex than just “kill 10 rats” but, as I’ve just discovered in EQ2, there’s a point beyond which too much realism in a quest ends up just being insanely irritating.

I have written about this topic as well, right here on Bright Hub: New Grind, Just like the Old Grind: Quest Heavy Advancement. So I can’t help but agree with a lot of Ysharros’ points!

Mystic Worlds

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EVE Online: Locked-n-Loaded

I’m an organization and planning freak. Before I can really get going with anything, I must have a plan. EVE Online (EO) is a playground for people with that kind of approach to things. I completed my move to Arnon Sisters of EVE (SOE) station. I started doing missions with the local NPCs and began my first Story Arc Mission. I like these arc missions. They provide a cohesive story that links the activity together more like the traditional quest chains found in fantasy MMOs.