NOTE: If you don't want to read a bunch of feature lists, skip to the conclusion at the bottom.
I'm going to hunt down and flog every single little twit that continually calls Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) a WoW-clone, simply because they saw an early alpha screen shot of an Orc. These are the same people that believe Age of Conan to be the new "hotness".
First, WoW-clone needs to be defined. This is simple.
1. Level based advancement, primarily via solo PvE quests. Variation in quests is limited. Required group interaction minimal. Other activities do not contribute to leveling.
2. Classes based on archetypes: healer, tank, and DPS.
3. End game focuses on instanced PvE raiding and group-required content. Other end-game content a sideshow to main PvE aspects.
4. Gear centric approach to character advancement at max level, also known as meta-levels. Division of gear: one set for PvP, one set for PvE.
Other than that, everything else in WoW is really just good game design, applicable to all games in all genres. No need to list "responsive controls", etc. Those are items expected out of all games, but for some reason not seen in the MMO space until WoW.
Now that the WoW-clone is loosely defined, we can put the contenders up to the test to see which one is the true WoW-clone.
Age of Conan
PvE leveling via solo quests: yep.
Variation in quests limited: yep.
Required group interaction during leveling limited: yep.
Other activities do not significantly contribute to leveling: yep.
Classes based on archetypes: yep.
End-game focuses on PvE raiding and PvE group-required content: to a degree.
Other end-game activities: yes, cities, border kingdoms, but still to be determined level of importance.
Gear-centric advancement at max level: yep.
Differing sets of gear for differing aspects of game: unknown.
My WoW-clone'o'meter for Age of Conan: 90%
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
PvE leveling via solo quests: yep, but in the form of public quests which can involve interaction among many solo players.
Variation in quests limited: yep, but once again public quests break the stereotypical quest mold, offering a staged series of events to unfold for the players participating.
Required group interaction during leveling limited: unknown, but again shattered by public quests.
Other activities do not significantly contribute to leveling: false. WAR will offer three very distinct activities to contribute equally to leveling: PvE questing experience, Realm vs Realm experience, and Tome of Knowledge experience will all contribute in part or in whole to leveling. Most things a player does in WAR will contribute to leveling.
Classes based on archetypes: yep.
End-game focuses on PvE raiding and PvE group-required content: to a degree, but end game PvE raiding will be a result of the Realm vs Realm campaign.
Other end-game activities: yes, the campaign system, scenarios, sieging, and open-field RvR, all contribute equally as much as PvE raiding and PvE group play.
Gear-centric advancement at max level: yep.
Differing sets of gear for differing aspects of game: unknown, but unlikely.
My WoW-clone'o'meter for WAR: 50%
Conclusion
People are going to yell at me for comparing feature lists. Others will scream that AoC just launched and WAR is still in beta. Unfortunately for those yelling, the base of these "games like WoW" are not going to change. WoW hit the nail on the head in terms of online game play, and not just for MMOs, but for games in general.
That leads me to compare the features of each game, because honestly, there are not many features in WoW. WoW is a great base of a game, with a ton of potential being wasted. I hate to say it, but I was wrong for a very long time thinking that WoW could ever be anything more than a well done and simplistic PvE game.
Age of Conan is almost a direct WoW-clone, but saves face by adding some new end-game activities in the form of player-owned cities and border kingdom PvP. AoC's combat is pretty standard, with just a bit more clicking. AoC is taking the WoW base, copying it whole-sale, and fluffing the fringes to make it feel unique.
WAR is half a WoW-clone, which really isn't a clone at all. WAR will have a PvE end game, but the means of getting there will be drastically more dynamic than what is found in WoW. On top of this, WAR is shaping up to be a far deeper and more feature-rich game than WoW will ever be. WAR is taking the WoW base and piling on the goodness.
I fully embrace playing new games that "feel" a bit like WoW, because honestly, that is the way I want my games to play. I would kill for WoW's responsiveness and controls in a dozen other games I've played over the last few years. However, the time has come for a game to capitalize on WoW's success by adding a full feature set and in doing so, become the non-WoW Clone of the "next generation".
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
I Miss Ultima Online
Another "bleh" phase has hit me. The Age of Conan beta was mediocre for me, so I have passed on the launch. Sadly, many of my acquaintances seem to be fully enjoying it. I guess I missed the first "Miracle Patch" in MMO history.
World of Warcraft (WoW) has be bored again as well. It is somewhat fun to blaze through the levels on my Paladin by using a guide, but I just don't have the drive to do it for hours on end. I log in, knock out a quest, and log out. I completely understand that I could do "other things", but truthfully, WoW sucks when you are not level 70.
Other games hold my fancy: Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, and of course Peggle. Yet, they are only time wasters when I have a few minutes.
That brings me to the point of this post. I miss Ultima Online.
I miss a completely non-instanced world that I can travel from one end to the other.
I miss having a world where most of what you see can be picked up, taken, or used in some fashion
I miss having a "backpack" that isn't just a set of inventory slots.
I miss massive dungeons that took forever to battle to the bottom of without a portal.
I miss random houses placed across the landscape wherever a free spot was open.
I miss my houses.
I miss Factions warfare, aside from the exploiters.
I miss possibly losing my horse, my gear, and my backpack full of items when I die.
I miss looting those that I have conquered.
This may sound like I want old-school UO back, but that is not the case. I want a new game, where the world is more than just combat. Where gear is something that is used, not obtained. A world, not just a game.
World of Warcraft (WoW) has be bored again as well. It is somewhat fun to blaze through the levels on my Paladin by using a guide, but I just don't have the drive to do it for hours on end. I log in, knock out a quest, and log out. I completely understand that I could do "other things", but truthfully, WoW sucks when you are not level 70.
Other games hold my fancy: Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, and of course Peggle. Yet, they are only time wasters when I have a few minutes.
That brings me to the point of this post. I miss Ultima Online.
I miss a completely non-instanced world that I can travel from one end to the other.
I miss having a world where most of what you see can be picked up, taken, or used in some fashion
I miss having a "backpack" that isn't just a set of inventory slots.
I miss massive dungeons that took forever to battle to the bottom of without a portal.
I miss random houses placed across the landscape wherever a free spot was open.
I miss my houses.
I miss Factions warfare, aside from the exploiters.
I miss possibly losing my horse, my gear, and my backpack full of items when I die.
I miss looting those that I have conquered.
This may sound like I want old-school UO back, but that is not the case. I want a new game, where the world is more than just combat. Where gear is something that is used, not obtained. A world, not just a game.
Guild Cafe Wants Your DNA
Guild Cafe, a website I was not registered for before today, but often used to browse for quality player-specific content, screen shots, and gaming stories, has been moving towards a redesign of GuildCafe.com and turning into GamerDNA.com.
Normally, I try to stick with a "I like this site" blurb and link in a post, but I think GamerDNA is worthy of a bit more than just that. Why? Because they are moving forward on a lot of fronts that really highlight their focus on gamers, games, and gamers sharing their stories about those games.
I've never been shy about stating that I would rather read a biased blog post from an actual gamer than a carefully crafted article from any of the major gaming news sites. I've never been shy about stating that I believe game reviews from real gamers are almost always more truthful than anything found on an official review website. However, I've also always felt that there was no common thread to connect these ideas together.
One of the problems is that some gaming websites, that build a gamer community, usually focus to heavily on a single game and therefore the entire site becomes a bit biased. It is fine when a single blogger, who plays a single game heavily, comments just about that game. That blogger's motivation is easy to see. However, when a bunch of those bloggers, playing the same game, get together on one site, it gets very frustrating for anyone outside of that circle because it feels as though the community is not on board.
This is a tough order for a new site to overcome, especially with World of Warcraft dominating most of the revenue streams for gaming websites. Plus, eight million online players ensures that the majority of conversations will be about World of Warcraft on an online site devoted to gamers. It just goes hand in hand.
So, hopefully GamerDNA can avoid this curse, and so far the features I've heard about are aimed squarely at hitting a wide spectrum of games and gamers. GamerDNA is entering beta and I hope to help give them some valuable feedback to make the site one of the premium gaming community sites out there.
Now to drum up a bit of support for GamerDNA's current website, Guild Cafe, I would like to link to their new contest.
Normally, I try to stick with a "I like this site" blurb and link in a post, but I think GamerDNA is worthy of a bit more than just that. Why? Because they are moving forward on a lot of fronts that really highlight their focus on gamers, games, and gamers sharing their stories about those games.
I've never been shy about stating that I would rather read a biased blog post from an actual gamer than a carefully crafted article from any of the major gaming news sites. I've never been shy about stating that I believe game reviews from real gamers are almost always more truthful than anything found on an official review website. However, I've also always felt that there was no common thread to connect these ideas together.
One of the problems is that some gaming websites, that build a gamer community, usually focus to heavily on a single game and therefore the entire site becomes a bit biased. It is fine when a single blogger, who plays a single game heavily, comments just about that game. That blogger's motivation is easy to see. However, when a bunch of those bloggers, playing the same game, get together on one site, it gets very frustrating for anyone outside of that circle because it feels as though the community is not on board.
This is a tough order for a new site to overcome, especially with World of Warcraft dominating most of the revenue streams for gaming websites. Plus, eight million online players ensures that the majority of conversations will be about World of Warcraft on an online site devoted to gamers. It just goes hand in hand.
So, hopefully GamerDNA can avoid this curse, and so far the features I've heard about are aimed squarely at hitting a wide spectrum of games and gamers. GamerDNA is entering beta and I hope to help give them some valuable feedback to make the site one of the premium gaming community sites out there.
Now to drum up a bit of support for GamerDNA's current website, Guild Cafe, I would like to link to their new contest.
You can be Horde, Alliance, radically geared or barely clad. A simple screenshot of your character in World of Warcraft is enough to be the lucky winner of a Frostmourne replica made by Epic Weapons.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
GIVE AWAY: Age of Conan Beta Tester Cloak Code
Funcom seems to have appreciated my beta testing and feedback for Age of Conan.
UPDATE: Congrats to Genda from The Grouchy Gamer on a fine win.
Greetings!However, since I am not playing this game, this gift item is going to go to waste. That is where you come in. Leave a comment with your e-mail address explaining why you deserve to receive it and in a couple days I'll select a winner and e-mail them the code.
You have been a long and thrustworthy participant in our community, and as such we would like to thank you for helping us form Age of Conan into the marvelous product it is today. The last weeks has seen some serious enhancment to the game, and with the release we will be opening several new areas and neverbefore seen content in the launch version of the game. What and where it is? You have to find out for yourself!
As a sign of gratitude for your aid, we are pleased to offer you the in-game item used by those loyal to King Conan: The Drinking Cape. This item will allow your characters (one game account only) to free of charge demand the very sought after alcholic drink of "Ambrosia" - free and in unlimited supplies for life! After having claimed your cape, merely find one of the kegs in the finer Inns of Hyboria and click it whilst wearing your cape to receive your drink.
UPDATE: Congrats to Genda from The Grouchy Gamer on a fine win.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Linux is in Bed with Mom
Linux may not be steamrolling the desktop operating system market so far this year, but Linux is definitely making strides in other areas. Linux is quickly proving to be an adaptable platform, useful in many non-standard applications.
Since I started with Linux I have never felt it was ready for the average home user. Not because Linux is complicated or overbearing, but because Microsoft already dominates the home user and the way they think. The one thing Linux does not want to be, is Microsoft. Until that mentality fades, Microsoft will hold their market dominance. Even with bad review after bad review of Windows Vista, it is still a lot more likely to actually work for the average computer user than Linux.
Also, I am starting to believe that Linux doesn't fit the role of a Windows replacement, no matter how many Steve Ballmer jokes the Linux crowd can think up. Linux, due to it's open nature, will never be consistent enough across the board to please hardware and software vendors, along with the average user. Linux, as a day-to-day operating system works only under the careful watch of professional IT staff. Linux is a great business solution.
So, where does this leave Linux in the home? The answer: embedded. Linux is already dominating the wireless device market. Plus, it is creeping into living rooms via video game consoles and various entertainment devices. Most importantly, its invisible to the end user.
Linux is at its best when the user doesn't even know they are using it.
To illustrate the power of Linux as an embedded platform, I present: Splashtop. Soon to be pre-installed on all Asus motherboards. But what is Splashtop?
Simply put, Splashtop, is a highly customized version of Linux, embedded via flash memory on the motherboard and acts as a quasi-bootloader. Instead of booting directly into the BIOS setup or a desktop operating system, the computer boots into Splashtop, a miniature-sized operating system. Splashtop gives access to various programs, such as Firefox for Internet surfing, BIOS/CMOS setup tools, and e-mail.
The best part? Splashtop takes approximately five seconds to boot up. This means that users no longer need to leave their computers logged in, powered up, and in sleep mode if they just use it for basic access. Also of note, no hard drive access is required, pushing the energy efficiency of short, quick boot-ups even further.
Also, with no hard drives in use, there is nothing being accessed on the main system and nothing to be compromised while surfing or checking e-mail. Not to mention, hard drives are notoriously power hungry.
Plus, being built into the motherboard, it pretty much ensures that Splashtop will work with whatever hardware the computer uses.
Embedded Linux is not the only place Linux is starting to appear. Linux is also starting to show up in tandem of Windows, and in more forms than just virtualization through VMWare or Xen. Ulteo, a Linux-based desktop product, fits right on top of various Windows installs and allows Linux to be seamlessly used in conjunction with Windows. From Slashdot:
That does not mean Linux won't remain a viable desktop and server operating system, but the focus may start to shift away from those two applications. I don't have numbers currently on the number of Linux installs worldwide, but if Splashtop starts shipping on one million+ motherboards a month, it is only a matter of time before embedded Linux, outside of the portable device market, far outweighs that of the full-featured Linux distributions.
Ten years from now we may all wonder how we got by without a Splashtop-type startup operating system and while Linux may not be sleeping with our mothers quite yet, Linux is everywhere. Users just may not know it and thats a good thing. The only question that remains; can it run World of Warcraft?
Since I started with Linux I have never felt it was ready for the average home user. Not because Linux is complicated or overbearing, but because Microsoft already dominates the home user and the way they think. The one thing Linux does not want to be, is Microsoft. Until that mentality fades, Microsoft will hold their market dominance. Even with bad review after bad review of Windows Vista, it is still a lot more likely to actually work for the average computer user than Linux.
Also, I am starting to believe that Linux doesn't fit the role of a Windows replacement, no matter how many Steve Ballmer jokes the Linux crowd can think up. Linux, due to it's open nature, will never be consistent enough across the board to please hardware and software vendors, along with the average user. Linux, as a day-to-day operating system works only under the careful watch of professional IT staff. Linux is a great business solution.
So, where does this leave Linux in the home? The answer: embedded. Linux is already dominating the wireless device market. Plus, it is creeping into living rooms via video game consoles and various entertainment devices. Most importantly, its invisible to the end user.
Linux is at its best when the user doesn't even know they are using it.
To illustrate the power of Linux as an embedded platform, I present: Splashtop. Soon to be pre-installed on all Asus motherboards. But what is Splashtop?
Simply put, Splashtop, is a highly customized version of Linux, embedded via flash memory on the motherboard and acts as a quasi-bootloader. Instead of booting directly into the BIOS setup or a desktop operating system, the computer boots into Splashtop, a miniature-sized operating system. Splashtop gives access to various programs, such as Firefox for Internet surfing, BIOS/CMOS setup tools, and e-mail.
The best part? Splashtop takes approximately five seconds to boot up. This means that users no longer need to leave their computers logged in, powered up, and in sleep mode if they just use it for basic access. Also of note, no hard drive access is required, pushing the energy efficiency of short, quick boot-ups even further.
Also, with no hard drives in use, there is nothing being accessed on the main system and nothing to be compromised while surfing or checking e-mail. Not to mention, hard drives are notoriously power hungry.
Plus, being built into the motherboard, it pretty much ensures that Splashtop will work with whatever hardware the computer uses.
Embedded Linux is not the only place Linux is starting to appear. Linux is also starting to show up in tandem of Windows, and in more forms than just virtualization through VMWare or Xen. Ulteo, a Linux-based desktop product, fits right on top of various Windows installs and allows Linux to be seamlessly used in conjunction with Windows. From Slashdot:
Ulteo today unveiled their Virtual Desktop which is a free, full Linux desktop that runs seamlessly on Windows. It's interesting because it's not running under Xen or VMWare, but instead uses the coLinux patch, which they claim allows the system to achieve 'great performance, close to a native installation on the PC.' No need to reboot the system anymore to switch from Windows to Linux."Some might question the value of such a program. Why install one operating system to just install another on top of it? It is a valid point, and one I can't really answer. However, I can state that Windows is not going anywhere soon and it will remain a fact of life for the computer industry for some time. As stated, Linux just is not in a position to take over the market. The current open, Linux distribution system can not support the number of users that Microsoft currently has without some form of compensation outside of donations. At some point, Linux has to adjust.
That does not mean Linux won't remain a viable desktop and server operating system, but the focus may start to shift away from those two applications. I don't have numbers currently on the number of Linux installs worldwide, but if Splashtop starts shipping on one million+ motherboards a month, it is only a matter of time before embedded Linux, outside of the portable device market, far outweighs that of the full-featured Linux distributions.
Ten years from now we may all wonder how we got by without a Splashtop-type startup operating system and while Linux may not be sleeping with our mothers quite yet, Linux is everywhere. Users just may not know it and thats a good thing. The only question that remains; can it run World of Warcraft?
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