Hiding Depth

Is it worth hiding the depth of your game's systems from new players?

Many games--specifically, MMOs--have an almost completely consistent track record of making their mechanics start off incredibly simple. Many of them have interesting and complex mechanics, but, at the beginning of the game, they are consistently simple. Most MMOs start you off with one or two very basic combat abilities, and it takes quite a long time to unlock the complexity of your character.
There are, of course, valid reasons for doing this. It allows for players to be slowly immersed in complicated mechanics. It can make the game far less overwhelming for new players, potentially preventing them from being turned off by the complexity. It also allows for a clear feeling of progression, the mechanics of the game getting more complicated as you and your characters progresses. From a design standpoint, new abilities/mechanics are often some of the most anticipated and desirable rewards, so spreading them out over a long time could help insure that the player consistently has something to look forward to for a long period of time. But is it worth it?

"Supporting" in Guild Wars 2

It's true that, in Guild Wars 2, there's no such thing as a dedicated "support class". But it's also true that a player can individually try to "support" in specific encounters, and the game doesn't do enough to reward that. This isn't specific to World vs. World, either. "Supporting", in the more literal and moment-to-moment sense of the word, is possible in GW2, and it's much more dynamic than the current trope of pigeon-holing "support" into dedicated character classes whose job it is to heal players and use crowd control on enemies.

Why WoW's New Talent System is Better than the Old One

I just got World of Warcraft's new expansion, Mists of Pandaria, a couple days ago for the age old reason that my friends were playing it and I didn't want to be alone.

I've yet to experience any of the post-level 85 content, but I absolutely love the new talent system.

ARCHIVE: Forced Grouping and Community in MMOs

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

In the various MMO forums in which I spent an unhealthy amount of my free time, I've come to notice a trend in arguments about grouping. People are constantly arguing for and against more group content. While grouping is an integral part of all MMOs, I think there are two types of games in this regard: The type in which community is created through necessity, and the type that community has to be forced upon. There are upsides and downsides to both, and they're pretty much mutually exclusive.

ARCHIVE: On "Realistic" Graphics

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

I see a lot of people arguing back and forth about the merits of "realistic" graphics versus more stylized graphics (such as in Borderlands), and the main reason I see people arguing in favor of the "realism" graphic style has to do with immersion. The arguments make sense; something that looks realistic is easier to relate to than something that seems unreal. It's easier to suspend your disbelief. However, there is a glaring flaw in that argument.

ARCHIVE: On the Importance of Jumping in an Online Game World

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

For me, jumping has nothing to do with the practicality of being able to jump over objects (it's a nice bonus, though).

The ability to jump is about freedom. It's not like an emote (a static animation unaffected by the surrounding area). There are a couple games I've played where the jump has been more like an emote and it has defeated the purpose. Real jumping in a game proves the existence of gravity in the world you are inhabiting. For example, if you jump while moving down a hill, you'll stay in the air longer (emote-like jumping wouldn't do this).

Jumping is important to me because it makes the world feel more like...well, a world. It prevents me from feeling like I'm glued to the ground. The existence of gravity and the existence of real space outside the confines of the ground increases my immersion. It's a strange phenomenon, admittedly, but, for some reason, jumping is crucial to my feeling of freedom in an online world.

ARCHIVE: Spontaneous Cooperation

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

There really needs to be more of an effort by MMO developers to allow and reward spontaneous cooperation. I don't see why everyone shouldn't get quest credit for helping take down a mob, even if someone else tagged it first. If someone manages to come in at the last second and do a sliver of damage, well...lucky them!

There are so many fantasy movies/stories/whatevers in which someone pops out of nowhere to help someone out. We should be able to do this in MMO's! It's all about the multiplayer, isn't it? So why are there ever detrimental repercussions for cooperating?

I see the future of MMO's getting rid of the standard grouping formula all together. If people are near each other, they can cooperate! And all get credit for their heroic deeds! Yay!

Seems pretty simple. I don't know why no one has done it.

So come on, developers. Let's turn "kill stealing" into a forgotten term and replace it with "kill sharing".