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Crafting Again in Middle-earth June 11, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in entertainment, Lord of the Rings Online.
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I swore when I rolled Terntia over on Firefoot that I was NOT going to get involved with crafting.

No, no, no, it was not going to happen.  I was not going to be distracted by it.

Not that crafting in Lord of the Rings Online is bad.  In fact, it is enticingly good to start with.  You can, almost immediately, begin to craft useful items, items that are upgrades to the kit with which you start out.

That is how they suck you in to crafting.  Once you can make something useful, you want to do it again.

And you’ll have to do it again… and again… and again.  That is because to advance to the second tier of crafting, you first must make enough items to achieve a basic proficiency in the first tier.  Then to get to the third tier, you must gain a master proficiency in the first tier, plus basic proficiency in the second.

And if you have one of the skills that makes finished products, like armor or weapons, to move past basic proficiency at each tier you have to do a quest, some of which used to be hella hard at level.

I was just going to say no all of that.  I would gather resources, sell them at the auction house, and then just buy what I needed.

So Terentia chose the explorer trade class, which mines ore, harvests wood, and can tailor light (cloth) and medium (leather) armor. (All of this LOTRO trade skill stuff is detailed nicely on the crafting page over at LOTRO-Wiki.)  I was determined just to sell resources.

And how did that work out.  Well, here is how Terentia stands at the moment.

Terntia Titles

As an expert (and master expert) Forester and expert Prospector, she now has access to the fourth (of six) trade skill tier for these professions.   They are the harvesting professions, and so would naturally progress as part of my initial plan.

Then there is the expert Tailor title.

It turned out to be not as bad as it once was to level up a profession that makes finished products, something illustrated by Silinus’ progress. (And I wasn’t going to make any alts either, so you see what a tower of Jell-0 I can be on these sorts of decisions.)

Silinus Titles

Silinus has prospector up to master expert level, but also has access to the fourth tier of woodworking and weaponsmithing.

So what changed my mind on this subject.  A few things, actually.

Access to trade skill materials:  Harvesting got an upgrade from the day one “one node, one resource drop” model quite a while back, but other things seem to be more readily available as well.  Recipes, especially, seemed to drop more often as well as special ingredients.  And then there are some special quests focused on giving trade skill related rewards that open up more recipe and rare item access.

More reasonable trade skill quests:  As mentioned above, to advance a tier in a trade skill that produces finished goods, you have to go complete a quest.  The initial quests for tier 2 and tier 3 used to be heinously difficult to c0mplete at level in anything short of a full fellowship.  A couple involved sneaking into a zone way over your level and taking out an elite mob also way over your level.

That has been dialed back some.  You still have to sneak into a dangerous zone, but now the elite mob is level appropriate and you can solo it with some care.

Oddly, at higher tiers, the quests seem to get considerably easier.  For example, to get access to artisan woodworking, the tier past expert, Silinus just had to collect some special wood and then help repair a bridge.

Now that is craftsmanship! Totally artisan level work!

Then there were the vagueries of the auction house:  The auction house in LOTRO is not totally dead, but neither is it a supermarket of choices.  I quickly found that I could not depend on it for all of my equipment upgrade needs.  Quests do a pretty good job of that, but you can go for long stretches before you get, say, a new spear.

So I started making medium armor with Terentia, then got Silinus on woodworking and weaponsmithing, which together seemed to cover most of their armor and weapon needs.

Finally, there was the matter of money:  Part of the initial harvest and sell plan for trade skills was based on my initial wave of characters being dirt poor.  In the early days of the game the weight of repair bills and the stingy rewards from quests did not leave your average adventurer with much in the way of savings.  From my first wave of characters on Windfola, I have three at or around level 30, and they might have a gold between them.  Buying that level 35 mount was going to be a rough road.

Now, however, with my latest characters on Firefoot, both also in the level 30 range, money does not seem so tight.  They have about five gold a piece and still have some time before they need to buy a mount.  And this was without selling resources at the auction house.

And, as a bonus point, the shared storage space that came with the explorer’s kit was a big help to a combined harvesting/crafting effort.  Having 20 slots to exchange raw materials and finished goods between Silinus and Terentia made things a lot more manageable (and less expensive) than having to send everything by mail.

I was thus able to indulge my crafting desires… because I feel that need in every MMO I play… and actually benefit from it over time.

Now I just have to do something with all those gems I have in the bank or I’ll end up rolling another alt just to have a jeweler.

I could go the Tinker route though… that would give me jeweler, prospector, and cook… good food is very important and way too short lived in Middle-earth.  Hrmm.

FrontierVille is Educational June 9, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in Casual Games, entertainment, EverQuest, World of Warcraft.
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7 comments

Zynga has a new game out to complement it’s line of casual games on Facebook.  This one is called FrontierVille, in keeping with the “Ville” theme. (FishVille, PetVille, YoVille, FarmVille.)  I saw Beau was playing it, so I had to join in as well.

This game takes place out in the wild west and it is something akin to FarmVille meets My Tribe meets Oregon Trail.  It still has timers, and a few flavors of currency, and neighbors, and gifts, and notifications, and all the classic Facebook features.  It is just a little more dynamic than FarmVille.

And it will teach you things about frontier life… like if you clobber a rattlesnake with a shovel, pie comes out!

And stars and gold too! Wonder Snake!

Of course, I didn’t mention the Oregon Trail lightly.  Zynga is playing something of a nostalgia card I think, and including the Oregon Trail.

Warning: May not reflect childhood memories

Many of you will remember the educational video game Oregon Trail.

My own time in junior high school was at the cusp of the personal computer age, so we didn’t actually get to play the video game version.  We had to play a role-playing game version of it facilitated by one of our teachers.  So, as 7th graders, we had to try and hide the fact that we were rolling westward with the maximum amount of guns and ammo we could afford.

The teacher eventually called the game off in disgust at our bloodthirsty nature.  But I am pretty sure the whole thing would have ended up like this comic.

True History of the Oregon Trail

So I’m hoping we can somehow recreate this magic in FrontierVille.

And, if you don’t like Zynga, their games, or Facebook, the whole thing is brand new, so you can start in on hating it before there are millions of users.


The grim, phone kissing visage of Beau seems to follow me around Facebook.

139 monthly active users… that only puts it 66 million or so behind the latest FarmVille count.

Today's FarmVille report...

Of course, FarmVille is down a lot of users of late.  There were 82 million or so when it was the darling of GDC, which we talked about on SUWT #60.  Facebook’s minor crackdown on wall spam seems to have cut back the FarmVille numbers.  Not that Facebook and Zynga haven’t been close to blows on more pressing issues.

Still, 67 million people clicking on anything is a lot of clicks.  And losing 15 million players… that is more people than ever played EverQuest as a reference point… or more users than currently play World of Warcraft… probably isn’t that big of a blow to Zynga, since they were probably not the players into the game enough to have spent money on it.

Zynga and Facebook, they plan to own us all some day.

Shut Up We’re Talking #64 June 7, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in Dungeons & Dragons Online, entertainment, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, Podcasts, Star Wars: The Old Republic, World of Warcraft.
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Shut Up We’re Talking, one of the podcasts in the VirginWorlds Podcast Collective, has released episode 64.

Regular hosts Darren from The Common Sense Gamer and Karen from Journey’s with Jaye were joined by Rob from Lost an Eight, and myself.

Topics:

  • Introductions
  • What We’re Playing
  • Listener Mail – Comments from Rocknerd and Shawn
  • No Point, but 50 Novels Deep – We talk about some comments coming out of BioWare, the first being that MMOs really don’t seem to have a point (and they’re going to fix that) and the second that Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to have 50 novels worth of “story” in the game.  We all seem to agree that something claiming to be a virtual world ought to have many diversions beyond a main story and wonder how SWTOR is really going to feel.  After all, the best stories in these games are often the personal ones, the things that happen to us.
  • Free to Play in Middle-earth – The big news about Turbine moving Lord of the Rings Online to a free to play business model bumped the previously planned topic.  We talk about what it means to the current community, what appeals to us, and what might be coming to the  Middle-earth cash shop.
  • Show Close
  • Out Takes

Blogs of the Show:

The show is available via iTunes or can be downloaded directly at VirginWorlds or The Common Sense Gamer.

World of Warcraft Gold For Sale! June 5, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in Blizzard, entertainment, Humor, World of Warcraft.
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Only you cannot spend it in-game.

I saw this being advertised on the main World of Warcraft site and thought it had a ring of irony to it.

Yes, actual, physical World of Warcraft coins.

They’re probably easier to have around the house than, say, that Frostmourne replica you’ve been eyeing.

But will it clash with my Anduril replica?

And the coins are cheaper, too… as long as we’re not calculating by weight I suppose.

For $60 you can get either the Alliance or the Horde coin sets.  The product descriptions say it all.

Alliance:

World of Warcraft Alliance Collectible Coin Set

Whether looting dead mobs or completing a quest, now is the time to hold and horde solid precious metal coins from the game in your hand. All three coins included in this special World of Warcraft collectible set are plated in precious metals, and each coin features a Major Alliance Leader on one side and the leader’s corresponding city on the opposite side. The 24 karat gold-plated coin features the Human Military Leader of the Alliance: King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind and measures approximately 1.625″ in diameter. The sterling silver-plated coin features the Dwarven King: Magni Bronzebeard of Iron Forge and measures approximately 1.375″ in diameter. The copper-plated coin features the Night Elf High Priestess: Tyrande Whisperwind of Darnassus and measures approximately 1.25″ in diameter. All coins are approximately 0.125″ thick and are removable from the box. A non-removable commemorative metal plaque with the Alliance emblem is also included. Ready to be displayed on a desktop or wall, the set is presented in a black, hinged wooden box with a glass window and a flocked, vacu-formed tray. The box measures approximately 6.25″ wide x 3.25″ deep x .75″ high. The product is packed in a protective self-shipper. Limited Edition. Manufactured to order.

Horde:

World of Warcraft Horde Collectible Coin Set

Whether looting dead mobs or completing a quest, now is the time to hold and horde solid precious metal coins from the game in your hand. All three coins included in this special World of Warcraft collectible set are plated in precious metals, and each coin features a Major Horde Leader on one side and the leader’s corresponding city on the opposite side. The 24 karat gold-plated coin features the Orc Warchief: Thrall of Orgrimmar and measures approximately 1.625″ in diameter. The sterling silver-plated coin features the Forsaken Queen: Lady Sylvanas Windrunner of Undercity and measures approximately 1.375″ in diameter. And the copper-plated coin features the Tauren High Chieftain: Cairne Bloodhoof of Thunder Bluff and measures approximately 1.25″ in diameter. All coins are approximately 0.125″ thick and are removable from the box. A non-removable commemorative metal plaque with the Horde emblem is also included. Ready to be displayed on a desktop or wall, the set is presented in a black, hinged wooden box with a glass window and a flocked, vacu-formed tray. The box measures approximately 6.25″ wide x 3.25″ deep x .75″ high. The product is packed in a protective self-shipper. Limited Edition. Manufactured to order.

Here is your opportunity to proclaim that you bought WoW gold while feeling no shame… or a different kind of shame in any case.

Maybe you can order some of those beer steins and run your own pretend in-game bar, using the coins for transactions.  “Stinking troll only left me a single Bloodhoof as a tip!”

Don’t get me wrong.  Intellectually, I like the idea that you can buy all these WoW collectible items.  I just can’t get as far as actually spending my own money on them.

It is like reading the Sky Mall magazine on a flight; there is always interesting stuff, but how often do you actually buy any of it?

Speaking of buying things… BlizzCon tickets have been on sale for 15 minutes now, so I suppose they have been sold out for the last 10 minutes.  Sales of these collectibles will probably spike just on rebound purchases from disappointed fans.

Advancing One Instance June 5, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in entertainment, Instance Group, World of Warcraft.
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It was time for our second round of random Burning Crusade instance shuffle in our attempt to getting tied up too much in the turmoil of the Naaru.

And so the group lined up for action.

60 Orc Shaman – Earlthebat (Earlthecat)
61Undead Mage – Bigbutt (Bungholio)
61Tauren Druid – Hurmoo (Vikund)
61 Blood Elf Paladin – Enaldie (Ula)
61 Undead Deathknight – Maliverney (Skronk)

Last week the dungeon finder sent us to Hellfire Ramparts three times running, so we decided to check the list and see if that was all we were likely to get for this round.

According to the dungeon finder, we were eligible for Hellfire Ramparts, the Blood Furnace, and the Steamvault.  We hit the random button and waited to see where the dungeon finder would send us.

And the winner was… Hellfire Ramparts.

What, you guys again?

Ah well, at least we’re good at it by this point.  And killing orcs… that was the staple of my RPG life for a long time.

Earl had been doing some warm-ups, so he was very close to level 61.  In fact, he was so close he got there before we hit the first boss in Ramparts.

Maliverney had also changed his spec to something recommended for tanking, so this run was also a good warm-up for that change.  This being our fourth time through the instance, orcs were dispatched in record time and we were soon looking to the dungeon finder to send us out again.

And the dungeon find obliged us and sent us to the Blood Furnace.

Into the Blood Furnace

I last did the Blood Furnace with a random dungeon finder group when I respec’d a level 68 druid on another server to be a healer then did a test run on an “easier” instance.  The level 61 paladin tank took my level to mean that he could pull every mob in sight and I should be able to keep him healed.  I was kicked from that group when my healing would keep up with 10 mobs pounding on him.

Fortunately, our tank was previously our healer in the old group, so there is empathy for my plight.  Plus he isn’t an insane, “Go, go, go!” instance-happy, munchkin.  That helps too.

So we took it carefully… for the most part.  We certainly got to the first boss, the Maker, without any drama.

Behold the Maker!

After that we got a little shaky.  We lost the mage a couple of times, the problem with the highest DPS player wearing nothing but a bathrobe for protection.  And then came the Broggok fight.

Broggok isn’t just a fight, but an event.  You have to get through four waves of helpers before he comes to get you, all without a breather, so if something goes wrong with the helpers, life gets pretty tough.

And so it went for us.

We managed to lose Bigbutt and Earl on the third and fourth groups of helpers and Broggok was about to emerge and we were still flagged as in combat.

Fortunately Hurmoo had his in-combat ress handy, and brought Bigbutt back to life while Earl had is shaman self-revive available.  A couple of quick heals and a innervate on Bigbutt and we were able to take down Broggok pretty quickly.

Broggok Down

After that it was pretty smooth sailing.  The last fight with Keli’dan and his minions was a walk-over and we were soon rewarded with the achievement and our dungeon finder goody bag.

With the Blood Furnace down, we still had enough time for one more run, so we went back to the dungeon finder.  What would it give us this time around.

Hellfire Ramparts again!

Ah, well, at least it is quick and the experience is good.  And we’ll soon have all the possible drops.  Enladie got a pretty decent random drop early on.

Bloodscale Helm of Power

That hat is high on style points in my opinion.

Otherwise, our second run through the ramparts was very like our first of the evening, and we were soon at the end of our adventures for the night.

Victory (again) in Hellfire Ramparts

The instance count so far is:

Hellfire Ramparts: 4
Blood Furnace: 1

Most of us are level 62, so only 6 more levels to go until the dungeon finder switches over to Northrend instances for random choices.

We will see if we can add another instance to the list this week.

LOTRO – Comparing VIP with Free June 5, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in entertainment, Lord of the Rings Online.
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Turbine has posted a chart that compares the options you will have at the three service levels they offer.

Three?

Yes, three.  There is Free, which I think we all get, and there is VIP, which is akin to the subscription model (and which us lifetime members get) and then there is a middle tier called Premium.

Premium is the tier you get when you have actually purchased some Turbine points.

Here is the chart that compares the three tiers.  Click on it to see it full size.

There is also some fine print that answered the initial “Hey, wait a minute!” reaction that I had.

* Purchasers of the Mines of Moria™ expansion get access to the Mines of Moria region and content, premium classes (Rune-Keeper and Warden), legendary items feature, Tier 6 crafting feature, 2 extra character slots and a level cap of 60. Purchasers of the Siege of Mirkwood™ expansion get access to the Siege of Mirkwood region and content, a level cap of 65 and the Siege of Mirkwood skirmishes.

** Purchasers of the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack get 2 extra character slots and 20 slots of shared bank storage across all characters on the same servers.

So it looks like if you purchase Turbine points, in addition to being able to spend them on stuff, you also get full customer support access for 30 days after purchase, a rise in the amount of coin you can accumulated (an odd parameter to restrict in my mind, but what do I know), as well as a higher priority in the server login queue.

Of course, I haven’t seen a server login queue since 2007, but with the game going free to play, that might actually become an issue again.

More interesting to me is the comparison between premium/free and VIP.  There are a lot of things on that list I take for granted in the game currently, like rest experience, that you won’t get on the free plan.

I’m also curious to see how they chop the world up to keep the players in the areas which they have purchased.  If you play for free, you only get Ered Luin, the Shire, and Bree-land.  I hope they aren’t going to mar the landscape with a wall or some such.

I’ve Been Upgraded to VIP! Turbine’s Email Message on F2P June 5, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in entertainment, Lord of the Rings Online.
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Turbine has been quick, this time, to follow up their free to play transition announcement with an email campaign to current subscribers and lifetime members.

And the message is, of course, up beat!

I'm a VIP!

The message goes on with:

Turbine is pleased to announce some exciting changes to The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), and we wanted to make sure you got word first. This fall, LOTRO will become Free-to-Play (F2P).

What does that mean for you? Your loyalty has helped LOTRO become the ultimate adventure and we want to reward you for that. When we re-launch as F2P, you will automatically be upgraded to a LOTRO VIP. There will be no change to your existing subscription plan.

You don’t have to lift a finger. Just continue your adventures in Middle-earth and accept our thanks. We’ll take care of the rest.

They’ll take care of the rest!

But what is a VIP?

The LOTRO VIP is the premium all-access pass to LOTRO F2P. Subscribers will now be called LOTRO VIPs. LOTRO VIPs have unlimited priority access to content and features.

VIP special benefits include priority server access, unlimited access to all adventures in the game*, a 20-Slot wardrobe for cosmetic clothing, top-tier customer support and more!

As a VIP, starting today, each month we’ll credit your account with 500 Turbine Points to spend any way you like. That means you’ll have Turbine Points in your account, ready to spend when LOTRO F2P launches this fall.**

I wonder if “top-tier customer support” is something beyond what they offer now.  The 20-slot wardrobe for cosmetic clothing sounds like a boon though.

And then there is the follow up with the loyalty rewards.

In addition to all the exciting VIP benefits you can receive 500 free Turbine Points to use in LOTRO Free-to-Play for each LOTRO anniversary (April 24) that has elapsed since you first joined LOTRO, up to a maximum of 1,500 Turbine Points.

Plus, as a LOTRO Founder Lifetime Member, you are entitled to an exclusive offer of 1,500 additional Turbine Points as our way of saying thank you. These points will be credited to your account once LOTRO F2P is live.

And then, of course, the fine print.

* You must purchase the Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood expansion packs to access these regions. If you have upgraded to either expansion pack, you will continue to have access to all content that your account currently offers for the life of the account.

**You will accrue 500 Turbine Points a month, starting June 1st as long as your account remains in good standing through the launch of LOTRO F2P. These points will be granted to your account once LOTRO F2P has gone live. For additional information, please see the Terms & Conditions.

Most of this was mentioned in my last post in some form or another, but I figured I would quote for truth and comparison.

Anyway, it is nice to see Turbine getting the word out directly to their subscribers quickly.  For those less obsessed with the genre, this might be the first place they hear of the change.

Will it be Screws-ville in Middle-earth? June 4, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in Dungeons & Dragons Online, entertainment, Lord of the Rings Online.
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Speculation about Lord of the Rings Online moving to a Free to Play business model popped up yesterday.

And then I got an IM today from Gaff this morning saying that Turbine just announced that LOTRO was, indeed, moving to that model, following on the success they have been having with Dungeons and Dragons Online.

Great news for Turbine.  Great news for a lot of players.

But what does it mean to me?  I am more than a bit invested in the old business plan.

Founder.  Beta. Collectors Edition. Lifetime Subscription. Expansions. Adventurer’s Pack.

If you could buy it, I have it.

Now all of that is going to change.

And it is not that I am against the free to play model, but I have quite a bit of interest in the status quo.  Moving to a free to play business model has the potential to make my early and ongoing financial commitment to the game moot.

Obviously Turbine knows this, and they have a page up to try and reassure the current faithful.    You get VIP Access:

As a lifetime subscriber to LOTRO, you will keep all of your membership privileges and are automatically upgraded to VIP status. You will receive 500 Free Turbine Points every month like the other VIPs, but you do not have to pay a monthly fee since you are a lifetime member. All you have to do is keep playing the game and visit the LOTRO Store to spend your free Turbine Points.

Plus they are going to bribe us with Turbine Points, the new currency of Middle-earth via a program called Loyalty Rewards.

The following terms and conditions apply to The Lord of The Rings Online™ (“LOTRO”) Free-to-Play pre-launch Loyalty Reward Special Offers (“Special Offers”).

Individuals with active subscriptions in good standing (“Subscribers”) to LOTRO on the North American Turbine service may qualify for these Special Offers if they meet the following conditions below:

To qualify for the Special Offers, Non-Lifetime Membership Subscribers to LOTRO must maintain a paid subscription from June, 30th 2010 to the launch of LOTRO Free-to-Play (currently scheduled for Fall 2010) (“Special Offers Eligibility Date”). Lifetime Membership Subscribers must have at least one active play session per month during the Special Offers Eligibility Date. Only subscribers who meet these requirements are eligible for these offers (“Eligible Subscribers”).

  • Eligible Subscribers will automatically receive 500 free Turbine Points for each completed calendar month they remain eligible. This limited point grant starts on  June, 1st 2010 and continues until the first day of the month that LOTRO Free-to-Play becomes available to the general public (“Launches”).
  • In addition, Eligible Subscribers will receive 500 free Turbine Points at launch of LOTRO Free-to-Play for each LOTRO anniversary (April 24) that has elapsed since they first joined LOTRO, up to a maximum of 1,500 Turbine Points.
  • Eligible Subscribers who opted for the Founders program at the original launch of LOTRO will receive an additional 500 free Turbine Points.
  • Eligible Subscribers who are Lifetime members will also receive an additional 1,000 free Turbine Points.
  • Free Turbine Points will be automatically credited into the player’s account and will be made available for use in the LOTRO Free-to-Play Store after the launch of the LOTRO Free-to-Play service.
  • Points associated with the Special Offers have no cash value, are not transferrable, and are awarded at Turbine’s sole discretion.
  • Any points earned are accrued monthly, cannot be pro-rated, and will only be delivered to Eligible Subscribers with accounts in good standing after LOTRO Free-to-play Launches.
  • These Terms & Conditions are subject to change without notice. To view the latest version of this document return to this URL.

I’ll try not to worry about that last line, the “we reserve the right to serve refuse to anybody”" clause, hoping that Turbine won’t do anything to alienate its current customers.

How many Turbine points do I stand to accrue?

I will get 500 points a month between June 1st and when the free to play service actually launches, which is some time this fall, so call that 2,000 points.

I should also get another 1,500 Turbine points for each anniversary since I subscribed.

I am also eligible for another 500 points as a founder.

As a lifetime subscriber I get an extra 1,000 points.

So, if I log in at least once per calendar month, a minor restriction, I should be set with at least 5,000 Turbine points when the game swaps business models.

The question that comes up first is, what are Turbine points worth?

5,000 Turbine points cost about $50 on the Dungeons & Dragons Online side of their business.  That isn’t an insignificant amount compared to my $200 lifetime subscription investment.

Then, what will I be able to buy with these points?

If you look at the DDO Store Guide, you’ll see quite a few things up for sale.  What will make it to the LOTRO side of the store?  Will the LOTRO Store end up being a substitute for trade skills and the auction house?  I would like to see character server transfers on the list of items for sale.

And, finally, are Turbine points just Turbines points?  Can I use them with both DDO and LOTRO?

I’m going to bet yes, but we’ll see.

A big change coming to LOTRO.  In the end, I think I have gotten a lot of value out of my lifetime subscription.

And while I don’t feel that the servers are “dead” in LOTRO, there always seem to be groups forming for the Great Barrow for example, I am sure that free to play will breath new life into the game.

We shall see.

Real Estate Developer Tip of the Day! June 3, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in Casual Games, entertainment, Humor.
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I went to go look in on my people in My Tribe, one of those Facebook games. (Itself a rework of an already existing game.  But the casual game genre makes Blizzard look absolutely restrained when it comes to “borrowing” ideas.)

I hadn’t been there recently and was wondering if the tribe had perished.

And, while the game was loading, I got the following tip:


Aside from the foreshadowing aspect of that tidbit, my first thought was, “Wasn’t that the plot to the movie Poltergeist?”

As for the members of my tribe…

You can, in fact, pick tombstones up and place them wherever you like.

Except in the ocean.  No burials at sea.

WAR Tips Wanted! June 2, 2010

Posted by Wilhelm Arcturus in entertainment, Warhammer Online.
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I haven’t played Warhammer Online since November of 2008, but one of the things that I still remember is that the loading screen tips were not exactly stellar… or very useful… or even true in at least one case.

Of course, as I said back then, having official forums usually generates a “things I wish I had known earlier” type of thread, something that Warhammer Online, lacking official forums for the first few months of the game, missed out on it seems.  So that fertile ground for tip generation was lost when there were a lot more players interested in the game.

Now though, the team at EA Mythic is trying to spice up the loading screen tips by having a contest of sorts.  You can submit tips, and if they use them, they will be attributed on the loading screen to your character.  And you will also get the in-game title “Tipster” if they use one of your tips.  The official rules from the forum post:

We’d like to proudly announce that we’re opening up an opportunity for players to leave a lasting impression on the loading screens of Warhammer, as well as the battlefield!

Loading Screen Tips are an important part of any game’s educational and entertainment value, and Warhammer is no different. With our loading tips, we’ve tried to tell a story for players about important tips on how the game works, as well as include some silly anecdotes about game development or Dwarfs.

We want you to have the opportunity as well, so in the thread below, we are going to be accepting your submissions to make a part of Warhammer Online history by immortalizing yourself in the loading screen tips. Here are the steps:

  • Submit your tips, as many as you like, in a post below.
  • Please post from the character and server which you would like this tip attributed to (remember it is in-game character names only)
  • All entries must be in before June 30th, 2010.

The loading screen tips will be submitted to a judging panel of Mythic employees who will select tips that most effectively judge the tip based on whether or not it is informative, lore-based, or humorous. Tips will be chosen based on how useful/appropriate/humorous they are, as well as if they’re information that can not be found more easily elsewhere. We may correct grammar/spelling, and all tips/names must pass Games Workshop approval.

Chosen entries will be announced and awarded an exclusive in-game title: The Tipster

We will be accepting submissions from now until June 30th, 2010.

The whole thing sounds pretty good.  I only see two problems.

The first is the inclusion of “humorous” as one of the types of tips they are seeking.  We all think we’re funny, the vast majority of us are wrong, and the forum thread of tips bears this out.  Including humorous tips is boosting the signal to noise ratio quite a bit.

Second is the seeming confusion about what is useful.  Tips that sound like the complaints you hear in a scenario… or that sound like complaints about complaints you hear in a scenario… not so useful.

Still, despite the usual problem with user generated content, I think this is a great idea.

I just could have done without the video.

That subjectively seemed a lot longer than two minutes.

I more of an Aion fan when it comes to these sorts of videos.

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