So, the Camelot team has announced their fix to DAoC's segmented population. Background info for those who aren't aware, DAoC currently has 3 clusters and 2 "other" server. Recently, people have flocked to the Devon cluster from the two other clusters, resulting in one mega cluster and two almost dead clusters. People have been clamoring for character transfers. Also, their "other" servers, one PvE only and one PvP only, barely have 100 players combined (and the PvP one usually doesn't break into the TEENS for population). So, obviously, the fragmented playerbase is a big problem. I love their fix (you prob need to read the above link to understand what the fix is...), and below is my post in the VN boards discussion
Bravo to Lori and the remaining DAoC team.
This is exactly what EA Mythic as a company failed to do with Warhammer. Warhammer catered to every single feedback point (whine) that the players from DAoC had, and they didn't make a game with their own vision. It was a watered down version of everything that made DAoC great, and it blew.
Here, Lori and Co. took a DAoC community issue and did something totally unexpected that will work out better for everyone in the long run, they didn't just do exactly as the players said they wanted (transfers to Devon). They took feedback and made a decision on their own, that they knew as developers would be the best for the game. This took balls. Lori and Co. should be running EA Mythic, they have the balls to do what is necessary, and not tiptoe around the whiny minority. Again, Bravo for these changes.
A few tidbits:
- The Gaheris/Mordred merge is very interesting to me, and I think in the end, with enough population mind you, this will be amazing. The Gaheris crowd will get a few more people to dance around the flowers with.... and the Molvik Open PvP could end up being bats--- insanity with enough 8 mans running around, which is exactly what Open PvP should be imo: balls out insanity and fun. It will be a nice distraction for people to hop and enjoy a break from normal RvR (and while they are waiting out realms timers...)
- I hope the realm timers are at the very least an hour. It will force people to think about what side they want to play for their next extended play session. No realm hopping garbage.
- Did I mention great job Lori and Co.?
That was my post. I also forgot to mention that I hope Origins doesn't get released, but methinks that it is coming, due to Lori's "stay tuned" comment. I would rather have this one server utopia that is coming, and not further segment the players, which will result in a faster collapse down the road, IMO. What any game in its later years needs is a very tight-knit community. If Origins is released, then said community will be split in two, and will constantly be at odds about the future direction of DAoC. With one server, the community will be unified (as unified as people in an MMO ever are...).
So, here's to hoping we don't get Origins after this.
Jun 4, 2009
Jun 3, 2009
Tomb Raider: Underworld Epilogue
So, I tried to play more of Tomb Raider:Underworld last night. I began running around the next level, which was happily devoid of water. Then, the massive octopus creature made its return, smashing walls down around me. Oh hell yes, I thought, let's do this!
I was quickly disappointed. The cutscene ends with Lara pointing out this incredibly obvious spiked rock chandelier thing hanging from a chain right above the creature's head. The eight legged monstrosity then proceeds to FUCKING SIT THERE while you clumsily navigate your way around the top ledge of the chamber the thing is idly sitting in, waiting for you to crush his skull with the outrageously convenient spiked dangling thing. This is especially annoying when you just witnessed an awesome cutscene where it was demonstrated that A.) The octopus knows you are there, because you just had a stare down with it, B.) it can easily reach you, and C.) it could easily crush the life out of you on a whim, if it so desired. This menacing beast could have been an awesome boss fight, with you jumping around avoiding tentacles and possibly diving into the water (shudder) to shoot it with your harpoon. Nope, it will just sit there while you crush its head. Sigh. Needless to say, this game is already in the mail back to Gamefly.
I hate when games do this. This is exactly what i hated about Devil May Cry 4. You would watch a cutscene where the new Dante (whatever his name was) approaches a bunch of baddies, and you get pumped for a big fight. But the cutscene doesn't stop there... you then get to watch as he slaughters the group of enemies all badass-like. Then you come out of the cutscene and are allowed to solve some inane fucking puzzle. I don't want to be cock teased by my games... I want to actually PLAY them. These games could learn a lot from God of War, which started its series much later than either Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry. It gives you the cutscene of the big baddie approaching, shows you the obvious "way to kill it" (sometimes), but then the boss processes to try and kill you while you do the same. But the thing is it actually lets you rip the head off of the boss rather than just having you watch.
More manual head ripping in games please. Thanks. I now patiently await while Gamefly hopefully sends me Prototype on Monday. While waiting I will hopefully beat Persona 3 finally (86.5 hours and counting).
I was quickly disappointed. The cutscene ends with Lara pointing out this incredibly obvious spiked rock chandelier thing hanging from a chain right above the creature's head. The eight legged monstrosity then proceeds to FUCKING SIT THERE while you clumsily navigate your way around the top ledge of the chamber the thing is idly sitting in, waiting for you to crush his skull with the outrageously convenient spiked dangling thing. This is especially annoying when you just witnessed an awesome cutscene where it was demonstrated that A.) The octopus knows you are there, because you just had a stare down with it, B.) it can easily reach you, and C.) it could easily crush the life out of you on a whim, if it so desired. This menacing beast could have been an awesome boss fight, with you jumping around avoiding tentacles and possibly diving into the water (shudder) to shoot it with your harpoon. Nope, it will just sit there while you crush its head. Sigh. Needless to say, this game is already in the mail back to Gamefly.
I hate when games do this. This is exactly what i hated about Devil May Cry 4. You would watch a cutscene where the new Dante (whatever his name was) approaches a bunch of baddies, and you get pumped for a big fight. But the cutscene doesn't stop there... you then get to watch as he slaughters the group of enemies all badass-like. Then you come out of the cutscene and are allowed to solve some inane fucking puzzle. I don't want to be cock teased by my games... I want to actually PLAY them. These games could learn a lot from God of War, which started its series much later than either Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry. It gives you the cutscene of the big baddie approaching, shows you the obvious "way to kill it" (sometimes), but then the boss processes to try and kill you while you do the same. But the thing is it actually lets you rip the head off of the boss rather than just having you watch.
More manual head ripping in games please. Thanks. I now patiently await while Gamefly hopefully sends me Prototype on Monday. While waiting I will hopefully beat Persona 3 finally (86.5 hours and counting).
Jun 1, 2009
A whole bunch of crap and Children of Bodom in GH5
The full list of bands that will be in Guitar Hero 5 has been released.
The list contains a whole lot of what we have come to expect from music games now. Crap. A whole lot of awful bands, mixed with a smattering of not awful bands, most of which we have seen before, like Iron Maiden and Megadeth. Children of Bodom is the only new band in GH that I am excited before. CoB was released as DLC for Rock Band 2, but RB blows, so I am counting Bodom as new since I haven't played them in GH yet. But, I most likely won't be getting this anyway. the guitar game genre has quickly been milked into the ground by both Activision and Harmonix, and the whole genre isn't exciting anymore. Hell, I haven't even gotten around to grabbing GH:Metallica yet since Meghan and I are just so bored with these games. We will just has to cherish the memories of GH1-3 until something new and fresh comes along.
The list contains a whole lot of what we have come to expect from music games now. Crap. A whole lot of awful bands, mixed with a smattering of not awful bands, most of which we have seen before, like Iron Maiden and Megadeth. Children of Bodom is the only new band in GH that I am excited before. CoB was released as DLC for Rock Band 2, but RB blows, so I am counting Bodom as new since I haven't played them in GH yet. But, I most likely won't be getting this anyway. the guitar game genre has quickly been milked into the ground by both Activision and Harmonix, and the whole genre isn't exciting anymore. Hell, I haven't even gotten around to grabbing GH:Metallica yet since Meghan and I are just so bored with these games. We will just has to cherish the memories of GH1-3 until something new and fresh comes along.
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Oh Tomb Raider, how long it has been. I haven't dove (/cringe... more later) into a TR game since TR3 on the PS1. I used to love the old Tomb Raider games and experiences. They were a perfect mix of puzzle solving/platforming and action. However, lately the Tomb Raider franchise has descended into irrelevancy, as attempts to "reinvent" itself have failed. So, how does the latest game in the series fare?
Not so well. Eidos continues to struggle to relive the series' glory days, and developer Crystal Dynamics doesn't seem to really know what made Tomb Raider so magical all those years ago.
On the surface, Tomb Raider is about exploration. The premise is that you are some rich, um.., tomb raider who goes off on various adventures searching for lost artifacts for whatever the current reason in, and usually ends up pissing off some ancient deity or bastard evil doers in the process. So, we have exploration, and we have combat. What really made Tomb Raider great back in the day was the pacing of the game. In the first game,while on your plundering excursion you would emerge or a cave or water passage or whathaveyou and some wolf or bear would be there, waiting to unceremoniously attack you. This is what I loved about the games. There was no warning or Resident Evil-esque cutscene or scare music. It wasn't like some switch was flipped to let you know that is was ok to panic now. Nope, one second you are trying to find your way through some cave network, the next you have a wolf chomping on your leg. The second game nailed the action/exploration balance. In TR2 you fought a lot more human enemies, and you had much more combat tools at your disposal. The game was great for getting your heart pumping with a fire fight with 5 bad guys or a high speed boat chase through Venice, and then letting you catch your breath afterward as you worked your way through the level.
However, from my couple hours with Underworld, it seems the action/exploration balance has be ousted for more full on exploration. It reminds me a lot of Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed now. So much potential in the game engine, but wasted on boring, uninspired "puzzle" worlds.
The game starts as we'd expect, with Lara's mansion. But, just as you hit 'Start Game' you see Lara's mansion explode. I see what you are trying to do here Crystal Dynamics. Start the game off with a "bang". Try to get people excited they are Tomb Raider again. Ok, let's see what you got. You then lead Lara through her burning house, reacquainting yourself with the classic Tomb Raider controls, along with learning some new tricks. All of the typical actions seem to be here. We have the standards like run, jump, wall grab and shimmy. What I notice is that Lara's iconic hopping backstep is gone, in favor of a more typical slow backstep. Sad. This may have been tossed a long time ago, but since I haven't played TR since Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation demo on the Dreamcast, I'm going to say it is new. Lara definitely controls a lot smoother than in her older games. It is nice to see, but something inside of me still misses the old, clunky controls, much like many people still prefer the old school Resident Evil controls, as unintuitive as they were.
Anyway, Lara now also has a grappling hook to use. Originally I thought this was going to be simply for swinging, but in the first level she used to it hook onto the head of a snake statue and bring it crashing down onto a puzzle platform. Nice touch.
Ok, so I finish the flaming mansion introduction. I am ready for some classic Tomb Raider action. However, I am disappointed to learn the first level of the game is a MOTHERFUCKING UNDERWATER SWIMMING LEVEL. As you kidding me Crystal Dynamics? Someone needs to take a bat to the head of your game designer. Underwater swimming levels are always terrible and frustrating, but they are forgivable later in the game for a change of pace as long as they remain short. Not right off the bat before people have had a chance to settle in to the controls. Sigh, I almost want to quit even before I finish the level. It isn't even a linear level. You have the open space of ocean floor awaiting you, and you have to find these different caves that have the keys you need to open the door in this main temple. All underwater. Sigh. As to be expected, there are shark enemies, but there are only 2, and they don't put up any fight at all. You see them coming from a mile away and you simple lock on to them and shoot them with your harpoon. Underwater enemies are supposed to be a pain in the ass to kill, which adds to the frustration of the underwater level, but in a tolerable way. The frustrating thing here isn't the sharks after my flesh, but the fact that I can barely see in this underwater hell and I need to explore these hard to find caves. Sigh.
So I finally find the keys I need, and eventually I am led to a cave where I can actually get out of the water. Nice. Maybe I'll find some odd underwater creature waiting to chomp on me. Nope. Just your typical platforming BS before I get to the door of the next level. The only exciting thing in the entire level was coming around a bend in the water cave and seeing an octopus leg slide out of the opening in front of you. This actually got my heart racing for a bit, hoping for a fight, but I didn't see my tentacled friend again for the rest of the level. Disappointing. I'm assuming maybe I'll see it in the next level, but for now I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Probably from the salt water. I almost sent the game back to Gamefly right then, but I decided I wanted to get a little more playtime with it, to see if maybe the combat can help save the experience. I will update when/if I play the next level, but for now it looks like Lara has fully gone the way of the hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog that is... who has fallen into similar irrelevancy).
Not so well. Eidos continues to struggle to relive the series' glory days, and developer Crystal Dynamics doesn't seem to really know what made Tomb Raider so magical all those years ago.
On the surface, Tomb Raider is about exploration. The premise is that you are some rich, um.., tomb raider who goes off on various adventures searching for lost artifacts for whatever the current reason in, and usually ends up pissing off some ancient deity or bastard evil doers in the process. So, we have exploration, and we have combat. What really made Tomb Raider great back in the day was the pacing of the game. In the first game,while on your plundering excursion you would emerge or a cave or water passage or whathaveyou and some wolf or bear would be there, waiting to unceremoniously attack you. This is what I loved about the games. There was no warning or Resident Evil-esque cutscene or scare music. It wasn't like some switch was flipped to let you know that is was ok to panic now. Nope, one second you are trying to find your way through some cave network, the next you have a wolf chomping on your leg. The second game nailed the action/exploration balance. In TR2 you fought a lot more human enemies, and you had much more combat tools at your disposal. The game was great for getting your heart pumping with a fire fight with 5 bad guys or a high speed boat chase through Venice, and then letting you catch your breath afterward as you worked your way through the level.
However, from my couple hours with Underworld, it seems the action/exploration balance has be ousted for more full on exploration. It reminds me a lot of Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed now. So much potential in the game engine, but wasted on boring, uninspired "puzzle" worlds.
The game starts as we'd expect, with Lara's mansion. But, just as you hit 'Start Game' you see Lara's mansion explode. I see what you are trying to do here Crystal Dynamics. Start the game off with a "bang". Try to get people excited they are Tomb Raider again. Ok, let's see what you got. You then lead Lara through her burning house, reacquainting yourself with the classic Tomb Raider controls, along with learning some new tricks. All of the typical actions seem to be here. We have the standards like run, jump, wall grab and shimmy. What I notice is that Lara's iconic hopping backstep is gone, in favor of a more typical slow backstep. Sad. This may have been tossed a long time ago, but since I haven't played TR since Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation demo on the Dreamcast, I'm going to say it is new. Lara definitely controls a lot smoother than in her older games. It is nice to see, but something inside of me still misses the old, clunky controls, much like many people still prefer the old school Resident Evil controls, as unintuitive as they were.
Anyway, Lara now also has a grappling hook to use. Originally I thought this was going to be simply for swinging, but in the first level she used to it hook onto the head of a snake statue and bring it crashing down onto a puzzle platform. Nice touch.
Ok, so I finish the flaming mansion introduction. I am ready for some classic Tomb Raider action. However, I am disappointed to learn the first level of the game is a MOTHERFUCKING UNDERWATER SWIMMING LEVEL. As you kidding me Crystal Dynamics? Someone needs to take a bat to the head of your game designer. Underwater swimming levels are always terrible and frustrating, but they are forgivable later in the game for a change of pace as long as they remain short. Not right off the bat before people have had a chance to settle in to the controls. Sigh, I almost want to quit even before I finish the level. It isn't even a linear level. You have the open space of ocean floor awaiting you, and you have to find these different caves that have the keys you need to open the door in this main temple. All underwater. Sigh. As to be expected, there are shark enemies, but there are only 2, and they don't put up any fight at all. You see them coming from a mile away and you simple lock on to them and shoot them with your harpoon. Underwater enemies are supposed to be a pain in the ass to kill, which adds to the frustration of the underwater level, but in a tolerable way. The frustrating thing here isn't the sharks after my flesh, but the fact that I can barely see in this underwater hell and I need to explore these hard to find caves. Sigh.
So I finally find the keys I need, and eventually I am led to a cave where I can actually get out of the water. Nice. Maybe I'll find some odd underwater creature waiting to chomp on me. Nope. Just your typical platforming BS before I get to the door of the next level. The only exciting thing in the entire level was coming around a bend in the water cave and seeing an octopus leg slide out of the opening in front of you. This actually got my heart racing for a bit, hoping for a fight, but I didn't see my tentacled friend again for the rest of the level. Disappointing. I'm assuming maybe I'll see it in the next level, but for now I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Probably from the salt water. I almost sent the game back to Gamefly right then, but I decided I wanted to get a little more playtime with it, to see if maybe the combat can help save the experience. I will update when/if I play the next level, but for now it looks like Lara has fully gone the way of the hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog that is... who has fallen into similar irrelevancy).
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