Finally back from vacation. The plan to blog while there did not exactly work out (you might have noticed), but the blogging break was nice as well. I’ve got the “how to get RPG players who turn to MMOs into more social situations” post coming, but I wanted to do a quick general update first.
Diablo 3: I don’t really care about the real-money AH to be honest. D3 is not an MMO, and it’s not a competitive PvP game, so if people want to spend money to cut content for themselves, knock yourself out. The only real fear here is that Blizzard gets greedy and tunes drop rates such that only professional farmers actually see the good stuff, but I’m having trouble imagining even Bobby would be that stupid. My real concerns for D3 is that it will force Blizzard’s RealID on you in some way, and that overall the games quality will be less than what people would expect from Blizzard. I passed on StarCraft2, and I’m 50/50 on D3 right now.
On to games I am playing or have played.
I downloaded the open beta for Dawntide, and not to EG the game or anything, but after 10 minutes I just couldn’t take it. Sluggish controls, poor graphics with poor performance (I can take lower-end graphics, but not when the engine performs like its running full-blow DX11 stuff, and no 1900×1200 resolution setting?), and from what I could tell, one of the oddest and most uncomfortable combat systems I’ve ever experienced (I’ve heard it’s getting overhauled). It’s sad to see a sandbox MMO in such rough shape, and also makes one appreciate what Darkfall has accomplished a bit more. Hopefully a ‘miracle’ patch hits before its set October release date.
I’ve been playing Global Agenda with a few Inquisition members and so far we have been having a good time. I can see why the game failed as a monthly sub MMO, but it does make for a decent jump in, jump out kind of game. The PvP matches are quick, the combat is different-enough, and the first 18 levels of PvE content was solid. It has the usual F2P cash shop stuff, but all of that is easier to ignore when you don’t really invest in the game (which again, reinforces why if you are REALLY into an MMO game, you don’t want it to be F2P). How long our interest will last I’m not sure, but for now it’s something to do with a few buddies for an hour, which is good enough.
Other games: Knighturn for the iPhone has been a great little TBS game. Highly recommended. Started playing Bioshock ($5 Steam sale, of course); killing the little girls is even creepier than I imagined it would be. Good game so far though. Still playing League of Legends, still loving it. I’m not sure how to feel about DOTA2 from Valve. On the one hand, Valve makes quality games so DOTA2 should be good. On the other hand, do I really want to learn what will, in all likelihood, be a slightly different game than what LoL is? Plus LoL has had time to settle in and Riot has had months and months to balance everything (which I must admit they do a great job of). Rumor has it DOTA2 will be F2P, so I’m sure I’ll at least try it.
PoP (the M&B:W mod) has been updated, again. I get the feeling I’m never going to stop playing that game.
Feels good to be back.
Hardcore Casual 
Just started playing LoL now that it has had some time to be fleshed out and I’m having a blast, so I definitely mirror your sentiments. Now to figure out how best to spend the $40 or $50 I’ve decided to throw at Riot.
Warband is waiting in the wings.
Valve is livestreaming a huge DotA 2 tournament Aug 17-21 if you want to look before you touch. :P
Can’t say I really want to learn a zillion new champion nuances… I’m just starting to get a firm grip on them in LoL after almost a year!
They are heroes in dota :p
Speaking from someone who played the original pretty hardcore, I have a very different perspective. I think the nostalgia factor will be pretty big, and I’m assuming a lot of the heroes will play at least similarly as their earlier incarnations.
Another thing is that coming to LoL was a shift in gameplay that mirrors LoL players going to dota i imagine. Simple nuances of the wc3 engine became second nature after years and years of playing melée, dota, and all sorts of maps. The way animations work and fog of war for example, there is a lot that feels a lot different between the game to be honest.
Personally i never developed the same attachment to lol, so i have to say looking forward to a modernized dota with it’s own engine. And from all accounts it’s made to be a direct continuation of the original with regards to gameplay, which i believe is crucial for it’s success.
Will be very interesting to see how it plays, how well it does, and how the nostalgia factor feels. Also if the pro play sustains itself, as that is a huge draw also. Replays and spectating is built in to be a powerful tool for learning players as well as entertainment.
Original DoTA includes a lot of design mistakes though. Stuff like Rupture, Elementalist, Agi heroes, etc. If they stick TOO much to original DoTA, those same design mistakes will carry over. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
I’ve been playing Dawntide on and off (mostly off) for a year. I last logged in about three or four weeks ago and honestly it was in better shape last summer than it is now. It seems to have taken several huge steps backwards.
I learned one thing from Dawntide, though. I no longer have the patience or motivation for true sandbox games. When I was in my 20s or even 30s I would have seen a few hundred hours of building a virtual house, boat, farm or even village as time well spent. In my 50s I just see it as a huge and unforgivable waste of the limited time left to me.
I’m all for sandbox gameplay, but it will have to be on fast-forward from now on. Life is literally too short.
Any opinion on the Dominion announcement?
I think it will be a sideshow similar to what TT is right now, but hopefully more fun. I still think SR is going to be the ‘main’ game.
I think it has the potential to be separate but equal.
Did you just read the press release or have you read any of the reviews of the early build they are showing press?
Read ID’s intrusive and “always on” nature notwithstanding, I don’t think that passing on StarCraft 2 was wise. Having complete the campaign and played online competitively for several weeks, I can comfortably say that it has all the detail, polish and quality we expect from a AAA title, especially from Blizzard.
I personally think the AH step is a smart business decision. Farmers made it like bandits off of in-game items in Diablo II. Now Blizzard has not only legitimized it, they also directly in control of the action. Good for them.
My concern is the same as yours, I hope they don’t get greedy, and tune drop rates to spike prices of the rarest items. That would really suck.
Do you still see comments on months-old posts?
Swords and Earrings, the sequel to Knighturn (though made first!) has been ported over to the Knighturn engine. So, if you enjoyed Knighturn, pick it up! While it’s a much older game, running the new engine with a story that takes place after Knighturn, you’d never know.
Tons of fun!