Everyone’s a Critic

June 30, 2005 by Foton • Filed Under Etc. • 4 Comments 

Reblog

Well damn. There goes half my posts.

(Make your own.)



The Agony of Leveling

June 30, 2005 by Foton • Filed Under Etc., Noteworthy • 12 Comments 

I know how it is. You just want to get through this level. Higher level, maybe better skills, spells and equipment, access to new adventure areas — it has tremendous appeal.

And heaven help you if it’s the last level … despite volumes of mathematical evidence to the contrary, that last level takes 49 years longer than any level before. This is why raising the max level in a MMOG should be considered a gaming felony. Raising the max more than once … Class X Felony. (EQ, I’m looking in your direction here.)

If I can pass on one kernel of gaming wisdom to any n00bs out there, it is this: a watched experience bar never dings. I know, it’s tempting! Save yourself some grief, don’t look.

While I’m on the subject, the following mind games don’t pass the time any faster either:

- Don’t look for X number of minutes and try to guess how far you are.
- Estimate the number of mobs to kill before the ding and count the mobs instead.
- Estimate the number of minutes until the ding or per experience bar segment, then check for accuracy.
- Sketch out a graph with periodic intervals for level completion, shading in the intervals as you go.

I know, I’ve tried them all. (And more!)

Continued »



Could RSS Invade Gaming?

June 29, 2005 by Foton • Filed Under Asides • 5 Comments 

Could RSS Invade Gaming? — (via Lockergnome) Why don’t the big MMOGs do this already? Server status, maintenance schedules, ADVERTISEMENTS, excerpts from developer threads, user-tagged forum threads, news, did I mention ADVERTISING?



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