Games

It has been a while since I have scribbled something on my blog due to different reasons one of which include being busy at my new job. Well, today I would like to write a short review of the new online game Final Fantasy XIV. I would say that you’re lucky if you haven’t got a chance to check this one out. Though the graphics is pretty impressive along with the storyline, the grind will really drive you crazy as the focus is mainly on professions or crafting which can be improved by obtaining local leves, and regional leves that focus on killing specific mobs within 30 minutes, but the catch is that you can only obtain a certain number of leves every 36 hours. After you hit the level 20 mark, it gets really hard to increase the level or rank on your main profession due to availability of only limited number of quests and some of the level 20 quests can only be completed with a larger group of more than 4 or 5 players with the right level/class etc. So in short, in order to keep players from quitting and attracting new players, I think the game developers really need to focus on improving the game play and reduce the time lag for each window to load especially when you are crafting. Funny, how you don’t have the capability to search “all retainers” for the item you want to buy but instead it is a cumbersome task of looking individually at every bazaar setup by players and the worst part is that you cannot setup your retainer to buy items if you don’t have at least one item with you which is ridiculous. This can be applied to shards or crystals but how can you buy a weapon to setup a shop for buying the same thing on your retainer, since you would only need a single weapon after all so it does not make any sense to me.  The capability to use more than one retainer would be a great addition or the ability to increase your inventory space like other games and increase the maximum number of items that can be setup for sale on your retainer. Worst of all, is if you are looking for crafting recipes which are supposedly ideal for your level, say 10 on blacksmith and you find one, don’t rejoice so fast since there will be at least one material required for the craft that will certainly fail since it is ideal for a higher level say, 15, so what good will that be to you. Overall, I am not really happy with these aspects in the game and if it is not improved soon, pretty sure that I will quit trying it out and go back to the older MMORPGs that have improved the game play over the past few years.

Since this game is fairly new and the fact that I haven’t really explored all aspects in the game, there is a possibility that some of the above mentioned functionalities may exist but I am not really aware of it, like some of the other players who are in the same linkshell as me. Well, if it exists then my advice to the game designers, is to start providing random tips to the players.

It is rather strange how people get addicted to video games and I am able to state this because I have played them in different occasions. I have had the opportunity to play a few online games such as Lineage II, Age of Conan, World of Warcraft and AION. They transform you into a magical world especially the ones that have advanced graphics such as Lineage II or AION which were both developed by NCSoft, and World of Warcraft is similar, except I liked AION better than all the others. Now the ability to not get addicted to these fascinating games is quite simple but seems rather difficult and tormenting for someone who would spend hours playing these games every day. Even a flash game like Farmville can get you to spend hours, farming which would sound very lame but true. For me, it was only a matter of time when I realized that I had other priorities in real life, and did not want to waste my life playing these games, which are not real but seem so real to get you addicted making you while away countless hours of your life every day for many weeks, months and years. But then, there are some others who are so addicted that they think, it is practically impossible to live without spending at least an hour or two gaming everyday or at least a couple of times every week. Now, like I said, the trick is very simple, reduce the number of hours you spend gradually every day or by week but you really need to have the determination within or desire to reduce it in the first place. Nobody can help you if you are not willing to help yourself and make an attempt to try it in the first place. Also, make it a point to spend the extra time gained by doing something you love, other than gaming, which could be anything you think is fruitful such as maybe reading, gardening, cooking, spending more time with family, hiking etc to name a few options. Well, we did practice this theory and was able to successfully stop playing AION, slowly and steadily, by spending more time with each other, watching movies, organizing things, cooking, reading etc. Later I did check out Farmville just for fun, never really expecting to spend one or two hours every day or at least once a week on it. Also, was surprised at the number of people who play using their Facebook accounts, which seem impressive because I did not think that the graphics were comparable in any way to other MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Finally, I am glad to say that I did get over this as well, with just sheer determination that there are other priorities and I would rather spend time doing something that I liked doing, which helped me improve my writing skills, cleared my thought and improved my imagination. So I have started reading the Harry Potter books, some of which I have read in the past and watching the movies after I complete each book. I am trying to analyze the instances that have been modified by the movie maker and the things that are left unmentioned in movies. Well, you can never expect the movie to say the exact same story in every detail, since it would only be one or two hours, but I find this feat very interesting since I am able to imagine a world that is not real, and see through the eyes of the writer herself, an imaginary world that perhaps would inspire my spirits and hopefully instill greater creativity within me.

I have been playing Lineage 2 (L2) and World of Warcraft (WoW) which are both MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) where players interact closely with each other using different communication tools and enjoy the game play together. According to me, as an active online gamer I think that though the ncsoft game Lineage 2 has awesome graphics, provides a great avenue for socializing, it is in fact not very entertaining when you compare the game play with other products. First of all you have to aimlessly go around killing monsters all day long in order for you to level your character up from 1 to 80+. This monotonous activity needs to be done over and over again by soloing or grouping up with others, which does not make much sense. Secondly, the economy in the game is totally lost its balance because of the so called ‘bots,’ who are players that use illegitimate computer programs for leveling their characters when they are nowhere near the computer, as well as buy in game currency from external websites. Thirdly, the craft when you level up higher is 60% or less and the result for success is very random which is miserable. Can someone call this an entertaining game play, where you look for monsters that are your level range; go to that specific area and then keep fighting them no matter what and this is the only way you can level your character up.

In reality players spend a lot of their hard earned in game currency to craft weapons or armor and then agonize when the result is generally or most commonly a failure. Lately ncsoft has introduced a few quests at lower level which helps players level up faster from 1 through 40 but the story is still the same after that. After a player takes all the pain in the world to be fair, without using any illegitimate methods, what do they get in the end – less in game currency to buy good weapon or armor which is really important as they contribute to effective in game experience, thereby causing never ending agony? My opinion after playing L2 is that the game needs to be more player oriented and should focus on the needs of players, rather than nerf the already good skills for different classes which had initially made the player chose that particular class, making the game excessively tough and also making the drops and crafts unachievable. But then, why do players still continue to play this game – the only answer that seems logical to me is the socializing perspective. This game enables players to voice chat using ventrilo, as well as chat in game using msn which is otherwise extremely monotonous, boring and difficult to play by your self, thereby providing more of an appealing social touch to the whole in game experience. Also another reason would be that players have already spend a major part of their online gaming time (for the past couple of years) trying to level up these characters to higher levels and hence continue to do the routine though they complain about all the issues that they have to face on a day to day basis. That leaves me with one question – has the designers ever tried to collect the feedback from L2 players, most likely not, it is high time they do that but I guess, they are busy with the game design on the forthcoming Lineage 3 game. Players have been testing the Gracia final update on the public test server, and keep hoping that at least this update would bring an end to the never ending game play agony.

As a player who has relished the contents of both games, let me do a comparison of L2 with WoW which is from Blizzard Entertainment. The in game experience provided by this game is amazing; the looks are very appealing in terms of the color combinations used, though not as intricate as Lineage 2, the features that are added to improve the game play are also adequate. A lot of players feel that the graphics are not as good as Lineage 2, but for me as a gamer just by the graphics being good does not make an exciting game, but the whole experience which would be contributed by different features like the color combinations, look and feel, economy, access to resources, ease of play, game experience as if you are in a real fantasy or imaginary world, is what makes the difference. In WoW I was amazed to fly my racial pets from one town to another, which is one of the lightest emotions that every human being will dream of; just like the song goes “I want to fly like an eagle.” Also players are able to ride horses, birds, bears, elephants etc, which is based on race, class, as well as the riding skill that you are able to learn from the npc (non player characters in game). But another differentiating factor is that you do not need to level the horses up like in lineage 2 where you have to level all your pets, but I do agree that if you use the pet to fight like in the case of a hunter, the pet gains level as you go higher up. This concept does make a lot of sense to me, as they differentiate pets, few that can fight and a few others that are generally used to travel from one place to another faster.

Basically you need to follow quests in order for you to level up faster rather than the worthless exercise of killing monsters over and over again. The drops when you complete different quests obtained directly from the npc are awesome, which are totally adequate for your level range and enable you to fight better by default. The drop rate is pretty good, especially inside dungeons; as players are able to get rare or epic items which are definitely not a possibility in L2. In L2, epic items are dropped by epic raid bosses such as antharas, frintessa or baium to name a few, and all the higher level clans generally scout and do this all the time. In WoW, players can sell drops using the in game system where you can specify a bidding price and a buyout price which is similar to the eBay system. Also, each player is able to choose two professions such as mining, blacksmithing, leather working etc to name a few, and you can get the raw materials needed for the same by performing specific activities, say skinning dead beasts for leather which is raw material for leatherworking, hence making a lot of in game currency without spending much. Another motivating factor is that if you level up the character to 55, then you can start playing a death knight at level 55 which according to me is a bonus gift to all the loyal players. To add to all this world of warcraft is very colorful, and enables you to play by yourself, there is so much meaning within the quests which are unique and do not bore the players, and the economy is not as messed up as in L2. Also the game keeps you happy with the adequate gear, and resources to help make the game play a better experience all together, by providing splendid rewards when you complete the quests. So WoW makes the whole game experience better for the haves and the have not’s in game, which I think is more balanced. So long story short, one game is more player centric and aim to keep the players happy, but the other one is not very player centric. This could be one of the reasons why WoW has the more than 11.5 million subscribers, holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG, and is estimated to hold 62% of the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) market as of April 2008. This definitely is one of the most popular games in the world, no question about that.