A coworker of mine really wanted to play the Age of Conan beta. When he heard that FilePlanet subscribers would have the chance to download the client and play it themselves, he jumped at the chance. But 24 hours and dozens of gigabytes later, his will faltered. Have you had a similar experience? For this week's discussion, we want to know:
Are system requirements, hard-drive space and download times preventing people from playing MMOs?
Tell us what you think in the comment thread!
It received a 99 out of 100 aggregate MetaCritic score. It contains over 45 hours of single-player gameplay. It features an open-world, free-roaming multiplayer mode where you can wreak havoc on an unsuspecting city. OK, it's not an MMO, but something tells me Grand Theft Auto IV may steal many gamers away from their previous virtual world of choice. This week, we want to know:
Has the release of GTA IV managed to pull you away from your favorite MMO?
As for me, I think I'll be making an extended stay in Liberty City. How about you?
This week, Flying Lab Software announced the closure of seven of their 11 game servers for Pirates of the Burning Sea in order to achieve a more optimal number of players on the remaining servers. We want to know:
Has server under-/over-population ever hurt your enjoyment of an MMO?
From my experience, a low server population has as many advantages as disadvantages. What do you think?
For this week's newsletter discussion we ask:
Grand Theft Auto IV promises some interesting, fifteen person multiplayer meayhem, while the creator of the original Grand Theft Auto is hard at work on his own MMO version called All Points Bulletin. Which one would you rather be playing this weekend?
Let's hear it!
With consoles continuing to chip away at the PCs market share within the game industry, it's only a matter of time before MMOs bridge the gap between your desktop and your Xbox. But will the extra exposure hurt MMOs or help them? This week, we want to know:
Do you feel that MMOs would benefit or suffer from cross-platform release across both PCs and consoles?
Let us know what you think!
The details about the forthcoming release of the Lineage II collector's edition were divulged today. Featuring a host of exclusive CE bonuses, the release also said:
This limited edition version is the ultimate collection for hardened fans and provides new players with a host of incredible, exclusive extras as they embark on their adventures in this stunning online role-playing game.
Click through to see screens specific to the CE and to read more about the exclusives.
Last week, EA Mythic General Manager Mark Jacobs announced that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning would be delayed once again due to issues that arose during its ongoing beta. The news was met with both a chorus of angry shouts and sighs of relief. For this week's discussion question, we want to know:
How do you feel about EA Mythic's decision to delay WAR's release?
Don't wait until Q3 of 2008; give us your opinion today!
The 1st Throne - The Kamael: Hellbound has been uploaded to the Lineage II test servers and is ready for player testing according to this announcement at the official site:
The 1st Throne - The Kamael: Hellbound update is now live on the Public Test Server! Be one of the first to try out the new level 80+ skills, new quests, the improved pet system, the Underground Coliseum, new Hellbound challenges and much more!
Check the official Public Test Server forum for more info on The 1st Throne - The Kamael: Hellbound update Public Test Server!
Let us know what you think. Head over to our forums!
Last week, we asked you about official MMO forums and whether they helped or harmed the communities they served. This week, with more news of EVE's Council of Stellar Management, we want to broaden the topic a bit. We want to know:
What's the best way for developers to stay in touch with their communities?
Monitoring official forums, lurking fan forums, electing community representatives...each has their benefits and downsides. Your thoughts?
This week, Vice President and General Manager of EA Mythic, Mark Jacobs, told us how he really felt about official MMO forums: they're a breeding ground for obnoxious trolls and toxic flame wars. Not surprisingly, Mythic is forgoing this option for their upcoming Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, but is this the right decision? For this week's discussion, we want to know:
Do official MMORPG forums help or hurt the communities they serve?
Having spent too many hours lurking on the WoW forums, I think I understand where Mythic is coming from. How about you?
