Life Imitating Art, Imitating Life

Had to chuckle over this one... The HR department at the company I work for just announced a revamped promotion plan. The previous promotion plan had only six levels for employees to progress through. This was described as too flat. So... The logical thing to do was to increase the level cap and now there are seventeen levels for us to grind through on our way to unlocking the CIO achievement =). Yay! Have to wonder when they are going to offer bonus XP week next.

In all seriousness, most of my colleagues seemed to like the fact that they had a clearer career path progression; even if those promotions were tied to smaller pay/title increases. In the end I think it really speaks to the need for people to feel like they have a goal to work towards, whether in game or in their careers.

Somewhat connected to the topic of games and work... I came across this post at the Are We New At This Blog.

The Guild Leaders Handbook

An excerpt from the Amazon listing:

• Plan successful raids, player vs. player battles, roleplaying sessions, and contests
• Deal with problem players and keep a lid on guild-fracturing drama
• Solve loot issues and choose the best loot system for your guild
• Boost your guild’s morale, reputation, and server presence
• Promote and motivate an effective officer corps
• Organize fun and safe real-world guild meetings and events

Run this through the corporate speak blender for a quality mash-up:

• Plan successful hostile takeovers, employee vs. employee conflict resolution, dealing with weirdos in the workplace, and how to run an NCAA pool from you cubicle
• Deal with problem employees and keep a lid on team breaking drama
• Solve pay issues and choose the best compensation system for your corporation
• Boost your teams morale, e-peen, and breaking into the S&P 500
• Promote and motivate an effective leadership
• Out of office socializing best avoided for most workplaces. See any episode of 'The Office'

I think it fits. With a quick find-and-replace, and some very minor editing, this book could be the next 'One Minute Manager' for the up and coming generation of gamers about to launch into careers.

So yeah... I do see a lot of Life Imitating Art, Imitating Life here. Lots of the same topics, some silly, some serious. All connected by the people who drive them.

Jose

Venril Sathir must Die

Ok... My guild has been working VS now for a few weeks and the general consensus is that this fight just plain sucks. If you haven't done VS yet, I won't spoil it for you, but it is a real treat. Forget most things you know about named fights or raids in EQ2. This one is an exercise in micro management (power, curing, and healing) with a little bit of luck tossed in for extra flavor.

The message I have tried to deliver to my guildmates is that this takes a very well practiced and finely polished team to pull off successfully.... and yes, I know there are some uber myth'd out pickups that have pulled this off without having worked together as a team before... But chances are, if they have their mythicals, then they have been through fights like this before and know their business well.

So despite a good turn out last night and everyone in an optimistic 'go-get-em' mood, VS still spanked us. Repeatedly.

I tend to be more of a 'listener' on voice chat. I try and pickup player tones and moods to understand how things are going. Last night was a good example of this... You could quickly hear the tone of the raid change from 'we're gonna get him' to 'omg do we HAVE to pull this SOB again!?' This to me was clear indication that people were not having fun and frustatrion was setting in.

There are several problems with this raid. First and foremost, the fun factor in here is a big fat 0. The fight is just a stressing, taxing encounter that can very quickly take it's toll mentally on you. The other big problem here is that the zone is completely devoid of anything else to do. If you are doing a VS raid, you will zone in, take out 4 trash mobs and then get spanked until you figure the fight out and get it right. There is nothing else to do in the zone. No chances for drops, or updates.. nada. You just zone in and flail for as long as you can take it.

Contrast this with the Leviathan fight which I found to be fairly entertaining and fun. That fight is typicall spread acros two raid events. The first is a farming run to gather fluids to use on Levi. A second raid is then run to actually finish Levi off using the fluids gathered in the first run. The mechanics of this fight are unique and can make for a good time. The raid stays occupied, challenged, and interest level is maintained. Leviathan also has a fun factor associated with it. There are milestones in here that give the players a sense of accomplishment.

Trash cleared... check
Rotate players through for fluid farming...check
Clickies clicked...check
Levi killed...check

All in all - there is stuff to do that that rewards players along the way. It isn't a frustrating luck ridden encounter.

I like challenges just as much as the next person but when the challenge involves micro managing stats, or hoping that luck is on your side and then dying repeatedly when one of a hundred little things goes wrong... That is not fun...

Venril Satir, you must die.. And you will very soon. The sad truth is, it won't be fun for any of us.

Level 1 Dad

Long time no write. A couple of major events have happened for me and I thought it would be a good time to stretch my writing muscles again.

I'm very happen to have found an EQ2 guild 'family' again in Revelry and Honor. It's been a renaissance period for me and I find that I have enjoyed the game now almost as much as I did back at launch. Almost entirely due to the good group of people playing in RnH.

Jose dinged 80 (first time ever to cap in EQ2) and got his fabled epic. Yay!

It was all good times and I quickly developed a routine of logging on later in the evening and getting a group or joining one of the scheduled raids. I was collecting some great legendary gear. Things were rosie in game land.

That is when I dinged Level 1 dad.

Things changed quickly and drastically. My focus shifted from gaming, to wondering if me and my wife were ever going to sleep again, and finally settled on trying to decipher the various noises that erupt out of our little guy. For example, grunting happens frequently and could indicate a need for a diaper change, uncomfortable position, gas, going poops, gas, or just generally being pissed off. Oh yeah, it might also indicate gas.

Being a dad has been awesome! I have laughed so hard at some of the silliest things. The expressions on my son's face are priceless. He seems to switch emotions from amazement, to bewilderment, to a scrunched up grunting face, to yawning sleepily. All in the course of 10 seconds. I also have someone else to blame the gas on now besides the dog. He has been a willing side kick all the way. We have gone on adventures to the Farmer's Market, gone Christmas tree shopping, but he seems to enjoy playing 'how-much-can-I-pee-on-dad-before-he-gets-angry-with-me' the most. I have experienced some of the richest moments of my life with him and he is only a few months old.

So after a couple of weeks of very little game time I began to get worried that I was going to fall behind my friends and guildmates. I was concerned that I would be left in the dust again and would have difficulty grouping when time did become available. I have found a couple of things that have helped me get in some game time while avoiding wife/baby aggro. Here they are:

1) Family First. Turn of that game and take care of your kids. Your wife needs you, your husband needs you and most importantly your baby needs you. If your guildies and online friends really care about you, they will understand your need to step away for a few hours, weeks or months. When the time is right...and you will know when that is, you can indulge in some gaming. But reinforce what you should have already established.... Family is numero uno!

2) Establish a routine in your household. It is key to working in some play time and will pay big dividends moving forward. Babies appreciate schedules. You might not thinks so, but they can sense when feeding, bath and nap time happen. The regular routine will help them settle faster. Ours works something like this:

• 7 pm - Walk the dog with mom and baby. Mom and dad can talk. Baby gets some fresh air. Dog is just happy to be outside and sniffing signposts.
• 7:45 pm - Bathtime. Work as a team for fast bathing. Mom/dad will appreciate the help and your kids will too!
• 8:00 pm - PJ time and feeding. Don't forget to burp to avoid aforementioned gas.
• 8:30 pm - Crib Time. Keep your fingers crossed they fall asleep for an hour.

If the little guy goes down well I find that I can now enjoy some play time from 8:30 or 8:45 to 10:30 or 11 when he eats next.

Additionally, my wife and I have worked a deal where on Sundays and Tuesdays (raid nights) she covers long enough for me to be in raid. This means that if there is some fussing or crying she is on call for it. The rest of the week, I am there with her trying to calm the little guy down. In turn, she leaves the baby with me in the house on Saturday so she can shop, go see a movie or hang with her sisters. this gives us both some free time away from the baby to recharge our batteries.

3) Adjust your play style to avoid LONG blocks of play time. You will most likely be interrupted. Repeatedly. Don't plan on jumping into a pickup group for a long run through Najeena's or Chardok. Now is the time to crack open that quest journal and finish up long forgotten solo quests. Go finish up some Lore and Legend, bang out that level 50 Heritage Quest you forgot about. Do things that are solo oriented and not large time commitments for the first few weeks. This is a compromise. You can still play, but you will not be able to put in long hours like you used to. Eventually, the baby sleeps for longer periods which will allow you longer play sessions if you desire. You should still be prepared for interruptions though.

4) Take advantage of naps and sleep time to do things you want to do. Game, clean the house, watch tv etc. One of the most valuable commodities you will have is the time when the baby is sleeping. Be sure to ask your spouse if there is anything that needs to be done before you burn all your free time playing.

5) Invest in a Baby Bjorn. The little guy can nap with you while you play or do other stuff around the house.

5) Never forget that your duty as a parent comes first and foremost. Communicate with your partner and help them as much as possible and you my find they will be happy to let you 'sneak' in a few hours gaming when time is available.

Now, this all sounds good on paper and here is where I will let you in on the biggest secret. Babies are extremely unpredictable. Just because you have a plan doesn't mean that they are on the same page with you. The biggest adjustment you will have to make is the lack of control over anything. Your baby might sleep great for 10 nights straight. The minute you plan on doing something during that time something unexpected will happen. Be flexible and go with the flow and you will find that you can still fit in some playtime here and there and be a successful parent.

I'm hoping to make it to level 2 this week after a solid session of grinding diapers...

Jose

Musings on RoK

Wow... I can actually find people to group with again. I actually see people in the same zone as me from time to time. What's going on here!? Have I survived a server consolidation I was not aware of?

Oh! Of course! Rise of Kunark released. And with that, the throngs of game hopping MMO players return back to EQ2 to see what is new and brush off the dust from their neglected alter egos. For me personally, it is always refreshing to see a healthy crowd back in the game. It means grouping, a rejuvenated economy and hooking up with friends long absent from guild and server. Overall, my RoK experience has been great! I rolled a Sarnak Necro, currently level 12 and have enjoyed the opening content in Timorous Deep. The quests have been fun and varied enough to hold my interest. Sure there are still the token kill and collect quests, but the devs seem to have come up with clever ways of injecting just enough uiqeness to make these interesting enough to wade through.

My main, Jose has been exploring Kylong Plains, Karnor's and the Fens as much as possible. With luck, I'll ding 71 this weekend. Hurray! Finally I should be able to make up some seriously lost ground on the other Monks playing on the Guk server... I was in the top 25 back when the game launched and have slipped pitifully down into the *ugh* 200s!? Anyhow, the high level content has also been fun. The content does appear to be tipped slightly towards soloers. This is a huge plus in my book as I had a tough time wading through the high 60's in KoS by myself. I have also had an easy enough time getting into groups from time to time with the increase in players on the server.

Overall, the expansion has been great. I am seeing renewed levels of interest and enthusiasm in the game not seen since a few months after it initially launched... This has been the most rewarding aspect of the expansion over all.

Looking forward to many more months of EQ2 in the future!

Future of MMO Subscription Models

I'd like to throw an idea out into the ether to see if I get any bites on this. First, I have been playing EQ2 nearly since launch and have dabbled in WoW, EVE and more recently LOTRO and Vanguard. Now for the sake of keeping things simple, let's just ring up a hypothetical monthly bill for this activity.

Station Access (EQ2 and Vanguard): $30/month

WoW: $15/month

EVE: $15/month

LOTRO: $15/month

Annual: $900


I consider myself a 'casual' player. I log maybe 4-8 hours per week of game time.... and yes that is exactly the reason my one and only Everquest 2 character has yet to reach level 70. However, when you consider the price tag of almost $1000 per year for gaming (without taking into account the non-mmo's that I Will buy), I feel it looks less casual and more hardcore. I'm in my games often enough that opening and closing an account is more trouble then it is worth. I'd rather just leave my accounts open in these games for quick and convenient access to them when I want to play.

So now comes the idea... Isn't there an opportunity for an entertainment provider to step in, strike an agreement with game publishers and offer players a bundled or a la carte game subscription?

I'm thinking something like a Boston Market meal where I can buy the turkey with one, two or three sides. I'll have the EQ2 with a side of LOTRO and EVE please. I'd feel comfortable paying $30 for this. Someone might be willing to get the all you can eat buffet for some higher price that allows them access to all games. Sony is close with Station Access, but needs to open it up to more non-SOE published games. This is not much different from what a cable company does, is it? I mean, I buy my cable on a monthly basis. I get 90000 channels. I watch maybe 10 of them. The value here is that I'm not paying $15.95 a month for HBO and $15.95 a month for Discovery and $15.95.... Well you get the idea. Someone in the cable sales and marketing departments has figured out that no one person can watch every show on TV all the time. So they offer bundles with choices.

I really think this is the future direction of the MMO subscription model. The current subscription model requires near exclusivity in terms of what game you play from both a time and financial standpoint. This new model would help ease the financial burden in players and I feel it would help an MMO's population staying power. Players would be less inclined to 'cycle' through games as each new thing popped up. At the very least they would not cancel accounts the minute that the 'World of Fuzzlecraft 3000' was released. Game publishers win out by not having to worry about supporting infrastructure, bandwidth etc. This all comes with their agreement with the 'entertainment service provider'.

We continue see an unending supply of new and shiny MMO's which compete with our existing MMO subscriptions. Rather then constantly battling for overlapping player pools, why don't game publishers simply recognize that people would like to play more then one game and work towards a solution that allows players to do so.

This definitely represents a possible threat to the money a direct monthly subscription would bring to a publisher. This model represents more of an invested approach to a player base rather then a quick and easy sale. Sure, going direct nets a nice wad of cash each moth from each player. Is it worth more to the game developer to have lots of $15 cash wads for a year or two or three? Or is it worth more for them to see smaller continuous revenue from millions of subscribers over the course of a much longer time span? Sure, there would have to be a governing authority to decide when a game has reached the end and needs to be bumped out of the prime cable space. But that's what public television is for =).

MMO Virtualization

One of the things I wish I saw more of in MMOs was the concept of environmental reality. I see a few games taking very subtle stabs at this through some weak dynamic weather patterns and day/night cycles...But I'm interested in a bit more realism. I'd love to see a world with changing seasons. I'm not talking about the proverbial zone in a winter setting, or a dessert setting etc. I'm talking about one zone that moves through a seasonal cycle. One of my very first criticisms of EQ2 was that the world weather was static. Every day in WillowWood was bright and sunny. (Note - The rain in EQ2 and LOTRO is a start, but where are the clouds it is falling from?) We do get some seasonal scenery during Frostfell, but what about leaves on trees changing colors during fall. Snow accumulations? Might be neat to have certain quests only available during special weather events etc. I recognize that this would require some good design to prevent virtual environmental disasters from preventing people questing for days or weeks at a time. If you are stuck inside due to the weather, the last thing you want is your MMO of choice to prevent you from finishing your quest due to 6 foot snowdrifts. I guess I'm looking for something to make the world a bit more immersive while avoiding the pitfall of trying to do too much (i.e. virtual reality or a life simulator). How about wear patterns in terrain when players continually traverse through an area (user created paths). These areas would self heal as the players moved on to other locations in search of new quests. Just some thoughts...