Everyone’s talking about RIFT’s new Prime server idea — and whether or not it will get us playing Trion Worlds’ fantasy MMO once again. Naturally, the blogosphere had a few thoughts about this.
Stargrace said that it was “highly unlikely” that she’d return for this: “While I am drawn into progression servers for EverQuest and EverQuest II due to a heavy nostalgia factor, I don’t get those same warm fuzzy feelings about RIFT.”
“If anything induces me to give RIFT Prime a try it will be the extent to which the experience doesn’t accurately replicate the original,” Bhagpuss said. And Endgame Variable takes a look at it from the perspective of a former player: “Do I want to pay a subscription to play old content in RIFT — a game I’ve already played to death — or pay a subscription to play new content in FFXIV or WoW?”
Digital Initiative: The types of guildies you’ll lead
“This person falls into two distinct categories: the person who knows things when asked and the person who will explain everything at all times regardless of context. The big difference is being able to tell when people need or want things explained, and when they don’t.”
Me vs. Myself and I: EverQuest II housing
“I feel like having an actual house is a nice touch, and seeing all of the cool items that I worked hard to get throughout the years is satisfying. I truly thing EQ2 has probably the best housing system out of any other MMO I’ve played. The newer houses feel more like the housing in RIFT, where it’s more of a zone and not just a house.”
The Daily Frostwolf: Why am I playing this game after all these years?
“Yes, the game is old. This game is older than my kids. It’s going to be 14 years this year! And yet, I am still here playing. How is it that I am not bored of it yet? This is the longest I have ever played a game — though Words With Friends, is that counted as a game? I like playing that a lot too — and yet I will still be playing WoW for another 14 years, easily!”
Contains Moderate Peril: Alternate ways to reach LOTRO’s level cap
“Because LOTRO has been streamlined and updated over the years to accommodate the various increases to the level cap, it is quite easy in the early stages of the game to pursue multiple levelling paths. New players will often find that they out level a zone long before they finish all the content it offers. Hence there are options when it comes to progressing.”
The Ancient Gaming Noob: A glimpse of anarchy
“That splash screen belies what came next. Rather than a glorious future on a modern new planet I was transported back nearly 20 years in time when polygon counts were low, UI design consisted of throwing windows about at random, and 1024×768 was deemed a large enough screen resolution for anybody’s needs.”
Ardwulf’s Lair: Elder Scrolls Online second impressions
“In terms of feel, in addition to the Elder Scrolls vibe that it tries (not entirely successfully) to embody, ESO also gives me hints of EQ2, Age of Conan, and (perhaps most importantly for me) Vanguard. I am finding this odd melange to be more effective the more I play, despite the variances from single-player Elder Scrolls games and more conventional MMORPGs reading as off-putting at first.”
Tales of the Aggronaut: World scaling thoughts
“So do I mourn the old fast and silly leveling with heirlooms? Admittedly a little bit. Because it was fun to feel that powerful and get through the content that quickly. However I also realize it was a bit much and lead to all sorts of problems like being unable to kill something slow enough to complete any of those ‘use item while weakened’ type quests.”
“Two games that I’ve played recently do not strictly follow this more modern take on ‘questing,’ however: Dungeons & Dragons Online and Elder Scrolls Online. There are positives to a ‘quest’ actually having some length and substance — it’s less confusing to be focused on one task rather than the usual juggling of half-a-dozen more or less overlapping bite-sized ones. Also the story-telling can be a lot more rich and immersive in a quest that lasts longer.”
MMOBro: Subscriptions are still the worst business model
“Subscriptions failed as a model, and they failed because people realized there are better options. For all the flaws of other business models — and oh boy, they do have them — none are quite so bad a deal for the player as a monthly subscription fee. I firmly believe it is the worst business model for an MMORPG.”
Every day there are tons of terrific, insightful, and unusual articles posted across the MMO gaming blogosphere — and every day, Justin reads as many as he can. Global Chat is a sampling of noteworthy essays, rants, and guides from the past few weeks of MMO discourse.
