The speed of combat engagements in MMORPGs — as rare as they may be — was the topic du jour on a couple of blogs recently. Roger over at Contains Moderate Peril said that getting combat just right is imperative for games to be successful.
“There is a sweet spot somewhere between both the technical facets of combat and the more enigmatic matter of how it feels,” he said. “When a game gets it right, it often something you discern subconsciously first, rather than by number crunching your combat log.”
Telwyn at GamingSF used the new and older versions of World of Warcraft as an example of this: “In WoW Classic I find the combat is too slow paced when compared to more modern MMOs, hardly a surprise as it is a ‘preserved in aspic’ experiment in nostalgic gaming. Some aspects of the older game are good, others not so enjoyable to me.”
Read on for more MMO blog essays, including a look back at 2019’s games, a cooking guide for Black Desert, an impressions of a very old MMORPG, and more!
Tales of the Aggronaut: Games of the decade — 2019
“Why I am conflicted is that I loved the game that was there. I loved jetting around in an Iron Man suit and firing down heavy ordinance while bopping things in the head with my electrified mace and then detonating bombs as I jetted away. I want this game to find its feet and turn into what I hope it could be.”
Altar of Gaming: Black Desert complete cooking guide
“Cooking is one of the most AFK and profitable lifeskills in Black Desert Online, so whether you’re looking to advance your Cooking Mastery – or make a nice amount of extra silver while you’re not grinding for gear – this BDO cooking guide aims to provide you with all the information, buffs, and gear you will need to make the most out of your cooking sessions!”
Everwake’s Internet Adventures: First impressions of Mirage Online
“I do love the aesthetic and simplicity though. I reminds me of the simple flash and downloadable games I would gravitate to in my teenage years because of our tepid 28k modem connection. The game makes me want to give Realm of the Mad God a spin again. I’m not sure I’ll give this one too much more play for the moment. But it’s free to play and takes up virtually no hard drive space. No reason not to keep an eye on it.”
A Mug’s Game: Five SWTOR predictions for 2020
“Yes, for the third year in a row, Porgs are on this list, and, no, I will not give up on my fine feathered and tasty friends! Truthfully, I accept that Porgs are now fated to do nothing more than hold Baby Yoda’s beer, but I still cling to the foolish hope they will follow along and squawk at my characters’ adventures at some point in the year to come.”
Kaylriene: My games of the decade — Final Fantasy XIV
“Final Fantasy XIV is an interesting tale of failure out of even one of the most prestigious AAA developers. It is a story of a business decision that went awry, but was salvaged in a way that wasn’t predictable when the game failed in 2010. It was hard, if not impossible, to imagine that the game would be worth discussing at the end of the decade. Yet, here we are, the first day of 2020, and the game has been a light in the genre for a while – benefitting from the relative lack of success of the expansions WoW had in the decade – particularly growing in the twilight of Warlords of Draenor, and Shadowbringers capitalizing on the flawed execution of the current Battle for Azeroth.”
Nerdy Bookahs: 2020 and upcoming MMOs
“Pantheon seems to be the complete opposite of what New World is going to be: It looks old-school, it doesn’t have action combat and you choose a class for your character. Also, the official website has almost too many details and information about the game. At least, if you just want to get a glimpse of the game, you’ll soon feel overwhelmed by the amount you can get!”
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.
