MMO Blog posts

Commentary on Grouping

While I was grouping in EverQuest in Unrest tonight (an activity I’ve spent more time doing than I’ve played most MMORPGs all combined), I thought about grouping and the nature of group etiquette. These days, that idea of forming a group of people by requesting certain classes in a chat channel is gone. The days of having to find replacement members, whether for yourself or the healer leaving, are gone. Gone too are the days of group etiquette, or having etiquette or social play really mean anything.

Our tank just randomly had to leave tonight. That meant the group was essentially hindered — even paralyzed — until we could find a replacement. That action ultimately lead to the group breaking up. That person essentially hurt a lot of people’s evening plans. Many would say that it’s no wonder such a practice has been done away with, in favor of automatic group queues. (more…)

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Coirnav Day 1: The Three Monthers Form

Coirnav progression server is live! Day one went pretty well, all things considered. The day started a little rough at 11am pacific when the servers were throwing an "unknown error"…

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Pantheon Devs on Armor & Gear Progression

I really get into gear progression and items, especially armor, in a fantasy MMORPG. Itemization can make or break a game for me, and I believe it can also make or break a game in general given how items are tied into so many other systems. From quests to loot drops, items dictate gameplay direction. How devs choose to provide loot, and in what form loot progression takes shape, truly is a core design decision.

One of (these days, maybe the only) traditional fantasy MMORPG I’m looking forward to trying out is Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. The developers recently published a Q&A on their website about “Armor 101.
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EverQuest Coirnav Server FAQ

The Coirnav server FAQ is up. TL;DR - Same things we're used to from all of the other progression servers. A couple of important points for Coirnav: The experience rates…

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I Guess I’m Playing EverQuest

Two days ago I sounded really hesitant and said I was 50/50 on whether or not I would play again. I told the K&G Community I’d play again if others played with me, and before I knew it there was a team of people assembling once again.

So unless something changes and everyone backs out, I’m playing a Dwarf Cleric. The rest of my team consists of a Monk, Enchanter, and Paladin. If you’re wanting to join us in 3 weeks, be sure to make yourself known in our Discord.

We’re pretty much casuals. Some of us are uber casuals with young kids and only play at night while others are casual but will play throughout the day. We’re not hardcore. We won’t be power-leveling like the pros — meaning we won’t be level 50 in less than a week. We won’t be raiding. Right from the start our plan is clear that unless we stumble bassackward into a raid, we won’t be aspiring to do any. I don’t even know if we’re forming a guild. We’re grouping and showing up to the fun.

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Camelot Unchained Beta Dates & More

Today the Camelot Unchained beta announcement dropped, and you guys were quick to send me emails and notifications — thanks for that!

First, the date. Camelot Unchained beta will be July 4th-ish. I’m adding the “ish” because throughout the video announcement they were pretty clear to point out several times that this date was the date they want to hit, but then qualify it with caveats.

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