Profile: Eluwien
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• • Sales tax starting to apply to MMO subs in US!?

  • I sumbled upon the following :
    http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=3693

    "Why am I being charged sales tax on my subscription?

     

    Electronic Arts charges online sales tax for Dark Age of Camelot subscriptions. The reason for this is many U.S. states are implementing taxes on online subscriptions. The tax calculation will be handled using a system provided to us by Vertex."

     

    I tied googling, but as non US recident I'm abit lost of where to go to find this kind of information. I posted and requested more information about this from the Herald, but naturally its going to take time.

    Can this be confirmed, can more info be lurked? What states this is going to effect and how much this is?
    Seems that EA has made single decission with DAoC to make taxation in that game for customer to be paid, but is this going to be the new trend in games past juvenile age?

    Why is not Blizzard talking about this and why this is not discussed at all in relation with WHO?
     

  • Posted: 10/03/08 5:12 AM
    General Discussion
• • Since there is nothing new that is any good, time to go back to an old MMO?

  • Vanguard started open free trial 2 weeks ago, and since their 6th major patch it has gotten some decent facelift, it could be worth checking out.

    WoW and LOTR ofcourse coming up with new patches, which one is more boring I'm not one to say =) Could be interesting timesink both of them, but if you're a new to either, it takes half a year before you're in the end of the linear content.

    Eve is getting walking in stations patch/addon soon, before the year is out, so it could get more interesting. Currently in mmorpg.com Eve forums are flooded with manuals how to get into it better. Of course its a bit niche game type, but those manuals really get you going better than the tutorial.

    I've decided also give War and AoC some time to mature, jumping into leaking ship is just a bit meh.

    You could consider some even older ones too, EQ2? Also free trial, tho level limited. Its grafics at least are up to date, and its quite sweet game if ya like PVE and nature. You could try DAoC, given its not on its golden age anymore, its thriwing on. First 4 addons come free with the trial, and even without the latest grafic engine that ya have to pay for, its grafics are extraordinary good. Serious alternative for War atleast, and its definetly mature candy. AC dinged its 100th patch/addon, it has also changed to be more easily to get into.

    Darkfall has started its closed beta invitations, step by step they're moving into more people and towards open beta, but thats ofcourse another serious UO niche game not all may like.

     

  • Posted: 9/29/08 4:02 AM
    General Discussion
• • Would you pay £150 for an mmorpg?

  • 741e + BC if you played since launch.

  • Posted: 9/24/08 7:17 AM
    General Discussion
• • Would you pay £150 for an mmorpg?

  • I would want to see a portable device that would run a proper MMORPG. Have 102 buttons, or atleast 40 for the required proper handling of any non-korean MMORPG character. Have a mouse or similar fast and proper way to move camera, target, aim, and do what in any MMORPG mouse is used for. There is already enough keyboard turners, no more console joysticks needed.

    But yes, if you can put that together, I'd pay 150$/€ for that.

    Then again, I already have a laptop, and it plays ALL games I want to play.

  • Posted: 9/24/08 2:32 AM
    General Discussion
• • Levels....is the idea in MMORPG's broken?

  • @ Torak

    Just to mention, comparing Mythics DAoC "free level" system to WoW's XP'ing method is a broken comparsion. In DAoC player levels up to 4 different ways since lvl20(-40), Normal XP, Master Levels, Champion Levels and RealmPoints. Levels 1 to 20, which are the ones you gain free after leveling one toon to lvl50 (norm xp), are merely a introduction and tutorial to the game. WoW's whole leveling system is linear normal XP'ing through the whole game up to last levels and there is no 20 level long tutorial.

    I also think that you cannot just say something like "the idea of levels" and then leave it there without further explanation. When you have any kind of developement, no matter if its visible or hidden, there is always levels of some sort. For an easy example, "classless skill based MMO" EVE, supposedly has no levels, but then again it has up to 50 levels in certain field of training, clearly differentiated by the "best (item) you can use". Another examples from D&L and Darkfall, no classes no levels, but when you use your blade, you raise in your weaponskill. A bit more difficult, hidden level system, from FPS's like CS & Tribes and alike: There is no obvious levels, but it doesn't take a minute to see who is beginner, who is experienced, who is pro and the max level I guess goes in those who are in top of the ladder playing on TV. As you can clearly see, as long as there is progression, there is numbers, and thus levels.

    I do agree with you, that in WoW there is not much of that sweetness RPG we've so learned to like from the single player games, but please bury in mind you cannot just argue from that point only that it would be whole MMO genres problem, it merely shows your own lack of experience of other games.

    [QUOTE]
    Now if these games were truely "RPG's" levels would in fact be irrelavent. In fact some of the better RPG's don't even have them.
    [/QUOTE]
    
    I want you to come up with a single game name with RPG label but no progression that can be considered as level. Progression is never irrelevant in RPG, its all about it.

    Problem with your statement as opinnion is that you dont realize that the problem is not leveling, levels or even the grind. Its merely the linear shallow content given to make it juicy enough for your RPG needs. In your eyes there is only 1 XP bar, and maeby some irrelevant secondary way to level something else up, and that just doesn't simply cut the cookie for you. If the same leveling system would be divided into multitude of experience bars, one for each thing you "choose to do", you'll feel more of that freedom and less forced to a linear pipe of grind, but in the end its exactly the same leveling process in the backround.

    My personal opinnion to this is that there is just different kinds of MMO's, there is linear, book-like, "one you done it, you've done it for good" kind of MMORPG's, and then more broad viewed virtual world like MMORPG's where player chooses the direction and the name of their XP bar, and the content is reliveable many times through dynamic design. Too bad they're not named separately yet, so it would be clear to everyone.

    DEV's will never "face it" tho, DEV's do what they're told to do, specially when you're talking about a company whose name someone else might know too. Linear booklike RPG is easier to do, if it has decent story (read IP) behind it, its guaranteed to have playerbase, it has shorter lifespan in the long run and when its developement has ended the company can go to other state of the art projects. Games like this also bring more to the stockholders, as their stock value is easier to estimate and profits are way easier to be made. Game announced (buy) => hype (wait) => launch (sell) => before announce of extension (buy) => hype of extension (wait) =>  launch of it (sell) => profit like Trump. Fighting this engine is like trying to take down a field of invulnerable windmills.

     

    When the ocassional miracle happens and some unknown designer is allowed to do a game of dreams, instead of game of buck$, you'll just have to notice it happening and take the boat before it sails offshore. If you've got any insight clue of how game designing is actually done, you'll instantly notice that is enormosuly harder to do 5 ways of XP in a game than it is to do 1 main leveling system. Creating class free game instantly puts enormous pressure on those who have to figure out how to make it balanced (its sickeningly hard, try it sometime just for kicks). Its not only the mechanics of individual that have to forged to be classless freedom (with still juice RPG) but also every bit of content of every different kind. When eventually a company has this kind of thing on paper, selling marketting idea like this to the buck$ to actually make it, is way harder than just a linear "in and out" type of game. Not only gameworld like that has less revenue possibilities (longer lifespan, no obvious hypespots, less obvious customerbase, bad experience of similar games from the past), it also requires alot more funding to upkeep due its dynamic nature and the way its forced to upkeep with the developement of tech. As you see, linear game with 5 year lifespan, can easily just be closed when it doesn't pay its serverupkeeps anymore and dev can throw out a sequel. In non-linear game like see EVE and its CCP, they have to upgrade the game constantly to keep up with tech developmenet.

    Most games that have currently came or are coming out, have mixup of both linear level developmenet and multitude of subleveling systems beyond crafting. As its getting more known bussiness model, its going to be done more too. Still, in Torak's (and mine) case it ends up being the question how "juicy" the RPG is, does it really even out the grinding feeling linear leveling does.

    I hope this clears the air around leveling abit for you and others. Its easier to gain results, when you go to the root of the problem and realize what is really the problem.

     

    You could check out the history of Dark & Light, was a promising virtualworld like freedom of choise MMORPG, when you keep developement in mind and go through their homepage, you'll realize how hellish hard it is to do one in high fantasy setup. This game failed to client problems tho and is currently buried (not even servers up), its client was just not stable enough, but its as a game is a good example.
    Another similar could be Darkfall, even tho I must say it doesn't have much info anywhere of itself, its a classfree, virtualworld style pvp based MMORPG. Latest 2nd video given out out tells quite alot of how it goes. Its on beta sign up stage now. (Yes, really, after 7 years of waiting)
    
    There is plenty of "juicy" RPG games out already. I would even say GuildWars, as its clearly done as a book that tells a story of great depth. It resembles somewhat a singleplayer RPG game, but has juicy enough RPG (to my opinnion) to make the leveling part unnoticeable.

    Its hard to choose, when there is only one name for whole genre, but when you go into it with clear view of what you want, suddnely its easier to make the right selection and stop judging whole genre by "I did what 10 million others did and it didn't fit me" attitude.

  • Posted: 9/02/08 2:14 AM
    General Discussion