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What a Red Likes - MMORPG.com
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
What a Red Likes - MMORPG.com
With PAX South around the corner, Red Thomas walks readers through what he likes in a game. As he walks the floor in San Antonio, what kinds of games are more likely to catch his eye? Red answers that, and he also divulges how the coolest kids (eg, Red) pick their games.
Comments
I respect Angry Joe because he will often speak his mind but he is sponsored by every single last review he does 100% of them.I watch a LOT of his reviews and what i see most of the time is he holds back,you can see his frustration in his face or the fact he really doesn't like a game but holds back and just keeps on to make sure he gets paid.
If two friends bring up the topic of a game and discuss it,there is a big time difference in the convo's than what a paid writer will write is so called reviews.
Also on the notion of PAX,you are going there,likely paid by mmorpg and to get acquainted/friendly,get some information on ALL the games there will be no hand picking.
Personally i would never go to ANY gaming convention or expo or whatever they are called,to me they are not about gaming but more about an event organizer making a ton of money by allowing developers to put on a grand marketing display.
A true passionate gamer wants to see a FINISHED product,not some highlight reel,not some 5 minute clip but the real thing. Also being a person/gamer who wants to play REALLY good games,not half assed games,i will openly speak my mind rather than "get through it discretely to get paid".
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
It certainly puzzles me. But then Red goes on to say he does interact with guildies if in a small way, let yourself go; talk, group, interact it is what Massive Multiplayer is all about. Most of my time in game is not grouping and/or socialising, but it is what makes a MMORPG so much more than a solo game.
I was wondering if Red would give us his thought on the latest Civ, which I found had taken a big first step towards easy mode and gone down the cartoon route for leaders, with colourful caricatures more suitable for a preteen audience.
But any article/video you ever watch is going to be biased. There's no such thing as unbiased reviews, or news for that matter. Everyone has a bias. The best thing you can do is just be open and honest about that bias, and then make a conscious effort to cite data that contradict your opinion.
...and I would submit your definition of true passionate gamers as being a bit subjective, as well. I've been a gamer for a really long time and I 'm fascinated in every part of the process. I enjoy playing early access/alpha and being involved with early development because I enjoy watching how the developers adjust their design based on the challenges they run into through the process. I also enjoy learning about the business of developing and publishing video games (which is why I invested in a local video game company a couple years ago).
I would submit that a true passionate gamer is one who enjoys pen and paper or half-finished indie titles as much as the triple-A releases because the joy comes from the experience of the new and unknown, not pretty graphics and canned trope-filled content.
Not that you'll ever hear that from one, though. I don't think true passionate gamers really go around telling people they're true passionate gamers very often. That sounds more like a poser kind of thing to do.
Weird, I know. It makes no sense when you say it, but that's me, as odd as I am.
w/r to Civ... That's really hard. I've liked pretty much every Civ. There are things I do really like about the new civ, like city sections and wonders taking up physical hexes around the city. I really like that because it makes using spies more interesting, and also makes sieges more interesting.
I'm not a huge fan of the Governors, but I don't really hate them either. There's a mechanic like that in Stellaris, which is another of my favorite games, so it might be that I'm just used to something like that and maybe even expect it a little. That could change in the next expansion, though. We'll have to see how they work with the new world events, and then go from there.
As far as the game as a whole goes... Civ has always been one of those simple pleasures for me. I've never really considered it a GREAT 4X game, more just a great game that's easy and that I can enjoy in doses. It's kind of like being a fan of Asimov, but still having that favorite Young Adult series you enjoy reading. I'm not saying it's great scifi, but it's a great series that I enjoy.
If your frustration with Civ is that it's too simple, I think you're probably playing the wrong game. You might look at some of the other games in the 4X genre. You should be able to find something that scratches your hardcore itch for you. Stellaris is one of my favorites and probably about the mid-range on depth/complexity. Looking through my Steam list... You might also look at the Anno series, Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, the Total War series... There are a ton more, but I got tired of looking. You might actually enjoy X4. It's a space sim, but the company-building aspect of it really appeals to 4X folks, I think.
I will say that I'm not a huge fan of the new aesthetic choice in Civ's character modeling. That does bother me a bit, but I don't think it has much to do with the game play. It's just a minor irritation.
It might help to know that some of my favorite civ games are the colonization ones, which are even more simplistic than the normal civs. I think it's just because I've never really considered civ to be that complex, so I don't really get too offended when they simplify things like the interface or mechanics. I just see it as civ being more civ.
Hopefully that answers the question or helps a bit.
So yeah, I like playing multiplayer games with other people busy in the background. That's especially true for those of us who like playing the "industrial", or economic, role you cite. You need buyers for your goods.
ArcheAge is the best game ever ruined by poor management. We loved owning property, laying it out ourselves, planting and managing crops, harvesting them and putting the goods on the market. Trade runs, that was such a blast. I didn't care for the non-consensual PvP aspect, which is the main reason we quit, but the game mechanics and economy were a blast.
Men do not stop playing because they grow old. They grow old because they stop playing. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
It is, though still a little light on content. I did an article on it a while back.