Tag: titan

Death of a Super-Genre

Posted on by Gazimoff

The time of the full-fat feature-packed MMORPG is at an end. They are ridiculously expensive to produce, and are regularly met with scorn and disinterest by an increasingly cynical audience. The market has spoken very clearly – these are not the games people want to play. Blizzard’s decision to cancel Titan – an upcoming MMOFPS that didn’t have their full confidence – just goes to show how tough this is.

Publishers and developers are paying attention. Just take a look at the MMORPG release schedule for 2015 – there’s nothing for the traditional genre fan. It’s something I noticed when walking the floor at Gamescom, where all the big MMO stands were for games that had been out for months if not years. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, WildStar and Guild Wars 2 on the Twitch booth. But nothing new or upcoming to carry the MMO banner.

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Style Is Everything?

Posted on by Gazimoff

NCSoft are currently working on two MMOs. We’ve known about Guild Wars 2 for a while but the big reveal was Wildstar, a game that most of us had never heard of until the start of Gamescom. The games couldn’t be more different – take a look at the trailers below.

Both games appeal to me in different ways. The rich detail of the environments in Guild Wars 2 makes me want to explore every nook and cranny of the game world. The attitude and soul shown in Wildstar just makes me think that it’s going to be huge fun to be a part of. Guild Wars 2 is due out sometime in 2012, while Wildstar should be with us in 2013.

I’m also left wondering what NCSoft’s strategy is. Are they saying that there’s a place for both MMOs – with players drawn to either the psuedo-realism of Guild Wars 2 or the cartoony style of Wildstar? Do some people go for high fantasy while others prefer sci-fi?

Or are they trying to start influencing the MMO player’s “flight plan”? Are we seeing the start of a shift from being loyal to a game for years to swapping to a new MMO every 6 months or so? Are developers hoping for us to become MMO nomads where we all periodically shift from one title to another?

At the moment I’m not sure. All I know is that in a post-Warcraft world there doesn’t seem to be much Blizzard. Titan remains a mirage on the horizon.

Trading in Titan

Posted on by Gazimoff

News recently emerged that Diablo 3 will feature several in-game auction houses. One of these will use in-game gold to buy goods, while the other will use real cash. Putting the argument aside about this being a good or bad idea, I wanted to take a look at what this means for Titan, Blizzard’s next MMO.

It’s likely that Titan will feature an auction house of some description. Depending on how successful the RMT (Real Money Trade) auction house is in Diablo 3, it’s also likely that Titan will have the same kind of setup.

  • A gold, BlueBucks or other in-game currency based auction house where commodity items like common crafting materials are bought and sold. The kind of stuff that’s easy to get and will save you a bit of time but nothing more
  • A Real Currency based auction house where everything that’s rare gets bought and sold. Hard-to-find crafting materials, rare items and pre-made characters are all likely to end up here.

Yes, it’s possible that the Titan auction house will support character sales too.

While the previous gold-making champions are understandably excited about the potential to make money from Diablo 3, I think they’re missing the point a little. This is a test. Blizzard are getting a feel for the reaction from the players now. Once the game launches they’ll be able to pull off live data to see how it’s actively being used.

The potential for an RMT based auction house in a full-fledged MMO is huge. How huge? Let me show you.
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The Infinite Trial

Posted on by Gazimoff

I find it funny how the word “trial” can be taken in two ways.

There’s the positive side – being able to sample something or try it out before you commit to it. After all, we all want something for free and being able to try a bit of it for free sounds almost as good. Like being able to have a taste of the chocolate cake before buying it.

The other side of trial isn’t so great – two groups come together to settle a dispute in a formal manner. Being “put on trial” conjures up feelings of discomfort and ordeal. Even being part of a trial, such as a juror or witness, is no great joy.

With that said you can probably understand why the concept of an infinite free trial doesn’t exactly fill me with bountiful leaps of joy. After all, I don’t want to be standing in front of the Jury of Cake explaining why I devoured all of the prime chocolate gateau.

A sneaky little blue post crept out explaining that Blizzard’s free trial of Warcraft would no longer be limited to ten days. Instead you’d be able to play the game as much as you like for as long as you like, but you’ll never be able to progress beyond level 20 until you shell out for an account. You’ll be able to gorge yourself on as much cake as you like, but it’ll only be the spongy bit at the bottom. The delicious frosting with all the chocolate shavings and the glacé cherries will remain out of reach until you reach for your wallet.

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