Isey has been “beta testing” the online MTG game.  It sounds fun, if complex.  My issue here is persistence.

Back in the day, betas were actually betas.  They were for testing bugs, and some final polish.  There were regular resets, and there were testing templates.  Sure, you put in time, but only a portion of that was ever lost.  The resets were frequent enough that you never acquired a mountain of investment, and resets often provided you with a quick path to return to the previous point.

I remind folks of the EQTest debacle from many years ago as a core point to this. EQTest was an Everquest server that was essentially client testing – people were there to test patches.  It had permanence.  If you ever played EQ, then getting to the end game was a month’s long investment of time.  EQTest, rather than provide testing templates, simply never wiped anything.  A few times they did, but provided a migration mechanism to restore progress. Until they stopped doing that, and EQTest players went bonkers.  SWTOR had a similar issue with their test server if I recall…

Still, I think it’s fairly self-evident that if the goal of testing is to test X, then you want to get X in front of as many people as possible.

Today

I have a level of despise for beta and early access that borders on old man syndrome. In 50% of cases today, it’s just presales.  In the other 50% it’s an actual launch, but with a promise that they will deliver functionality at a later date.  Fine.  Some people can’t help themselves and they’ll fork over money on a promise.  That’s how kickstarter work after all.  I mean, how many EQNext/Landmarks do you need before you get a “success” like PUBG (which still is not optimized)?

The kink here is that some games claim persistence, and that the step between beta and live is a wipe.  That part actually makes sense.  It’s the overall concept of persistence & investment versus the length between wipes.

Let’s say a game is ranked based.  Ranks are acquired through a lot of play.  Beta is designed to test that ranks work.  People gain experience in game, and out of the game – they become more proficient.  If the lack of wipes is long, then people get invested in that rank.  The concept works on live, under the name “seasons”.  It works because it doesn’t erase the previous season, it doesn’t repeat it, it adds something new.  The difference between beta and live doesn’t exist.  What you did in beta, you have to repeat in nearly the exact same way, for the same rewards you already had.

Let’s say a game has an interaction between real money and RNG, in that you spend money for the chance at a power increase.  All card games are like this.  You could spend a lot of money / time getting the right RNG to land to build something you like.  Then it’s gone, and you need to do it again (and get lucky again) on live.  It doesn’t really matter if they credit the expense, you aren’t buying the actual items, just the chance at items.

Then there are games that mix both together.  You pay money to get a hero, and then need to level that hero.  The sense of investment is even higher.  Which is honestly ironic, given that if people calculated how much they get paid per hour, and the hours of investment in a game… that’s the real exchange.

Forward

I see this model getting worse.  As much as it benefits the developers, it is often a detractor to the progress of the actual game.  Players lose time invested, but that’s actually part of the deal of beta testing.  It’s the game that suffers for multiple reasons.

• The negative feedback from players when the wipe does occur
• The lack of actual testing of mechanics and feedback
• The lack of testing the progress systems due to lack of wipes
• The false positive feedback system that focuses feedback on the last mile, rather than the underlying mechanics.  (e.g. this change provided more money, let’s do it again)
• The lack of change control as players assume it’s “live” (e.g. the now-now-now mentality)
• The lack of retention after live, which is a death knell for multiplayer games
• Public betas for long durations are invitations for copycats, that can do it better as they don’t have a player base to support

I’m thinking the beta / early access moniker needs to have an expiry date.  It can’t last for more than 3 months, then it needs to either shut down access for a week & wipe, or go live.  Long public betas of neat ideas are going to crash and burn, as the industry is built on the concept of copying other games and tweaking some small bits.

I don’t think player behaviors are going to change.  The masses are by definition too dumb to think for themselves.  They will devour on thing, move onto the next, and don’t really care what the overall implications are.  They just want to be part of the bigger group.  That’s fine, games are there as entertainment and few people want to think as part of entertainment.

My gut is that the industry is going to chew up all the little guys in this particular model, and a new funding/player model will take it’s place with some indy developers.  Small MOBAs are gone.  The BR craze is just starting, so we have a year or two of that to see it burn up.  Funding the next big thing…that will be fun to watch.

The thing about action RPGs is that the fun has to be in the moment to moment gameplay.  It’s not much different than a 1 armed bandit for the long haul, as you kill things for gear, to kill stronger things for better gear.  Many ARPGs struggle finding the balance of speed/power/fun.

Going to pick on Path of Exile for a second.  I really like the game’s flexibility, seasons, classes, crafting… pretty much every mechanic in the game works for me.  What doesn’t is the slow & muddy feel of combat in some areas.  Some zones really work well (the Ledge is a good example), while others feel too restrictive and repetitive.  I can put in a lot of time if I get a good string of zones/skills, but hitting a rough patch has me log off for a while.

I play D3 once a year it seems, though rarely for more than a couple weeks.  Typically at the start of season, or a large patch.  Season 14 has a neat buff of double goblins in the world.  The way loot drops work, it isn’t exactly a huge buff but there is always going to be that reaction when hearing the goblin laugh.  And who doesn’t want an extra free pull on the slots?

I’ve played all the classes, numerous times through.  There really isn’t anything “new” to be learned here.  There have been some tweaks to the numbers, but the skills generally all do the same.  A multi-shot DH from 3 years ago is pretty close to the same thing now.  I really like speed – so traditionally it was monk/WD for quick movement.  I decided to try the opposite and went with the Crusader – who is arguably the slowest bugger in the entire game (minus a specific build).

The leveling portion is pretty much the same as always.  Get Leoric’s Crown at the start, slot with a ruby, run Rifts until 70.  Considering WoW sells max level characters, I’m a bit surprised it doesn’t happen here.  It is a useless process in a season.  Maybe 2 hours the first go at it if you solo.  With a power level, it takes less than 10 minutes.

Haedrig’s Gift gets you 2/4 pieces of set armor very easily.  The last 2 pieces require you to craft/find some decent leveled gear, in particular a weapon.  I am still amazed at how dependent D3 is on the weapon slot.  Theoretically, you could see a weapon drop the second you hit 70, and never find a better one.  The power boost from a well-rolled weapon + ramaladadingdong’s gem slot dwarf any benefit from other pieces of gear (minus legendary bonus affixes).  Ah well.

So I’m a few hours in, trying to clear some stuff on T4, with a Crusader at paragon 50.  Let’s see how long this one lasts, shall we?  Likely not too long with the sun out, and a cold one waiting at the cottage…

When I was a wee(er) lad, I can recall E3 being a time of amazement.  Most years were giant reveals, amazing gameplay, and neat ideas.  I’d buy gaming magazines and surf what was the dredges of internet 1.0.  It was like entering a candy store of new things.

As time has worn on, E3 has lost it luster.  The breaking point for me was the XBONE / PS4 presentations.  One was of head scratching boneheaded moves, followed by another that was just continual *mic drop* moments.  Maybe I was just naive but until that time I truly thought E3 was about the gaming culture and way forward.

Now, not so much.  E3 is full of bullshots.  Not exactly new to the world, but in today’s market of “good looking games” it’s annoying to see something gorgeous at E3 and then comes out looking like a potato.  Or to see gameplay mechanics that in no way resemble the actual game.  Or to announce a game, then never release it.

That’s not even talking about the tone-deaf presentations.  The FIFA presentation is a good example, where you could download a demo of the game right now! and that fell to complete silence.  Or the headshaking in the crowd on the EA presentations.  Not that every game has to have people yelling at the top of their lungs, but it really seems like there’s a growing disconnect between the companies and the gamers supporting them.

The days of new ideas and IP are long gone.  Most of E3 is sequels or bandwagon hoping.  The sense of wonder and amazement is just drained when you’re seeing Gears5, SSB:U, or Battlefield5.  Some of the mechanics may be tweaked, but I know what to expect otherwise.

Side note – hats off to Microsoft for realizing that games sell consoles, and focusing on cross-play.  They have a heck of a hill to climb, and some of the stuff there looked interesting.

I think as I get older, the less I care about what happens in a year from now in the gaming world.  I have much less time to game, so it’s not like I am at a loss of quality games to play today.  Not to mention the fact that I’ve played all these games before.  I’m not disappointing, or even looking forward to it.  Just apathy really.

Until the game gets closer to actual release, and people I trust (odd term for the internet) have sunk their teeth, I choose to dwell on other items.  And given today’s gaming mantra of “day 1 patch to fix everything”, in most cases I’m better off waiting a few weeks after release to actually play it.

I played the original, and Tyranny as well.  I’m a few hours in, and PoE2 is good with a few hiccups.  I have not reached Nekataka because I like exploring too much.

I mentioned the bit about character creation in a previous post.  There’s a wide gap between that and Tyranny’s more open-ended character builder.  PoE2 is a throwback to more traditional D&D games, and the mechanics within.  It feels more restrictive here, and the choices matter more.  It works.

• Combat is faster and more open ended that previous.  You’re not as limited with attacks/spells between rests.  It also feels smoother and more meaty than previous games.
• Itemization and crafting is still not fun.  I’ve yet to find any RPG where crafting was fun, so it’s 99% me in this case.
• Multi-classing is great for the main character.
• Less so for companions as you don’t get to pick their “best” 2nd class, you don’t get specialization options, and you get they at a specific character level with existing skills.
• The companion AI is good enough for most combat.  They won’t fireball your party.
• The new AI companions I’ve met so far are all interesting. Xoti, and Serafen.  They fit the setting well.
• The boat I’m 50/50 on.  I think the concept of exploring islands is neat, and mini locations to explore.  It’s a bit of “choose your own adventure” which works well.  The minutia of managing the boat is much less fun.  At the start when money is a bit tight, you are restricted in food/water.  Eventually, it becomes so cheap that it’s nothing but busy work.
• I have yet to experience true ship combat.
• I like the overhead map for travel.  It gives you something to look at.
• I do not enjoy the concept of movement in this game.  At least 80% of the game so far is just walking.  I am heavily spoiled on fast travel.  It is just annoying having to wait minutes of travel to talk from one NPC to the next in a chain.  Boat travel seems longer still, with a very large map.
• The overall setting feels like a Knight in King Arthur’s Court compared to the previous game. The main character and setting do not appear to fit well – like they’ve traveled in time.
• I like the individual story lines and quests.  Nearly all have multiple options that are skill dependent, great voice work and a lot of grey responses.  In nearly all cases I had the necessary skill to pass a given test… with 1 exception where I was clearly 10 levels below.  I am chalking that up to bad design as the game leads you to this place very early.
• I am a fan of the ant vs the god story trope, where you are the ant.  Blizzard has made mint off this, GoW is entirely about that struggle, Horizon hits that out of the park.  That wasn’t dug into in the first game until the very end.  It is core of this story and I think it works really well.
• No bugs so far!

You start in the SW Ruins.  It takes 2-3 minutes of real time to travel straight to Neketaka.

I’d guess I’m only about 10% of the way in.  Level 5/20, and the majority of these games have a very long tail end with side quests and whatnot.  First impressions are good, just not stellar.  I enjoyed Tyranny quite a bit more, and thinking about why really contrasts PoE2.  The choices in Tyranny were much more interesting, the pace was frantic, and the character development options were wider.

Maybe PoE2 is just a slow burn until that part opens.  I’m certainly enjoying the game, which is the entire point of this adventure.  I’ll keep focus on that.

Online Survival Game.  Who’d have thunk it?

Given my previous low expectations, this met them brilliantly.  May have even exceeded with the line of “coop/solo” mode too.  Maybe that’s more in the line of EQ: Landmark.

• Online-only likely means no mods
• Focus on building, which was my least fun part of Fallout 4.
• PvP, though as mentioned it appears optional
• Fire nukes at others…which seems beyond stupid given the context of the game.  Maybe launching Death Claw attacks would be a better way
• Set in West Virginia, 4x the size of Fallout 4
• It’s due in November, which is much faster than I would have thought
• If it gets more people playing the Fallout franchise, maybe it will fund the next core game

The 4 Lone Wanderers.

In the end, it sounds more like they took the generic survival game and slapped on the Fallout IP.  Doesn’t mean the IP doesn’t fit, it is about survival after all.  It’s the core mechanics and what came before that makes this seem so odd.

A bit like that C&C re-imagining on mobile devices.  It’s so different that core players feel disillusioned, and potential new ones (from that genre) don’t quite get it. Then again, not sure what EA was expecting after the Dungeon Keeper fiasco.

I was certainly interested last week.  Now, not so much.  It’s not the game that I wanted, but it’s probably the game that someone else did.  I’ll keep it on the calendar for launch and see what happens.

Kids have a way of making time seem ephemeral.  I’ve had pets, I’ve been single, I’ve been in relationships.  There is nothing in my day that makes time fly by more quickly than kids.  DINKs, that’s the way to go!  I have a few friends that are in that boat.  They can put in as many hours as they want at work, spend time with their S/O, travel, relax.  Have a lot more money.

And this isn’t about fulfillment.  I know quite a lot of people who are happy and feel fulfilled without kids.   Just like I know people with or without kids who are depressed.  It’s just another piece of life.

In my case (as I can’t write about yours), my kids are a window into a different way of thinking and being.  I have a passion for learning, and they are nothing but sponges.  Mundane items are spectacular to them.  They have zero concept of time – “are we there yet”, “is it lunch time?”, “bed time already?”  they just flit from one thing to the next, with no cares and a focus on just being happy.

The heck is wrong with us adults?

What with work, eating, mandatory chores (washing, groceries) I am down to about 6 hours a day to work with.  That gets filled by time with the kids, a workout, a guitar lesson, optional chores (garden), hockey, fishing… and at some point games and sleep.  And the older I get, and the older my kids get, the less overall free “me-time” is there.

But it’s not a bad thing.  Spending more time with the family, and the kids, means that more stuff is shared.  Simple example is just having dinner together and listening to the banana reactions from the kids.  Or asking my eldest what happened on Trollhunters.  She lit up and explained everything over 15 minutes.  I get to play hockey / basketball with the kids.  We go fishing as a family.  We play really interesting zombie boardgames.

I’m rather enjoying this phase of life.  It’s a thousand times hectic than before, and I always feel like I could use a nap, but that’s a fair trade.  I’ve passed on things that make only me happy and now can do things that make me and other happy.

As I grow older, I find myself more content with the general chaos.  Or perhaps just growing used to it.  And as long as I go to sleep and wake up with a smile, things are working out just fine.

Now for some nice weekend weather!

I love me some good RPG.  That feeling you get when the dice roll your way, the story is working, and your character is built the way you want to play… like ice cream on a hot day.

Only few console games allow you the freedom to truly build a character.  You may customize a character, in how they look and a few of their skills.  Actually building one is something usually reserved for PC games in the D&D vein.

Open world games like Elder Scrolls/Fallout do have some building, but aside from what you look like and a few initial perks, you aren’t painted into a corner down the road.  You can eventually unlock the majority of the character skills.  You can, with time, become a master of all.

This post is focusing on the more traditional RPGs, where your initial decisions reduce the options of your character – in terms of power, skills, and story.  A solid game provides a lot of options, where poor decisions can be negative but not painfully so.  I would argue that Divinity: Original Sin has “correct” builds, and if you do not select one of those you are unduly punished for it.  Other games simply have builds that aren’t optimal – but are still playable and fun.

A long time ago, I wrote a guide for Dragon Age: Origins (still on gamefaqs if I recall) about character builds.  I spend a stupid amount of time crunching numbers and seeing what I could make out of the various characters.  I replayed that game half dozen times from start to finish, to unlock every secret and every advantage.  My blood mage tank was a wrecking ball, with near full immunity.  But if it wasn’t built just-so, it would break under the first sneeze.  And this was a game with only 3 classes.

Compare that to something like Baldur’s Gate… and you may have spent more time at the stat rolling screen than the combat.  And I know way too many RPGs where I reached 10-12 hours and realized I made a mistake at the start… usually because I didn’t even know what the choice actually meant.

Enter Pillars of Eternity 2.

All the classes and subclasses

Without a lie, I spent 2 hours going over this list and the various previewed skills to get an idea of the character I wanted.  I played the original a few times through and preferred both the Monk and Cipher roles.  They had interesting mechanics, and good damage potential if played smartly.  If played poorly, then you face tanked the ground.

With multi-classing, it was then about picking 2 classes that complemented each other.  I started looking at the Cipher and then it’s lovely 3 lovely sub classes.  One was a spell battery, where it took time to charge but then entered god mode.  Another was increased damage on targets vulnerable to stealth (paired well with Rogue).  The last was a glass cannon that blew all its spell points on a massive attack.  My focus was on that last one, and shoring up the weakness of not being useful before that shot was available.

There are therefore two modes to be used here… one is to generate Focus (points to use the cannon shot) and then a strong weapon for that shot to be based upon (two-handed weapon).  Focus is generated based on hits that connect with targets, so Perception (accuracy) is key.  That means that I need a sub-class that excels in two-handed weapons (fighter/barb/paladin) and that have a decent chance to hit.  Interestingly, the Paladin has a subclass that has a single strike attack with +10 chance to hit – a perfect fit.  That meant an Inquisitor.

All that time was spent looking at the skill preview trees and trying to see if the pieces fit together.  Call me crazy, but I found this process a lot of fun.  PoE does a solid job of presenting a lot of data early on, so that while you may spend lots of time thinking, it doesn’t feel like you’re picking in the dark.

Which is a tad ironic given that in the traditional pen & paper RPGs, you had a dozen books to refer to nearly 50 years ago.  It’s taken this long for the PCs versions to catch up (ignoring wikis that are not part of the game).  Progress.  Fun progress.