Perpetual’s change in ownership has been confirmed. Last night, startrek-games.com had this to report:
“Perpetual has been acquired by new ownership, reportedly a media company looking to use Star Trek Online to make its first major inroads into the video game market. Along with the acquisition comes a partial retargeting of Star Trek Online to what our source describes as a “more casual” experience, one which may potentially eschew subscription fees in favor of the practice of charging real money for optional in-game items, a practice popularized by various Korean MMOs.
[T]here have been no significant layoffs with the change in management, [but] a number of employees have allegedly left the company due to a dissatisfaction with the new direction the game is said to be taking.”
“Use Star Trek Online to make its first major inroads into the video game market?” “Partial retargeting of Star Trek Online?” This is the corporate speak of venture capitalists out to make a quick buck if I ever heard it. The direction the game seemed to be headed in to begin with was less than spectacular. Now microtransactions? I’m sure there are intelligent ways to handle microtransactions that keep the playing field level, but I haven’t seen them yet.
I realize as the industry expands, there will be a plethora of alternate payment methods for MMORPG players. Subscription fees aren’t the only answer, but I firmly believe that at this point in time, they are the best answer. Microtransactions give players a marked advantage depending on how much money they’re willing to throw into the game. Not my cup of tea.
My apprehension towards this game has turned into flat out disinterest before seeing a single screenshot. The Star Trek IP has such rich content, culture, and story to lend to a well-developed MMORPG. It’s a real shame this is the route the license’s new handler is taking. Well, at least there were no layoffs.
In the words of James T. Kirk, “K-H-A-A-A-N!!!”
Every move the gaming industry makes seems to signify another nail driven in the coffin of the hardcore gamer. Games are constantly accused of throwing in easy button mode or being simplified to appeal to the silent majority: people who can’t—or won’t—spend 4+ hours a night and 5+ days a week in game.
One thing that is seldom discussed, however, is the fact that “hardcore” play as it is largely defined is based on a blueprint that is just shy of a decade old. Let’s face it—that’s ancient when we’re talking about the lifespan of your average game. I don’t believe we’ve reached a point in MMO history where players want everything handed to them. Challenges and difficulty simply need to be rethought and presented in a way other than time sinks.
Hardcore players are not dinosaurs because they want difficulty and challenge in their gaming. They only become dinosaurs when they continue to define challenge and difficulty in the most narrow of ways—through archaic, clunky old game systems and the rule sets of yesteryear.
In order for the genre to continue to evolve, hardcore and casual play must no longer be defined by the amount of time a player has to sink into a game. Game developers need to up the ante and reevaluate HOW they can make games challenging and rewarding without falling back on the moth-eaten blueprints collecting dust in the attic.
The other night I was listening to a discussion on Troy and Karen’s always thought provoking Voyages of Vanguard podcast regarding upcoming changes to travel time in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. From what I gleaned from the producer’s letter released a few weeks back, players will eventually be able to traverse the vast game world quicker, allowing them to spend more game time PLAYING rather than commuting from Point A to Point B.
Some hardcore players act like the sky is falling. Most of us, especially anyone who has a substantial commute to and from work in real life, really don’t need this sense of “reality” in the limited game time we have each night. Travel should be meaningful. But if half the gamer’s time is spent traveling from the guild hall to a dungeon on another continent, only to realize it’s bedtime upon arriving at the destination, well, that’s not fun no matter how you cut it.
The Voyages of Vanguard discussion turned to gamers’ definitions of “reality” or “realism” in games. Certain elements of reality add to immersion and enhance player experience. Um, like climbing ladders, scaling walls, kicking over a table, picking a torch off a wall, tying a horse to a hitching post—things that ironically, you can’t do in most of today’s most popular MMORPGs. And people are whining because it might take 10 minutes rather than 40 to get from Point A to Point B? Down with monorails and jet planes, I say!
I get the impression that these are the same people who LOVE crafting because of the sense of “reality” it lends to a game. There’s nothing wrong with crafting. Crafting adds a nice mini-game to most MMOs. It’s great to be able to make your own gear–and crafting can be an important pillar of a player-based economy. It has meaning in this regard. But the ACT of crafting? Boring.
I play games to do things I can’t do in twenty-first century society—cast spells, wear chain mail, battle fantastic foes, run around town waving a cutlass, etc. If I wanted to craft, I’d buy a decoupage kit. I can do it in real life with a much more satisfying end result. Crafting in real life–from woodworking to knitting–can be challenging, meditative, intuitive, mathematical, and extremely gratifying. Crafting in a game (for me) is a series of button clicks and probability rolls that occur in between half-watching The Office or talking on the phone.
Once again, I digress. Reality has it’s ups-and-downs, but that’s why we have things like games, music, movies, whiskey, and books to help ease reality’s grasp on us when we need a little breather. Let’s leave the more monotonous aspects of reality out of our entertainment time.
