I don’t normally write about other news. I like to write my own stuff about my own thoughts and ideas. Any regulars here at MMOCrunch generally know that. That said, however, I just could not get over this recent article done by 1UP. Done in traditional list style, 1UP decided to create their own top 5 worst PC game launches. Nothing too special, a fun read but that’s really all, until you realize that 3 out of the 5 game launches are MMOs, or MMO-like.

MMORPGs aren’t known for their polish. In fact, it’s become common knowledge that the game you buy on day one probably won’t be the same game you are playing six months down the road. Theres a whole lot more programming, and a whole lot more testing that needs to go into an MMO as opposed to a single player game. So is it really fair to judge an MMORPG on the same standards as a normal game?

Let’s just get this out of the way before I continue writing anymore. The three games that made 1UP’s list are:

• Hellgate: London
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
• World War II Online

Before I begin, allow me to go back to the question I proposed earlier: is it fair to judge an MMO off the same standards as a normal PC game? No it’s not. MMORPGs are vastly different from any other type of game. They aren’t really a separate genre so much as a completely different avenue of gameplay. Everything changes when you decide to make an MMO, everything. Each of these games had serious problems when they launched, especially Vanguard, but do they really belong on the same list with single player PC games? Absolutely.  Despite given certain laxes on standards there is no reason why each one of those games should have launched with the enormous amount of problems that they did. It’s hard making an MMO, but it’s not impossible.

Of course, those games were the occasional black marks on the MMO’s history. It’s sad to see a list like 1UP’s where the majority of the games are MMORPGs, but it’s even sadder to see an industry that continually does this kind of crap. I don’t really have much more to say on the matter. Feel free to take a gander at the original article. Like I said before, it’s a fun read.

Worst PC Game Launches

There are people in this world who absolutely love drama. I don’t know why but they are out there and they are evil. No, I’m not talking about your schools theatre department, or any of the local playwrights out and about in your town. Those people are cool… probably, whatever. No, the people I am talking about are the ones who absolutely love to stir the pot and make sure that whatever good mojo you had going gets completely clusterfucked. You know the kind of people I am talking about; they make a big deal out of nothing, demand something from somebody else, talk shit behind somebody’s back, etc. They are out there and chances are they hate you. So it comes as little surprise that our MMOs are no escape from these same people.

Guild drama is nothing new to MMORPGs. Hell, I remember playing a MUD back in 1997 on AOL and there being some sort of guild drama. I don’t remember the specifics, but it was annoying back then just as much as it is today.  Because of this, I have decided to offer my advice on this sensitive subject in the form of Do’s and Do Not’s. Following these helpful hints you can rest assured that your game will be all the more enjoyable:

Do Not attempt to reason with any of the involved parties who started the guild drama. Chances are there were at least two of them and if they get a chance they’ll try to drag you into it as well. They are guild destroyers, and they’ll have no remorse in taking you down with them.

Do try to diffuse the situation through other means. Often times if you do something so completely bizarre, or weird it will keep attention away from the drama. Drama thrives off of attention and if nobody cares then nothing will come of it.

Do Not take a side in the drama. This should really be a no-brainer but I still see it all the time. What good is going to come of taking a side in drama? It’s like throwing shit at a shit-monster. He likes it and your stuck with more shit. Having more people involved in guild drama only creates more tension and more conflict.

Do talk to the guild leadership. If you aren’t the guild leader, and you know that the guild leader isn’t actually involved in the drama make sure it comes to his/her attention. A quick boot to the drama starters is always the best remedy.

Do Not whine about the drama. First off, whining doesn’t solve anything. Second, nobody likes whiners. Take control of the situation if you have to, but do so with enough force and gusto that people believe you are in charge and in control. Anything less than that and your guildmates won’t take you serious.

Do leave the guild. If all of the above has failed then that means there is not much else for you to do. I suggest you pack up and take off from the guild before you get caught in the implosion that was once your friends.

These methods aren’t scientifically proven but they can help the situation. There is nothing worse than having to see your guild fall apart due to these people. On my WoW server, alone, I saw this happen about 6 times and each time I heard the stories of how it went down. So, not to sound all hokey or anything, but only YOU can prevent guild drama.

Thanks for reading.

Kudos to WoWDrama for the photo.

And by we I really mean me. I really don’t speak for Mike or the others that write here at MMOCrunch.com. Each writer here has their own opinion and mine is my own. Anyways onto the article!

I don’t want BioWare to make an MMORPG based off of the Star Wars franchise. Wait! Don’t crucify me yet. I have some explaining to do. Naturally, I would definitely not spit on a Star Wars MMO, let alone one developed and designed by BioWare. Those are some talented guys and I can only dream of what they are creating. And that is the exact same reason why I don’t want what they are creating for their first MMO to be a Star Wars game.

Now I began writing this article mainly because of the recent rumour that is being spread around. Apparently some guy got a sneak peek at some documented script from the game. I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t really care. Should you want to read about it head on over here.

Now, back on topic, let’s think about what other franchises BioWare has created. Have they ever created something that wasn’t awesome? Let’s take a look:

1. Mass Effect, absolutely fantastic.
2. Jade Empire, loved every minute of it.
3. KoTOR, superb.
4. Neverwinter Nights, classic.
5. Baldur’s Gate, brought me into the PC RPG world.

So there you have it: four out of their five biggest games have not been associated with Star Wars. This leads me to my point, do we really want a developer such as this to spoil their creative interests on a world that is already so well developed that there can’t possibly be any real customization and expansion? Star Wars is great, but I’d rather these guys come up with their own kick ass world. Mass Effect was a brilliant universe, and I have no doubt that they could make a world for an MMORPG be equally as awesome.

Anyways, thats just my opinion. Take it for what you will, but there are plenty of MMO developers that can do the Star Wars MMO justice, let’s allow the poster child of the RPG industry the luxery of giving us something truly out of their own imagination, ok?

Thoughts? Comments? Flames? You know where to leave em!

This year at GDC Blizzard dropped some more hints that indeed a Starcraft MMO could be on the way. At the “Future of MMOs” talk, President of Blizzard, Rob Pardo, had this to say when asked “Can sci-fi be as successful as fantasy in the MMO space?”

Provided by WanderingGoblin.com

Kim stated that IPs that are easy to identify, like Star Trek or Star Wars, make this problem disappear. Players know what to expect in a Star Wars universe, and it could be successful. Looking sidelong at Rob Pardo, he indicated that a Starcraft MMO, for example, would be immediately understood by players and, “I’d probably play that instead of WoW.” (both the panelists and the audience laughed at this exchange.)

Rob Pardo had a tinge of palpable disdain for the question. He reminded everyone that in the 1970s, people thought sci-fi couldn’t be successful on TV or in the movies. “Then a little film called Star Wars came along and it revolutionized everything.” According to Pardo, a big, successful sci-fi MMO simply hasn’t been seen yet. You just have to have the right product, and it could easily be just as succesful as WoW.

I have to be frank in saying that three WanderingGoblin.com staffers attended this panel discussion, and Pardo’s comments had the three of us raising our eyebrows and looking sidelong at one another. It wasn’t simply the answer he gave, one that was very strongly in support of the idea of a big sci-fi MMO. It was the tone he took when answering it. While we can’t say that Pardo was intending to drop a hint about Blizzard’s unannounced, in-the-works MMO, it is obvious that Blizzard thinks that a sci-fi MMO like Starcraft could be a big success.

With World of Warcraft showing its age, Blizzard knows that if they want to continue being kings of the MMORPG world they will need to branch out. Doing a Diablo MMO might make more sense in the fact that Diablo is already a RPG, so turning it into a MMORPG would be a natural transition. However by doing a Starcraft MMO, Blizzard can really do something completely new. A Starcraft MMO would most certainly be very very different from WOW. Only time will tell, but as I said months ago, I’m putting my money on a Starcraft MMO.