TESO: TU Stumblethrough #7

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Woohoo, we kicked some bony skeleton butt right there. Good times, I don't care who you are.

It's nice to be back out questing in the sunshine as we pursue two more quests on Khenarthi's Roost that have us involved in some of the political intrigue taking place between the Dunmer (Dark Elves), Altmer (High Elves of which Aria is one), and Khajit (Kitty Cats) over who has "ownership" of the Island...

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #6

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Now that we have the history lesson out of the way, we can return to our questing in Khenarthi's Roost. As I mentioned in the video last time, should you wish to learn more about the lore and history of The Elder Scrolls Online, might I suggest you take a look at ShoddyCast's videos here.

So, back at Khenarthi's Roost, we have some serious undead butt to kick as we explore the area in and around the Temple of the Mourning Springs ...

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #5

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We've been traipsing around Khenarthi's Roost, dipping our toes in the Questing scene, killing and looting, and having all kinds of fun. If only we could find a dang staff. We continue to use a two-hander despite the fact that we're really not built for a two-hander, physically or otherwise.

At the start of this episode we are visited by a ghost and our presence is requested immediately for an important trip through recent history...

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #4

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Well, ok, so the last episode was not very exciting. I mean, we made some introductions, took a quick glance at the UI, and then made our way to Khenarthi's Roost, the little starter island off our main Island, Auridon.

In this episode, things get a little more exciting as we begin to explore the southern coast of Khenarthi's Roost...

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #3

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Whew! Wasn't quite sure how we were gonna make it out of Coldharbour, but we did, thanks to Dumbledore, and, we've managed to get to level 3 in the process.

So, we've found ourselves back in the land of the living having been rescued from the sea by 'friendly hands'. We are now in the city of Vulkhel Guard on the Isle of Auridon. We'll get our bearings, do a little UI exploration, then set out to do some questing in the starting island, Khenarthi's Roost.

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #2

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So, we made it out of the prison area of Coldharbour. Now, swinging that HUGE two handed sword (which we are NOT built for), we encounter some actual combat whilst we make our way to rescue Professor Dumbledore, er, I mean, 'The Prophet'. Will we ever make it back to the land of the living???

Episode 2

TESO: TU Stumblethrough #1

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Yes, I'm changing it up again. Insufficient time to write a blog, so I'm going to switch to Game Play videos for a bit and I will get back to Space Engineers. Yeah. Sometime.

First up: The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (V2.0). This game has gone "Buy-to-Play" so, once you've purchased the game, there are no subscription fees (although that option is available). I'll be creating short posts with embedded videos, but you can also simply subscribe to the Playlist.

I'm calling these "Stumble-throughs", as they are not meant as tutorials nor as demonstrative play-throughs. You will have to look elsewhere for those. These videos will be me, stumbling through the game in my own casual, amiable, way. I am not an expert in any of these, and, as I will be encountering the content for the first time, there will certainly be noobishness, and perhaps even death involved (gasp). But hopefully you won't die of boredom. I will be making light commentary as I go, and occasionally some explanations of UI, crafting, combat, and whatever other game mechanics I feel like talking about at the time. This will NOT include every second of my game play. I will be focused on questing for the most part with some occasional crafting included for interest. Bank visits, inventory management, lengthy travel, etc. will be either missing entirely or compressed (if I can figure out how to do that). Segments will be between about 15 and 30 minutes in length.

So, without further adieu, let's stumble through the first part of the tutorial area...

Episode 1

#3 - State of the MMO, Part II

So, MMO Payment models. Varied. Sometimes confusing. And evolving.

Basically, there are two components involved in the cost of an MMO (and I'm not talking about Trials here). The initial upfront cost, if any, of the game itself, that is, the boxed copy or digital download. Then there is the ongoing subscription cost, if any. Here is how they sort out...

Scenario 1

• Upfront Cost: $X (i.e. not free, you must pay some amount)
• Subscription Cost: $X (again, you must pay some amount on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or even annual)
• Examples: World of Warcraft

Scenario 2

• Upfront Cost: $X
• Subscription Cost: Free
• Examples: Guild Wars 2

Scenario 3

• Upfront Cost: Free Download OR $X (An account based on the free download is usually the most limited in terms of perks such as Character Slots, Inventory Slots, etc.)
• Subscription Cost: Free OR $X (Paying subscribers are deemed as 'Premium' accounts and get the maximum perks)
• Examples: Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Scenario 4

• Upfront Cost: Free Download
• Subscription Cost: Free OR $X (Paying subscribers are deemed as 'Premium' accounts and get the maximum perks)
• Examples: Lord of the Rings Online, DC Universe Online, Runescape & dozens of others

Note that ALL MMOs support micro-transactions (the purchase of in-game perks, merchandise, etc. for real money) to one extent or another.

As mentioned earlier, I am not currently playing an MMO. I have cancelled my WoW subscription, but do still have accounts for Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, Lord of the Rings Online, Runescape, DCUO (which currently aren't costing me anything)... What? I have to do research for this blog, right? Have I ever mentioned that I have an addiction? Now, I know, you're thinking, wow, he must play games every minute that he's not at work! Well, no, it's just that I have an addiction to sampling every halfway decent game that comes out. I typically get about 10 hours (or less) into a game and then... SQUIRREL! This may actually work to your advantage based on the upcoming posts.

My next post is going to take a bit of a different direction. I will be discussing a single player game that I have been toying with. Along with that, there is a (hopefully) pleasant surprise in store for you, a new feature that I believe you'll enjoy.

Ciao.

#2 - State of the MMO, Part I

So, MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games have become immensely popular over the past 10 years. They've been around even longer, but they have really started to blossom and evolve more recently. Most notably of course, is Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft released in November of 2004. Response to this particular MMO was immediate and absolutely mind blowing in terms of popularity (not to mention cash generation). You purchased the game and then paid $15 per month to subscribe. At it's peak in 2010, it had over 12 million subscribers (generating ~$180,000,000+ per month!!!). Even now, after almost 10 years, and the release of other highly competitive MMOs (e.g. Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Guild Wars 2) it retains over 8 million subscribers.

You can see why other game production studios got dollar signs in their eyes and decided they wanted (and could get) a piece of the pie. Well, so far, no one has come close, and frankly, it's possible that no one ever will, including Blizzard Entertainment. At the very least, it has given Blizzard (and the rest of the field) some good competition, and we, the players, win.

Here's a list of what I would consider the current 'AAA' MMOs (IMHO anyway) in reverse order of release date:

• World of Warcraft (11/2004)
• Rift (3/2011)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (12/2011)
• Guild Wars 2 (8/2012)

Got any others you think should be included? Let me know and I'll tell  you why not.

I'll be looking at payment models in the next post.

Ciao.