I have been trying to avoid the STO forums for a while now. I started to notice that the more I read each thread, the more I upset or disappointed I'd feel about the game in general, after seeing the recently leaked videos I decided to check back at the forums and see if others felt the awesomeness of it, unfortunately being Trekkies everybody sidestepped that and went onto the next problem instead.
Champions Online uses a system where instead of having multiple servers, they have 1 server with multiple instances of each area. STO is to use this system as well. Apparently people are very upset about this, breaking immersion, loading and gay seem to get thrown around a lot on the 100 different threads that are plaguing the forums.
With it being such an issue I decided to have a think about it to myself and I came to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter in the end. "What did he say?" I hear you ask, yes I know I'm usually the first person to complain about these things but in all honesty I'm not really bothered about it.
Each instance of CO had a 50 player population limit (during beta, could change) which for an area is plenty if it's full. Except for the likes of a social hub or quest center or raid I don't think I've ever seen more than 50 players in one area at one time in any other MMO, probably 10-20 at max. I don't know how many times in WoW I'd have loved the option of going to an empty instance of that area so I could finally grind those 10 Kobold Candles I needed for that quest without the competition.
The only major downside I have with each area being multi instanced is the loading between them which is annoying but not game breaking.
Monday 31 August 2009
Sunday 30 August 2009
Anatomy of a good MMO: Graphics
This time I want to talk about Graphics.
MMO's have the reputation of having lower standard graphics in the attempt at catching a broader customer base. I know of a few people who this truly annoys, being PC elitists who think that all games should have the best possible graphics known to mankind. I'm not one of them thankfully. That's to do partially with the fact that I was never well off enough to own a mega computer that I could constantly upgrade every few months with the latest gear, you might say it humbled me a bit.
If graphics are stylish and not obvious rip offs of WoW I can usually dig them, my main annoyance is laziness, if they are going for an art style that for instance is cartoonish (like Champions Online perhaps) that's cool but if they are just poor quality then that's a no no.
My main priority when it comes to the graphics are the actual animations of characters, mounts and enemies. These are the things you will be watching for your time spent on the game so they should be top notch, for the most part a lot of the big companies do get it right. WoW, CO, EvE all have very nice animations that are fluid and nice to watch.
I recently played Fallen Earth which is a post-apocalyptic MMO and it probably had some of the worst animations I've ever seen, granted it is still in beta but with its launch date looming close, I sure hope they manage to fix it or else I fear it may be doomed.
Check back soon for the next part where I'll be talking about controls.
MMO's have the reputation of having lower standard graphics in the attempt at catching a broader customer base. I know of a few people who this truly annoys, being PC elitists who think that all games should have the best possible graphics known to mankind. I'm not one of them thankfully. That's to do partially with the fact that I was never well off enough to own a mega computer that I could constantly upgrade every few months with the latest gear, you might say it humbled me a bit.
If graphics are stylish and not obvious rip offs of WoW I can usually dig them, my main annoyance is laziness, if they are going for an art style that for instance is cartoonish (like Champions Online perhaps) that's cool but if they are just poor quality then that's a no no.
My main priority when it comes to the graphics are the actual animations of characters, mounts and enemies. These are the things you will be watching for your time spent on the game so they should be top notch, for the most part a lot of the big companies do get it right. WoW, CO, EvE all have very nice animations that are fluid and nice to watch.
I recently played Fallen Earth which is a post-apocalyptic MMO and it probably had some of the worst animations I've ever seen, granted it is still in beta but with its launch date looming close, I sure hope they manage to fix it or else I fear it may be doomed.
Check back soon for the next part where I'll be talking about controls.
Saturday 29 August 2009
Mr Belding is a PIMP!
Some of you might be too young to remember Saved by the Bell but I grew up watching it and always wished I had a principal as retarded as Mr. Belding (even if he always caught Zack in the end but shush) 20 years later Mr. Belding is a PIMP!
Seriously, did he just like go up to these chicks and say "Yes that's right, I am Mr. Belding, let's get dirty" because I'm pretty sure it'd work. Meanwhile that douche Slater aka Mario Lopez is "Hot Dog Stand Worker" in his latest job and wannabe boxing presenter/interviewer....I hate Slater!
Seriously, did he just like go up to these chicks and say "Yes that's right, I am Mr. Belding, let's get dirty" because I'm pretty sure it'd work. Meanwhile that douche Slater aka Mario Lopez is "Hot Dog Stand Worker" in his latest job and wannabe boxing presenter/interviewer....I hate Slater!
Friday 28 August 2009
Anatomy of a good MMO: User Interface
Lately I've been trying to find a decent f2p MMO that can keep my attention until STO goes into beta. I've been looking for one that I can just play casually and not have to devote my life to it so I can progress. So far I haven't found a new one.
Runes of Magic has ruined the market of f2p MMO's due to its quality and size, a lot of companies are now on the "free WoW" train and trying to play catch up, so it came to me. What makes a good MMO or more directly, what would catch my attention.
The first thing I'm going to look at is the UI.
I think this is probably the most important aspect for me because it's the first thing that really catches my attention on an MMO. If a UI is clunky and basically ugly to look at, I won't last long with the game. F2p games have shown some of the worst I've seen, no customization or ads everywhere. WoW has a great UI because of its customization via addons which has near limitless options when it comes to style and art.
For me, the most minimalistic UI is the best one. Anything that takes up more than 25% of the screen is just a distraction from the actual game and is more like looking at Microsoft Excel. A new game on the block that I really liked the UI for was Champions Online. Its colorful, very simple and customizable. Another one that is looking to be good (even if it is pre-beta and from a leaked video) is Star Trek Onlines. Simple, small and to the point which is exactly what I want.
I think the best example of a bad UI has to be Final Fantasy XI. Square-Enix clearly hadn't got the experience in the MMO business when it came to designing the UI, it was made with the PS2 version in mind but didn't work great on that or the PC.
Check back soon when I go into the next essential of an MMO. Graphics.
Runes of Magic has ruined the market of f2p MMO's due to its quality and size, a lot of companies are now on the "free WoW" train and trying to play catch up, so it came to me. What makes a good MMO or more directly, what would catch my attention.
The first thing I'm going to look at is the UI.
I think this is probably the most important aspect for me because it's the first thing that really catches my attention on an MMO. If a UI is clunky and basically ugly to look at, I won't last long with the game. F2p games have shown some of the worst I've seen, no customization or ads everywhere. WoW has a great UI because of its customization via addons which has near limitless options when it comes to style and art.
For me, the most minimalistic UI is the best one. Anything that takes up more than 25% of the screen is just a distraction from the actual game and is more like looking at Microsoft Excel. A new game on the block that I really liked the UI for was Champions Online. Its colorful, very simple and customizable. Another one that is looking to be good (even if it is pre-beta and from a leaked video) is Star Trek Onlines. Simple, small and to the point which is exactly what I want.
I think the best example of a bad UI has to be Final Fantasy XI. Square-Enix clearly hadn't got the experience in the MMO business when it came to designing the UI, it was made with the PS2 version in mind but didn't work great on that or the PC.
Check back soon when I go into the next essential of an MMO. Graphics.
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Probably the most adorable thing you'll ever see
I'm not a huge cat fan, I don't think they like me too much either because I'm the one that usually comes away with the scars and tears BUT! if anything was to change my mind about them it would be this video
I think it quite possible is the most adorable thing you'll ever see and now I want that cat...
I think it quite possible is the most adorable thing you'll ever see and now I want that cat...
Sunday 23 August 2009
STO: Interview with Video
Somebody was kind enough to post up a "behind closed doors" interview with Zinc showing off STO in motion in space and on the ground. I've said this on twitter, in IRC and on the STO forums, all my doubts for the game are gone and I'm 100% devoted to it.
The main reason for this is, I saw how the galactic map is going to work and it's such a brilliant idea, its the best thing they could have done to make the game fun. They also show a bit of ground combat and you can see some space combat. The only disappointing thing for the video is that it's not centered on the screen, rather it is looking at Zinc, apparently the audience were told this was how it had to be.
Anyone who hasn't already seen it should watch it, if you were like me and worried that the game wasn't going to be what you wanted these videos should sooth the tension.
The main reason for this is, I saw how the galactic map is going to work and it's such a brilliant idea, its the best thing they could have done to make the game fun. They also show a bit of ground combat and you can see some space combat. The only disappointing thing for the video is that it's not centered on the screen, rather it is looking at Zinc, apparently the audience were told this was how it had to be.
Anyone who hasn't already seen it should watch it, if you were like me and worried that the game wasn't going to be what you wanted these videos should sooth the tension.
Friday 21 August 2009
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Well well well, I know last month I said I was finished with my addiction to Warcrack but Blizzard have gone and done it again by officially announcing the next expansion for WoW called "Cataclysm"
What really catches my attention about this one is, instead of adding more end game content, they've decided to go back and redesign some of the core areas of Azeroth and rebalance some places for the new players to make it easier to get to Lich King content.
The highest level I managed to get to was 65-67 (I can't remember the exact level) before WOTLK was released and I've always found that I enjoyed the lower levels the most, simply because leveling is faster, you go to more areas more frequently and things are cheaper so I'm glad that Blizzard have seen things from my point of view and are trying to make the journey faster.
So far we have confirmed news that there will be 2 new races, Worgen for the Alliance and Goblins for the Horde. The level cap has been raised to 85 and that Azeroth is to be redesigned to make gameplay more fluid and easier to go up in levels.
Blizzard will be holding a panel on the subject of the future of WoW later today so hopefully more information will come but for now, prepare to reactivate your WoW accounts :P
What really catches my attention about this one is, instead of adding more end game content, they've decided to go back and redesign some of the core areas of Azeroth and rebalance some places for the new players to make it easier to get to Lich King content.
The highest level I managed to get to was 65-67 (I can't remember the exact level) before WOTLK was released and I've always found that I enjoyed the lower levels the most, simply because leveling is faster, you go to more areas more frequently and things are cheaper so I'm glad that Blizzard have seen things from my point of view and are trying to make the journey faster.
So far we have confirmed news that there will be 2 new races, Worgen for the Alliance and Goblins for the Horde. The level cap has been raised to 85 and that Azeroth is to be redesigned to make gameplay more fluid and easier to go up in levels.
Blizzard will be holding a panel on the subject of the future of WoW later today so hopefully more information will come but for now, prepare to reactivate your WoW accounts :P
Wednesday 19 August 2009
So much information!
I know I haven't been updating the blog as much as I usually do, this is half in part to the huge amounts of information coming in for STO, FFXIV and even the likes of EvE and WoW that I can barely keep up with it.
So instead of writing a separate article for each part, I'm just going to post all the info here.
Final Fantasy XIV: 4-5 videos have made its way online, most of which you can find on Zam by clicking here
Star Trek Online: Vmann was awesome enough to link me to a new video of STO which shows us some space and ground combat with a voice over from a Cryptic rep, this can be found here
I think I've spent most the day looking over those videos in awe.
FFXIV's animations are absolutely brilliant, very fluid and a treat to watch, there was some clipping and collision detection issues but overall the game is really looking great.
STO is looking good too, there are some issues with the graphics which have been brought up already but overall it is looking very nice and lets hope it can only get better with time.
I hope to go into a bit more detail later on but right now, I'm still drooling.
So instead of writing a separate article for each part, I'm just going to post all the info here.
Final Fantasy XIV: 4-5 videos have made its way online, most of which you can find on Zam by clicking here
Star Trek Online: Vmann was awesome enough to link me to a new video of STO which shows us some space and ground combat with a voice over from a Cryptic rep, this can be found here
I think I've spent most the day looking over those videos in awe.
FFXIV's animations are absolutely brilliant, very fluid and a treat to watch, there was some clipping and collision detection issues but overall the game is really looking great.
STO is looking good too, there are some issues with the graphics which have been brought up already but overall it is looking very nice and lets hope it can only get better with time.
I hope to go into a bit more detail later on but right now, I'm still drooling.
Monday 17 August 2009
FFXIV: Classes
Ever since we gathered all that information for XIV the other week one thing has been playing on my mind and that's been how certain classes are going to work. I think its safe to assume that there will be more classes than was announced in Famitsu but right now the one that has me thinking is "The Path of the Gatherer" which is to include the Gardener and Fisherman classes.Compared to the other two paths we know of at the moment (Fighter and Sorcerer) the Gatherer sticks out. Most MMO's have there share of professions that you can learn like mining, fishing, herb gathering etc, but I haven't seen an MMO that has given an entire class to it. Square Enix have gone on record to say that this incarnation of Final Fantasy will be on the more casual side compared to it's older brother XI but I wonder if they might be going a bit overboard.
Unless there is some big mechanic to the Gatherer classes that I'm not getting, I think it will end up being too limited to be a class rather than a profession of some sort. Lets hope I'm wrong.
Sunday 16 August 2009
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Yes the rumors are true!
Well it finally happened, many thought I couldn't do it but I did...by the skin of my teeth.
I won a beta key for STO through Cryptics trivia contest thanks to an error and Rekhan was kind enough to give both Exracon and myself a key. The first question I managed to get right straight away but Rekhan made a mistake saying that Exracon got it, thanks to the community who argued the point for me Rekhan went back and checked and said we both got a point which wasn't made very clear but we moved forward!
By the end of the trivia it was a 2-way tie between Exracon and myself but Rekhan had him down as winning because of the first question, in the end we were both given a key and I was saved from yet another nerve wrecking tiebreaker.
So yes my friends, expect to see me flying around near Risa on the USS Rubberducky as soon as the beta begins.
I won a beta key for STO through Cryptics trivia contest thanks to an error and Rekhan was kind enough to give both Exracon and myself a key. The first question I managed to get right straight away but Rekhan made a mistake saying that Exracon got it, thanks to the community who argued the point for me Rekhan went back and checked and said we both got a point which wasn't made very clear but we moved forward!
By the end of the trivia it was a 2-way tie between Exracon and myself but Rekhan had him down as winning because of the first question, in the end we were both given a key and I was saved from yet another nerve wrecking tiebreaker.
So yes my friends, expect to see me flying around near Risa on the USS Rubberducky as soon as the beta begins.
Tuesday 11 August 2009
Probably the funniest comic I've ever read
Vmann has done it again and posted me to something that is quite possibly the funniest comic I'll ever read.
Sunday 9 August 2009
Saturday 8 August 2009
STO: What to expect from the LA Star Trek Con
Well it's that time of year again, I remember last year roughly around this time we were being blown away by the announcement of STO from the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention and how awesome it was going to be. Well now a year later we're a bit upset with a few of the choices made for the game but still looking forward to seeing how the game will eventually turn out.
So what to expect from the convention this year?
I smell a beta announcement or at least a date for it. I really expected some kind of new information when STXI was released, seemed like the perfect time to do it, with the rush of new fans being brought in but Cryptic thought differently. I think they're a traditional kind and will give us something huge which right now is either a release date or a beta.
I also expect a new gameplay trailer. It's been a year since we've seen any new moving pictures of STO and now is as good a time as any. Zinc knows we want it, now's the time!
Expecting something else or completely disagree, leave a comment!
So what to expect from the convention this year?
I smell a beta announcement or at least a date for it. I really expected some kind of new information when STXI was released, seemed like the perfect time to do it, with the rush of new fans being brought in but Cryptic thought differently. I think they're a traditional kind and will give us something huge which right now is either a release date or a beta.
I also expect a new gameplay trailer. It's been a year since we've seen any new moving pictures of STO and now is as good a time as any. Zinc knows we want it, now's the time!
Expecting something else or completely disagree, leave a comment!
Friday 7 August 2009
The Qapla Years
For some reason whenever I draw something it always ends up being some kind of cover, this one could be a book or a CD. But I should really give the background on this one because it wasn't meant to be a Klingon.
I was thinking of Nathan Fillion at first and was drawing the straight brow and nose but then Vmann came into my head and then that awesome beard of his filled me with excitement so I put on a beard and gave him some weird looking teeth...then the epiphany came in the form of facial ridges and BOOM my Klingon was born.
I was thinking of Nathan Fillion at first and was drawing the straight brow and nose but then Vmann came into my head and then that awesome beard of his filled me with excitement so I put on a beard and gave him some weird looking teeth...then the epiphany came in the form of facial ridges and BOOM my Klingon was born.
FFXIV: Music
With most MMO's that I play, within a few hours or so I find myself turning down the music of the game so I can listen to some of my own music while I go off on an adventure. FFXI was one game I didn't simply because I love that style of music. FFXIV has double the incentive this time around as Nobou Uematsu is scoring the entire soundtrack.So far we only have 1/2 songs to go by. The one that was in the trailer and the one that plays on the official website, both have similar tunes but are a bit different. I like the theme being used, a proud nation feel to it and thats how I think a lot of FFXI players want to feel about the game.
Nobou hasn't failed to impress me yet when it comes to composing video games and I have very little doubt that he will make a mistake this time around either. Lets see how many nods to the other games we'll here this time around. I expect Chocobo, level up and of course the staff credits/FFXII opening theme somewhere in there.
Don't forget to check out the Official Final Fantasy XIV website to hear that music and also to check out the plethora of information just released.
Thursday 6 August 2009
I am this bored
Today has slowly gone downhill since finishing up with EvE, things have gotten a bit boring. So I started doodling which eventually turned into this 1 hour project.
Go vote for me please :P http://bit.ly/UOwfU
Go vote for me please :P http://bit.ly/UOwfU
EvE Online wants you to hate it!
There is something about this game, something in the back of my head wants me like this game but the game won't let me no matter how hard I try.
I've now played the EvE 14 day trial 3 times. Each time I get a tiny bit further or I get a basic grasp of how to play. This time I think I got as far as I'm ever going to get.
I prepared myself to pay attention and take in what the tutorial was telling me, I let go of my point and click grudge and found that I was actually enjoying the gameplay. I decided to be a businessman and set up my factory in high security space and was pumping out some sort out rocket fuel at a nice and steady rate, I had to mine ore to keep everything running smoothly which wasn't a problem since there are a bazillion asteroid fields everywhere.
Eventually I made up the money I needed to get a bigger ship but I was missing one skill. I went to buy it on the market only to get the message "Skill unavailable on trial account"
I couldn't believe it, I was 2 days into the trial I wasn't able to get a new ship. I had no intention of buying a months subscription to the game, so I just decided to check out what a 0.0 security sector was like.
I lasted roughly 30 seconds. I passed through one 0.0 sector with no trouble but the second one had a trap waiting for me. Another player had set up some kind of gravity well that trapped players from going to warp. I turned into a 1 shot kill.
EvE has some serious potential, the only thing holding it back is itself. It feels like the game wants you to fail or is trying to make it harder for you. If they were to simplify the UI and menus into more manageable doses, casual players might end up checking it out.
I'll leave you with my one and only video that I took while playing.
I've now played the EvE 14 day trial 3 times. Each time I get a tiny bit further or I get a basic grasp of how to play. This time I think I got as far as I'm ever going to get.
I prepared myself to pay attention and take in what the tutorial was telling me, I let go of my point and click grudge and found that I was actually enjoying the gameplay. I decided to be a businessman and set up my factory in high security space and was pumping out some sort out rocket fuel at a nice and steady rate, I had to mine ore to keep everything running smoothly which wasn't a problem since there are a bazillion asteroid fields everywhere.
Eventually I made up the money I needed to get a bigger ship but I was missing one skill. I went to buy it on the market only to get the message "Skill unavailable on trial account"
I couldn't believe it, I was 2 days into the trial I wasn't able to get a new ship. I had no intention of buying a months subscription to the game, so I just decided to check out what a 0.0 security sector was like.
I lasted roughly 30 seconds. I passed through one 0.0 sector with no trouble but the second one had a trap waiting for me. Another player had set up some kind of gravity well that trapped players from going to warp. I turned into a 1 shot kill.
EvE has some serious potential, the only thing holding it back is itself. It feels like the game wants you to fail or is trying to make it harder for you. If they were to simplify the UI and menus into more manageable doses, casual players might end up checking it out.
I'll leave you with my one and only video that I took while playing.
Wednesday 5 August 2009
I've been nominated for Mr. Twitter Ireland it seems
Someone has nominated me for Mr. Twitter Ireland over at TwitterWall I seem to be working my way up the ladder thanks to my AoA friends and trusty followers.
Thanks for the support!
Thanks for the support!
FFXIV: Race Names and Classes Revealed!
Kotaku has gotten the scoop on XIV's race names and a few classes thanks to a Japanese magazine scan. So here's they are the new race names
Elvaan: Elzen
Hume: Hyuran
Taru: Lalafell
Mithra: Miqo'te
Galka: Roegadyn
I like them, Miqo'te just rolls off the tongue nicely.
4 classes were also announced each with 2 subclasses of their own.
Fighter (Swordsman, Archer)
Sorcerer (Enchanter, Warlock)
Crafter (Blacksmith, Cook)
Gatherer (Gardener, Fishermen).
Crafter and Gatherer will be an interesting class to keep an eye on, I wonder how a Gardener will progress through the game.
You can read the original article here which has a few screenshots also
Elvaan: Elzen
Hume: Hyuran
Taru: Lalafell
Mithra: Miqo'te
Galka: Roegadyn
I like them, Miqo'te just rolls off the tongue nicely.
4 classes were also announced each with 2 subclasses of their own.
Fighter (Swordsman, Archer)
Sorcerer (Enchanter, Warlock)
Crafter (Blacksmith, Cook)
Gatherer (Gardener, Fishermen).
Crafter and Gatherer will be an interesting class to keep an eye on, I wonder how a Gardener will progress through the game.
You can read the original article here which has a few screenshots also
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Re-Shelled?!
It's a sad thing to see kids of today not really knowing how epic the Turtles were back in the 80's-90's with the cartoon, comic, movies and action figures. I'm glad someone realises that they're still awesome and is releasing a remake of Turtles in Time which was an epic game when released so lets hope it stays the same.
I can't wait!
I can't wait!
Tuesday 4 August 2009
FFXIV: Faction v Faction?
One thing that I think was missing from FFXI was faction versus faction. The only thing I remember was controlling certain areas by fighting there which wasn't very useful from what I could tell. I know that the game was all about coming together to defeat a common foe but I found that it defeated the purpose of having different factions/countries in the game unless there was a possible conflict or advantage/disadvantage that could come from it.
With it being confirmed that each race will have a different name and story than they did in FFXI, it's probably a safe bet to say that there could be new countries which gives S-E a perfect opportunity to give us some kind of conflict.
I hate to constantly bring up WoW but one great explain of how it could work is the town of Halaa in Nagrand. Constantly in a state of faction change due to players fighting for it, this is the kind of thing I'd like to see when I play FFXIV, fighting for the territory instead of it being decided for us.
With it being confirmed that each race will have a different name and story than they did in FFXI, it's probably a safe bet to say that there could be new countries which gives S-E a perfect opportunity to give us some kind of conflict.
I hate to constantly bring up WoW but one great explain of how it could work is the town of Halaa in Nagrand. Constantly in a state of faction change due to players fighting for it, this is the kind of thing I'd like to see when I play FFXIV, fighting for the territory instead of it being decided for us.
FFXIV: E3 2009 Video Interview
Elmerthepointy over on YouTube was nice enough to post (or repost?) a video interview for FFXIV which came from E3 this year.
While no new information comes from the interview, its still nice to look at something FFXIV related.
While no new information comes from the interview, its still nice to look at something FFXIV related.
Monday 3 August 2009
STO: PC Gamer Article
It's probably a fair assumption that I've been a bit hard on STO in the past few weeks, mainly due to the micro-transaction arguments. I've little patience or respect for a company who tries to squeeze every last penny they can out of their fan base. Unfortunately for us, that's not going to change, it's a business after all, someone has to pay the "bills".
The latest PC Gamer article for STO has brightened my outlook on the game somewhat. Maybe it was how the author retold his experience or maybe because of the little tidbits of information we got.
One thing that has been in the back of my mind since STO was announced was how they planned to implement party play in space, in most instances, we usually saw 1-2 ships battling it out during the TV show but judging by the article, having different class captains will have its benefits
Next PC Gamer got a look at the Away Missions (ground combat) section of STO. Not surprisingly this was probably the most disappointing section. Story wise for this specific mission it sounded brilliant, chasing a Klingon through an alien planet only to find the Guardian of Forever that whisks them into the past where they have to protect the 23rd century Enterprise from destruction and eventually meet with the Klingon in a final showdown.
Gameplay wise I've very worried.
According to PC Gamer this mission was very linear. This was the major thing that I was worried about for away missions, in space you see an entire planet but you can only visit one small location like a cavern or town which its only purpose is to get from point A to point B.
Cryptic have mentioned a few times that they planned on making the away missions more action orientated but not twitch based. According to PC gamer there are no cooldowns on attacks, you click to fire, alt fire and melee attack. I'm not really sure what to make of this and I plan on waiting to see it in action before I make any judgements.
If the majority of the missions come across as well as this one did for PC Gamer I think the game still might have a fighting chance.
The latest PC Gamer article for STO has brightened my outlook on the game somewhat. Maybe it was how the author retold his experience or maybe because of the little tidbits of information we got.
One thing that has been in the back of my mind since STO was announced was how they planned to implement party play in space, in most instances, we usually saw 1-2 ships battling it out during the TV show but judging by the article, having different class captains will have its benefits
"Cryptic's Norway came to my rescue, nailing it in place with a tractor beam while I rounded on it with my heavy frontal weaponry. But by this point the Steamrunners shields were critical. The Norway captain's science skill came in handy again, as he used his own power to boost her shields"To me that sounds fantastic, teamwork at it's best. I expected that I would be spending the majority of the game questing solo but according to PC Gamer, some of the Episode missions will require a full team which is a great thing, as much as I like to solo in MMO's, needing to group and socialise is an important part of the genre.
Next PC Gamer got a look at the Away Missions (ground combat) section of STO. Not surprisingly this was probably the most disappointing section. Story wise for this specific mission it sounded brilliant, chasing a Klingon through an alien planet only to find the Guardian of Forever that whisks them into the past where they have to protect the 23rd century Enterprise from destruction and eventually meet with the Klingon in a final showdown.
Gameplay wise I've very worried.
According to PC Gamer this mission was very linear. This was the major thing that I was worried about for away missions, in space you see an entire planet but you can only visit one small location like a cavern or town which its only purpose is to get from point A to point B.
Cryptic have mentioned a few times that they planned on making the away missions more action orientated but not twitch based. According to PC gamer there are no cooldowns on attacks, you click to fire, alt fire and melee attack. I'm not really sure what to make of this and I plan on waiting to see it in action before I make any judgements.
If the majority of the missions come across as well as this one did for PC Gamer I think the game still might have a fighting chance.
Sunday 2 August 2009
Saturday 1 August 2009
Mac: Battery Life
One thing that was very important when it came to my choice in buying a laptop was battery life. My last laptop promised 4 hour battery life when in-fact it was closer to 1 hour. I knew that Apple had been spreading the word that the battery life in their Macbook Pro's had been upgraded to 7 hours (8 with the 17" model) but I was a bit skeptical due to my previous encounters with laptops.I'm happy to say that Apple weren't lying. I had looked this up before I ordered and a lot of people were saying they were getting closer to 5 hours, I've been using mine to surf the web, listen to music and watch videos and I'm getting the advertised 7 hours and I couldn't be happier.
If things go according to plan I'll be making a long train journey everyday to and from college so being able to use my Macbook on the train there, then during college hours and on the way home without worrying if my battery is going to last isn't going to be a problem.
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