tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post5453064043867266759..comments2023-10-15T04:55:00.347-05:00Comments on Anyway Games: raid leaders aren't your friendsAaron Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06397235341719388657noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-12318097143369639442008-04-17T03:49:00.000-05:002008-04-17T03:49:00.000-05:00The flipside of cogs-in-a-machine thinking is favo...The flipside of cogs-in-a-machine thinking is favoritism. If one of the cogs is constantly polished and lubricated even if it's missing a tooth, you get drama of epic propotions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00178860601734528122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-83963254263847759492008-04-15T13:07:00.000-05:002008-04-15T13:07:00.000-05:00In Call of Duty 4 multiplayer, the battles are har...In Call of Duty 4 multiplayer, the battles are hard as hell... yet organization is unplanned, fluid, and self-imposed. A player sees most of his teammates covering the east side of the map, so he goes west. A player notices his team playing too defensively, so he goes on the offense. A player notices an enemy flanking the team, so he takes it upon himself to defend the flank.<BR/><BR/>Obviously, there are some significant differences between that game and a typical MMO, but I think that general style of team-play is possible in MMOs. It's even more possible now, with voice communication becoming increasingly common.<BR/><BR/>Difficulty in team-focused content doesn't require heavy and rigid organization, nor ant-like loss of individuality.Aaron Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06397235341719388657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-86563193773636451392008-04-15T12:35:00.000-05:002008-04-15T12:35:00.000-05:00There's a fine line to walk in content design betw...There's a fine line to walk in content design between "so easy it's not fun" (which is basically where you hand out loot if they bring the right number of people) and "challenge to overcome." In my experience, raid content usually starts at the challenging and frustrating end of the spectrum and moves towards the fun end as your progress through it.<BR/><BR/>Case in point: Kara is EZ mode for my guild right now, and it's a blast every week (for the most part). We shoot through in 3 1/2 hours, get 22 badges, and maybe score a few epics. It's really fun.<BR/><BR/>SSC, which we're starting on, is hard. We wipe a lot, mess up a lot, are busy learning it, and it can be frustrating. It's still fun (as you discuss), but it's different.<BR/><BR/>If you make the initial fight too easy, where's the challenge that allows progression and the sense of accomplishment towards mastery?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com