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Massively Speaking
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Massively Speaking

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Massively Speaking Episode 61
Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST [download/play]

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Opinion, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 61 is back this week with special guest Beau Turkey of Spouse Aggro and Realmscast. Shawn and Beau talk quite candidly about their views on everything from grouping vs. solo play, WAR's recent server merges, AoC's rebirth and the emergent gameplay in Heroes of Telara.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

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Massively Speaking Episode 61 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Episode 61 Discussion Thread

'hmm' by rocknerd
Submitted on 2009-07-17 08:15:29 CST
"episode 61, with captain contrary"

wow, thanks for counter pointing everything shawn was saying, it made listening to this episode a blast.

cheers.

(hows my internet sarcasm? 555-555-5555)

'Call me crazy...' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-19 02:25:10 CST
...but it felt to me like we were just having a discussion. Pretty off the cuff, just two dudes talking about MMO's.

Who knows, maybe I missed something?

Beau

'"Forced" versus "persuaded".' by Nosferum

Submitted on 2009-07-23 13:30:20 CST
-In casual conversation, people tend to be loose with their language. When someone writes "I hate being forced to group", surely the reader understands the term "forced" is hyperbolic there, and that the writer really means that they don't like the heavy emphasis or strong advantages of grouping. In the discussion on this recording, there is brief mention of this likelihood, then the rest of the argumentation is against the literal interpretation of the statement. I really think the whole discussion on the subject was a wash and off topic.

-Clearly, some MMOs give advantages to grouping and some don't. Everquest was clearly designed with grouping in mind, as mobs regularly work in packs within dungeons and mobs have almost exponentially more health with each level. WoW certainly intended for grouping only in dungeons, as all mobs outside of dungeons are easily soloable, save for certain quests. The only other advantage of grouping in WoW is what we might call "temporary quest grouping" to save time on quests. Other factors such as travel and economy also affect whether players tend toward grouping or soloing. Game design promotes a game's culture, so over time players tend strongly toward either grouping or soloing. Simply playing these games will show you the divergent cultures. Just for the sake of accuracy, far more than grouping is affected by game design. For example, in my WoW experience, players prefer small, short dungeons over large, time intensive dungeons. Apparently, "more content" in WoW is just treated as a hindrance to completion.

-I'd argue that listeners (and certainly those who argued that some games "force" soloing") deserved a more expansive discussion on that subject, rather than a dismissal of an argument that I honestly don't think they intended to make.