MMO Blog Roundup - May 2009

We are hoping this becomes a monthly feature article here in the Bright Hub MMO channel. If you run a blog or fan site that focusses on MMOs, and would like to join our program, send a message to Michael Hartman, the ME of the Bright Hub MMO channel. We will review your site for quality, activity, and applicability of content. If we accept you into the program, we will feature a teaser about your favorite blog post in our monthly roundup.

click to enlarge

Normally I look forward to this in-game event. Every year for Children's Week usually meant a new pet I can get, and a few fun quests for me to run around with. Blizzard however decided to add a few things not to make the event more fun, but actually make players hate this event. Because of the Achievements needed, Blizzard is pretty much forcing players to go out of their way to go PvP. Players that don't PvP are angry because they don't want to PvP. PvPers are angry because there are non-PvPers in their battlegrounds messing things up...

click to enlarge

Get the full break down on restoration shamans with our special series on arena strategy with world ranked restoration shaman, Hodzy. Hodzy breaks down his complete arena strategy healing tactics...from gear to glyphs and macros to specs, Hodzy covers everything you need to help you take your game to the next level.

click to enlarge

I certainly believe that one of the most crucial elements of an MMO is the interaction between players. If everyone is just soloing the game, interaction is minimized and fewer meaningful emotional connections are forged in the game. But on the flip side, I believe in the fun that can be had from playing a game alone, together. Sometimes a player might want to do their own thing without interruption or interference from other players, but they’d still like to chat with other players. So they go about their business solo while talking to friends in /tells or various chat channels.

click to enlarge

Making use of variability within a ruleset to give players interesting choices, helping to maintain discovery and fun.

Some people remember the T-Rex or the lawyer from Jurassic Park. What I remember most is the mention of Chaos Theory. I understood the concept easily enough since I’d been tinkering with fractals since I was 12 or so, but before that film, I didn’t realize that there was a big “T” Theory behind it.

click to enlarge

Have you ever noticed that people talk about what the new "WoW Killer" is when a new MMO comes out and thus far they've all fallen short of being the WoW Killer that people had hoped for and WoW has not only remained strong but gotten stronger still? What exactly would it take for a new MMO to steal away a large part of WoW's subscribers and keep them away and interested in the new MMO? What features of WoW's are required and what new features would be nice? Well I've played WoW since the start and enjoyed every moment of it and here are my thoughts on what it would take for a new MMO to lure me away and keep me away from WoW.