10 by 10 room

“Female Draenei and Tauren, however, are just a little bit shorter than their male counterparts, and can usually fit through the same doors that males cannot, while mounted. This may sound like a trivial problem, but to some people it is a really big deal — so much so that some people have vigorously petitioned the WoW developers to allow them to switch genders on their Draenei and Tauren characters.

— Lessons learned from playing female characters in MMORPGs

My friend had previously commented on Guild Wars, which he liked better than WoW for the tactical options it offered. Four months later, he’s hit level 20, he describes how his experiences have changed over time. (He also makes interesting parallels to Magic and CCGs.)

So, my feelings are now a bit more mixed about Guild Wars than they were originally, but I still think it’s a great game. Like most MMO’s, it’s a great repetitive game, and so it’s a testament to the underlying design that I still obsess over tweaking skill combinations, and still a great rush to go into combat.

It seems that Penny Arcade is conflicted about an MMORPG based on Warhammer, a long-time favorite of RPG fans.

Okay, conflicted isn’t quit the word. Never understimate the power of unconstrained narration.

From the Daedalus Project: Slideshow of Emergent Social Beahvior (i.e. ad hoc fun stuff) in MMORPGs. Did you know there was a Gay Day in City of Heroes? Now you do.

Rather than spawning mobs, spawn ill people. Instead of weapons, have medicines. Instead of managing aggro, manage fever. Instead of armors, we have disinfectants.

Raph Koster suggests a MMORPG based only around healing, not violence. [Via BoingBoing]

(FYI, the title is the unofficial slogan of Chad Underkoffer’s Dead Inside.)

From the New York Times (!)—“Dungeon Masters in Cyberspace”. The game looks at pen-and-paper RPGs, and how they relate to the newer MMORPGs, including the upcoming D&D Online.

Not to be too negative on the “D&D Online” endeavor, but I honestly don’t feel it offers anything that will entire remaining hold-outs away from MMORPGs. It’s not like they’re offering anything not found in World of Warcraft. (Does that make “D&D Online” potentially a Warcraft Heartbreaker?)

From the New York Times (!)—“Dungeon Masters in Cyberspace”. The game looks at pen-and-paper RPGs, and how they relate to the newer MMORPGs, including the upcoming D&D Online.

Not to be too negative on the “D&D Online” endeavor, but I honestly don’t feel it offers anything that will entire remaining hold-outs away from MMORPGs. It’s not like they’re offering anything not found in World of Warcraft. (Does that make “D&D Online” potentially a Warcraft Heartbreaker?)

Rather than spawning mobs, spawn ill people. Instead of weapons, have medicines. Instead of managing aggro, manage fever. Instead of armors, we have disinfectants.

Raph Koster suggests a MMORPG based only around healing, not violence. [Via BoingBoing]

(FYI, the title is the unofficial slogan of Chad Underkoffer’s Dead Inside.)

Jane at Game Girl Advance – who wrote the “Is WOW the New Golf?” article – returns to the issue.

It’s an interesting idea, but WoW is a long way from Friendster or mySpace or LinkedIn. For one, it’s a lot harder to browse for friends; the server system is optimized for play experience, not for contact volume. And then the game itself is so involving that, unlike taking a stroll through the links, there’s a lot less potential time for schmoozing while playing. At the lower levels, at least.

From Penny Arcade: Adventure fantasy is a very bubbly and complex cauldron of fun.