Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times: spider mechs, pandas and black bisectors

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On January 17, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIssue 61: Glorious Greetings Gamers! It’s time again for some more MMO news that I hope you find useful and interesting. This issue is kind of patch-centric as more details for the upcoming WoW patch are coming more and more frequently. It’s not all focused on Warcraft though. SWTOR, MechWarrior Online and Age of Wushu are also in the news this week. So while you are waiting for that dungeon or pvp queue to pop, take a look at these brief headlines to pass the time. Read on and game on friends!

(I also provide The MMO Times in an e-mail. If you are interested in receiving the e-mail version please click here to subscribe.)

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Soapbox: Makeb It Gay

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On January 16, 2013

In Soapbox, SWTOR

overworked-290x290I couldn’t decide if I wanted to post this under the SWTOR category or a Soapbox. I ultimately decided on a Soapbox because I’m going to focus more on that folks are making a big deal out of it. I mean, this game mechanic even made it to main stream news.

First I am going to give a quick back story. In an upcoming expansion for the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic a new planet, called Makeb, will become available to extend character storylines and questing to reach the new level cap. Apparently the NPCs on the new planet will allow same sex flirtation. In my opinion, and keep in mind I’m pretty conservative, who frakking cares! In fact I want some lesbian flirtation action so it’s only fair to allow the males to do the same thing.

And in all fairness, both sides of this conflict are going to drive me crazy. Those that are adamantly opposed to it need to learn that SWTOR is just a game so there’s no reason for any kind of outrage over a bunch of pixels “flirting” with another bunch of pixels. Threatening Bioware that allowing same-sex romance will ruin the game and force you to leave makes you intolerant. Now, as far as the LGBT community is concerned, you don’t need to flaunt it. Yes, they know you want to be recognized as normal human beings just like everyone else but constantly throwing it in their face only pisses them off and makes you insufferable.

Bioware is simply trying to appeal to a specific demographic and their decision to do so isn’t necessarily “selling out”. This game mechanic should not be viewed as a “win” for the gay community or a “loss” for Christianity (I picked Christianity assuming that religion is the basis for their defense). The only way to win in this situation is for both sides to stop being so intolerant of the personal beliefs and choices of the other side. Acceptance is the only true winning scenario.

Less then a month ago all we talked about was the illusion of the Mayan Apocalypse. Life is too short to get all worked up about such insignificant minutia. I’m an avid gamer, and I’m the one that needs to get a life??

/facepalm!

Biggs On: Plethora of Social Media

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On January 15, 2013

In Biggs On

thinkingmanSo apparently Myspace has re-imaged itself and relaunched now with celebrity endorsements (i.e. Justin Timberlake) and a focus on music and media. I once had a MySpace page many years ago. I never kept up with it. In fact, I hated it. It felt like another iteration of GeoCities. When I read about this the first thought that came to mind is “Do we really need another social media outlet?”

Let’s name off a few of the social media platforms out there: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, Instragram, Pinterest, Myspace – these are just the ones that come to mind immediately. Last year Apple and Google were under heavy scrutiny because many felt like their privacy was violated by some functionality built in to the  mobile devices of these companies. This is a classic case of cognitive dissonance if I’ve ever seen one. How can we chastise one company for allegedly infringing on our privacy and turnaround and celebrate another means of putting your life on the Internet?

I use Facebook, Google+ and Twitter and I feel like that’s too many. I’ve often considered reducing how much I use Facebook. Granted I know that I have more control over what can be seen publicly but most of it isn’t default functionality. In fact I wonder how many people actually know how to lock down their social media accounts and/or restrict what posts people can and cannot see on news feeds and timelines. So it really comes down to who wants to accept the responsibility and it’s always easier to blame someone else especially when you can point fingers at “evil corporations” like Apple and Google.

Cheers.

The MMO Times: Here Come the Browncoats!

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On January 11, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIssue 60: Greetings! Have you been diligent with your gaming resolutions? Are you excited for a new year of new titles, new content and expansions? The news for some of those titles and expansions are starting to roll in and some of the news is pretty exciting depending on your taste in MMOs.

This issue has some more information about Marvel Heroes, TERA and Age of Wushu. There are also some new titles to read about including Cryptic’s new title, Neverwinter and a some news for those that are big fans of Firefly.

(I also provide The MMO Times in an e-mail. If you are interested in receiving the e-mail version please click here to subscribe.)

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SWTOR: Feeling Conflicted

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On January 8, 2013

In SWTOR

old_republic_iconDespite my previous ranting about the half-assed free-2-play model Bioware implemented, I still often find myself wanting to play SWTOR. Usually that ends the moment I log in and immediately start to feel so constricted that I lose the motivation to play. When I see screenshots, news articles and Larry Everett’s blog posts I start to feel the urge to play again. Larry Everett’s geek enthusiasm is often quite contagious.

I think another point that makes logging into SWTOR difficult is that so many of my friends that use to play are so annoyed and upset about the bad implementation of the free-2-play model that I’m the only one that would play. A majority of the reason I play any MMO is to hang with my friends. Logging in to an empty friends list or guild just wipes out any desire to play.

I’ve thought about just starting a new toon (since I am a preferred member, as of the patch 1.6 I should have additional slots). Perhaps if I start a new toon and level up then I can better acclimate to the restrictions. Granted that still doesn’t resolve the issue of the lack of friends also playing the game.

The MMO Times: All About the Pandas!

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On January 3, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIssue 59: Happy New Year Gamers! Welcome to 2013! I hope all of you had a safe and splendid Christmas and New Years. I’m sure many of you probably killed off a few brain cells and hopefully you recovered well and with no guilt.

There hasn’t been a lot happening recently, this issue mostly consists of Mists of Pandaria patch 5.2 updates. There are a couple of non-WoW updates here such as Marvel Heroes but I think the Christmas and New Years holidays probably attributed to a lack of interesting news. WoW fans can rest assured though that there will be a Blizzcon 2013 and talks and rumors are already starting. Read on and game on!

(I also provide The MMO Times in an e-mail. If you are interested in receiving the e-mail version please click here to subscribe.)

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