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Post by Chad Manning on Apr 10, 2006 14:27:15 GMT -5
This game is pretty awesome. You should check it out! it is very resource/skill intensive. Also teh space scenery and combat missions are pretty cool as well. And I have just started playing! www.eve-online.com/
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Post by grant on Apr 10, 2006 15:26:09 GMT -5
From the little I have seen it is an awesome game, but for me I have other things to take up my time. MMORPGs suck the life out of time that could be spent more fruitfully.
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Post by Chad Manning on Apr 10, 2006 16:12:23 GMT -5
Yeah, but it is still one of the best sci-fi MMO games out there if you actually have time to play.
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Post by Brian on Apr 10, 2006 16:29:08 GMT -5
From the little I have seen it is an awesome game, but for me I have other things to take up my time. MMORPGs suck the life out of time that could be spent more fruitfully. That is o so true! Grant +1 point!
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Post by Vable on Apr 17, 2006 13:01:26 GMT -5
Yeah well, games are just that.. a venue to have fun and enjoy oneself. And in an MMO's case, to enjoy oneself with ones friends while sharing in the experience provided by the game. We do that everytime we hang out, go to a movie, out to dinner or any other number of things. Like anything in life, moderation is called for lest other portions of ones life suffer. But I would hardly say that there is no worth at all to gaming. Especially so long as one is able to manage all the other aspects of ones life responsibly. Think of it as a well deserved desert after one has eaten all their vegetables -grins-
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Post by grant on Apr 17, 2006 14:06:24 GMT -5
In the case of MMORPG¡¦s the fun of them is only when you play them all the time or close to it. With there being monthly fees for the game you can¡¦t just put it aside and play every once and a while like other games. Also with the nature of the way those games work in ordered to keep up with what is going on in the game, where you character is, and make any kind of progression so that you are not playing the same stuff over and over again every time you play you must invest quite a few hours into them on a regular basis.
To me playing online with my friends is alright (defiantly better then playing online with out them) but it doesn¡¦t come anywhere even close to being as good as interacting in person. I suppose it is along the same lines of talking on the phone to someone and talking in person, I have never been a phone person and it kinda („²-actual word according to dictionary.com) translates the same way to me.
This is all not to mention the frustration that occurs when you play as a group of friends online, one of several things nearly always happens. 1) Someone starts playing much more then the others and out levels them to the point to where you can¡¦t run together any more and all of a sudden you are all just playing the game by your selves again.
2) You all stay the same level because you have agreed to only play those characters together, but more and more people start playing with the group and it gets to where you can never get everyone on line at the same time.
3) You all stay the same level because you have agreed to only play those characters together, but someone has some issues come up in their lives that prevent them from playing together for a while and every one gets frustrated with them because now they can¡¦t play or the other decide to go on with out them and now the person who had real life stuff come up is screwed.
4) Everyone just plays which ever characters they have that are the same level as one another, this works for a while but then as you get higher and higher level those characters are too far apart in level to run with each other and you low level character that are the same level as one are low level for a reason (you didn¡¦t like them as much) and you don¡¦t want to play them.
When it comes to online gaming I think the way to go is with something that some collage friends and I use to do. We set aside every Sunday evening as game night, we all got online and played Warcraft III starting at 7pm (8 pacific, since we had a lot of people in PA that played too). We never had to worry about character levels (being a strategy game not a MMORPG) and we all knew when to get online and play. It worked very well, hmm¡Kcan we say Homeworld II anyone?
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Post by grant on Apr 17, 2006 14:06:50 GMT -5
In addition to all that, there are just so many fun games out there that I have to limit myself to just a few of them so that I have time for other facets of life. I just take those that give the most enjoyment (both due to the game and interaction with friends) for the amount of time and money that go into it. It just one big equation:
[ (GE + FI - OE) / (TI * T + MI * M) ] * SI
Game Enjoyment Level (GE): Measured as a factor of 100 based on how much enjoyment and satisfaction you get out of the game itself.
Friend Interaction Level (FI): Measured as a factor of 100 based on how much the game allows you to interact with your friends. This should take into consideration time spent with the friends and which friends you get to spend time with.
Other Expenditure Level (OE): Measured as a factor of 100 based on other things that the game make you miss by playing it. I.E. if you must miss you favorite TV show, must choose between games, time spent with a spouse, working on the house, etc. This index is not directly a factor of time, for instance you might spend many hours playing the game but they are hours of your day that would normally be unproductive so you could score it low with a 15 vs. you might only spend an hour a week playing but it is the only hour you get to spend with your wife so of course you give the OE for that game a 100.
Time Investment Level (TI): Measured in average number of hours per week that go into the game.
Monetary Investment Level (MI): Measured in dollars spent on the game per month (initial investment can be allocated out over one year or the life of the game, which ever is less).
Spousal Irritation Level (SI): Measured as a factor of 10. I think that this one is fairly self explanatory, though things like money and time should not be directly included here since they are covered elsewhere, but things like amount of clutter that it causes around the house, space taken up on the computers hard drive, constant talk about the game, and general dislike of the game should be considered. Money and Time (both hours and time sacrificed from doing other things) should not be considered in calculating the SI)
T & M: Each is measured as a factor of 10 respectively to Time and Money, this is the determinant of which is more important time or money. If you have lots of free time and little to no money then you make T lower and M higher. You should set your own personnel T & M and they should remain the same for all analysis of every game, if your values of time and money change then previous game analysis should be recalculated with the new T & M figures.
This number means nothing by itself but when you calculate several different games you can find which games are the best investment of your time and money for the amount of enjoyment you get out of them.
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Post by em on Apr 17, 2006 18:52:21 GMT -5
My husband is a big dork!
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Post by Vable on Apr 18, 2006 3:04:46 GMT -5
yes..yes he is heheh. He's mainly right though. It is tough to sort out MMO's when you play as a group. Though, there are a few answers to that. EQ2, you can mentor down from any level to auto scale to lower level players. And eve seems to be very much less about 'levels' per se. Anyone of any skill can jump over to a smaller ship. But even that being said, I agree.. I think non-progression games are probably the best for group gaming. Stuff like warcraft, starcraft, homeworld etc all fit the bill nicely for friends+videogames p.s. Grant said homeworld... mmmm...hooommmmmeworlddddd. hehe. I think may is when the next complex patch is due out...drool. Still, we need to play as a group for some skill honage, so we can play teams against each other hehe. Come on....who dosen't want to blow up Garretts probe armada? hehe
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Post by Chad Manning on Apr 18, 2006 11:26:03 GMT -5
Hehe... big dork.
Aren't we all...
Anyway, I think Eve deals well with your points above. I can play as much or as little as I want and will still continue to progress. Further, it doesn't really matter what "level" I am, because I can always have a supporting role. The biggest "leveling" factor in eve is cash. Those with it buy better stuff. Enter the beauty of the corporation. Depending on the corporation, most will ensure you are outfitted to meet the needs of the mission. Anyway, fro someone who doesn't play a whole lot online comparatively, it is the funnest game I have played so far.
Anyway, I enjoy it, and now that I am mostly over the initial furvor of the game, I still like playing when I have the time.
As for the money argument, I paid $100 for a year of Eve. So far I have spent significantly more than that on warhammer. That would be like going to three movies with Adonna, easily the cost of hosting one of our big parties, and I spent more than that just beating my yard into shape this weekend. $100 for a year of entertainment anytime I want to play for as long as I want to play is definitely worth it, even if I only play a couple of hours a month.
Not that it is for anyone, but in my own calcultaion, it is nice to have it available.
On a side note, I totally agree face to face engagement/activities are worth it. That's why it is worth $100 - $200 to throw a party, or $50 to play Nero, or $200 - $300 (conservatively) to play Warhammer, or $50 - $100 in books to play D&D. But when other are busy or don't want to get out and then later have to drive home, EVE and other similar games are an awesome alternative.
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Post by grant on Apr 18, 2006 12:00:22 GMT -5
You should also factor in the cost of getting a computer to run EVE, would you have spent as much on it if you were not looking for a machine to play games on.
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Post by Chad Manning on Apr 18, 2006 13:29:46 GMT -5
I only spent @ $1000 after upgrades. Yes, I was looking for a laptop for school. I was planning on spending $1000 - $1500 anyway. I just got a really good deal!
In fact I just got done using my laptop at lunch for scholl related activities. The gaming aspects are just bonus!
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Post by lindsey on May 3, 2006 12:37:36 GMT -5
We just that game in at my work I haven't put it out on the shelf yet (Software is my section)
SO if anyone wants it.... speak up.
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Post by Chad Manning on May 3, 2006 12:54:36 GMT -5
Is it a new version? How much does it cost?
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Post by lindsey on May 11, 2006 13:44:55 GMT -5
I have been instructed to put it out for 24.98
I'll have to get back to you on the ver.
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