I’ve mostly recovered from jet lag (hooray!), except that I still fall asleep around 9. That’s early for me. And it doesn’t leave me much of a gaming window after work. I’ve still managed to get on to Tabula Rasa for a few hours, to try out the new S&S keyboard. That keyboard…ooh it’s nice, but first I had to get used to the longer throw.
While I’m enjoying a pleasurably consistent (and bling-free) typing experience, I’m also worrying about TR. The combat part of the game always entertains me, with good balance, some beautiful outdoor zones, and generally a lot of class. But the game is really lacking on the social side (apart from global chat), and is starting the show the first signs of “forcing you to team up”. I think I understand why they didn’t bother making “social areas”. Once you’ve seen the empty “planned social areas” in several games (think of the disco in City of Heroes), you understand that socialization happens where it wants to and not where you’ve planned it. And I understand that the bulk of the game happens in combat zones, so there’s really not going to be a coffee shop on every corner. Not even a Starbucks.
But there’s nothing at all! TR lacks the three things that always seem to be available near a military encampment: booze, cigarettes, and whores. I know they don’t want to fill the game with sex and drugs, but the action part of the game leaves me hyperactive enough that I need a cooldown of some sort. Look, when you’re all pumped up from fighting aliens, you really want a drink and some sex.
Granted, I could just head down to the neighborhood bar, grab a pint, and have my face slapped by any number of a wide selection of attractive women, but somehow it’s not the same. A combat MMO without cybersex is sort of like a modern “nipple-free” action film. Tension with no release. I’m
not exactly saying that cybersex is remotely satisfying or even remotely desirable here (in fact, I wasn’t really planning to say anything) but IMO this game is lacking the “let off some steam” side of
a combat-oriented online environment. The auction house is definitely a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t completely satisfy, if you know what I mean.
And, just when I think I’ve found a game where I can play however I want and not be penalized, I’ve noticed the teaming bonus. The very large teaming XP and gear bonus. Which doesn’t seem so bad great until you see how much “nothing” you get when you’re solo. It’s as bad as being a froob in some free-to-play…
I guess this is probably why I haven’t made much progress in the TR level 13 grind; I’ve been playing solo. The experience and gear bonus you get when you squad up is freaking huge.
Yet another game that claims to allow solo play while “encouraging” you to team up, but which really basically “requires” you to team up to make any kind of meaningful progress. Granted, the game is a lot more fun in a group, where the right mix of skills can make it a breeze. But the rewards seem unproportional. Disproportional? A bit much?
I take this as a sign they’re going the same direction as every other game. Therefore, I predict that when they add PvP*, this game will die a rapid, noisy death amid a flurry of rebalancing.
To date, there has been a lot of skill rebalancing, but the general response of the population has been “yeah, that was necessary”. I know, strange! Very little whining. But PvP always seems to require drastic nerfs that really un-funify the PvE game. Combine this with forced teaming, and PvP and end-game raids will be the only point of the game. And presto, you have the same old cash cow.
But enough of my dire predictions. The S&S keyboard is super sweet. A long, soft touch (oooh baby), no lights whatsoever, no macro keys, no drivers, just a heavy, quality piece of gear that does exactly what a keyboard should do. And it’s hardware, so they can’t ruin it with an update!
* – …and of course they’ll add PvP, because a game without PvP is “ghey” and “worthless”…
