I have no real-life friends tat play EVE with me. For about a month I had one, but he grew weary of the complicated nature of the game, and the ten or so different windows that you had to have open at any given time. This friend moved back to World of Warcraft. Honestly, I can’t completely blame him. I do miss the mindless play of that game sometimes. As I’ve said before, EVE actually takes a lot of excess brain power to play. WoW, however, tends to not be that way.
So I debate about going back to WoW. That would mean leaving EVE for a while, since I hate to have to be paying for two MMOs (I hate paying for one, but that’s beside the point). Maybe one day I’ll start PlanetSide back up too. This is a common theme for me, to switch back and forth between games. I tend to get bored doing the same thing over and over, a little variety helps keep me involved in the game.
www.eveonline.com
www.worldofwarcraft.com
www.planetside.com
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Communication
So far as EVE goes, I’ve talked about WHAT we communicate. I’ve only briefly discussed HOW we talk. Yes, there is an in-game chat feature that lets people basically text back and forth or IM each other. However in a more hectic situation found in-game such as a battle, of if you’re just too plain lazy to type, the typing out of what you want to communicate can be frustrating to downright degrading to the playing experience.
To solve this, the game has a built in voice communication system. However, as with most games the in-game voice application is shunned. Usually lag skyrockets, and the game becomes unplayable. This holds true in PlanetSide and World of Warcraft as well. So, the use of a third party program is often utilized. The two that I’ve always seen used are TeamSpeak and Ventrilo. PlanetSide almost entirely used TeamSpeak while WoW used Ventrilo. This doesn’t always hold true though, as there is some spillover into both games. I haven’t actually figured out the distribution in EVE yet, as I haven’t progressed far enough into the game so that voice communication is a must.
The use of a third party program also allows the users to play games that normally don’t have voice capabilities built in, such as old yet still very playable StarCaft. Of course there are drawbacks to the programs. Ventrilo has a user fee for hosting a client that others can connect to (normal users are free, only the host “server” has a subscription) for any size party. A Team SpeakServer is free for non-corporate use or for I believe under 40 or so users. However, TeamSpeak tends to have a somewhat lower fidelity to it, and as such is sometimes considered an inferior program by some users (I personally have no preference, but the free aspect of TeamSpeak is very appealing to me).
http://ventrilo.com/
http://www.teamspeak.com/
To solve this, the game has a built in voice communication system. However, as with most games the in-game voice application is shunned. Usually lag skyrockets, and the game becomes unplayable. This holds true in PlanetSide and World of Warcraft as well. So, the use of a third party program is often utilized. The two that I’ve always seen used are TeamSpeak and Ventrilo. PlanetSide almost entirely used TeamSpeak while WoW used Ventrilo. This doesn’t always hold true though, as there is some spillover into both games. I haven’t actually figured out the distribution in EVE yet, as I haven’t progressed far enough into the game so that voice communication is a must.
The use of a third party program also allows the users to play games that normally don’t have voice capabilities built in, such as old yet still very playable StarCaft. Of course there are drawbacks to the programs. Ventrilo has a user fee for hosting a client that others can connect to (normal users are free, only the host “server” has a subscription) for any size party. A Team SpeakServer is free for non-corporate use or for I believe under 40 or so users. However, TeamSpeak tends to have a somewhat lower fidelity to it, and as such is sometimes considered an inferior program by some users (I personally have no preference, but the free aspect of TeamSpeak is very appealing to me).
http://ventrilo.com/
http://www.teamspeak.com/
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Gold Farmers
Gold Farmers.
Every MMORPG that has some sort of “currency” in game has them. Gold farming is actually a legitimate business in some countries, usually China or Korea. At first thought, you might envy these individuals who get to play games all day. However, think a little bit about it. They grind all day doing the SAME thing constantly. They don’t play for fun. They can’t stop when they get bored or tired. The places they work at aren’t nice dorm rooms, or dens with plush chairs and refreshments or restrooms right around the corner.
Mentioning that makes my next musings seem… trivial and selfish.
Gold farmers (gold sellers, ISK sellers, spammers, etc) are found to be very annoying and disruptive to players. World of WarCraft has some of the worst. They implemented a “Report Spam” function in the chat window a while back. EVE has ISK sellers. ISK is the EVE currency (if you didn’t catch that right off). A main difference between gold sellers and ISK sellers is that the WoW GMs don’t always “kill” the spammer. They also have limited campaigns warning people to not purchase their products. EVE’s GMs actively hunt down the spammers and gleefully let all the players in that chat channel know when they take him down/ Additionally, EVE runs campaigns to actively discourage players from purchasing ISK, even to the point of running the little PR campaigns like those seen done by the governments during WWII.
Both games have made it “illegal” to purchase the gold/ISK from these sellers. The claim is that it disrupts the in-game economy. This is true to a point, until you realize that the farmers still made the gold in game, by doing what every legitimate player has to do. Most likely the biggest reason its illegal is because they are utilizing another’s work (in this case, either WoW or EVE itself) to make a profit.
Here is an article I had read some time ago.
--Eric
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/magazine/17lootfarmers-t.html
Every MMORPG that has some sort of “currency” in game has them. Gold farming is actually a legitimate business in some countries, usually China or Korea. At first thought, you might envy these individuals who get to play games all day. However, think a little bit about it. They grind all day doing the SAME thing constantly. They don’t play for fun. They can’t stop when they get bored or tired. The places they work at aren’t nice dorm rooms, or dens with plush chairs and refreshments or restrooms right around the corner.
Mentioning that makes my next musings seem… trivial and selfish.
Gold farmers (gold sellers, ISK sellers, spammers, etc) are found to be very annoying and disruptive to players. World of WarCraft has some of the worst. They implemented a “Report Spam” function in the chat window a while back. EVE has ISK sellers. ISK is the EVE currency (if you didn’t catch that right off). A main difference between gold sellers and ISK sellers is that the WoW GMs don’t always “kill” the spammer. They also have limited campaigns warning people to not purchase their products. EVE’s GMs actively hunt down the spammers and gleefully let all the players in that chat channel know when they take him down/ Additionally, EVE runs campaigns to actively discourage players from purchasing ISK, even to the point of running the little PR campaigns like those seen done by the governments during WWII.
Both games have made it “illegal” to purchase the gold/ISK from these sellers. The claim is that it disrupts the in-game economy. This is true to a point, until you realize that the farmers still made the gold in game, by doing what every legitimate player has to do. Most likely the biggest reason its illegal is because they are utilizing another’s work (in this case, either WoW or EVE itself) to make a profit.
Here is an article I had read some time ago.
--Eric
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/magazine/17lootfarmers-t.html
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Online Identity
It’s true, I don’t really know any of the people I play EVE with. Nor do I know any of the people I play other online or multiplayer games with. Of course there is the exception if I’m playing with a real-life friend.
But who are these people? Are they “good” people? Or are they “bad” people? Are they male, or female? Are they who they claim to be?
One fellow player had this to say:
“If someone says they’re a guy, they’re a guy. If they say they’re a girl, they’re a guy. If they say that they are under 18, they’re an FBI agent.”
Despite this cynical view, often it holds true (except for the FBI part).
Ponder that.
But who are these people? Are they “good” people? Or are they “bad” people? Are they male, or female? Are they who they claim to be?
One fellow player had this to say:
“If someone says they’re a guy, they’re a guy. If they say they’re a girl, they’re a guy. If they say that they are under 18, they’re an FBI agent.”
Despite this cynical view, often it holds true (except for the FBI part).
Ponder that.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Through the Tangents
EVE yet again becomes a chat room for everything except the game.
Recently all of us in “our” channel demonstrated how nerdy we all were. Starting at birdseed, we managed to progress through varying tangents about releasing birds on a fellow player, then killer birds with lasers on their heads on the same player after he made an off comment about one of the female players (nothing really bad mind you, just a play on something she said). Then I mentioned something about putting poison on their beaks that would only affect him. Shortly after that it turned to getting him addicted to the Spice. And Spice withdrawal and blue eyes. So began the discussion about Frank Herbert’s Dune and the entire saga. The female gamer said “The level of nerdiness in here pleases me. =) ”.
This is a good example of how people in computer mediated communication settings can progress through varying topics and subjects easily. This is a bit of evidence supporting hyperpersonalism, how people can develop online relationships that are more real and closer than face to face ones.
Recently all of us in “our” channel demonstrated how nerdy we all were. Starting at birdseed, we managed to progress through varying tangents about releasing birds on a fellow player, then killer birds with lasers on their heads on the same player after he made an off comment about one of the female players (nothing really bad mind you, just a play on something she said). Then I mentioned something about putting poison on their beaks that would only affect him. Shortly after that it turned to getting him addicted to the Spice. And Spice withdrawal and blue eyes. So began the discussion about Frank Herbert’s Dune and the entire saga. The female gamer said “The level of nerdiness in here pleases me. =) ”.
This is a good example of how people in computer mediated communication settings can progress through varying topics and subjects easily. This is a bit of evidence supporting hyperpersonalism, how people can develop online relationships that are more real and closer than face to face ones.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Rebellion Against Moderation
I hate to always talk about WuSE whenever I talk about EVE, but he is a most prominent character. This story begins in the default chat channel, which is monitored and moderated by the game publisher’s agents. As mentioned earlier, EVE has a more mature user base. A side effect of this is that EVE also has players who use more mature language (not that the use of mature language is any indication of maturity). Anyhow, WuSE made one too many off colored comments in the public channel, and the moderators threatened to disable his account. In response (and on a whim) he created his own private channel with the annotation “The REAL” placed in front of the default channel’s name. He proceeded to invite all the players from the default to his private (where there are no language restrictions), telling us he was “Rebelling against the Icelandic Overlords”. EVE is a game published by an Icelandic company, Crowd Control Productions.
This is just a good example of how people respond to pressure to conform, or to give up their right to speech (true it can be argued that the blatant use of foul language is offensive and hence not protected, but it goes deeper than that). Some people give in to it, while others rebel, and inspire others to follow (even if it is just to a private chat channel).
This is just a good example of how people respond to pressure to conform, or to give up their right to speech (true it can be argued that the blatant use of foul language is offensive and hence not protected, but it goes deeper than that). Some people give in to it, while others rebel, and inspire others to follow (even if it is just to a private chat channel).
Thursday, September 24, 2009
EVE and the troll
Considering how close the post is to the paper that is due in class, here is a small (edited) excerpt from that paper. It talks about a character that goes by the name WuSE. He is a bit of an eccentric character. However, he is still well liked within the channel (especially by those of us with a more cynical and dark sense of humor).
WuSE is a very adamant hater of trolls. EVE Online is rampant with trolls. Given the complex nature of the game though, many are legitimate questions by newbie’s. In EVE the difference between a troll and a newbie is whether or not they take the advice and don’t repeatedly ask the same question. If some one does troll, WuSE has no qualms about blocking them from chat. He also emphatically shouts “BLOCKED!” in chat. Donath (1998) again gives good descriptions of trolls, and also that it is best to not encourage them. However, he also mentions that people who expect trolls everywhere can unintentionally hurt legitimate questioners (p. 14-17). The shouting of “BLOCKED!” is also similar to Donath’s “Plonk!” to killfiling. The point of shouting it is to announce to the troll that you’re done with them (p. 21).
WuSE is a very adamant hater of trolls. EVE Online is rampant with trolls. Given the complex nature of the game though, many are legitimate questions by newbie’s. In EVE the difference between a troll and a newbie is whether or not they take the advice and don’t repeatedly ask the same question. If some one does troll, WuSE has no qualms about blocking them from chat. He also emphatically shouts “BLOCKED!” in chat. Donath (1998) again gives good descriptions of trolls, and also that it is best to not encourage them. However, he also mentions that people who expect trolls everywhere can unintentionally hurt legitimate questioners (p. 14-17). The shouting of “BLOCKED!” is also similar to Donath’s “Plonk!” to killfiling. The point of shouting it is to announce to the troll that you’re done with them (p. 21).
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