Has a MMO finally beaten WoW’s Hunter Pet System?

Okay, I am on a posting frenzy right now but I keep finding stuff I want to talk about.  So, you will just have to deal with it!!

In perusing all the AoC expansion news from the last post I came across something incredibly cool.  The new AoC pet/mount system.  Let me explain it a bit:

• Two of the 10 or so factions in RotGS have a quest that involves picking up a tiger cub or wolf pup.
• Once you get that pup or cub, you continue on quests that slowly “grow” him/her over time.
• They eventually arrive at a time when they become actual combat pets.
• At this point, you can stop their growth and use them as a combat pet permanently.
  

  I really like the tiger.....

• Alternatively, you can continue along their “growth” system and they will eventually grow into a mount.
• If you choose for them to be a mount, they can no longer be a combat pet.

Okay, this is cool.  I loved the WoW pet system for hunters.  Actually going out, picking a pet, training it and then growing it to be more powerful was an incredibly cool experience for me.  It certainly beat having a pet arbitrarily assigned to you and was one reason why I thought the hunter and his pets were much cooler than the Warlock and his.

but I am a wolf kinda guy!!!

This takes that awesome pet system in WoW and upstages it.  Frankly, I think it might even just blow it away.  The fact that every class can have the combat pet is also very cool.  I can not wait to see my Bear Shaman with his trusty wolf by his side.

Oh, but the terrible choice:  the mount or the pet?!?!  That will take some time to decide!

Could be the “COOLEST INSTANCE EVAR!!!!!!”

A ton of GDC news is breaking today about the new AoC expansion, Rise of the Godslayer.  Seems they went pretty in-depth about it at GDC and they revealed a bit of info.  One of the coolest things I have seen from it thus far is a presentation they did about some of the instances in the new expansion.  There seems to be some pretty unique features contained in these instances.  I am a PvP’er at heart but I do love me a good instance.

Check out the video:

Some added links for RotGS info:

Character Creation Video

MMORPG.com Coverage

Conan (IGN) Vault

Game Reactor Video

Ten-Ton Hammer

VGChartz Coverage

A Player Perspective

Kotaku Article

Eurogamer Article

Alternate Advancement Video

That is a metric ton of info. Thanks to Avery from the MMORPG.com forums for compiling them all in a single thread, located here!!!

All I can say is: Wow! This expansion is looking really, really nice. I really like that they are relying on lateral advancement instead of an increased level cap. It adds new content but does not invalidate all the old content. DAoC did all their expansions this way and I always prefered it to the WoW-style of raising the level cap.

The question I have, is there another MMO that has went from being a massively bad game to a very, very good one like AoC has? I can not think of another that has done as much to turn around a bad launch. WAR has improved a lot as well but nowhere near what AoC has. They have really impressed me with how they are treating this game and not putting it on life-support while they work on Secret World. That is to be commended.

Hopefully, the early adopters who left after the bad launch and the subsequent will be tantalized enough to give it a shot again. The game seems to have come a long way and I think they will be rewarded if they return. I know the servers could use a shot of returning players. Its not dead by a long shot on Cimmeria but I could stand to see a heavy population.

Oh, Derek. You never change do you?

So, my post the other day concerning Alganon and its new leadership under the illustrious Derek Smart detailed how refreshing a bit of honesty is coming from a MMO developer. Telling it like it is, pulling no punches and trying out honesty, for once, instead of evasion.

But, Derek Smart just couldn’t leave it at that, could he?   As per his normal MO, he is now airing out dirty laundry and getting into arguments with posters on message boards.  Derek will never, ever change.

Take a look at this quote from the posts located here:

Even so, this has nothing to do with recommendations. HR managers are not idiots – especially in our industry. So the three of you can tool around with each other all day long, but my guess is that given how competitive the industry has become and how it is now focused (now more than ever) on hiring based on experience in *shipping* games, you guys will most likely never – ever – work in this industry again.

Or how about this one:

So this goes beyond the mistakes made with the **game**. It has to do with fraud, embezzlement and mismanagement and everything else in between. I stand by those words and any one of you three is more than welcome to sue me for saying it. I’ll be waiting.

There are police and FBI complaints filed by the investors, there is a lawsuit in the works etc. Go ahead, tell me you didn’t know anything about that. Nor the fact that not only was he siphoning money in order to overpay himself and his buddies, but also had an inexperienced family member – with *zero* industry qualifications – on the team *and* being paid higher than any other person *with* industry experience and qualifications. I fired that person as well as you well know.

Or this one (italics and emphasis mine!):

Tell you what, I’m just going to write a Post Mortem blog about it from start to finish since thats the industry norm. I’m not interested in airing dirty laundry or making problems for you three if I don’t have to. But when the investors filed a police complaint (in Chandler, AZ) it became public knowledge. When you three started scratching each other’s backs on LinkedIn and elsewhere, taking potshots at the folks you leave behind to clean up your mess etc, you drew a line in the stand. The mistake you’re all making is that you clearly forget just *who* it is you’re dealing with.

Now, I am not a lawyer but Derek seems to be dangling very close to lawsuit material here, is he not?  Hell, companies now a days are scared to give references for former employees over fear of being sued!  Now, Derek is airing it out on a comment section of a news post?

Yeah, that’s smart.

Well, it may not be smart but it is entertaining.  That is one thing you have to give to Derek, he certainly entertains!

Postcards from Cimmeria