Saturday Night Sketch! Farewell El Presidente!

This week it's for Jason Winter @winterinformal who streamed Tropico 4 for the last time, end of an era man!

Nexus Newsflash Number 7

Number 7

https://soundcloud.com/zilvis2/nnf7

WildStar Wednesday Gamescom wrap up http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/wildstar_wednesday_gamescom_2013_recap.php

Zam.com Gaz Interview with Gaffney http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=32961

Kaeyi's Gaffney interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qxs5WTEwJg

WildStar Webcomic http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/mystery_and_mayhem_a_tale_from_beyond_the_fringe.php

It's good to be the King....

It's good to be the King....

      Let me tell you a tale, a tale so fair.......wait hold up,this is a gamers blog...none of that! Ha-ha! Hey all it's Zil back again to fill your brains full of..oh who knows what but i'll try and make it entertaining! This week the King reference has nothing to do with large predatory animals or make believe monarchs. It has everything to do with what is it that makes one game successful and last over others and does WildStar have that "thing"? 

     MMO's have come and gone or gone stale and static but most rarely elevate to a level of unimaginable size. I will name this in this case as a valid comparison, World of Warcraft(Yup I said it)is the number one example of a successful MMO. Arguements aside I do not hate the game. I played it many years,had good times and bad and eventually grew tired and bored and deemed it was time to move on. Enough about me personally though, why I bring this up is it's successfully maintained over 7 million subscribers for a large number of years,no other MMO has ever had those numbers and only a couple other pc games can say the same.

     Now WoW has a number of things that possibly have that steady-ish flow of subs, good solid controls. Decent stable lore and story, all the core components in place for pve/pvp/crafting/socializing. There's good and bad but in a stable sense it's as strong as any out there. Some say it's become a place where people play because they are used to it or all their friends play so they must. Gamers are fickle and if they "really" didn't wanna keep playing they will not. SO something concrete holds many there despite the theorizing out there.

      In recent years many games have popped up and maybe did enough but nothing spectacular. No matter the subject matter,good voice over work, good story, or fun with friends. These titles tend to focus on making amazing 1 or 2 items revolutionary but ignoring or neglecting the rest of the needed aspects. MMO gamers are fickle as i've said, I may not be a huge pvp or crafting player but if those aspects are bad or missing I feel slightly jipped. It's called balance and whether in nature, the force, or MMO's it is needed.

     Moving forward to next Spring when WildStar is launched, I know at least from what i've scoured over all the classic and modern aspects of an MMO are present in the game, solid lore-great npcs-questing-heavy crafting-dungeons-battlegrounds-professions-raids are all there as well as more new concepts of Paths/Warplots/Instant adventures all end game goodness to keep people busy. It's interesting-funny-and new, yes new. Some say that could be a hinder being an original IP but I say it's all fresh!

     I think the key pieces are there. Skillful execution and continued interactivity with the players/community and this game could definitely break through the wall many MMO's seem to hit. Will it topple a giant like WoW, I won't say because any answer is likely wrong,but can it be a great, fun, and above all an "experience" basically what we've lacked in an MMO in a very...very...long time. Roleplayers may always immerse themselves into their  worlds, but for the rest of us it takes alot to lose yourself to the point where time vanishes and then you feel connected to that game.

     We'll see in time and until then just keep being a great community among eachother and when WildStar launches we can forge it bit by bit into perhaps a "king" among the masses.:)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Sunday Sit down "Howl at the moon" with Arawulf

“Howl at the Moon!”

Hello Exiles and Dominion of the planet Nexus and beyond! My name is Zilvis. This is my end of the week community spotlight that I’ll be doing each and every week to delve a little more into who a certain member of the WildStar community is, learn the what and why of their choice to migrate to Nexus, and maybe some surprises along the way. The way I looked at it we're all community bound like brothers and sisters in this game of WildStar. Why not get to know someone a bit better? Once again welcome, sit back, and prepare to meet this week's community member. He's seen around all over, Runs the site WildStar Fans, Host of The Planet Nexus Podcast and leader of the guild Extra Kick, Arawulf!. Welcome to Sunday Sit down.

 I’ll let you write a little introduction. 
If you have other monikers some may know you by, feel free to throw them out there. Mainly just tell where people can find you online and any background you'd like to share we might not know.

Sure, my name is Mike Joseph, but most people online call me Arawulf. Most people know me from my website and podcast, but I'm pretty active on Twitter as well. Most people chat with me either at @Arawulf or @WildStar_Fans. As far as my background, I've been married to my wife since 1995, we have three boys. I work full time and create/share WildStar content as a hobby.

Question 1:As this is a WildStar themed project, we'll get those underway first. As most of us at one time or another have asked ourselves, what is WildStar?

To me, WildStar has almost become more than a game – it's an attitude of “We're an MMO and we're not ashamed of it.” WildStar has one hand firmly grasped on the tradition of great MMO experiences and has the other reaching toward new and innovative ideas. Carbine is making some gutsy moves and are proving over and over again that they believe in their product.

Question 2: What is one thing in the game you’re most hoping to be perfectly done, whether because it's needed or just something for your experience specifically?

They have to get the combat and movement right. This is a non-negotiable for me. Everything I do in game must feel like an extension of myself. If I have to wrestle with clunky controls or ability delay, I will not be able to invest the kind of hours I plan to.

Question 3: I did a blog post discussing maybe why someone might pick one race over another in WildStar. What race do you think you identify with and why, even if it won't necessarily be your main?

The Granok appeal to me for a number of reasons. The Exile Granok were expelled by the very kin that they saved on Gnox and are roaming to carve their own existence in the world as mercenaries. This resonates with me because when I turned 18 my dad re-married and I felt that there was no more room in the house for me so I moved out on my own to get a job and build my life, taking whatever job would pay my bills. That's how my adulthood started, and I see a similarity in how the Exile Granoks had to start their lives apart from their home.

Question 4: I'm sure everyone has their WildStar moment, as I call it, that quintessential thing that cinched in your decision on the game.

I actually covered this on my first episode of the Planet Nexus Podcast. It was a moment when I just woke up and realized that WildStar was not only building on foundations that I had loved about MMO's they did it with a respect for the MMO genre. Carbine wasn't trying to sell their game as the “savior” of a broken genre but an evolution in the spirit of what made MMO's great in the first place.

Question 5: What aspect of WildStar are you most excited about and feel you'll spend the most time on such as Questing-Housing-PVP?

While I plan on dabbling in most areas of content, I will likely be doing a ton of raiding. So it's likely that I will be doing whatever I need to do in order to prepare for raids.

Question 6: Out of everyone from Carbine that you've interacted with, who has surprised you the most for one thing or another by what you have seen that they have said or done so far?

The whole team has been outstanding, but I have to give a shout-out to Chad “Pappy” Moore. This guy blows me away with how pumped up about WildStar he is. He drops “Lore Bombs” on Twitter like they're going out of style. I love how active he is with the community. There are very few games where devs are that involved with the fans.

Question 7: If you were given the power to either alter the game in some way or add something to it that has not been mentioned or rumored, what would it be and why?

I would do whatever it takes to put in a Guild Fortress or Guild House. As a guild leader, having a central location to have meetings, raid planning – a place where we can hoist our trophies that we earned together. I like the fact that our individual housing plots can have guild friendly features, but a Guild Fortress or house would be amazing.

Question 8: What is the one thing you want Carbine on a personal level or business level to know that you yourself have enjoyed from them?

I've enjoyed their constant interaction with fans. They've done an outstanding job communicating and showing respect to the most faithful fans. I really don't have anything to let them know except that I appreciate what they do and to keep up the good work!

OK, that's it for the cross section on WildStar Q's. Next is a few Q's to get to know Arawulf a bit better besides his amazing exploits across Nexus!

Question 9: What was your decision in making a fan site, a podcast, and a guild. All things some might view as extra work.

Surprisingly, most of this is stuff that I normally do. I've always had a desire to search for gaming news. I also love to talk about my favorite games. I've also typically run guilds in a game that had raiding to ensure the kind of people I like to play with are there when I'm available to raid. Because of these facts, the transition to fansite, podcast and guild were very natural. I never expected the website and podcast to garner the audience that they have, to be honest. It's been an incredible experience and I get more out of it than anyone else.

Question 10: How long have you been gaming and what are your top 3 moments you'd say you remember in your own personal gaming history?

I've been gaming since I was 5 years old in 1979 or so when my dad brought home a Coleco Telstar gaming system and I discovered that I could control what was happening on the television. Atari 2600 to my Commodore 64, I did a ton of gaming growing up. As an adult, I thought I was done gaming until 2005 when my brother introduced me to World of Warcraft.

My top three gaming experinces: My first world PvP win, my first level 60 in WoW, and an insanely well orchestrated ambush in Warhammer Online (you had to be there – our entire guild hid in a tiny building and all ransacked an entire enemy group from out of nowhere. Again, you had to be there.)

Question 11: Besides Gaming and internet goodness do you have any other interests or hobbies you find fun?

As I mentioned, I enjoy writing music and singing. I'm also an avid Detroit Tigers fan.

Question 12: Obviously a devout Exile(and that's OK)would you or do you plan to ever see how the “other half” lives?

I'll have characters on both sides, for sure. My heart will always be Exile.

Question 13: Arawulf, is there any hidden talents or trade skills you'd like to share? Is there something new you'd like to learn?

If arenas end up getting spectator mode, I'd love to try my hand at shoutcasting. I think it would be fun.

Question 14: Simple one now I promise. Do you have any pets? If you could have any real or made up pet, what would it be?

We have too many pets in our house. I have a Dog (black lab) and we also have 5, yes, 5 cats. We have a frog too, but he's pretty quiet and cheap compared to the rest.

Question 15: Finally, If there were one person living or dead, real or fake that you could sit down and have a long discussion with, who would it be and why?

Great question. Tough to pin down one person since there have been so many great people that I would love to sit down with. If I had to name one, I'd choose Jesus of Nazareth, for reasons that I don't talk about much on social media and such.

OK, Arawulf, I hope that wasn't too painful for you. I appreciate you being a guest for the Sunday Sit down. Now, I’ll let you have free reign. If there's anything else not asked here that you'd like to get out there that you think would be interesting for us to know, feel free to share. Things like plugs for your twitter or anything, and of course feel free to give shout outs of any kind!

I appreciate the chance to chat with you. The WildStar community is such a great group of people! Feel free to add me on Twitter @Arawulf – I love interacting with the community. Thanks again for the chat!

That's it Folks. Everything you'd want to know about Arawulf and hopefully more! I thank him again for putting up with me as well as you the reader. Each and every week we will have a new and fascinating community member to learn about and see what really does make the WildStar community tick inside and out. Feel free to contact me anytime on twitter @zilvis78, comment below, or if you bump into me on the interwebs say hi!

Saturday Night Sketch: Snarky but fun.

Hey Nexians and non-Nexians alike here's this week's Saturday Night Sketch, tweeted but posted late here because of...well reasons:P Seriously though not a big poke at recent stuff going on with Hearthstone/WildStar/and FFXIV but just observations turned visual,all in good funof course!

Nexus Newsflash 6 "Hey Youse guys! It's a sub yo!

Episode 6 "Hey Youse guys! It's a sub yo!

https://soundcloud.com/zilvis-1/nnf6

WildStar Official  http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/#page1

WS business model http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/the_business_model_of_wildstar.php

WS DEV speak on CC http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/check_out_wildstars_latest_devspeak_crowd_control.php

IGN Frost interview about pay model http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/19/wildstar-twitter-interview-ask-wildstar-anything-pricing-and-more

IGN Frost interview about the CC vid http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/21/wildstar-crowd-control-dev-speak-rewind-theater

LND http://www.twitch.tv/latenightdominion/old

To sub or not to sub...is that the question?

Hey all and welcome to another episode of Nexus News...oh wait back up, wrong show! Seriously welcome back to my random blog of rants/rambles/and sometimes a nugget of joy! By now if you've touched the internet at all you know that Carbine Studios released the business model for their game WildStar. I would say i'm shocked or surprised but i'm not, that is to say it's basically what i expected and I'm OK with it.  I won't drag you through all the details, It's everywhere lol but basics are you will pay about $60 for the box, get a free month and then pay $15 or less after that depending on your frequency you want to pay. So standard MMO you say?

That is indeed the same as others, but there's a slight new twist borrowed from other games. The C.R.E.D.D system allows players to pay $20 for a 1 month game time item that can be sold in game. Then if your a really good gold maker you can buy them with your gold and redeem for essentially a free month. Once again this is IF your good at gold making. OK so that's it for the history lesson. Why I even bother with this post is a simple question. Why would you ever follow a game for months then suddenly find out you will have to pay a few dollars to play and drop all ideas of playing something you enjoy and people you will enjoy playing the game with?

I understand there may be a few exceptions, like money CAN be an issue if you have many more bills then average or schooling or children. Forgivable in a way, but I have this to say, every single month most if not all people do something whether it's fast food, renting movies, going to movies, unnecessary vanity visits (spas/ salons), and junk food. There's very little to be said that $15 or less is not budget friendly in some way. Now I hear all the time, I won't play a game that requires a sub! Well that's a bit one sided and even cheaper then i've been known to be(and that's horribad) so all I can say is cool, see you on the other side!

Games that KNOW they can hold up a sub in this day and age with so many failing to means something to me. I spent five years of my life having many quiet, miserable times in a game I subbed to. I did so out of respect for the game and it keeping my interest. I did quit but still agree the game is high caliber quality,just not for me at this point and time. So with the community, the game quality and of course the people working on the game I say bring on the sub, keep the riffraff and haters out, and make this game something to be reckoned with. 

When people look back 5 or 10 years from now no one will say "Hey subscription was a bad idea" I feel they will still be subbed,enjoying the game, and enjoying the people involved with development as well as the huge,stable,and I hope tight community being built up now. If it gets to that point it's OK you can all look me up and say, "Hey you were right!" I'll be sure to give you a nice little told you so and a smile...haha OK so maybe nothing that dramatic but it is nice to imagine such a scenario. All I'm saying is don't cry about something so small as a business model, leveling time frames, or release dates. All these things are subjective and easily changed, enjoy the community, participate where you can, and be excellent to each other because if we aren't who else will be?!