Staying Motivated for the Future of MMORPGs?

 It's Friday of the "Staying Motivated" week for Blaugust 2024 and what better way to wrap the work week than thinking about the future of MMORPGs!  Fortunately TheLazyPeon has taken the time to do must of the thinking for us (it is Friday after all!).

 As can be guessed much of the "future" that is discussed includes AI and TheLazyPeon goes through a number of use cases for AI in games.  Everything from simulating players and creating dynamic NPCs that respond to players in interesting ways is mentioned.  Even the prospect of AI generating an MMO from scratch with just a few phrases!

 It is the "simulating players" that I think was most interesting and realistic of the bunch; especially when it comes to less populated MMOs. Nothing kills the fun in an MMO faster than not having other "players" around. I say players in quotes because obviously the proposal is to create fake players which is basically "adding bots to the game".

 The difference with what we think of bots today is that these bots would be run on behalf of the game developer for the betterment of the game and it's community.  This is markedly different than "gold farming bots" that more often hurt than help games and their communities.

 You might say "but this is just AI NPCs!?" and I'd not disagree but the difference is intent.  The intent is to make them seem like players.  Yes they are not real and it is all schadenfreude, but that is sort of the point.  Think about MMOs you play and how many players you just walk by without a second thought of whether they are a human or not.  Would it be so different if they were not?

 Challenges arise when you start to look at group content and motivations.  Are the bots in it for themselves?  Or are they in it for the good of the other players?  Can an AI controlled player ever actually stand in for a human player in group content without dragging the group down?

 I'd somewhat argue, in many games, much of the group content is scripted and driven by UI prompts and addons so it is not a stretch to say an AI controlled player could execute that nearly pefect.  The question comes in how it handles a change in direction or the pacing of the group.  Maybe the group goes off script and does something out of order.  Can the AI player keep up?

 I won't proclaim AI can do these things but I find it fascinating to consider they may.  As mentioned in the video there is already an extremely complex botting ecosystem in MMORPGs today so chances are we have all come across that "bot that we thought was a player".  There is no doubt those running these bot networks are looking at, if not already using, AI chatbots / large language models to try and avoid detection.

 Whether we like it or not; AI is going to influence our future.  MMORPGs are a logical place for it to fit.  I for one want to remain optimistic on the topic.  That optimism for exciting new technology and what it will do for MMORPGs keeps me motivated to see what happens!

Staying Motivated for New World?

 It's Thursday of the "Staying Motivated" week for Blaugust 2024 and the desire to post every day is starting to weigh on me.  I have topics to cover such as recent Ashes of Creation drama, Hell Divers 2 losing it's luster, or dupes in Star Citizen but they just don't seem to pull words out of me.  I keep thinking about New World though and if I am going back to the game in October so I need to post to help me understand if I'm motivated to or not.

 The video below from Bowsense really got me thinking about it.  As a long time diehard New World fan the video does hurt to watch.  Maybe it is a little unfair in parts but it's over all theme is spot on.  I hate to say it but AGS has fumbled New World and having taken a break from playing daily I can look back with a more critical eye at the game.

 The video doesn't put New World in a great light so why am I still trying to find motivation to return?  For one I really enjoy the combat and how the game plays.  I play the game; not a UI like I am struggling with in other newer offerings like Throne and Liberty.  The combat is light years ahead after I tried out games like Elder Scrolls Online or more recent entries like Throne and Liberty or Once Human .  If players think New World is bad about bugs or unpolished features (which I disagree with) then I'd really like to see what they think of games like Once Human that are far buggier and less polished yet somehow don't take any heat for it (or lose players over it).

 As you can tell I still get a bit defensive about how New World is treated because I think there is a good base game there.  I was reminded today by a Reddit post today about one of the earliest trailers for the game.  That brought back so many memories of when I first discovered New World in its first preview beta event.  It reminded me that the promise of the game behind that trailer is still possible.

 So here I am recently re-motivated by the original 2021 trailer for New World holding onto the promise of the game it can be.  We need to see what the shift to New World: Aeternum brings and if the team can execute back to the promise.  I think I owe the game a fair try again in October.

Dune Awakening Gameplay

 We just got a 20+ minute long look at Dune Awakening's gameplay thanks to their video at Gamescom 2024.  This was the first time I've gotten to see the game in action.  Go ahead and watch the video and read on down below for some quick thoughts.

Thoughts:

• The building UI was almost pixel exact to what I am used to in Once Human. Even further UI elements such as how interacting with an object seemed right from Once Human as well. Even the machines and workstations built inside the bases seemed very Once human.
• I admittedly don't play a ton of games in this genre but are they all so scarily close in design and UI?
• The combat and animations seemed to need work.  Character movement looked sluggish.
• I like that the new trend in game seems to always give players a glider or jetpack.  Dune Awakening showed off its own flavor in the video and I'm on board!
• The world events seemed cool.  The question is if they are random or if they occur at the same time in the same places.
  
• I am not sure I was a fan of the over world top-down map for travel.  I will have to see how it plays but felt like it will take me out of the immersion of the game.
• Each clip wasn't long enough to get a real sense of gameplay but enough was shown to see the game is well along in development.

 I walked away from the video interested in the game as a possibly more polished base builder survival exploration than what Once Human currently offers.  The game is not set to be out until some time in 2025 so I have time to watch it mature.  I'm signed up for testing so hope to get an early look and chance to provide feedback.

Monday Screenshots but on a Tuesday!

 Welcome to Monday Screenshots but on a Tuesday!  Some shots from my recent adventures in Once Human.

I will never get tired of my kitty cat friend!

Big ole' pike caught in the cave!

Look at all those loot boxes!

Exploring the bear cave

Finding out after a hundred hours played that there is stickers for your guns.  So cute!

I have pet bears using the new ranching system.  Unfortunately they were all called by my home defense systems.

The "Rebecca" deviation will play a piano if placed in your home and provides a source of music to keep other deviations happy!

Blaugust 2024: Staying Motivated

 Ever had the itch to reply to someone online after seeing them post about an accomplishment?  Not a reply to say "good job", but an itch to comment on what they accomplished.  An itch to provide that feedback that is burning a hole in the back of your mind.  An itch that the original poster had no intent for you to scratch in a reply because they were never soliciting your feedback?  Turn that itch into motivation.

 It is "Staying Motivated" week for Blaugust 2024.

Staying Motivated Week (August 18th – August 24th) – As we get towards the end of the event, the activity can often trail off a bit. The goal of this week is to share some of your own tips surrounding how you keep motivated and stay focused on creating content. If you are new to the event, you might share some of the things that have helped you stay engaged during Blaugust.

 Over on Mastodon, Evan Prodromou tooted a thread that rang true for me and is excellent advice.  It fits right in the theme of staying motivated as it is an excellent way to source ideas for your blog.  Ideas that you have a keen interest in sharing because it already came to your fingertips but instead of firing it off into the void of social media you drop it on your blog for safekeeping.

 So next time that itch to tell someone they were did something slightly less efficient than you did strikes turn that into a blog post.  Make the blog-o-sphere better.  Feed those large language models with your own training data.

 Be like heartlessgamer!  One of the main driving factors that caused me to start blogging was lamenting lost forum posts as forums I frequented were getting shut down and posts deleted.  Starting a blog was my way to control my own posts and to contribute to the ecosystem of the Internet.  That same thread still motivates me today.

Once Human Animal Ranching Tips

 Need help with Once Human's new animal ranching feature?  Apparently most of us do because its a buggy mess.  With that said check out this Reddit thread with some tips as I found it helpful.

My Youtube Weather Guy: Ryan Hall Y'all

 It is Creator Appreciation Week for Blaugust 2024 and when this post publishes I am likely going to be deep into the outdoors camping again.  Part of getting ready for any camping trip is checking on the weather which means a stop in at Ryan Hall's Youtube channel to get his take on the current weather.  As I tell folks: he is my Youtube Weather Guy.

 I wouldn't recommend this as a way to get your local weather necessarily, but to get a big picture on weather across the United States he does a great job.  My kids love to watch him; especially around hurricanes since we can be affected by those that hit near us in the southeast.  He also tends to go live and provide really great updates during any major weather event.

 Check out a recent video:

New World Creator: Savvvo Games

 As part of Blaugust 2024's Creator Appreciation Week I want to take a moment to give props to a creator that is smaller but has stuck with pushing out content for New World through all of it's up and downs.  His content is free of the doom and gloom and hands out the information you clicked the thumbnail for.  That creator is: Savvvo Games

 Check out his video on the upcoming New World: Aeternum open beta for PC and console.

Once Human Creator: P4wnyhof

 It is Creator Appreciation Week for Blaugust 2024 so I wanted to take a moment to recognize one of my go to Once Human creators: P4wnyhof. You can find his entire Once Human playlist here.  He features a mix of build guides, boss fight breakdowns, and general commentary on the game.

 I found his take on the season resets to be really good. Check it out and dig around his channel if you are looking for help with the game.

Once Human Update 1.1 Patch Notes

 Once Human is trucking along with changes to the game and have a long list of patch notes coming in update 1.1 set to land on August 15th.  The update brings a new animal "ranching" system, an overhaul of the fishing system, improved base building, a new ancient trial, and a ton of balance changes.  There is a lot in the patch but a few items I wanted to touch on.

Animal ranching in Once Human patch 1.1

 First is the headline addition to the game: animal ranching.  This will allow players to build enclosures to keep the various animals in the game.  Players will have to provide the right type of home and the right type of food to keep the animals happy.  With enough positive treatment players will be able to harvest skin and other byproducts from the captive animals.

 I think this is a neat addition and one I had not expected.  I am a fan of "farming" games so look forward to adding animals alongside my garden beds.  I hope this makes it less tedious to gather the animal byproducts needed for many crafting recipes.  It was annoying having to chase down herds of deer or pigs or rabbits and only end up with a couple items per harvest.  Compared to other systems such as mining/logging where you get hundreds of items per gathering attempt the animal harvesting was annoyingly slow.

Fish and chill

 Fishing is also getting an overhaul.  The fishing system at launch was borderline functional and the mechanics from a user interface perspective didn't line up.  Sometimes you catch fish, sometimes you don't.  Choosing a bait from those available in the game also didn't seem to change anything.

 With the updated system a new stamina-based fishing system is coming into play that should solve the user interface situation.  There are also changes coming to bait and it is hinted at that certain baits, such as using fish you catch as bait, will increase the chance at certain predator fish species.  As a fan of fishing games and fishing in games I am looking forward  to the changes!

 

Ancient One plane whale thing!

 There is also mention of a new trial for players who are willing to venture to the top of Chalk Peak.  Not much information is shared about the encounter that awaits players but the image (see above) shared looks really cool.  It alludes to having to jump onto a giant flying ancient one that is part flying whale merged with an airplane!  This is the sort of thematic flair that I love about Once Human!

 The patch also covers a lot of other areas that I want to make brief mention of:

• Server invitations are coming so players can invite friends to locked servers.  It is not clear this can be used to transfer your character but it should help get new players onto your server with you.  There is still a maximum cap so could still lock players out.
• Battle pass and cosmetic shop purchases will now be account wide instead of specific to one character.  Having restarted 3 times I've been waiting for my battle pass to become available on the character I finally settled on playing with!
• They are nerfing some items that make players harder to kill in PvP which seems odd because many builds can one shot players in PvP.  If anything I'd of thought they'd make the defensive items more available to more builds so PvP wasn't a "who shoots first" affair.  With that said PvP is pretty terrible so not sure this changes much about it still being terrible.  I'll still play on PvP servers but not for the PvP right now... just the chance that PvP gets better in the future.

 Since it is also Creator Creator Appreciation Week (August 11th – August 17h) for Blaugust it is only fair that I share a Once Human creator that has covered the patch in more detail.  Go on over and check out MrApocalyptic's video.