The Perfect MMORPG – Gameplay Mechanics (pt 1)

2. Gameplay Mechanics

This section will discuss and detail the various gameplay mechanics which would constitute to the perfect MMORPG. It will include how the game controls, how skills are used by the player and the general aspects that make the game feel fun and nice to play.

2.1 Control System

The game should not attempt to create anything needlessly complex in the way the player interacts with the game. Movement should be a standard WADS setup with the mouse being used for targeting and camera movement. Holding the right mouse button should rotate the character and holding the left mouse button should rotate the camera, but keep the character moving in the same direction. Left-clicking on a target should select them but it should not make you run up to attack the enemy, nor should it engage you into auto-attack. Right-clicking the target should select them and begin auto-attacking.

2.1.1 Skill use/ Spell casting

Skill or spell use should be incorporated in an intelligent fashion. Any keybinds should be specified within the UI like most MMORPG’s of current whereby you have an action bar where you can choose to place your skills, numbering from “1” to “=” along the top of the keyboard. This is fairly standard within the genre and would still be fine to use. It may also be possible to have a reactive combat system with the use of First-Person camera and the left mouse button attacks, the right blocks (or similar skills therein based on class).

2.1.2 Inventory

The play should have access to his inventory from both a button on the UI and a button on the keyboard. “I” would be a good choice to use, however “B” is very popular due to World of Warcraft. Adding the use of “I” would make the game feel different, however, which is a good thing. The depiction of the inventory in-game should follow one of two patterns. Every item takes up 1 slot, and the player has a certain number of slots based on how many bags they own. Every item has it’s own weight and the player can become encumbered. Money should have a weight, too, to promote bank use. Or, the game could use items as taking up several slots (like Neverwinter Nights, Diablo etc.) as well as having a weight to them. This way, the game would feel more realistic as you couldn’t have 10 suits of armour with you at once. Though, players may not feel happy with this, it is important to bring back the challenge in the MMORPG genre instead of spoon-feeding your audience.

Review – LM.C – Ghost † Heart

LM.C have long-been a greatly appreciated duo within the Visual Kei scene, spawning a large following of their rock/electronic music which they promote as New Age Electrock! This single was a nice addition to their music and had a Halloween theme to it.

1. Ghost † Heart

This song followed Punky♥Heart with the same heart theme but instead of the bright black and pink, saw a more silver and black look in the PV. The song itself is well-written and has lovely singing from Maya and some great guitar work from Aiji. The support band add a lot to the song, as well, and overall it’s a great song. It has a spooky electronic overtone amidst some great rock chords and singing. The PV was very artistic and featured the band member’s with demonic shadows cascading onto block-coloured backgrounds.

8/10

2. a blueberry night

This song has quite a distinct jazz theme to it and is very energetic. The singing and guitar work is just as amazing as always and the song is very fun to listen to. LM.C are great at making happy songs as well as sad ones, and this is definitely one of their signature happy ones. The energy and tempo within the song almost forces the listener to become upbeat and smile!

7/10

Overall 8/10

This is a fantastic release from LM.C and is made even greater by the free phone chain and the amazing cover work. It looks normal and white in the light, but in the dark a spooky scene is revealed via glow-in-the-dark ink. A wonderful single.

The Perfect MMORPG - Introduction

This is an introduction to this new string of posts I will be devising which will detail what, in my opinion, would be the perfect MMORPG. I will, whenever necessary, create actual game features and concepts of anything from classes to the gameplay.

My aim from this is to be able to create a long list of ideas which could be given to a powerful developer and they could create something truly amazing. I will attempt to leave nothing uncovered as to avoid any potential failures should such a project be undertaken.

-Akumu

Icecrown is going well

I finally got into one of my guild’s ICC10 raids and it went very well. Better than the 25-man PuG’s we do and I was very happy with it all. We managed 7/12 bosses, could have probably done a few more with a bit more time, Putricide was tough and we didn’t down him but we got far =]

Also, I can’t wait for summer to get my Death Knight and Warlock up to 80 in preparation for Cataclysm.

-Akumu

Review – DELUHI - Yggdalive

DELUHI have long been a powerful figure in the VKei scene and have quickly risen to great fame and success. They’re aggressive tones and drumming along with powerful guitar and bass work make them a truly amazing band to look at with awe. Their latest work, titled Yggdalive is very different from their earlier work.

1. Overture –Yggdalive-

This is the opening song of the album and is just an intro filler song. As far as they go, it’s a fairly good one which builds up quite nicely to move into the first real song of the album. This song has operatic vocals in the background with a looped musical overtone. A fairly nice start to their new album.

6/10

2. G.A.L.D

The first real song on the album is one of my favourite. It sounds very much like the old DELUHI and has powerful instrumental work with Juri’s lovely voice singing powerfully over the top. The drumming from Sujk is also very powerful in this song and a nice solo from Leda along with Aggy’s bass work wraps this song into a nice package of original DELUHI. A wonderful song.

9/10

3. REVOLVER BLAST

The transition from G.A.L.D into this song is truly brilliant and powerful and the introduction drumming is very nicely done. Juri moves into his classic screaming/growling nicely which, again, sounds like the original DELUHI. English is, like G.A.L.D, used heavily in this song which makes it very accessible to many audiences. However, I do prefer the Japanese language. The chorus, as well, is very nicely sung.

8/10

4. flow snow

This album was released in November so the idea of snow in the title is very appropriate. The intro for the song is very nice and has some good guitar work. The vocals are also very nice at the beginning but the song starts the transition into a new sound for DELUHI. This is neither bad nor good, but it’s different. It took me a while to appreciate it but it still has their workmanship within. I generally like this song quite a lot, it’s quite heavy and has some nice singing in it. It also has more Japanese in, which is always good!

8/10

5. WAKE UP!

This song is more of DELUHI’s newer sound. It has a slightly greater pop sound to it, but with a metal undertone. Quite an interesting piece of experimental work from DELUHI, though I don’t like the electronic changing of Juri’s voice for parts of it. His voice should be heard in all it’s splendour. As a song itself, though, it’s quite catchy and has a nice beat to it.

7/10

6. HELLO

This is a beautiful song and has a perfectly lovely chorus to go with it. The guitar work, drumming and bass is perfectly harmonised and work so well together. It’s quite a sad song in some ways, or at least it sounds that way, but it has a subtle undertone of happiness. This song is truly wonderful and a nice addition to the album. I hope there are more like this in the future.

8/10

7. FOLLOW THE FUTURE

This is a very metal song and has powerful drumming and guitar work. Juri screams a lot during this song and the chorus is very nicely arranged. It has a fast beat which is catchy and enjoyable to listen to. Generally, this is a nicely put together song and has a lot going for it.

8/10

8. Syllable –Yggdrising-

This is another filler track between the rest of the album and the final song. It’s fairly alright but I would have preferred to just have 8 tracks on the album without an extra filler in between. It doesn’t have a lot going for it musically and is just quiet guitar work and some noises.

5/10

9. 星の無い夜に

This is quite a pop-style song from DELUHI to end the album. The voice pitching is very high and the song is quite sad sounding. It has a catchy beat to it and is fairly enjoyable but compared to their more metal songs it’s not quite as good. I do quite like it, however, and it’s worth a try. It may take a few listens to truly enjoy it.

7/10

Overall 8/10

This is a good release from DELUHI and I truly recommend giving it a good try. It has some original work as well as signs of progression into another sound. Enjoyable, overall.

-Akumu

I love coffee!^^

It’s completely true, I am a caffeine addict and I get my fix mostly in the form of coffee. It’s truly divine =). I’ll soon be starting a new string of posts at some stage soon spanning over a few weeks where I’ll be sharing my view of what would make the perfect MMO. This will include everything within it, all the design concepts from gameplay to graphics and everything else. I hope you enjoy my thoughts and share your own =)

Also, keep tuned in as it’s Friday soon and I’ll be doing another VKei review =)

-Akumu

Monday’s suck! =[

I hate Monday’s, they are so boring and just have that feeling about them of tiredness and having a whole extra week to get through. Back to 6th form, too, which meant the sun decided to disappear until I got back home. Nice one, sun! Oh well. Tuesday’s are easier ;)

Matenrou Opera listening time!! :D

-Akumu

Eternal Farming is the way to go!

I think I’ve solved my problem of wondering how to get my 5k for epic flying mount training! Eternal farming in Wintergrasp. I made 70g from 5 eternal fires which took about 15 mins to get or less. I’ll have to sit down and farm the life out of the area at some point =D.

On another note, ICT coursework was dull and stressful, and I have a test in it tomorrow in theory which I will have to revise for. Yay!…

-Akumu

We aren’t so good at arena!

Me and my sister started an arena team on WoW a few weeks ago and we aren’t too good at it. But we’ve managed to clock up a rating of around 100! Haha. Oh well, I’m a PvE-er at heart and my guild’s ICC raids seem to be going alright. The 25-man run on Friday went well up to Festergut! Hope we do even better next week :)

Today was another sunny and nice day, so it’s going good. I haven’t done a lot, I should’ve got some work done but oh well! Tomorrow I’ll get loads of ICT coursework done. Yay.

-Akumu

Review – XodiacK - 「神羅万象 -摂理-」

XodiacK have always been a mysterious but powerful band. They appeared on the VKei scene quite a long time ago with some powerful and impressive tracks. However, they became very silent for anyone outside of Japan as they spent many months doing live concerts with no word on any new music.

Then, in late 2009 they announced they would release a full album in 2010. This was to be named Shinra Bansho –Setsuri-. It sadly, didn’t contain many new tracks (3 new ones) but had remastered versions of their previous works, plus two filler tracks (introduction and outro)

1. 侵羅万象-冒涜-

This is a short introduction track to get the listener in the mood for some wonderful XodiacK. As far as intro songs go it’s fairly average but adds to the space theme well with alarms going off with an epic background sound. A good introduction to this Galaxy Metal band.

5/10

2. 黒い太陽

Kuroi Taiyou was one of the bands first songs from when they first formed. It features death metal vocals from Eros with powerful guitar, bass and drum work from Chiru, Agito, Hizuki and Yahiro. The song features some singing as well, which showcases Eros’ range which is quite an impressive one. His singing is very powerful and pitches nicely.

8/10

3. 君に降る絶望の雨

Kimi ni furu zetsubou no ame was another one of the bands original songs and features less in the way of death metal vocals. It is still a fast-paced song and features some nice guitar-work. Eros’ voice is still as powerful as before ranging from deeper singing to higher wailing which provides a great atmosphere. This is a very well-written song. The album came with a bonus DVD which featured the band’s first PV which was of this song. The PV featured many visual effects and was a wonderful experience to watch.

7/10

4. 君悲ノ鳴声

Kimi no koe is the final of the bands three old songs which feature on the album. This song is a bit slower than the others and features some very nice singing. This song features some good singing from Eros as well as shouting later on. The emotion within the song is fairly deep but sometimes feels like it could be a bit deeper.

6/10

5. MasK

This is the first of the new full song on the album and therefore provides an exciting leap into the unknown. It was fun to discover how XodiacK had progressed since their first works and what new ideas they had come up with. The song itself features singing and growls and is well-written. It’s fairly heavy which is nice and has a nice level of discord which is part of XodiacK and what they seem to like to do. The chorus has some nicely sung lyrics which have a lot of emotion behind them. It sounds like desperation, perhaps.

7.5/10

6. HELLRAISER

This is my favourite of the new songs and perhaps my favourite on the entire album. It has a depth of melancholy in the wailed vocals and some nice instrument work. It also has a level of discord and some quite harrowing additions. I also think Eros sings “Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier” within which reminds me of schwein no isu by Dir en grey. The emotion of this song is powerful and it’s a great listen.

8.5/10

7. Vorte-X-

This is the final of the three new songs and the last full song on the album. It has some nice guitar and drum work within it and features some nice vocals. It is medium-paced and well-timed. It has a few growls later on in the track and after these the singing becomes really wonderful. This easily could become my favourite track if I listen to it a few more times!

8.5/10

8. 真羅万象-再生-

This is the final track on the album and is simply an outro to end the album. It features some beautiful piano and is quite a sad end to the album. However, it is only short and then changes into the epic music from the start of the album. It is quite a nice end.

6/10

OVERALL 8/10

This is a great album release. Sadly, since it’s release XodiacK have split up and only Eros is left. He is, however, looking for members to continue working on XodiacK to fulfil his dream. If you are a good musician, think about applying =) Good luck to him!

-Akumu

It’s Friday!

Hurrah! It’s the end of the week. Although, this doesn’t matter too much as I’m still on my Easter Holidays. It’s a very nice day out, today, and the sun is out for once so it should put me in a good mood. Sadly, I’ll have to get on with some work soon!

I’ll start doing my first CD review later this afternoon, after I’ve done some coursework =] Lucky me!

-Akumu

The current plan!

Okay, so my current plan with this blog is to update it as often as I can. There will be at the very least 1 update a week, but most likely there will be many more than that. Hopefully, at least one a day =)

The plan is as follows:

Friday – Every Friday I will review a Visual Kei single/album/release which I own. This will include an image of the CD wherever applicable and details on each track on the album. I will also review the presentation if it is needed and give each track a rating out of 10, as well as an overall rating.

I intend to provide my own images which could include photography or screenshots whenever I post an image of a CD or game. This not only makes it more personal and fun for me, and for you, but it also won’t risk infringing on any copyright agreements.

Welcome to my blog!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy your stay and keep checking back for updates! First of all, I will tell you what this blog is all about and why it's here. Then, I'll talk about myself and go and change the layout and add as much cool stuff as I can! =]

Okay, so what is this blog about? It's basically a place where I can drop all my thoughts and hopefully there will be people out there who want to read about them! I also plan to put forth my opinion on various things and to review products which interest me.

But what are these things that interest me? Well, I'll introduce myself. My name is Peter and I'm a 17 year-old student currently in my second year of Sixth Form, and will be moving on to University in late September this year. My main passions in life are Visual-kei music and gaming, so these are the sorts of things I will review and talk about. I'm not a console gamer at all, I am a PC gamer at heart and in practice and I do not plan to review or talk about any console games in the near future. I enjoy many types of games but I mostly enjoy RPG's and MMORPG's; the social aspect adds a lot of fun to a game.

Thanks for reading this, and please keep checking back for more =)

-Akumu