While at heart I believe in the adage “life is too short for regrets,” I have many regrets in life nonetheless. Since this is a gaming blog, however, I’ll stick with that, as my list of life’s regrets could fill a psychologist’s case-study novel.
I’ve never done EverQuest, though I’d watched over shoulders enough to come to the opinion it wasn’t for me, and reading about the game’s mechanics and play-style in the years since have done much to validate that initial gut reaction (my enjoyment of reading Tipa’s exploits with her Nostaliga guild notwithstanding). Indeed, I’ve never played any of the original batch of defining (or not?) MMO’s. Ultima Online? Dark Age of Camelot? Asheron’s Call? Not me. Honestly, the only of those early games I have any interest in at this stage is DAOC, primarily to understand just what all the hullabaloo of RvR is and perhaps gain an inkling of interest in WAR as a result. However, I also realize that because of my job, out of the entire 14-day trial I would only get to play a total of 6 days. Even if I was available during the entire two weeks, based on current games I would think RvR is an end-game activity. I would never get there during the trial, assuming the trial even allows me to leave the noob content at all? But still, I’ve been curious enough to do a little light reading about DAOC and even hit up YouTube for a few video captures.
So, ok, I just blew a metric ton of geek street-cred by admitting that. Let’s see if I can regain a few points by also admitting that my first experience with “massively multiplayer” (for the time period, anyway. I don’t think the term had been created yet.) graphical gaming was the original Air Warrior on the GEnie online service, on my Amiga (which I still have, thank you very much). You think monthly subscription fees suck? We hearty Air Warriors paid hourly to get our game on! At the time, I was a kid living near Dayton, OH and Kesmai arranged for me to visit the archives of Wright-Patterson AFB to make photocopies of some specific aircraft data and specifications from WWII to help improve realistic performance of some of Air Warrior’s aircraft! Go me! Now, if only I’d had the forethought to springboard that moment of insider contact into the game industry career I’ve always wanted… Oh, sorry! I said I wouldn’t go there…
Anyway, on to the actual point of all this. I’ve stated a few times that my first MMOG subscription was the original Star Wars Galaxies. However, my very first actual experience with the genre was the Asheron’s Call 2 trial. Maybe that’s why I’ve always had a certain soft spot in my heart for Turbine, the same as many do for SOE because EQ was their first? I distinctly recall so many times seeing the AC2 box on store shelves, and it literally called to me. Vibrations of universal energies prognosticating Dereth’s final cataclysm, perhaps, but I resisted. Regretfully, I never bought AC2 because at the time I was less the independent MMOer that I am today. Back then, I only got into a game if I had real friends who were into it. SWG, then WoW, then I broke off into my own, trying all kinds of games and making new friends in each game separate from my real friends. But by the time I’d earned my independence, AC2 was no more.
I was in one of my reflective moods this morning, particularly of AC2. I remembered Ethic’s post on Kill Ten Rats of AC2’s final day so I stopped by and read it again. Whether you played or not, read that post. It’s a wonderfully heart-felt — and heart-wrenching — tale of a virtual world, filled with so many players’ enjoyment and memories, fading from existence. Just look at all the comments of sadness following the post! This is why I truly, truly regret not getting AC2. The very short time I got to spend there has given me a lifetime of love for it, and I barely got to experience anything at all! The real players have even more reason for their sadness. I still have the option, should I choose to exercise it, to download the DAOC trial and give it a whirl. But AC2 is one of those few titles which no longer exist. That ship has sailed; the opportunity is no longer available.
What I’d read about the state of AC2 as it shut down, by all rights it had come into its own and most of the initial complaints had been addressed. It even had an expansion, called Legions! The Hero 2.0 and Crafting 2.0 systems received rave reviews from players. The remaining complaints seemed to be those of the AC players, who didn’t like how completely different AC2 was. Yet I look at how different EQ2 is from EQ. One huge difference: AC2 was released in 2002, a mere three years after AC was released. EQ2 was released at the end of 2004, roughly five and a half years after EQ. Could the timing have been more of an issue gaining acceptance from the original’s fans?
I can’t help but wonder if Turbine couldn’t spend some time re-developing AC2 into a 3.0 version of itself and re-releasing it? From all the monthly content updates plus the expansion pack, they have enough content to launch with. Update to the current version of the Turbine Engine, DX10 graphics and all, then tweak the rest of the systems to bring them up-to-date, perhaps even redesigning the character leveling mechanics to better reflect the original AC’s primarily skills-based mechanics, while your level was merely an indication of total xp? While I’ve seen LOTRO described as AC2 2.5, and I agree to a point, there’s no doubt it’s a more casual game. It would be nice to see AC2 back on the table as a more… perhaps not “hardcore” but certainly more challenging and vicious… alternative. Having three modern games, plus the original AC, on Turbine’s plate would also be enough to justify having an all-access subscription model similar to SOE’s Station Access.
If only…
Tags: MMO Gaming
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