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Massively Multiplayer Games For Dummies

Posted by Zonk on Fri Jan 27, 2006 02:19 PM
from the watch-your-head-around-ragnaros dept.
Role Playing (Games) Books Media
The lexicon and gameplay in Massively Multiplayer games can be confusing and, for some people, counterintuitive. Just the same, the genre has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year. Everquest 2, City of Heroes/Villains, Guild Wars, and a little game called World of Warcraft have all grown the market beyond the wildest dreams of MMG commentators. As such, there are a lot of folks who are either playing these games for the first time, or want to play one of these games for the first time. Scott Jennings steps from the shadows of the internet past, filling the role of advisor to a whole generation of n00bs. His book, Massively Multiplayer Games for Dummies, is a straightforward text on what to and what not to do in any Massive game you're likely to play. Read on for my impressions of a massively multiplayer reference for the rest of us.
If the name Scott Jennings doesn't click with you, you've done yourself a disservice by not reading an intelligent and thoughtful denizen of the internet. Even if Jennings' name doesn't ring a bell, perhaps his old handle might. Known for many years as 'Lum the Mad', Mr. Jennings ran the most popular site about massively multiplayer titles to ever be rendered in html. Lum's talents with the written word and his understanding of gameplay eventually led to his being hired by Dark Age of Camelot developer Mythic Studios, an occupation he still fills today. The Lum the Mad site has spawned numerous descendant sites, where refugees from that locale gather to debate the games of today. Mr. Jennings himself writes regularly on his blog Broken Toys, which I recommend highly if you enjoy the occasional MMOG conversation.

Massively Multiplayer Games for Dummies draws on Lum's many years of first-hand experience playing and making titles in the genre. Acting as a guiding hand for someone unfamiliar with the standards and expectations of what is essentially an insular society, the book assumes nothing about your knowledge of these games. The book is laid out into seven sections, which (in order) get you set up with a game, talk you through the newbie experience, cover groups, guilds, the endgame, and introduce you to the world of MMOGs outside of the gameworld. The seventh section is a great closer, with experiential and first-hand knowledge from Jennings and others who have been there and done that.

Jennings' lack of assumptions turns what could have been a limited-use dictionary into a truly universal reference. He lays out what a new player should expect when picking a first game to play, and goes into some detail on the technical requirements a PC should meet in order to play most of these games. The various classic 'roles' in a Massively Multiplayer title (tank, nuke, healer) are discussed in depth, with examples from several different titles used to add specifics to his general information. Discussions of grouping and etiquette are especially well seen. The act of 'pulling' (starting a fight in a controlled manner) is given a good deal of consideration. What might seem like quirky expectations long-time players will have when it comes to behavior (rolling on loot, frequency of healing, etc.) are explained and given a context for a player who just might not know otherwise. That, really, is the best thing about this book. It lays out the stuff that folks who have been playing these games for years just 'know', and are unlikely to even think about when describing play to a new gamer.

While this tome is aimed squarely at new players, even folks who have been playing for a while may learn something from his discussions of topics such as guilds and raiding. There is an entire section on Guild drama, and ways to know when it is time to move on. I know folks who have stayed with dysfunctional Guilds long after they should have, and this text could provide some backbone to a player with an attachment problem. The section on Raiding features some excellent pointers that will allow a player to reach a place between the common sense 'do what you're told' and scathing cries of 'learn2play!!!". Emphasis on position and considered movement is given, ensuring a new raider who has referenced this text will be a joy for any guild leader to have along. The raiding section is also one of several sections where Jennings offers up a first-hand account of the theory he's espousing. An overview of a raid on the dragon Onyxia in World of Warcraft is a useful conceit, a way to highlight the suggestions he makes in the rest of the chapter with a real-life context.

This 'learn by example' style of writing is both engaging to read, and very effective. It also fairly accurately recreates the conditions under which most new MMOG players learn how to operate within a gameworld. This gives players who use the text as a kickoff point a common reference with their more experienced brethren, and further integrates the new players with the rest of online gaming society. It also leads into the chapter on the 'game outside of the game', which ends the coddling period for a new player and thrusts them fully into online player society. Whatever illusions a new player might have about their fellow party members will be swiftly dismissed after even a single visit to an official game forum. There's also some discussion of strategy sites (like Allakhazam and Thottbot). Jenning's pragmatic approach is much appreciated; Acknowledging that there are places to go for help when you're just plain lost is not something I've seen many online game strategies do.

If you pick this book up while browsing in a store, the chapter to read when you've only got a short time available is chapter VII. The 'Part of Tens', featured in every Dummies book, is an extremely entertaining jaunt through some simple information about massive games. 'Ten things I wish I knew' are bite-sized pieces of advice for new players, all reassuring and usually funny. 'Ten MMG-Related Web Sites' detail some of the most informative sites about massive titles on the internet. It also lists some of the most 'informative', with sites CorpNews and F13 sure to give any new player a crash course in massive player society. 'Ten Proudest Achievements' is a series of firsthand accounts from actual players, each from a different game. Not only do they give the new player a humorous look at real play situations, they allow for exposure to different playstyles and gameworlds in the words of people like those they might meet in-game.

The back of the book contains pure information: a lexicon and a software disc. The lexicon is a large glossary of terms and abbreviations that are commonly used in massive games. Seeing 'WTB' or 'LFG' in your chat window can be intimidating, and new players with this available will have far less to worry about. The glossary even includes some more esoteric terms likely to be seen in-game, like STFU, FTW, and Zerg. The software disc is actually a demo disc, containing installs for the Wolfpack Studios title Shadowbane and Mythic's own Dark Age of Camelot. While I personally wouldn't suggest either of those games to a player new to the genre, it's nice that they were able to bundle in some of the actual software. Someone who hasn't even purchased a game yet will at least have the option of trying out the lessons learned throughout the book.

Scott Jennings accomplishes a laudible goal in the writing of this book. While the Massive genre's growth would indicate that there is no longer a reason to worry about the 'death of the industry', quality over quantity is something that I've always felt fairly strongly about. MMGs for Dummies is, in many ways, a citizen's guide to online worlds. It gives you the lay of the land and teaches you some of the expectations your fellow citizens will have. By introducing knowledgeable new players to the genre, Lum is improving the lot of everyone who plays. After all, gameworlds can be as good or as bad as the people that inhabit them.

Gamers who are already members of the MMOG nation will probably not get a lot of mileage out of this book. A few tidbits might prove enlightening, many of the anecdotes are humorous, and the history that Jennings imparts to the book will be informative for pretty much everyone. This text is well and truly aimed at people new to the genre, though, and experienced players can give it a pass. If you've never played a MMOG, and want to, this book will be well worth the price. For the cost of about a month's subscription fee, you can avail yourself of the knowledge of an online gaming veteran that won't ever complain about your ninja looting, your camping, or your fascination with the /dance command.

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  • No refer link whining! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by zerocool^ (112121) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:22PM (#14581760) Homepage Journal

    Appearantly, the discussion of the link to amazon with a refer to slashdot has been completely smurfed by the removal of any link to any place where this book can be purchased.

    • Hold on, I can help!

      Save Mega$$$ by using Amazon [amazon.com] for your purchase instead of... err... nothing! Just think of the... umm... wait. You're spending more money WITh a link than without, aren't you? Soooo... umm... just think! This book could Pay For Itself(TM)! (Yeah, right.) :-P

  • name? (Score:5, Funny)

    by revery (456516) <charles@cac2GAUSS.net minus math_god> on Friday January 27 2006, @02:23PM (#14581773) Homepage
    Massively Multiplayer Game For Dummies

    Well, from my experiences interacting with people online, I'm pretty sure I've been playing it.

    • Indeed.. as dumbed down the MMORPGs are.. still astonishes me how much trouble people have with advanced concepts like speaking.

  • At least... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Eightyford (893696) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:24PM (#14581787) Homepage
    At least link to the book [amazon.com]!

  • A little bit softer now (Score:3, Funny)

    by physik23 (762851) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:27PM (#14581828)
    As long as it tells the dummies to stop running around shouting things like "50 Cent r00lz!" or "Who here likes to f**k?" it's well worth the money and I hope it sells to every n00b out there.

  • Well if it's for "dummies" ... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Claire-plus-plus (786407) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:27PM (#14581837) Journal
    ...they should be able to sell it to virtually every MMG player in the world. Good marketing idea.

  • Great Idea (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Jakuta (643082) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:29PM (#14581868)
    Should be placed in EBay gaming section as a must buy with any account! For true N00bs this will be great and maybe even cut down on the improper channel usage and the not so random /ooc HELP! Although I am kicking myself for not having thought of this, as I am sure all seasoned veterans are as well. The Suffering of 5 years of EQ, then 2 more in SWG and now WoW has taught me by the mighty mackerel blow to the head! I again say Kudos.

  • Acronymns! Please! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Quintios (594318) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:30PM (#14581879) Journal
    One of the things I find most disconcerting is the lack of translation of acronymns in WoW. When I go to read the forums at Blizzard people speak in a language so foreign to me that it's difficult to know which way is up. Common mistakes, such as ninja looting, taking control of a group, or knowing one's role can be determined quite quickly when grouping with a more experienced player. From my own experience, I learned a lot when I grouped with a person playing his "alt", or "alternate character". His "main" was a character much higher in level, and he was just having fun playing a different role. For the newbies, grouping with experienced, kind, encouraging folks can be the greatest fun in the game. You learn a lot by asking questions, and still have fun playing the game.

    But the acronymns for the gear, and just the vernacular in general, makes it difficult to learn some of the intricacies of the game. A guide to *that* would be awesome.

    But as with anything, if you don't ask questions YOU WILL NEVER LEARN ANYTHING. Jump in with both feet, but ask for help on the way!

    • The problem with that is that 5 out of 10 times you will be brushed off as a "fucking noob" and 4 out of 10 times you will be PKed. Asking a question and getting an extended coaching or even a helpful, informative response is extremely rare.

      • The problem with asking questions. (Score:4, Insightful)

        by SmallFurryCreature (593017) on Friday January 27 2006, @05:55PM (#14584096) Journal
        When you ask a question STOP. Think for a few seconds. Think about one tiny little thing. How many times has the question you are about to ask been asked before.

        The problem isn't explaining what PK means. The problem is that by the Xth time you have to explain it to some idiot to lazy to google you are running out of patience.

        Yes there are somethings you will have to ask to find out. There is nothing shamefull about that. Just realize that you may be the 100th person asking it today and even the most helpfull of people can have a bad day.

        The most difficult thing. Other players are not there to help you. So when somebody helps you say "thank you". Everytime. You would be suprised how many people can't be arsed. Doesn't matter if you are the nicest person on the planet if a helpfull player has just dealt with an asshole you could catch the flak. Live sucks but thats the way it is.

        Before you ask a question A: make sure you read the docs. Read that manual during the install. Questions that are in the manual really are irritiating to answer.

        B: Do not ask, "my I ask a question". That is irritating. Just state the question already.

        C: Do not spam. If nobody is replying then accept it and come back later. If chat is busy do not spam your question 3 times in row to make sure people see it. It is a good way to find yourselve quickly playing a very solo MMO game.

        D: Use proper and full english. Nothing more annoying then having to decipher a bunch of engrish.

        E: Be polite. You catch more more flies with honey or something. Say thank you. Yeah you got what you want but you might need some help in the future and some people /addignore those who do not say thank you.

        F: Be patient. A helpfull player may be in the middle of a battle and cannot instantly answer your every message.

        G: But the most important, learn to google. 99% of the MMORPG questions are repeats and someone somewhere will already have answered it complete with pictures on the web.

        In the end there are such a thing as stupid questions. Do not expect others to fall over themselves to help you avoid reading manuals or doing your own websearches.

        Oh of course some call my attitude elite. Like that is an insult. Yet I have noticed one thing. All those people who always complain they cannot not get help NEVER help others themselves. The people that demand the most are the ones who give back the least. odd eh?

        • And please, Please, PLEASE read the damn quest text!

          The thing that pisses me off the most in WoW is people who ask 'Where is the xxx?', when the quest text *actually tells you* where it is!

          That is soooo damned annoying. I help people all the time and answer lots of questions, but I refuse to answer questions where people are simply too lazy or stupid to read what it says!
    • the lack of translation of acronymns in WoW.

      Well, it's good to see you're doing your part to combat this problem. :)

  • Buy my book! (referral-free amazon link enclosed) (Score:5, Informative)

    by Scott_Jennings (935343) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:34PM (#14581925)
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471752738/qid=11 36023806/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1472913-3813725?n =507846&s=books&v=glance [amazon.com] Not sure of the political hoofrah surrounding this, but hey, it's my book, so I want you to buy it and stuff. (Thanks for the review, Zonk)
  • Welcome to Real Life.

    In this game you start life as a helpless child totally dependent on others for survival. As you gain experience and skills you will have access to more of the game's features, including day care, school, college, and finally a place called "the real world."

    You will also have responsibilities. If you so choose, you can become responsible for new game-players as they enter the game as infants. Be aware that this is committment that will entail responsibilities for as long as both of you are still in the game.

    The game never ends, but at some point you will be forced to exit the game due to circumstances or declining health. The game is engineered so it is very difficult to spend more than 115 years in the game without a severe decline in health.

    Strategies:
    Early in the game: Listen to others and realize that part of their responsibility is to protect you from harm. Learn from them.
    Mid-game: If you have responsibilities for others particularly new players take them seriously. Form lasting alliances.
    Late game: Give useful advice to those who are in earlier stages of the game. Spend time with newcomers.

    • Biased reviewer / shill. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Tackhead (54550) on Friday January 27 2006, @02:46PM (#14582060)
      > Welcome to Real Life.
      >
      > In this game you start life as a helpless child totally dependent on others for survival. As you gain experience and skills you will have access to more of the game's features, including day care, school, college, and finally a place called "the real world."
      >
      >You will also have responsibilities. If you so choose, you can become responsible for new game-players as they enter the game as infants. Be aware that this is committment that will entail responsibilities for as long as both of you are still in the game.
      >
      > The game never ends, but at some point you will be forced to exit the game due to circumstances or declining health. The game is engineered so it is very difficult to spend more than 115 years in the game without a severe decline in health.

      This guy's gotta be astroturfing or shilling. He's missed a whole bunch of problems with the gameplay.

      First off, it's slow. We're talking boring like the Sims, but even slower-paced, and the devs only concession to the slow gameplay is to have a speed-up item that can only be used once a day. Moreover, the speed-up item only works at night (when you should be trying to play) rather than during the day part of the cycle where the game is at its most boring.

      The list of defects goes on. No fucking server rollbacks. You read in the paper that your character's about to get hit by a nuke, so you spend a few days setting up a menage-a-trois with your boss' wife and just one lousy goat, and no nuke comes. Gameplay after that sucks so hard that you might as well pull out the old .45 and reroll.

      Anyways, this guy's review is teh suck. But "Real Life" is teh bigger suck. I wouldn't even warez it.

    • Don't forget: the performance of Real Life tends to degrade when you install other MMRPGs.
    • Based on your description, I'm sticking with WoW.
    • Welcome to Real Life.

      In this game you start life as a helpless child totally dependent on others for survival. As you gain experience and skills you will have access to more of the game's features, including day care, school, college, and finally a place called "the real world."

      Yeah, I've tried it. Not bad graphics, but gameplay sucks. Severe lack of features (like no "save game" and "load game" buttons) is a bummer. I can't really recommend it.

  • yup.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 27 2006, @02:37PM (#14581962)
    mmorpgs = treadmill that makes you fatter.

    i've really got to stop playing them ;(
  • I'm too lazy to research this, so I'll ask you folks fully expecting more ridicule than meaningful responses in the hopes that at least one meaningful response will point me in the right direction...

    Are there any MMOGs that one can enjoy 30 minutes at a time, not needing dedicated groups to all be online at the same time, not requiring monthly subscriptions (okay, I'd maybe pay $5/month for such a distraction but no more), that are not just hack/slash, hunt/gather, boring, repetitive, do this same crap ov
    • Based on your description, I'd recommend Puzzle Pirates. It has most of the things you're looking for:
      • It's "a multiplayer cooperative puzzle solving game" (although your group must be online for most things, you can still puzzle to help someone who is offline by working in their shop). There are cooperative puzzles and semi-cooperative, where people play different puzzles at the same time to help the team as a whole (for instance, someone plays the sailing puzzle to build speed, another plays carpentry to
    • The 30-minute bit caught my attention. You might find these repetitive, at least some of the time, but you should take a look. They're both free, and browser based (no Java, Flash, etc.).

      1. Kingdom of Loathing [kingdomofloathing.com] still cracks me up, especially the stick-figure graphics.
      2. I'm a little scared to toot my own horn on /. with this, but a couple of us are working on another game: Mutant Freaks of Nature [mutantfreaksofnature.com].

    • City of Heroes was pretty easy to get into, run a couple missions, and then quit. More so than any other MMORPG (and I've played a bunch), this one seemed more geared to the casual player. Not to say that there weren't aspects or missions that required a big group of experienced players, just that there seemed to be a lot more that a single person or a quick pick-up group could accomplish.

    • Well, allow me to recommend City of Heroes/City of Villains. This is a Superhero/Villain based game available in two flavors (although they can be installed Symbiotically so you can play both with just one subscription). You do have to pay $15/mo for it, but it meets all your other requirements I think. Its easy to solo, fun to play, can be quite challenging, and most importantly *almost* every type of character can solo more or less (some way better than others mind you), and you can easily jump on, do a m

  • Never heard of the guy. He must be referring to the real master - Leeroy Jenkins.
  • I play two massively multiplayer online games, but neither are role-playing games (RPGs). You can find me in World War Two Online or WarBirds.

    Most people would call these simulations instead of games, but it ticks me off when discussions of massively multiplayer online gaming completely ignore us wargamers.

    There's more out there than ogres and clerics, folks. Come learn where the term "tank" really comes from. You'll crap your pants as you wait for that Panzer IV to bypass your Crusader tank so that

    • Ye gods! WWIIOL is still alive and kicking? Did they ever revamp infantry combat like they promised they were going to? Last I heard they were promising mortars and light machine guns. If there was some sort of AT weapon other than satchel charges it might be fun, but getting overrun by tanks when all you can spawn is a rifleman got old.

      I'll never forget hiding in bushes while tanks swarmed all around me, it WAS very exciting. Or spending two hours being the driver of a tow vehicle for an 88mm AT gun dodgi

  • Speaking as a n00b... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Sebastopol (189276) on Friday January 27 2006, @03:15PM (#14582382) Homepage
    I'd love to jump into WoW or similar, but I'm an old fogey and don't keep up with the fansites and discussion groups. This means I literally am starting from ground zero, open the box, read the instructions kind of place.

    Would this book help? And when answering, don't forget the Old Fogey part. I have 25+ years in the software/hardware industry, 20+ years with interactive fiction, 20+ years with RPGs (Bards Tale on the A2e was my first), but _0_ years with MMORPGs, and I suck ass at online strategy games, like Warcraft3.

    Flame away...

    • Hello Noob :)

      I have to say that WoW is very noob friendly. WoW was the first MMORPG I was actually able to play.

      I tried Everquest after hearing all the hype, and it just didn't make any sense to me. I didn't make it anywhere, and it basically just sucked. The game was incredibly confusing, I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do, my character died a few times, and then I gave up.

      WoW doesn't have any of that.

      This book might help, but I honestly suggest just picking the game up and starting. There is
    • DON'T DO IT. You'll regret it. :)

      MMOs are really just as simple as any other RPG. You just happen to be competing against a bunch of other people who have elevated their level of skill/knowledge far beyond what most of us dreamed of with regular RPGs. No need to keep up with the discussion groups and fansites unless you want to progress more quickly... You'll pick it up as you go if you have a solid RPG foundation.

      Having said that, I'd just like to reiterate: DON'T DO IT! It will suck your life
    • Don't do it man! Stay away from MMO's and have an easier life. WoW is n00b friendly, and initially even friendly to casual players, but later on, it becomes addictive as any drug, even if you're not having fun. If you have real life friends that also play, all your conversations will be about the game. Your significat other will hate you, unless she plays too, which will then make her/him a pathetic addict just like you. You'll fight with your gf over stupid stuff such as bad pulls. In short, don't do it.
    • Just thought I'd toss in my two cents -- I can't lay claim to quite the "old fogey" status that you can, but I'm no spring chicken either, and I'm quite notoriously bad at games requiring a lot of fast reflexes. I also dislike games which require you to die repeatedly in order to complete them or figure them out; the combination of those two dislikes has effectively kept me out of console and computer gaming (with a few notable exceptions over the years), probably to the betterment of my other hobbies. That
  • "MMO's are for dummies" - thats funny
  • Oh, wait. I thought this was one of those "Ask Slashdot" things.

  • Where's.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by GmAz (916505) on Friday January 27 2006, @03:30PM (#14582566) Journal
    Where is Chinese Gold Farming for Dummies? And I wanna see a translated version!

  • Game experiences (Score:3, Funny)

    by VGPowerlord (621254) on Friday January 27 2006, @06:19PM (#14584317) Homepage
    Since they have experiences from different games, I'll do something different: combine elements from several different MMOs together into a single experience.

    One day, I was out fightning kobolds in Antonica, when suddenly I was ambushed by the Horde. I managed to get away from them, but I then got stopped by an Imperial patrol, who discovered that I was a Rebel.

    They were much more powerful than I was, so I fled for my Mog House. Unfortunately, my distaff still hadn't finished, so I went back out to Antonica...

    Wash, rinse, repeat...

    • Gawd knows they need all the help they can get!

      Boy, you got that right! Sure is great that when *you* started playing these games you sprang forth from the head of a god, complete with knowledge *and* |\/|@d sk!llz.

      Arrogance like this is what keeps online games identified with the flaccid prick in the minds of many. Congratulations.

      No game can survive indefinitely without new blood; better to help the noobs than to kill your favorite game because your attitude sent them looking for some other game.

      • Call people with a brain elite all you want, it is still not going to make them hold your hand because you can't be bother to RTFM.

        Most people are perfectly willing to help but when you see the same question pass by for the hundreth time your patience will run out.

        Not that this book will help. Noobs never read anything. Those who do read the official manual and still need help with somethings get all the help they need in game. The book just isn't needed.

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