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Game review: Learning to drive
Jan. 6th, 2009 04:51 pmSo I recently decided that maybe I should give this massively multiplayer game a go. While driving games usually aren't my thing, my mother offered me a free trial period using her account, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. And the strange thing is, I kind of liked it.
I think it appeals to my sense of masochism and overcoming challenges; I mean, this is a game with such a steep learning curve and with such harsh penalties for failure that the developers recommend having a more experienced player telling you how to play for the first 10 levels or so, probably because too many players were getting discouraged by the aforementioned harsh penalties. There's even a trainer add-on you can buy where another player has their own set of controls and can override your input if they think you're about to make a mistake. In other games this kind of behaviour is referred to as 'rushing' and trainer programs are looked down on, but for this one they've become the standard. The other players look at you with a strange mixture of awe and disdain if you tell them you learnt how to play without any help.
And speaking of controls, this game sure has the most complex I've ever seen. Rather than a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad, or even a racing wheel, this game has all sorts of little doodads and blinky things, and to get to the higher level instances you have to learn how to use each one correctly. They could really take a few lessons from first person shooter controls I reckon.
The other noteworthy thing about the game is how it doesn't reward conflict, but rather cooperation. It does this by levying penalties on players who get involved in conflict, and as I mentioned before, the penalties are big enough to make anyone think twice about starting trouble. And yet despite the lack of conflict the game is hugely popular; nearly everyone wants to play it and those few who don't tend to be regarded as freaks; a bit like World of Warcraft, really.
My only real gripes about this game are the penalties and the subscription fee. In my opinion, most of the penalties are just too damn harsh, and discourage a lot of players from taking actions that could potentially be fun but aren't worth the risk. As for the fees, user accounts costs thousands of dollars and the monthly subscription can range into the hundreds. Still, they must be doing something right - for now at least, I'm hooked.
I think it appeals to my sense of masochism and overcoming challenges; I mean, this is a game with such a steep learning curve and with such harsh penalties for failure that the developers recommend having a more experienced player telling you how to play for the first 10 levels or so, probably because too many players were getting discouraged by the aforementioned harsh penalties. There's even a trainer add-on you can buy where another player has their own set of controls and can override your input if they think you're about to make a mistake. In other games this kind of behaviour is referred to as 'rushing' and trainer programs are looked down on, but for this one they've become the standard. The other players look at you with a strange mixture of awe and disdain if you tell them you learnt how to play without any help.
And speaking of controls, this game sure has the most complex I've ever seen. Rather than a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad, or even a racing wheel, this game has all sorts of little doodads and blinky things, and to get to the higher level instances you have to learn how to use each one correctly. They could really take a few lessons from first person shooter controls I reckon.
The other noteworthy thing about the game is how it doesn't reward conflict, but rather cooperation. It does this by levying penalties on players who get involved in conflict, and as I mentioned before, the penalties are big enough to make anyone think twice about starting trouble. And yet despite the lack of conflict the game is hugely popular; nearly everyone wants to play it and those few who don't tend to be regarded as freaks; a bit like World of Warcraft, really.
My only real gripes about this game are the penalties and the subscription fee. In my opinion, most of the penalties are just too damn harsh, and discourage a lot of players from taking actions that could potentially be fun but aren't worth the risk. As for the fees, user accounts costs thousands of dollars and the monthly subscription can range into the hundreds. Still, they must be doing something right - for now at least, I'm hooked.
