If you started this article expecting us to predict the downfall of Fallen Earth or Icarus Studios you came to the wrong place. In fact I find it interesting how many news sources fall into the same category as day the Chicago Daily Tribune when it heralded the now famous “Dewy Defeats Truman” – by regaling us with the “Icarus Studios Closes” headline. Yes, some sources qualified it with “rumor” on the page somewhere. I must have gone to the wrong schools; it used to be we called that yellow journalism.
Going to the dogs
So why is Fallen Earth going to the dogs? Well as you may or may not know, there are now pets in the game in the form of wasteland mutts (see above). Ask yourself, what post apocalyptic setting is complete without a dog? Mel Gibson had a dog in The Road Warrior. Don Johnson had a dog in the roadside garbage of a movie (how do you really feel?) from 1975 called “A boy and his dog”. Will Smith had a dog in “I am legend”, and Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone was a dog (I think that counts but I am not sure). It turns out that your local feed merchant (at ever gas station throughout Fallen Earth) has a well stocked kennel. When I took my cargo bike out for a spin it turns out the fell has some fantastic tracking abilities – even when I left him in the dust he eventually caught up. Yes I will admit that there was a time when he had a time of it trying to make his way back after my twists and turns across post apocalyptic Arizona became a bit labyrinthine. But it turns out, not only can you have your wayward car or motorcycle towed to a gas station you can also have your dogged towed.
Tow Truck Operator: “Okay doggie open wide, we’re gonna take you back to your mistress Auntie Maim”
Auntie’s Dog: woof, growl, bark, bark, bark *
*translation: What in the frell are you doing? Get that hook out of my mouth!
Riding a bike
And speaking of riding bikes…I usually find that going back to an mmo after an extended absence isn’t quite like riding one. Fortunately the basics of most games are the same where things like movement are concerned. Still, I often find myself saying “Oh ya…” after asking where something is located for the umpteenth time. Fortunately the clan I belong to (part of The Older Gamers) are patient with returning players.
What was the problem?
When returning to any mmo after a long break, one of the first questions I find crossing my mind is, of course, “Why did I have a problem with this game?” In some case, I find myself saying “oh yes THAT was why.” If there was a reason, other than a simple matter of pairing back the number of MMOs that grabbed my attention each week, the only thought I remember having was a bit of a dearth of things to do somewhere around the late level 20s. Part of the reason for that is I tend to “press the envelope” where PVE is concerned, often completing (and sometimes failing) quests well beyond my character’s level. Another factor that comes into play at this point is something Paul Barnett talked about when he was a guest on the show and that is “perceived leveling speed.” The idea is this: If you play World of Warcraft you will find your ability to level though 1 to 70 is lightening fast because most of the new development (up until Cataclysm of course) has been tacked on to the end of the game. It’s easy to get used to something like that and begin to see other mmos as grindy that really aren’t.
Attitude Adjustment
It was an attitude adjustment
I guess it was his first time
An attitude adjustment
Now he understands just fine
He got bent out of shape
And he opened his mouth
And just one appointment
Straightened him right out
It was an attitude adjustment
Oh It’ll work every time
- Attitude Adjustment, Hank Williams Jr.,
Maybe it was an attitude adjustment. Perhaps I just remember wrong. Maybe the dev’s at Icarus Studios actually change something and did tell anyone. It could also be that I simply haven’t followed Fallen Earth very closely. Still, I seem to remember Auntie Maim, my level 27 character, getting her butt whomped a lot more when she was making her way around Blaine in Sector 2 – not so this time. After I got a handle on swinging the six guns again, stocked up on ammo and polished up the techie maces I took on a quest chain that ended in Mission: treachery and lies. Some people don’t like long quest lines, some people do. Some people only tell you one way or another when they have something to complain about. Me? I like long quest lines that aren’t long because an NPC said “Oh by the way, did I tell you to go get that widget from the other side of the world? I should have asked you to bring the box it came in as well.” Quest lines that tell a good story are a joy. Such is the Dead Mines quest line in WoW, and now I will add the “treachery and lies” quest line to the list. The story is good and the reward is gruesome:
Severed Ear
Slot: Storage
Weight: 0.001 kg
Resists: Sonic +228
Modifiers: +5 perception, +5 mind
What also drew my attention was the new Blood Sport arena. In the future I plan to participate…after I get a handle on things and get a few more action point quests under my belt.
See you online,
Julie Whitefeather
[posted for Julie Whitefeather by The Webmaster]