Over the years, I’ve played a few MMOs, but only in the last year have been seeing a trend toward long in-game festivals and loads of desirable, tempting novelty items.
I’m a sucker for pets or rare/limited edition items, to the point that I’ve come to really resent this focus in a game, specifically because it has such a hold on me. Maybe these festivals are an extension of the phenomenon of in-app or in-game purchases which I find equally seductive and detestable.
I think this focus on “stuff” diminishes a game like Rift. I had to quit playing Rift because I’d spent so much time doing holiday activities that I’d lost interest in actual game play. When I popped back in a couple months later to look around, all I saw were wonderful and gorgeous things that I could never have, because the latest festival was nearly over. It’s no fun to feel like I’ve missed out. For me, this worked against my re-joining. I don’t want to play an MMO solely for getting “stuff”, but if it’s held out there, waved in my face, I’ll succumb, and then there goes the game.
Wizards 101 was just shameless, fully revolving around in-game purchases that were essentially gambles for rare items.
Are you seeing this trend too? What do you think about it?
I’ve no idea who started this but Everquest, about six or so years into its life, started doing anniversary events with “Fabled” mobs who were beefed up versions of regular well-known named monsters who dropped exceptional loot.
They were/are very popular except that (A) they spawned in the same places as the normal mobs so if you wanted the regular guy you were out of luck and (B) the event tended to last for at least a month.
They did the same thing with a Halloween event where the zones would fill with hostile undead at night. Again, the event went on far too long (in my opinion) since some vocal minority was constantly saying how THEY didn’t get a chance to loot a Giant Q-Tip of Doom and it was unfair to end it yet.
City of Heroes is another one good for beating an event into the ground. Worst (in my opinion) for them is Halloween again. Mainly since it’s permanently night time during the event and by the time it would finish each year I was on the verge of experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder.
I like the way WoW does it. The festivals can be easily ignored if you don’t like them, most loot that the festival quests/bosses drop is temporary (flying broomstick anyone), and, if not temporary, way below the top gear level in the game.
When I played WoW the festivals were brief and easily done. Rift’s festivals last weeks or months, and items are gotten in main cities by hunting for sparklies or hitting pinatas - far from a more embedded game method like Jophiel describes.