Life According to MMO

MMO: Massively Multiplayer Online.

This is an online gaming style in which many players can link over wifi to simultaneously play a single game. This particular style of gaming is very popular because you can play alongside and against real players, which are more intelligent than CPU controlled bots.

I have recently been formally introduced to MMO strategy gaming and immediately began a subconscious analysis of it. I have played an immense amount of MMO and MOBA in the past few days and have learned a few interesting facts, drawn parallels and a few perpendiculars, and discovered that life is like and MMO game. 

1) Life according to MMO is difficult, but the player always sets the difficulty. 

In any game where there is a difficulty option, it is the player’s choice as to how hard the game will be. In life, the conscious decisions we make knowing they will lead to either easier or more difficult times is our difficulty setting. We choose how hard round one is going to be, how many trails we face and the strength of those trials.

2) Life according to MMO is a team effort.

Life is a multiplayer game; we need allies to survive this game because there is never a shortage of enemies. Our teammates are there to fight beside us, throwing themselves into the fray when we’re on our last bar of health and can’t get out. They watch your back, and when you fall, they keep the enemy at bay until you get back up again.

These are not physical enemies, but spiritual ones. Sometimes when your ally takes on an enemy they discover that on their own, they are not strong enough to defeat it. This is where you decide: so do you back up and save yourself from personal injury and potential death, or do you charge in and help your ally bring down the enemy no matter what the cost to yourself?

3) Life according to MMO is made of many characters, each with a unique ability.

Different characters have different abilities, but some also perform different functions. There are four basic character types: tank, (one that has immense health and armor, who charges brashly into frays), skirmisher, (a long ranged, weaker unit that deals mild damage but attacks faster), assassin, (a stealthy, speed based unit that takes moderate damage and deals immense damage to enemies), and support, (a low action, low reward character whose main job is to empower and help allies).

It’s not popular to be a support character, but they may have one of the more important jobs in the game; though not at all glamorous. The support character is often stuck behind the lines or in defense of the home base. Rarely do they step into action, and at the end of the game, they don’t look like they have done all that much.

The interesting thing though is that to find out how important the supporter was and how well they played, you don’t look at their stats, you look at the stats of the other players. The success of a supporter is measured by the success of the entire team.

4) Life according to MMO is a team effort.

Now, I could talk for hours about how MMO applies to real life, but I think I’ll close with this thought: it takes a whole team.

It takes every player, each performing their own jobs within their own areas to win the battle. As my good friend Stephen Dodd pointed out on several occasions, I brought the team down single-handedly by brashly running into frays and getting myself killed. It takes an entire team, working together to accomplish the goal. 

In life, we can’t just rush into things and hope we can defeat them. Life isn’t about you. Life isn’t about others. Life is about you and others working as a team to further God’s fame and magnify His glory.

Bam! Life according to MMO.

As always, thanks for reading.

—the anonymous novelist 

Best RPG, FPS, and Strategy Games

Okay, I’ve been serious for the past dozen posts, it’s time to do something just for the fun of it.

When you’re a moral, home schooled, sheltered kid, you are very selective about your game choices. Everybody wants to find the perfect game that they enjoy and can feel good about playing. These games aren’t perfect, but they come close and are a few of my favorites.

We’ll start with iOS games, because they’re more popular these days.

#1- This Means War!

This Means War is a build-a-base game like Clash of Clans or Game of War. The unique thing about this game is that it is set in modern day, if not a slightly futuristic modern day.     As is shown in the first screenshot, this is a flat field of battle, both bases are in play; this feature is one of the major distinctions of “This Means War” from all other games like it. In the most popular of the play type, Clash of Clans, there is no danger of your base being attacked when you are in a raid; in This Means War, the enemy can attack you as you’re attacking them.

The best part: it’s clean and simplistic. The graphics are top, the developers release updates often with new content and fixes, and you don’t have to wade through creep-things like you have to in other fantasy games. You can click here to download This Means War for free.

#2- Tiny Troopers

This is an entirely different game play done with bobble headed characters. Like a total control 3rd person FPS, this delightful game is a pleasant pastime. 

  Again, the graphics are great, the game play is fun and engaging. It’s still not a true FPS, but the many missions and characters keep it from getting boring too fast.

You control a squad of three men and invade small maps, eliminating targets and keeping your little guys alive. It’s not a pay-to-play like a lot of games are nowadays, and it’s actually fun. Download it here.

#3- 0A.D.

For number three we move to the laptop computer and a new open-source strategy game. 0A.D. is so new that they are still in Alpha. Having recently released their 19th Alpha version, called Syllepsis, 0A.D. is pushing ahead toward become the next Age of Empires.

  

 

Okay, take a moment to appreciated the prettiness of these screenshots. Alright, now take in the fact that this game is completely fan funded. They do not charge for the game. This game is built by monetary support and actual code and design contributions by fans. Wow! To be as good as it is now and to still be in Alpha building, this game will be a monster when fully developed. 

It’s gameplay is very similar to AoE 2 with a graphic scale of AoE 3. If you are an Age of Empires fm, you’ll want to keep an eye on this developing game. You can read more about it or download the latest version here.

#4- Age of Empires: World Domination

Speaking of Age of Empires, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the classic, most iconic CPU strategy game that is getting a  mobile app. That’s it. You read that correctly; Age of Empires is getting an official mobile game.  

  
   

Now, this app has not yet been released to the US market, but they are testing the iOS and Android systems in the Philippines and other abstract places. I’m pumped about this game, but a bit disconcerted by the reviews it’s getting from testing. Despite that, I think there is great promise and great possibilities for this game. Obviously there is a huge fan base for this game, and I’m excited to see what they do with it. 

The style of game play looks very similar to the old style, but the game is free to play. That means that there will be purchasable items, making it potentially a pay-to-play game. Well, no game is perfect. Learn more about AoE World Domination on their website by clicking here.

#5- BombSquad

 This game, developed by Eric Froemling, may very well be my favorite group game ever. It is a computer game that works best on Mac devices, (but will also work on windows, if you know how to obtain the Beta), which you control using phones. You download the game to your computer and the controller to your phone and you’re set for a bobble-head adventure.

There are multiple basic game styles, which include: capture the flag, last man standing, king of the hill, football, racing, and several variations of these. With free-for-all, single player, and multi-player team modes, there is no end to the hours of mad fun you can have with this simple little game.

There are 6 free avatars to choose from and additional ones for purchase, but the real fun of the game is in the 4 buttons on the controller: punch, jump, throw bomb, and pick up. The last of these actions enables you to pick up another player and simply throw them off of the map. This is the equivalent of sneaking up behind someone in Halo and hitting them over the back of the head with a rocket launcher.

You can play with up to 8 players and the rounds are short, making this a great game for mid-sized groups. I like it a lot, mostly because of their tagline in the last screenshot: “Blow up your friends”. What’s not fun about that?

There is no blood, no realistic violence or themes, so even the little kids can play. You can download BombSquad for free by clicking here. 

I suppose I need a moral to this post, just for consistency of course. Games are a bridge to escape life for a few short moments. Everybody needs a bridge. These are some of the bridges I enjoy walking, I hope you will too.

As always, thanks for reading.

—the anonymous novelist