Encore Episode – Not Looking for Group
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Podcast Topic(s)
What begins as a hopeful discussion about Shroud of the Avatar and its projected March 2018 launch date — we were so much more optimistic about the game three years ago! — turns, after a while, into a discussion of the game’s technical merits, and then broadens out into a discussion about how many MMORPGs feel more like single-player games…albeit with a bunch of people cluttering the map.
Some members of the discussion feel that quests and narrative elements have hurt the MMO genre more than they have benefitted them; these ostensibly destroy creativity and promote a play style in which players become drones who consume quests and new items, but who don’t know what else to do once they are done with them. Others feel that quests aren’t actually bad for MMOs; it’s making them single-player experiences that breaks the group experience which should be central to an MMORPG. Having quests helps introduce new players to the game universe by dispensing lore and guiding early character progression…but the argument could be made that, at some point, player progression should be capped until that player belongs to a group.
The discussion also, at some point, encompasses the then-recent trailer and screenshots that were released to promote Underworld Ascendant. That, too, was a game that we were quite hopeful for back in 2018, and not unlike Shroud of the Avatar, it ended up being something of a profound disappointment.
Community & Patronage
As always, this episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always, a hearty thank you to our co-producers: Seth, Goldenflame, Dominik, Violation, Helgraf, Gronkh, Pascal, Thorwan, and John.
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Music
Ultima V – Stones 2001 Remix by DJ Lizard
Ultima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMix
Ultima 6 Theme (from Punchfest) by Lorto Dragon
![Spam Spam Spam Humbug 97 – Not Looking for Group [Encore]](https://i0.wp.com/spamspamspamhumbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/icon_mp3_256.png?ssl=1){kind=icon}
Quest chains and narrative storylines are commonplace in MMORPGs now, but do the inclusion of these elements break the group play experience? And we had such hope for Shroud of the Avatar and Underworld Ascendant back in 2018, didn’t we?