14 Matching Annotations
  1. Aug 2021
    1. Best dungeon: Darkness Falls is full of dangerous monsters and amazing loot, but its doors only open to the faction that holds the most territory. If ownership switches hands while one faction is inside, they can ambush the new owners.

      最好的副本:暗黑降临有着各种危险的怪物和超棒的掉落装备,但是他的大门只对掌握最多领地的势力开放。如果一方势力在副本中的时候副本所有权发生了更迭,则在里面的势力可以在副本里埋伏这些新主人。

    2. Not content to distinguish itself by focusing only on PVP, Dark Age of Camelot also features a staggering 47 different classes. Each is unique to one faction, like wizards belonging to Albion, a faction drawing from Arthurian lore. Designed to excel in a very specific role, each class depends on others to offset its weaknesses. As a result, you are only ever as good as the players fighting alongside you. It’s a system that would become critical to the design of more modern MMOs. 

      DAoC提供了47个不同的职业。每个职业都只属于一个势力,例如只有Albion才有法师。每个职业都被设计的只在一个特别的方面突出,每个职业都需要其他人来补足他的弱点。也因此你只有跟其他玩家一起战斗的时候才会变得最强。这套系统也成为了现代MMO设计的关键点

    3. Introducing a structured form of player combat known as ‘Realm vs Realm,’ Dark Age of Camelot laid the groundwork for a new kind of PVP. Three factions battle for control of various zones, establishing outposts that they have to protect from opposing forces. This open world approach to war necessitates strategy, as choosing when to attack is just as important as where. At the time, Dark Age of Camelot’s player-driven battles were unparalleled in scope, creating all the drama and tension of a fantasy medieval war. 

      带来了一种结构化的玩家间战斗形式-领域 vs 领域,DAoC给新形式的PVP打下了基石。三股势力互相争夺各个领地的控制权,他们还建立前哨用来防御敌人。这种开放世界战争的玩法让策略变得极为重要,什么时候进攻跟在哪里进攻都成为了关键。在那时DAoC玩家驱动的战斗无可匹敌,制造了各种各样幻想中世纪战争下的紧张与戏剧性故事

    4. The act of killing another player in any MMO before Dark Age of Camelot was, at best, shortsighted. Someone had stuff, you wanted that stuff, so you forcefully parted them from it. But Mythic Entertainment had a vision for a different kind of murder, one that included strategy, teamwork, and glory. Most MMOs were satisfied with petty killing. Dark Age of Camelot, however, aspired to all-out war.

      在DAoC以前,玩家间的杀戮顶多是为了眼前利益。DAoC则给玩家间的杀戮带来了策略,团队协作以及荣耀。大部分MMO基本都在小规模玩家战斗那里停住了,DAoC则向往一个全面的战争

    5. Anarchy Online didn’t change the genre just because it had the audacity to not feature wizards, but because of its many technical innovations. Instead of quests being rigid instructions, Anarchy Online features a dynamic system that lets players tailor combat encounters to suit their needs. What’s more, those quests also popularised ‘instancing’, which segregates a group of players to their own isolated version of a zone—a technology that would pave the way for modern dungeons. 

      AO带来很多技术上的创新:原本的任务系统都是固定的流程,AO设计了一个玩家可以根据自己需求决定战斗遭遇的动态系统。而且那些任务也普及了“副本”,它将一组玩家隔离进他们独立的一片区域-也是这种技术为现代的副本铺平了道路。

    6. Best races: Everquest’s races remain some of the most inventive, even by today’s MMO standards. Players can be anything from humanoid tigers to tree frogs, ensuring the world is full of exotic characters to meet and play with. 

      最好的种族:EQ中的种族按当今MMO的标准仍然是那批最有创造性的。玩家可以成为任何东西,不论是人形老虎还是树蛙。这也能让你在游戏中遇到并跟一群奇异的角色一起游戏。

    7. Everquest was one of the first MMOs to popularise grinding – the act of repeatedly killing monsters for experience points. At the time, grinding seemed exciting. It forced you to play with strangers in order to kill tough monsters, and was the only real method to level up your character. By existing in such a harsh world, Everquest inspired strong relationships forged not by the joy of surviving, but of growing together. 

      EQ是最早普及刷怪(不断重复杀死怪物获得经验)的MMO之一。在那时刷怪似乎很刺激。你不得不跟陌生人一起玩来击杀那些抗打的怪物,这也是你升级自己角色唯一有效的办法。在这个残酷的世界中,EQ不是因为生存的乐趣而激发了玩家间强烈的纽带,而是一起成长的乐趣

    8. Unlike today’s MMOs, quests required patience and persistence. Very little was ever explained, and worse, death meant losing valuable equipment and experience points. Yet, in a somewhat beautiful analogy of the human spirit, it was exactly that brutal atmosphere that motivated people to invest years of their lives exploring Norrath. 

      不像今天的MMO,做任务需要极大的耐心与坚持。基本没什么指引,更有甚者死亡会丢失掉重要的装备与经验值。但也正是这种残酷的环境激励着玩家们投入多年生命中的时间到EQ的世界里。

    9. Many of Everquest’s ideas, like grouping with dozens of players to kill tough raid bosses, would become archetypes of the genre. 

      许多像集结一群人一起击杀抗揍的boss这样来自EQ的创意,都成为了日后MMO的基本结构

    10. Over time, reputations were formed and the virtual culture of Britannia gave shape to player-made heroes, villains, and everyone caught in between. 

      社群与声望在玩家的点对点互动中自然形成,游戏世界观具象化了玩家在社群内的角色

  2. Jul 2021
    1. Gorgeous 3D graphics brought the high fantasy world of Norrath to life in ways that Ultima Online’s 2D sprites never could.

      从2D到3D的进化

    2. One player took it upon himself to do the unthinkable and assassinate Richard Garriott’s own character during a royal speech.

      在游戏中举办的一场皇室演讲中,一名玩家刺杀了游戏创造者的虚拟角色