The Daily Grind: Do you feel like you missed out on the golden days of MMOs?

Check out this article on just that topic! Check out the picture in the article, and check out "Penney" From the regulators (Baby Mama!!). When stories are written... Well, you know who they are talking about.

TR#1 4EVAH

Mortal Online guild of the week spotlights The Regulators.

(Original Post: http://www.mortalonline.com/forums/5758-gsotw-regulators-week-3-a.html)

This week we sit down with Hawthorne from The Regulators who are one of the oldest and most recognized guilds in the entire mmo industry.


1. When was your guild first established, and was the guild started specifically for Mortal Online or does the guild have an online presence in other games?

1997 we first were created for Ultima Online, Atlantic Shard.


2. What kind of image do you want your guild to portray? (ie. the most elite, family/friends orientated, end-game pursuit, casual players, etc)

We are an end game oriented hard core guild. We do include family and friends.


3. To get a better overview of your guild how would you rate the importance of the follow gaming aspects. (ie. PvP = ***** out of 5 stars)

PvP = *****
PvE = *****
Crafting = *****
Raiding = ***
Roleplay = *


4. Are there any short-term and/or long-term goals would you like your guild to achieve?

Domination of whatever game we play, economically, PVP and content wise.


5. How is your guild structured? (ie. Ranks, Special Groups, etc)

5 Guild masters and a slew of officers and loyal soldiers then recruits.


6. What is your guild's stance/policy on PK and griefing?

Try it, I dare you.


7. Does your guild encourage roleplaying, and if so what level of RP is required?

We do, but in a comedic sense only. We don’t take it serious.


8. Is your guild currently recruiting? If so, how can players apply to your guild?

Yes we are, but only if you are pretty crazy, have thick skin and make games a part of your life. It also helps if you are in the game industry. We are that pro =]


9. What are you looking for in a potential member?

Loyalty.


10. How many active members does your guild have and approximately how many of those members are interested in MO?

When we go head strong into a game we run anywhere from 60 to 100 deep. The entire guild is interested in MO.


11. Does your guild have a member cap? If so, how many members would you like to see in the guild eventually?

As many as it takes to get the job done in the environment we play.


12. What is the average age of your members?

25


13. What excites your guild the most about Mortal Online?

Hot chicks at the bar told us that if we play Mortal online that they will deliver beer and brats to us for the rest of our lives. Actually the blend of PVP and sense of ownership, loss, and guild functionality, wars and a very in depth crafting/loot system.


14. Is your guild currently playing any other MMO's or games while you wait for MO?

No, all other MMO’s at this point have let us down. We’ve tried them all. And I mean ALL. Last one we played as a team was Warhammer and I personally hate it.


15. What types of communication does your guild provide to enhance interaction between members of your guild both in and out of the game?

Ventrilo server, dedicated web page (www.theregulators.org) as well as forums.


16. Tell us a little about your gaming experience and your role as a guild leader?

Over 13 years as GM and founder of The Regulators. Before TR I was the founder of a Quake clan that won many tournaments in the CTF circuit. I am very competitive and bring that style to this guild and expect no less out of my players. I will not hesitate to call someone out for failing 40 others. It’s a dog eat dog world and if your not on the top you are on the bottom and that’s how it is in this guild. Imagine a stress test that never ends. It is certainly not for the weak.


17. What are your secrets to keeping everyone in the guild motivated and working as a team?

Loot, beer, TR #1, killing people, and tons of e-Ego stroking. Did I mention ego stroking?


18. Does your guild have a website? For those that have never visited your site, please introduce it to us.

Http://www.theregulators.org
TR #1


19. What do you think separates your guild and makes it standout from all the other Mortal Online guilds?

You have not heard? We are the #1 PVP/PK Guild in the world. Just ask any one of us.


20. Finally, if you were banished to live in a cave for the rest of your life, what three things would you bring with you?

A tube of KY jelly, a blow-up doll, and a shotgun. It would be a mess. The doll would kill me.

Vote no on the MMO bailout.

It is high time MMO consumers spoke up about the quality of service they get. I do not even have to start naming many games before the picture becomes very clear, and that picture is that MMO makers are failing to make games that we as players want to play.

Here are the latest 3 offerings:

• Age of Conan
• Tabula Rasa
• Warhammer

Each of these games have been outright failures (as far as gaming guilds and the community are concearned). You will find that if any major PVE or PVP guilds are left in those games it is simply because they do not want to go back to World of Warcraft or have nothing better to do.

So what are the problems?

1. No community relations with existing communities. These people have NO clue who they are making games for and have no idea what we want. Not to mention the fact that the ideas they put forward are already done very well by SINGLE PLAYER games. Such as "Collections" ala EQ2 where you run around for hours collecting trinkets to get a reward. You can do this in Fallout 3 or some other single player game so why woudl anyone pay you 15 dollars a month? 
2. Everyone wants to make a WOW killer. Here is a piece of advice. STOP, if people want to play WOW they will play it, you can't beat it until you buy it and become it, because WOW is WOW and if people want to play it they will PLAY WOW NOT YOUR  CLONE OF WOW. (Warhammer).
3. Stop dictating play styles. I dont know if I can stress this enough. You developers simply have to stop trying to tell the public how to play your games, and simply provide players the tools to govern, police and socialize for themsevles.
4. Stop making single player content in a MMO world. I mean seriously, this is just poorly thought out content. Here are some questions you should ask yourself if you are designing a system for a MMO, if your answers do not satisfy those questions you may want to reevaluate your idea. Does it affect other players? (yes it should), Can I do it alone (maybe, but probably not), Would I pay a company for this experience (yes I should want to)
5. Pro and anti social gaming habbits must be advocated, encouraged and nurtured. You simply cannot have cotton candy clouds, gum drop smiles and happyland, without the nasty dirty stinky festering decay that lies beneath. To ignore that aspect of gaming making and the community is simply suicide.
6. Risk and reward must be comensurate. Item lose, death, item degredation all must have a place or your economy will simply not exist, if your game has no economy, no crafting, no resources to fight over, collect and sell then you have a failure of a game on your hands. 

I could go on with a list of 20 points and the turn around and point to article after article of the disasters that have been forced upon this community as if we are supposed to just enjoy it. Well we don't and the numbers prove my words. Tabula is gone, AOC has laid off 70% of its staff and Warhammer is a disappointment even tho mythic and EA are still acting as if its going to be ok. I have news for you boy's it is not going to be ok and your product is on the way out the door before it's even gotten a foot in.

So don't bail out the "Big" game makers, do not become to the game industry what our congress is to the car industry, just another sucker waiting to buy a lemon. Demand better.