Well, it’s closer this time, at least… Yeah, it’s been a LONG while since I’ve done a full episode, but rest assured there’s work being done on the new one… and not all of it is by me. The overabundance of Sidequest and mini-sodes isn’t about to cease, though. Until then, let’s look at what’s new.

Sidequest: Tales Runner
There’s always something nice about seeing a once dead MMO make a comeback, even if you’re not personally a fan of it. (Don’t let that be inferred as me stating I don’t like it. I know how ya’ll be.) Tales Runner wins hands down in the uniqueness factor as I’ve not played a single game that controls or plays like it (“Mario Kart clone” is a bit of a stretch when you actually give it a hands-on shot. Trust me.)
The biggest issue I see forthcoming is the community. This game is attracting the painfully annoying crowd that feels you must play a certain way, mocks new players for not knowing maneuvers that aren’t covered in the tutorial, or prefer playing in the “no fun allowed, guys” modes and tracks, disabling item usage and playing on tracks that have little to no traps or obstacles. Those were honestly the most frustratingly boring matches I was in, as the minute someone gets ahead they STAY ahead, and there is physically no possible way to catch up to them if they don’t hit an obstacle themselves. While there was few instances of the Brick-Forcian “GOGOGOGOGOGOGO” crowd, evidence was there as most players entering a room would leave within several seconds if the match didn’t start.
It’s unquestionably attracting the infamous Rumble Fighter crowd, and this could potentially explode out of control as Rumble Fighter will be shutting down on May 23rd. Of course, maybe that means they’ll ALL be going away, but I really don’t see it happening like that. Friends-Lock this game if you don’t want a headache.

Sidequest: Landmark
World Builders, Minecraft clones, what have you, are becoming increasingly popular and common nowadays, and this is probably the first instance of this kind of game not being utilized entirely by the indie scene. Instead with SoE at the helm, we might actually get the first true intended hybrid of an MMO and a World-Builder. (Because the combat system in Minecraft is absolutely terrible, and every mod built around using it, subsequently so.) As of now, it’s pretty much a very slow creative mode sandbox… but with some serious creativity potential.
The main debate is how this game ties into Everquest… if at all. As I mentioned before, this game was called “Everquest Next: Landmark” before dropping the EQ title. It is technically part of the Everquest Series, but as explained by the devs,  the freedom to create would break immersion faster than a lack of fall damage when your human decked out in fantasy gear walks past a mech station and a McDonalds. Still, the talk of how Landmark will, if at all, tie into EQN is a bigger topic for debate than whether or not Elsword has anything to do with Grand Chase.
I think there was some confusion when it came to what I was saying when I asked about interest in revisiting the title. In more than one place I got comments similar to “I don’t watch videos of other people playing video games” or “I love those Minecraft LPs!” which I’m guessing means they outright assumed I’d be turning Landmark into some sort of ongoing “LP” series. I would not. I honestly not even remotely sure how people could jump to such a bold conclusion, when the exact quote asked if people would want to “see more videos through additional Sidequests with every major update.” That’s all I mean. Combat system gets implemented? New Sidequest. Progression system revamped? New Sidequest. TBH, I don’t understand how people can just watch focusless videos of people playing Minecraft either.

(April Fools) Browser-Based: FlapMMO
LOL. Yes. This is a real thing and I put it together in about an hour. It was actually a backup plan, as my original few plans, once again didn’t go the way I wanted them to. I’d known about the game for a while, but it was suggested I do it as an April Fools joke. I figured it wouldn’t be all that hard to do. I’d tell you my alternate ideas, but that would spoil potential things for next year.
I also make it my personal rule not to make AFD jokes blatant trickery (At least two other Channel Producers had titles and titlecards for things that their audiences desperately wanted to see them review, to instead bait-and-switch with something else.) I piss off enough people just doing this show, and I’d rather make people laugh on AFD, than get their hopes up and shatter them. Maybe I’m doing it wrong…
Yes, there was a lot of truth and personal feelings in that rather harsh ending to the video. I guess, unlike fad memes of the past, this one directly annoys me due to the fact that it was simply a big ball of nothing made out to be the greatest game in the world. I do not find Flappy Bird to be addicting, fun, or even worthy of more than a passing glance. It’s an endless runner, a boring one at that, that just got lucky to be exploiting three of humanity’s worst traits. Celebrity recognition, “Just one more” addiction, and “Forbidden Fruit” syndrome when, as stated, the creator’s own crippling fear of success caused him to pull the title from the market. It’s not hard; it’s based entirely on rhythmic button presses, timing, and endurance. The only challenge comes from how long you can play it before you want to stab yourself in the eye. All that bragging about Flappy Bird high scores is going to feel as silly as telling people you they were in a Harlem Shake video, naming their guild “Gangnam Style”, or asking people what the fox says in about a few months time.
Saddest thing? When looking for an image for that video’s title card, you know what one of the first results said? “FlapMMO Hacks”
Really? Really?! WHY?! For WHAT?!

My Patreon Page
So this is finally a thing I’ve been battling with myself to put up, due to the endless stigma behind this kind of thing. However, I’ve felt it a slight necessity for quite a while now. Instability is a huge part of all of this. I’m at the whim of whatever CPM and ad campaign is running, whatever totalitarian system Youtube is unleashing upon its users that week, whether or not Blip wants to get bought out by yet another company and break its servers for the 15th time that month. I’ve also had plenty of people ask me if I accept donations, due to the fact they prefer to run adblock. Patreon seemed like the best compromise.
Hopefully those willing to contribute find the goals clear and concise, and if you have any questions on how it works, feel free to let me know. However, if you don’t wish to, or cannot, one thing I don’t need to hear is “Sorry, I can’t donate because…” Honestly, I really don’t need to know that. If you can’t, or even don’t want to, it’s your prerogative. At no point do I want people to feel they have to do this, so you don’t owe me anything. Not even an apology. This is merely an option for those who wish to do this. Nothing more.
One of my major goals with this? Getting the community much more involved and far more rewarded. Not every MMO should be solo’d after all.

In the meantime before the next full episode, we’ve been running steadily in The Secret World, running SMITE Nights over on my stream and are planning for an upcoming 1v1 tournament. Details on that in the forums and an official post will be made soon.