Massively is a pretty good gaming site. The only problem is that there are a ton of posts each day and only a few have some meat. They had an article on crafting in Mythos that I found interesting, especially since I tried and enjoyed it this weekend. I’m not sure why the “complexity through simplicity” aspect of Mythos is so appealing to me, but crafting is an example of that. Once you have found a crafting recipe and gathered the ingredients, you can create the item. Enhancing the item’s properties increases the failure rate. Dead simple, fun, and engaging. A couple of things are missing from Mythos, however. First, I felt like I was playing a single-player hack-and-slash game (a bit like Gauntlet). I didn’t get much of the multi-player aspect. Second, a sense of permanency was missing. With so many items to collect, I couldn’t actually collect them because my inventory would fill up. Player housing would be a great addition (either that or a Dungeon Siege-like pack mule). Last, I felt no connection to the world. Why was I there? Why was I doing quests (other than money and XP)? Who am I, where am I?
The other good Massively article today asked “Is narrative important?” I say yes. That’s part of what’s missing from Mythos (n) : a story or set of stories relevant or having a significant truth or meaning for a particular culture, religion, society, or other group; anything delivered by word of mouth: a word, speech, conversation, or similar; a story, tale, or legend, especially a poetic tale. Maybe I just missed it? I like the game, but I like to be a part of my MMORPGs. I want to live the life of my character in that world. I understand Mythos isn’t exactly for roleplayers, but it could at least have some grand story (like trying to defeat Diablo and free the land from oppression or something).
Despite all of that, I’d really like to play a little more Mythos…maybe even tonight. Maybe I’ll LFG and see how the multi-player side of things is?
