Zen Bassmasters in a Brave “New World”

New World, Old Gamers

The irony of the name “New World” is that the world it describes is anything but. An ancient, tragic history unfolds before players in Amazon’s new MMO creation.

That is, if you stop leveling and killing other players long enough to notice.

There is a respectable depth to the setting, a deep story told atmospherically in similar fashion to Bethesda’s Fallout series. The story is optional, paper thin in places, in favor of normal MMO tropes such as player vs. player combat on a grand scale and crafting. These have positive qualities in their own right, but at my age the first and most important thing I want out of any encounter is the story of the person or the place. Because, unlike New World’s cursed island, all things are transitory, and we had best learn about while they’re still here to teach us.

As for the core systems it remains to be seen how they’ll hold up over time. By this I don’t the technical, but rather the psychological. PvP and territory control are meant to be key aspects of the game, but there is only so much territory to hold and only so many upgrades to build. It’s not fair to the game to judge how PvP will treat small guilds such as our own or how we can contribute to regional conquest as anything more than worker-gatherers. Most of us are still meandering our way through the world, enjoying it’s sights and sounds. Let the eager bloodthirsty drink at their alter, perhaps they’ll have sated themselves by the time we get there to build what will be the durable future.

Even so, the game successfully invokes the hamster wheel of incremental rewards as players gather, gather, and gather some more. Not that I’m plaining—the gathering and wandering around are some of the most enjoyable elements of the game. The rendered world is beautiful and wild, a place any of would like to see—but not visit. It’s far too feral for that.

Gathering Online

If you played Valheim, you’ll find something to like in New World’s gathering and crafting systems. Gathering is relaxing (except for the kill stealing and competition for key nodes, but this will pass as players spread out or grow up, whichever comes first). Fishing, the honored Zen Bassmasters in-game past-time, seems to hold a special place in the game and story alike. A key story NPC is found near a major fishing hotspot early on, where he’s been meditating with the fish for several lifetimes…

Inventory management and transportation are key elements. The developers have cleverly created an in-game rational for not having any mounts and only limited fast-travel options. Mobility must be planned in advance. Logistics is a thing in the “New World.” While many players chafe at the inconvenience, I rather enjoy having to plan and manage crafting, movement and goals on my own.

Housing, guild settlements—these are works in progress. You can indeed purchase a house early on but perhaps patience will server you well rather than succumbing to the impulse to buy the first, cheapest house you see. A house gives you another spawn point option, which is quite valuable in your mission to gather, craft and build in Gatherer Online.

Give the devs some time—they clearly have some plans in motion to satisfy the builders as well as the fighters.

THe Burning Road Ahead

The launch brought us some unique phenomena as a massive wave of players were all crammed into the same early story loops. The infamous “burning roads” that stretched out from each initial settlement are a testament to unanticipated consequences and I’m sure we’ll see more of the same as the initial wave spreads out somewhat but still hits the end game mechanics like a lead weight dropped from a tall building. Some of the consequences will be amusing, some not so much, but all will pass and the bulk of the game population settles down and starts to actually enjoy themselves.

There’s much to see and look forward to. That’s why I’m not watching any more Twitch streams about this game—I want to discover it in my own way at my own pace. The meal is better if one takes the time to taste the food. I intend to chew thoroughly.

…and do a lot of fishing.

#oldtimegamers #nwmmo