So I've been tooling around in the game since Sunday. I don't get the point. I've picked up random skills, and can make items. But why? Am I missing something?
Ah. The question. The BIG one.
The point is to play. The point is to experience.
Follow whatever path you want. Discover your own way. Find your muse and embrace it.
The point is to interact with others. It is a sandbox alternative to the rest of the MMOs out there.
It is a storytelling platform... wrapped in cute and a sly wit.
Use it to create your own story and stories for others.
Imagination.
The point is the point. The thing is the thing.
It would be hard for me to point to just one example the demonstrates what Glitch is really about but, for me, THIS is my current favorite.
Is it all there to make this game what it can be? No. Not yet. But the ground work is there.
Are you missing something? That is a harder question. The game is not for everyone and me (or anyone) discussing it in flowery terms probably won't change your taste. This is not a lacking in you.
Think of it like an Animal Crossing or Fallout sort of game. There's some goals built into it, but it's up to you to decide what path you want to follow. (And there's even less plot in it than Fallout 3, but the dev-made plot isn't the true focus.)
It is the same reason that men climb mountains... because they are there. The point of Glitch is to have fun and learn and meet new friends.... Play for a few more days before you make a judgment.
Terroni, the devs are working on developing more backstory now, and implementing the Rook attacks and other larger quests that will help flesh out the overall purpose of the world and our reason for being here. There is already some of it here with the tidbits of stories you hear from trees/rocks/animals/etc, and the information given in the tower quest. As it is going, it looks like it will be something that players will have to slowly discover as they play, not something that will be automatically thrown at them at the beginning of the game.
"For a really long time, 11 giants walked around. They thought of funny things until their thinking came alive. And that's what this game is! You're inside their thoughts. Go and make them bigger, and we'll play for a long time!"
Terroni, there are so many non-scripted things to do in this game, maybe if you adjust your approach a bit, you will start seeing the possiblities everywhere (or maybe they have occurred to you but you think as a game pursuit, they would be lame--if that is the case then yeah, this game will get dull pretty fast).
Examples:
--from a friend of mine discussing his week so far in Glitch (this is just part of his week): "I put something over 25,000 worth of gems and the like in a secret location. I also stocked a cave with all things purple (purple, keys, fruit, snow cones, drinks). Also no-no to make it more drug den-y."
If you have too many extra emblems, offer them up for free in Global chat, or just walk around and give them randomly to people. (Did that this morning)
Make a food sculpture in Plexus. If you live in a Heights cave, you can even do one on your cave wall.
Drop a bunch of barnacles into some holes in Baqala, or jellisacs in Wintry Place (these are things greenkozi and I did together)
Organize a progressive party that moves from street to street with a conga line of players, especially if those players are naked (acreditando/arizoo did this the other day)
There is also lots to do in the tree wars, but you will need some tree war vets to tell you more about that. Ditto on auction wars.
One player held a lottery with a pile of his currants. I didn't win, but I am mentioning it anyway. :P
Just some ideas to get you started. The idea, I think, behind these activities is a kind of anti-griefing. It's great to stumble across treasures, or be given something you need by another player with no strings. I still don't have a good word for this, but it's part of the game, no doubt. Shenanigans, I guess, but that doesn't impart the sense of giving that is always part of it.
I thought the same the first time I tried it many moons ago - got bored v quickly. Find myself with some free time at the moment so logged back in a few weeks back and I am HOOKED.
I have done some street projects, levelled up loads between the last few tests and got a heap of achievements. My current thing is that I can now milk butterflies without massaging them first (now there's a statement I never thought I would come out with in my life) so I am milking every little butterfly I see and then randomly giving 80 milk to someone based on whether I like their costume. I also like to drop awesome stews and cocktails about.
I'm still not sure I would be able to argue the point to a non-glitching friend, but I look forward to my Glitch sessions. It makes me feel calm and nice and relaaaaaxed *ommmmm*
I had the same thought when I first played. I thought, "This seems like a nice relaxing game for when there's nothing else to do and I want to putter away a few hours."
My first tip for making this change?
You see your sidebar, with your online friends and chats and stuff? Click on "Global Chat." (Note: Beware of Don Draper. He's a public menace.)
My second thing is--think of all the fun stuff you like to do with your friends in real life, and then do it with new Glitch friends. :) This last week, I went to a wedding, was part of a mass suicide (and then the subsequent party in Hell), started the Association for Clean Minds and Mouths (read: a cover for a smear campaign), organized said smear campaign to drag Don Draper's name through the mud, and littered on the subway.
I know. Some of those things don't really count as "fun things to do in real life".
I also have an Extra Super Special Secret Plan that I will implement next test. It's going to be Cool. Like bowties and fezzes.
All of these people are lying. The point of the game is actually to collect food items from either animals, trees, or crops, and then give them to me. All the rest of the stuff is a distraction.
Lately I haven't been online much because I'm working a lot, so if you have some food items to give me, just send them to me in the mail.
I kind of felt the same way for my first hour or so in-game. The wrapper made me very happy (fun tunes, cool world, funny dialogue) but it just felt like a Zynga game (ie. a timesink). Unlike mainstream MuMORPGers there was no progressive story or exciting to combat to disguise the grind, there was just stuff to do if you felt like it.
Then something clicked.
I can't really explain it but I want to be in Glitch. The leveling up and skills, the little tasks (sometimes menial and grindy), quests and achievements are just part of being in Glitch. Call it "flavor" or "feel" or whatever you like but I've been sucked in and I want more.
From the glitch web site: "As much as anything, Glitch is an experiment in culture building. We provide lots of raw materials and environment, but without you there is no point! Play Glitch and you'll have a chance to shape the world, to form it into wherever your imagination takes you"