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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><itunes:title>Massively Speaking</itunes:title><itunes:author>Joystiq</itunes:author><itunes:image href="%BlogURL%/media/feedlogo.gif" /><itunes:summary>Massively Speaking</itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Games &amp; Hobbies"><itunes:category text="Video Games" /></itunes:category><item><title><![CDATA[Hotfix deployed for EVE Online invisibility exploit]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/exploits/" rel="tag">Exploits</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1308891"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/04/exploitfix-title.jpg"  alt="" /></a></div>
Last week, we brought you the news that <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/">a terrible exploit had made itself known</a> in <a href="http://www.eve-online.com"><em>EVE Online</em></a>. The exploit allegedly involved filtering network traffic for specific packets which told the server to join the local chat channel. As a result, the player would remain hidden in the local channel and could sneak up on unsuspecting victims for an easy kill. <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1304476">Most of the controversy surrounding the exploit</a> hinges on whether or not a certain group of players from Pandemic Legion alliance had been abusing the bug to kill farmers and macros. "The MonkeySphere" and his crew have spent months killing the macro element in nullsec using an unannounced but clearly effective strategy. Suspecting him of cheating, Russian players managed to recreate a set of conditions under which a player would remain hidden from the local channel.<br />
<br />
Although posting the actual exploit details is not permitted on the official <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><em>EVE</em></a> forums, the thread discussing the exploit and The MonkeySphere's alleged involvement has now exceeded 50 pages. Showing a refreshing sense of transparency, CCP opted to keep the thread open while they investigated. Players used the thread to bring forth evidence of the exploit in action and filed bug reports on the issue. On Tuesday, CCP announced that <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1308891">a hotfix for the exploit had been deployed</a> which should prevent the exploit from being used. Meanwhile, debate over The MonkeySphere's involvement with the exploit continue in <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1304476">the original discussion thread</a>.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/">Hotfix deployed for EVE Online invisibility exploit</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1308891>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19458066/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/hotfix-deployed-for-eve-online-invisibility-exploit/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-eve</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>cheat</category><category>cheating</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-ccp</category><category>eve-mmorpg</category><category>eve-online</category><category>exploit</category><category>macro</category><category>macros</category><category>monkeysphere</category><category>pandemic-legion</category><category>the-monkeysphere</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confirmed exploit allows EVE players to sneak up on unsuspecting victims]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/exploits/" rel="tag">Exploits</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1304476"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/04/exploit-title.jpg" /></a></div>
A nasty exploit has raised its ugly head in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><em>EVE Online</em></a> this week, allowing players to prevent themselves from showing up in the local chat channel. Unless you're <a href="http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Wormholes#Wormhole_Environments">in a wormhole system</a>, this channel is meant to show a list of every pilot in the system and must update instantly when a player jumps in. In the deep nullsec regions, the local channel is the primary way a player will know if he's safe or not. If you're alone in the channel, there's nobody else logged on in the system that can attack you. If an enemy fleet rolls by, you'll see a list of names suddenly appearing in the channel and know it's time to get to a safe place. If a pilot were able to somehow hide himself from the local channel, he could sneak up on unsuspecting victims without them knowing he's there.<br />
<br />
Skip past the cut for an investigative look at this unsettling development.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Confirmed exploit allows EVE players to sneak up on unsuspecting victims</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/">Confirmed exploit allows EVE players to sneak up on unsuspecting victims</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1304476>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19450093/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/confirmed-exploit-allows-eve-players-to-sneak-up-on-unsuspecting/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-eve</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-ccp</category><category>eve-mmorpg</category><category>eve-online</category><category>exploit</category><category>featured</category><category>goose-hypocrisy</category><category>lol-internets</category><category>macro</category><category>macros</category><category>pvp</category><category>russian</category><category>the-monkeysphere</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Star Trek Online Advisory Board gets its own FAQ]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-trek-online/" rel="tag">Star Trek Online</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.startrekonline.com"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/04/sto-advisory-epl-407.jpg" /></a></div>
When <a href="http://www.startrekonline.com"><em>Star Trek Online</em></a> announced <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/03/star-trek-online-advisory-council-formed-wailing-and-gnashing-o/">the formation of their Advisory Council for fan input</a>, the response was fairly unhappy, in the same way that the sun's surface is fairly warm. No one, especially the vocal forumgoers, liked the idea of certain fans getting extra input in the game's direction. <a href="http://www.crypticstudios.com/">Cryptic</a> is aware of the negative reaction, and they're doing their best to ameliorate concerns by clarifying the intended purpose of the board. A <a href="http://startrekonline.com/council_faq">list of frequently asked questions</a> has just recently gone live on the official site, no doubt hoping to clear the air and mollify those who felt silenced. <br />
<br />
As the FAQ takes pains to reinforce, the intent was not to replace other forms of player feedback, but to use a different angle to get in touch with fans not active on the forums. The council itself will have methods for removing members seen as advancing a personal agenda over the wishes of others, and there will be methods to add new members based on a variety of factors. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Star-Trek-Online/"><em>Star Trek Online</em></a>'s team does seem to have their heart in the right place, but unpopular decisions can be hard to bounce back from. It remains to be seen how the coommunity will react to <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Cryptic/">Cryptic</a>'s <a href="http://startrekonline.com/council_faq">explanatory olive branch</a>.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/">Star Trek Online Advisory Board gets its own FAQ</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://startrekonline.com/council_faq>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19430199/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/star-trek-online-advisory-board-gets-its-own-faq/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>advisory-council</category><category>backlash</category><category>controversy</category><category>cryptic</category><category>cryptic-star-trek</category><category>cryptic-studios</category><category>faq</category><category>forums</category><category>st-online</category><category>star-trek-mmo</category><category>star-trek-online</category><category>sto</category><category>trek-online</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Even virtual relationships are hot button issues]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/anti-aliased/" rel="tag">Anti-Aliased</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic/" rel="tag">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/anti-aliased"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/04/swtorgay580.jpg" /></a></div>
Before I even begin this column, I need to give a shout out to Interitus. This week's topic was inspired by an e-mail he recently sent me, regarding <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/biowares-old-republic-policy-on-homosexuality-reconsidered/">the ongoing debate</a> on the <a href="http://www.swtor.com"><em>Star Wars: The Old Republic</em></a> forums with their "romance" story arcs. So, thanks Interitus for the idea!<br />
<br />
So, to recap for everyone before we dive into the discussion for the week, here's the deal -- <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a></em> will let you <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=45604">romance your companion NPCs</a> much like <a href="http://masseffect.bioware.com/agegate/?url=/"><em>Mass Effect</em></a>. Using dialogue options, you can form a romantic relationship with your chosen follower. However, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/bioware">BioWare</a> has neglected to state how far this system will extend. All we know is that only you'll be able to see your romance storylines and there won't be any explicit sex. <em>Star Wars</em> is all about understated sexual tension, <a href="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/06/05/sex-in-star-wars-the-old-republic/">AKA Han Solo and Princess Leia</a>.<br />
<br />
So what about romances between two characters of the same-sex, like <em>Mass Effect</em>? Well, we're not too sure about that at the moment. BioWare has said nothing confirming or denying their existence. And, because gay romance is a huge hot button issue, the <em>SWTOR</em> forums are aflame regarding the addition of same-sex romances.<br />
<br />
Should we include same-sex romances? Are they appropriate for the <em>Star Wars</em> universe? Are they appropriate for the target audience? Well come along everyone, and let's discuss.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Anti-Aliased: Even virtual relationships are hot button issues</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/">Anti-Aliased: Even virtual relationships are hot button issues</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19421611/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/anti-aliased-even-virtual-relationships-are-hot-button-issues/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>anti-aliased</category><category>bioware</category><category>bisexual</category><category>children</category><category>content</category><category>gay</category><category>kids</category><category>lesbian</category><category>morals</category><category>ogra</category><category>opinion</category><category>opposite-gender-romance-arcs</category><category>optional-content</category><category>romance</category><category>romance-arcs</category><category>same-gender-romance-arcs</category><category>sgra</category><category>star-wars</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>star-wars-tor</category><category>swtor</category><category>tor</category><category>transgendered</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[PAX East 2010: Community manager panel]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/03/photo.jpg" /></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/04/making-it-as-an-mmo-blogger-an-interview-with-top-community-man/">Community managers</a> are the very definition of a paradox. They're some of the most public faces of the game, yet their role is often least understood. They serve many masters -- developers, players, marketing, press -- and are beholden to all of them at once. They're often on the blunt end of unrestrained love and unfathomable anger. No matter what they are, one thing is for sure: their job rocks.<br />
<br />
At least, according to a CM panel at <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/pax-east-2010/">PAX East</a> entitled "Community Managers: More than Forum Monkeys." In it, five CMs from various studios shared just what goes on with their job, what limits they deal with, and what are the highs and lows of working in the public limelight 24/7. <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/mrodberg">Meghan Rodberg</a> (<a href="http://www.turbine.com/">Turbine</a>), Aaron Trites (<a href="http://www.harmonixmusic.com/">Harmonix</a>), <a href="http://www.fragdolls.com/index.php/profile/category/rhoulette/">Morgan Romine</a> (<a href="http://dev.fragdolls.com/">Frag Dolls</a>), <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessfolsom">Jess Folsom</a> (<a href="http://www.bioware.com/">Bioware Austin</a>) and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/brasse">Linda Carlson</a> (<a href="http://www.station.sony.com/">Sony Online Entertainment</a>) spent a candid hour with an audience pulling back some of the mystique and misconceptions of their positions as supposed monkey tamers.<br />
<br />
Hit the jump to read about the inner workings of these fabulous five community managers.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>PAX East 2010: Community manager panel</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/">PAX East 2010: Community manager panel</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19417351/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/pax-east-2010-community-manager-panel/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aaron-trites</category><category>bioware</category><category>bioware-austin</category><category>cms</category><category>community-manager</category><category>facebook</category><category>featured</category><category>frag-dolls</category><category>harmonix</category><category>jess-folsom</category><category>linda-carlson</category><category>meghan-rodberg</category><category>morgan-romine</category><category>pax-east</category><category>pax-east-2010</category><category>shadowbane</category><category>soe</category><category>sony-online-entertainment</category><category>turbine</category><category>twitter</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wasteland Diaries: The great respec debate]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fallen-earth/" rel="tag">Fallen Earth</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/wasteland-diaries/" rel="tag">Wasteland Diaries</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fallen-earth"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/02/ferespecwd-sms-0210-1267115549.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
To respec or not to respec, that is the question. Having the ability to refund your Advancement Points (AP) to rebuild your character is something that's available in many MMOs, so most players have come to expect it. When that option is not available, it tends to become a focus on game design theory and certain levels of "hardcore".<br />
<br />
The truth is, the folks developing <a href="http://www.fallenearth.com"><em>Fallen Earth</em></a> have already decided what they're going to do about refunding AP, as they've always said the option would eventually become available. Right now, we're in a sit-and-wait period to see how well their implementation will be received by players and how it will balance with the current state of the game.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Wasteland Diaries: The great respec debate</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/">Wasteland Diaries: The great respec debate</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19373200/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/wasteland-diaries-the-great-respec-debate/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ap</category><category>fallen-earth</category><category>featured</category><category>forums</category><category>opinion</category><category>respec</category><category>wasteland-diaries</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lore/" rel="tag">Lore</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/a-mild-mannered-reporter/" rel="tag">A Mild-Mannered Reporter</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fienemannroad.wordpress.com/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/02/coh-mmr-community-epl-207.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
In a city marked by constant alien invasions, assaults from an island controlled by a sadistic villain, rampant street crime, and various technological and magical disasters, there's always something to talk about. There's usually more than a few things for players to talk about on top of that, which certainly helps keep our interest in <a href="http://www.cityofheroes.com"><em>City of Heroes</em></a> even when we're not right in the thick of things.<br />
<br />
After all, whatever else you might say about the game and its flaws -- it's <em>fun</em>. It gives you a fun ride of being a superhero or supervillain. If you can't enjoy a conversation about that, really, you're just plain getting jaded.<br />
<br />
Naturally, having discussions about nothing more than "it's fun" would get a little old, but that's certainly not all of the discussions about the game. Just about half. Today, we're taking a look at some of the other half, spotlighting some of the most interesting, though-provoking, or just plain funny discussions and threads coming out of the <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/City-of-Heroes/">City of Heroes</a></em> community.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/">A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19348078/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>city-of-heroes</category><category>city-of-heroes-going-rogue</category><category>city-of-villains</category><category>coh</category><category>coh-issue-17</category><category>community-spotlight</category><category>comparisons</category><category>cov</category><category>cox</category><category>featured</category><category>going-rogue</category><category>grammar</category><category>issue-17</category><category>number-crunching</category><category>numbers</category><category>paragon</category><category>paragon-coh</category><category>paragon-studioes</category><category>patches</category><category>sequel</category><category>sequels</category><category>spelling</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Community questions and answers]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online/" rel="tag">Lord of the Rings Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-road-to-mordor/" rel="tag">The Road to Mordor</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/01/som-rb-114.jpg" /></div>
<em>Every Friday, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-road-to-mordor/">The Road to Mordor</a> brings you the latest in <a href="http://www.lotro.com/">Lord of the Rings Online</a> news, guides and analysis.</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lotro.com"><em>Lord of the Ring Online's</em></a> Volume III, Book 1 patch is still humming along on the test server. New dev diaries have rolled out going over <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/lord-of-the-rings-online-talks-about-skill-upgrades-for-volume-iii/">the new class skills</a> (which are really just updated old class skills) and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/be-crafty-with-ease-in-lord-of-the-rings-online-volume-iii/">new crafting changes</a> (mostly for farmers, cooks and jewelery crafters.) Duo skirmishes and the new epic quest line is being tested as well as the new solo mechanic for the 6-man encounters in the Volume I epic line. But that's not what today's column is about.<br />
<br />
Instead, I'm taking a look at the questions players are asking on <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online/">LotRO</a> </em>forums. Join me for a look into the ramifications of the Lone-lands revamp, leveling characters solely on Skirmishes, farming marks the fastest way possible and the best way to get Legendary fragments for crafting. Plus, a quick look at the latest fan created content.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Road to Mordor: Community questions and answers</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/">The Road to Mordor: Community questions and answers</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19364897/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/the-road-to-mordor-community-questions-and-answers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>legendary-fragments</category><category>legendary-items</category><category>lone-land-revamp</category><category>lotro</category><category>skirmish-rewards</category><category>soldier-cosmetics</category><category>turbine</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dan O'Halloran]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Mog Log: A spotlight on our webwide community]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/final-fantasy-xi/" rel="tag">Final Fantasy XI</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/final-fantasy-xiv/" rel="tag">Final Fantasy XIV</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-mog-log/" rel="tag">The Mog Log</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fienemannroad.wordpress.com/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/02/ffxi-moglog-community-epl-203.jpg" /></a></div>
We're generally a fairly verbose and chatty bunch on <a href="http://www.playonline.com"><em>Final Fantasy XI</em></a>, with a strong sense of community. Whether this has been helped or harmed by the difficulty of getting any official word from <a href="http://www.square-enix.com/na/">Square-Enix</a> is a debate topic for another time -- what's indisputable is the sense that the game's players are one big family, if not always a happy one. (It's hard to be happy when cousin Ike has had a few Yagudo Drinks too many and starts talking about how much he hates Scholars.)<br />
<br />
On the other hand, <a href="http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com"><em>Final Fantasy XIV</em></a> isn't even yet in beta, but there's already a community forming around it, as is frequently the case for new games in the series. It's attracting several people who have either been burned by <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Final-Fantasy-XI/">Final Fantasy XI</a></em> or are still fans but look forward to some new gameplay, not to mention MMO gamers hoping for something new and exciting. So let's take a look at some of the more interesting, provocative, or just plain noteworthy community threads and discussions that have been happening recently.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Mog Log: A spotlight on our webwide community</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/">The Mog Log: A spotlight on our webwide community</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19342406/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-mog-log-a-spotlight-on-our-webwide-community/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>articles</category><category>blogs</category><category>community</category><category>community-spotlight</category><category>featured</category><category>ff14</category><category>ffxi</category><category>ffxiv</category><category>final-fantasy</category><category>final-fantasy-11</category><category>final-fantasy-14</category><category>final-fantasy-xi</category><category>final-fantasy-xiv</category><category>forums</category><category>square</category><category>square-enix</category><category>the-mog-log</category><category>xbox-360</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Second Life official forums to be replaced Tuesday]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/second-life/" rel="tag">Second Life</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/virtual-worlds/" rel="tag">Virtual worlds</a></p><p><a style="" href="http://dwellonit-comic.taterunino.net/archive/1"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/02/tan-what-forums.jpg" alt="" /></a><a href="http://massively.com/tag/linden-lab">Linden Lab</a> is in the throes of closing the official <a href="http://secondlife.com/"><em>Second Life</em></a> <a href="http://forums.secondlife.com/">forums</a> and is <a href="https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2010/02/01/upgrading-the-forums">creating alternative discussion spaces</a> in its Clearspace <a href="https://blogs.secondlife.com/index.jspa">blog/forum hybrid</a>.</p>
<p>According to previous figures from Linden Lab staff, fewer than 700 of 18.1 million registered <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/second-life"><em>Second Life</em></a> </em>accounts ever participated in the official forums provided by the Lab. The partial closure of many of the most heavily trafficked areas of those forums when Lab announcements were migrated back out to the blog in 2006 did little to boost participation in the official forums.<br />
<br />
The official vbulletin-based forums "did not scale" according to Linden Lab and were difficult to maintain, even for such modest usage levels as they experienced.</p><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Second Life official forums to be replaced Tuesday</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/">Second Life official forums to be replaced Tuesday</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2010/02/01/upgrading-the-forums>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19347969/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/07/second-life-official-forums-to-be-replaced-tuesday/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>clearspace</category><category>culture</category><category>forums</category><category>opinion</category><category>second-life</category><category>second-life-forum</category><category>vbulletin-board</category><category>virtual-worlds</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Tateru Nino]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Massively proclaims victory and rage over all citizens of Norrath!]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest-ii/" rel="tag">EverQuest II</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/contests/" rel="tag">Contests</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a></p><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=467988"><img border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/01/eq2puzzletitle580.jpg" /></a></div>
See, this is what happens <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-tattered-notebook">when we let Seccia write titles for us</a>. Ughs... sorry about that readers. We don't proclaim any victory, nor do we have any rage towards the citizens of Norrath or <em><a href="http://www.everquest2.com">EverQuest II</a></em>. We are, as always, unbiased in our viewpoints... unlike some new Dark Elven interns.<br />
<br />
However, Seccia has noted that <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=467988">we've received a package today</a> from a member of her elven bretheren, a certain community management elf <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/user/profile.m?user_id=321371">by the name of Kiara</a>. Enclosed were two pieces of a shattered tablet, one named "Victory" while the other was entitled "Rage." We're not sure what this whole thing will form once it's put together, but we do know that other fansites have more pieces of the tablet. (Oh, <a href="http://twitter.com/Kiara_EQ2/status/8247953055">Dark Elves and their puzzles</a>.)<br />
<br />
We've put the pictures of victory and rage after the break, so good luck with assembling the tablet and we can't wait to see what it reveals!<br type="_moz" /><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Massively proclaims victory and rage over all citizens of Norrath!</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/">Massively proclaims victory and rage over all citizens of Norrath!</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19332636/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/massively-proclaims-victory-and-rage-over-all-citizens-of-norrat/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>eq-2</category><category>eq-ii</category><category>eq2</category><category>eqii</category><category>everquest-2</category><category>featured</category><category>mini-game</category><category>puzzle</category><category>sentinels-fate</category><category>soe</category><category>sony-online-entertainment</category><category>tablet</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[When crafting community, little goes a long way]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/grouping/" rel="tag">Grouping</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/asherons-call"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/01/ac2-community-epl-121.jpg" /></a></div>
Yes, that looks like a typo in the subject line and it ought to be "a little goes a long way." It isn't. Little itself goes a long way in making a community, as discussed in <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/2010/01/community-friendliness-size-matters/">this recent post</a> by <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/">Eric Heimburg</a>. Speaking from his experiences both on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Asherons-Call-2/"><em>Asheron's Call 2</em></a> as a producer and <a href="http://www.aiononline.com"><em>Aion</em></a> as a player, his core contention is that smaller communities decrease anonymity and make politeness far more common for interactions among strangers. <br />
<br />
One of the core reasons behind this is the question of reliance. The community of group-based games tends to be stonger than that of games where you can be almost wholly independent, since you rely upon others to work with you. By way of contrast, examine some of the behavior found in <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com"><em>World of Warcraft</em></a>'s random dungeon tool, where you find yourself working with people whom you're statistically unlikely to ever see again.<br />
<br />
One of the laments about solo-friendly games is the death of community, and while that's not altogether true, <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/2010/01/community-friendliness-size-matters/">Heimburg's post</a> certainly makes a number of compelling points. Well worth examining if you're interested in building a community or just in the ways groups develop.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/">When crafting community, little goes a long way</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19324341/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/21/when-crafting-community-little-goes-a-long-way/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ac</category><category>ac2</category><category>aion</category><category>anonymity</category><category>asherons-call</category><category>asherons-call-2</category><category>blizzard</category><category>community</category><category>community-building</category><category>elder-game</category><category>eric-heimburg</category><category>manners</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>politeness</category><category>turbine</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><category>wow</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[What happened to Gatheryn?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/rumors/" rel="tag">Rumors</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/gatheryn/" rel="tag">Gatheryn</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/01/gatheryndeath.jpg" style="width: 458px; height: 261px;" /></a></div>
We've recently received a tip-off to a lack of communication from the developers of the social steampunk MMO, <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com"><em>Gatheryn</em></a>, in recent months, signaling what could be the collapse of the game.<br />
<br />
The website is still up and running, but the closed beta signup page has vanished, the <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com/download.html">download game link is broken</a>, and the game's servers are down for the count. Players are asking for assistance or information on what's going on with the game on <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com/bridge/">the beta forums</a>, but things are very, very silent.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com/bridge/index.php?f=7&amp;t=362&amp;rb_v=viewtopic">current forum rumor</a> (must have forum access to read link) is that <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/mindfuse-games">Mindfuse Games</a> has run out of funding and is shutting down the game, but that rumor has been posted by <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com/bridge/index.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2115&amp;rb_v=memberlist">a forum account</a> that only has one post and does not possess a developer tag, making the rumor extremely unverified.<br />
<br />
We have contacted Mindfuse Games for comment, but have yet to receive a response.<br />
<br />
[Thanks for the tip, Torsten!]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/">What happened to Gatheryn?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19305763/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/rumor-the-steampunk-mmo-gatheryn-is-dead/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>beta-forums</category><category>breaking</category><category>closed-beta</category><category>forums</category><category>gatheryn</category><category>isa-anne-stamos</category><category>mindfuse-games</category><category>mini-games</category><category>no-communication</category><category>rumor</category><category>server-downtime</category><category>steampunk</category><category>sunset</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/exploits/" rel="tag">Exploits</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/professions/" rel="tag">Professions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/making-money/" rel="tag">Making money</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/" rel="tag">EVE Evolved</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/fw-title.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
When faction warfare went live with <a href="http://www.eve-online.com"><em>EVE Online</em></a>'s <em>Empyrean Age</em> expansion back in the summer of 2008, It was a magnificent success. It was intended as a way for newer players to get into PvP and as a stepping stone from the safe haven of empire to full-on sovereignty warfare. It wasn't long before <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVU-lUSG1gk">large fleets were duking it out in low security space</a> and for a time, it was great. Eventually, problems began to come to light that demanded developer attention. Capturing exploits and a lack of rewards were causing players to leave the war and after a year with no development, faction warfare was looking abandoned.<br />
<br />
Rewards were eventually implemented in an attempt to revitalise the ageing faction warfare system and promote PvP. With the Dominion expansion came the most anticipated of those rewards - new tier 1 navy battleships available only from the faction warfare loyalty point store. Since the announcement that they were coming, mission-runners have been farming faction warfare missions like crazy for loyalty points. The promise of unique rewards from the missions was intended to revitalise the game and give pilots something to fight over. But did the rewards really improve faction warfare and promote PvP or was it a huge mistake?<br />
<br />
In this three page expos&eacute;, I run down the history of faction warfare missions, from the development mistakes to the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><em>EVE</em></a> corp that made almost enough ISK to build a titan. Did the mission buff revitalise faction warfare or did it put the final nail in its coffin? And just how did mission-runners make billions of ISK?<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/">EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19267105/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/eve-evolved-the-faction-warfare-mission-debacle/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>amarr</category><category>armageddon</category><category>caldari</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>Dominion</category><category>dominix</category><category>empyrean-age</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-evolved</category><category>eve-online</category><category>expansion</category><category>exploit</category><category>expose</category><category>exposed</category><category>faction</category><category>factional-warfare</category><category>featured</category><category>fleet</category><category>gallente</category><category>gang</category><category>minmatar</category><category>navy</category><category>pvp</category><category>scorpion</category><category>strategy</category><category>typhoon</category><category>warfare</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aion's first Eye On Community for December]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion/" rel="tag">Aion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=169&amp;page="><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/aion-rb-126.jpg" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://na.aiononline.com/"><em>Aion</em></a> team had plenty to say in the latest <a href="http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=169&amp;page=">Eye on Community</a> segment, released on Friday.<br />
<br />
The question of the week, unsurprisingly, centered around the nine-minute "<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/ncsoft-reveals-visions-of-the-future-for-aion/"><em>Visions of the Future</em></a>" trailer released recently. Fans have had a million questions, mostly different versions of "What is this, and when will I get to play it?" Since it's a work in progress, specific answers are unfortunately few. <em>"Some of the features highlighted in the trailer are further along in the development process than others. Because of this, we aren't ready to share or speculate on timeframes."</em><br />
<br />
While it was exciting, the trailer wasn't the only recent news. The <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion"><em>Aion</em></a> team returned from <a href="http://www.dreamhack.se/splash/index.html">DreamHack</a> with <a href="http://uk.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=292&amp;page=">photos and stories galore</a> last Monday, the same day that they banned 26,000+ bot accounts. It looks like they<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/see-an-aion-gm-in-action-blowing-up-spammers/"> had a bit of fun</a> with the bot accounts, to which we say "more power to you!" <br />
<br />
The <em>Aion</em> community was active recently too, creating quite a few things that are worth looking into if you're an Aion player. The full Eye on Community entry <a href="http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=169&amp;page=">can be read here</a>.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/">Aion's first Eye On Community for December</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=169&amp;page=>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19267109/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/06/aions-first-eye-on-community-for-december/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aion</category><category>aion-the-tower-of-eternity</category><category>bot</category><category>botting</category><category>dreamhack</category><category>eye-on-community</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>visions-of-the-future</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rubi Bayer]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Trading: Advanced trading]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guides/" rel="tag">Guides</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/professions/" rel="tag">Professions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/making-money/" rel="tag">Making money</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/tips-and-tricks/" rel="tag">Tips and tricks</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/" rel="tag">EVE Evolved</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/11/advtrade-title.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/eve-evolved-trading-the-basics/"> In the first part of this guide I covered the basics</a> of trading in <a href="http://www.eve-online.com"><em>EVE Online</em></a> and some of the jobs best suited to newer players. There's a lot more to trading than buying low and selling high and in this week's installment, I'll cover some of the more <a href="http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Advanced_trading">advanced trading</a> and marketeering tactics that have proven themselves effective in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><em>EVE</em></a>. From margin trading on the market to making a living off the contracts page, anyone with enough dedication can learn to rake in hundreds of millions of ISK per day without even leaving the station. For the gamblers and risk-takers among you, market speculation and price manipulation can produce incredible short-term profit but with significant risks attached.<br />
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In this second part of my concise guide on trading, I look at margin trading on the market, playing the contract pages, market speculation around patches and the dirty art of market manipulation.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EVE Evolved: Trading: Advanced trading</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/">EVE Evolved: Trading: Advanced trading</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19249275/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/eve-evolved-trading-advanced-trading/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>buying</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>contracts</category><category>Dominion</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-evolved</category><category>eve-online</category><category>expansion</category><category>featured</category><category>guide</category><category>hauling</category><category>isk</category><category>manipulation</category><category>margin</category><category>market</category><category>professions</category><category>profit</category><category>pve</category><category>pvp</category><category>selling</category><category>speculation</category><category>tips</category><category>tips-and-tricks</category><category>trading</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Developer communication as it affects games]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion/" rel="tag">Aion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/academic/" rel="tag">Academic</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/champions-online/" rel="tag">Champions Online</a></p><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nile_River_and_delta_from_orbit.jpg"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/11/blogs-denile-epl-1114.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br />
Developer chats aren't only important when it comes to what players know about the game -- they're also important in how the players approach the game.  That's one of the more interesting conclusions to be taken away from <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/index.php">Elder Game</a>'s latest discussion regarding <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/2009/11/two-kinds-of-developer-relations/">the interactions between developers and community</a>.  As <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Eric-Heimburg/">Eric Heimburg</a> points out, developers and community teams have two main approaches to dealing with their players, both of which affect the attitude of players and their perception of the game as a whole.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.aiononline.com"><em>Aion</em></a> is his choice of examples for the first type of communication, in which the development team is essentially totally silent.  The attitude is either complete silence, or denying that a bug is actually a bug.  On the flip side, <a href="http://www.champions-online.com"><em>Champions Online</em></a> embraces an open style of communication in which the developers loudly talk about bugs, system problems, and so on.  Heimburg goes on to point out the positives and negatives of both sides -- <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Aion/">Aion</a></em>, for instance, creates an impression that things are working as intended even when they aren't.  That works well until it becomes absolutely transparent that something is wrong, at which point the credibility is lost.  <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Champions-Online/">Champions Online</a></em> has a much more prevalent sense that the players should work with the developers and give them slack, but that only extends so far.  It's an interesting look at a complicated issue, and worthy of an <a href="http://www.eldergame.com/2009/11/two-kinds-of-developer-relations/">in-depth reading</a>.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/">Developer communication as it affects games</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eldergame.com/2009/11/two-kinds-of-developer-relations/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19239737/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/15/developer-communication-as-it-affects-games/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aion</category><category>champions-online</category><category>co</category><category>community</category><category>community-relations</category><category>developer</category><category>developers</category><category>discussion</category><category>elder-game</category><category>eric-heimburg</category><category>forums</category><category>opinion</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Dominion be damned]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/at-a-glance/" rel="tag">At a glance</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/endgame/" rel="tag">Endgame</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/" rel="tag">EVE Evolved</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-evolved/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/11/domi-title.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
At the last <a href="http://www.eve-online.com"><span style="font-style: italic;">EVE Online</span></a> fanfest, it was announced that the <em>Dominion</em> expansion is slated for December 1st to coincide with Iceland's Sovereignty day. With less than a month to go until launch, there has been growing concern at the extreme lack of information on the new sovereignty mechanics at the expansion's core. There have been a few scheduled tests and several devblogs but few factual details on the mechanics we'll be using once the expansion goes live. I've even been on the test server and tried the new mechanics out but they're far from finished. <br /><br />The worry was that if the specific details weren't revealed as soon as possible, it might end up being too late to make necessary changes based on player feedback. On Friday 6th, <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&amp;bid=711">a devblog was finally released</a> explaining the cost breakdowns in the new sovereignty system and what bonuses will be given for the various system upgrades. Rather than allaying people's fears, the devblog <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&amp;threadID=1210267">set the forums on fire</a>. An intense debate has sprung up, with massive outcry from those that live in 0.0. Their concerns may well be warranted as the proposed mechanics don't quite match up with <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/09/breaking-the-chains-of-sovereignty-in-eve-onlines-dominion-expa/">the original vision of the <em>Dominion</em> expansion</a> that the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/"><span style="font-style: italic;">EVE</span></a> community has shown support for thus far.<br /><br />Has <em>Dominion</em> veered off course and is time running out to get it back on track? In this opinion piece, I run down the new devblog and give an inside view into parts of the heated debate it sparked off.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EVE Evolved: Dominion be damned</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/">EVE Evolved: Dominion be damned</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19224006/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/08/eve-evolved-dominion-be-damned/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>0.0</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>devblog</category><category>dominion</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-evolved</category><category>eve-online</category><category>featured</category><category>forums</category><category>nullsec</category><category>opinion</category><category>pvp</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Earthrise crafting process explored further]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/crafting/" rel="tag">Crafting</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/earthrise/" rel="tag">Earthrise</a></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/earthrise"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/10/earthisecraftingcombines580.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.play-earthrise.com"><em>Earthrise</em></a> developers <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/masthead-studios">Masthead Studios</a> revealed more about the title's in-depth crafting system in the latest <a href="http://forums.play-earthrise.com/index.php?board=18.0">Question of the Week</a> on the official game site. One of the game's strengths is its degree of item customization. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/earthrise"><em>Earthrise</em></a> fans have wanted to know how they'll actually be able to customize items or manipulate the crafting process for better results, and Masthead provided some of the answers this week. <br /><br />They've stated that the game will allow crafters to combine resources in various ways, creating new synthetic materials that can positively influence the outcome of the manufacturing process. If you've been following along with the <a href="http://www.mastheadstudios.com">Masthead Studios</a> announcements about crafting in <em>Earthrise</em>, you'll want to see "<a href="http://forums.play-earthrise.com/index.php?topic=5242.0">Crafting: Product Manipulation, Combines</a>" for more on how the system will work.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/">Earthrise crafting process explored further</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://forums.play-earthrise.com/index.php?topic=5242.0>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19209829/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/earthrise-crafting-process-explored-further/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>crafters</category><category>crafting</category><category>earthrise</category><category>forums</category><category>game-mechanics</category><category>mass-production</category><category>masthead-studios</category><category>new-titles</category><category>post-apocalyptic</category><category>qotw</category><category>sci-fi</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Egan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spread the word on Heroes of Bestia to play]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/launches/" rel="tag">Launches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a></p><p><a href="http://forum.hob.igg.com/index.php"><img  hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/10/hob-betaspam-epl-1022.jpg" align="top" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.igg.com">IGG Inc.</a>, source of several free-to-play games, is gearing up for the alpha test of its upcoming browser-based RTS/RPG game <em><a href="http://forum.hob.igg.com/index.php">Heroes of Bestia</a></em>, and it's giving fans a chance to take part in the alpha.  Certainly sounds exciting... but that reaction might cool a bit when it becomes clear that in order to get in on said alpha test, they want you to <a href="http://forum.hob.igg.com/viewthread.php?tid=51&amp;extra=page%3D1">spam forums</a>.  The alpha test officially begins on October 26th, and in order to receive a pass into the game, <em>"all you have to do is simply post a thread in another forum (except the IGG forums)."  </em>Make three posts, and you get your access.</p>
<p>To be fair, the offer specifically states that any posts violating the rules of the forum in question will be grounds for immediate disqualification, but this is still something of a dodgy advertising tactic.  It's not <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/19/cryptic-used-ncsoft-forums-for-beta-recruiting-not-really-sorry/">exactly without precedent</a>, however, and judging the entire game on those merits would be rather unfair, wouldn't it?  Take a look at the <a href="http://forum.hob.igg.com/index.php">official forums</a>, and if it looks interesting, you still have some time to be eligible for your slot in the <a href="http://forum.hob.igg.com/index.php">upcoming alpha test</a>.</p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/">Spread the word on Heroes of Bestia to play</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19206542/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/spread-the-word-on-heroes-of-bestia-to-play/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>alpha</category><category>events</category><category>forums</category><category>heroes-of-bestia</category><category>hob</category><category>igg</category><category>promotion</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
