MMO Industry

As part of its in-progress Kickstarter campaign, Face of Mankind is planning for funding beyond its original $50k goal. One of the stretch goals -- at $250k -- is to build an entirely new game engine with brand new art assets. And to help show off what we could expect with that new engine, Nexeon Technologies has released a tech demo video.

The video spotlights an interesting marriage of futuristic sci-fi structures with natural environments, without allowing one style to overcome the other. It also shows the night and day cycles, where Creative Director Marko Dieckmann explains that the contrast between the two will be much more significant than most other MMOs, allowing darkness to provide an "interesting strategy to combat."

With 23 days to go in the Kickstarter campaign, the company is currently at around the halfway mark for their 30-day goal, so we'll be watching this stretch goal with particular interest.

[Thanks to everyone who tipped us on this!]

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According to respected Korean news source ThisIsGame, Bluehole Studio is looking to add more people to its team for either a sequel to TERA or a whole new MMO entirely.

Some are saying that this will, indeed, be a sequel to TERA, but this has yet to be confirmed by Bluehole, hence the rumor tag. The studio is currently hiring for several positions, including server programmers, UI designers, artists, and more.

[Thanks to everyone who tipped us on this!]

If you love to hate on browser-based MMOs and feel as though their time has passed, China might like to have a word or two with you. Sales of browser-based titles in the country have risen substantially in the past two years, increasing 46% in 2011 and 35% in 2012 according to a Taiwanese games company president, whereas client-based MMOs only made a 13% increase in growth in 2012.

XPEC's Aaron Hsu said that the figures showed that browser games are far from finished in the region: "I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but the browser game market in mainland China is just booming. It's just like the MMORPG market in 2003, for China. I feel like the Chinese developers have created a new business model for browser games there."

Due to the success of several lucrative browser games, Chinese developers are actively pursuing the browser -- not mobile -- platform. Hsu recommended that Western developers should concentrate on finding a Chinese publisher or partner to help ease into this different market instead of trying to break in solo.

June 4th is coming up fast, and with it EVE Online's new Odyssey expansion. The content drop will feature improved explorer pursuits, with particular emphasis on removing the "'sit and wait' aspect of exploration gameplay" in favor of "something interesting to do."

In the case of today's dev blog, the interesting thing to do is hacking, and CCP says that it drew inspiration from roguelikes for the new minigame's "procedurally generated levels, turn-based combat, and permadeath." You can read all about it on the official EVE Online website.

So, warp cores. Warp cores are a thing in Star Trek, but up until very recently they haven't been much of a thing in Star Trek Online. The upcoming Legacy of Romulus expansion will change that by adding cores to every ship in the game, according to the latest STO dev blog.

Systems designer Jeff "AdjudicatorHawk" Hamilton pens the diary, and in it he talks about Cryptic's desire to alter the feel of STO's space combat ever so slightly while simultaneously providing captains with new tools for both exploration and conquest. If you're fond of space combat the way it is, though, don't worry. Hamilton says that the new warp core mechanics can be "largely ignored at little cost" if you prefer.

Either way, you'll probably want to read up on all the little details at the STO website.

I've got MMO music on the brain today, and with apologies to our dedicated music column, I'm going to devote this episode of Leaderboard to some of my favorite massively multiplayer composers. If you're not already aware, video game music has ceased to be cheesy, synth-dominated midi riffs and now sounds as good, if not better, than many of the orchestral marches composed for epic films and television.

With all that said, let's keep it simple. Who's your favorite MMO music composer? Vote after the cut!

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Last year, SOE threw a new ingredient into its convention mix -- player panels. The result was such a hit that the studio is not only bringing them back this year, but extending their availability; Sunday has been added to the player panels schedule, and that means there are plenty of openings!

Do you have a subject involving any SOE game that you think would be of interest and benefit others? Maybe you are a whiz at livesteaming or you have primo tips and tricks on cosplay to dispense. What about sharing your fan site or holding a raid clinic? Whatever your idea, submit your proposal by 3:00 a.m EDT June 1st for consideration. If selected, you and up to three other panel members will receive All Access passes to SOE Live 2013 (no other expenses are covered, including food, travel, or add-ons). Panel selection -- which is not on a first-come, first-served basis -- will be completed mid-June.

A couple weeks ago we introduced you to an aspiring sandbox game with a focus on exploring and building that hit Kickstarter. Titled The Untitled Game (a.k.a. TUG), the open-world venue plans on using technology and social sciences to directly involve players in the design. And after listening to community feedback, developer Nerd Kingdom has introduced three new reward tiers for backers as well as a video that spotlights design features such as crafting, companions, and more.

The new tiers offer digital beta or alpha access as well as in-game extras like tattoos on your character and a baby sabre tiger companion. Prices range from $30 to $65. Folks can also get gift packs to share that give bonus copies of the game in addition to the personal copy. Check out all the details on the latest update post. And be sure to watch the design video after the break.

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You know what sucks? Hearing a cool piece of game music and having no idea what it's called or where to hear it again, that's what. I mean, it sucks in a first-world-problems sort of way, but still.

It happened to me over the weekend as I was playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. My Imperial Agent was toodling along, doing the nefarious things that Imperial Agents do, when the most dastardly fanfare I've heard this side of the Imperial March came blaring out of my speakers.

It was glorious.

Naturally, I haven't heard the phantom track since, even after much fumbling about trying to recreate the in-game circumstances during which it originally played. I even turned to the soundtrack CD that came with the collector's edition that's been gathering dust in my closet since 2011. It wasn't on there, of course, since soundtrack producers have some unwritten rule about leaving off half the soundtrack (and jumbling the tracks they deign to include) when they make an album. I've also been unable to find the track on YouTube's extensive SWTOR soundtrack playlists.

So, what say you, Massively readers? Has a piece of game music ever derailed a play session? Which one?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

A few weeks ago, the EVE Online community went nuts for EVR, CCP's exciting new virtual reality dogfighter developed for the upcoming Oculus Rift gaming headset. The game demo was produced by a team of just a handful of developers in just seven weeks using nothing but their spare time, but attendees and press at EVE Fanfest 2013 were nevertheless blown away during test sessions. Though EVR isn't going to be integrated with the EVE universe, Senior Producer Andie Nordgren stated in her Keynote address that CCP will be looking into more immersive flight and combat mechanics for some the game's ships. This comment has sparked a lot of discussion over the possibility of finally getting some direct flight controls in EVE.

The lack of direct twitch-based controls in EVE is often cited by gamers as a big part of the reason they can't get into the game. There's no active dodging of missiles, manual ship targeting, or really complex tactical maneuvers in EVE, but that's kind of the point. Most ships in EVE are colossal lumbering hulks more akin to today's seafaring battleships than fighter planes, and combat with them is more a game of strategy and teamwork than a battle of reaction speeds. But that isn't exactly true of all ships; interceptors and fast microwarpdrive frigates move at several kilometres per second and are so agile that pilots can already pull off some interesting tactical maneuvers. So isn't it about time we made the combat for those ships a bit more visceral and immersive?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the fast-paced world of interceptors and explore how twitch controls and weapon aiming could possibly be implemented without killing the server.

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A recent earnings report suggests that NCsoft's sales have slipped from Q4 2012 to Q1 2013, although the studio is quick to point out that the showing was "solid" particularly when compared to sales from a year ago. While sales were down 35% and net income was down 49% from the last quarter, sales were up 31% and net income was up 322% year-over-year.

Guild Wars 2 accounted for 21% of sales in the first quarter, in addition to Blade and Soul's 9%, Aion's 16%, and the usual Lineage cavalcade (Lineage 1 represented 38% of sales alone with its subscriptions).

While 64% of NCsoft's sales were in Korea, only 13% were in North America and 8% in Europe. The decrease in NA and EU contributions was due to "the reduction in Guild Wars 2 package sales," according to the report. All of NCsoft's subsidiaries posted drops in sales from last quarter except for NC Taiwan.

[Update: Also of note in the earnings call is the news that NCsoft's Nah Seong Chan says the company is "preparing an expansion pack" but has yet to decide when it might launch. Very interesting news indeed as ArenaNet said as recently as March that it was not working on an expansion. Thanks to Mike and Robert for the tips!]

Snail Games may be best known for Age of Wushu, but that may change later this year as the company's Black Gold Online makes it way west. The steampunk fantasy title recently received a website update and a feature listing in its native China, and MMO Culture has translated the details.

Those details include 300 square kilometers of explorable landmass, two factions, six races, and 18 classes. The game will also feature dynamic events of some sort, as well as faction wars and cross-server PvP.

Action combat is on the menu, too, as are a variety of mounts including "mecha suits," anti-air tanks, flying dragons, and more. We've embedded a six-minute gameplay trailer from late last year just past the break.

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It's like they know me! You'd think with all the bag functionalities that SOE has introduced to EverQuest II this year that the devs have watched my livestreams and taken pity on me and my storage predicament. And it didn't stop with just one new addition; even after one set of sorting capabilities was released, another set came along. With all these new organizational tools, there is a chance even I might actually find something in my oft-overstuffed bags. (Clean bags, however, is another matter entirely and not likely to be resolved!)

Now bag sorting in and of itself really doesn't sound like a big deal, the kind complete with flashing lights and a ticker-tape parade. It's not. In fact, it's pretty much a little thing... well, except for micro-managers and packrats, of course. So why in heavens would I be spending time talking about piddly updates in EQII when such an expansive one recently released? Because getting the little things (and getting them with regularity) is big. The subject of minor updates warrants just as much attention as a named one like Scars of the Awakened, both for what the updates are and for what they portend. And those updates bode well for everyone.

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You don't need to read the rest of this column, folks. City of Steam goes into open beta in two hours, so there is no reason for you to be sitting here when you could be playing that. Oh, and Marvel Heroes is running one last open beta weekend. And UFO Online is also in open beta. Plus, Arcane Saga launched (or re-launched) its beta. There is too much stuff to play for you to be sitting around reading columns about betas. You've got your project right there.

Still here? You're really dedicated to that beta list, huh? Well, we appreciate that. And you can find it just past the break as always, and you can feel free to let us know if we missed anything down in the comments just as always. But seriously, you don't even need to close your browser for City of Steam. That's accessibility right there.

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A while ago, Project Tank popped up on our radar for two reasons. First of all, it was a browser-based multiplayer tank-based combat simulator. Second, it bore a lot of similarities to the existing multiplayer tank-based combat simulator World of Tanks, enough that Wargaming.net brought out the copyright lawyers. A copyright infringement suit was filed today by Wargaming.net, claiming that Project Tank directly copies many elements of World of Tanks and violates some existing patents.

Gamebox has responded to these claims on the official site for the game, claiming that Wargaming.net has engaged in "underhanded" actions to try to shut down the project. This marks the end of the closed beta for Project Tank, which is promising open beta in approximately a month. You can take a look at the side-by-side comparison from before and draw your own conclusions about whether Project Tank is being unfairly accused or entirely fairly accused.