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First Impressions: SD Gundam Capsule Fighters Online

Mike Schramm — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Hands-On (Massively's), First Impressions

Like the gameplay of SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online, the title of the game itself may need some translation. "Online" and "Fighter" you can probably make sense of, and even if your knowledge of Japanese cartoons ends on Saturday mornings in the '80s and '90s, "Gundam" is probably familiar -- this is a game where you drive robots around shooting at each other online. But "Capsule" might throw you a bit, and "SD" was a new one to me. "SD" means "super deformed," and Gundam Capsules are like those little plastic balls you can get from 25-cent-machines in the supermarket. They're toy versions of Gundam mechs, basically.

In other words, SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online is essentially a game about toy robots fighting. It was first released in South Korea in 2007, and it's slowly made its way around the world here to North America, where it's in closed beta and is set for a full free-to-play release in "early December" by OGPlanet.

As you might imagine, it's cute, and the mechanic of collecting and customizing these little robot machines that you can send into battle will likely appeal to quite a few players. Unfortunately, after playing a few matches of the third-person shooter at OGPlanet headquarters recently, I determined that it'll be tough to recommend the title to anyone but the most die-hard of Gundam fans.

Gallery: SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online

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First Impressions: SD Gundam Capsule Fighters Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area

Mike Schramm — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games, Roleplaying, Free Realms, Champions Online, Legends of Norrath, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Massively was at Gen Con 2009 yesterday in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while most of the (gigantic) convention was involved with more traditional types of gaming, from dice and board games to collectible card games and RPGs, MMOs made their own splash in the "e-gaming" area. Sony Online Entertainment probably had the biggest presence -- in among huge posters of Free Realms and Star Wars Galaxies, they had demos running of all of their current games (though we didn't see any previews of DCUO or The Agency running). A costumed model posed for pictures in front of a large Legends of Norrath poster, while over in the CCG area, SOE held tournaments of the game for players.

Gallery: MMOs at Gen Con 2009

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Gen Con 2009: MMOs in the E-gaming area originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution

Mike Schramm — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Video, Jumpgate Evolution, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Hands-On

The last time I personally saw anything about Jumpgate Evolution (Netdevil's re-imagining of the the very early space MMO) was almost two years ago when I spoke with the executive producer. At that time, we had little more than a few screenshots and concept art. Massively has spoken with Peterscheck and covered the game multiple times since then, but when I stepped into Netdevil's little booth at E3 (so little, in fact, that it didn't even have their name on it -- it was labeled with Gazillion Entertainment, their publisher), I didn't have any idea what to expect.

What I found was both surprising and impressive. Way back in that first interview, Peterscheck told me that they were trying to make a space shooter MMO that depended on skill rather than stats, that offered up a fully realized universe for players to explore, and gave some new options for PvP and space combat that we hadn't seen before. Sitting in their booth watching the game get played on three big screens, I saw all that and more. Hit the jump (gate) below for impressions and even a gameplay video from last week's show.

Gallery: Jumpgate Evolution E3 2009

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E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Global Agenda impressions, continued

Mike Schramm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Interviews, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Hands-On, MMOFPS, Global Agenda

My "Engineer" equipped, we ran over to the PvE mission master, grabbed a mission, and then got a cinematic of a dropship taking off and landing in the zone. After a little experimentation with the force fields and turrets (Robotics characters put down a marker which then needs to be repaired up to full strength with a special weapon), we dropped into the building, and were instantly confronted with some Star Wars-style droid robots. With the character at mid-level already, they were a little tougher than beginners will find, so at first, when we tried just a straightforward assault with the "flubber" gun, they got the better of us. But after a short delay (death brings just a few seconds' respawn time, and then you can respawn and warp back into the battle through a respawn beacon), we went back into the fray, and when we used our special skills (put up a one-way forcefield and created a turret and a robotic pet to help us fight), we finished off the robots (including a "worker," who served to bring in reinforcements and had to be taken down first, and a bigger ED209-esque boss robot).

Next up, we tried jumping in to some PvP. Players in Global Agenda will be able to level up via either PvE or PvP -- PvE missions will accept 1-4 players, and while the enemies may be the same (though Harris said they were experimenting with putting players in at different spawn points or switching up enemy spawns a little bit to give the levels some more variety), they'll scale in difficulty depending how many friends you bring along. PvP missions are more common shooter settings (Attack and Defend, Capture the Flag, Escort), though sometimes with a special twist: The CTF maps are actually "capture the robot," where the flag is actually a giant mech that players need to jump in and return to their side to score.

This time, we specced a medic together, and saw a few of the different ways you can play that class: you can make it very much like a TF2 medic with just a single target healing gun, or go with a chain-healing gun (that can hit multiple targets with the tradeoff of being weaker), or you can choose a "nanite" weapon, which hits with single shots rather than a channeling stream, and provides a heal over time when they hit. All weapons and abilities are governed by an energy stat, which works like mana in other MMOs -- there's no ammo, so if you have energy, you can fire, otherwise you'll have to seek cover and rest. Lower level guns can be fired indefinitely, but more powerful guns have a rate of fire just limited by how much energy you use with each shot.

Turns out our medic did pretty well -- not only did we keep up some friendly players in the Attack and Defend map, but with the medic's boost ability (all classes also build up "boost" as they play, and when you fill that meter, you can use a special move that usually affects the whole team, very much like Call of Duty 4's perks), we laid down some great AoE healing that turned us into a pretty powerful force on our own, too. PvP was actually lots of fun -- given that the game is still in alpha, it wasn't completely balanced yet, but the feeling of a good shooter is there: we took attack points, Robotics turrets defended until they were overpowered, medics held up tanks through enemy assaults, and Recon characters snuck around with stealth and tried backstabbing with melee.

But while the action is in a good place, the rest of the world still needs work. Harris says that outside of battle, there will be similarly instanced social areas to go through, but the places we saw were still pretty generic: you can visit mission givers, buy armor in an auction house, and buy dye to customize that armor, but otherwise the social areas were pretty lifeless. There were still people running around -- the game is currently in an alpha, and is starting up a closed beta this summer -- but there's no open world, no place to watch matches in action, and no real social mechanics to tie people together. At the highest levels of the game, the world depends on huge guilds working as a team: players will be competing for hundreds of different maps to try and advance their Global Agenda (see what we did there?). But while there will be a pickup matchmaking system in place, with no open world, it'll be interesting to see how players find each other. A little social boost might go a long way.

But other than that, Global Agenda is shaping up well -- Hi Rez is doing a great job of mixing in some uncommon influences and combining them with the persistent MMO genre. We'll definitely be on the lookout for the beta later this year.

E3 2009: Global Agenda impressions, continued originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris

Mike Schramm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Hands-On, Global Agenda

Global Agenda is coming right along nicely -- we last saw the game in action at GDC, and today at E3, executive producer Todd Harris was nice enough to sit down and show us a never-before-seen part of the game: PvE gameplay.

We started off by checking out the character creator, which has come along quite a bit. They've built a very in-depth face creator -- there are about eight or ten different factors to switch between (eyes, mouth, and so on), and for each one, there are seven or eight sliders to adjust and tweak. Which allows for quite a few different variations, as you might imagine. Hair and skin color can also be edited, but Harris told us that body shape will generally be determined by the armor you wear (which is more or less determined by the class you choose).

Gallery: Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda Gallery

Massively is on the ground in Los Angeles this week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developments.

Continue reading E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris

E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively catches up with Dungeons and Dragons Online at Gen Con

Mike Schramm — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Culture, Interviews, Patches, Hands-On

Gen Con is rolling along this weekend in Indianapolis, and Turbine is there showing off their upcoming release of Module 8 in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Massively dropped in on their show floor booth to see what they had to see and chat about the brand new character creation system coming to the game, as well as upcoming enhancements, including an increased level cap and maybe even a chance to see Khorvaire in DDO.

Our interview and demo starts after the break, and you can check out the pictures we got of the new content in the gallery below. Good things ahead for D&D fans, especially new players to the game.

Gallery: Gen Con DDO Gallery

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Massively catches up with Dungeons and Dragons Online at Gen Con originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: NDA going down edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta

In this, our weekly query of what you good readers are up to in the world of MMOs, we're probably going to see more and more people talking about playing games that aren't actually out yet, as those seem to be the hottest lately. Case in point: Wrath of the Lich King dropped its NDA a few weeks ago, and ever since, there's been nothing but great news coming out of that. And Warhammer Online, the next big kid on the block, is about to drop its beta NDA, which means brace yourself for a flood of news about that one as well. In this weird dry period of new videogames before the flood of great releases this fall, it seems the games that haven't even come out yet are the biggest draws around.

So what are you playing this weekend? Even if you're under NDA, you can tell us that you're playing "something," and if you're not, drop into the comments below and share with us what you're up to, whether its heading back into Star Wars Galaxies to get yourself psyched about the new movie, still playing around with Tabula Rasa, or spilling guts in Age of Conan. What aRe yoU Playing?

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: NDA going down edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: The news is out edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvE, Opinion

Lots of terrific MMO and game news broke this week, thanks to the big E3 event here in LA (we're still wrapping up here at the temporary Joystiq/Massively HQ -- we're still a little shell-shocked from learning how awesome our readers are last night at the meetup). And our question today is: is any of it driving you back to play an MMO game? As we ask every Friday, E3 or otherwise, What aRe yoU Playing?

You might have missed it in all the chaos -- Star Wars announced some new loot cards, so maybe you're headed back into Galaxies. Or maybe you're playing Age of Conan and excited about learning some patch timeframes? Or maybe you just wish you were playing DC Universe Online -- we sure wish we were.

So what are you up to in the world of MMOs this weekend? Leave a comment below, and let us know what virtual worlds you're visiting.

WRUP: The news is out edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: BioWare says there is no KOTOR MMO (wink)

Mike Schramm — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Rumors, Events (Massively's Coverage)

We just saw BioWare show off their new Dragon Age: Origins here at E3, and while that singleplayer game looks great (imagine a Mass Effect game set in the world of Baldur's Gate), we did spring the requisite massively multiplayer question on them for you. At the very end of the Q&A session with developer Dan Tudge after the demo, the PR rep told us there was just "time for one more question," and we threw it out there: "So, how's the Knights of the Old Republic MMO coming?"

There was silence in the room for a moment. Tudge quietly said, "I... have no idea what you're talking about," and then everyone laughed as the PR rep nervously said, "Good answer." Tudge added, "You're asking me that in front of my boss?" And so we revised the question: Dragon Age has a very MMO-style design -- there's a minimap in the upper right, party portraits in the upper left, and a bar with icons for skills across the bottom. Does BioWare really want to make an MMO? "The interface looked like Baldur's Gate to me," said Tudge cooly. "The real question is, how much of the MMOs did Baldur's Gate influence?"

Touché. But we left the press conference with a smile, a special secret that we'll share with you now. As much as Tudge was thrown off by the question, as much as the PR flack was aghast that we asked it, we did leave with this satisfactory piece of information: they didn't, in point of fact, deny.

Did you enjoy this? Check out all of our E3 coverage as the week rolls forward!

E308: BioWare says there is no KOTOR MMO (wink) originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: Jim Lee talks about DC Universe Online at Sony's press conference

Mike Schramm — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:44:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, New Titles, Events (Massively's Coverage), DC Universe Online

Jim Lee has just appeared on the stage at Sony's press conference here at E3 to talk about Sony Online's upcoming DC Universe Online title. He kicked off his presentation by doing a one-handed pushup (the press conference is going down on the same state that Jack Palance did his famous pushup on), and it only got more exciting from there.

Lee told the audience that that creating the MMO based around the DC Comics universe is a dream for him -- not only did he grow up reading comics, but he's also a big Everquest fan -- he was the first Paladin to get a Firey Avenger. He also said that the game will allow players to create their own superhero and/or supervillian, and then fight alongside some of DC's finest -- against the Joker with Batman, or pull a Bane and help all the bad guys break out of Arkham.

Lee also showed off a bit of art from the game, featuring Batman (seen above), Superman, and the Green Lantern taking out baddies in a colorful landscape. We'll keep an eye out for more DCUO info when we speak with Sony later today.

Hungry for more DCUO news? Massively got the scoop at E3 from Creative Director Chris Cao, SOE-Austin VP of development John Blakely, and Executive Creative Director for the project, Jim Lee. Check out the roundup of all the DCUO coverage from E3 including interviews, screenshots, a full breakdown of the trailer and analysis of DCUO's role on the console. Plus, don't miss the rest of our E3 coverage!

E308: Jim Lee talks about DC Universe Online at Sony's press conference originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Pre-E3 edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, Opinion, Massively Meta

'Tis the week before E3, and all through the house... developers are announcing major cuts to their upcoming games? Sad news about Warhammer aside, it is Friday, and so it's time once again, readers, to ask what you're up to in the vast world of virtual worlds: What aRe yoU Playing?

Those of us headed to E3 will be playing a little game called "navigate the airport" this weekend, but hopefully next week we'll have some good looks for you at some of the newest MMO announcements to hit the block (and you don't even have to wait for some of them -- we've already got a great look at Stargate Worlds). In the meantime, you could head right back into EvE Online (Colin did), or find your place in City of Heroes (in there among all the buffs and nerfs). And if the Warhammer news has got you down, as it does our own Kyle Horner, at least there's the old, comfy blanket of WoW to wrap yourself up in.

What are you playing this weekend? And since we're off to LA next week, what kind of games are you looking to hear about at the show? Personally, I really hope to get some hands-on time (or at least see an announcement of) the Animal Crossing MMO -- I think it's just the thing I'd be looking for in terms of a casual yet addictive MMO. How about you?

WRUP: Pre-E3 edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$345 million invested in virtual worlds so far this year

Mike Schramm — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real-Life, Business Models, MMO Industry, Making money, Virtual Worlds

"There's gold in them thar online worlds!" That, at least, is the diagnosis of the guys over at ~~TechCrunch~~ Virtual Worlds Management (they're actually the ones who did the research for second quarter) -- they tallied up all the money given to virtual world developers this year, and ended up at a whopping $345 million. That is a lot of investment dollars sunk into worlds that don't exist -- about the gross domestic product of Western Africa's Guinea-Bissau. Which, come to think of it, doesn't sound quite as impressive as we'd hoped, but still, venture capitalists clearly think this online thing might have staying power.

Turbine was one of the big winners so far this year -- their $40 million investment will give the Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online developer lots of leeway in their "business strategy shift." But 9You, as previously reported on this very site, was the biggest cash-in so far this year -- $100 million was passed out to them to work on its product called GTown.

Of course, investment only means so much, and there are only so many hours in the day people can spent in virtual environments. Some of this money is being thrown away. But we're only halfway through 2008, and deals are being brokered left and right -- it's a virtual world boom!

$345 million invested in virtual worlds so far this year originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Playing with fireworks edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Massively Meta

Happy Fourth of July! Yes, here in America it's the day to celebrate our nation's birthday with fireworks and BBQ, and lots of different games are going to be shooting off their own fireworks and otherwise holding celebrations this afternoon and evening to enjoy. Our Tip of the Day has a nicely comprehensive list of what's going on around the virtual realms already -- from free food and beer in Warcraft to a Void Storm in Everquest and the Dragon Festival of Guild Wars, there's tons of stuff to do ingame, no matter where you are.

So what are you going to be playing in the world of MMOs this holiday weekend? Leave a comment below and let us know which games you'll be playing on your day off this weekend (or, if you're not in America, which games you'll be playing when you get off of work).

And from all of us at Massively, have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

WRUP: Playing with fireworks edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Nintendo to reveal Animal Crossing MMO at E3

Mike Schramm — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Consoles, Casual, Animal Crossing, Rumors

The picture above comes from the latest edition of the UK Nintendo Power, and the tag line up in the corner says "It's been a while. It's time to revisit an old friend. How's your village doing these days?" Looks like news about the Animal Crossing MMO for the Wii is just around the corner.

And you know what else is just around the corner? E3. The Nintendo Power issue is using the image, which is actually art for the old DS version (here's hoping we'll see actual Miis in the new Animal Crossing), as a teaser for next month, and it's a pretty good guess that by the time next month rolls around, Nintendo will have told us something about the new version at E3. Massively will be there of course, so we'll keep our eyes open.

Tom Nook is about to own your soul again -- but this time, he'll do it online.

Rumor: Nintendo to reveal Animal Crossing MMO at E3 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Old is new again edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta

Seems like every week now on WRUP we've been looking forward -- from Warhammer to APB, we can't wait to get our hands on some of the biggest MMOs still "coming soon." But this week, we think it'd be a good idea to take a step backwards -- this weekend, we recommend you go back and try playing a game that you haven't touched in a while. Maybe it's Lord of the Rings Online with some of that Monster Play, or maybe check in with that creepy Bling Gnome in Dungeon Runners, or even go back and visit Star Wars Galaxies just in time for the anniversary. Why are we spending all of our time waiting for new games when there's so much out there to play right now?

Of course, the post is called "WRUP," not "WTYWWWYTP" (We Tell You What We Want You To Play) so the choice is, as always, yours: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend in the world of MMOs? There's a certain charm in going back and visiting old characters, and you never know -- maybe an update since you left an old game or a little bit of leveling will show you a lot more in the game that you didn't see before and get you interested all over again.

And if not, you can still just wait for Warhammer. It's up to you.

WRUP: Old is new again edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Waiting is the hardest part edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Events (In-Game), PvE, Massively Meta

Seems like we're in a lull for gaming in general, doesn't it? You'd think by now that game companies would realize that the summer months were prime time for gaming, and that we'd get more releases in May, June, and July, but that's not usually the case -- most of the time, releases are crammed into that all-important fourth quarter, so it's feast from September through January, and famine right around now.

So we're waiting to play things instead of playing them this week, whether it be Warhammer, Jumpgate Evolution, Guild Wars 2, or any other upcoming MMO that you just can't wait to play (but have to anyway). Not that there aren't things to do -- you could get ready for the Empyrean Age in EVE, play some more with the original Guild Wars, or visit the Midsummer Fire Festival this weekend (with new Frost Lord boss!) in World of Warcraft. So tell us, dear readers: What aRe yoU Playing lately? Leave a comment below and let us know what you've been up to in the MMO genre.

Around the Massively HQ, Age of Conan is still getting a turn, and Tabula Rasa is experiencing a resurgence of sorts, but as usual, we're playing it all. And waiting. Always waiting, for the next big thing.

WRUP: Waiting is the hardest part edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Frag Massively edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, PlanetSide, Events (In-Game), PvP, Massively Meta, MMOFPS, Humor

Time once again to ask you readers what you're playing this weekend, and this time, we know the answer: Planetside. That's right, tomorrow afternoon is our big event in the best MMOFPS of 2003, and we really hope you'll be there to join us -- we have to have someone driving the Galaxies we're planning to shoot down out of the sky.

Other than the Planetside event, Age of Conan continues to be popular around the Massively compound, as does World of Warcraft, and EVE Online has reattracted our attention lately with the new patch's factional warfare and whatever that was that happened in Jita the other day. As we like to ask you every week, dear readers, What aRe You Playing in the world of MMOs?

Just make sure that Saturday afternoon at 6pm EST, it's Planetside -- after all, it's not every day you get to shoot us in the face. We'll be on the US Gemini server, and if you need to figure out where we are, you can just hit ESC and punch "Instant Action" in the menu. That, or just follow the carnage left in our wake!

WRUP: Frag Massively edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Dungeons and Dragons Online coming to consoles

Mike Schramm — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Forums, MMO Industry, Consoles, Rumors

Our good friend reader Schad sent us a tip that rings strangely true, as weird as may sound: Turbine may be releasing Dungeons and Dragons Online for the Xbox 360 and/or PS3 consoles. The game is riding high after their big Module 7 release last week, and connecting the dots on this just might mean DDO is console-bound.

Before you try to throw the case out of court, hear out the evidence first:

Schad notes that Turbine's careers page calls for a console engineer, and if you read the description of what they're looking for, phrases like "extend the functionality" and "updating Turbine's MMOG engine" point directly to a console port kind of situation.
And the DDO team specifically has just recently announced that big changes are in the air over there -- they've suspended the "Weekly Dev activities" alert, saying that what they're working on is under wraps, and that the Turbine PR team is giving them more focus.

Which is exactly what you'd expect from a console port. Doesn't sound as strange after that, does it? And after thinking about it, DDO's "real-time" control scheme does lend itself very well to console controls, and the ongoing rumors that the game is going free-to-play would also make things easier for a console version. It's still a rumor for now, but all the signs we can see point to a possible console-based Stormreach in the future.

Rumor: Dungeons and Dragons Online coming to consoles originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Waiting for Warhammer edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Patches, PvE, Massively Meta

Unfortunately, if you really are waiting for Warhammer Online, you're going to be waiting a while (though the good news is that you've got a metric ton of posts to read about it here on Massively). But it does seem that the MMO game has cooled down for a bit. Some folks are still pushing onward in Age of Conan, and lots of people are rushing to finish up their pre-expansion goals in World of Warcraft. And there's a whole lot of Monk playing in DDO this weekend, we're pretty sure, not to mention that the EVE expansion is just around the corner.

So What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Michael Zenke, who definitely is waiting for WAR, can't wait to ding 60 and get his epic Chocobo in Azeroth this weekend. I'll be playing my usual diet of World of Warcraft, with a little Guild Wars thrown in for variety. And outside of the MMO realm, I can't wait to try out the Civilization Revolution demo this weekend -- if they actually have put Civ in console form, it could be more addictive than any MMO I've ever played.

So what are you playing in your free time this weekend?

WRUP: Waiting for Warhammer edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively interviews Jon Van Caneghem about the SCI FI Channel MMO

Mike Schramm — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, Interviews (Massively's)

Trion World Network is quite a company -- without releasing a single game, they've put together millions of dollars in venture capital and compiled a staff list that's got team members from across the history of MMO games, from EverQuest and Ultima Online to World of Warcraft and City of Heroes.

This week, they sent waves through the MMO community by announcing that not only were they working on a fantasy MMO to be helmed by Jon Van Caneghem (original creator of the Might and Magic series of RPG strategy games and co-founder of the company along with Lars Buttler), but that they were forming a groundbreaking partnership with the SCI FI Channel to develop and publish and MMO to live alongside a television show. Finally, we had a small glimpse of just what Trion, with all of their money and experience, were up to.

To find out more, Massively sat down with Van Caneghem (a busy man since the news dropped on Monday) to chat about both the fantasy MMO and the SCI FI project, and what Trion's been working on since they formed. Van Caneghem told us why Trion wants to make a different kind of MMO, and how they'll balance an online game with a television series from the network that's running Battlestar Galactica. The interview starts right after you click the link below.

Continue reading Massively interviews Jon Van Caneghem about the SCI FI Channel MMO

Massively interviews Jon Van Caneghem about the SCI FI Channel MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively covers Dungeons and Dragons Online's Module 7

Mike Schramm — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Culture, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvE, Massively highlights

DDO's Module 7 goes live today, and boy, if you're looking for information about it, you're in the right place. Massively has been covering Module 7 since before Module 6 dropped, and just in case you missed out on any of our great coverage, it's right here for your perusing pleasure.

Live at Connect '08, we provided coverage of the DDO panel, including a first look at the Monk class Turbine released in this patch.
Shortly after that, we chatted with the woman herself, DDO Senior Producer Kate Paiz, on what worked well with Module 6, and everything else they were planning in Module 7 and beyond.
We covered "Monk Week" and the official Turbine events leading up to the game.
Not only did we provide great original coverage, but we aggregated coverage from around the 'net, including other interviews with Ms. Paiz, as well as official info drops (and did you take advantage of your chance to grab the soundtrack?)
And finally, Massively's got the dungeonmaster of all Module 7 previews, including the number one reason you'll want to roll a Monk, a look at the Gary Gygax shrine and the new midlevel content, the new high level instances and bosses, and even an exclusive video preview of what you'll see in Module 7 (which you'll find right after the break).

We critted on the coverage of this new patch (going live today), and you get to be the one to claim all the loot. Before you sign in and check out Module 7 today, be sure to check all the links above and read about it here.

Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Module 7 Walkthrough

Continue reading Massively covers Dungeons and Dragons Online's Module 7

Massively covers Dungeons and Dragons Online's Module 7 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Business as usual edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Leveling, Massively Meta

Is it just us or are people settling into their habits lately? Age of Conan is a standby for a lot of folks since release, while WoW remains a constant favorite among MMO players. EVE may have seen a little boost in the ratings lately thanks to all the buzz around the expansion (ditto for DDO), but there hasn't really big a big shakeup in the MMO game in quite a while, seems like. Nevertheless, it's Friday, so it's time to ask you, dear reader: What aRe yoU Playing?

Massively's own James Egan is one of those diving back into EVE Online, presumably to blast some nubs out of the sky. I continue to be fascinated by World of Warcraft -- my Hunter is continuing the climb to 70, even if it's slow going lately. And Tateru Nino still hangs out in Second Life and City of Heroes.

So things are pretty business as usual this weekend -- would it be wrong to start asking for an MMO release that actually shakes things up? Have you recently broken ground on a new and exciting MMO, or are you standing by your old standbys this weekend? What are you up to?

WRUP: Business as usual edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lila Dreams blog posts an interview with Jason McIntosh

Mike Schramm — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game Mechanics, New Titles, Raiding, PvE, Casual

Lila Dreams is a tiny little MMO that we've been following somewhat closely here at Massively -- from the descriptions we've seen so far (of an entire virtual world set inside the dreams of a little girl), it seems like an intriguing experimental departure from your standard online game. And now, over on their blog, they've got an interview, translated from Portuguese, that sheds even more light on this innovative little online game.

Unfortunately, there's not too much new here, but the interview does follow some familiar and interesting news about the game: players will be able to actually change Lila's moods using game mechanics, and the setting of the game will change based on whatever mood she has at the moment. While there probably won't be the videogame standbys of swords and plasma guns (though apparently there will be "a mix of modern, medieval, and future stuff"), we are told that players will be able to wander instanced areas with groups, so there will be some MMO conventions in there, tweaked as they may be.

Lila Dreams remains a unique little blip on our radar for now -- the game, as we've said before, will eventually be hosted on Kongregate as a 2D Java and Flash game. There's a long way to go until release -- at least a closed alpha, beta, and then an open pre-release period, but we continue to look forward to it.

Lila Dreams blog posts an interview with Jason McIntosh originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 May 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's video preview of DDO Module 7

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Endgame, PvE, Hands-On, Hands-On (Massively's)

In addition to our gigantic walkthrough of Dungeons and Dragons Online's upcoming content update, we also got the chance to get some exclusive video of the new content for you to check out. Above, you can see our run through the revamped content at Three Barrel Cove, a few fights in the new Subterrane instance, and a special preview at the end of one of the impressive raid bosses -- bad doggie!

Keep an eye out for the awesome Monk ability of Abundant Leap as well -- you can see it right in the middle of the kobold battle on the coast. And right after that, there's a look at one of the two new enemy models in the content update: the Sahaguin, a fishpeople living in the pirate-themed area of Three Barrel Cove. Later, there's a look inside the Subterrane's Xoriat area (with beholders and other creeps), and finally, the Hound of Xoriat herself (with puppies in tow) makes a scary appearance.

It was definitely a lot of fun to see what the DDO team has been up to lately, and DDO players will undoubtedly enjoy the free update of Module 7 on June 3rd. If this video piques your interest, be sure to see the entire walkthrough, right here on Massively.

Massively's video preview of DDO Module 7 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: Other updates, and the future of DDO

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, Hands-On

The new content wasn't all we saw -- there were a number of other good UI and feature updates we were shown that are set to enter the game in Module 7. One of the most interesting changes is something that we heard about for the first time on the walkthrough: the devs are going to be introducing a new quest type that players will be able to do once per day (examples given were for bounties and trophies on the local wildlife). They said that a lot of players had asked for quests that could be completed within a short period of time to advance their character -- obviously, World of Warcraft's daily quests design jumps to mind, and by the time they had finished explaining the idea to us, even they were using the words "daily quests." But whether the idea is lifted or not, it is a good one, and it should give more casual players (and anyone else with some extra time to spend) some more to do in game.

There were some good UI updates as well -- the main update we saw was a revamped ingame map, that will show dungeons as red and green doors, so that players can easily see where the quests are and which ones they can enter at a glance. Also, the map now shows where a player has been with a "fog of war" type effect, though uncovered parts of the map are now shown at 50% opacity, so if you look close, you can even see details of where you haven't been.

And we were also told that the Module will feature an improved chat system, as well as the addition of quivers to the inventory (so players can save all of their ammo in one inventory slot, rather than taking up extra space with all of it). And of course the crafting system is getting an anticipated update as well -- there are thirty to forty recipes being added, as well as "about a half dozen" eldritch rituals, so there should be more for players to mess around with in that system as well.

Finally, we had a nice long conversation about the future of DDO. Goals for Mod 8, we were told, include the aforementioned player invasion of Shavarath, and the devs are working on a new tutorial section, as well as revamping the character generator (in order to make it easier for new characters who don't want to spend so much time choosing where to put skill points and abilities).

"This is a marathon, not a sprint."

And we also asked what the devs thought about the Age of Conan launch, and if any of the games on the radar this year were going to have an effect on their licensed property. Mersky, Turbine's director of communications spoke up at this point, and he pointed out that Turbine knows exactly what Funcom is going through right now: launching a major MMO is a tough but super exciting task and they wish them well. But at the same time, DDO's devs seem content to faithfully do their own thing, and not worry too much about the new kids on the block -- Paiz told us that their "very devoted audience" was "a pleasure to work for," and Mersky said that Turbine is in this competition as "a marathon, not a sprint." He said that both Lord of the Rings Online (another big licensed Turbine property) and DDO have ten year plans stretching out ahead of them, and that Turbine is committed to building their games over time, steadily releasing content and improvements with updates.

We've heard for a long time that DDO was considering different forms of payment for their game (they've already tested the waters of free-to-play for former players, and Mersky said that the recently reopened lifetime option helps take the onus off of players to stick to just one game, so they'll keep considering options available for payment plans.

Finally, we chatted about the MMO market at large, and it seemed we all agreed that big things are happening as the genre grows. Mersky said he was extremely happy that the industry is becoming "more than the WoW-killer story" -- that as more and more games enter the space, people are less concerned with having a gigantic online world, and more concerned with carving out their own niche and innovations with what they as a development team can do. Module 7 isn't a groundbreaking update for Dungeons & Dragons Online, but it is a solid core update -- the new classes and new mid and higher level content are serious additions and improvements to the game and large.

We have one more treat for you -- an exclusive video of the areas and bosses we visited in Module 7.

Click one last time to check it out.

D&DO Module 7: Other updates, and the future of DDO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: Bosses

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvE, Hands-On

The first fight we got to see was Suulomendes (unfortunately, that spelling might not be right -- the big winged guy wouldn't sit still long enough for us to ask his name), a winged devil who sits up on a big pedestal while he sends baddies out to finish the raid off, a wave a time. Every once in a while he deigns to get off the pedestal, and beat you up himself, but when he does, it's not pretty -- various curses fell down on our heads every time he showed up. It seemed like a fairly straightforward fight as we did it (defeat the minions, work over the boss for a while), but the devs told us there were quite a few wrinkles (and the fight would take a little longer) than what we saw.

The other boss we got to check out was, in our opinion, a little more fun. There is a Lord of Darkness supposedly hanging out in the dungeon below the Marketplace wreckage, but when you show up to take him out, he's not actually home -- his guard dog, named Xy'zzy, is, and she is a real bitch. Literally. She has puppies and minions that you have to fight as well, and oh yeah, one more thing: you can't actually damage her by hitting her. We'll refrain from telling you exactly how to take her out (the devs didn't want us to spoil all the surprises), but we will say that when you figure it out, you'll get to see something really, really hilarious happen. And yes, if you're nerdy enough to recognize the dog's name, you'll realize that these DDO devs know their gaming history.

Like many of the boss battles in DDO, both of these fights (and most of the quests we saw) were all about group coordination and cooperation. While a lot of the Three Barrel Cove quests are soloable, the devs at DDO seem committed to make sure that players find ways to coordinate and work together. They are still working on making sure the Monk has a role of his or her own to play in every group ("this is just the beginning of our development on this class," Paiz told us), but in almost all the quests we say, there were lots of ways for group members, no matter what classes or types of players they were, to make themselves useful.

But the new content isn't all that's being added to the game -- we also saw a number of new UI updates, and we got to talk with Turbine's communications director about what they thought of the Age of Conan release and the future of this game.

Click here to continue the preview...

D&DO Module 7: Bosses originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: The Subterrane

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Events (In-Game), Patches, PvE, Hands-On

Yes, it's our old friend the Marketplace Tent, now completely destroyed, with a small hole in the middle leading to the Subterrane. The devs told us that there will be a world event to open up the entrance -- the Grandmasters of the Twelve have gathered at the ruined Marketplace Tent and face a barrier, and they'll need players' help to open it up (how that's done wasn't fully explained, but Turbine did say that, in order to balance out server population issues and other differences between the servers, they may be tweaking the quest per server). The server we played on, however, had already had the quests completed, so we jumped down into the instance after the devs, and checked out the new higher-level content.

Inside, you will find a huge cavern, and three different entrances to three different areas within the raid level. The first vortex we entered went, we were told, to the Undead Giant area, where huge skeletons rose from the ground to start beating down our little Monk with all their might. We were playing with just the three of us, but in the actual game, the instance will be open to a full twelve players at a time, and from the forces we met down there, players will need a full group to survive.

The other new enemies we saw down below (besides the fishmen) were "living spells," animate versions of various spells. A Finger of Death spell nabbed a few ability points from our Monk, while a Fireball spell beat on the devs' characters -- while the spells don't have a lot of form to them, they aren't any slouches in the damage and annoyance department.

With not much time, we moved ahead quickly to an area the devs called the "Treasure Room," where, when a lever was pulled, a platform fell out below us and we plunged through a long, deep cavern (past glowing circles in the air), into a room full of gold. We didn't have any time to grab it, though, as a few giant skeletons, one of them a boss, and a whole lot of spectres flew in to beat the life out of us.

The devs explained that during this battle, the boss would eventually throw players back up into the air, and that those glowing circles we had passed represented safe zones, so players would have to aim for those to avoid large amounts of damage. And here, our old friend Abundant Leap came back into play -- as we were thrown up in the air, one of the Monks with us did a quick Abundant Leap sideways before being hit by a trap, and suddenly he was safe in the middle of one of the circles. Seriously: best Monk ability ever.

After the Undead Giant area, we headed next to the Xoriat area, where we saw a few familiar D&D foes -- Beholders patrolled the caverns, while Mind Flayers stalked the party from all sides, and pools of acid threatened every step we took. The DDO team, we should say, takes great pleasure in the Beholders -- not only did we see a new type called a "mini-beholder" ("It's like a little dog," says Paiz, "you just want to love him and hold him and let him take your levels off of you."), but we were told that somewhere in the Xoriat area, there "may or may not be a room full of ancient Beholders" for players to discover, or, probably more wisely, avoid.

The final area we visited in the Subterrane was the Devil area, and here's where players will see some familiar devilish faces from the previous content, as well as get some hints on the next Module, when players will actually take the fight to the plane of Shavarath itself.

But what is a dungeon without raid bosses? We also got to take a look at two big boss fights that will challenge players inside this new high-level content.

Click here to continue the preview...

D&DO Module 7: The Subterrane originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: The Gygax shrine and Three Barrel Cove

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvE, Hands-On

We stood in front of a peaceful shrine, adorned with a book and an inlaid gem. This little shrine in the lower level area of Delera's Tomb is a monument one of D&D's greatest champions, co-creator Gary Gygax -- it stands in the middle of the area where the man himself narrated some of the ingame DM text. Paiz also told us that there would be event quests and items associated with Gygax in the game, and though we didn't get to see any of those, it seemed like a fitting tribute to one of the men who came up with the foundation of all these games we play.

Then, we were whisked away (via admin commands in the client) to another updated low level area, Three Barrel Cove. This area was one of the first created for the game a long time ago (all of the Turbine employees present at the play session admitted that it "preceded" all of them), and since so many players will be leveling up again with the Monk class, the devs decided to revamp the approximately level 5 area, and make it bigger, clearer, and completely redistribute the monsters within. This is only one of a number of changes made to the entire game to accomodate the new class -- Paiz said that they did a "full equipment pass" on all the items to make sure that Monks were itemized throughout the levels.

The first area within Three Barrel that we got to see was The Black Loch, a huge pirate ship in a cave that serves as the tavern and hub for the area. Everything was very pirate-themed (though the pirate vs. ninja battle, we were told, would have to wait for another game update), and the devs said they had a lot of fun playing with the pirate asthetic, and turning all of the different races and groups in the game into pirate versions of themselves.

This showed in our first quest, too -- in order to prove our worth as pirates, the party was asked to make it through Rackham's Trial, a test that a pirate captain gave to recruits. There were traps aplenty inside the quest, and as we carefully (and sometimes not so -- we sprung quite a few traps just by walking into them accidentally), the devs talked about how they try to both mix up the gameplay with different types of puzzles, but also give players who aren't as interested in mind games and tricks ways to avoid them if preferred.

One example given was an "agility test" -- there were a series of ladders heading up a vertical tunnel, and as players, we had to jump from ladder to ladder (sometimes even from one side of the tunnel to the other) to make our way up top. After a few tries, we weren't getting too far, so the devs pointed out that there was another entrance in the instance that led past the trap, so only one player had to beat the test and then let everyone else through.

But on the other hand, the devs said, they didn't want to make the puzzles too easy. They also showed us an extremely elaborate puzzle that could have been designed by Rube Goldberg, consisting of a number of different floor designs, levers, dart machines, and rotating directors. With the short time we had to try the trap, we didn't even get through the first phase of it, but as tough as it was, that didn't even compare to the second trap we saw:

In a quest to save a fellow pirate, we made our way through a dungeon, and eventually ended up in a room where the man we were looking for stood in a cage in the middle. As we entered, he beckoned us not to move, but at the devs' hinting, we took a look up around the walls of the room -- every single square inch of the large pedestals of the room was covered in a kind of rotate-able jigsaw puzzle (this one will be familiar to D&D Online players, as you play a much, much simpler version of it early on in the game). The idea was to rotate the pieces to line up and make light paths, but in this gigantic version of that puzzle (the dev who made it, we were told, "is probably certifiably crazy"), there's one twist: every wrong move gets our friend in the cage shocked, and too many shocks means a dead friend and a failed quest. Players who like puzzles will find no shortage of things to do in Module 7.

Our final stop in Three Barrel Cove was in the outer area, to get a look at one of the two new monster types in Module 7, the Sahaguin, a race of fishmen armed with spears living on the coast near the pirate ships. Their design and animations were suitably impressive (their spears did a fun flip before planting themselves in the sand when the creatures died), and we were told that this is only the beginning of the story for these creatures.

After a look at the updated lower level area, we then headed to a wreckage that will also be very familiar to D&D Online players, and that serves as the mouth of the new higher level quests dungeons in Module 7.

Click here to continue the preview...

D&DO Module 7: The Gygax shrine and Three Barrel Cove originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: The Monk

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Culture, Patches, PvE

When we first sign on to the special Demo server Turbine had set up to show us Module 7, we found that they'd created a level 16 Monk for us to play with. The Monk class has been in the pen-and-paper game for a long time, but DDO is introducing them with Module 7 as the tenth player class in the game.

As we signed in and got set up, the folks from Turbine introduced themselves: Kate Paiz (who we've spoken with before) is the game's senior producer, and Stephen Muray, lead systems designer, and Jesse Smith, a content designer on the game, also joined us as well (Turbine's Director of Communications, Adam Mersky, also spoke up at the end of the session). As the screen loaded up, Paiz said that with the design of the Monk, they wanted to create a class that played significantly differently from anything they tried before. All of D&DO's combat is real-time (as in, you must press a button to attack, rather than just choosing a target), and the Monk's new abilities add a twist to this system. Basically, the Monk has four different stances (Ocean, Mountain, Wind and Sun -- the developers said they drew a lot of the Monk's lore from Dungeons and Dragons' Oriental Adventures supplement book), and each tweaks his or her abilities and attacks -- during most of the playtest, we used the Sun stance to try and do more damage, though the designers said that depending on how the Monk is specced, he would also be able to tank and or do some self heals and group buffs as the class trained up.

All of the Monk's abilities are governed by Ki energy, which can be tseen in a meter below the health bar, and is simply earned by attacking. Muray mentioned that this was to counterweight the pen-and-paper Monk's "times-per-day" abilities -- in pen-and-paper D&D, many Monk abilities can only be performed once or twice a day, and while Ki energy still lets players perform Monk tricks much more often, they are still kept limited enough that choosing what abilities you use your Ki on is very important.

"Did you just Abundant Leap across that gap? Nice!"

But one of those abilities stands above the rest: Abundant Leap (a variant, we were told of Dimension Door in the pen-and-paper game). Starting around level 10 or 11, the Monk can perform a move (with a low cooldown costing a very low amoung of Ki) that pushes them forward in space with a quick jump -- as you hit the ability, the screen blurs, the Monk leans forward, and suddenly you're about 15 yards ahead of where you last stood. Abundant Leap was, during our session, the most fun thing to do as a Monk -- even in noncombat situations (and perhaps especially in noncombat situations), we were leaping and jumping as much as we could. Once, to cross a gap, we jumped, in midair hit the leap ability, and landed gracefully on the other side. It's a minor ability in the overall scheme of things, but Abundant Leap, almost more than any of the other moves we used, makes you feel like a Monk.

Overall, the class seems fairly balanced, and Paiz said that they had put a lot of time trying to keep the class not only faithful to the pen-and-paper version, but also a dynamic part of the MMO environment. It should definitely be a fun reroll for everyone playing DDO, and for the players who level it all the way up, the later abilities should offer a lot of interesting twists on what the team has created in the game.

After loading the game and playing with the new class for a bit, our game began in sight of a peaceful shrine to one of D&D's greatest heroes.

Click here to continue the preview...

D&DO Module 7: The Monk originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Events (In-Game), Patches, Endgame, PvE, Hands-On, Hands-On (Massively's)

Dungeons & Dragons Online continues to hold their own in a quickly-growing MMO world. When DDO first showed up as a licensed MMO of the grandaddy of roleplaying games, their main goal was just to meet expectations -- so many people have been a fan of the pen-and-paper game for so long that putting it into MMO form was no easy task. But since release, the DDO team has made improvement after improvement, and added so much content to the game that it's moved beyond the license to stand on its own as a very singular kind of MMO.

Massively got a chance to sit down with the team and take a look at the latest update, Module 7, due out on June 3, and currently in public testing. In addition to some extended playtime with the new Monk class, we got to see updates to the lower level Three Barrel Cove area, a shrine to recently passed-on D&D creator Gary Gygax, and the new raid area under the destroyed Marketplace tent, as well as a few new monsters and raid bosses that can be found down there.

To start your tour through Module 7, just roll a d20 and click on through. To jump to any section of the walkthrough (including directly to our exclusive video preview, if that's what you're looking for), hit the links after the break.

Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Module 7 Walkthrough

Continue reading Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7

Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Hyborian Age edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Culture, MMO Industry, Massively Meta

Don't tell us -- we already know what you're playing this week. It starts with Age and ends with Conan, and it launched on Tuesday. Everybody and their barbarian are probably heading back into the Hyborian Age to cut off limbs and fight in real-time and build up cities and do what have you.

What else could you be playing. Not Virtual Magic Kingdom, obviously (whoops -- too soon?). You might be setting foot in Dark Age of Camelot to nab some of that sweet, sweet double XP (and in the non-MMO world, we hear Halo 3 has a double XP weekend going on as well). But odds are, unless you tell us otherwise in the comments below (or just shout out your AoC allegiance), you're shedding blood in the newest kid on the block.

So tell us: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? In the worlds of virtual worlds, where, in the parlance of our times, you at?

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: Hyborian Age edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: More of a meal than a snack edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Massively Meta, Consoles, Virtual Worlds

Happy Friday! Time once again to ask the most important question there is to ask here at Massively: What are you having for lunch? I just had a Potbelly open up down the street from me and... no, I'm only kidding. We want to know: What aRe yoU Playing?

Tateru Nino, as usual, is eating hardy -- she's got Second Life and City of Heroes queued up, as well as a slew of non-MMOs to play. Chris Chester is planning on diving into Age of Conan as soon as he gets a chance, and I know that most of the Massively staff are heading to the Hyborian Age as well. As for me, World of Warcraft continues to be a staple, but truth be told, I probably won't be able to step foot in an MMO this weekend -- I'm going out of town for most of it, and when I do get back, I have a recently purchased Wii system now hooked up to my television. As a first game, I'm planning to check out LostWinds (and if you have any other recommendations besides Super Mario Galaxy, which I'm already sold on as a huge platformer fan, let me know). Of course I'm anxiously looking forward to news of an Animal Crossing MMO now, too -- as if the offline version wasn't addictive enough. Curse you, Tom Nook!

So what are you up to in the world of MMOs for the next seven days?

WRUP: More of a meal than a snack edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Open beta edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Culture, New Titles, Massively Meta

Happy Friday! We don't know about you, but it's been a long week here at Massively, so we are thrilled to be at the point where we get to ask you, as we do every Friday: What aRe yoU Playing?

Our own Akela Talamasca has been busy -- he's been playing lots of Mythos lately, as well as Warrior Epic and City of Heroes. Tateru Nino continues playing her cavalcade of games -- Second Life is in there, of course, as well as LotRO, and even a little Hello Kitty Online beta action. And me, I'm just a few levels away from getting another 70 in WoW, I'm getting my Guild Wars on, and I'm hoping to head into the Age of Conan this weekend as well, time permitting (outside of the MMO world, it's also a travel weekend for me, so I'm going to try out The World Ends With You -- it does have some MMO-like features, though, since you can not only come into contact with other players with your DS' wifi, but even buy and sell items from them).

But enough about us -- what are you up to? Are you checking out AoC's beta, or maybe looking at issue 12 in CoH? Are you playing something we've never heard of? Tell us about it!

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: Open beta edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: May Day edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Age of Conan, Culture, Massively Meta

All right, so May Day was yesterday, but MMO holidays never take just one day -- they usually last a whole weekend. So we're extending Massively May Day to all this weekend, and as usual on Friday afternoons, we want to know: What aRe yoU Playing in the world of MMOs?

Tons of you are probably headed into the Age of Conan open beta -- even if you haven't finished downloading the patch yet (13 gb?!?), Massively's got the hookup with pics, video, and good time guides to what's going on in there. Personally, I've got an invite to the exclusive beta of Hello Kitty Online to break open (don't be jealous), and I'll be continuing leveling up in Guild Wars and World of Warcraft as usual. And if all that wasn't enough, I'll be continuing to pour my time into a decidedly non-MMO game that nevertheless has one of the most, if not the most, detailed open world environments I've ever seen. The multiplayer on GTA IV may not actually be massive, but it is just incredible running around that open city with 15 other players.

So what are you up to in terms of gaming this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: May Day edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Book 13 Edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches

Given the answers to our weekly WRUP query lately, we've got a pretty good guess what you'll be doing online this weekend: it starts with "book" and ends with "13". Yes, the Lord of the Rings Online patch is out, and odds are that quite a few of you will be heading off into Middle-earth to survey the new content. But don't leave us too far behind -- Massively's got tons of great coverage for you to look over before you head out there.

Are you rolling into LotRO? Is WoW more your style this weekend? (It's mine -- I'm still working on getting my Hunter to 70 -- 63 and climbing!). Are you trying to dip into a certain beta test that's becoming more and more open lately? It's Friday, and the weekend's here, so let us know: What aRe yoU Playing?

Gallery: Lord of the Rings Online Book 13 Gallery

WRUP: Book 13 Edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Post-tax relaxation

Mike Schramm — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Leveling, PvE, Massively Meta, Humor

Congratulations! You finished your taxes (at least you did unless you're Wesley Snipes, or an extension-getting slacker like me), and now there ain't nothing to do but sit back and... work for another year only so you can pay them again. But in the meantime, there's lots of MMO playing to do! So, since it's Friday, we're asking yet again: What aRe yoU Playing in the world of MMOs?

Massively's people are super busy playing games. Cameron Sorden and I are both hooked on WoW still; "I'm addicted," Sorden says, "which is why all of my articles are WoW-flavored lately." Tastes like chicken. Krystalle is busying playing Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox 360, and says she's about to finish Story Mode. And Chris Chester is still grinding away in Tabula Rasa: "Must reach level 30. It won't happen, but I can try."

So what are you up to this weekend? Back in CoX getting ready for Issue 12? Playing a game that's almost in open beta? (We know you're out there playing that game, folks -- we can see right through that NDA!) WRUP this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: Post-tax relaxation originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fans speak out passionately on Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom closing

Mike Schramm — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, Virtual Worlds, Kids

We reported on the closing of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom the other day, and at the time, it seemed like business as usual -- Disney had created the virtual world for an event, and the event was over, so it was time for the world to close. But the comments thread over on this Virtual Worlds news post about the closing has to be seen to be believed: fans of this place loved it completely and are painfully heartbroken over its closing. There are tons of eloquent, emotional comments lauding VMK for its sense of community, the friends made there, and the opportunity to connect on a virtual level with other people and Disney's attractions when, for various reasons, the same can't be done in real life.

What's most amazing here is that, from these comments, it seems VMK was one of the strongest virtual communities out there. This is why we play these MMO games -- to connect with others online, to experience things that can't be experienced any other way, and to create connections that otherwise wouldn't be there. It's an amazing story -- here's an MMO that worked perfectly in terms of building community and developing social connections between players, and yet Disney chooses to close it down.

There is a petition online, with 11,000 signatures as of this writing, to keep VMK open. Disney has responded to this emotion with a short statement only saying "we hear you," and the game itself is still set to close down as planned on May 21st.

[Via Waxy.org]

Fans speak out passionately on Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom closing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: A long week's weekend

Mike Schramm — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta

Happy Friday! Maybe it's just because sickness set in at the beginning of this week, but for some reason the past five days have seemed unreasonably long, so the break of the weekend is a welcome sight today. Friday also happens to be the day where we ask: What aRe yoU Playing in this wide and wonderful world of MMOs?

Kyle Horner says he's been enjoying himself in Ikariam lately -- he says it's a free-to-play browser based game that's "kind of like Civ," which makes it a must-check out. Michael Zenke tells us he's got Mythos and WoW on the docket for this weekend, along with another super secret game that we can't quite tell you about yet. But our own Tateru Nino takes the cake. Here's what she says she has planned for this weekend: "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Half Life 2 (original recipe), Team Fortress 2, UFO: Afterlight, The Bard's Tale, Imperium Romanum, City of Heroes, LotRO, The Longest Journey (original game), Two Worlds, Bioshock, Dream of Mirror Online, Neverwinter Nights 2, plus time in SL." Yowza. That's a lot of gaming.

So what are you up to? Taking advantage of the extra XP in Pirates of the Carribbean Online? Trying to sign up to play Age of Conan? Or just desperately trying to finish up your taxes? Leave a comment below and let us know what's on your MMO plate this weekend.

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: A long week's weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Out like a lion edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta

(Because, you know, we came in like a lamb.) Yes, March is over and we are a full week into the fourth month of 2008 -- time flies when you're having fun with MMO games. It's Friday, so it's time once again for us to query: What aRe yoU Playing?

Massively's own Kyle Horner says he's back in Mythos as a level 11 Cyclops Bloodletter, and has also been digging on Whirled lately, "creating rooms" or whatever you do in there. I've found myself back in World of Warcraft, doing the Sunwell dailies on my main, while also leveling my 62 Hunter up to the level cap (R6V2 is also getting a good bit of play from me -- love hunting terrorists). And Krystalle Voecks, co-lead at Massively, is still playing EVE -- she recently joined up with EVE University and is still mining and dabbling in PvP and missions.

So tell us: what are you playing in the world of MMOs? Does Tabula Rasa still have your fancy or has Patch 2.4 pulled you back to Azeroth? What are you, dear readers, interested in playing lately?

Previously on WRUP...

WRUP: Out like a lion edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Realtime Worlds grabs $50 million

Mike Schramm — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, Virtual Worlds, All Points Bulletin, Crime

Techcrunch is reporting that developers Realtime Worlds (makers of last year's Crackdown, which could be an MMO, and the upcoming All Points Bulletin, which we heard lots about at GDC) have picked up a whopping $50 million in funding from a round of investment capital, including lots of it from Maverick Capital.

So good news for APB fans -- of course, it's just a fraction of that billion dollars that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick claims anyone will need to take on World of Warcraft, but $50 million buys a lot of artists, programmers, and servers, all things that a great MMO needs for a strong launch. APB is still in the development stages of course -- we've heard that it'll drop this year, though at this point (and with the extra cash going into a little extra development), we're probably looking at a spring 2009 release.

Realtime Worlds grabs $50 million originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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