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The Game Archaeologist: Origin stories of modern MMO studios

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

A good origin story always captivates me, especially when it gives me a new perspective on something I've come to appreciate over the years. I love looking back at actors' first few films or hearing about how, say, Atari and Microsoft got their start.

With MMO studios, these origin stories abound and are equally fascinating to me. For example, who would've known that the makers of a couple of SNES titles would one day be running the largest MMO in the world? Or what if few gaming hobbyists in the '80s hadn't created MUDs and then gone on to revolutionize online PvP play?

Today we're going to go back to the very beginning of several modern MMO studios to see when and how they came into being. Who knows... it might change how you see them forever.

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The Game Archaeologist: Origin stories of modern MMO studios originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO Blender: Bree's big-budget sandbox

Brianna Royce — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Professions, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous, Dungeons, Crafting, MMO Blender, Housing

Writing MMO Blender feels like getting three wishes from a magical lamp and having to think very, very carefully about what you ask for. You have to word it just right and ponder the consequences of each wish on the others because you just know that Genie's going to screw with you.

If I were stronger, I'd reject the wishes (here, the 1000 words) outright, knowing they're a trap, but I just can't resist a turn at this column. I want a new sandbox. A good one, not one made by gank-obsessed fanboys on a shoestring budget. I don't think sandboxes are dead; I just know it takes money to make money, and modern indie sandboxes are forgetting that rule. Fortunately, I don't need money for this column. I'll take my MMO Blender wishes and build a sandbox that's more than just a pile of sand and an empty box.

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MMO Blender: Bree's big-budget sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist: Dark Sun Online

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist

Computer RPG players in the late '80s and early '90s were surely familiar with Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) and its now-infamous Gold Box series. The series, so named because of their distinctive gold packaging, ran on a solid engine that helped the company churn out over a dozen titles within a five-year span. From Dungeons & Dragons' Pool of Radiance to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday, these titles quickly became revered among the gaming community. I personally have very fond memories of playing both Buck Rogers titles, despite not having ever watched the show.

While the Gold Box series has not become as timeless or replayable as late '90s classics like Baldur's Gate and Fallout, they definitely had a huge impact on the PC scene and helped elevate the CRPG genre. Following the Gold Box engine, SSI went on to produce another engine that it used for a completely new series set in the D&D campaign setting of Dark Sun. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (1993) and Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager (1994) were both modest hits, and when it came time for a third game in the series, SSI decided to make the leap to the then-untested realm of online gaming.

What followed was a wild two-year experiment in MMOs that happened prior to the Ultima Online and EverQuest generation. While ultimately unsuccessful in achieving its potential or gaining a large audience, Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands made a valiant attempt at achieving the inevitable future of gaming.

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The Game Archaeologist: Dark Sun Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the veteran of Kesmai

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, Humor, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

Aaand we're back! Did you miss me? No? Not even a little bit? Aww, you know how to make me feel all kinds of appreciated!

Even though it's been quite some time since we finished up our two-part series on the Kesmai company and its incredible (and little-remembered) role in powering up the MMO genre, I wanted to return to take the topic for one last spin. A fellow blogger, Wilhelm "The Ancient Gaming Noob" Arcturus, backs his nickname up by providing memories and stories from gaming eras well before many Massively readers' time. Since he actually played several Kesmai titles back in the day and lived to tell the tale, I wanted to pick his brain before we moved on to other titles.

So join me in welcoming Wilhelm and his magical clockwork nostalgia retrieval system!

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The Game Archaeologist and the veteran of Kesmai originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Kesmai legacy

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

Most studios would be overjoyed to have pioneered one significant advancement in video game history, but then again, most studios aren't Kesmai. While it's not a household name today, it's reasonable to say that without the heavy lifting and backbreaking coding that this company shouldered in the '80s and '90s, the MMO genre would've turned out very different indeed.

Last week we met two enterprising designers, Kelton Flinn and John Taylor, who recognized that multiplayer was the name of the future and put their careers on the line to see an idea through to completion. That idea was Island of Kesmai, an ancestor of the modern MMO that used crude ASCII graphics and CompuServe's network to provide an interactive, cooperative online roleplaying experience. It wasn't the first MMO, but it was the first one published commercially, and sometimes that makes all the difference.

Flinn and Taylor's Kesmai didn't stop with being the first to bring MMOs to the big time, however. Flush with cash and success, Kesmai turned its attention to the next big multiplayer challenge: 3-D graphics and real-time combat. Unlike the fantasy land of Island of Kesmai, this title would take to the skies in aerial dogfighting and prove even more popular than the team's previous project.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Kesmai legacy originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: A chat with Brian Green (part 2)

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Interviews, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, The Game Archaeologist

Welcome to the second part of our interview with former Meridian 59 developer Brian "Psychochild" Green as he reminisces about running one of the oldest graphical MMOs in history. If you missed the first part, I heartily recommend you catch up on it before continuing further.

And now, for the exciting conclusion...

The Game Archaeologist: What's one of your favorite stories from your experience running Meridian 59?

Brian Green: One time I was at Dave & Busters restaurant one evening after a day at the Game Developer's Conference (GDC). I was chatting with Raph Koster about the conference, when from behind us someone says, "Oh my god, are you Psychochild?!?" Raph, who has always been more high profile than I am, gives a grin and leaves. Turns out they were fans of the game and bought me a drink as thanks.

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The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: A chat with Brian Green (part 2) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard101 goes anti-disco in the June producer's letter

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Free-to-Play, Kids, Wizard101, Promotions, Family

The community at Wizard101 is still riding high on the recent Wintertusk world expansion, and according to the June producer's letter, KingsIsle wants to keep the good times rolling.

Apart from relaying a few testimonials about the recent expansion, the producer's letter is all about the Benjam-- er, Crowns. Leah Ruben spotlights a couple of promotional sales from the company, including a Dragon's Hoard booster pack that has the potential to deliver rare goodies, and a GameStop card that unleashes a genie (among other things) in your Wizard101 world.

Ruben says that a recent graphical issue known as "discoing" on older machines is now fixed. "While sometimes it's fun to dance the disco with flashing colors and lights," she jokes, "it's a bit distracting when you're trying to adventure through the new worlds."

Finally, Ruben says that the UK version of the game has added a German language version for those who perfer to play in their native tongue. Assuming that you're German and not Swedish. Or Kenyan. Or... well, you get the point. You can read the full producer's letter over at Wizard101.

Wizard101 goes anti-disco in the June producer's letter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Lore, MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

You know that sinking feeling when you get into something that's way, waaaay over your head and you have no choice but to swim furiously or drown? That's exactly how I felt when I started to do research for this month's series on MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons -- and their descendants.

At first I was thrilled, because I knew that along with Dungeons & Dragons and Bulletin Board Systems, the MUD was one of the key predecessors to the MMORPG as we know it today. It was, and still is, vital gaming history that helped to shape the genre. The only problem was that for various reasons -- mostly a lack of good internet access in college and general ignorance -- I'd missed out on MUDs back in the day.

But it's not like that stopped me from covering any of the other games in this series that I never experienced first-hand way back when; after all, there are few among us who can honestly say they did everything. So the problem wasn't the lack of first-hand knowledge but the sheer, overwhelming scope of this subject. One game alone is a manageable subject -- MUDs are an entire genre unto themselves. It's intimidating, to say the least.

It doesn't still my excitement, however, nor will it stop us from diving into this topic no matter how deep the waters get. This week we'll take a look at the brief history of the MUD/MUSH/MOO/et al. and then get into specific games later this month. So hold your breath and jump on in with me!

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The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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