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The Elder Scrolls Online using HeroEngine 'as a whiteboard'

Jef Reahard — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online

Fan outcry over the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online was long and loud, not just for the presumed MMOification of a beloved single-player franchise, but for the toolset chosen by ZeniMax Online Studios to bring the world of Tamriel to its new audience.

Game Informer confirms that ZeniMax is using the HeroEngine -- which also powers Star Wars: The Old Republic, and which has come under fire from some in the MMO fan community. Game director Matt Firor says that the firm isn't using the engine like you may expect, though.

"Think of HeroEngine as a whiteboard for us -- a great tool to get some ideas in the game and start looking at them while the production engine was in development," he explains.

[Thanks to Austin for the tip!]

The Elder Scrolls Online using HeroEngine 'as a whiteboard' originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Discussing the design of quests in The Elder Scrolls Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls Online has certain player expectations going in, such as an expectation of the sort of quest structure you usually find in the series. More specifically, it's the sort of structure in which you start off on some simple quest and wind up wandering off into some completely unrelated point of interest. A recent interview with creative director Paul Sage and lead content designer Rich Lambert reveals that the team is aiming for just that sort of model in the game.

As Lambert explains, the team wants to move away from the usual hub design in favor of several points of interest, each of which provides a little snippet of content and story. The points aren't meant to be structured as an A-to-B affair; instead, you have several points of interest in a given region which build into a large overarching story. Take a look at the full interview for more information about how quests will work in the game and how players will be guided through objectives as they play.

Discussing the design of quests in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, Diablo III, The Elder Scrolls Online, Pirate101

Massively Speaking Episode 202 is hot at the scene of the 38 Studios disaster, and without hyperbole we can say that this is more tragic than Pompeii, the Titanic, and Showgirls combined. Will Curt Schilling's dream team survive this financial crisis? We brought expert analyst Eliot Lefebvre on the podcast to give us his opinion.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident

Massively Speaking Episode 202: Rubbernecking at the scene of an MMO accident originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Elder Scrolls Online Ebonheart Pact faction profiled

Elisabeth Cardy — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, News items, Races, The Elder Scrolls Online

The flashlight of knowledge has already been directed at two of The Elder Scroll Online's three main political factions, and now the third is getting a little time in the light. We've already told you about the Daggerfall Covenant and the Aldmeri Dominion, and today Game Informer is closing out ouroboros with the third faction, the Ebonheart Pact.

The alliance that makes up the Ebonheart Pact was first forged after an Akaviri invasion, when the Nords and Dunmer banded together and then cut the Argonians in on the friendliness in order to find safety in numbers. While the Aldmeri Dominion is bent on conquering and ruling, the Ebonheart Pact is really just an attempt to stay alive in a world of invasions and power struggles.

The Dunmer, also called Dark Elves, call the familiar lands of Morrowind home. Skyrim, which a few folks may have heard of thanks to a rather underground game that came out last year, is home to the militant and cold-resistant Nords. The reptilian Argonians, or Saxhleel as they like to call themselves, come from the Black Marsh, also known (by way of total coincidence, I'm sure) as Argonia. They share the area with the Hist, a race of sentient trees, and all matter of poisonous and malicious critters and plants.

If you need help keeping all the names straight (the Nords are also referred to as children of the sky, by the way, although apparently that's an informal title), be sure to read the full profile.

The Elder Scrolls Online Ebonheart Pact faction profiled originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 May 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matt Firor on The Elder Scrolls Online's '100% solo' personal story

Matt Daniel — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New titles, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online

Games in the Elder Scrolls series have always been about giving players the opportunity to become the game's hero, and it looks like The Elder Scrolls Online will be no different. The title's game director, Matt Firor, has announced that each character's main storyline in the game will be "100% solo."

Firor points back to the previous entries in the series, stating that "in The Elder Scrolls games, you're always the hero... The last thing you want to do is have the final confrontation with Mehrunes Dagon as he's stomping across the Imperial City, and you see like 15 guys behind you waiting to kill him." While it's a good point, we can't help but wonder what kind of an impact this design will have on the social aspect of the MMO, but at this point all we can do is wait and see. Firor's full interview over on Game Informer has plenty of extra information as well, so if you're jonesing for more details, just head on over and check it out for yourself.

Matt Firor on The Elder Scrolls Online's '100% solo' personal story originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Elder Scrolls Online factions profiled

Elisabeth Cardy — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, News items, Races, The Elder Scrolls Online

Three alliances control the political scene in The Elder Scrolls Online's Tamriel, and Game Informer is taking a closer look at all of them, starting with the Daggerfall Covenant and the Aldmeri Dominion.

The Daggerfell Covenant is made up of the Orcs (also called Orsimer), Bretons, and Redguards -- although the latter two are coming out of something of a love-hate relationship, with a history of as much internal conflict as external. Apparently time does heal all wounds, though, because the three races have worked out a democratic system of mutual love and respect. The Orcs and Bretons call the beautiful land of High Rock home, while the Redguard are based in Hammerfell.

The Aldmeri Dominion is a more hostile power composed of the Altmer, the Bosmer, and Khajiit and intent on total domination. Also known as Wood Elves, the Bosmer call Valenwood home (surprise: It's a heavily wooded area) and enjoy tramping through forests, living in harmony with nature, and building cities in migratory trees. The Altmer, or High Elves, can be found in the little-known Summerset Isles. The Khajiit, who missed out on the alternative name lottery, live in Elsweyr, whose climate is ideal for the cultivation of Moon Sugar.

Got all that? Study up, there'll be a test. Feel free to read the full profiles, and keep an eye out for Ebonheart Pact information on Friday.

The Elder Scrolls Online factions profiled originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 May 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak

Jef Reahard — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, The Soapbox, Sandbox, The Elder Scrolls Online

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Language is a pretty fascinating thing, and studying a second one is something I've long intended to do. Aside from entertaining thoughts of learning Korean to play ArcheAge, though (seriously, I looked into it), I haven't gotten around to much beyond college-level Deutsch.

But as I watched last week's interview with The Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage, I realized that I already have some pretty good second-language skills. I'm fluent in both English and MMO dev-speak, so as a public service, I'm going to translate some of what Sage said into the former.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak

The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analyst predicts The Elder Scrolls Online will launch with a subscription fee

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Previews, News items, Opinion, The Elder Scrolls Online

Are you hoping that The Elder Scrolls Online will be part of the classic subscription model rather than go the free-to-play route? According to analyst Nicholas Lovell, founder of Gamesbrief, the odds are good that you'll get your wish. Lovell notes that since the game began development in 2007, when subscription games were at their apex, Bethesda is likely to launch using the more familiar business model. Whether or not it will remain as a subscription game is another matter.

Of course, the price of play is far from the minds of most fans -- the real question is what the game will look like when it's actually playable. Director Matt Firor recently sat down to discuss the game's earliest stages of development, the relationship between ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda, and working within the lore of the established IP. It's an interesting look behind the scenes of development, and if you're interested in the game, watching the video is certain to be six minutes well spent.

Analyst predicts The Elder Scrolls Online will launch with a subscription fee originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial!

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, The Elder Scrolls Online

Massively Speaking Episode 200 is a nice round number, and people are supposed to celebrate those, right? Join us for a Very Special Episode, during which Shawn joins Justin and Bree to reminisce about the past, talk about the behind-the-scenes activities on the site, and drop a Tabula Rasa reference or two.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial!

Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elder Scrolls creative director: We want to make a good game first

Jef Reahard — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online

The recently announced Elder Scrolls MMO has a lot to live up to. If the initial fan reaction is any indication, it's not doing as well as you might expect in the court of public opinion. Creative director Paul Sage recently stepped in front of the camera to talk at length about the project, and some of what he has to say probably isn't going to sit well with fans who are concerned that ZeniMax is making a generic themepark MMO out of the much-loved single-player sandbox series.

"We have to make our own game," he tells Game Informer. "We want to make a good game first. Not a good MMO, not a good Elder Scrolls game, we want to make a good game first, a great experience for the player."

Elder Scrolls creative director: We want to make a good game first originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Elder Scrolls MMO to be announced in May

Jef Reahard — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Rumors, Sandbox

You know, that pesky Elder Scrolls MMO rumor just won't die. We've been hearing scuttlebutt of a Tamriel-themed massively multiplayer title for years now, and even though Bethesda has debunked such gossip in the past, Tom's Hardware is citing an "industry source" who says the title is a reality.

The latest rumbling posits that the game will feature three factions and will take place several hundred years prior to the events of Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. Also, some sort of official announcement is supposedly scheduled for May. Following that, the source claims, the Elder Scrolls MMO will have a "presence at E3" in June.

Bethesda has yet to comment, but we'll bring you the latest info as it happens.

[Thanks to Matt for the tip!]

Rumor: Elder Scrolls MMO to be announced in May originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bethesda's Todd Howard not interested in an Elder Scrolls MMO

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous

Whenever the subject of untapped RPG franchises that could make the jump to MMOs comes up, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series is almost always mentioned. After all, if Blizzard and BioWare made the jump, why not the folks behind Oblivion?

In talking with our sister site Joystiq at PAX, Bethesda's Todd Howard fields the question with blunt honesty. "I like this kind of game better," he said. "You know, it's what most of us are into. I'm not really an MMO guy. I respect them, I look at them, but I don't play them. It feels more real to me when I'm the hero and it's crafted for that. A community aspect to it, I recognize a lot of people would want that in a game like this, but it changes the flavor for me.

Of course, one man's feelings toward the genre aren't always enough to stave off corporate demands, but Howard says that isn't the case: "We can just do our thing, and it's kind of grown with each game. So there was no pressure from anybody above me to say 'Hey, you need to change this.'"

That doesn't mean Bethesda will forever abstain from MMOs, however. Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, built an MMO customer support facility in Ireland earlier this year, an indication that online gaming may very well be in the company's future.

Bethesda's Todd Howard not interested in an Elder Scrolls MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Elder Scrolls MMO in the works?

Jef Reahard — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Rumors

Just about every MMO player has an IP he'd like to see undergo the MMO treatment. For some of us here at Massively, that IP is Bethesda's long-running Elder Scrolls series. Due to a deep reservoir of lore and the fact that earlier games in the series (notably Morrowind and Daggerfall) were more MMO-like than many modern MMOs, we'd love to see what Bethesda would do with such a beast.

Apparently we're not the only ones, as SystemLink has posted a bit of speculation on a possible The Elder Scrolls V, highlighting a few job postings as evidence in support of its theory. While we're not completely sold on the author's conclusions -- mainly due to Bethesda's plainly articulated stance on the massive genre -- we suspect this won't be the last we hear of an Elder Scrolls MMORPG..

Rumor: Elder Scrolls MMO in the works? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Court documents say Bethesda's MMO already under dev, rumor says it's Elder Scrolls

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Legal

In this most recent round of court scuffles between Interplay and Bethesda over the Fallout MMO rights, it would seem that some details are coming to light about what's going on at Bethesda's MMO "branch", Zenimax Media. According to filings, the word is that there are close to 100 people working on an MMO that costs "tens and tens of millions of dollars" and has been under development since late 2006. Apparently these same filings claim that the title is a "World of Warcraft" type MMO. Of course, considering World of Warcraft is about as equal to McDonalds in terms of brand recognition with its millions and millions served, saying something is like World of Warcraft could mean anything from 'it's a DIKU-based, kill-ten-rats, FedEx, fantasy MMO that looks rather a lot like WoW' on up to 'it's somewhere in the general MMO neighborhood.'

Now, to follow this interesting tidbit up, the word is that Bethesda is moving to have this particular chunk of testimony censored to protect trade secrets. To stir the pot a bit further on why they might be scrambling to block it, VG247 have a source they claim is reliable confirming this is the often-rumored Elder Scrolls MMO. What's more, their source says the Elder Scrolls MMO should have been announced last year.

Continue reading Court documents say Bethesda's MMO already under dev, rumor says it's Elder Scrolls

Court documents say Bethesda's MMO already under dev, rumor says it's Elder Scrolls originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More hints of a Fallout MMO?

James Egan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Rumors

We've alternately consulted both our Magic 8 Ball and a Ouija board for answers to the Fallout MMO question. As in, will there be one? We think we've got a handle on the licensing intricacies of Fallout between ZeniMax Media (parent company of Bethesda Softworks) and Interplay thanks to a stellar article written by Daedren for r1ft Gaming. Briefly stated, Bethesda owns the rights to the Fallout IP, but not a Fallout MMO. Interplay holds the Fallout MMO rights, but only if they could raise $30 million and begin development by April 2009. Interplay has mentioned an MMO project with a tongue-in-cheek codename Project V13 (a nod to Fallout) but we've heard little of this game beyond that 2008 announcement that a dev team was being formed. In addition, we reported just last week that ZeniMax Media is hiring for an MMO division, project(s) unknown. While it hints at the potential to bring Fallout into the MMO space, we're still chalking it up to rumor.

That rumor got a bit juicier today though when we came across something of interest at our sister site Big Download. The original Fallout designer Jason Anderson, formerly the creative director for Project V13, has parted company with Interplay to work for inXile on a new RPG. We're still not certain if the various bits of news we've found in the last few weeks indicates a potential ZeniMax/Bethesda Fallout MMO or if Interplay's Project V13 will chug along just fine without Jason Anderson, so we're still firmly in the realm of "rumor," albeit an interesting one to fans of all things post-apocalytic.

More hints of a Fallout MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZeniMax Media hiring for MMO division

James Egan — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items

ZeniMax Media Inc., is currently seeking out MMO development talent for its online game division, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Why is this significant? ZeniMax is the owner of Bethesda Softworks, and thus both Fallout and Elder Scrolls. A Fallout MMO is entirely possible, but the business side of producing this title is somewhat complex. Daedren over at r1ft Gaming dissected the issue as it stood in November:

Bethesda Softworks owns the rights to the the Fallout IP, while Interplay retains rights to a Fallout MMO. However, those rights are forfeit provided Interplay is unable to raise $30 million and begin development of the Fallout MMO by April of 2009. (This is presumably Interplay's "Project V13" which involves other original Fallout team members.)

Continue reading ZeniMax Media hiring for MMO division

ZeniMax Media hiring for MMO division originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zenimax Online kickstarting development with new digs

Chris Chester — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry

We haven't heard terribly much from Zenimax Online over the past few months. The company, the online off-shoot of Zenimax Media and corporate cousin of highly-lauded development house Bethesda Softworks, has been tight-lipped since they told the media to get off their lawn back in November. Of course, that didn't stop us from including the purely speculative Elder Scrolls MMO as #5 in our Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007.

But times, they are a-changing. Word has it that Zenimax Online will be moving to a new 40,000 square foot facility in Huntsville, MD in anticipation of scaling up the development process on their as-yet-unnamed MMO project. Naturally, they're also going to need some new blood to make use of all that office space, so they've posted a bunch of positions for hire. East coast development houses are pretty rare these days, so if you're in the area you might want to get on that ASAP.

Zenimax Online kickstarting development with new digs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Elder Scrolls MMO in the works?

Tateru Nino — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items

The domain name elderscrollsonline.com was registered on 15 August this year by ZeniMax Media Inc, parent company of Bethesda Softworks - the lovely people who make all those wonderful Elder Scrolls games.

Adding fuel to the speculation, ZeniMax Media obtained 15 million US dollars in funding from Providence Equity Partners Inc in late October, which will be used "to fund future growth, increase game development and publishing, facilitate acquisitions, and finance massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs)." [our emphasis]

Bethesda, the Elder Scrolls, and MMO development. These things potentially add up to Massively Tasty Online Games.

An Elder Scrolls MMO in the works? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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