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BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo speaks on faction imbalance, UI customization, Ops, and more

Matt Daniel — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Interviews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic has had a bit of a rocky time with some post-launch hiccups, and it's at that point in time when players begin to start picking on the game's flaws. Despite, or perhaps because of, this turbulence, one of the game's lead designers, Gabe Amatangelo, sat down with John Bain -- better known as Total Biscuit -- for an interview.

Throughout the course of the interview, the pair cover issues ranging from the obvious (what is BioWare doing to address faction imbalance?) to the more abstract (would BioWare ever consider causing skills to act differently in PvP than in PvE?), and Amatangelo has some rather interesting answers. Bain mentions the game's bracketless PvP and asks if the studio might consider further bracketing. Amatangelo replies that BioWare "would not go to further bracketing without opening up the pools of players, and I guess you can infer what you will from that," making a rather overt reference to cross-server PvP. For all this and more, listen to the full interview after the cut.

Continue reading BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo speaks on faction imbalance, UI customization, Ops, and more

BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo speaks on faction imbalance, UI customization, Ops, and more originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Massively: We do not make the games edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous

Sometimes, I get questions for Ask Massively that I just can't use, and not because they're questions to which the answer is just "I don't know," although I try to steer away from those as frequently as possible because it's such an unsatisfying answer. No, sometimes we get questions for which we're not even the right people to answer, period. You can ask me to put a feature in EverQuest II or to consider developing it, but I don't work on EverQuest II. Heck, I don't even play it.

This week's installment of Ask Massively has been pared down to the questions that I can actually answer, including answers about the potential audience of the upcoming WildStar and the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic as it pertains to allowing user-coded addons. If you've got a question you would like answered in a future installment of the column, just send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for length and/or clarity.

Continue reading Ask Massively: We do not make the games edition

Ask Massively: We do not make the games edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square-Enix announces end of Final Fantasy XIV's free play and roadmap for next year

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

The latest patch for Final Fantasy XIV brought some major changes with it, but there are more coming. In a new series of announcements, Square-Enix announced that the unbilled period of the game will be coming to a close between late November and early December in recognition of the large-scale work done by Naoki Yoshida and the game's team. But the announcement was more far-reaching than that -- no, the entire game is going to undergo a major process of changes well through next year, including a graphical engine and UI overhaul as well as major changes to the game's maps.

Several design documents have been posted along with this update, making it clear that the changes will be observed and influenced by players taking part in content during this time period. And these changes will be massive -- the new UI will not only look much cleaner but also be able to support player add-ons. With a promised redesign of maps, changes to the landscape, the upcoming PlayStation 3 version, and major updates to the battle system and armoury system, it's going to be very busy over the next few months as Final Fantasy XIV moves toward version 2.0.

Square-Enix announces end of Final Fantasy XIV's free play and roadmap for next year originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIFT confirms development of an addon API

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT

It's been rumored for much of the day with implementation scattered throughout the test client, but it's been confirmed -- addons are coming to RIFT. In a post to the official forums, James Nichols explains that the game's addon API is currently being tested for implementation, with the hope that players will be able to customize the game's interface while still maintaining the high level of quality found throughout the game. A precise release has not been stated, as the API is still in its earliest stages of development.

Fan reaction has been mixed, as addons have long been a contentious element of many games -- some players feel that they strip down complexity of play, and there are obvious comparisons to be drawn with World of Warcraft. At the same time, the promise to allow free customization and alteration to RIFT has many players excited and looking forward to the new feature. Either way, it's coming to the game, so only time will tell what the implementation will bring.

[Thanks puremallace for the tip!]

RIFT confirms development of an addon API originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX East 2011: Massively interviews RIFT's Scott Hartsman

Karen Bryan — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, Launches, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, RIFT

With the launch of RIFT still fresh, members of the Trion team packed their bags and flew to Boston to attend PAX East. Even though they didn't have a booth, their "We're not in Azeroth anymore" banner made their presence known. In addition, Community Manager Cindy "Abigale" Bowens hosted a party in Boston to celebrate the launch with players and fans. Massively had a chance to sit down and talk with Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman about launch day, security, plans for the future, and a whole lot more. Read on for the full interview!

Continue reading PAX East 2011: Massively interviews RIFT's Scott Hartsman

PAX East 2011: Massively interviews RIFT's Scott Hartsman originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI gets an Abyssean trailer

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Expansions, Previews, News items, Consoles

The highly anticipated December version update for Final Fantasy XI looks to be going live on December 6th. That's not quite certain yet, but considering that the newest update to the Heroes of Abyssea site lists that as the activation date, it's reasonable to assume the game's next major patch will be going live then. It also comes with a trailer showing off the new monsters listed under the bestiary, as well as the landscape for players to explore.

Orthrus, Alfard, and Khrysokhimaira are the three headlining notorious monsters for the add-on, with the trailer giving some sense of just how large the monsters are in comparison with players. Combined with the extant previews of the completed Empyrean Armor sets and the option to pre-purchase the mini-expansion, Final Fantasy XI players will have plenty to whet their appetites until the forecasted release date in a little less than two weeks' time.

Final Fantasy XI gets an Abyssean trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heroes of Abyssea teaser site opens for Final Fantasy XI

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Expansions, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles

The third and final portion of the Abyssea trilogy is poised to hit Final Fantasy XI along with the other components of the December version update. We've known that the update will bring the conclusion to the tale of Vana'diel's dark mirror, but very little beyond that was known until today. Square-Enix has pushed the teaser site for Heroes of Abyssea live, and it contains more of the mini-expansion's lore as well as tantalizing glimpses of the new areas mirrored in the other world.

Although it's hard to be sure, it appears that at least one of the new areas will be in the frozen north, with a further hint being that Rise of the Zilaart and Wings of the Goddess are listed as the requisite expansions. Players can also peek at the completed Empyrean Armor sets, the third iteration of powerful class-based armor. Final Fantasy XI's last update of the year will have a lot to do all around, but Heroes of Abyssea should prove to be an interesting expansion to the popular series of leveling and gearing add-ons.

Heroes of Abyssea teaser site opens for Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you have essential peripherals?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Hands-on

The funny thing about getting used to a new way of playing a game is that sometimes you just can't go back. Case in point: the Razer Naga. It's the sort of mouse that forces dedicated action bar clickers to start using hotkeys, and it's hard to start using one without getting deeply invested in the way that it feels in-play. After all, when you can free up your left hand completely for movement... suffice to say that it earns its moniker as an MMO mouse.

Sometimes it's a favorite headset or a particular keyboard with a familiar layout. We all get accustomed to the computer we use for gaming, but is there a specific piece of hardware that feels just plain vital to log on and play your favorite game? Is it something that notably improves your performance, or just a familiar item that's been a constant through your years of playing online?

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

The Daily Grind: Do you have essential peripherals? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Promotions

I think by this point I have a well-established reputation as being a fairly positive guy on the subject of City of Heroes. It wasn't a conscious decision or anything -- it's just that I've been pretty happy with the game's development and content, and I do tend to be a bit of a developer supporter. I don't expect the game to be something other than what it is, and I enjoy what it is. Not to mention the obvious fact that the game has given me a lot of enjoyment over the years. So I usually come down as being part of the sunshine and light crowd.

But that's not by design -- it's just how things have shaken down. I hand out praise and criticism as the situation warrants. And this week I'm going to talk about something that most definitely deserves criticism. I'm talking, of course, about the Party Pack, the newest mini-addition to the game and one that's already produced more than a little fan rage. But it's deserved, and even if I can see why Paragon Studios went the route that it did, I find it a little hard to just dismiss it with the usual "if you don't like it, don't buy it" routine.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Modding your way out of a paper bag

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

If there's been a theme to this week, it's been interfaces and modding. Both EverQuest II and Lord of the Rings Online have had announcements related to their interfaces, be it re-skinning or new Lua functionality being installed. However, it was these two articles that set off the Rube Goldberg device in my head. They reminded me just what I thought about mods.

My relationship with mods has always been iffy. While I certainly appreciate what they do for us in our many MMOs, they also irk me to no end. While I understand (and totally support) some mods, there are others that I'd rather offer to Zuul.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate the mods because they're not useful. It's quite the opposite, in fact. Sometimes, I think mods are too useful. When you start skipping social interactions in favor of an e-peen number, that's the point where mods are going over the line.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Modding your way out of a paper bag

Anti-Aliased: Modding your way out of a paper bag originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turbine expands on LotRO's Lua scripting

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Free-to-play

Ever since hearing the news that Turbine will allow players to create mods for Lord of the Rings Online using the Lua programming language, the community's been abuzz about what this means for LotRO -- good and bad. Would this allow for the creation of game unbalancing add-ons, or perhaps the rise of a LotRO edition of WoW's controversial GearScore? Or does Turbine have a specific vision in mind for the scope of mods?

Yesterday on the LotRO forums, Narrel, Turbine's Games Systems Engineer, posted a clarifying note about why the company chose to implement this and where it plans to go with it. The devs' main priority with Lua scripting was to empower players to tweak and modify the user interface more to their liking, as the default UI cannot be all things for all folks.

While it is going to prohibit mods from botting or macros, Turbine will open the field for players to work with the inventory layout, information that the HUD displays, quickslot bars, target info, fellowship info and raid vitals. "We are very excited about this feature," Narrel said, "and look forward to the day when it goes live allowing players to have a much more customizable experience with our graphical interface."

Turbine expands on LotRO's Lua scripting originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO and Lua: Turbine gives the mod community a thumbs-up

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Interviews

The winds of change are blowing swiftly across the lands of Middle-earth, as we've just gotten word that Turbine is going to allow the use of Lua scripting for Lord of the Rings Online. A Casual Stroll to Mordor reports that Meghan Rodberg announced the change on a recent episode of The StunCast!.

On the podcast, Rodberg confirmed the upcoming implementation of Lua scripts: "We historically have not allowed any modding of the UI other than skinning it. Hope I'm not blowing anything here, but there is a Lua scripting project going on. I don't know if we've talked about it that much, but people will be able to do some mods. I'm not sure to what extent they'll be able to do it. It seemed like enough of our players were looking for this that we decided to do it."

Lua is a programming language that allows for the creation of add-ons and mods for MMOs, which has seen extensive use in titles like World of Warcraft. It allows for players to design useful (or not-so-useful) UI features, such as auction house enhancements, timing bars and even mini-games. While player response to this announcement is mixed, it hopefully will make many budding modders happy to hear.

[Update: Meghan clarifies: "It's not guaranteed for a launch with F2P - it may be in the testing stage for a while!"]

LotRO and Lua: Turbine gives the mod community a thumbs-up originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Players hath spoken, Allods hath listened: Revelations of Gipat includes several player suggestions

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-play, Allods Online

Some might say that Allods Online is rapidly outgrowing its pair of britches, which is probably why gPotato piled into a car for a shopping trip to the britch store. With the new Revelations of Gipat 1.1 patch, Allods is expanding in ways that should bring happiness, love and warfare to all. We've already heard about the new mounts galloping into the game, but gPotato isn't stopping there: Players will be able to level to 42, enjoy over 200 new quests, challenge three new endgame bosses (including Strina the Fierce, who makes her Massively debut up top there) and romp through the newest zone, Gipat.

In addition to all of this, the developers have been hard at work coming up with new features based on player suggestions. While some of these are small, these quality-of-life features should nevertheless make players very happy. These new features include official add-on support, chat bubbles (which can be toggled on and off), a target-of-target system, additional animations, better audio, more hotkey capabilities and being able to invert your mouse.

It'll truly be interesting to see how the players react to this patch, and how the modding community will explore their new playground. Revelations of Gipat is scheduled for later this summer.

Players hath spoken, Allods hath listened: Revelations of Gipat includes several player suggestions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic addons

Jeremy Stratton — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guides, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Lost Pages of Taborea

I have no idea why some MMOs don't support addons. I love the ability to alter my gaming experience and change the way my user interface looks. They are great, free programs to change how you interact online whether to reduce annoyance, change how game features work or just to liven up your screen. Why wouldn't you want an MMO to have that ability?

I've been hooked on addons since the Runes of Magic community first started making them. I spend countless hours using them to tweak my user interface, on top of having ones that are actually functional. If you didn't know that RoM supports addons or don't know which ones to try, then allow me to breakdown some of the more popular ones for you.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic addons

Lost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic addons originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer Herald recommends Book of Grudges mod

James Egan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, PvP, Warhammer Online

If you're hoping to add a little extra something to Warhammer Online's Realm vs. Realm gameplay, look no further than the "Dammaz Kron: The Great Book of Grudges" mod. Valkea, the creator of Dammaz Kron, describes the mod as a "PvP Black-Book" designed to look like a new section of the Tome of Knowledge. All transgressions against you are recorded in The Great Book of Grudges, as are your own acts of retaliation. Best served cold, and all that.

It's also gotten the nod from Mythic Entertainment. In their words, "The Book of Grudges transforms your fighting experience by adding a meta game and another objective to RvR. Just in case you need another reason to perpetuate the extermination of your enemy Dammaz Kron has your answer." Dammaz Kron can be downloaded from Curse and all the info about the mod is listed there as well.

Mythic has announced the first expansion to Warhammer Online! Check out the announcement itself, the two brand-new classes coming to the game, and the enormous new dungeon/zone slated for a few months away! Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

Warhammer Herald recommends Book of Grudges mod originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese gamer sued for using WoW add-on

Shawn Schuster — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Politics

What if World of Warcraft had no add-ons, would you still play? Worse yet, what if they had the add-ons, and you were aware of them, but it was actually illegal to use them? That's the state of the game in China right now, thanks to the country's licensed WoW distributor, The9.

As part of The9's ongoing war against add-ons, they introduced anti-plugin software in 2004, and have threatened to close down any accounts that circumvented that software. In fact, the company just recently won a lawsuit that stemmed from a player who got their account closed when they were shown to use an add-on. In an article discussing this subject over at Virtually Blind, they suggest a server made just for add-ons, for anyone who wishes to participate. Taking into consideration the fact that China would probably never allow this, what are your thoughts?

EDIT: It seems there was some confusion in the original article's translation, attributing legal add-ons to illegal plug-ins or hacking software. Our apologies for the misunderstanding in quoting the Virtually Blind article, and thank you to all who pointed this out.

Chinese gamer sued for using WoW add-on originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's a mod, mod world, says WoW's Drysc

Chris Chester — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Exploits, Game mechanics

Let's face it - if you've played any MMO for any significant amount of time, chances are you've made use of one mod or another during the course of your experience. Whether you picked it up to help you heal your raid, maximize your DPS, or to optimize your crafting efficiency, mods have always fallen into a sort of gray area as far as the terms of service are concerned, and have the subject of heated moral debate amongst players. After all, is it really fair to modify a game in such a way that gives you a decided advantage over the competition? We've always assumed this was the stance taken by most developers -- if it's not part of the game code, it's not sanctioned by the developers. That is, until we caught this bit on the blue tracker last week.

Drysc, a "blue" mod over on the World of Warcraft forums, came out in support of mods -- citing how they help demonstrate features that the player base feels are lacking in the retail code. He said that many of the features that WoW employs today were inspired in whole or in part by fan-created mods. He even punctuated one post on the subject with, "I <3 mods." Now, we know that Blizzard has at least acknowledged the usefulness of mods in the past, but they've taken some more contrary measures, like patching games in such a way as to fundamentally break certain mods. To hear a dev step outside of this tenuous acquiescence and throw full-on support for mods still threw us for a loop.

It's a mod, mod world, says WoW's Drysc originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CoX Splasher

Amanda Rivera — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture

Poking around on the CoX forums this morning I came across an amazing little tool brought to us by the blossoming development community surfacing in the player base of the game. This fabulous bit of coding is called Splasher, and it's a program that allows you to customize the login and character selection screens for your client.

Beyond simply letting you put up a custom screenshot, the program includes a music function that will let you change the music played for you when the game loads. In this way you can create a custom anthem for your hero to serenade you while you select which character you would like to roam Paragon City with. In addition to the customizable music, there is also a randomizer function that will select a random custom login screen for you from a selection that you put into the program. I created a login screen that featured my favorite moments from Trick or Treating last month. You can download Splasher here, and soon you'll be on the road to a custom login of your very own.

CoX Splasher originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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