Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist discovers the Island of Kesmai]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Island of Kesmai
It was the mid-'80s, and I was just a kid in love with his family's IBM PC. Not having a wealth of capital at the time, I relied on hand-me-down copies of software that rolled in from friends and family and probably the Cyber-Mafia. Practically none of the disks came with instructions (or even labels, sometimes), and as such I felt like an explorer uncovering hidden gems as I shoved in 5 1/4" floppy after 5 1/4" floppy. Some titles were great fun, some were so obtuse I couldn't get into them, and some were obviously meant for those older and wiser than I.

One game that fell into the latter category was a brutally difficult RPG that smelt of Dungeons & Dragons -- a forbidden experience for me at the time. It was just a field of ASCII characters, jumbled statistics, and instant death awaiting me around every corner. I gave it a few tries but could never progress past the first level, especially when I'd keep running out of arrows, so I gave up.

Unbeknownst to me, I had my first brush with Rogue, an enormously popular dungeon crawler that straddled the line between the description-heavy RPGs and arcade titles like Gauntlet. Rogue defined the genre when it came out in 1980, spawning dozens of "Roguelikes" that sought to cash in on the craze. Not five years after its release, Rogue got a worthy successor that decided it could bring this addicting style of gameplay to the larva form of the Internet. It was called Island of Kesmai, but you may call it "Sir, yes sir!"

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist discovers the Island of Kesmai

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist discovers the Island of Kesmai originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureBill-Loudenclassicclassic-mmosclassicscompuservedungeons-of-kesmaifeaturedgame-archaelogistisland-of-kesmaijohn-taylorkelton-flinnkesmaikesmai-corporationlord-of-the-ringsmegawarsmudmud1nostalgiaopinionrichard-bartlerogueroguelikethe-game-archaeologistuniversity-of-virginiavaxzorkTue, 06 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sony reinventing PlayStation Home to be more like an MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/sony-reinventing-playstation-home-to-be-more-like-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/sony-reinventing-playstation-home-to-be-more-like-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/sony-reinventing-playstation-home-to-be-more-like-an-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Playstation Home
PlayStation Home was a hugely anticipated feature for console fans, one that ultimately garnered mixed reviews and apathetic affection. Due to the reception, Sony has decided to reinvent the game lobby-slash-virtual-world to incorporate the best of themeparks, MMOs, and social networks.

When it relaunches this fall, PlayStation Home will look radically different, resembling a sleek mall with plenty to do and faster functionality for those who want to get right to their games. But between playing commercial titles, gamers are encouraged to hang out for a while, which is where MMO elements come into play.

The new Home has a number of districts, as an amusement park would, and in them players can pick up quests, go on treasure hunts, and explore these video game-themed zones to find hidden mysteries. Sony also promises that it will incorporate persistent, ongoing stories, similar to those you'd find in MMOs, such as an alien invasion that affects all of the areas.

Sony is hoping that the 23 million Home users will embrace this new experience and form stronger social connections through it.

MassivelySony reinventing PlayStation Home to be more like an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureamusement-parksconsolehomehorrorplaystationplaystation-3playstation-homeps3rebootreimaginerevampsocial-networksocial-networkingsonysportstheme-parktheme-parksTue, 23 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How do you recapture the wonder of MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-recapture-the-wonder-of-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-recapture-the-wonder-of-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-recapture-the-wonder-of-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Blogger Wolfshead has a problem: He's lost the sense of wonder and adventure that he used to have with MMOs, and he doesn't know if it'll ever return. "Many years later and many MMOs later I still feel that no other MMO has ever been able to successfully recreate all of those feelings that EverQuest produced," he said.

I've found gaming to be like many aspects of life, from hobbies to relationships to passions: Sometimes you wake up and the thrill is gone. Where did it go? Perhaps the more important question is "How do I get it back?"

I think it is possible to get back that sense of wonder and to rejuvenate interest in gaming, but it does take work and a different approach on one's behalf. So what do you recommend? How do you recapture the wonder of MMOs when you've lost it?

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

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How do you recapture the wonder of MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureeqeverquestopinionrecapture-wondertdgthe-daily-grindwolfsheadwonderMon, 25 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/around-the-world-in-eight-days-a-journey-in-wurm-online-part-t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/around-the-world-in-eight-days-a-journey-in-wurm-online-part-t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/around-the-world-in-eight-days-a-journey-in-wurm-online-part-t/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

My journey around the world of Wurm Online continues on today through the second half of the trip. In yesterday's story, we explored the eastern and southern shores of the map's mainland, and now we get to see the western and northern shores in all their glory.

Although that southwestern-most tip of land is heavily populated, you're back to desolation when you make your way up into the cliff faces of the western shore. I spent one night in the side of a rocky mountain, only slightly protected from the elements as I chiseled my way into the rock just enough for a fire and shelter for the night. I decided to roleplay a bit during the trip, setting up proper shelter before I logged out of the game for the day. What's funny about this particular shelter is the fact that I discovered a very rare diamond only three squares into the cave. I've dug entire mazes of underground mines and never found a diamond before, so this was a sure sign that the rest of the trip was going to be bountiful. And it was! Follow along below for more.

Gallery: Around the Wurm Online world

Continue reading Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two

MassivelyAround the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventurearound-the-worldboatsdiaryexplorationexploreexplorerf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgalleriesgalleryhousingjourneylogonetwofree-absandboxscreenshotstravelwurmwurm-onlineWed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: A talk with Richard Bartle]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/12/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-a-talk-with-richard-bart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/12/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-a-talk-with-richard-bart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/12/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-a-talk-with-richard-bart/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

From talking with Richard Bartle, reading his blog, and looking over several interviews that he's done, I've concluded that the co-creator of the first multi-user dungeon is, in many ways, a card. A smart one, a perceptive one, and an outspoken one, but a card nonetheless. I say this in a good way, of course, because for all of the verbal pussyfooting that often goes on in this industry, it's refreshing to hear the voice of someone who knows what he thinks and isn't afraid to say it, even if it goes against the grain.

Dr. Bartle's name often comes up in discussions of both MUDs and MMORPGs. His designs, work and scholarship have influenced MMOs in substantial ways, and it's possible that if our children end up learning about massively multiplayer RPGs in school some day, Bartle's name will be mentioned once or twice.

While he's sometimes polarizing, it's hard to deny the incredible work he's done, which is why I was excited to get to talk to him about this month's subject on the Game Archaeologist. So hit that pesky jump and let's pick the mind of a guy who really earned the right to post "FIRST!!1!"

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: A talk with Richard Bartle

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: A talk with Richard Bartle originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-tale-in-the-desertadventureancient-anguishassemblerassembly-languagebaldurs-gatebaldurs-gate-2bartle-testbatmudBCPLciv1civ2civ3civ4civ5civilizationcoding-headachedarklandsdesigning-virtual-worldsdlcenglish-channelfeaturedfootball-managergemstoneipclegendmudmacro-10master-of-orionmedieviamoomoo2moo3morrowindmudmud1mud2multi-user-dungeonoblivionplay-testerplaytestingrichard-bartlerogueroy-trubshawSETUWPstar-firesunsetThe-Patriciantops-10Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

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!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history

MassivelyThe 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abermudadventurearadatharpanetbbsbritish-legendsbulletin-board-systemcollosal-cave-adventurecompuserved-and-ddikudikumuddont-panicdungeons-and-dragonseqeverquestfeaturedgamers-worldgenielord-of-the-ringslpmudmark-jacobsmeridian-59moomuckmudmud1mud2mudsmulti-user-dungeonmusemushmushesplanetfallrichard-bartleRoy-Trubshawthe-game-archaeologistthe-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxythe-hobbittinymucktinymudultima-onlineuoworld-of-warcraftwowzorkTue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-eve-travels-mark/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-eve-travels-mark/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-eve-travels-mark/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

EVE Spotlight is a bi-weekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Every two weeks, we'll be shining the spotlight on a player or developer who has a significant impact on EVE to highlight the efforts of EVE's most influential people.

At the start of this month, the folks at CCP Games updated their Facebook page with a link to a fascinating blog. The aptly named EVE Travel serves almost as a holiday brochure for the many interesting places to visit in EVE. I'm sure some players would look at this as a waste of time, but to me it underscores everything that's great about EVE and sandbox games in general. The number of viable ways to play the game is constrained only by a player's imagination and motivation. Mark and the guest contributors on EVE Travel are all highly motivated to explore the visuals and lore surrounding every interesting thing you might come across in EVE. Where we see a pretty shipwreck, they see an ancient battle with its own motivations and politics.

In reading EVE Travel, I shared in Mark's sense of wonder and excitement about a vast universe that I had taken for granted. That sense of awe, of being lost in the deep and having to learn all about everything for the first time, is something a lot of us have lost over the years. When we run missions or complete exploration complexes, many of us just see the numbers involved -- how much damage we can deal or tank and what rate of ISK per hour we can generate. We look at these areas through the eyes of a player gaming the system, but EVE Travel shows them to us through the eyes of a true explorer. I was even inspired to set out on my own exploration adventure, delving into the lore of places I'd taken for granted and seeing them again for the first time.

In this edition of EVE Spotlight, I talk to blogger Mark from EVE Travel about exploring the collossal sandbox of New Eden and what can be done to help the storyline of EVE come alive.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark

MassivelyEVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Excited about Dungeons and Dragons Online's Update 8? Do you feel a jolt race up your arm when you contemplate its glory and find yourself breathless? That may be a heart condition -- perhaps you should get it checked out? Or it could be the weighty dose of content that's about to descend on your chest, you never know!

Along with cookie jars and cosmetic armor, DDO's Update 8 will unleash a quartet of new adventures for brave dungeoneers. In a recent promotional post for the patch, Turbine's provided a description for each of the level 13 adventures. The first, "Assault on Summerfield," has your team defending the city against waves of invasion, while the subsequent "Blockade Buster" gives you the opportunity to sail to the enemy ships at night and blow them up. In a pair of longer modules, "Undermine" and "Siegebreaker" offer daring groups a chance to infiltrate the enemy base and shut down their supply line of troops once and for all.

As of right now, we do not have word as to the pricing plan for these adventures if you are a F2P player. However, it's never too soon to get ready to protect Stormreach in Update 8 by reading this post. And stay tuned -- we'll be taking a deeper look at Update 8 later this week on Massively!

MassivelyBust the blockade and storm the fortress in DDO's Update 8 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For many of us old school gamers, the Atari 2600 was the first gaming console on which we cut our teeth -- literally. Mom said that chewing the wood panel sides would cause splinters, but oh! How good it did taste!

Of course, there were games on the system to be enjoyed as well, and many of us have fond memories of plugging away at Space Invaders, jumping the crocodiles in Pitfall, running from Evil Otto in Berzerk, and assembling the phone in E.T. OK, I lied, nobody has fond memories of E.T. Still, Atari 2600 titles (and other games from that era) had a certain bizarre lunacy to them and a charm that couldn't be denied. Perhaps this is why they endure through retro gaming to this day.

Engage with us on a flight of fancy, then, and tell us: What Atari 2600 game would make for a fine -- or, heck, interesting -- MMO? Would it be the thrilling vistas of Adventure? The heated PvP battlegrounds of Warlords? The fruit-stained corridors of Pac-Man? Or even the elegant simplicity of Combat?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What Atari 2600 game would you like to see as an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Roper at GDC 2010 and discuss the general future of Champions Online. There are two themes to Bill's answers during our talk: just about everything is free and listening to community feedback.

First of all, melee powers like Might are getting reworked based directly from player feedback. The goal is to make players feel as though they're on par with ranged powersets in PvP situations. Generally, people have been saying they felt "gimped" and the goal is to fix that. There's a complete reworking of the supernatural set coming as well, which will separate the previously single powerset into two new ones.

Continue reading GDC10: The future of Champions Online

MassivelyGDC10: The future of Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now you guys have a really interesting design going on with Warhammer, regarding the City Siege system. You've basically built in your own cap on the game's system, which is very different from other MMOs in the market. What's it like designing something like Land of the Dead with that restrictive cap in mind?

Jeff: It's challenging. Sometimes it feels like we're splitting hairs, but we planned to do this type of stuff earlier on, so we left some space to design in. We wanted to make sure this was a free expansion that all players had access to that runs parallel to the tier four campaign...

Gabe: It compliments many different areas of our content. It compliments many types of players with many types of gear and gives them new objectives to achieve. But the top end, yeah, it's definitely a challenge, and that's the one campaign. We have three campaigns. The Warhammer world just has so much stuff in it. There are so many other armies and other things to be inspired by to make new content.

With all of that other stuff in mind, where would you like to take Warhammer if the decision was solely up to you?

Gabe: There's alot. You know, when we explored the RvR gated "Darkness Falls" dungeon, we explored a bunch of different things. We explored Mordheim, we explored Skavenblight, and then we fell across the Tomb Kings. This was perfect for us, as it allowed us to explore a bunch of different gameplay dynamics.

But still, I think Skavenblight is a very cool element. Then you have the whole Vampire Counts dark world...

Jeff: We still got Sylvania and getting out there to do. Personally, from a visual standpoint, I'd like to see Lustria. I think it's an environment we just don't have in the game at the moment, which was one of the reasons I was really excited about Tomb Kings. I like having a completely new environment and it's a setting we don't have at all in our game.

Gabe: And it also really depends on what we want to get out in regards to content. Is it a dungeon, is it a new open zone? That affects where we go with it. If it's a dungeon, oh well then we should go to Skavenblight as it's a underground thing over there. If it's a whole new mini-zone, then maybe we go to Lustria. Of course I'm talking in broad general terms, but that's the stuff that directs where we take it.

Is there anything that got left out of this expansion that you wish would have made it in?

Jeff: We accomplished alot, but there is that one thing we had to cut back on, as we needed to get moving with production, and that was being able to bring the Tomb Kings in as an ally in the RvR siege. In the early days of the design, we were thinking about giving the assistance of the Tomb King and his army out during city sieges.

Gabe: There were several ways we strayed away from that and one was certainly production issues, but another was that we wanted the campaign system to be the campaign system. Land of the Dead is gated by the campaign, but it doesn't hinder or affect the system in any way and we wanted to leave it like that.

The one for me was that we wanted people to be able to access Land of the Dead from level one. But, well, we just couldn't do that. We pushed it back to level 25.

Jeff: But the majority of our players meet that requirement anyway. The other other thing that we wanted was for instances to be able to let more players in. So there's six man runs right now, but there was this "other one" where we wanted to get that number higher, but we didn't get that in.

Gabe: *evil laughter* Not yet.

Now one of thing some of our commenters are going to point out as a problem is the power leveling. You can be level 25, then get bolstered to level 36 in Land of the Dead, and you gain level 36 experience at level 25. Why did you guys decide that?

Gabe: Well Darkness Falls was very successful as an alternate spot for power leveling. So we went and followed that form and put it into Land of the Dead.

The other thing to note though is that you can lose control of the Land of the Dead, and that will cause power leveling to spike. It's another carrot on the stick for players to gain control of the area. So I don't think it's going to be a problem, I think players are going to enjoy it.

Jeff: It gives you another track, an accelerated track, and it happens right at 25 for a reason as it's in that lull between tier three and tier four. It's going to be that extra push that will get people into tier four. We've done many things to help ease that lull, like new epic questlines and boosted quest experience, to get people into tier four.

So, ok, let's pretend I'm a newbie to Warhammer. Why should I come and play your game?

Jeff: If you want PvE content, we got the public quest system which is a trendsetter in the industry and I know we're going to see more of it pop up.

Oh yeah, Runes of Magic already jumped on that.

Jeff: Oh yeah, we know, and it's cool. It's just a good system because it helps get people together. From an PvP standpoint, our game was built for realm vs. realm combat. You can do it from rank one in our game. There are scenarios, there's RvR areas, they're dynamic, there's a lot of variety. We slowly introduce the player to harder and harder mechanics as they advance through the tiers, like keeps, and outer walls of keeps, and city sieges. To me, that's why players should come. If you want PvP then there's no other place to go.

Gabe: With Land of the Dead specifically, it's the pyramids and the necropolis. There's no other setting like that in modern MMOs. It's the action RPG elements and working together to overcome them as a group as well as individually. There's just nothing like it. You like Zelda, you like God of War? Then check this out.
The sands of the Tomb Kings are coming as the final release in the Call to Arms live expansion, the Land of the Dead approaches! Massively has your back with coverage from Mythic Entertainment at Games Day '09, so get your WAAGGGHHH ready for RvR mayhem as Massively re-arms for WAR!

MassivelyGames Day '09: Lands of the Dead design discussion with Gabe Amatangelo and Jeff Skalski pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After saying goodbye to Paul and Josh, I soon found myself sitting down with Gabe Amatangelo, the senior designer on Land of the Dead, and Jeff Skalski, the RvR team lead, with the task of getting inside the Land of the Dead development process.

What I got were some great insights into how testing and development works at Mythic Entertainment, as well as some inside facts on Land of the Dead and some great reasons for why players should come back and try out some WAR. Interested in what sparked the movement to an action RPG dynamic? Wondering what features may not have made the final Land of the Dead cut? All of that and more is inside this Games Day interview.

Continue reading Games Day '09: Lands of the Dead design discussion with Gabe Amatangelo and Jeff Skalski

MassivelyGames Day '09: Lands of the Dead design discussion with Gabe Amatangelo and Jeff Skalski originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgadventurecall-to-armsdungeonfeaturedgabe-amatangelogames-daygames-day-2009indiana-jonesjeff-skalskijoystiqfeaturesland-of-the-deadmythicmythic-entertainmentpvepvprvrtomb-of-the-vulture-lordwarwarhammer-onlineFri, 15 May 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: The veil lifts on The Secret World]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/07/gdc09-the-veil-lifts-on-the-secret-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/07/gdc09-the-veil-lifts-on-the-secret-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/07/gdc09-the-veil-lifts-on-the-secret-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


If you've been waiting for a chance to see what lies beyond the curtain and fall into the elegantly dark setting of The Secret World, then get ready for your first glimpse of what lurks beyond. At the GDC we got the chance to sit down and discuss The Secret World with Funcom and lay our eyes on a few cinematics of the game.

While we were unable to get our hands around a playable version of the title, we were treated to many of the game's basics and concepts. This may not be the tidal wave of information, but it is a start to the flow of The Secret World's river of fresh ideas.

What lies after the break is an explanation of what the game is all about, followed by the first cinematic of The Secret World that we've been allowed to release. Later in the hour, we'll be posting our interview with Ragnar Tørnquist, the game's creator. So stick with us as we lead you through our peek of TSW.

Continue reading GDC09: The veil lifts on The Secret World

MassivelyGDC09: The veil lifts on The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>actionadventurecombatconsolefeaturedfuncomgdc-2009historyjoystiqfeaturesloremythologyragnarragnar-tornquiststorythe-secret-worldtswxbox-360xbox360Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Player vs. Everything: Fear is the missing ingredient]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/player-vs-everything-fear-is-the-missing-ingredient/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/player-vs-everything-fear-is-the-missing-ingredient/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/player-vs-everything-fear-is-the-missing-ingredient/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When I was playing EverQuest in the Kunark-era days there was one item that stood head and shoulders above all the others for me: the Fungus Covered Scale Tunic (affectionately called "The Fungi"). It was the ultimate twink item, allowing you to regain your health at a rate unheard of in the days when long rest periods between each minor battle were the norm for solo players. The Fungi was something I lusted after, wished for, and dreamed of, but I was never able to actually lay hands on it during those days, due to the extreme difficulty of obtaining one. If you wanted one, you had to take a full party of maximum level characters into an exceedingly dangerous area, far from the reaches of civilization, and fight your way to a rare spawn deep in the ruined city of Old Sebilis. Very rarely, he would drop the prized Fungi, which you could then pass on to your low-level alts or sell on the open market for hundreds of thousands of platinum pieces.

Other than the fact that it was a fantastic twink item, what made the Fungi so compelling? It was that you really had to risk something to get it. EverQuest, with it's naked corpse runs, experience loss on death, and horribly dangerous dungeons, made adventuring into a real adventure. Getting to Old Sebilis required traveling across several dangerous and hostile jungle zones in the forgotten continent of Kunark, far from the nearest hub of civilization. Dying in the depths of Old Sebilis was a sickeningly punishing experience in those days -- something you avoided at all costs. When a battle started going sour, you could feel your hackles rising, panic setting in, and a real sense of fear that made victory that much sweeter and death a soul-crushing experience. Is that sense of fear something we're missing out on in the modern MMOG?

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: Fear is the missing ingredient

MassivelyPlayer vs. Everything: Fear is the missing ingredient originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 May 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventuredeathdeath-penaltyeverquestexplorationfearfeaturedgame-designplayer-vs-everythingrisktravelworld-of-warcraftzonesWed, 14 May 2008 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Of the Spellborn PC, personal experience points, and adventure!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/spellborn-and-ultraforce-announce-spellborn-pc/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/spellborn-and-ultraforce-announce-spellborn-pc/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/spellborn-and-ultraforce-announce-spellborn-pc/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


There's been a lot of talk recently about special collector's editions. Are they really worth the money? Chronicles of Spellborn may have just made the ultimate deal here. For about 1200 Teuros (about two grand in US dollars), they've teamed up with Ultraforce to sell you a game and the custom gaming rig on which to play it. You just can't beat a deal like this. A highly anticipated MMO and a speedy Core2 Duo processor, twin GeForce 9600s SLI on an nForce 750i motherboard and custom Spellborn case art... No idea whether it comes with a three day head start, though, and we can hope those aren't the minimum system specs to play the game.

We've been seeing a lot of beta screen shots out of Spellborn, but there's been too many shots showing static scenes with perhaps a person standing in them but precious little action. The beta testers finally came through for us with a dozen adventuring screen shots and there is plenty of action to be seen. The screen shot above showcases how different the characters you create can look -- the woman in front is gray-haired and chunky but still looks good in her steel-and-silk bikini. She doesn't have to run fast; just faster than the doomed, thin girl lagging behind.

Spellborn is currently due to release world-wide in Q4 2008. They'll have some tough competition. The Spellborn devs just (like, a minute ago) put up a new beta video showing off their Personal Experience Point system. The PEPs are gained through PvE and grant permanent buffs to your character ... provided you don't die. Good stuff, and you can be one of the first to see it! Click on through to watch the video below the cut.

Continue reading Of the Spellborn PC, personal experience points, and adventure!

MassivelyOf the Spellborn PC, personal experience points, and adventure! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventurebetachronicles-of-spellborncore2duogeforce-9600nforce750iscreenshotsspecial-editionspellborntcosultraforceThu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard wins the prank wars]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/blizzard-wins-the-prank-wars/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/blizzard-wins-the-prank-wars/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/blizzard-wins-the-prank-wars/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Well, what else would you expect from the company that brought you murlocs? April Fool's day is in full effect in Blizzardlandia, and World of Warcraft isn't the only game to get the treatment, but it's a good place to start!

Molten Core: for consoles
Heavily trading on fond gamer memories of Atari's Adventure, Blizzard brings us the console version of its popular 40-player raid dungeon Molten Core. The game's site features screenshots alongside concept art, and a trailer, even, with an 8-bit, pixelated version of the company's logo. We won't spoil the show for you, but the best bullet point for the game has to be 'Has sound'. Check it out and wait for your chance to pre-order!

Continue reading Blizzard wins the prank wars

MassivelyBlizzard wins the prank wars originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8-bitactivisionadventureapril-fools-08ataribardblizzardforsakenfrostmourneghostsguitar-herokorhalmolten-coreprankrock-bandscvstarcraft-2tauren-marineworld-of-starcraftworld-of-warcraftwrath-of-the-lich-kingzerglingTue, 01 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


It seems that most gamers these days haven't played any of the old Apple II computer games, much less the particularly ancient text-based adventure ones. Most people now see them as arcane and even intimidating. Those black & white fossils bear no relation to something as modern as say, The Lord of the Rings Online, right?

Wrong! Gaming's old-timers will be tickled to hear that a quest in Tal Bruinen was inspired by a gameplay mechanic from an Apple II text adventure game. A Turbine employee revealed this behind-the-scenes tidbit in a thread about the quest on the official LotRO forums.

The Apple II was the first widely successful personal computer. It had a large library of games, many of which are cornerstones of computer gaming history. You can play a lot of those games in your web browser at virtualapple.org, one of the best online emulators. It has many of the all-time classic RPGs like Ultima, Might and Magic, and Wizardry as well.

MassivelyLotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureappleapple-iiemulatorhistorylord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromight-and-magicold-schoolquesttextturbineultimawizardryzorkSat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST