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[Former Lineage II artist returns to NCsoft for new MMO project]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/former-lineage-ii-artist-returns-to-ncsoft-for-new-mmo-project/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/former-lineage-ii-artist-returns-to-ncsoft-for-new-mmo-project/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/former-lineage-ii-artist-returns-to-ncsoft-for-new-mmo-project/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Lineage II

NCsoft's prodigal son has returned, and with him the hopes and dreams of the future of gaming. Well that might be a smidge melodramatic, but fans of the company's games certainly have a good reason to celebrate today as former Lineage II artist Juno Jeong has come back to the fold.

Jeong signed back on with NCsoft as of yesterday to be the art director of an unknown MMO project. This is a marked step up from his previous role in the company as a member of the character production team, and those who know Jeong's art style are already expressing excitement with his current role. Following his stint on Lineage II, Jeong worked for several other game companies including Gravity, NHN, and Npluto.

While speculation is swirling over the exact nature of the project to which he's been assigned, the most common assumptions are either that he's working on another Lineage or Aion title.

MassivelyFormer Lineage II artist returns to NCsoft for new MMO project originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-2art-directionart-directorartistcharacter-artistgravityillustratorjuno-jeongjuno-junglineagelineage-2lineage-3lineage-iincsoftnhnnplutoTue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Post-apocalyptic L.A.W takes us from sketches to art to screen]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/post-apocalyptic-l-a-w-takes-us-from-sketches-to-art-to-screen/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/post-apocalyptic-l-a-w-takes-us-from-sketches-to-art-to-screen/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/post-apocalyptic-l-a-w-takes-us-from-sketches-to-art-to-screen/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

LAW
Good-looking graphics don't just magically appear overnight in MMOs, delivered by the FedEx equivalent of the leprechaun community. The look and design of a game is a lengthy process full of revisions, abandoned doodles, and brainstorming -- something we end-users tend not to appreciate.

Consider today your education, then, as the team behind the post-apocalyptic L.A.W -- Living After War released a whole crate of images with the intent of showing us how the iterative process works. In the gallery below you can check out different versions of the same buildings, vehicles, and mobs at various stages of their making. From sketches to concept art to in-game models, these screens are a great crash course in understanding how involved the development team has to get to make these games a reality.

Gallery: L.A.W -- Living After War


[Source: ProSiebenSat.1 press release]

MassivelyPost-apocalyptic L.A.W takes us from sketches to art to screen originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artartistartistsconcept-artfedexgalleryin-game-modelin-game-modelsl.a.wl.a.w-living-after-warleprechaunliving-after-warpost-apocalypticprosiebensat.1-digitalscifiscreenshotssketchsketchesFri, 18 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What would your MMO dream job be?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/the-daily-grind-what-would-your-mmo-dream-job-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/the-daily-grind-what-would-your-mmo-dream-job-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/13/the-daily-grind-what-would-your-mmo-dream-job-be/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I'll be Frank and you'll be Ernest, and we'll both admit that we as players have the tendency to be armchair game designers. No, no, don't deny it; it just makes you look defensive. If there's a single theme that pervades every official MMO forum out there, it's that the players think they know what's best for the game, even more than the devs themselves, and if they were making the calls, Game X would be mopping the floor with World of Warcraft.

So hey, why not indulge in the daydream -- what if tomorrow you could have any job in the MMO industry? If you could make a very real, very direct impact on the games that are being made or are operating in live mode, what would it be? Would you be a writer, finally free to pen the perfect quest? Would you be a project manager, in charge of the direction and goals of the teams at your disposal? Would you be a big-shot CEO, making the major calls and shaping the future of the company? Or would you settle into a creative role as an artist or composer, helping to contribute to the game's frills?

No, wait, I got it. You'd totally want to be a quality assurance tester. Those guys and gals get all the glory, am I right?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What would your MMO dream job be? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artistceocomposerdream-jobopinionproject-managerqaquality-assurancetdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwowwriterFri, 13 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Trek Online official dev blog: Jeremy Mattson]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/star-trek-online-official-dev-blog-jeremy-mattson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/star-trek-online-official-dev-blog-jeremy-mattson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/star-trek-online-official-dev-blog-jeremy-mattson/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Today marks the first of this week's three exclusive developer blogs from Cryptic's Star Trek Online team here at Massively. For Monday, we've got Jeremy Mattson discussing what it's like being a Principal Artist for Cryptic and giving some insight into their powerful character customization tools. He also delves into the past a bit, which should interest any of you City of Heroes fans out there, too.

Be sure to come back again on Wednesday for our second installment of this week's developer blogs. We'll have an animator's perspective of life at Cryptic and working on Star Trek Online.

Continue reading Star Trek Online official dev blog: Jeremy Mattson

MassivelyStar Trek Online official dev blog: Jeremy Mattson originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3-sto-dev-blogsartistatariblogcity-of-heroescohcrypticcryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdev-blogdeveloper-blogfeaturedfeatured-carouseljeremy-mattsonncsoftprincipal-artistst-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotrek-onlineMon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Meet the Sparkplay Media team: Part One, pg. 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/meet-the-sparkplay-media-team-part-one-pg-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/meet-the-sparkplay-media-team-part-one-pg-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/meet-the-sparkplay-media-team-part-one-pg-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Massively: Is there any MMO that has influenced your work on Earth Eternal, and if so how did it influence you?

Alex Madrigal, Concept Artist: I've been pretty active with MMOs for about seven years now. I've played Final Fantasy XI the most, but I've spent a serious amount of time in World of Warcraft as well. I've dabbled in Everquest 2, Lineage II and most recently Dragonica. Artistically, I've picked something up from each of the games I've spent considerable amounts of time with.

What Earth Eternal race represents you the best and why?

Alex: I'd have to say that I'm probably most like the Ursine. I'm big, tough and hairy. Also...not so much tough, but definitely cuddly!

If you could pick out your favorite part of Earth Eternal, what would it be and why?

Alex: My monster designs. That will probably (definitely) come across as conceit, but the time spent with the team discussing, designing and fine tuning the monsters was probably the most fun I've had working on this game. To take something from a simply stated verbal concept and then see it grow through the stages of development is always exciting. Getting to draw strange things and seeing them show up in a 3D virtual space is a hoot. Plus it does my ego good when I hear people say that they think the designs are cool. And if you manage to find monsters you think aren't so cool - I didn't do those. [Laughs]

What has been the most difficult obstacle for you to overcome in your work on Earth Eternal?

Alex: Doing user interface work. Having come from an animation background, jumping headfirst into designing a UI was a hell of a hurdle. Dealing with a whole new set of technical limitations and rules was difficult at first. For my first UI, I'm pretty happy with the end result, but I prefer the pencil and paper/Photoshop route instead of shifting around tiny pixels.

What has influenced your art style for Earth Eternal? Why this art style?

Alex: I wish I could say that I was on the ground floor to help decide the artistic style for the game, but I actually came on as the concept artist about a year after the game's development started. I've been following a style set by another group of artists, but I have taken the opportunity to slather it in a healthy coating of my own personal style when possible. I'm heavily influenced by European graphic novel artists, and I really enjoy classic fairy tale illustrations. Things with visual texture and very rhythmic line work. Earth Eternal has rich lore and to me, it feels like a fairy tale world. I try to implement that kind of stuff wherever I can.

Come back tomorrow for part two, when we get to speak with the lead writer, Matt Mihaly, and one of the programmers, Ryne Anderson!

MassivelyMeet the Sparkplay Media team: Part One, pg. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-madrigalartistartworkconcept-artistearth-eternalfairy-taleffxifinal-fantasy-xisparkplay-mediaursineThu, 23 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Freeform professions]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/eve-evolved-freeform-professions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/eve-evolved-freeform-professions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/eve-evolved-freeform-professions/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


EVE Online is a game often lauded for its sandbox style open-ended gameplay. Some of the best parts of the game have been entirely developed by the players and this trend continues in the field of professions. At launch, CCP advertised the professions miner, trader, bounty hunter and pirate. Little did they know that players would add double-agent, stock broker, artist and many others to that list.

What makes a profession freeform?:
Put simply, a freeform profession is any job a person can fill that wasn't explicitly created by the game's developers. While mining and mission-running were deliberately created by CCP, there are plenty of professions that the players themselves came up with. In EVE's hyper-capitalistic world, everything and everyone has a price and if there's a demand for something, you can make a career out of it.

In my early days in EVE, I noticed a shortage of research labs in the game and decided to capitalise on it. I flew around the fringes of empire space renting all the available labs and then sold them on to players for a huge profit. Going from a run-of-the-mill miner to a self-made real estate agent made me realise that EVE was something really special.

Find out what innovative professions the players of EVE Online have come up with over the years.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Freeform professions

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Freeform professions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artistccpeveeve-onlinefeaturedhaulerjanitorjoystiqfeatureslab ownerLabOwnermarketmarketeerprofessionsspyMon, 14 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lead artist-ing with Champions Online's Christopher Chamberlain]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/lead-artist-ing-with-champions-onlines-christopher-chamberlain/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/lead-artist-ing-with-champions-onlines-christopher-chamberlain/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/lead-artist-ing-with-champions-onlines-christopher-chamberlain/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Would you believe that this week's edition of Cryptic's meet the team is all about Christopher "Absinthe" Chamberlain, the lead artist in charge of characters, animation and FX for Champions Online? Yeah? Good. We were sure you'd believe, but we still had to check. It's not that Mr. Chamberlain is some kind of famous developer, he's just a very cool individual -- which also makes him an interesting interviewee. That is unless he used is crazy backwards-talking skills whenever you asked him a question. Then he'd just be a startlingly confusing interviewee.

As far as his workday goes for creating characters and animations, we're once again forced to feel a little jealous. Most grown-up men don't get to play with form swords all day anymore, but Christopher does just that. Then after getting to play around for who knows how long, the man gets to sit down and decide how villains in the game will look. It doesn't stop there, but we'll let you discover what other madness this man is involved with on a daily basis.

MassivelyLead artist-ing with Champions Online's Christopher Chamberlain originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationartistchampionschampions-onlinechristopher-chamberlaincrypticcryptic-studiosmeet-the-teamvillainsThu, 10 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Watch a Stargate Worlds artist's video dev diary]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/29/watch-a-stargate-worlds-artists-video-dev-diary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/29/watch-a-stargate-worlds-artists-video-dev-diary/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/29/watch-a-stargate-worlds-artists-video-dev-diary/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cheyenne Mountain has released a developer profile of Stargate Worlds artist Jake Johnson, who works on all sorts of visual assets -- most prominently the attractive skies of the game's many planets. Johnson talks about how he landed the Stargate gig, the assets he had the most fun creating, and the process he employs to create sky domes. Oh, and his favorite season of SG-1 -- Season 2. Good choice, Jake! Every one knows Sokar was the coolest SG-1 villain!

SGW's skies aren't just skybox textures, apparently; Johnson composes a geosphere to blanket the game world. Planets and other celestial objects can be placed inside it after the fact. The video includes a sneak peak at the sky of the planet Dakara, so that's pretty cool. Also, there's a gigantic Stargate replica in the studio lobby. Nice!

The clip is worth a look, if only for snickering at all the miscellaneous gaming memorabilia littering the art department's desks, including a copy of Battlefield 2, Mario 1UP mushrooms, and an XBox 360 controller. But don't take the controller as a hint; Cheyenne's Joe Ybarra made it clear in an interview a few days ago that the team is focusing on the PC for now.

MassivelyWatch a Stargate Worlds artist's video dev diary originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artartistassetscheyenne-mountaindakaradeveloper-profileinterviewjake-johnsonsgwskiesskystargatestargate-worldsvideoSat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST