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[Aventurine squelches Darkfall 2 rumors, for now]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/aventurine-squelches-darkfall-2-rumors-for-now/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/aventurine-squelches-darkfall-2-rumors-for-now/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/aventurine-squelches-darkfall-2-rumors-for-now/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Darkfall news has been flowing fast and furious of late. Whether it's info on the newly minted Hellfreeze expansion and its patches, upcoming character model upgrades, or new lore, it seems like the little Greek MMO that could is gathering a head of steam.

One bit of news that got blown slightly out of proportion was a reported mention of Darkfall 2. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras briefly mentioned Darkfall 2 at a recent event, and some fans took that to mean the company was already working on a sequel to the sandbox MMORPG. In reality, Flambouras was speaking of reusable assets and the fact that the development firm is "keeping the future of Darkfall in mind while we work on this version of the game. It doesn't mean that we're working on a new game."

In a post on the official forums, Flambouras reiterates that Aventurine's devs are not currently making a Darkfall sequel, and even if they were, "it would take years to complete and we would not stop full development of Darkfall 1."

MassivelyAventurine squelches Darkfall 2 rumors, for now originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a massively multiplayer online game where a player's avatar is essentially a spaceship, the designs of those spacecraft have to be appealing. After all, the look of a ship is generally not as customizable at the appearance of an avatar in most other MMOs. In fact, the ship avatar may not be customizable at all, so ship aesthetics are important to some players. This is the focus of an interview with Rocketbox Studios, the people who created the 3-D models for ships and space stations in the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy.

Rocketbox Studios worked from the concept art provided by Black Prophecy developer Reakktor Media and (according to their portfolio) created 165 spaceship modules, 70 weapons, 5 space station module systems, and 5 level locations. The main requirement Reakktor had was that, given that Black Prophecy is a space-based MMO, these assets would look good even from great distances while holding a significant amount of details and textures up close. And although Black Prophecy is clearly focused on the ships, it's been mentioned that there will be 3-D mini avatars seen in player-to-player communication. This is evidenced by the fact that Rocketbox Studios built 27 character models for the sci-fi title, albeit without heads.

Continue reading Interview focuses on creating the ships of Black Prophecy

MassivelyInterview focuses on creating the ships of Black Prophecy originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assetsblack-prophecyinterviewsmodelsnew-titlesreakktor-mediarocketbox-studiossci-fiship-modelsthe-prophecy-networkMon, 03 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Phishing attempt targets EVE Online subscribers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/phishing-attempt-targets-eve-online-subscribers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/phishing-attempt-targets-eve-online-subscribers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/phishing-attempt-targets-eve-online-subscribers/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


They're baaack. The phishing emails targeting EVE Online players, that is. While you're sound asleep dreaming of your next Machariel, or thrashing about in a nightmare about that last pod killing, there are legions of very bad men seeking to crack open your EVE Online account and liquidate your assets. Of course, they need your help to do so.

The phishing attempt has evolved to its next genius incarnation... no wait... it's exactly the same as last month. They haven't innovated at all! They're just plowing ahead with it, regardless. They pretend to be CCP Games and email you, stating that they're EVE Customer Support. Of course, they're emailing you to let you know about their latest database issue, and that they'd like you to log in and verify that everything's OK. They're even kind enough to provide you with a convenient link that brings you to "your account", where the phishers log your username and password, and proceed to rip you off as thoroughly as possible.

Continue reading Phishing attempt targets EVE Online subscribers

MassivelyPhishing attempt targets EVE Online subscribers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advisoryassetsccpccp-gamescustomer-servicecustomer-supportemaileveeve-onlinegrinchiskpasswordphishingphishing-attemptsci-fiusernamewarningMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Winterblink: asset control and consolidation in EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/winterblink-asset-control-and-consolidation-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/winterblink-asset-control-and-consolidation-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/winterblink-asset-control-and-consolidation-in-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Warp Drive Active podcaster Winterblink is a man who's got everything, apparently. And too much of it, scattered throughout his hangars in New Eden. It's a common problem in EVE Online, particularly for players who roam a lot throughout the galaxy. Mission runners, ratters, and adherents of most any trade or livelihood in the game accumulate a lot of random assets, individually of low worth but which can hold substantial value when seen as a whole. Unfortunately, what Winterblink describes in his blog gets even worse when a player uses containers to organize their possessions by category across multiple stations. The contents of those containers cannot be viewed remotely; one has to be docked in that particular station to see what's inside.

Winterblink decided he couldn't handle the clutter anymore and shared the most efficient way he's found to deal with it all, step-by-step. He also had a good idea about having a container that only has the modules for his preferred ship fittings. Slowboating all over New Eden to consolidate his assets worked out for Winterblink. But this writer found that the negligible value of his junk and the time lost consolidating it wouldn't be worth the effort, and opted to ruthlessly destroy a fair amount of it, rather than collect and reprocess or resell the odds and ends. The slash-and-burn approach works for Tech I modules, but once ships and Tech II of anything enter into the picture, Winterblink's way is best. Especially in that he opted to reprocess the materials rather than trying to sell them all on the market.

Continue reading Winterblink: asset control and consolidation in EVE Online

MassivelyWinterblink: asset control and consolidation in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assetsccpccp-gameseveeve-onlinefactionfaction-modulemission-runnermodulemodulesnew-edenofficerofficer-modulepodcastpodcasterratrattersci-fit1t2tech-1tech-2warp-drive-activewdawinterblinkThu, 03 Jul 2008 18:30:00 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