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 Perfect Ten: MMO prisons]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Ten Prisons
Chillin' in the clink. Spending time in stoney lonesome. Thrown into the slammer. Checking in to the big house. Doing (perfect) 10 to life in the hole. Learning the ropes in juvie.

Prison: The only fun thing about it is the slang that people have come up to describe it. And while you may never actually want to spend any time in the crowbar hotel in real life, chances are you've already done so in MMOs. Jails are an ever-popular locale in online gaming, and they almost always deal with an epidemic of escaped -- yet still milling around casually -- prisoners.

So in today's Perfect Ten, we talked to the warden and got you a special glimpse into pixelated pokeys, if only to scare you straight. No more exploits and bots for you, young man or woman!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO prisons

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: MMO prisons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons
A hyperspace beacon in Star Wars lore guides a space traveler from one safe lightspeed jump to the next. Basically, a nav computer communicates with a hyperspace beacon, requesting jump points to its intended destination, and the hyperspace beacon, being in contact with other hyperspace beacons, replies with the fastest route to that star system. Explorers, like Gav Daragon, would take risky jumps in directions beacons didn't point to. That is how they found Korriban.

By the time period of Star Wars: A New Hope, hyperspace beacons were no longer in service. However, we know for certain that less than 300 years before Star Wars: The Old Republic, hyperspace beacons were still in use. Since technology appears to advance quite slowly, I can only assume that they are still used in some capacity during SWTOR.

As evident by the galaxy map that BioWare launched this past Friday, the worlds of this time period are strongly divided into territories. The planets of the movies appeared to be united under one banner (although that's not entirely accurate). What I'd like to do today is give you a little tour of the galaxy, comparing this map to something you may be a bit more familiar with: the Star Wars movies. So strap yourself in, kid -- we gotta make the jump to hyperspace!

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you curious about endgame in Star Wars: The Old Republic? GameTrailers has a couple of E3-related videos that you'll want to check out, both of them focused on raiding content in a galaxy far, far away.

First up is a 10-minute clip featuring an interview with BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo as well as various bits of new footage. Amatangelo tells us about a raid that takes place on the outer rim planet of Belsavis. The clip centers on a prison facility in an icy environment, and we get a good look at the approach as well as some combat inside the complex. Amatangelo also talks a bit about raid difficulty levels before reiterating that SWTOR will release in 2011 (though no firm date is given).

The second video expands on some of the snippets in the interview clip, and BioWare shows us a minute and 20 seconds of action from the Belsavis raid. Check out both trailers after the cut and let us know what you think in the comments!

Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!

Continue reading E3 2011: BioWare shows off The Old Republic Belsavis raid

MassivelyE3 2011: BioWare shows off The Old Republic Belsavis raid originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare descends on the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 7th, but its exact plans regarding the Star Wars: The Old Republic show were held close to the chest -- until now. Thanks to the community team in Austin, we now have a good glimpse at what will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

An ancient threat grows restless on the planet of Belsavis; the entire galaxy is at stake; and both the Republic and the Empire will suffer. A group of heroes is deployed to Belsavis to counter this terrible evil in the next revealing trailer for SWTOR called Eternity Vault.

Visitors to E3 will witness two in-game plotlines. First, a showdown of patriots and a usurper who has laid claim to the throne ignites the planet of Alderaan. Second, players take on sand people on one of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe: Tatooine.

Also, The Old Republic birthed a new tie-in comic book. Alexander Freed, a lead writer at BioWare Austin, penned this latest tale titled the Lost Suns. The comic book features a spy named Theron Shan, who is combing the galaxy for clues to what the Empire has been doing since the Treaty of Coruscant. Freed expounds on some of the hidden secret on the official site.

Lastly, more detail has been revealed about the Advanced Classes on the official site, including specific powers for each tree. For a complete breakdown of revealed powers watch the Hyperspace Beacon on Tuesday.

For the rest of the gory details be sure to visit the official SWTOR website and don't miss our live coverage from E3 all next week.

MassivelySWTOR reveals plans for E3, advanced class powers, and a new tie-in comic book originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages
"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future," were Yoda's words from The Empire Strikes Back, but contrary to the Jedi Master's belief, most of the time there are clues to what our future holds. Like the smell right before a rain storm, or little ticks of involuntary action that give away when someone is bluffing in poker, or that face your mother used to give you which said you were in trouble, clues to what the future holds are everywhere. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Clues to what the game holds are hidden all over its website.

Alyssa Gobelle is the web designer for SWTOR. She has done a beautiful job of constructing a site that is entertaining as well as interesting to look at. Although the busy lettering, Aurebesh, entices the eyes, it also gives away secrets to the game. In April, Gobelle was interviewed by the Holonet Project fan site, where she revealed that the messages are totally intentional: "When they first brought me on, our first major task was to design the HoloNet. We wanted the HoloNet's voice to be as much 'within the lore of the game' as possible so we planned to add some generic Aurebesh to start. But we also wanted to add some hidden teases and notes for you guys to devour and ponder upon and play with. Give some more fuel to the speculation festivities."

Continue after the break to find out what some of these "hidden teases" are. Perhaps you can help me figure out what the rest of them mean.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare has released preliminary details on another planetary play field from their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. Belsavis plays host to an ominous Republic prison facility, apparently used to process all manner of Sith, Mandalorians, and troublesome aliens of various species. Check out Belsavis' HoloNet entry, don't forget to watch the video, oh and there's also the media section featuring screens, wallpapers, and lore.

BioWare has also partnered up with Lucasarts and Dark Horse Comics to bring you Blood of the Empire, a new web comic by senior writer Alexander Freed. The title, set prior to the Treaty of Coruscant, promises to shed some light on the machinations of the Emperor's inner circle as well as inform portions of The Old Republic's extensive back story.

Check out a preview panel from the forthcoming comic.

MassivelyBioWare details new TOR planet, web comic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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