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EVE Evolved: Setting the record straight

Brendan Drain — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Lore, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

On Monday the story broke that EVE Online's new CSM 7 chairman The Mittani said something extremely controversial during the Fanfest alliance panel. The story rapidly spread across the major games industry blogs, and in true telephone-game-style, it got progressively more bizarre with each version. The most disheartening part of it all was the absolute deluge of comments suggesting that the EVE community is made entirely of sociopaths and griefers. If you think that EVE has a poor community, start a trial and ask random people to help you out. You'll be surprised by what I think is the friendliest and most tightly knit MMO community on the planet.

Jester's Trek wrote an article attributing part of the whole Fanfest debacle to the various different personas that The Mittani embodies. Jester described how The Mittani wears three hats: EVE spymaster and ruthless Goon leader The Mittani, CSM chairman Mittens, and the real-life person Alex. Jester asserts that these three personas clash terribly and may be incompatible and that the alliance panel talk slip-up was made from the perspective of The Mittani and not his CSM persona.

In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I drill down into some of the details of the recent drama, from the proliferation of media coverage to exactly what line was crossed.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Setting the record straight

EVE Evolved: Setting the record straight originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArenaNet focuses on community in latest dev blog

Matt Daniel — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries

If you're reading Massively, we assume you're a player or fan of MMORPGs, but everyone has different reasons for playing. Some play for hardcore raiding progression, some play for role-playing, and some play just to wind down and relax, but there's one thread that ties all of these things together: community. After all, what's an MMORPG without the MMO? ArenaNet is well aware of this, and the studio has just released a new blog outlining its approach toward community-building with Guild Wars 2.

Some may be surprised to hear that ArenaNet will be offering official forums for GW2. Some may be even more surprised to hear that the studio will not be offering "traditional fansite support." But don't panic! This isn't the death of community, it's the evolution thereof. ArenaNet realizes that "gaming and community management have evolved over the last six years," so the studio plans to change right along with it. When you consider the fact that the GW2 community spans multiple separate communities, such as fansites, forums, social networking sites, and outlandishly fabulous sites such as Massively itself, it should come as no surprise that the studio is aiming to bring these players together. The final goal, according to the blog, "is to create an environment that is respectful, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly."

We're sure more details on the studio's community plan will be unearthed as the game approaches launch, but until then, ArenaNet is asking the community to be proactive by bringing community projects to its attention so that the studio can "[highlight] them for the broader community." So get to work, Guild Wars fans, and help to build a community that makes ANet proud.

ArenaNet focuses on community in latest dev blog originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pathfinder Online will let players run the kingdom

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items

If you've played the Pathfinder tabletop game that Pathfinder Online is based upon, you know that you need to have grouping. After all, the former is all about bands of adventurers exploring the wilds. So it's fitting that the most recent developer blog is all about the game's methods of managing groups and playing in different numbers. And this isn't just a matter of parties or solo play -- at the high end, players can be running entire kingdoms as a social unit.

Solo play is meant to be somewhat discouraged, as the blog notes it will be a much more difficult road for a dedicated lone wolf. Parties will be the next step up, holding an undetermined number of players (the working target has about 24 players at the high end). Above those are chartered companies, settlements, and as mentioned, entire new player-run kingdoms. It's going to produce some interesting dynamics to have player organizations in such abundance, but the developers seem to have some confidence in their initial designs.

Pathfinder Online will let players run the kingdom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist's excellent EverQuest Online Adventures: The blogger

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Everquest Online Adventures, Consoles, The Game Archaeologist

To tell you all the truth, the comments from last week's initial foray into EverQuest Online Adventures bowled me over -- I truly was not expecting so many players to be so passionate about the game! How cool is that? I hope that some of you send me in your EQOA stories to justin@massively.com so we can include them in next week's column.

Today I want to welcome Rick "Stoney" Stonebrook to our neck of the Massively woods. I remember finding Stoney's EQOA blog over a year ago and being so impressed that there was someone out there regularly updating a blog about this low-profile MMO. Stoney agreed to an interview about the game from a player's and blogger's perspective, so here goes!

The Game Archaeologist: Please introduce yourself and your blog! Why did you start blogging about EQOA?

Stoney: Well, I'm 24 and have lived in a lot of places in the past few years. I adopted the name Stoney when I started the blog, eqoa.wordpress.com, in October 2010. The purpose for the blog was simple: compile as much information about the game as I could find using various search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and YouTube. I hadn't played since 2005 and wasn't familiar with any new content. I had always wanted to return to the game. Thus the blog's goal evolved from a collection of memories to an effort to get people to return.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist's excellent EverQuest Online Adventures: The blogger

The Game Archaeologist's excellent EverQuest Online Adventures: The blogger originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online outlines the next several veteran rewards for players

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play

There's still no definite date on the conversion to free-to-play for Star Trek Online, but the game is quickly approaching its 700th day of operation -- which is important. The game's veteran awards are provided for players in 100-day increments, meaning that the point is fast approaching when the players will be owed a new reward. So it makes sense that the latest Path to F2P blog discusses the next four veteran rewards and explains another upgrade to the reward for 600 days.

The 600-day reward will change to a free token at level 51 (Vice Admiral) allowing players to pick a free ship, something that is currently the case but is being changed with the upcoming patch. This veteran reward means long-time players will still be eligible for a free ship, a benefit that should help assuage at least some of the issues seen with the payment model shift. The subsequent rewards range from new Android bridge officers to free respec tokens, all of which should make long-time players rather pleased.

Star Trek Online outlines the next several veteran rewards for players originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE dev video shows work on engine trails, custom ship skins and more

Brendan Drain — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries

If you're a fan of EVE Online, I apologise in advance for the funny looks you get when you jump out of your seat yelling "HELL YES!" while watching the latest In Development video. In this second part of CCP Games' new video devblog series, CCP Guard takes a live hand grenade into EVE Online's art department to show us just what's going on behind the scenes. We've already seen the impressive nebula effects and new Raven model due for release in the winter expansion, and today CCP showed off some massive shadow improvements, but those upcoming additions pale in comparison to what's planned for after the winter period.

The latest In Development video shows that CCP is currently working on engine trails, custom ship skins, a new cyno effect, a new warp tunnel, and graphical upgrades for every single ship in the game. It's a tall order, one that's unlikely to be fulfilled in the winter expansion despite developers' recent laser focus on delivering new features. The video gives a sneak peek at the models for the Amarr and Caldari tier 3 battlecruisers, which were selected from fan-submitted entries to last year's design contest in a similar manner to the already revealed Minmatar Tornado and Gallente Talos.

Read on to find out why custom ship skins are more work to implement than most of us realise and to watch the new video in HD.

Continue reading EVE dev video shows work on engine trails, custom ship skins and more

EVE dev video shows work on engine trails, custom ship skins and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: Testing out the future

Brandon Felczer — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Previews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log

Captain's Log, Stardate 65264.3...

Hello, computer (and players)! As you have must have seen by now, open beta testing of Star Trek Online's new F2P model is well underway; the developers have been posting dev diaries about the impending changes for the last couple of days. Because testers on the Tribble test server were required to start new characters, and because character transfers will not be an option for at least a few weeks, many players have begun a mad dash to level up their test characters in order to test out some of the retooled endgame content.

Since testing, especially in this manner, can be confusing, I have decided to dedicate this week's Captain's Log to those who are willing to take on the challenge. Past the jump, you will find a checklist of sorts that you can use while testing (or, ultimately, playing) the new content and updates. I suggest reading each section and then checking it out in-game. While some recommendations may seem less interesting than others, I suggest you give each a fair shot so you can provide feedback on what can make the game better.

Ensign, warp 10! Let's give our dedicated Tribbleites some structure to their testing time...

Continue reading Captain's Log: Testing out the future

Captain's Log: Testing out the future originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest Star Trek Online blog entry outlines the Duty Officer system

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play

One of the issues that Star Trek Online has always faced when emulating its source material is the simple issue of size. Players take the role of a captain overseeing an entire ship, crewed with numerous people, a ship that in the television series would be filled with actors and recurring faces. But in gameplay, that sense has always been a bit more difficult to convey... and it's an element being addressed with the new Duty Officer system.

In the latest entry in the Path to F2P blog, Geoff Tuffli outlines the goals and overall thrust of the Duty Officer system. Players will receive Duty Officers as rewards in a variety of ways, including spending time in the academy for each respective faction. The officers can be placed in departments, sent on assignments, or otherwise managed by players in order to receive the greatest amount of benefit from the support staff. It's a feature that's long been promised by the development team, and as the game moves toward a hybrid business model, it looks to finally be moving to release.

Newest Star Trek Online blog entry outlines the Duty Officer system originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall blog update teases new dungeon video

Jef Reahard — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Dungeons

Another Darkfall update, another letdown in terms of a release window for Darkfall 2.0. Aventurine updated its blog over the weekend and acknowledged fan anticipation for the sweeping revamp, but remained coy on the timeframe. "We're in a better position to estimate but we haven't concluded our discussions with our partners yet," wrote producer Tasos Flambouras.

If the new video that accompanies the blog update is any indication, we're a ways off from release since the clip is described as an "alpha version." What's in the video? It's basically a quick look at the new Niflheim dungeon, and there are a lot of yetis running around as well as a lot of bloodspray courtesy of the newly implemented splatter system. You can also see a few of the dynamic elements that make the dungeon more challenging than its old-world Darkfall predecessor, and there's even a paragraph related to the lore behind the lair. Check out the clip after the cut and head to the official Darkfall website for more.

Continue reading Darkfall blog update teases new dungeon video

Darkfall blog update teases new dungeon video originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Funcom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion

Jef Reahard — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Dev Diaries

It's been a while since we checked up on Age of Conan game director Craig Morrison's personal blog, and the latest update is a lengthy morsel designed to get gamers thinking about MMO story as something more than a marketing bullet point. Along the way, we get a glimpse of Morrison's thoughts on games ranging from MMOs, to Brink, to id Software's forthcoming RAGE.

While you might think that story is all about narrative and characterization, Morrison opines that a sense of place and attention to world-building details like societal structures are equally important. Quest text can be crucial too, and while gameplay is obviously a big deal, Morrison says that it's only part of the equation.

"Sure, a game can be good on its own mechanical merits, and first and foremost a game must be a compelling gameplay experience... but those truly great games? Those are the games that also create a sense of place for the player. A world they can believe in," he writes.

Funcom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The battle-scarred blogger

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Interviews, Shadowbane, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist

I've long since enjoyed doing this column because, to me, it feels like the next best thing to having been there back in the day, playing these games. No one MMO player can occupy all titles at once, so experiences are bound to pass us by. Fortunately, the gamers who were there have long memories and are often more than willing to share a story or two if given half the chance.

After last week's initial foray into our Shadowbane retrospective, I fished around for a hearty veteran of the minotaur wars who was willing to step up and answer a few questions without succumbing to post-traumatic stress disorder. Within a minute, my good friend Grimnir bit into the topic, and I reeled him in as he flopped and gasped for air. At some point, this metaphor got away from me, but no worries. Hit that jump and let's cast our nets down memory river and see what we can dredge up!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The battle-scarred blogger

The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The battle-scarred blogger originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA day in the life blog from QA Senior Tester Patrick Sun

Matt Daniel — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, TERA, Miscellaneous

Everyone seems to think that working in quality assurance at a game company is a walk in the park, playing video games all day and loving every second of it. Well, En Masse's Patrick Sun is here to put you in your plac -- What's that? "Best. Job. Ever."? Oh. Well. Nevermind then.

But as he's quick to point out in the most recent post on TERA's blog, QA testers' jobs don't entail just playing TERA while looking for bugs and other issues of that ilk, but also ensuring that the game's localization is going smoothly. He offers one example about the Korean idiom, "A mute person who's eaten honey," which refers to someone who keeps silent about a secret in spite of others' suffering. Of course! I mean, who couldn't figure that one out? For more information on what the QA workers over on TERA keep busy with, check out the official post.

TERA day in the life blog from QA Senior Tester Patrick Sun originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst gearing up for more APB testing invites, looking toward open beta

Jef Reahard — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries

Open beta time is approaching for APB Reloaded, and GamersFirst's Bjorn Book-Larsson is back with his weekly blog post to give us all the juicy details. It seems that GamersFirst devs are working overtime to squash a number of pesky bugs in the 1.5.0 version of the game. As soon as they're finished, 1.5.0 will be made available to the game's 25,000 closed beta testers, followed by subsequent releases for the EU servers, a mass invite for another 25,000 closed beta testers, and then an invite for the remainder of closed beta applicants.

If all of this goes off without a hitch, testers will be granted a temporary premium account to poke and prod at its associated functionality, after which GamersFirst will enable monetized content. After that, "if there are still no major issues, then we will open up the floodgates and formally go into open beta," Book-Larsson explains.

While that's a lot of "ifs," the takeaway is that APB Reloaded's official release is drawing steadily closer. Book-Larsson notes that the team expects to "be in monetized open beta until August" and will be iterating on quite a bit of new content throughout the process.

GamersFirst gearing up for more APB testing invites, looking toward open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Alliance Tournament IX experiments with new format, banning mechanic

Jef Reahard — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, PvP, News items

June is just around the corner, and if you're an EVE Online fan, you probably know that the annual Alliance Tournament isn't far behind. This year's event looks to be bigger and badder than ever before, and it has a couple of new wrinkles to boot.

As Mindstar writes on the newest EVE dev blog, CCP used "a highly secret blend of player feedback, meeting room shenanigans, and just a dash of beer [to] come up with some new stuff that will spice things up a bit." The newness includes a format tweak that owes a bit of inspiration to FIFA World Cup (i.e., a 32-team group competition), and there's also a new banning mechanic that is sure to cause a few chuckles.

Prior to the start of each match, captains will have the option to disqualify a single pilot from the opposing group, and you can almost hear the evil cackling resounding in the CCP offices as Mindstar explains the details. Check them out on the official EVE website.

EVE Online Alliance Tournament IX experiments with new format, banning mechanic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2 dev blog exposes the Commando

Larry Everett — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, New titles, Guild Wars 2, Humor, Dev Diaries

April Fools! There is no Commando class in Guild Wars 2! Wait, you already knew that was a joke? OK, well, did you know that Cinematics Lead Horia Dociu posted up an article outlining his inspiration for the whole practical joke?

ArenaNet developers take not only their work but their fun very seriously. Dociu explains that his work at Valve and his love for games like Metal Gear Solid and Rogue Spear were part of the inspiration behind this April Fools' hit. He was able to get a bunch of developers involved in the project because they believed it would be fun for the fans. In today's ANet blog entry, he tells us that "the key was starting early, so that people could work on this fun stuff whenever they had free time. I also made sure not to involve any designers in hooking up actual game play, since that would have put a major dent in their schedules."

If you'd like to find out more about the good times at ArenaNet, check out the rest of the dev blog and the Commando class page.

Guild Wars 2 dev blog exposes the Commando originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APB Reloaded blog details the matchmaking makeover

Jef Reahard — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Real life, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries

This week's APB Reloaded blog entry is a pretty lengthy one, and Bjorn Book-Larsson has a lot to say about the game's matchmaking system as well as a warning for the hackers who have showed up in the free-to-play title's closed beta.

Matchmaking is a huge issue for GamersFirst's APB redesign, and Book-Larsson relates that "it was a bit of a shocker to discover that in spite of relying almost exclusively on computer-generated matchmaking... no real thought was made to create a decent skill rating system to feed those matchmaking decisions."

Book-Larsson also provides some insight into how GamersFirst is tackling the problem, illustrating several approaches to matchmaking including algorithms founded on Chess ratings, Glicko, and Microsoft's TrueSkill system. Read all about these topics and more on the official APB Reloaded blog.

APB Reloaded blog details the matchmaking makeover originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APB Reloaded prepping for open beta

Jef Reahard — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Real life, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries

The beta train for APB Reloaded is rolling right along, according to the latest dev blog update. As of March 20th, GamersFirst has welcomed 25,000 testers to the title's closed beta, with 250,000 waiting in the wings -- and apparently champing at the bit.

GamersFirst is also looking to the future, and Bjorn Book-Larsson writes that "the dev, design and art teams are still working on a few minor tweaks in [closed beta], but are mostly now focused on the open beta build that's coming up." While there's no word on an open beta date as of yet, we're not anticipating a lengthy wait given the speed at which GamersFirst is powering through updates and the enthusiasm permeating the entire enterprise.

Book-Larsson also gives fans an update on the European closed beta, which has suffered a slight delay thanks to a pair of crucial networking components that were held up by EU customs. He notes that at least 25,000 testers will be needed when the EU servers are up and running, and "anyone already playing closed beta in the US can also play on the EU location, just for the heck of it."

APB Reloaded prepping for open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2's Norn week starts Monday

Jef Reahard — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2

You know you've got a surefire hit MMORPG on your hands when you're confident enough to put out a press release about a press release. NCsoft and ArenaNet have done just that by announcing that the Norn-flavored followup to the wildly successful Human Week is on its way.

It doesn't start until Monday, though, so the best we can tell you at this point is that Norn Week is the second in an ongoing series of race reveals for Guild Wars 2, and the focus will be moving away from humans and toward the shape-shifting half-giants called Norn in short order. Norn Week will bring new dev insights regarding the game's lore, new art assets, and a new video.

That's a lot of new, but unfortunately you'll have to wait a few more days. In the meantime, head to the ArenaNet blog for the latest official news and views from the world of Tyria.

Guild Wars 2's Norn week starts Monday originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst talks APB core game changes

Jef Reahard — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries

Fans of All Points Bulletin are in for a treat this week as GamersFirst has dropped a ton of new info about the game in its latest APB Reloaded blog entry. Zak "Qwentle" Littwin (former QA Lead at Realtime Worlds and current designer at GamersFirst) devotes a lot of virtual ink to APB's closed beta tweaks, and also hints at "much more extensive changes" in store for the game's open beta and release clients. Littwin teases a new game mode called Turf Wars as well as APB's first proper expansion which will feature a new district for the city of San Paro.

First things first though; the meat of the blog entry concerns core gameplay adjustments that GamersFirst wishes to test in the closed beta. These include cheat detection (via Punkbuster as discussed last week), weapon modifications, and sweeping changes to the old game's progression curve. A few of the game's vehicles have also been modified. The original version of APB received a fair bit of criticism related to its driving mechanics, and GamersFirst is looking to rectify this in part by "giv[ing] each vehicle a lot of individual personality and specialisation and unique benefits, rather than everyone rushing straight to the Cisco/Bishada/Jericho/T25."

Finally, Littwin touches on premium accounts and the challenge inherent in differentiating them from free-to-play services without unbalancing the game. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and read all about it at the official APB Reloaded blog.

GamersFirst talks APB core game changes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE blogs examine CSM discussions on nullsec warfare

Brendan Drain — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, PvP, News items

The first round of minutes from EVE Online's CSM summit were released yesterday, with two further parts to be released in the coming week. EVE blogger Keith Neilson was privileged to be present at some of the meetings between the CSM and CCP, and has posted a summary on his blog. Since the official meeting minutes have yet to be released, concrete conclusions on any specific points in the meeting can't be made. Keith was able to confirm, however, that nullsec PvP was heavily discussed at the summit. In particular, the effect of last year's Dominion expansion on nullsec warfare was examined, some problems were highlighted and potential solutions were explored.

The summaries on Keith's blog reveal some surprising facts about nullsec. CCP's lead economist Dr Eyjo is said to have voiced concerns over the fact that new players are moving into the more PvE-focused wormhole content instead of forming alliances and moving into nullsec territorial warfare. This is understandable, as wormhole systems are much more friendly to colonisation by small groups. They offer a similar level of rewards to nullsec but the size of a potential attacking fleet is naturally limited by the size of connecting wormholes. In anticipation of the official minutes being released later this week, Calais from EVE blog The Hydrostatic Capsule has delved into Keith's summaries and drawn some compelling conclusions about why nullsec is still the domain of massive alliances.

While Dominion was meant to open nullsec for smaller groups, Calais suggests that super-capitals and jump bridges actually prevent smaller groups from competing in nullsec PvP. "Where small teams should have the advantage of stealth and agility - the ability to strike fast and hard before melting away," Calais explains, "we actually see the very opposite." Using supercapital jump drives and jump bridges, it's big alliance fleets are able to outmaneuver smaller invading forces who can't afford to set up and defend the same infrastructure. Full details of the discussion between CCP and the CSM about nullsec PvP will be released later this week on the EVE devblog page.

EVE blogs examine CSM discussions on nullsec warfare originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArenaNet reveals the wisdom and power of the Kodan in Guild Wars 2

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News items, Guild Wars 2, Races

Guild Wars 2 still seems achingly far away if you're one of the many players hotly anticipating the game, but we can take comfort in the fact that ArenaNet has continued to share more of the lore of the world via regular blog entries. The Kodan, previously known in only the barest terms, have been revealed in full with the latest writeup. A mighty and proud race from the northern lands, these powerful ursine warriors have begun moving south, at once seeking refuge and judging the other races of Tyria.

"Judging" is to put it mildly, really -- the kodan view themselves as the arbiters of spiritual purity within the world, even as they flee from the elder ice dragon Jormag. Some norn and kodan alike believe that the norn are descended from the bear-men, which the kodan view as a great failing of the norn, hence why the other race has been stripped of its natural form. Learn more about this new addition to Guild Wars 2 in the full entry, complete with a few pieces of the game's signature beautiful concept art.

ArenaNet reveals the wisdom and power of the Kodan in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forsaken World details floating guild halls

Jef Reahard — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

There are guild halls and there are guild halls, and Forsaken World's recently announced command centers are definitely the latter. Perfect World Entertainment has detailed the nifty new floating guild base feature coming to its free-to-play fantasy MMO in a new blog entry on the game's official website. Obtaining (and maintaining) one of the command centers is no easy task, but it looks to be a rewarding one since the facilities will generate income for your guild via entrance fees and will house personal merchants and workshops.

Construction materials must be obtained through daily quests and events, and PWE indicates that the guild bases can grow into sprawling social and mercantile hubs given enough time and effort. "The layout of these command centers is vast and multi storied. Your guild's base will have plenty of room to expand and grow. With enough dedication, a command center can be something of a miniature city in its own right," says the blog.

Forsaken World details floating guild halls originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APB's Book-Larsson talks story, game modes

Jef Reahard — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries

Bjorn Book-Larsson is back! Forgive the exclamation point, but we had to accentuate the latest in the long line of developers with action hero names (and with apologies to Atanas Atanasov and Tasos Flambouras, Book-Larsson has vaulted near the top of the spiffy name list). In any case, the GamersFirst COO/CTO has updated his APB Reloaded blog with some interesting insights into the game's story.

Yes, you read that right; we said story and APB in the same sentence, and before you think we've been brainwashed by the likes of The Old Republic, TERA, and other story-centric MMOs in the offing, consider Book-Larsson's assertion that APB was originally designed to facilitate the "open world-ish" nature of the Grand Theft Auto series. "APB actually has the beginnings of a lot of the elements that will make it a really successful game in the long term, and could in theory exploit (maybe complete) both types of interactions [story and shooter elements]; there is actually a giant backstory to the entire city (100 plus pages of it), there are deep anthologies of the various factions in the city, and there is even the foundation for a single-player mission mode," he writes.

Whether or not players will care about APB's potential to grow beyond an ordinary shooter remains to be seen. After all, Global Agenda is a similar title with a fairly deep backstory (and one that is summarily ignored by 99.9% of the players fragging it up in AvA and merc matches). The fact that GamersFirst is even considering future additions to APB is relatively exciting news, and we'll be watching with great interest.

APB's Book-Larsson talks story, game modes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Conan's Morrison on designing for challenge and accessibility

Jef Reahard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, News items, Opinion

Funcom executive producer Craig Morrison is drawing on his game journalist roots of late, via a series of in-depth postings on his personal blog. Morrison, a former IGN editor prior to his Funcom days, has a lot to say about gaming trends, which is great news for industry watchers and anyone interested in occasional glimpses into the thought process of an MMO developer. In his latest opus, the former Anarchy Online (and current Age of Conan) game director discusses the challenges in developing, well, challenge.

In a followup post to his earlier discussion on progression, Morrison talks at length about the decisions developers face when it comes to providing players with a steady diet of dings and digital pats on the back, while simultaneously making it seem like something worthwhile is being accomplished. The post contains a number of interesting observations, among them the notion that most modern MMORPGs parcel out their challenging content in sideshows that are entirely optional (raids, dungeons, etc.) and, in many cases, tangential to the main event (questing and hunting).

While it would seem to be a relatively simple matter to add occasional challenges to the leveling treadmill, Morrison cautions that care is needed to avoid alienating segments of your playerbase. "If you are going to be able to inject occasional challenge or difficulty spikes into the standard progression as well, you need to have thought about it to make sure that it won't become a bottleneck, and that it will survive a review," he says.

Age of Conan's Morrison on designing for challenge and accessibility originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Conan's Morrison talks progression, design

Jef Reahard — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items, Opinion

Armchair designers of the world, take note. If you've ever wanted a peek inside the mind of an MMORPG developer, Craig Morrison's latest personal blog entry might be right up your alley. The Funcom executive and current Age of Conan boss has posted a lengthy look at his thoughts on massive design, and more specifically, progression.

Morrison examines progression versus entertainment, and goes on to contrast the need for the former with the desire for storytelling. He also touches on the vast array of player motivations, ultimately concluding that while "progression, and the need for it, is a bedrock of the expected player experience," future MMO designers should be mindful of the differences between what they want the player to do and what the player wants to do.

Clearly, there is no easy answer to the question of how does one design a good MMORPG. After all, one gamer's soul-sucking grind of death and despair is another's relaxing evening at home. That said, Morrison's perspective illuminates at least one line of developer thinking and is worthy of a read-through whether you're a dev, a player, or both.

Age of Conan's Morrison talks progression, design originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blogger claims to be Mythic employee, tells "Why Warhammer Failed"

Rubi Bayer — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Warhammer Online

If there's one thing the internet needs more of, it's drama.

OK, that's a giant lie. The stuff is everywhere, and the MMO industry is no exception. Here at Massively, we get tips about player and industry kerfuffles on a regular basis. It usually turns out to be either a minor conflict or some industry he-said-she-said, but every now and again something takes hold and causes enough of a stir to make everyone take notice.

The "Why Warhammer Failed" blog post from "EA Louse" is a perfect example. EA Louse claims to be a Bioware-Mythic employee who will be "dismissed from Bioware Mythic during the next round of layoffs EA coming this November," and he or she has a bone to pick. We've attempted to contact EA Louse to verify his or her identity, but at the moment there's no way to determine whether this person is legitimate or a random troll.

Either way, the post has gained an amazing amount of attention today -- including some from Mythic's former Director of Community Sanya Weathers. Sanya had quite a bit to say in response to EA Louse, and while the whole situation should be taken with a grain of salt rather than official EA news, it's still gained plenty of attention in the MMO blogosphere.

Blogger claims to be Mythic employee, tells "Why Warhammer Failed" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Craig Morrison on success and failure

Jef Reahard — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items, Opinion

Last week's Craig Morrison blog topic brought a wave of interesting comments from readers and writers alike, illustrating why MMO number-crunching is always a hot-button issue. The Age of Conan game director takes another crack at a controversial topic with his followup post, and attempts to deconstruct the logic of fans who insist on labeling games "successes" or "failures" despite not having the information necessary to make such a judgment.

"Whether any title that displays a numbers trend similar to another can be deemed a success or a failure depends entirely on the budget, ambition and infrastructure of the project," he writes. While that's common sense to most folks, there are still some who insist that AoC and Warhammer are "failures" despite the fact that they remain open for business and profitable. Morrison acknowledges that both titles fell short of their ultimate subscriber goals, but also cautioned that equating lower-than-desired numbers to failure "is a very dangerous assumption to make."

Craig Morrison on success and failure originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Craig Morrison talks MMO numbers (or the lack thereof)

Jef Reahard — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items, Opinion

Ah, the numbers game. It's often quite comical when it comes to MMORPGs and their die-hard fans (or detractors, as the case may be). Aside from Blizzard, very few MMO development houses release real numbers relating to their playerbases, and forum jousters are thus relegated to citing guesstimates and, in most cases, pure supposition sprung from the likes of wildly inaccurate measuring tools such as Xfire or the late MMOGchart.

Funcom executive producer and Age of Conan game director Craig Morrison weighs in on the perplexing state of MMO number-crunching on his personal blog, offering a bit of insight as to why hard data is, well, hard to come by. He cites a lack of context for the near-universal reticence of developers when it comes to publicizing their community sizes. "Without standard definitions everything ends up in that vague, murky and entirely subjective middle ground... and a middle ground that very few could reasonably be expected to accept as being worthwhile exploring in a business sense," he writes.

So what's his solution? In broad terms, he mentions a rating system, citing television's Nielsen metrics as well as cinema box office figures as semi-comparable standards. While such a system probably wouldn't stop the endless fan bickering, it might at least provide an answer to the question of how each individual company defines success.

Craig Morrison talks MMO numbers (or the lack thereof) originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Funcom's Morrison talks MMORPG evolution

Jef Reahard — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items, Opinion

Age of Conan game director and executive producer Craig Morrison has something of a reputation for interacting with fans and fellow gamers. He continues the tradition with a post on his personal blog in which he discusses both his favorite MMORPGs as well as the evolution of the genre.

"I think when a company is going to sink tens of millions of dollars into a [triple-A] MMO then it is only natural that those games will have a pretty casual friendly approach as they want, and need, to retain more customers than a niche product might. Those types of games though introduce far more players to the genre, and those players end up trying other MMO games too. That's never a bad thing for the genre," he writes.

As for his favorite (non-Funcom) MMORPGs, Morrison confesses to both an EVE and a Fallen Earth habit, although he admits that "both will suffer again once the Starcraft 2 beta comes back up."

Check out the full article at Morrison's blog.

Funcom's Morrison talks MMORPG evolution originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE blogger unveils Project Athena, a collection of fictional ship manuals

Brendan Drain — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Lore

Few things impress me about EVE Online's community more than the incredible videos, artwork and fiction created by players. For the role-playing and fiction-writing communities, the game's continually-updated prime fiction acts as a canvas onto which new stories can be blended. Long-time EVE blogger Kirith Kodachi over at Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah has been an avid fiction-writer and contributor to EVE Tribune, producing several articles based on in-character technical overviews of EVE ships.

Over the past two years, Kirith has been teaming up with artists and volunteer writers to collaborate on creating a more comprehensive collection of these articles. Written in the style of fictional ship manuals and presented as technical briefings interspersed with historical information, the completed project (dubbed "Project Athena") features full articles on 23 ships and their Tech 2 counterparts. Although the historical information and technical specifications have been invented by Kirith and his contributors, he's done his best to stick as closely as possible to the official EVE prime fiction. At 64 MB, the huge PDF file isn't a small download, but for role-players or fans of EVE fiction it's definitely worth a look.

EVE blogger unveils Project Athena, a collection of fictional ship manuals originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Funcom's Morrison talks story in MMOs

Jef Reahard — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, News items, Opinion

Funcom game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison has delivered an epic-length post over on his personal blog examining the various aspects of story in MMORPGs. Given the fact that BioWare has recently raised a few eyebrows with their story, story, and more story mantra (not to mention some old-fashioned genre heckling), it seems only natural that industry veterans like Morrison would have something to say on the matter. The Age of Conan executive producer, who is also a former game director on Funcom's long-running Anarchy Online title, talks about everything from the practicality of a single-player story to the desire for it in a massively multiplayer title.

"If a game is said to have poor game-play or lacks a good user experience, having a great story rarely tends to save its sales figures. So the game-play is still the most important thing, and it is the same for an MMO. The story is a very close second, but it is second," he writes.

Morrison goes on to share anecdotes including his storytelling experiences in World of Warcraft as well as his views that MMOs already surpass single-player games in terms of communal storytelling. Grab a cup of coffee and check out the full post over on his blog.

Funcom's Morrison talks story in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online blogger provides insight on alliance warfare in Dominion

Brendan Drain — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guilds, Lore, PvP, Endgame, Politics

Alliance warfare has always been a huge part of EVE Online's endgame PvP, with alliances fighting over resources, expanding their borders or just settling age-old political grudges. The Dominion expansion made sweeping changes to alliance warfare and the transition hasn't been easy on all the alliances. Since Dominion went live, it's been difficult to judge just how effective the expansion has been at revitalising territorial warfare or how alliances are using the new system. EVE Blogger Wensley has been involved in the recent war against CVA in Providence region and he's been posting some of the valuable insights he's gleaned on territorial warfare over at his blog Rifter Drifter.

In part 1 of his series "Catch 22" on the most recent parts of the war, he details the reasoning behind CVA's territorial expansion from Providence into the Catch region. In part 2, Wensley describes the details of the actual war so far and provides some useful insights into the mechanics of territorial warfare. He suggests that since alliances now get to choose the rough time their systems are fought over by way of the new reinforcement timers, they should have picked a time zone that would be inconvenient for their enemies. Instead, they had set their reinforcement timer to their enemy's peak play time, allowing them to easily amass huge fleets for the attack. He goes on to blame CVA's poor performance on a lack of preparedness, suggesting that if they had gotten their fleet together and into the threatened system first, any lag occuring when enemy players jump in would have been in their favour. If you're following the war in Providence region or just interested in how territorial warfare is fought now in EVE, Rifter Drifter's on-going Catch 22 series is definitely worth a read.

EVE Online blogger provides insight on alliance warfare in Dominion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online official dev blog: Jeremy Mattson

Kyle Horner — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, Star Trek Online

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

Star 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.

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Redefining MMOs: Have your say

Brendan Drain — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Academic, Virtual worlds, Redefining MMOs

Back in July, we started our Redefining MMOs series of articles to explore how the MMO genre has been redefined during the current generation of games and where it's headed in the next. Each of us here at Massively contributed our own unique perspectives on various topics, from those first articles on the terminology we use to refer to MMOs and the importance of lore to the latest article where developers weighed in with their opinions. Developers from several major MMO development studios discussed the term "MMO", what they think it means now and whether it's time for a new word. It's been an exciting series of articles for us to write and we hope you've enjoyed reading it.

Many of you have already been inspired to comment on the articles and discuss your views on each topic. Your comments have given us a great deal of cause for thought and before we wrap up this popular series, we'd love to hear more of your thoughts. If you've ever wanted to get your opinions on the MMO genre in the spotlight, this is your chance. Simply write your own Redefining MMOs article on your own blog or website and drop the link in the comments. We'll announce our favourite reader submission next week and give them pride of place in next week's final wrap-up article.

Skip past the cut for our full submission guidelines.

Continue reading Redefining MMOs: Have your say

Redefining MMOs: Have your say originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DC Universe teases their Comic-Con exclusive poster

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Super-hero, Events, real-world, Opinion, Rumors, DC Universe Online

Who does this lovely face belong to? That's for you to decide as DC Universe Online teases their exclusive San Diego Comic-Con poster on their Myspace blog.

The full poster, which will be given out to anyone who visits the DCUO booth at Comic-Con, hasn't been revealed just yet. However, according to bad puns placed on official blogs, we will be "clawing" to get our hands on one. Catwoman? Huntress? (We're voting for Catwoman, personally.) Either way, it looks like another iconic hero will be revealed and confirmed as appearing in the final game.

Now all we have to do is barge our way into Comic-Con, use our ingenious grapple guns to swing over across the convention floor, and then steal all of the posters so no one will ever know who the new hero is. Then that will lead into our plans for world domination... oh, wait, we probably shouldn't have blogged that out loud.

Um, er... Who do you guys think it is?

DC Universe teases their Comic-Con exclusive poster originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brad McQuaid returns to pimp Vanguard

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO industry, Vanguard

Remember Brad McQuaid? As one of EverQuest's original creators and eventually the man behind Vanguard, Brad is a legend in the gaming industry. Sure, his reputation spiraled downward after his time with Sigil and Vanguard, but he has now come out of hiding to tell us all that we should play Vanguard!

Wait, what? Is he now working for SOE again? Well, no one knows if that's the case or not, but the fact is, Brad seems quite keen on getting back into the industry. After taking a few years off to "ride street bikes and dirt bikes, as well as drive sports cars, as often as possible", Brad wants to start creating games again. So if you're a fan of Brad's work with EverQuest, Vanguard (or even WarWizard), head on over to his newly-revamped blog and show him some support.

[EDIT: Some are speculating that this is an impostor. You be the judge.]

[Via Common Sense Gamer]

Brad McQuaid returns to pimp Vanguard originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are MMOs truly as persistent as they claim?

Brooke Pilley — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion

The two biggest differences between single player RPGs and massively multiplayer online RPGs are the MMO and persistent components found in the latter. Player vs. Developer has a thought-provoking blog post up claiming that MMOs are not as persistent as they claim to be.

"Persistent" can be defined as "continuing without change in function or structure," which when you really think about it doesn't quite fit with how it is employed in most MMORPGs. Many MMOs claim to have a "persistent struggle," or "persistent world," which is only half true. Developers are constantly changing their MMOs and it impacts how we play.

What happens at the end of an expansion cycle? Often, players stop trying to progress and wait for the new content that makes old content obsolete. What happens when classes undergo constant balance shifts? Players are forced to compete on uneven playing fields. What happens when some gamers benefit from bugs or exploits before they are fixed? It can hurt player morale.

Many of these changes are for the best, but it does illustrate that MMOs are not truly as persistent as they claim.

Are MMOs truly as persistent as they claim? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare blog defines "stylized reality" in The Old Republic

Shawn Schuster — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Education, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Sure, the news of Star Wars: The Old Republic was kept a secret (kinda) for a few years, and during that time we really heard nothing of the game itself. Yet here we are now getting a steady stream of useful information on a game that is not even predicted to launch this year. This week we have two examples of this from the team at BioWare: a look at the art style of the game, and an entertaining blog entry from Principal Lead Animator Mark How.

In the blog entry, How explains a bit about how enthusiastic the animation team is for getting every lightsaber battle exactly right. He reflects on how powerful the toys were to him as a child and how the work they will do with TOR can be 10,000 times better than anything we could imagine back then.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Concept Art

Continue reading BioWare blog defines "stylized reality" in The Old Republic

BioWare blog defines "stylized reality" in The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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American McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west

James Egan — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Casual

Lots of people predict a new game being the next WoW-killer, or at least irritate others with those predictions, but in China some people are talking about a KartRider-killer. One of the most popular games in China -- indeed, throughout Asia -- is an MMO based off of GoKart racing and it looks like other competitors are about to take on Nexon's KartRider dominance. What's interesting is that the main person behind this is none other than American McGee, who's now turning his attention to the MMO space with a new game called BaiJiu Racer, which our sister site Big Download reports.

If you've ever played the trippy game American McGee's Alice, a twisted continuation of Alice in Wonderland released in 2000, you'll probably remember his name. American McGee currently heads up the Shanghai-based Spicy Horse game studio which most recently developed the episodic PC game Grimm. BaiJiu Racer (context: BaiJiu is a 120 proof liquor) already has a Chinese publisher, but McGee is seeking to bring the title to western markets as well, and is putting out a call to interested parties. While a kart-racing game might not seem like the most viable MMO game to release outside of Asia, you might want to have a look at the trailer found below the cut, it looks like fun.

Continue reading American McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west

American McGee seeks to bring kart-racing MMO to the west originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Introducing The Old Republic community team!

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

With the opening of the Star Wars: The Old Republic website comes an introduction to three members of the community team that will be handling the communication between BioWare and the rabid SWTOR fans: Robert "Jedi Rob" Chestney, a former member of the design team and a senior writer, Amy Crider, a new addition to BioWare but experienced in the game industry, and Sean Dahlberg, a veteran of the community management scene and a former U.S. Marine.

Where there are questions, there will be answers coming from these three folks at BioWare. They will be reading and watching the forums, answering questions and also interacting with the community on behalf of BioWare. While it's early in the design process and questions may not be answered at a lightning fast pace, these three team members will be the ones spearheading all accurate information that BioWare will be releasing in the future through both the forums and the community blog.

Bioware has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!

Introducing The Old Republic community team! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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