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[Storybricks demo and interview with Brian 'Psychochild' Green and Kelly Heckman]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/storybricks-demo-and-interview-with-brian-psychochild-green-an/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/storybricks-demo-and-interview-with-brian-psychochild-green-an/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/storybricks-demo-and-interview-with-brian-psychochild-green-an/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Screenshot -- Storybricks
Namaste Entertainment's upcoming MMO-narrative-building toolset, Storybricks, is quickly picking up steam among the massively multiplayer gaming community. The quirky title recently released a public alpha client to coincide with the project's Kickstarter campaign, and I had the opportunity to sit down with Namaste's Brian "Psychochild" Green and Kelly Heckman for a tour of the client as well as a short interview on what the future holds for the toolbox-cum-MMOG project.

Follow on past the cut and join me as I try to pinpoint Namaste's goals for the future of Storybricks.

Continue reading Storybricks demo and interview with Brian 'Psychochild' Green and Kelly Heckman

MassivelyStorybricks demo and interview with Brian 'Psychochild' Green and Kelly Heckman originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alphaalphasbrian-greenbrian-psychochild-greeninterviewinterviewskelly-heckmannamastenamaste-entertainmentnamaste-incpreviewpreviewspsychochildstorybricksMon, 14 May 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Why we don't get more innovative games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/why-we-dont-get-more-innovative-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/why-we-dont-get-more-innovative-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/why-we-dont-get-more-innovative-games/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Innovation is as often as not used as a blank check when asked why MMOs aren't as good as they could be. While the sentiment isn't constant, it's recurring: a vague sense that something isn't there that ought to be. Often, the answer thrown around is that we need innovative games -- but when the people hollering for them are asked to explain what they mean, usually they shuffle, stare at their feet, and reply "well, these would go to 11." We want something new, but we're not sure what, and we're not sure why we aren't getting it.

Brian "Psychochild" Green recently wrote up a post on the problems of innovation in MMOs, as well as several reasons we don't tend to get a great deal of it. In short, there are two main reasons. Innovation is risky, which makes a company more and more wary of investing money in a game that might not make any of it back. It also goes directly against another virtue that we look for in our games: polish. By its very definition, an innovative game can't be polished, since there's not as much precedent for refining systems.

It's hard to summarize the full essay in a few sentences, however, as it covers a lot of ground and a wide variety of games. If you're interested in why it seems like there's little new under the MMO sun, you could do worse than reading the full thing through.

MassivelyWhy we don't get more innovative games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-greenbrian-psychochild-greeninnovationpolishpsychochildrefinementspinal-tapTue, 12 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Near Death Studios closes down]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/near-death-studios-closes-down/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/near-death-studios-closes-down/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/near-death-studios-closes-down/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If 2009 hadn't claimed quite enough lives for your tastes quite yet -- in terms of companies, jobs, and games -- you might have a bit of a morbid approach to things. We're just over the border into the new year, but it looks like there was one last item on the chopping block. Near Death Studios, the team behind Meridian 59, is no longer simply "near" death, but over the line into pining for the fjords. Brian 'Psychochild' Green broke the news on his blog yesterday, announcing that while the game wouldn't be going anywhere, it would no longer be a commercial venture run by the now-defunct company.

So what went wrong? As Green puts it, while Near Death Studios was able to raise the money and the operational talent to get the game running and keep it in maintenance mode, the game never really grew -- the one shot it might have had at attracting new players was unfortunately timed right around the launch of World of Warcraft. He's not bitter about the experience, however, and he's glad that he had the chance to keep Meridian 59 running for such a long time and help shape something people really enjoyed. It's a sad announcement for a venerable game, though, and we can only hope that this is the last of the fallout we see from the closing-filled year.

MassivelyNear Death Studios closes down originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-greenbrian-psychochild-greenclosingcompany-closingm59meridianmeridian-59near-death-studiosnews-itemspsychochildFri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The glamorous life of a game developer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-glamorous-life-of-a-game-developer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-glamorous-life-of-a-game-developer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-glamorous-life-of-a-game-developer/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As we all know, being a game developer is the pinnacle of wealth and glamor. Women chase you, men want to be you, and the money just rolls in by the wheelbarrow. Cypress Hill even wrote a song about it.

Oh, wait, no. The other thing. Brian "Psychochild" Green treated us to an informative (and very entertaining) look at the life of a game dev, straight from the source in his latest blog post. He includes the aforementioned Cypress Hill song, and he's pretty honest: the likelihood is that the big bucks probably won't be rolling in, big time fame is a faraway dream, you've got to pay your dues and work your way up from the bottom, and every random guy who happens across your game and does not do your job thinks he can do it better (and they are more than happy to tell you about that in great detail.)

So why even bother? The answer is obvious: to create games for a living -- getting paid to do what you would happily do for free -- is an up that more than outweighs any down the industry can throw at you. Check out the full entry on Psychochild's Blog.

MassivelyThe glamorous life of a game developer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-greenbrian-psychochild-greenGame-Developerspsychochildpsychochilds-blogTue, 29 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Attacking the holy trinity of MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/22/attacking-the-holy-trinity-of-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/22/attacking-the-holy-trinity-of-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/22/attacking-the-holy-trinity-of-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


If you've played MMOs for any length of time, you've probably grown very familiar with the trinity. You can't help but be acquainted with it in any sort of group content, where in more games than not there's that split between the tank, the healer, and the DPS. Certainly there are subdivisions and extra roles, but for the most part those extra roles are slight twists on one of the existing roles. (Controllers in City of Heroes are DPS with a debuffing/controlling aspect and slightly less damage, for instance). Brian "Psychochild" Green has an article on Gamasutra examining the issues with the holy trinity in game design: what purposes it serves, what its drawbacks are, and how useful it might be to get rid of it entirely.

Examining the roots of the trinity design in Dungeons & Dragons and common gameplay types it offered, Green goes on to take a look at how the structure has become codified, what other potential systems could be put in place, and if there's even an advantage to doing so. He discusses the issues of hybrid classes, group versus solo design, and proposes a potential alternative that remains rooted in the core elements of the design. Anyone with an interest in design should take a look at the full article, as it contains some interesting insights and analysis of one of the core underpinnings of our genre.

MassivelyAttacking the holy trinity of MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-greenbrian-psychochild-greencity-of-heroesclass-mechanicscohdpsdungeons-and-dragonsgamasutrahealerhealingholy-trinityhyrbidspsychochildtanktankingTue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST