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[Choose My Adventure: Next stop, City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/choose-my-adventure-next-stop-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/choose-my-adventure-next-stop-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/choose-my-adventure-next-stop-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Choose My Adventure
I hope your vote wasn't born from a desire to see me in tights!

Although road trips can be just as fun when you just jump in the car and take off with no predetermined destination, at some point you have to end up somewhere. And it looks like we now know our destination. While I was safely strapped in my seat and watching the scenery, you readers have taken the City of Heroes exit. So it looks like a cape and superpowers will be on order for the next few weeks in Choose my Adventure. (Unless you nix the cape, of course.)

Surprisingly, this time around I actually managed to sit back and enjoy the ride without checking the poll results every 20 minutes of every day; I managed to restrain myself to just once a day! Maybe it was because I've let you have the keys before and knew that I really would enjoy the experience no matter where you took me. After all, you didn't get us in a wreck last time, did you? And Justin survived (relatively) unscathed, so what was there to worry about?

Perhaps on another trip we will be able to explore other exotic destinations, such as Anarchy Online, Star Trek Online, Asheron's Call, or even World of Tanks. I'll admit that I wistfully entertained images of visiting each of these destinations while I was glancing periodically at the polls, but for now, our course is set, and we will be arriving shortly. The first order of business before jumping into City of Heroes is a shot pitstop to develop our character. Be sure to get your vote in before Saturday, April 28th, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. EDT!

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Next stop, City of Heroes

MassivelyChoose My Adventure: Next stop, City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choiceschoose-my-adventureChoose-my-adventure-city-of-heroeschoose-my-adventure-cohchoose-my-adventure-mj-guthriecity-of-heroescity-of-villainscmacohcovcoxcustomizationf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomhands-onncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiospollpollspower-poolspower-setsreaders-choiceserversuperherosuperheroesvotevotingWed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SWTOR's Daniel Erickson on pulling players' moral strings]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/30/swtors-daniel-erickson-on-pulling-players-moral-strings/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/30/swtors-daniel-erickson-on-pulling-players-moral-strings/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/30/swtors-daniel-erickson-on-pulling-players-moral-strings/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

SWTOR
BioWare's Daniel Erickson said that for the writing team, the crunch time came way ahead of everyone else since the script for the game had to be done first. As such, the team has had plenty of time to reflect on how the game's developed while it's moved on to future content. In speaking with GameSpy, the Star Wars: The Old Republic head writer opened up about the difficulties and fun of penning a game with so many personalities, choices, and plot twists.

Probably the most revealing is how Erickson admits that the writers are trying to pull players in multiple directions through a series of moral influences: the game's own light and dark side system, players' own morality, companions' own likes and dislikes, and multiplayer dialogue. Ideally, he said, one of the goals of the writing team was to make quests that would challenge players' set paths to make them want to change. "It's interesting to watch all those dynamic forces affect the player, see how they interact with the storytelling method," he said.

Erickson also says that the project got initial pushback over the notion of centering it on story, because of the past limitations of MMOs and "the expected norm" that had grown over the years: "It was clear, when you played the early MMOs, that they were trying to put as much as they could in for what was there. There were people on each one of these projects that clearly cared passionately about the lore, and were really trying to get it across to the players. So we knew that that was there and we knew from the single-player games what did it."

The interview continues to cover a wide range of writing challenges, including coming up with the script for Huttball, quests that the team was sure would get cut by the ESRB, and how the team enjoyed coming up with intricate stories, connections, and romances for companion characters.

MassivelySWTOR's Daniel Erickson on pulling players' moral strings originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarechoicesdaniel-ericksondark-sideeaea-biowareesrbgamespyhuttballlight-sideloremoralmoral-codemoral-decisionsmoralityscriptingscriptsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorvoice-overwritingwriting-teamFri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Have you ever had a last-minute change of heart?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-a-last-minute-change-of-heart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-a-last-minute-change-of-heart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/the-daily-grind-have-you-ever-had-a-last-minute-change-of-heart/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Dungeon Runners
People who know me know I'm a planner when it comes to video games. I'm always planning what type of character I'm going to roll, how I'm going to level, what my goals will be, and so on. It's fun to plan, which sometimes carries with it the benefit of removing stress from making impromptu decisions that can affect your long-term gaming career.

That said, I've certainly not been immune to making last-minute changes. Maybe I'm totally dedicated to rolling a certain class, but once that character creation screen is up there, I trust my gut and go with something different. Or I'll spend months saying that I have absolutely no urge to play an upcoming MMO, but at the 11th hour I break down and buy it.

Has this ever happened to you with MMOs? Have you ever had a last-minute change of heart when it came to a major (or even minor) decision? How did it turn out?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Have you ever had a last-minute change of heart? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>11th-hourchange-of-heartcharacter-creationchoicesclass-choicedungeon-runnerslast-minute-decisionopinionrolltdgthe-daily-grindWed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SWTOR walks us through the Flashpoint 'Esseles']]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/29/swtor-walks-us-through-the-flashpoint-esseles/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/29/swtor-walks-us-through-the-flashpoint-esseles/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/29/swtor-walks-us-through-the-flashpoint-esseles/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

BioWare and LucasArts have said since the first announcement of Star Wars: The Old Republic that choices will matter. No one witnessed that more than visitors to the BioWare booth at San Diego Comic-Con. These fans had to choose between saving the engineering crew or saving the bridge crew in the Flashpoint called The Esseles.

In this fast-paced instance, you and your party are trapped aboard the Republic cruiser called the Esseles. Like Darth Vader asking for the ambassador on board the Corellian Corvette at the beginning of A New Hope, the commander of an Imperial Star Destroyer in this Flashpoint is also seeking a Republic ambassador. The difference here is the Imperial forces haven't boarded yet. It is your job to hold them off.

After the break, catch the full 13-and-a-half-minute walkthrough narrated by Director of Production Dallas Dickinson, sans epic beard unfortunately.

Continue reading SWTOR walks us through the Flashpoint 'Esseles'

MassivelySWTOR walks us through the Flashpoint 'Esseles' originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWarechoicesdallas-dickinsondungeonEAElectronic-ArtsesselesflashpointinstanceLucasArtsrepublicsan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdccsdcc-2011Star-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorwalkthroughFri, 29 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask Massively: Can't talk, slaying darkspawn edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/24/ask-massively-cant-talk-slaying-darkspawn-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/24/ask-massively-cant-talk-slaying-darkspawn-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/24/ask-massively-cant-talk-slaying-darkspawn-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If it wasn't obvious through previous posts, I'm rather keen on the whole Dragon Age franchise. Which means that yes, I've been playing the stupid Facebook game that has just gone into open beta. The next revolution in gaming it is not, but it's got just enough of the setting to tide me over for the moment. Plus, it has player housing, which is conspicuously absent from most of the more modern MMOs out there.

Seriously, guys -- if it's able to fit into a Flash game on Facebook, you can fit it into your umpteen-millionth triple-A title. Get on that.

But I'll put aside the slaying of darkspawn and associated questions about how they're this far north, because it's time for another edition of Ask Massively. This round, we're talking about reviewing new MMOs, the conceptual space of games, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. As always, you can feel free to leave your questions in the comment field or send them along to ask@massively.com.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Can't talk, slaying darkspawn edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Can't talk, slaying darkspawn edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelychoicescolumndialoguediversityfeaturedgameplay-choicesmarksopinionoptionsreviewsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorThu, 24 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Choose My Adventure: And so it began... again]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/choose-my-adventure-and-so-it-began-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/choose-my-adventure-and-so-it-began-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/choose-my-adventure-and-so-it-began-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Well, this week has certainly been interesting. And by interesting, I mean not really usual. Then again, if any of you know me very well, that really should not come as much of a surprise; normal and MJ usually do not coexist in the same stratosphere. I am also not one to shy away from the untrodden path, and I tend to take off on my own tangents. Who needs easy when you can have interesting? Perhaps this quality alone made me a decent match for tackling the world of Xsyon for this round of Choose My Adventure. That, and a measure of patience.

In my first true week of playing Xsyon, I really didn't get to "play" much of anything. Not in any sense of the word that most MMO gamers would be familiar with. That isn't to say that I didn't have any fun; on the contrary, I really enjoyed the time I did get in, and I look forward to really digging my toes into that rich Tahoe soil. Well, my shovel, really.

So what were the unusual circumstances surrounding my first adventures? Hike past the cut for a deeper look at the week and some helpful tips for anyone planning to jump into game come launch.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: And so it began... again

MassivelyChoose My Adventure: And so it began... again originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choicechoiceschoose-my-adventurechoose-my-adventure-mj-guthriechoose-my-adventure-xsyoncmafeaturednotoriousnotorious-gamespollpollspvpSandboxsandbox-experiencesandbox-mmoserver-downtimeskillssurvival-tipsterraformingtotemstribesxsyonxsyon-earth-2012xsyon-preludeWed, 16 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's the most difficult choice you've had to make in MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-difficult-choice-youve-had-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-difficult-choice-youve-had-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-daily-grind-whats-the-most-difficult-choice-youve-had-to/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

How many choices do we make every day? It's almost impossible to count, when you think about it. Even the smallest choice may have the largest consequence, like the day that I took oatmeal out of the microwave without protecting my hands and ended up giving myself second-degree burns. That is not a manly wound, let me tell you ("Oooh, how'd you burn yourself?" "...Quaker Oatmeal. Shut up.").

In MMOs, we're faced with a constant deluge of choices, most of which are small and probably negligible. Do I go left or right? Do I make a beeline for that mining node or attack the mob instead? Do I help a guildie tonight or strike out on my own? Do I correct the atrocious grammar in general chat or develop a facial tic instead?

Of course, sometimes there are choices that have more meaningful consequences, and today we'd like to hear about them. What's the most difficult choice you've had to make in an MMO, and what was the outcome?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's the most difficult choice you've had to make in MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choicechoicesconsequencesculturegrammaroatmealopinionquaker-oatmealtdgthe-daily-grindSat, 11 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How much planning do you want for your character?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/16/the-daily-grind-how-much-planning-do-you-want-for-your-characte/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/16/the-daily-grind-how-much-planning-do-you-want-for-your-characte/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/16/the-daily-grind-how-much-planning-do-you-want-for-your-characte/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

All MMOs require some amount of planning for your character ahead of time. Sometimes it's just a matter of choosing whether you want to be a warrior or a healer (with apologies to game-specific terms), but sometimes you wind up in a game with a much longer list of options. There are differing talent builds in World of Warcraft, different Virtue specializations in Lord of the Rings Online, and buckets of different skill loadouts for Guild Wars. And that's not getting into the bevy of class options available in Dungeons and Dragons Online.

But some people really dislike that approach. After all, it kind of does suck if you get to level 50 only to find that you made a bad choice back at level 14 that's going to screw your character forever. That's where you get reversible choices and non-permanent selections... but you still have to make some choices early on that you can't undo later. So how much do you like to plan out your characters in advance? Do you prefer games that let you make all your choices as you go, with no wrong options? Or do you like making long and detailed arrangements for your characters' future?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How much planning do you want for your character? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-developmentcharacter-planningchoicesdevelopment-choicesopinionplanningspecializationsspecstdgthe-daily-grindThu, 16 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-two-sides-to-the-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-two-sides-to-the-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-two-sides-to-the-story/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I'm pretty excited for Going Rogue. Part of that is kind of inevitable -- I write a column about City of Heroes, I've tried to make a clear point that I'm a fan of comics in general, and quite honestly right now I'm in a bit of a video game drought and could use something new. But there's more to it than that, and it goes right back to my love of BioWare and the motivation to do speed runs of Silent Hill 2 just to see all of the various endings available.

What I'm getting at here is that I'm a big fan of any game that offers me morality or lets the game shift depending on my choices. So when Going Rogue had its two factions explained, I sat up and took notice, because the morals at play are certainly not black and white. No, they're grey and gray -- if not closer to blue and orange -- and that led to the inspiration for what I believe to be two of my most popular columns. And wouldn't you know it, even with both columns written, there's still more to be said.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareblack-and-whitechoicechoicescity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxemperor-colefeaturedgoing-roguegood-versus-evilgovernmentgrloyalistmild-mannered-reportermoralityparagonparagon-studiosphilosophypraetoriansresistanceshades-of-greyWed, 28 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Angry, desperate, hungry, cold]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-angry-desperate-hungry-cold/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-angry-desperate-hungry-cold/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-angry-desperate-hungry-cold/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Everyone has different definitions of what constitutes a hero. City of Heroes features plenty of them, after all, and even then there's a breadth of different elements that make them heroic. Some of them are bravely fighting against the odds with unreliable powers or no powers outside of training. Some are heroes who have all the power in the world, but they consider the needs of society to be greater than their own needs. But there's one unifying trait so simple as to be almost comical to state.

Heroes do the right thing. No matter what.

So it's kind of silly to try and glorify the actions of Emperor Cole's jackbooted maniacs, rallying under the "loyalist" banner as if stomping on people were something to be proud about. The fact of the matter is that Cole has been named Tyrant pretty appropriately, crushing any chance for an entire world to make its own choices and mistakes and steps forward. And the reward for handing him control has been paradise, sure -- if you consider what he's offering a paradise.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Angry, desperate, hungry, cold

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Angry, desperate, hungry, cold originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allegiancechoicescity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxexpansionfeaturedgoing-rogueloreloyaltymoralityncsoftparagonparagon-studiospraetoriaresistanceWed, 14 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[No microtransactions in Final Fantasy XIV, but many beta screenshots]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/no-microtransactions-in-final-fantasy-xiv-but-many-beta-screens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/no-microtransactions-in-final-fantasy-xiv-but-many-beta-screens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/13/no-microtransactions-in-final-fantasy-xiv-but-many-beta-screens/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

There are plenty of contentious issues in the MMO field, but one of the biggest at the moment is microtransactions. Controversy over the C-Store, the $25 "sparkle pony" and subsequent imitators, and the general balance in the burgeoning free-to-play field have made the players of nearly every game form an opinion. But those who detest the practice can take heart -- according to Hiromichi Tanaka, Final Fantasy XIV will not be including any sort of in-game store. That's from a recent interview from JPgames.de, translated by the FFXIVCore fansite community.

According to Tanaka, Square-Enix isn't necessarily opposed to the idea if the demand is present, but absolutely does not want in-game power to correspond to real-world money. He also confirmed that players will be allowed to pick their server at launch, unlike the server roulette present at Final Fantasy XI's launch. If the interview isn't enough to tide you over, the game's beta has been given a brief writeup from Famitsu (translated from the Japanese), and there's an excellent gallery of screenshots available here. There are just over two months until the launch of Final Fantasy XIV, and they look to be an exciting ride.

MassivelyNo microtransactions in Final Fantasy XIV, but many beta screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>c-storechoicesfamitsuffff14ffxiffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivhiromichi-tanakain-game-storesinterviewsmicrotransactionspreviewsscreenshotsserverssparkle-ponysquaresquare-enixtranslationsTue, 13 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Choose my Adventure: Fresh meat]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/choose-my-adventure-fresh-meat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/choose-my-adventure-fresh-meat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/choose-my-adventure-fresh-meat/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

[Mintyana Jones & The White Thingy by Neil F (Niffty.. on Flickr) used under CC license]
Well, the time has come again for us to start on a new adventure -- only this time, our fearless leader here at Massively, Shawn, has decided to pass the next leg of the trip to me. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Krystalle, and I'll be your hapless pawn loyal servant for the next six weeks worth of Choose my Adventure mayhem! You will get to choose everything about my stay in the game, from the game itself, to my choice in character, quests, and more. Meanwhile I shall follow your directions and report back here on the experience of playing the MMO in whatever ways you've chosen for me. Is it fun? Unpleasant as a sweaty Wookiee's armpit on a hot day? What can you expect? These are the types of things I'll try to answer along the way.

As I'm also a huge fan of screenshots (ergo, in charge of One Shots every day), I'll be taking snapshots as I travel through the game and adding them to a gallery for you to enjoy as well. The camera-shy avatars out there need not apply, insofar as potential traveling companions.

But first things first -- it's the first week, and that means you have to choose the path I'll take. Join me behind the break as I unveil your choices!

Continue reading Choose my Adventure: Fresh meat

MassivelyChoose my Adventure: Fresh meat originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choiceschoose-my-adventurecmafeaturedmassively-metaWed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Choose my Adventure: Back for more!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/choose-my-adventure-back-for-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/choose-my-adventure-back-for-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/choose-my-adventure-back-for-more/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With our busy March and April behind us, we're ready to bring back the ever-popular Choose my Adventure series to our readers. As a small refresher, Choose my Adventure is where we head into a certain MMO with a brand new character to play out a six-week adventure, but the kicker is that YOU get to choose what that character does. From the game played, through character creation and beyond -- it's all up to you.

This time though, we've decided to tweak the series a bit. Instead of asking for you to join us in these chosen adventures, they will mostly be done through PUGs or occasionally solo. The reason we're doing this is to focus our in-game time with readers on a whole slew of events we have planned, much like the highly successful Nights of Eberron for DDO.

So let's start this back up by having you vote for which game we'll spend the next six weeks with. You'll have until next Wednesday to make your vote, at which time we'll starts the votes on character creation and get the journey started. Keep reading below for the game poll, now including more game choices than ever!

Continue reading Choose my Adventure: Back for more!

MassivelyChoose my Adventure: Back for more! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choiceschoose-my-adventurefeaturedmassively-metaWed, 28 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Roleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We refer to our genre as MMOs in shorthand, frequently, as an abbreviation of MMORPG. Of course, there are entries that don't fit the mold -- Planetside makes no pretense of being an RPG, for instance, while Second Life is really a virtual environment rather than a game per se. But the roots of the term do define what most MMOs are fundamentally aiming at: being an RPG with a massive component of players. Which is ironic, because as We Fly Spitfires points out, they're not really RPGs at all. They feature the stats and the leveling, but nothing of the larger sense of place and story that the genre hails as its strengths.

Compared to games such as Dragon Age: Origins or Oblivion, it's clear that for all the strength of options we might have in some MMOs, we lack any sense of real character specialization or unique progression. Part of the concern, of course, is content -- you don't want to necessarily force any player who didn't happen to make the right choices in a dialogue tree to miss out on a major endgame event. The ubiquity of communication also helps herd players toward a specific set of specializations or ability tree, with little to no deviation encouraged.

But there's more that can be done, and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic seem to have a greater intent to focus on individual story and progression. Even if you don't necessarily like the impromptu acting which is usually associated with roleplaying in the genre, it's hard to deny that a greater sense of individual choice and uniqueness would be intoxicating.

MassivelyRoleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-customizationchoicescustomizingdaodragon-age-originsmmorpgmoral-choicesoblivionplanetsideroleplayingrpgsecond-lifeslstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwe-fly-spitfiresSun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Ruining the blank canvas]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/the-daily-grind-ruining-the-blank-canvas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/the-daily-grind-ruining-the-blank-canvas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/01/the-daily-grind-ruining-the-blank-canvas/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


It's the start of the new year, and that means you've got a huge number of days stretching out before you in which you can do almost anything, at least once you recover from your hangover. It's a sea of infinite possibilities, which is a good thing... for some people. Sometimes, when you roll the dice and you can be almost anything, you wind up... well, with a large man with freakish hands wearing a scarf and what appear to be cannibalized Gundam shoulders. We're not sure either.

Since we have a sea of choice ahead of us for the new year, we're wondering how you approach games and situations where you have a wide variety of options. Games like Champions Online and City of Heroes give us a wealth of options in character creation, and games such as Fallen Earth let us build our characters in myriad ways as we level up. Do you build your character based on outside information, or do you try and make a decent guess at reasonably synergistic abilities? Or do you just pick things at random and hope it forms a cohesive whole in the end?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Ruining the blank canvas originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blank-slatechampions-onlinecharacter-buildingcharacter-choicescharacter-creationchoicescity-of-heroescocohdevelopmentuniquenessfallen-earthfenormaltdgthe-daily-grindFri, 01 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How do you choose your MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/13/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-choose-your-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/13/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-choose-your-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/13/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-choose-your-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Being new on the Massively team, I've been getting to know the rest of the bloggers and learning about their MMO habits and they're certainly a varied bunch. I like to think I have a good knowledge of MMOs, even if I play World of Warcraft almost exclusively, but whilst chatting with the team, it became clear most of them are gripped either by WoW, Second Life or EVE Online. Personally I'm dying to play Aion.

I've dabbled in most MMOs and virtual worlds but I'd never played EVE Online. So, after ascertaining there was just one server and quietly thanking the MMO gods, I downloaded the file, created a sexy female Reborn and logged in. Boy did I get a shock! After hundreds of hours playing WoW, I was stuck in a ship and the cursor keys didn't appear to come into play either! Talk about out of my comfort zone. I confess, I gave it an hour and then went back to the sanctuary of Azeroth.

Anyway, I wanted to find out how you guys choose which of the numerous MMOs to play. I got into WoW because all my friends and colleagues were playing it and a friend sent me the box as a birthday present. Even then it took a good month for me to get hooked. Now MMOs are a dime a dozen and it seems physically impossible to play all of them, how do you pick which ones to play and which to let pass by?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How do you choose your MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choicechoiceschooseeve-onlinefantasymmommorpgmmossci-fisecond-lifethe-daily-grindworldofwarcraftwowMon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Morality plays a part in Stargate Worlds' quests]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/morality-plays-a-part-in-stargate-worlds-quests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/morality-plays-a-part-in-stargate-worlds-quests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/17/morality-plays-a-part-in-stargate-worlds-quests/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cheyenne Mountain's Chris Klug served another dev diary to RPG Vault. This is the third such diary, and it continues the work that the previous entry began -- an exposition on Stargate Worlds' quest and storytelling philosophies.

Klug describes a mission he had worked on in Earth & Beyond, in which players were forced to make a critical moral choice. Apparently Stargate Worlds' missions will follow a similar formula. This sounds a bit like what you'd find in Mass Effect, but it's (apart from Earth & Beyond) not something we've seen much in MMOs. Tabula Rasa claims to involve some choices like that, but that's about it.

Klug promises to go into more detail later, but for now, the diary doesn't have much. This is what we've come to expect from Cheyenne -- frequent, tiny drops of information.

MassivelyMorality plays a part in Stargate Worlds' quests originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheyenne-mountaincheyenne-mountain-entertainmentchoiceschrus-klugdev-diarydevlogearth-and-beyondmissionsmoralquestsrpg-vaultstargate-worldsMon, 17 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST