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[That palette is fully operational: Jeff Dobson opens up about SWTOR's artistic side]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/that-palette-is-fully-operational-jeff-dobson-opens-up-about-sw/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/that-palette-is-fully-operational-jeff-dobson-opens-up-about-sw/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/that-palette-is-fully-operational-jeff-dobson-opens-up-about-sw/#commentsFiled under: , ,

SWTOR
Story may get all the press when it comes to Star Wars: The Old Republic, but the truth is that the final product was a team collaboration between many departments -- including the artists. Art Director Jeff Dobson sat down with Republic Trooper to talk about the process of shaping each of the game's many worlds and locales with BioWare's signature flair.

It might astound you to realize just how many different type of artists work on MMOs such as SWTOR. Dobson said the team has "concept artists, character artists, environment artists, VFX artists, GUI artists, animators, and technical artists. The world design team is worth a mention here as well, because they participate a lot in the initial visual development of an area." And that doesn't include the separate teams that did the cinematic cutscenes or pre-rendered cinematics!

Dobson said that the biggest challenge for the art team was the scale of the project. "The Old Republic has too many assets to even really take stock of how much there is. It is a lot of work to simply track this many assets as they go through the creation pipeline," he said.

MassivelyThat palette is fully operational: Jeff Dobson opens up about SWTOR's artistic side originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artart-teamartistsbiowarecinematiccinematicsconcept-artconcept-artistsea-biowareinterviewjeff-dobsonrepublic-trooperstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorTue, 17 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Guild Wars 2 devblog highlights cinematic conversations]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/guild-wars-2-devblog-highlights-cinematic-conversations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/guild-wars-2-devblog-highlights-cinematic-conversations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/guild-wars-2-devblog-highlights-cinematic-conversations/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Screenshot -- Guild Wars 2 cinematic conversation
"One of the things we game developers always have to struggle with is reconciling our ambition with the reality of a production environment," begins today's Guild Wars 2 dev blog. That principle of balance comes into play in the case of the game's cinematic conversations, as the blog notes. James Boer goes on to detail many of the unique strategies used in Guild Wars 2's dialogue scenes in order to ensure that precious balance between ambition and pragmatism.

For instance, characters are designed in such a way that they don't look terribly good during close-ups, and there is no easy way to integrate facial animation. As a result, the team settled on a compromise, pushing the characters farther into the background. This, combined with the painted backgrounds utilized during conversations, lends a unique style to GW2's cinematic dialogues. For the full details, just head on over to the ArenaNet dev blog.

MassivelyGuild Wars 2 devblog highlights cinematic conversations originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetcinematic-conversationscinematicsconversationsdev-blogdev-blogsdev-diariesdev-diarydialogueguild-wars-2gw2james-boerncsoftTue, 22 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Guild Wars 2 developer explains updated cinematic conversations]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/guild-wars-2-developer-explains-updated-cinematic-conversations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/guild-wars-2-developer-explains-updated-cinematic-conversations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/guild-wars-2-developer-explains-updated-cinematic-conversations/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 fans are starting their morning with an interesting update and some entertainment, thanks to ArenaNet's motion capture and cinematic guru Chuck Jackman. Chuck is the mind behind the newest ArenaNet blog entry, all about the recent improvements to Guild Wars 2's cinematic conversations.

The cinematic conversations in Guild Wars 2 are the brief cutscenes that take place between player characters and NPCs at significant points in the story line. Until now, players trying the demo have only seen the placeholder versions of these cinematics, which consisted of a lot of seemingly-random emotes and what Chuck describes as "some very basic lip-synch that resembled more of a duck's bill than a human's mouth."

The team has been hard at work on improvements, though, and today's blog entry unveiled two videos of the new cinematics. It's a fairly lengthy read, with plenty of explanation of everything from emotes to facial animations to voice work. If your eyes glaze over at even a hint of tech-speak, fear not. While we have our doubts about Chuck's claims of blotting out the sun and tearing code from the minds of ancient gods, it's definitely an entertaining and informative read for any gaming fan. Check out the full entry at the ArenaNet blog.

MassivelyGuild Wars 2 developer explains updated cinematic conversations originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetarenanet-blogcharacter-animationcharacter-designchuck-jackmancinematic-conversationscinematicsguild-wars-2gw2motion-capturencsoftuiFri, 11 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Choose My Adventure: Story time!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/choose-my-adventure-story-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/choose-my-adventure-story-time/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/02/choose-my-adventure-story-time/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

[Insert Final Fantasy victory theme here]
Welcome back, Choose My Adventurers! Last week I took you on a leisurely stroll through my beginning days in Final Fantasy XIV's Limsa Lominsa and asked you lovely folks to choose what I should do next. Wouldn't you know it, you told me to go and finish up the storyline. So that's exactly what I did! This week, however, by popular demand, I'm going to be doing less play-by-play re-enactment and giving more of my impressions on whether the game is... you know... good.

So strap yourselves in and head on past the cut and let's see what Eorzea had in store for me this week.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Story time!

MassivelyChoose My Adventure: Story time! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choose-my-adventurecinematicscmacutscenesfeaturedff14ffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivlorepollpollsstorystorylinestorytellingWed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TERA introduces new healer trailer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/tera-introduces-new-healer-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/tera-introduces-new-healer-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/tera-introduces-new-healer-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

TERA screenshot
Healers are the unsung heroes of fantasy worlds, protecting the valiant warriors of the realm and receiving none of the glory. Well, En Masse Entertainment is looking to change that, and to start it off the team has released a new cinematic trailer thathighlights the healers of TERA.

Our healer host for the trailer, a female Castanic, provides us with a bit of backstory via voiceover as monsters ravage the land. The heroes of TERA won't take that sitting down, of course, and soon enough our Castanic friend and her allies make a grand entrance and take down a legion of foul creatures, only to find themselves face-to-face with one Big-Ass Monster. For all of the action-fueled excitement, hop on past the cut for the full trailer.

Continue reading TERA introduces new healer trailer

MassivelyTERA introduces new healer trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blueholebluehole-studiocastaniccinematiccinematicsen-masseen-masse-entertainmenthealerterathe-exiled-realm-of-arboreatrailertrailersvideovideosMon, 15 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Secret World dev diary talks story, context]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/30/secret-world-dev-diary-talks-story-context/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/30/secret-world-dev-diary-talks-story-context/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/30/secret-world-dev-diary-talks-story-context/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Sleuthing for more story-centric info regarding Funcom's upcoming horror-conspiracy MMORPG? Look no further than The Secret World's latest video dev diary featuring commentary from designers Ragnar Tornquist and Joel Bylos as well as lead writer Dag Scheve.

The trio highlights The Secret World's use of the real world as both location and character, with Bylos calling it "the greatest resource of all." The video shows a few new clips courtesy of the game's cinematics, but Tornquist is quick to point out that cinematics don't tell the whole tale when it comes to The Secret World's narrative. In spite of the fact that every character in the game is motion-captured and fully voiced, the story is "embedded into the world. You have to look for it, you have to search for it. The story is exploration and the story is discovery," Tornquist explains.

Funcom also seeks to challenge gamers in ways that depart from the traditional MMORPG paradigm, and Bylos says that "we're not just asking them to click a mouse button over and over again, but to think about what they do." Put on your thinking caps and click past the cut for the full video.

Continue reading Secret World dev diary talks story, context

MassivelySecret World dev diary talks story, context originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cinematicsdag-schevedev-diaryfantasyfuncomhorrorinvestigationjoel-bylosmissionsmmo-storyRagnar-Tornquistsabotagestorythe-secret-worldtswvideoMon, 30 May 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist jacks into The Matrix Online: Jamming with Ben 'Rarebit' Chamberlain]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-game-archaeologist-jacks-into-the-matrix-online-jamming-wit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-game-archaeologist-jacks-into-the-matrix-online-jamming-wit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-game-archaeologist-jacks-into-the-matrix-online-jamming-wit/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When we started into The Matrix Online month last week on The Game Archaeologist, one of the comments caught my eye. Massively reader stealthrider wrote:
Please, please do a tribute to Rarebit. MxO was his baby, and no one took its death worse than he.

He did everything for that game, much of it single-handedly. Everything from playing the canon characters and co-writing the story to fixing hundreds of bugs and even creating a new zone from scratch. Not to mention developing and implementing the story missions, new items, the RP item vendors, and pretty much everything else in MxO's final couple of years. He even implemented and moderated a player-created minigame as part of the official story.

He retired from game development in the months before MxO's shutdown. He was that dedicated to this game that he couldn't work on anything else afterward.

He's a god among developers, and he is as sorely missed as the game itself.
I think this sums up how many Matrix Online vets feel about Ben "Rarebit" Chamberlain. So instead of a mere tribute, we drove the MassivelyMobile over to Chamberlain's house (read: send a polite email request), and he graciously said he'd be glad to reminisce with us. So hit that jump to find out the last word on MxO from the dev who held it together!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist jacks into The Matrix Online: Jamming with Ben 'Rarebit' Chamberlain

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist jacks into The Matrix Online: Jamming with Ben 'Rarebit' Chamberlain originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aliens-versus-predator-2architectassassinben-chamberlainben-rarebit-chamberlainbluepillcinematicscommander-lockdevdeveloperfeaturedgrandmasterin-game-eventsinterviewkung-fulittle-nemolive-eventslive-events-teammatrixmatrix-onlinemissionsmonolithMonolith-ProductionsmorpheusmxooraclePaul-Chadwickrarebitredpillsoesony-online-entertainmentspystorystorylinethe-matrixthe-matrix-onlineWachowskiWinsor-McCayzionTue, 17 May 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A smattering of topics from Star Wars: The Old Republic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/a-smattering-of-topics-from-star-wars-the-old-republic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/a-smattering-of-topics-from-star-wars-the-old-republic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/a-smattering-of-topics-from-star-wars-the-old-republic/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Fridays mean new updates for fans eagerly waiting on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and while last week saw the kickoff of PAX East and a hands-on demo (which we played), this Friday sees discussion on a wide range of different aspects. For starters, the latest Fan Friday feature has been posted, showing off new concept art and a fansite spotlight as well as a few new Sith avatars for forumgoers.

A new developer diary is also available, which discusses cinematic animations, one of the major selling points for the game. Certainly the motion capture helps, but as the diary notes, it's not quite as simple as suiting up some capture actors and getting their raw data. Even for a simple scene, there's some fairly elaborate work necessary to make the animation and overall environment feel convincing.

The end of the entry is devoted to several community questions regarding flashpoints, fresh in everyone's mind after the aforementioned demo at PAX East. If you're curious about how loot will be balanced in a dungeon with multiple storyline options, take a look at the full entry to get a clearer picture of how the system will be implemented in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

MassivelyA smattering of topics from Star Wars: The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationbiowarebioware-mmobioware-mmorpgbioware-star-warsbioware-swtorcinematicsdungeonseaelectronic-artsfan-fridayflashpointsgroup-contentlucas-artslucas-arts-mmolucas-arts-mmorpgmotion-capturepreviewsstar-wars-gamestar-wars-mmostar-wars-mmorpgstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-torstarwarsstarwars-the-old-republicsw-torswtorthe-old-republicFri, 18 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Should trailers use only in-game footage?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/21/the-daily-grind-should-trailers-use-only-in-game-footage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/21/the-daily-grind-should-trailers-use-only-in-game-footage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/21/the-daily-grind-should-trailers-use-only-in-game-footage/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The purpose of a game trailer is undoubtedly to showcase the game and generate some excitement for it. Many companies opt to release trailers using in-game footage, making a big selling point of their game's graphics. This strategy has been used to successfully promote games from World of Warcraft to TERA. With a trailer containing actual game footage, players can get a good impression of what the game will look like before giving it a try. On the other end of the spectrum, some companies choose to create vivid cinematics to showcase the game's story and get fans excited. These tend to show some key point in the game's lore, which fans of that IP are likely to respond well to. We've seen some pretty epic cinematics for World of Warcraft's Cataclysm expansion, DC Universe Online's in-depth story, Lego Universe's unique gameplay ideas and Star Wars: The Old Republic's epic backstory.

With the latest few EVE Online trailers, there has been a strange merging of those two ideas. EVE's trailers were once filmed using only in-game footage, but over the past several expansions, CCP has begun moving into a more cinematic style. The trailers still depict the in-game environment but are rendered in an external scene-composition suite using higher resolution versions of all the models and textures in-game. The latest trailer for EVE's upcoming Incursion expansion certainly looks good and tells the story of what's to come, but is it missing something fundamental by using out-of-game graphics?

Where do you stand on this issue? Should game trailers use only in-game footage or do you find well-done cinematics more enticing? And is there a middle ground where the two can meet?
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: Should trailers use only in-game footage? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cataclysmccpccp-eveccp-gamescinematicseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansiongraphicsincursionlegoLEGO-Universeteratera-onlinethe-daily-grindtrailerWorld-of-WarcraftwowSun, 21 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[ArenaNet blog goes behind the scenes of Guild Wars 2 cinematics]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/arenanet-blog-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-guild-wars-2-cinematics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/arenanet-blog-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-guild-wars-2-cinematics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/arenanet-blog-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-guild-wars-2-cinematics/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Fans may not be 100% on board with everything they're hearing about Guild Wars 2 lately, but there's one thing nearly all of them can agree on: the game is gorgeous.

One of the features that has gained attention is the cinematics. We saw a couple of them at the recent Gamescom and PAX demos, and now that we've had some time to enjoy the finished product, James Boer has some stories to tell about the creation of that product.

James is the Audio and Cinematics Programmer at ArenaNet and the mind behind the latest blog post. His entry is all about the philosophy and technical work behind the creative process. While this entry is a bit heavier on the tech-speak than most of the ArenaNet blog, fans who are interested in the behind-the-scenes work of GW2 will find it a great read.

MassivelyArenaNet blog goes behind the scenes of Guild Wars 2 cinematics originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetarenanet-blogcinematicsGuild-Wars-2gw2james-boerncsoftMon, 04 Oct 2010 22:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Behind the scenes with Guild Wars 2 cinematics and demo]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/18/behind-the-scenes-with-guild-wars-2-cinematics-and-demo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/18/behind-the-scenes-with-guild-wars-2-cinematics-and-demo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/18/behind-the-scenes-with-guild-wars-2-cinematics-and-demo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

ArenaNet scheduled quite a few hands-on sessions for Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom this week, and the first reports are beginning to show up from those lucky enough to get playtime on the first day.

IGN has an overview posted with plenty of exciting new details on character creation, events, weapons, and much more. The demo included quite a few events that the writer stumbled across and a battle with an "enormous, purple, glowing dragon," presumably an unrecognized Shatterer. If you've not seen the write-up yet, it's definitely worth your time.

While you're at it, pay a visit to the ArenaNet blog as well. The crew back in Seattle is keeping busy, and there is a new blog entry with a video entitled "Creating Guild Wars 2 cinematics."

Finally, don't forget to watch for Massively's recap of the Gamescom events on Monday!

MassivelyBehind the scenes with Guild Wars 2 cinematics and demo originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetarenanet-blogcinematicsgamescomgamescom-2010guild-wars-2guild-wars-2-demogw2ignncsoftvideoWed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-city-of-heroes-going-rogue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-city-of-heroes-going-rogue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-city-of-heroes-going-rogue/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

To hear the team talk about it, Going Rogue isn't simply an expansion for City of Heroes but a full-on reboot of the game in general. It's hard to see how, on some level; outside of the new powersets and a new starting area, not much is visibly being added with the expansion. But sitting down and playing through the starting area and the game's opening suddenly feels like an entirely different experience. It's not a new game -- but it feels like a leap forward from where the game had been just a few days before.

I didn't get nearly as much time with the Going Rogue beta as I would have liked, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm biased when it comes to City of Heroes. But even with those standards set, I was impressed right away with how the game has been revamped from the start -- and what these revamps mean for the game as a whole and moving forward. Click on past the cut for the first impressions of the latest expansion, which launches today. (Coincidental, yes?)

Gallery: First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue gallery

Continue reading First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue

MassivelyFirst Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the many MMOs I've played, the ratio between games that got world design right and those that got it wrong is surprisingly skewed towards the latter. Nothing kills the thrill of discovering a new online world faster than feeling like you're being kicked around seemingly unconnected environments without possessing any real understanding or control.

This week's The Digital Continuum is aimed at discussing practical ways to address this problem. Obviously this is -- as per usual -- my personal opinion taken mostly from my brain and the experience gathering within it.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Lost in worlds divided

MassivelyThe Digital Continuum: Lost in worlds divided originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardcgcgicinematiccinematicscut-scenecutscenedesignfeaturedopening-cinematicopinionspacethe-digital-continuumworldworld-designworld-of-wacraftwowzonesTue, 23 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Behind the scenes with "that SWTOR cinematic trailer"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/24/behind-the-scenes-with-that-swtor-cinematic-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/24/behind-the-scenes-with-that-swtor-cinematic-trailer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/24/behind-the-scenes-with-that-swtor-cinematic-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Sure, the Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer from E3 may have been lacking in the gameplay department, but that didn't stop it absolutely rocking the socks off anyone that saw it. The people that made that possible are from Blur Studio, specialists in CG animation for games, films, and commercials. The IGN video above features an interview with Derron Ross, an animation supervisor for the company. He explains that although you might not realize it in the final products, a ton of the highest quality game videos are from Blur -- as an example, one of the early Warhammer Online trailers that a lot of you will have seen is from them. Ross goes on to describe what it takes to create something with such dangerously high levels of awesomeness.

If this little behind-the-scenes look at the SWTOR trailer has you craving more CG goodness, Blur's website has links to a ton of their other works for your viewing pleasure.

MassivelyBehind the scenes with "that SWTOR cinematic trailer" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>behind-the-scenesblurblur-studiocgcg-animationcinematicsmaking-ofstar-wars-the-old-republicswtortrailervideosWed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST