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Hyperspace Beacon: We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but knowing our luck, it probably will, again

Larry Everett — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

Like a kowakian monkey-lizard in heat, Larry Everett is back again with another edition of your guide to EA-BioWare's yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic. Welcome to the Hyperspace Beacon.

Every once in awhile, the Star Wars universe produces the strangest plot devices or game items. Some of these concoctions should never see the light of day, but unfortunately, they do. I like to highlight these malformed ideas in a segment of the Hyperspace Beacon called "We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but, knowing our luck, it probably will" or WHTNMIISWTORBKOLIPW, for short.

This week's column revolves around the prequels. Although there are many, many, many things wrong with the prequels, I would like to take a look at some of the highlights. To help those who may not know what is being discussed, I will give you a brief explanation of what each item is, then explain what is wrong with it, and follow that with a humorous explanation of how BioWare will ruin SWTOR by implementing it in our beloved game. Let's see what creative blunders we have in store this week.

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Hyperspace Beacon: We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but knowing our luck, it probably will, again originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP reaching out to potential EVE players with "Get a Clone"

James Egan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Professions

EVE Online creators CCP Games are taking a different approach to promoting the game with a new website. All players in EVE's setting of New Eden are "capsuleers" -- starship pilots who have attained immortality through cloning technology. CCP's "Get a Clone" site invites you to "Clone yourself. Not the way you are, but the way you want to be." The site belongs to Duvolle Laboratories, one of EVE Online's NPC corporations, and provides an in-character introduction to some of the basic career paths a pilot can explore in the game.

But first, Duvolle Labs asks you five questions that pin down how morally flexible you are (as a game character). Would you rather build or tear down? Would you risk your life for money or glory? Is success is measured by profits or progress? Your responses to five questions Duvolle Laboratories asks places you in one of four broad career paths - military, exploration, business, or industry.

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CCP reaching out to potential EVE players with "Get a Clone" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthrise lore features clash between utopian idealism and anarchy

James Egan — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, Races, Earthrise

Earthrise is a new title that we haven't seen much of thus far beyond screenshots and concept art. Still, it's one that's holding the interest of a small but growing community, waiting to see if the game will offer an experience that's a far cry from a fantasy MMO. In making the game a departure from the fantasy genre, the Earthrise creators at Masthead Studios have been fleshing out the game's lore and relaying it to potential fans through its own newsletters and some media exclusives, at IGN's RPG Vault in particular.

IGN continues its series of Earthrise previews, focusing on the lore of the post-apocalyptic setting. That is to say the old world is dead, wiped out in World War III. Those who weren't part of the Continoma-selected elite are either ash or reduced to slavering mutants prowling Enterra in search of their next meal. The previous piece titled Continoma: The Beginning focused on the corporate entity that rose to power and came to rule what was left of the earth following the near-annihilation of human society. IGN now looks at what happened after the burn in "Continoma: The Rebirth." Check out their piece for the full story on the pioneers of Earthrise who work to rebuild society to utopian standards, and the anarchists who resist the order of this new establishment.

Earthrise lore features clash between utopian idealism and anarchy originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa team talks two patches ahead, sort of

Chris Chester — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, Tabula Rasa

Another week brings another gaggle of player questions for Critters over at the Tabula Rasa community team. Nothing of terribly much interest this week, though they're reporting that the development team is already on their second week of development on patch 1.6... which saddens my little gamer heart because we've scarcely heard any details about 1.5 yet. We know it exists, surely, but since one of the few details we have heard was later rescinded, it's hard to get terribly optimistic about the whole thing. We're not totally wise on the development process, but doesn't it seem a little premature to be working on 1.6 when players have only just came to terms with 1.4? Maybe I'm out of touch, that's always a possibility.

They also go on to address some slightly mundane questions like whether there are unlimited clone credits (no), whether player attributes pass over to clones (yes), whether item rarity should be affecting the quality of tools (yes, and they're fixing it), and whether we can get some more information on the always-popular Personal Armored Units (no, but stay tuned). There seems to be a growing frustration with these community updates, to which we are certainly not immune, and it stems from the general absence of real substantive developer feedback about player concerns. We'll see what the mood is next week.

Tabula Rasa team talks two patches ahead, sort of originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TR's hybrid high jinks prove hollow on the whole

Chris Chester — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Races

When the Destination Games crew announced that they would be putting alien hybrids into Tabula Rasa's patch 1.4, I think it took a lot of people by surprise. Since the game launched in early November, the devs have shown a reluctance to acknowledge many of the complaints players have had with the game. One of the more persistent complaints was that there was a lack of depth in the character creation and customization options. Most character models are indistinguishable from each other to begin with, and there is no variety within a specific armor set of a certain level. My level 50 graviton is going to look just like your level 50 graviton, which lends an air of homogeneity to the whole affair.

So it really came as a surprise when all of a sudden, they fulfilled part of our wish and gave us the option of making clones with hybrid DNA - taking on the physical features and stats of one of Tabula Rasa's three most prominent alien races. After having given my new Forean clone a good deal of play time, I've found myself dissatisfied. It's pretty cool being green (and getting the huge bonus to Mind!), but there are so many different things I wish they had done.

Gallery: Tabula Rasa

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TR's hybrid high jinks prove hollow on the whole originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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