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[Hands-on impressions of The Secret World]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/21/hands-on-impressions-of-the-secret-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/21/hands-on-impressions-of-the-secret-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/21/hands-on-impressions-of-the-secret-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Scary monster dude in The Secret World
Last month, Funcom held a special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. François also got to play the game for several hours, giving us a fresh perspective on what TSW has to offer MMO gamers.

In Funcom's upcoming The Secret World, the game's three factions -- Templars, Illuminati and Dragons -- face off, compete, and collaborate (all at the same time!) amidst the nightmarish creatures being revealed throughout the world. But choose your allegiance carefully: Your faction determines your path and special bonuses for the whole game, and faction-switching won't be an option. Join me for a hands-on look at the game's current incarnation!

Gallery: The Secret World

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MassivelyHands-on impressions of The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armorcash-shopchakrascollisioncombatcraftingdemodouble-dippingdragonsequipmentexclusivefactionsfeaturedfuncomgearhands-onhiveilluminatiimpressionsjoel-bylosmartin-bruusgaardmontrealpreviewpvepvpquestingquestsRagnar-Tornquistskill-basedskillsstatssubscriptiontemplarsthe-hivethe-secret-worldthree-queststswweaponswheel-of-skillsMon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TERA invites the Berserker to visit for tea]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/07/tera-invites-the-berserker-to-visit-for-tea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/07/tera-invites-the-berserker-to-visit-for-tea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/07/tera-invites-the-berserker-to-visit-for-tea/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When you heard that one of TERA's classes was to be called the "Berserker" and you either thought of either the 80's arcade cabinet classic or an obscure song from the movie Clerks, then we could be fast friends. In any case, TERA's Brian Knox and Scott James Magner sat down with ZAM to talk about this brutal class and why it might appeal to the barbarian in all of us.

TERA's Berserker is a two-handed axe wielder who has his weapon constantly in motion. The relatively short range of the class means that Berserkers have to get up close and personal with any foe they're fighting, but the increased risk of such moves are paid off with some of the highest DPS of the game. Because TERA uses both collision and positioning in its combat system, it's essential for the Berserker to hit with the blade and then duck away before getting slammed in return. Get too close, and you'll end up hitting with the hilt and wondering why the monster is laughing at you.

You can read the full interview at ZAM and check out a series of screenshots detailing one of the Berserker's key moves. The official TERA site also has an outline of the class, along with a video for your eyes only (it will self-destruct after viewing).

MassivelyTERA invites the Berserker to visit for tea originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>axeberserkberserkerbrian-knoxclassesclerkscollisionevil-otto-pwns-your-soulmeleepositioningscott-james-magnerteravideozamMon, 07 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Black Prophecy technical director on game's physics]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/08/black-prophecy-technical-director-on-games-physics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/08/black-prophecy-technical-director-on-games-physics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/08/black-prophecy-technical-director-on-games-physics/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Black Prophecy from Reakktor Media is a sci-fi MMO that may ultimately be a bit more accessible to some gamers than reigning sci-fi champ EVE Online. It will be a very different sort of game than EVE, though. In fact, there is still much about Black Prophecy that has yet to be revealed, but the title's certainly got potential from what we've learned so far. While we're hoping to have more information for you about Black Prophecy in the coming months, the team at Reakktor Media is keeping fans up to date with dev diaries explaining some of the different facets of the game. The latest series of these blogs on the game's physics is being written by Black Prophecy's Technical Director Cyrus Preuss, which he continues today by focusing on the physics engine itself.

His dev diary is a bit technical, but not all that difficult to follow either. Cyrus explains the concepts of the "physics loop" and the factors which ultimately define the game environment in space. (This includes collision detection, which triggers particle effects and sound effects, but there's quite a bit more to it than that.) If you're curious about this aspect of Black Prophecy's game design, have a look at Cyrus's dev diary or jump into the discussion by the fans on the game's official forums.

MassivelyBlack Prophecy technical director on game's physics originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black-prophecycollisioncollision-detectioncollisionscyrus-preussdev-blogdev-diarygame-designgame-mechanicsnew-titlesphysicsphysics-loopreakktorreakktor-mediasci-fitechnical-directorTue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Latest Ask Cryptic explains space combat tactics in Star Trek Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/03/latest-ask-cryptic-explains-space-combat-tactics-in-star-trek-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/03/latest-ask-cryptic-explains-space-combat-tactics-in-star-trek-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/03/latest-ask-cryptic-explains-space-combat-tactics-in-star-trek-on/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A nice thing Cryptic Studios has been doing across their MMO titles in development is "Ask Cryptic", where fans of Star Trek Online (and Champions Online) pose questions to the developers and get answers. The latest (and tenth) Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online covers a wide variety of topics.

Cryptic explains a bit about space navigation in Star Trek Online, done via three levels of maps -- sector space maps (planets, solar systems, space stations, nebulas, anomalies), system maps (3D), and ground maps which include the surface of planets for away missions as well as space station interiors. They also address a strength of Star Trek Online that not all MMOs have -- entity into entity collision. What does this mean for STO players? Ramming speed! In fact, that will be one of the skills players can select. Cryptic explains the advantage to this, with one caveat: "Keep in mind, if your ship is already badly damaged, you may not want to ram into a fully intact Borg cube, for example. That would be a bad idea. On the other hand, if you know you're going to lose, you could ram into them, hit the self destruct and take them out with you."

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MassivelyLatest Ask Cryptic explains space combat tactics in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-crypticcollisioncollision-detectioncryptic-studiosgame-mechanicsrepulsor-beamssci-fistar-trek-onlinetractor-beamsSun, 03 May 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The importance of collision detection in PvP]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/the-importance-of-collision-detection-in-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/the-importance-of-collision-detection-in-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/the-importance-of-collision-detection-in-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Collision detection in an MMO is just one of those things you may take for granted. If it works, you don't really notice it. If it doesn't work, it's a fun little exploit to hide in a rock and amaze your friends! But collision detection is becoming increasingly important in upcoming MMOs such as Age of Conan and Warhammer Online because of their predominant PvP natures.

So in a recent post at Relmstein's blog, he dissects the different types of collision detection, how they work and in which situations they would be most useful. These situations can range anywhere from player-to-player, player-to-fixed-object or player-to-moving-object collision. Each one requires its own type of algorithm which reacts differently when applied. Most of these detection methods would be set in place to avoid exploit, but can be tricky when it comes to things like line-of-sight.

MassivelyThe importance of collision detection in PvP originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conancollisioncollision-detectionline-of-sightpvprelmsteinwarhammer-onlineMon, 21 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST