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Puzzle Pirates sails into new frontier: Tablets

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Puzzle, Launches, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser

Avast ye mateys! After 10 years of working together to sail ships and fight foes utilizing puzzles, players in Puzzle Pirates get to set off on a completely new adventure. Well OK, to be precise the adventures will actually remain the same, but how players can access them will change; the pirate-themed social game focusing on cooperation is heading to tablets.

Three Rings co-founder and CEO Daniel James explained that the company has been exploring the possibility of bringing the game to mobile devices since last year, and now it's reached the point where expanding platforms is feasible. Players will be able to switch between the PC and the tablet, playing the same game on the same account. Plans are also in the works to make the game accessible on other devices as well. James did note that with this change, anticipated upcoming features such as the Kraken will be delayed until after the launch of the game on tablets.

Want to learn more about Puzzle Pirates? Check out Massively's exclusive interview with James.

Puzzle Pirates sails into new frontier: Tablets originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yo ho ho: Happy 10th birthday, Puzzle Pirates

Beau Hindman — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Puzzle, Video, Interviews, Free-to-Play, Casual, Interviews (Massively's), Kids, Family, Anniversaries

Puzzle Pirates is still way ahead of its time, despite the fact that it just turned 10 years old. For many years, MMOs have tried to get players to work together in real time in myriad ways, yet Puzzle Pirates is the only one that has approached the problem exactly in this way: having each player work a different puzzle to represent different activities. One player controls the direction and speed a ship travels, two players work a "bilging" puzzle to help keep water from filling in, perhaps a few more players man the sails, and another plays a puzzle that represents keeping the ship repaired.

What you end up with is a pretty realistic depiction of a team working together to sail the high seas, fight NPCs, and attack other players. This same puzzle-based gameplay works its way throughout the entire game, making for a very unique and in-depth experience. It also ensures that players become experts at certain puzzles, something that easily represents the way a real-life sailor would become an expert at his or her station.

In a word, it's brilliant. Massively checked in with CEO Daniel James on the occasion of the game's birthday. Read on for the scoop!

Continue reading Yo ho ho: Happy 10th birthday, Puzzle Pirates

Yo ho ho: Happy 10th birthday, Puzzle Pirates originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist: Puzzle Pirates

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, The Game Archaeologist

Up until this point in my life, Puzzle Pirates has always been that "oh yeah, that actually exists!" game to me. Even when I do lists of pirates in MMOs, this title slips right off of my radar. Maybe it's because Puzzle Pirates doesn't make waves (har!) these days, or maybe it's been around for so very long. I can't be the only one; the last time Massively talked about Puzzle Pirates was three years ago.

I think that part of Puzzle Pirates' forgettability is that it doesn't exactly scream MMO. I mean, its combat is more cerebral than anything else, it's all cutesy and stuff, and even its name suggests a casual flash title than anything deep and substantive.

Yet I have friends with a long and abiding love for this game, people who always chide me when I forget it. So to peer pressure I bow: It's high past time that we gave Puzzle Pirates its due as part of the MMO genre. Avast, ye landlubbers, and swab those peepers: We be goin' to sea!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Puzzle Pirates

The Game Archaeologist: Puzzle Pirates originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEGA acquires Spiral Knights creator Three Rings Design

Matt Daniel — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous

SEGA announced today that it has acquired indie developer Three Rings Design. Three Rings is no newcomer to the MMO industry, with popular titles such as Puzzle Pirates and the new Spiral Knights. SEGA's Senior VP of Digital Business, Haruki Satomi, says of the acquisition, "We are proud to welcome them as the newest member of the SEGA family, and look forward to seeing what great things we can create together over the coming years." Three Rings CEO Daniel James seems quite pleased as well, stating that his company is "honored to be joining such a legendary team and look forward to collaborating on amazing ideas together." We know we're looking forward to seeing what this unique combination manages to produce as well. We'll just have to wait and see.

SEGA acquires Spiral Knights creator Three Rings Design originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist

I had so much fun walking down the halls of "What if?" last week that I thought I'd keep the streak going for the rest of the month (if you'll allow for some summertime indulgence). It's not that I necessarily wanted MMO history to turn out differently than it did, but it's always tantalizing to wonder what the field would look like with different games out there. Would they have proven more popular than our current crops? Would they have pushed the envelope of innovation?

Of course, it's easy to project greatness onto never-released titles, bemoaning that "if only MMO X had launched, we would've had the perfect game!" What ifs are interesting but should never be taken as absolute fact.

This week I wanted to look at a project that's related to an MMO near and dear to my heart. As most of you know, I'm somewhat of a Lord of the Rings Online nut here at Massively. Sure, the rest of the staff is upset that I smoke pipeweed inside and never wear shoes, but that's just how far I go to understand the game.

But even my LotRO isn't immune to a massive what if. Known to some but not to all, Turbine wasn't the first MMO studio to take a crack at Tolkien's license -- no, for that we have to travel back to 1998 and revisit Sierra On-Line. It was this company that had a brief but memorable run designing Middle-earth Online, aka "What if LotRO had permadeath?" It's a fascinating glimpse into an entirely different approach to the IP, and even though it died a fairly early death, it's important to be remembered. Frodo lives!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online

The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A closer look at revenues in free-to-play MMOs

James Egan — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Puzzle Pirates, Interviews, MMO Industry, MetaPlace, Free-to-Play, Casual

The free-to-play business model in the MMO industry is one that lets users play a game for free in hopes that a percentage of that userbase will opt to embrace microtransactions, allowing F2P game operators to potentially bring in more revenue per month than they would maintain through subscription fees. We periodically see announcements of yearly revenue from some of the larger companies, but these figures are typically announcements of average revenue per paying user (ARPPU), emphasis on 'paying'. But how much money are free-to-play MMOs really making? This is the subject of an article at Gamasutra written by Paul Hyman titled, 'What Are The Rewards Of 'Free-To-Play' MMOs?"

Hyman catches up with Raph Koster (Metaplace), Daniel James from Three Rings Design (Puzzle Pirates), and Jeremy Liew from Lightspeed Venture Partners (a funding source for F2P MMOs) to discuss the microtransaction model.

Continue reading A closer look at revenues in free-to-play MMOs

A closer look at revenues in free-to-play MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A whole new Whirled: The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James

Michael Zenke — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Launches, Free-to-Play, Interviews (Massively's)

Earlier this week we had the chance to speak with Mr. Daniel James, the CEO and co-founder of Three Rings. Makers of successful online titles Puzzle Pirates and Bang! Howdy, the company is well known for the quality of its work and the quirkiness of its GDC parties. They've been working on a third project, Whirled, for the better part of 2008 and it just launched into full live service earlier this week. We spoke with Mr. James about the whys and logic behind Whirled, about the power of user-created content, and the power of offering actual compensation for hard work and talent.

Read on below the cut for our talk with Mr. James, and a thorough exploration of a brand-new Whirled.

Gallery: Whirled

Continue reading A whole new Whirled: The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James

A whole new Whirled: The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James pt. 2

Michael Zenke — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Launches, Interviews (Massively's)

How do you compare what you're doing here with other Flash game initiatives on the web?

Daniel: Well, they're sort of doing our thing and we're doing ours. We're not really interested in becoming the next Kongregate with thousands and thousands of flash games in Whirled. We're looking for a smaller number of - dare I say - good and interesting games. That's, I think, what we're going to see when people make original content for the platform. It's just a bit unique, you'll find it everywhere on the internet, but it's going to be built on Whirled. We're already pushing our Whirled games back out to sites like Kongregate, but it's essentially Whirled in a little box.

Continue reading The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James pt. 2

The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Three Rings officially launches Whirled project

Michael Zenke — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, Virtual Worlds

Whirled, an ambitious web/virtual world hybrid from Three Rings, launched into Beta early this year. We were incredibly impressed with the project even back then, bouncing pieces of tofu or not. From there the project has only grown by leaps and bounds, and word now comes down that Whirled has officially launched! The interactive web environment now offers a microtransactional system where you can make money directly from your content. You can make or play games, chat with a wide array of players, or just enjoy the numerous and creative rooms players have generated over the last eight months.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Daniel James about the new vision of Whirled, and you'll be able to read that discussion tomorrow. For the time being, go check out Venturebeat's analysis of the project or (if you're so inclined) read upon the full press release below the cut. PS: If you play, we recommend Brawler Whirled or Corpse Craft. They're both fantastic!

Gallery: Whirled

Continue reading Three Rings officially launches Whirled project

Three Rings officially launches Whirled project originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why user-generated content matters in MMOs

Michael Zenke — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Academic, Virtual Worlds

The Social Gaming Summit, held in San Francisco last Friday, has been explored here on the site by our own Akela Talamasca. Today the Worlds in Motion blog has a great writeup of a panel on user-generated content, with an emphasis on how that concept applies to online gaming. Industry luminaries including Three Rings' Daniel James touched base with attendees on what makes user content so compelling, why users create, and what game makers can do to incorporate player creations.

Most interesting was their observation that virtual spaces were more important than virtual worlds per se. Jeremy Monroe, Director of Business Development for the makers of Habbo Hotel, offered this: "You have to make sure that you're bringing content that is suitable to all players in the world. So when we bring a piece of content that skews to one demographic we have to make sure that we bring more content that skews to the other demographics. Some games try to create different servers, such as a PvP vs. PvP situation. You have to give everybody equal opportunity and an equal number of tools to express themselves."

Why user-generated content matters in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The subscription debate continues

Kyle Horner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items

Ah, the ever-debated subject of MMO subscription models. We've seen a lot of discussion on the subject, some good and some bad. Gamasutra just so happens to be running a pretty good discussion featuring SOE's John Smedley, Three Rings' Daniel James and EA Mythic's Mark Jacobs all chiming in with their opinions on the matter. The selection is also a good one as Smedley represents a company hybridizing its models, while James is from a company that's more or less full-on microstransactions and Jacobs is firmly for sticking with subscriptions.

Each of the three mens' reasoning for their companies' model choices all make sense when you consider their reasoning. From what we can gather, all three viewpoints have their merit and really no one subscription model is going to win out anytime soon. Subscription models were a hot topic this year at ION and of course Massively discussed it as well in one of our podcasts. So if you'd like to dig deeper on the current state of the argument we highly recommend those features to you.

The subscription debate continues originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details on the Whirled online games platform

Michael Zenke — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Puzzle Pirates, Bugs, Business Models, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual

Icon for indie games businesses and designers alike, the piratical Daniel James has more details on the recently beta'd Whirled available on his blog. Whirled is, as we've previously discussed, a social games platform in development for some time now by Three Rings, makers of Puzzle Pirates and Bang! Howdy. The large investment Three Rings landed last year has assisted in the further development of their existing titles, and has pushed Whirled to the tantalizing position it exists in now.

Daniel's blog has numerous tidbits on the platform's background, for the curious. At the moment the service is still kind of resource intensive, and you'll need Flash 9.0.115 and FF 2/3, IE 7/8 or Safari - Firefox 3 beta 4 might help. They made most of the games, and implemented an 'attention-based' currency that can be obtained from playing those games. Most of the avatars, furniture, and pets, though, have already come from the community. Plenty more details (esp. those for the technically inclined) are available at the Whirled Wiki.

A few thoughts on the project below.

Continue reading More details on the Whirled online games platform

More details on the Whirled online games platform originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Puzzle Pirates creators land a big sack of booty

Michael Zenke — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Puzzle Pirates, Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play

The Venture Beat site is reporting that Three Rings, the developer of the fantastic Puzzle Pirates and the unique microtransaction title Bang! Howdy!, landed a big chest of gold this past summer. I imagine the gold was given to them in the form of American currency, as the company negotiated for some $3.5 million in venture capital money. The site also notes that the company's unique virtual currency platform is enormously successful, with $4 million in revenue reported by the company for 2007.

Though the site's article on the investment is light on what that VC money will be used for, they do briefly discuss Three Rings' work on the Whirled platform: The success of [the virtual currency] model has helped propel the company to 30 employees and is planning its new social networking game world, Whirled, where users will be able to create their own avatars, games, rooms, music, and pets.

[Via Next Generation]

Puzzle Pirates creators land a big sack of booty originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC08: Is Asia the Hollywood of MMOs?

Elizabeth Harper — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World)

When you talk about gaming in North America, it's almost presumed you're talking about console or single-player PC games -- but in Asia it's the other way around. With the vast success of massively multiplayer games in the Asian market, it's no surprise to see American companies attempting to emulate similar models -- both in North America and overseas. But that level of success has proven difficult to emulate. Yesterday afternoon at the Worlds in Motion Summit, Susan Choe, David Wallerstein, Daniel James, and Bryan Pelz got together to chat about the future of the Asian market.

Continue reading GDC08: Is Asia the Hollywood of MMOs?

GDC08: Is Asia the Hollywood of MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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