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[TERA Tome database unleashes the mysteries of Arborea]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/tera-tome-database-unleashes-the-mysteries-of-arborea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/tera-tome-database-unleashes-the-mysteries-of-arborea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/tera-tome-database-unleashes-the-mysteries-of-arborea/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Screenshot -- TERA
TERA players, have you been spending weeks trying to find that one perfect weapon? Or maybe you just want to know which mob drops the crafting mats you need to pimp out your gear. Either way, the ZAM Network is here to help. En Masse Entertainment has announced on the official TERA site that ZAM's TERA database, alliteratively named TERA Tome, is live and kickin'.

The current version of the site includes all of the nifty features that players have come to expect from ZAM's MMO databases, such as information on quests, items, and abilities as well as helpful forums and comments. Players trying to get a handle on their character's build should also find the site handy thanks to its useful glyph calculator that allows players to survey all currently available glyphs without the need to set foot in the game. Just head on over to the recently launched site to crack open the tome.

MassivelyTERA Tome database unleashes the mysteries of Arborea originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blueholebluehole-studiosdatabaseen-masseen-masse-entertainmentfantasyglyphglyph-calculatorglyphsitem-databaseteratera-tomezamzam-networkMon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Trion Worlds customer database hacked, 'no evidence' credit card info stolen]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/trion-worlds-customer-database-hacked-no-evidence-credit-card/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/trion-worlds-customer-database-hacked-no-evidence-credit-card/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/trion-worlds-customer-database-hacked-no-evidence-credit-card/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Trion Worlds
Trion Worlds has become the latest in a long string of MMO studio security breaches this year, as the company reported an intrusion into its customer database. At risk of compromise were customers' user names, passwords, birthdates, email and billing addresses, and partial credit card info. However, the company states that "there is no evidence" that full credit card numbers were stolen at this time.

In a message posted on the Trion Worlds website, the company promises that it is both researching the intrusion and taking steps to increase security. As part of this, all RIFT players will be asked to change passwords and security questions, and their mobile authenticators will need to be reconnected.

The company urges customers to watch their bank statements for questionable activity, and provides customers with resources to get a free credit report and putting a freeze on credit reports.

To compensate customers for the issue, Trion is providing all RIFT players with three extra days of gaming time and a Moneybags' Purse that increases all money looted by 10% in-game.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

MassivelyTrion Worlds customer database hacked, 'no evidence' credit card info stolen originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>authenticatorbreakingcompensationcredit-card-infocredit-cardscustomer-databasedatabasehackhackedhackersintrusionmobile-authenticatormoneybags-pursepasswordsriftsecuritysecurity-breachtriontrion-worldsThu, 22 Dec 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New contest celebrates the launch of Torhead]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/23/new-contest-celebrates-the-launch-of-torhead/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/23/new-contest-celebrates-the-launch-of-torhead/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/23/new-contest-celebrates-the-launch-of-torhead/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Familiarity is not necessarily a bad thing.
If you've been following Star Wars: The Old Republic for long enough, you're probably tired of hearing it compared to World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, the launch of the beta version of Torhead isn't going to ameliorate those comparisons, as it's clearly meant to function in the same fashion as Wowhead (and is designed by the same team, no less). Even if you're not lucky enough to be in the beta yet, you can scour through the database and play with the skill calculators already.

To celebrate the launch, the site staff is kicking off a contest, and appropriately enough, the more helpful content you upload to the site, the more contest entries you get. The grand prize winner gets a new Razer Naga and an Astro A40 Gaming Headset, both of which should be quite useful once the game launches. But even if you're not in the beta, you can still browse and comment to enter, something that might help assuage the waiting.

MassivelyNew contest celebrates the launch of Torhead originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>communitycommunity-databasecommunity-sitescontestdatabasestar-wars-the-old-republicswtortorheadwowheadzamWed, 23 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How dependent are you on internet guides?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/17/the-daily-grind-how-dependent-are-you-on-internet-guides/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/17/the-daily-grind-how-dependent-are-you-on-internet-guides/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/17/the-daily-grind-how-dependent-are-you-on-internet-guides/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Allow me to indulge in my old-timey voice. Back in the day, we didn't have no dang internets to hold our hands through every twist and turn of them videotronic games. No, we got through by the pluck in our spines, the sheer focus of 10-hour gaming sessions, and the frantic calls to our friends begging for help to pass a level. OK, even by those early days, we were pretty weak when it came to tough spots in games, but still -- it was nothing compared to what we see today.

Times have changed, but our desire to bypass difficult sections of games has not. If we can't cheat our way past it, we'll gladly leap to any aid that presents itself, whether it's a strategy guide, a walkthrough, or an elaborate database devoted to cataloguing every step of every quest in our MMOs.

Today is an honesty check for you: How dependent are you on spoilers to get through quests when you get stuck? Do you try to puzzle things out for yourself, or is your first instinct to tab out and look up the solution? For bonus discussion, does this mean that it's impossible for devs to really surprise us anymore?

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: How dependent are you on internet guides? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>databaseguidesopinionspoilersstrategy-guidestrategy-guidestdgthe-daily-guidevideotronicwalkthroughFri, 17 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SOE answers our questions about the recent database incursion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/soe-answers-our-questions-about-the-recent-database-incurson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/soe-answers-our-questions-about-the-recent-database-incurson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/soe-answers-our-questions-about-the-recent-database-incurson/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

After PSN's data breach a couple of weeks back, questions and rumors spread across the internet, including speculation about the source of the incursion and how many records were actually taken. However, we still did not have all the answers. Customers of Sony Online Entertainment have been curious about the details of the recent intrusion into SOE servers, so Massively teamed up with our sister site, Joystiq, to get some direct statements from Sony. We put only our best detectives on the job.

Joystiq Contributing Editor Ben Gilbert fired up the communicator with SOE PR Representative Ryan Peters to discuss the issues plaguing the MMO developer. Admittedly, many of the answers given were reiterated from a press release on SOE's website, but he was able to extract a few nuggets of information regarding the depth of the incident, which we've compiled past the break. Rest assured that our team will continue to keep you up to date on the latest information.

Continue reading SOE answers our questions about the recent database incursion

MassivelySOE answers our questions about the recent database incursion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 May 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>data-breachdatabasehackincursionpersonal-informationSOEsonySony-Online-EntertainmentTue, 03 May 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: The industry's obsession with shards]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/the-soapbox-the-industrys-obsession-with-shards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/the-soapbox-the-industrys-obsession-with-shards/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/the-soapbox-the-industrys-obsession-with-shards/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

The MMO genre is now over a decade old, and in that time we've seen countless innovations in game design, graphics technology and hardware infrastructure. Some of these innovations have become so essential that without them a game looks cheap, old or backward. A functional market or auction mechanic now replaces the old meet-and-trade style barter of some early MMOs, for example, and an MMO without copious map or chat tools is seen as grossly incomplete. The limits of what is possible have been pushed gradually forward, and yet certain ideas that were formed in the genre's infancy still seem to stick to new titles like glue.

Sharded server models made a lot of sense in the early 2000s, when server hosting was expensive and the teams working on the server code were small. Those limitations have been rapidly shattered in recent years, but still new MMOs shard their communities into small groups. There are even alternative server models out there that are just as cost-effective as the sharded model but are devoid of the negative side-effects of smashing the community into hundreds of pieces.

Read on as I take a look at why developers rely on the sharded server model, the problems surrounding splitting communities and what alternative server models are out there.

Continue reading The Soapbox: The industry's obsession with shards

MassivelyThe Soapbox: The industry's obsession with shards originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccp-gameschampions-onlinecharacter-transfercommunitydatabaseeveeve-onlineeverquestfeaturedhardwareopinionrunescapeserverserver-firstserver-modelshardshardingshardssoapboxthe-soapboxultima-onlineWorld-of-WarcraftTue, 29 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[ZAM opens up a full database for RIFT]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/zam-opens-up-a-full-database-for-rift/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/zam-opens-up-a-full-database-for-rift/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/zam-opens-up-a-full-database-for-rift/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Databases are a good thing for an MMO. When you have buckets of different items, quests, stats, enemies, bosses, and so forth, it's good to be able to reference a wide variety of different data on the fly. Wowhead is pretty much the gold standard for database services, giving World of Warcraft players the opportunity to use talent calculators, compare items, and browse a comprehensive quest database with ease. ZAM, the parent company of Wowhead, is porting that same all-encompassing database over to RIFT with today's launch of the appropriately named RIFT Database.

Although the system has just gone live, it already includes a robust listing of abilities, items, and quests for players to browse, as well as details on the various collections available in-game. Complete with a soul calculator, the new repository of knowledge should be welcome for any and all RIFT players looking for quick and easy reference. About the only thing it currently lacks is an option for integration into browser, but given time, it seems inevitable that the database will just keep improving.

MassivelyZAM opens up a full database for RIFT originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>datadatabasedatabase-functionsgameplay-datainformationonline-utilityriftrift-planes-of-telaratriontrion-worldsutilityzamMon, 14 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/lost-pages-of-taborea-the-runes-of-magic-database/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/lost-pages-of-taborea-the-runes-of-magic-database/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/lost-pages-of-taborea-the-runes-of-magic-database/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A long long time ago, I wrote about community resources for Runes of Magic. In that article is a handy resource that gathers collected data from RoM called the buffed database. Key personnel from buffed.de started a new venture called Playata to provide content services to game publishers. The point of this boring news snippet is that Playata, in conjunction with Frogster, has created the official RoM database. This shiny new official site could be viewed as getbuffed 2.0. The official version is streamlined, runs better, and has a few nice extras that the original never had. This week I put together a guide explaining what the database is, what you can do with it, and some of the extra fun stuff it offers.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database

MassivelyLost Pages of Taborea: The Runes of Magic Database originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>datadatabasefeaturedfrogsterfrogster-americafrogster-interactiveguidelost-pages-of-taboreaplayataromrunes-of-magicrunewakerrunewaker-entertainmentsyndicatesyndicationwebsiteMon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Final Fantasy XIV fansite mines out guildleves and hidden models]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/final-fantasy-xiv-fansite-mines-out-guildleves-and-hidden-models/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/final-fantasy-xiv-fansite-mines-out-guildleves-and-hidden-models/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/final-fantasy-xiv-fansite-mines-out-guildleves-and-hidden-models/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Final Fantasy XIV is a game that's provoked no shortage of strong opinions, ranging from adoration to venomous loathing. If you're knee-deep in playing it, however, you could certainly use a full rundown of the guildleves available in the game. FFXIVCore, which has been quite active over the course of the beta, has provided a full rundown of the leves in the game, sortable by various criteria and listing all relevant data about each given levequest.

Should that not be quite enough to tickle your fancy, some astute glancing through the data files for the game has revealed the ship models and several other currently unused files within the game. Although the models are untextured, there are some that should provide no end of fan speculation, such as the model very clearly resembling the ubiquitous Ifrit. Final Fantasy XIV hopefuls whose expectations have sunk will probably not care, but current players should be happy for the new resource.

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV fansite mines out guildleves and hidden models originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betascontroversydata-filesdatabasedataminingffff14ffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivgame-mechanicsguildleveslevequestsmodelsopen-betaopen-betasquest-mechanicsquestssquaresquare-enixMon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A look into the nuts-and-bolts of EVE Online's single-shard architecture]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/a-look-into-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-eve-onlines-single-shard-arch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/a-look-into-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-eve-onlines-single-shard-arch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/10/a-look-into-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-eve-onlines-single-shard-arch/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Have you ever wondered why MMOs have multiple servers and limitations on the number of people that can be squeezed onto each? It's a good question, especially when you consider EVE Online's impressive single-shard (single-server) setup, where tens of thousands of concurrent players can log on in the same environment.

CCP's Kjartan Emilsson wrote an article for Gamasutra explaining why most MMOs choose to separate their population onto several severs. The main problem, Emilsson said, was the issue of avatar density. Too many players in too small of a space creates a miserable experience for all involved. So either the game has to put limits on how many avatars can be in an area, or create a playing field that is so large as to render this issue null.

Emilsson went on to argue the case for single-server games that create a united society instead of a fractured one. He detailed the setup of EVE's server architecture, which is held together by a single database at its nucleus and has been steadily growing and improving over time. If you love to read the nuts-and-bolts of the underlying technology that makes games like EVE run, then do yourself a favor and give this article your time.

MassivelyA look into the nuts-and-bolts of EVE Online's single-shard architecture originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avatarsccpdatabaseeveeve-onlinekjartan-emilssonplayer-populationpopulationserverserver-architectureserverssingle-serversingle-shardsqlwill-there-be-a-sequel-to-sqlTue, 10 Aug 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE database issue causes thousands of items to go missing]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/07/eve-database-issue-causes-thousands-of-items-to-go-missing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/07/eve-database-issue-causes-thousands-of-items-to-go-missing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/07/eve-database-issue-causes-thousands-of-items-to-go-missing/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When the EVE Online server booted up today from its scheduled daily hour of downtime, GMs began receiving reports of missing items and disappearing market orders. After some investigation, CCP decided to shut the server down for an extended downtime to get to the bottom of the issue. The problem was eventually traced back to a database script responsible for recycling old itemIDs from trashed items and assigning them to new items. It was found that some new items being created in the database weren't getting IDs and so were becoming lost in the system. Up to 114,000 items may have gone missing during the 75 minutes that the server was up.

Continue reading EVE database issue causes thousands of items to go missing

MassivelyEVE database issue causes thousands of items to go missing originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 May 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingbugccpccp-eveccp-gamesdatabasedowntimeeveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineextended-downtimeextended-maintenanceserverserver-downtimeFri, 07 May 2010 18:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Latest EverQuest II data study covers roleplayers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/16/latest-everquest-ii-data-study-covers-roleplayers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/16/latest-everquest-ii-data-study-covers-roleplayers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/16/latest-everquest-ii-data-study-covers-roleplayers/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A year ago, we mentioned that Sony Online Entertainment had opened up their EverQuest II database to researchers, allowing scientists from noted universities the ability to study the demographics of their server in an anonymous fashion. Slowly but surely, more studies are coming out that are using this information, and one of the newer studies takes an in-depth look at roleplayers.

While the study is over 40 pages long and packed with information, Raph Koster has broken down the big findings on his website -- namely the fact that hardcore RPers only make up 5% of the player population and don't care about playing on an RP server. RPers also commonly belong to minority groups of some sort, play less hours per week than the average player, and have a higher rate of turning in-game social connections into real-world connections.

It's all interesting stuff, and Raph has it broken down on his site, or you can check out the full study in Word's .doc format.

MassivelyLatest EverQuest II data study covers roleplayers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>databasedimitri-williamseq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iiroleplayersroleplayingscientific-studysocial-surveysoesony-online-entertainmentstudyuniversityTue, 16 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Mog Log: Community guide to Final Fantasy XI and XIV]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-mog-log-community-guide-to-final-fantasy-xi-and-xiv/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-mog-log-community-guide-to-final-fantasy-xi-and-xiv/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-mog-log-community-guide-to-final-fantasy-xi-and-xiv/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


The great thing about being a fan of Final Fantasy XI is that you're not lacking in any sort of resources online. After such a long lifespan, pages have been created to suit almost any need the community might have. And for a game whose mechanics can be obtuse at times, that's a good thing.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? The Mog Log is Massively's new weekly column focusing on all things both Final Fantasy and online, meaning both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. For our first installment, we're taking a look at the multitude of fan pages, guides, and other resources for players. Needless to say there are a few more options for the former game than the latter (due to only one of them actually being released yet), but there's already a community building in anticipation of Eorzea's adventures.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Community guide to Final Fantasy XI and XIV

MassivelyThe Mog Log: Community guide to Final Fantasy XI and XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blogscalendarcampingcampscampsitesdatabasefansitesfeaturedffffxiffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivpodcastsroleplayingschedulesskillchainssquaresquare-enixtoolswikiSun, 24 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Champedia launches for Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/11/champedia-launches-for-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/11/champedia-launches-for-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/11/champedia-launches-for-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


As MMOs become more and more complex, there's an increasing need for information regarding the game at a player's fingertips. Especially since most of them are being played while on the computer, so a quick search of information is just an alt-tab away, no matter what the situation. Champions Online has stepped up to the plate with their own official offering: the Champedia, a database of every superpower, mission, super group, and character currently in the game. It's fully searchable at this point, although it's still in beta.

There have been debates in the community about adding on currently-played characters into a publicly accessible database, but Champions Online also includes the feature for guild masters to manage their organization directly from the site. A quick log-in allows the group leader to do everything from changing the message of the day to handling promotions without ever having to enter the game. It's not perfect yet, of course -- the Mission section, for instance, includes nothing but the basic mission text -- but if properly managed it could be a great asset to the community looking for information straight from the official source. Now if only it included wiki functionality...

MassivelyChampedia launches for Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betachampediachampions-onlinecocrypticcryptic-studiosdatabaseguildsmissionsnews-itemspowersWed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Official Age of Conan database offers easy info]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/official-age-of-conan-database-offers-easy-info/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/official-age-of-conan-database-offers-easy-info/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/official-age-of-conan-database-offers-easy-info/#commentsFiled under: , ,

MMOs see updates quite frequently, and with games that have developers actively posting on forums an attentive community member can absorb plenty of useful information. However, not everyone is up to the task of tracking all news, dev posts and dev blogs on every little topic. This is where Age of Conan's "New Community Database" enters the picture.

Handled by the community team at Funcom, the database will serve as an easily accessible source of pertinent game-related information about updates old, new, small and big. Everything from minor content stuff to full-on expansions, like Rise of the Godslayer. The website is still partially in beta as content is being added and knobs are being tweaked and dialed for maximum performance. So if in your venture for precious information you run aground due to a lack of content or technical issues, don't be all too surprised.

Having an official wiki isn't a bad idea. With time and attention there's no doubt many a person will find the source of info highly useful. In fact, we've already discovered a great use for it right here, although that particular opinion is arguably of a subjective nature.

MassivelyOfficial Age of Conan database offers easy info originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaoccommunity-databasedatabasefaminefantasyfuncomwikiwikiaFri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aion NDA drop and first database revealed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/aion-nda-drop-and-first-database-revealed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/aion-nda-drop-and-first-database-revealed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/aion-nda-drop-and-first-database-revealed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We just received the official word from NC West and can confirm that the North American NDA has dropped for Aion. This is great news for the 5% of testers who exhibited enough self-control to uphold the NDA, while the other 95% spoke freely as if it didn't exist at all. Some bloggers even took the loophole approach and downloaded the Chinese client so they could share their early impressions without breaking the NDA.

We can expect to see all sorts of new goodies release now that the NDA is no more. One such tool is called the Aion Armory, which is a database project partnership between AionSource and Curse. Anyone familiar with WARDB or WOWDB will find themselves quite at home on this site. AionSource also opened a new free guide subforum you may want to check out before participating in the Asmodian beta event taking place this weekend.

An early September release is looking more and more likely every day.

MassivelyAion NDA drop and first database revealed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-armoryaionsourcebetacursedatabasehalyconimpressionsnc-westncsoftndawardbwowdbTue, 16 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming blog Imaginary Cogs focuses on MMO operations and server technology]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/gaming-blog-imaginary-cogs-focuses-on-mmo-operations-and-server/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/gaming-blog-imaginary-cogs-focuses-on-mmo-operations-and-server/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/gaming-blog-imaginary-cogs-focuses-on-mmo-operations-and-server/#commentsFiled under: ,


There's a fair number of people out there blogging about their preferred massively multiplayer online games as well as the industry itself, and more all the time it seems. One area that isn't covered very often, however, is MMO operations, largely because it's something many bloggers have little direct experience with. However Bryant Durrell from Imaginary Cogs certainly does.

In the month since Durrell first started writing Imaginary Cogs he's offered up an industry insider's perspective on topics ranging from server technology to the ops that keep our games running, tapping his past work experience with Vivox and Turbine. Durrell's blog is a peek behind the curtain into how massively multiplayer online games operate. If you've ever been curious about the tech that powers massively multiplayer online games and how it's used, you might want to check out Imaginary Cogs.

[Via Zen of Design]

MassivelyGaming blog Imaginary Cogs focuses on MMO operations and server technology originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raph Koster couldn't help but wonder when he read the blog post entitled, "Lessons Learned: Sharding for startups," if he had a hand in creating that terminology. Sharding, as this blog post put it, was a method of running databases parallel to one another and making sure that the program could look in the right one for the information it needed. All of the older MMO users in the audience, however, know that this was not the first time the term "sharding" was used with parallel databases.

Raph had coined the phrase "sharding" years before during the inception of Ultima Online. The story writers were looking for a way to tie in the concept of multiple servers running parallel copies of the same world into the lore of the Ultima universe. It was at that point where they got the idea that each server was the reflection in one of the many pieces of the shattered Gem of Immortality from Ultima I -- a shard world. So, is MMO terminology leaking into mainstream database programming? Raph has the whole story over at his blog, where he traces the origins of the term "shard," how it may have gotten used over at Flickr thanks to Game Neverending, and expanded into a term of it's own right. Check out the story, it certain brings back memories of the old days.

MassivelyIs MMO terminology invading database programming? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some new changes in EVE Online will be deployed on Tuesday, July 1, Community Manager CCP Wrangler announced today. Empyrean Age patch 1.0.1 will reportedly bring fixes to EVE Voice and will also include the previous two optional patches. Further details on what Empyrean Age patch 1.0.1 will include are not currently available, but will be noted at EVE's Patch Notes site, with updated information highlighted in green text. The patch will add roughly 30 minutes to the regularly scheduled downtime, meaning Tranquility will be down from 11:00 to 12:30 GMT.

EVE Online's website -- in its entirety, including the EVE API -- will also be down on July 1, from 12:00 to 16:00 GMT, as CCP Games upgrades its website database server. CCP Wrangler began a discussion thread on the patch at the EVE Information Portal.

MassivelyEVE Online patches rolling out July 1 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A database is always useful, especially so after going under the digital knife for a redesign. You could say after something like that it would be even more useful -- and you'd be right. Today, Ten Ton Hammer unveiled their completely redesigned World of Warcraft database to the world. It boasts all sorts of new features, such as being more user friendly and easier to navigate. We especially appreciate that the new database is now 100% gold seller-free, which means less spam for everyone involved.

Doing a quick look through the database reveals that they weren't lying about the more user friendly stuff. Not only is the entire database easier to navigate and find what you need, but it now also features a download-ready WoW addon that grabs all sorts of information while you play. You can then take your gathered info-bits and upload them to the database where you're given credit for your efforts. All the details on the new additions and changes are in this FAQ here in case you're interested.

MassivelyComplete redesign of TTH WoW database originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Lord of the Rings Online forum regular Rainwhisper embarked on an ambitious project to put together a website that would catalog floor plans, decorations, and ambient music for LotRO housing. With the help of fellow players on the forums, Rainwhisper succeeded!

The site is hosted by the Dawnsong Explorers kinship of the Windfola server. It's an excellent resource. There's a spreadsheet-style list of all the housing items that players can make or acquire. There are floor plans for the different types of houses. You can also check out pictures of the decorations. As far as we can tell the site's listings are complete or very close to it.

Rainwhisper and any other contributors will have quite a bit more work on their hands when Book 12 comes out but if their success with the site so far is any indication, that won't be a problem!

MassivelyLotRO player creates excellent housing database originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>book-12databasedawnsong-explorersdecorationsforumshousinglistlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotropicturesplayer-housingrainwhisperscreenshotsturbineTue, 20 Nov 2007 21:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Allakhazam EQ2 moves to wikibase format]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/allakhazam-eq2-moves-to-wikibase-format/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/allakhazam-eq2-moves-to-wikibase-format/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/allakhazam-eq2-moves-to-wikibase-format/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In a surprising, though not wholly unwelcome move, Allakhazam has moved their EverQuest II site to what they call a "Wikibase" format, a hybrid of a database and wiki that takes the searchability and depth of their prior database format, and streamlines the submission process to allow for a more fluid inclusion of player feedback and information. In the past, players had to submit items and descriptions for the database via email. The new wikibase format approaches it in a more interactive, web 2.0 way. From the horse's mouth:

As a new feature at Allakhazam's, there is much work to be done here. Our goal is nothing short of total integration of the traditional database you have grown to love and depend on, with the wiki providing total access to quest descriptions, mob notes, and other helpful information.

In our humble opinion, this puts Allakhazam miles above competition like MMO DB, which continues to rely on the database model. They've now got a wikibase for FFXI and EQ2, how much longer before we see it spread to some of the heavyweights like WoW or LotRO?

MassivelyAllakhazam EQ2 moves to wikibase format originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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