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[The Soapbox: On armchair development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Armchair
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.

A couple of weeks ago I penned a Soapbox that, to put it mildly, elicited passionate responses. While a few people sided with me in my belief that MMO combat is silly and sucky, the cries of the masses drowned us out with variations on "you know nothing, Jon Snow" and "go back to consoles, you inexperienced newb!"

Some of the responses got me to thinking about game design in general and about game designers and their cult celebrity status in particular. When you cut through the anonymous insults and keyboard courage, most of my would-be critics were actually right about one thing: I'm not a game "developer." You know what's funny, though? That doesn't make a lick of difference when it comes to the ability to talk intelligently about games and game design.

Continue reading The Soapbox: On armchair development

MassivelyThe Soapbox: On armchair development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armchair-designarmchair-designerarmchair-developersarmchair-developmentarmchair-devscelebritycraig-morrisoncreativitycult-celebritiesdaniel-ericksondesigndesignersdevelopersdevelopers-know-bestdevsexperienceexpertiseexpertsfeaturedmmo-designmmo-industrymmo-status-quoopinionsoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardstatus-quothe-soapboxtow-the-linewhat-is-a-developerTue, 27 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Enter at Your Own Rift: Talking 1.3 with Hal Hanlin]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/enter-at-your-own-rift-talking-1-3-with-hal-hanlin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/enter-at-your-own-rift-talking-1-3-with-hal-hanlin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/22/enter-at-your-own-rift-talking-1-3-with-hal-hanlin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Today we're on the verge of RIFT's third major update's going live. It's a doozy of a patch, too, with a little something for everyone: a raid for endgame players, guild banks for... well, guilds, character transfers for the antsy, and RIFT's second world event for one and all.

With Patch 1.3, Trion Worlds puts its money where its mouth is by continuing with its streak of sizable, regular updates. It's a critical patch for some, as it seeks to answer the growing call for more endgame content while an increasing number of players hit 50. Fans of RIFT will most likely welcome the spread of the patch, but detractors will undoubtedly criticize why X was done instead of Y (and don't even get into Z; that letter is nothing but trouble). And above the noise, Trion sails on with apparent confidence and dedication.

Even though we got to speak with Trion at E3, I got the opportunity for another pre-1.3 interview with Design Producer Hal Hanlin (which, by the way, is a superhero fake identity if I ever heard one). In this no-holds-barred discussion, we covered the selling points of 1.3, the accusation that RIFT is "dying," and the philosophy behind Trion's rapid stream of content.

Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Talking 1.3 with Hal Hanlin

MassivelyEnter at Your Own Rift: Talking 1.3 with Hal Hanlin originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20-man-raid20-person-raidbalancebind-to-accountcharacter-transferscollectionscontentdesign-teamdesignerse3e3-2011enter-at-your-own-riftfeaturedguild-bankhal-hanlinhammerknelllfg-systemMurdantixMurdantix-mountpatch-1.3patch-1.4pvppvp-daily-questsraidred-sliversriftrift-planes-of-telarariver-of-soulsscott-hartsmantriontrion-worldswaves-of-madnessworld-eventWed, 22 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan is hiring despite poor economy]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/10/age-of-conan-is-hiring-despite-poor-economy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/10/age-of-conan-is-hiring-despite-poor-economy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/10/age-of-conan-is-hiring-despite-poor-economy/#commentsFiled under: , ,

While so many other companies are laying off employees, it might surprise you to hear that Funcom is actually hiring for Age of Conan. As announced in a forum post yesterday by AoC's Game Director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison, Funcom is hiring for three positions currently: Flash/UI Designer, Environmental Artist and AI Designer.

It looks like all of these jobs would require some hefty design experience with a requirement to relocate to Oslo, Norway. Is it something you'd be interest in pursuing? Dust off the old resume and give it a shot. Complete applications instructions are located in the forum post. Good luck!
Warhammer Online Coverage Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

MassivelyAge of Conan is hiring despite poor economy originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocdesignersfuncomhiringjobsTue, 10 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Player vs. Everything: Those poor, poor designers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/player-vs-everything-those-poor-poor-designers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/player-vs-everything-those-poor-poor-designers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/player-vs-everything-those-poor-poor-designers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I've gotta hand it to MMOG designers. They really kind of get shafted. They spend weeks, months, and years fine-tuning tiny aspects of gameplay that you never even notice or care about (like the amount of silver that level 12 murlocs drop), coming up with interesting quests, trying to innovate the game enough to keep us interested, and developing a stream of content that's regular and enthralling enough to satisfy our all-encompassing hunger for more, more, MORE! While they do this, they have to pay attention to a million other things: time constraints, budget constraints, balance considerations, community expectations, and their pushy producers who want them to get the job done now, even if it means they can't include all of these cool features they have in mind.

When they finally put the finishing touches on this labor of love that they've slaved away on for so, so long, they deliver it out into the excited arms of the community that's been eagerly awaiting the game since they announced what they were working on in pre-alpha. What happens then? Worst case scenario, everyone hates the game and it sinks like a stone to the trash pile of the bargain bin (along with the shattered hopes and dreams of the entire team that worked on the game). But even in the best case scenario, everyone loves the game for about two weeks until they notice all the little flaws that they don't like about your particular design. Then, they start picking it apart bit by bit. "Why didn't you do this this way?" they ask. "Why didn't you make this quest reward better? Why are Mages better than Rogues? Why isn't my +3 sword worse than a +3 axe against Ents? Here's how I think you should fix this awful, terrible, no-good, very bad game design."

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: Those poor, poor designers

MassivelyPlayer vs. Everything: Those poor, poor designers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 May 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conancommunicationcommunitycomplaintcomplaintsdesigndesignerdesignersdevelopmentfeaturedgame-designgame-designersngeplayer-vs-everythingstar-wars-galaxiesThu, 01 May 2008 19:30:00 EST