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[Wartower video highlights why devs love Guild Wars 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/wartower-video-highlights-why-devs-love-guild-wars-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/wartower-video-highlights-why-devs-love-guild-wars-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/wartower-video-highlights-why-devs-love-guild-wars-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Guild Wars 2
Wartower, a strong pillar of the German-speaking Guild Wars fanbase, has just put out a video detailing why ArenaNet staff members are so passionate about their upcoming game. The video is made of in-game footage captured from conventions and interviews from each of the 30 developers who were present at Gamescom 2011. Each developer was asked about his or her favorite part of Guild Wars 2; everything from race options and combat mechanics to the story and world content was highlighted as a favorite. It's excellently put together and does a remarkable job of highlighting the devs' love for their game. Follow past the jump to check it out!

Continue reading Wartower video highlights why devs love Guild Wars 2

MassivelyWartower video highlights why devs love Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anetarenanetdevelopersgamescom-2011Guild-Wars-2gw2Interviewsncsoftvideovideoswartowerwartower-spotlightSun, 12 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: Credible currency]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-soapbox-credible-currency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-soapbox-credible-currency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-soapbox-credible-currency/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sometimes the bird flies away, and sometimes you unchain it and smack it in the head and then complain that it left.
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.

With all of the other crises hitting the gaming world, it's easy to have missed the fact that Lord of the Rings Online has started selling statted gear in the cash shop. It's not endgame gear, of course, and it's mostly there for low-level players to get a minor boost. Really, as has been said by others, it's not something all that unusual, nor is it game-breaking in the slightest. It's just a convenience thing.

It's also something that Turbine promised would never be done.

I don't have an issue with the sale of low-level armor with stats on it, in Lord of the Rings Online or in other games. What I do have an issue with is the matter of credibility, the one currency that every company starts with and loses over time. Credibility is something you have to spend carefully, and every so often, a company spends it wrong. And the results, in the long term, are never pretty.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Credible currency

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Credible currency originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bad-ideasbears-bears-bearsbroken-promisescash-shopscontroversiescontroversycostscredibilitydesigndevelopersdevelopmentfeaturedlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionpay-to-winplayer-faithpromisessoapboxstat-gearthe-soapboxturbineTurbine-EntertainmentTue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New EVE video devblog series shows off revamped nebulae]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/29/new-eve-video-devblog-series-shows-off-revamped-nebulae/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/29/new-eve-video-devblog-series-shows-off-revamped-nebulae/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/29/new-eve-video-devblog-series-shows-off-revamped-nebulae/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE gets new nebula effects
With CCP Games' recent refocusing on in-space content for EVE Online, developers on the floor have been working harder than ever to bring us shiny new toys for the winter expansion. We've already heard that the player-designed Tornado would be released as part of a new tier of gun-heavy battlecruisers, and CCP has gone on to show off the Gallente design also hand-picked from contest submissions.

This week's absolute flood of good news for EVE Online players continues with the first of a new video devblog series shot at CCP's Reykjavik headquarters -- the development hub for EVE. Part 1 of this look at the art department shows off the incredible new nebula graphics we'll be getting as part of the expansion, and hints at the development of a new model for the popular Caldari Raven. The Raven update is part of what Art Manager Benjamin Bohn calls the V3 project, a project that has brought us the new Scorpion model and will continue to deliver revamps of old ships.

Skip past the cut to watch the first in this new video devblog series. Note to viewers: The presenter is in fact carrying a microphone and not a live hand grenade.

Continue reading New EVE video devblog series shows off revamped nebulae

MassivelyNew EVE video devblog series shows off revamped nebulae originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdev-diarydevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinegraphicsmmo-industrynebulanebulaenebulasnewsravensci-fishiptornadov3-projectvideoSat, 29 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The human casualties]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
This time last year, EVE Online developer CCP Games was an untouchable powerhouse in the games industry. In addition to servicing around 350,000 EVE subscribers, the company was also developing the World of Darkness MMO and the full scale MMOFPS DUST 514 set on the planets of EVE. Everything seemed to be going fine, but with the release of Incarna at the end of June, CCP faced the biggest crisis in the company's history. Due to a series of missteps and internal leaks that has come to be collectively known as Monoclegate, player confidence in CCP plummeted to record low.

Following the CEO's recent letter of apology promising a refocusing of development on in-space EVE features, news of highly requested features due for inclusion in EVE has gone a long way toward restoring confidence in CCP as a developer. With the return of ship spinning earlier this week and news of updates from hybrid turret rebalancing and implants being added to killmails to the release of the player-designed Tornado battlecruiser, the process of refocusing on EVE is well underway. Unfortunately, the good news of upcoming gameplay updates has been marred by the sobering reality that over 20% of CCP's worldwide staff have been laid off as part of the refocusing effort.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the human casualties of the recent EVE drama and speak to an insider at CCP about what's going on within the company. Unless quotes or facts in this article are specifically attributed to this insider, they are my own views and opinions based on publicly available information.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The human casualties

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The human casualties originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmentdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedhilmarhilmar-peturssonhilmar-veigar-peturssoninsiderjobjob-lossjobsmmo-industrymonocle-gatemonoclegateopinionwodworld-of-darknessSun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Captain's Log: The voices of reason]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/captains-log-the-voices-of-reason/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/captains-log-the-voices-of-reason/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/captains-log-the-voices-of-reason/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Screenshot - Star Trek Online
Captain's Log, Stardate 65284.2...

Hello, computer (and players)! It is often said that the voices of the gaming community are some of the loudest, and most passionate, around. This is especially true within the Star Trek Online community. While some may see particular posts made in Cryptic's forums as trolling or whining, others see passion and dedication for making the game they love the best it can be. There is no denying that there will always be those who love to hate and hate to love, but there are also community members out there who are the voices of reason -- they take their time to carefully examine something and provide appropriate and well-thought feedback on how to make something better.

As STO is preparing to re-launch with its F2P model, many changes are being pushed to the Tribble test server for players to playtest and provide feedback on. Before the test shards ever open, debates based on the patch notes begin. After a few hours of testing on Tribble, players make their feedback posts public in hopes that developers notice and hear their opinions. The great news here is that the developers are reading each post and have vowed that feedback does not go unnoticed. Since I have been following this feedback closely myself, I thought I should share some of it here.

Ensign, warp 10! Let's share some recent community feedback on two of the hottest topics out there...

Continue reading Captain's Log: The voices of reason

MassivelyCaptain's Log: The voices of reason originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>c-storec-store-pointscommunitycrypticcryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdevelopersF2Pfeaturedfeedbackfree-to-playgold-membersgrindholodeckperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesilver-membersst-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestothe-economytrek-onlinetribbletrollingtrollsThu, 13 Oct 2011 14:30:00 EST<![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[Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/captains-log-incoming-messages-from-the-devs-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/captains-log-incoming-messages-from-the-devs-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/captains-log-incoming-messages-from-the-devs-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Photo from the event
Captain's Log, Stardate 65131.6...

Hello, computer (and players)! I seem to mention this all the time, but I believe it to be true: The developers working on Star Trek Online are more transparent with their work than the devs of most other games. Whether or not this transparency has been always been a good thing is debatable, though. Still, no matter what one's thoughts on this are, I think we can all agree we like to be "in the know" when it comes to new things in development. This past weekend, a select group of STO players was able to attend another Dine with the Devs event, hosted by yours truly, where transparency was taken to the next level.

As I let you all know last week, the second-ever Dine with the STO Devs event coincided with some STO devs' visit to the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Over 50 players gathered at a local Vegas restaurant to eat, drink and bombard Cryptic's developers with their most burning questions. Because 99.99% of the game's players were unable to attend, I captured the entire event on audio and would like to present you with a basic transcript of the evening's events. So make some food, grab a drink, and get ready to fire up the Holodeck for another edition of Captain's Log.

Ensign, warp 10! Auxiliary power to the Holodeck matrices and brace for impact...

Continue reading Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again

MassivelyCaptain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andoriaBorgcrypticcryptic-gozercryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdevelopersdine-with-the-devsdinnerexplorationfeaturedfleetfleet-actionfleetsfoundryfoundry-missionfoundry-missionsgozericonianiconiansinto-the-hivejheiniglas-vegasMeetupnevadapokerpriority-onepvpq-and-ashipshipsst-onlinestastar-trekstar-trek-las-vegasstar-trek-las-vegas-conventionstar-trek-onlinestfstfstargtargstholiantholiansthomasthecrypticcattribbletribblestricorderUIzeroniusrexThu, 18 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/massively-exclusive-elsword-community-qanda-part-the-third/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/massively-exclusive-elsword-community-qanda-part-the-third/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/massively-exclusive-elsword-community-qanda-part-the-third/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Elsword Online - Screenshot
Part three of Elsword's Massively-exclusive dev diary is now available for your perusal. This time around, the devs talk about their long-term goals for the game, character favoritism, and the relation between Elsword and fellow side-scroller Grand Chase. Dash on past the cut for their answers.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>communitydev-diariesdev-diarydeveloperdeveloperselswordfavorite-charactergoalsgrand-chaselong-term-goalsq-and-aquestion-and-answerTue, 09 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Captain's Log: Dining with the devs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/captains-log-dining-with-the-devs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/captains-log-dining-with-the-devs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/captains-log-dining-with-the-devs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Captain's Log, Stardate 65075.4...

Hello, computer (and players)! Ahhh, the good 'ol developers! You follow them on twitter, you read every one of their forum posts, and you even stalk them in-game. But you know what? Developers are just like us, a fellow human being, right? Wrong! Developers are the key to the future, the hands that create our dreams, the molders that shape our gameplay. Okay, okay -- I'm going a bit overboard, but you have to admit, they are pretty dang cool!

Luckily for us Star Trek Online players, the devs that are working on the game, as well as all of the other projects in development at Cryptic, are very transparent. More often that not, they let us know what they are working on and look to the community to see what we think about particular ideas -- we truly get to help influence what makes it into the game. Aside from posting in the forums, many of them also participate with the community by guest starring on podcasts and meeting up with players when they can.

As I broke the news to you all last week, I was privileged to host a Dine with the Devs event that coincided with a visit of some of the STO devs to this year's San Diego Comic-Con. While this was not associated with Massively, I figured all of you would like to know what happened and what was said. So, without further ado, it's time to recap the event and fill you all in on the super-secret meeting minutes!

Ensign, warp 10! Let's boldly go where most of you were not able to go...

Continue reading Captain's Log: Dining with the devs

MassivelyCaptain's Log: Dining with the devs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Borgcaliforniacomic-concomic-con-2011Comic-conInternationalcrypticcryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdevelopersdine-with-the-devsduty officerduty-officer-systemDutyOfficerfleetfleet starbasesfleetsFleetStarbasesfoundrygold pressed latinumGoldPressedLatinumground combatGroundCombathereticjheinigKDFklingonLas VegasLasVegaslivestreamMeetuppriority onePriorityOneq and aQAndAsalami_infernoSan DiegoSanDiegoseason fourseason-fourSeasonFourst-onlinestar trekstar trek conventionstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestarbasestarfleetstarfleet academyStarfleetAcademyStarTrekStarTrekConventionstougcThu, 28 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Who's on your dev dream team?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/17/the-daily-grind-whos-on-your-dev-dream-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/17/the-daily-grind-whos-on-your-dev-dream-team/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/17/the-daily-grind-whos-on-your-dev-dream-team/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Most of us are armchair developers in one respect or another, and a lot of what occurs in the comments section of an MMO blog relates to decisions devs have made on our favorite (or least favorite) games.

Certain devs have also attained celebrity status, and of course, companies like Blizzard, BioWare, and Sony are household names outside of MMO circles. It's also fun to speculate on what might result from the addition of dev A to team B or the merging of company C with publisher D. For today's Daily Grind, imagine you had an unlimited budget, as well as every MMO dev in the industry knocking on your door and offering to make the game you've always wanted to play.

Who's on your dev dream team, and what kind of game would they make?

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: Who's on your dev dream team? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dev-dream-teamdevelopersdevsdream-teamgame-discussiongamer-discussionmmo-discussionmmo-hot-topicsmmo-issuesmmo-topicsmmorpg-discussionmmorpg-hot-topicsmmorpg-topicsopiniontdgthe-daily-grindSun, 17 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Third-party development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/19/eve-evolved-third-party-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/19/eve-evolved-third-party-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/19/eve-evolved-third-party-development/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

When EVE Online was first released in 2003, it was a primitive beast from a small indie studio operating out of a tiny office in Reykjavik, Iceland. Although EVE has been expanded over the years, not all of that development has come from creator CCP Games. EVE players routinely step in to fill gaps in the game's functionality through the development of third-party applications, websites and tools. Early apps like the EVEMon skill planner were very limited in what information they could access about a player's character, but with the introduction of the EVE API system, a huge wealth of information became available.

Since then, we've seen a resurgence of third-party app and tool development, producing impressive apps like Capsuleer and Aura for the iPhone. We've also seen some incredibly useful websites like the ICSC jump planner suite, gambling site SOMER.blink and the Dotlan EVE maps with regularly updating statistics. Most app developers work on the projects in their spare time, and until now they've relied on donations or advertising revenue to keep up with server costs or keep development worth the time invested. As EVE is CCP's intellectual property, it's illegal for anyone to make money from it without the company's permission. This week, CCP released the first draft of a contract that would allow developers to monetise their apps, but the proposal was not received well by the EVE community.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at third-party app development and what's wrong with the proposed deal.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Third-party development

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Third-party development originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidappappsauracapsuleerccpccp-atlasccp-eveccp-gamesccp-zuluchribbadevblogdevelopersdevelopmentdierdra-vaaleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedintellectual-propertyipiphonelegallegalesemonetizationmonetizeopinionplayer-developersplayer-developmentthird-partythird-party-applicationsthird-party-developmentSun, 19 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ultima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/27/ultima-online-developer-qanda-video-covers-way-too-much-for-thi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/27/ultima-online-developer-qanda-video-covers-way-too-much-for-thi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/27/ultima-online-developer-qanda-video-covers-way-too-much-for-thi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

An Ultima Online developer Q&A was released today for all the undyingly loyal UO fans out there, and boy is it packed with information. Allow us a moment to take a deep breath and get a glass of water as we try to break it down for you.

In the Q&A, UO Producer Cal Crowner (Uriah) and Associate Producer Bonnie Armstrong (Mesanna) cover a ton of territory, including spring cleaning, bug fixes, the potential addition of rare titles, and... woodchucks. A few notable responses, though, involved new additions coming to Ter Mur, the upcoming new player experience update, and the oft-discussed classic shard.

Regarding the former two, the devs say that the tweaks to Ter Mur aren't finished just yet, with a new live event arc -- which will "encompass the history of Ter Mur" -- coming this June, while the new player experience is getting a huge revamp with the sweeping adjustment of many classic dungeons and the early play experience.

And lastly, but very certainly not least in terms of "how likely is this to raise a firestorm from the deepest and most depraved depths of Hades," is the discussion of a classic shard. The verdict? There won't be one... for now. The team says, "We hear you... and yes it would be great, but there are so many ifs that people can't agree on... that it would be a really bad pursuit right now with what we're doing." That's right, light your torches and pitchforks, classic UO-lovers, and riot on past the cut for the full video.

Continue reading Ultima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline

MassivelyUltima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 May 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarebonnie-armstrongcal-crownercalvin-crownerclassic-sharddeveloperdevelopersdevsEAelectronic-artsmesannamythicmythic-entertainmentqaquestion-and-answerter-murultima-onlineuouriahvideoFri, 27 May 2011 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Get involved with EVE's ongoing Incarna development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/get-involved-with-eves-ongoing-incarna-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/get-involved-with-eves-ongoing-incarna-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/20/get-involved-with-eves-ongoing-incarna-development/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Since EVE Online's launch in 2003, players have yearned to get out of their ships and stretch their space legs. Having recently completed work on the brand-new carbon framework, CCP has finally set about making that concept a reality. The first stage of Incarna comes in this summer's Captain's Quarters release, in which players will be able to walk around on their own in small personal quarters. This replaces the current docking interface with a more immersive environment in which objects perform real functions like swapping your active ship or viewing news from the world of EVE.

To get players involved in developing the Captain's Quarters interface, CCP has released the current working version onto a brand-new test server named Duality. Players can log into Duality to try the feature out, then provide feedback and ideas to developers via the forum. With the first public alpha test concluded, CCP Chiliad has released a new devblog detailing what will be coming in the second alpha release and explaining how you can get involved and provide feedback. Player feedback was extremely useful to CCP in the first alpha test, with one player in particular using his video editing skills to showcase ideas he'd like to see implemented.

MassivelyGet involved with EVE's ongoing Incarna development originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-chiliadccp-eveccp-gamesdevblogdevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineincarnammo-industrynewsscreenshotsvideoFri, 20 May 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Xsyon devs talk farming, crafting and PvE vs. PvP]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/27/xsyon-devs-talk-farming-crafting-and-pve-vs-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/27/xsyon-devs-talk-farming-crafting-and-pve-vs-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/27/xsyon-devs-talk-farming-crafting-and-pve-vs-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

If sandbox MMORPGs are more ambitious than their themepark counterparts, it follows that the former are also more susceptible to bugs, performance problems, and general player discontent. Xsyon is no exception, and the post-apocalyptic world-building title from Notorious Games has traveled a rough yet familiar road since its March release.

According to a couple of recent posts on the Xsyon boards, better times are in the offing. Notorious is in fact expanding its dev roster, and new game designer/programmer Danathur throws the community a few bones in his introduction post. Aside from providing a bit of detail on his new duties, he also addresses the ongoing war of words between PvE and PvP supporters vying for the future of Xsyon. "We do not want to create a massively multiplayer first person shooter. On the other hand, conflicts and managing them (not only by violence) [are] the real challenge and where the most fun will come from in the long term," he explains.

Danathur goes on to say that both crafting and combat will become more expensive in short order due to the enabling of item stats and decay. His sentiments echo those of lead designer Jordi Grau-Davis, who posted earlier this week to announce the new dev hires and to give the community a feel for Xsyon's development roadmap. "We are going to evolve Xsyon to include farming, contested expansion totems and revamped combat. The goal is to provide more daily activities to tend to and something to fight over," he wrote.

MassivelyXsyon devs talk farming, crafting and PvE vs. PvP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>craftingdanathurdevelopersfarmingjordi-grau-davisnew-devsnotoriousnotorious-gamespost-apocalypticpvepvpsandboxsci-fisurvivalxsyonWed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Is it better for devs to try and fail than never to have tried at all?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/23/the-daily-grind-is-it-better-for-devs-to-try-and-fail-than-neve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/23/the-daily-grind-is-it-better-for-devs-to-try-and-fail-than-neve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/23/the-daily-grind-is-it-better-for-devs-to-try-and-fail-than-neve/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Recently, two of the MMOs that I'm playing -- RIFT and Lord of the Rings Online -- both experienced rather lackluster events. In RIFT, the much-anticipated final phases of its first world event fizzled out so quickly that several players never saw it at all, and LotRO players have their ire up over the grind and mechanics associated with the fourth anniversary event.

In reading the forum comments and comments here on Massively, I started to wonder: Is it better for devs to try and fail than to have never tried at all? Obviously, it's best to try and succeed, but that's not always the case (or the question for today).

Are we as a community too harsh and unforgiving toward developers when we feel that a promised feature or event hasn't lived up to its potential? Are the flaws and failed attempts worth the experimentation? Would you rather have developers trying new things -- even if they don't always work out great -- than to just not do them at all?

Let us know what you think; there's a lot of meat to chew on this bone!

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: Is it better for devs to try and fail than never to have tried at all? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developersdevseventsfailin-game-eventslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionriftsucceedtdgthe-daily-grindworld-eventsSat, 23 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/20/massively-interviews-eve-senior-producer-arnar-gylfason-on-incar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/20/massively-interviews-eve-senior-producer-arnar-gylfason-on-incar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/20/massively-interviews-eve-senior-producer-arnar-gylfason-on-incar/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Some fantastic news came out of this year's EVE Online Fanfest. CCP Soundwave's talk on Incursion provided some insight into past and possible future development of EVE's often-neglected group PvE activities. We also got a first look at the captain's quarters coming this summer as a first massive step toward full-blown avatar-based interaction with Incarna. Finally, CCP presented the company's vision for the future of EVE -- a video showing the potential interaction between Dust514's ground combat, Incarna's station environments and EVE Online's typical space-based PvP.

In his keynote speech, EVE senior producer Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason brought together all the new information that had been released at Fanfest over the last year. We caught up with Arnar at the EVE Fanfest to ask some followup questions to his speech. In an EVE Spotlight article last week, he answered questions on the role of live events in future expansions and other topics. In this second interview, we asked Arnar about incursions, the future of PvE, captain's quarters, the new player experience, Incarna gameplay, and more.

Skip past the cut to read our full interview with Arnar Glyfason, a man in whose accent the word "awesome" sounds seriously awesome.

Continue reading Massively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more

MassivelyMassively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arnar-gylfasonccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-zuluccp-zuluparkdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2011eve-is-realeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefanfest-2011featuredgame-designincursioninterviewkeynotemmo-industryteam-best-friends-foreverteam-bffWed, 20 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/15/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-ccp-zulu/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/15/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-ccp-zulu/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/15/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-ccp-zulu/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

EVE Spotlight is a new bi-weekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Twice each month, we'll be shining the spotlight on a player or developer who has a significant impact on EVE to highlight the efforts of EVE's most influential people.

It's almost an unwritten rule of game development that someone from quality assurance should never be promoted into a game design role. Game testing and QA are said to be so fundamentally different to design that it's argued the roles require incompatible skillsets. Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason has definitely proven that this isn't the case, successfully migrating from QA to game design and finally being promoted to senior producer on EVE Online. Taking over from CCP T0rfifrans, Arnar has become a very public figure for CCP in the EVE community.

Older players will remember Arnar as CCP Zulupark, that horrible guy who nerfed their carriers back in 2007. Alternatively, you may remember a fantastic forum thread from 2008 in which he personally answered countless player questions on game design and balance issues. Since becoming senior producer on EVE, Arnar has been a strong advocate of this kind of heavy communication with players. Through devblogs, interviews and interactions with the Council of Stellar Management, he's helped to fill the information vacuum players have become accustomed to.

We caught up with EVE senior producer Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason several weeks ago at the EVE Fanfest. In this EVE Spotlight, I ask him about communication with players, the role of live events in future expansions, and other topics.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu

MassivelyEVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arnar-gylfasonbotsbottingccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-zuluccp-zuluparkdevblogdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2011eve-is-realeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeve-spotlightfanfest-2011featuredgame-designincursioninterviewkeynotemacromacrosmmo-industryqaquality-assuranceteam-best-friends-foreverteam-bffvideoFri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New developer making plans for Lord of the Rings Online's PvMP]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/new-developer-making-plans-for-lord-of-the-rings-onlines-pvmp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/new-developer-making-plans-for-lord-of-the-rings-onlines-pvmp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/new-developer-making-plans-for-lord-of-the-rings-onlines-pvmp/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

PvP in Lord of the Rings Online has always been a sticky issue, with players taking the roles of monsters that always felt a bit underrepresented. But if you've always been a fan of smashing player-controlled spiders or playing one yourself, you'll be happy to see that there's a new developer in town taking aim at the PvMP portion of the game. Kelsan's inaugural post included a call for feedback and a broad PvMP manifesto outlining the overall design goals for the play mode.

One of the major areas being examined is the matter of rewards -- both factions are fighting for different rewards and different levels of commitment, which creates a disconnect in play. Kelsan and Orion both want to re-evaluate what players receive from zone control and taking part in PvMP, hopefully creating an environment where more players can get into the conflict. As one would expect, revisions are also being focused on a balancing of skills and abilities to help level the playing field. Lord of the Rings Online players should take a look at the full manifesto and offer any and all constructive feedback possible.

MassivelyNew developer making plans for Lord of the Rings Online's PvMP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebalance-goalsdeveloperdevelopersf2pfree-to-playkelsanlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromanifestonew-developernew-staffOrionpvmppvpstaffturbineturbine-entertainmentupcoming-changeswarner-broswarner-brothersWed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-soapbox-somebody-should-do-something-about-all-the-problems/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-soapbox-somebody-should-do-something-about-all-the-problems/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-soapbox-somebody-should-do-something-about-all-the-problems/#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.

Bugs. They are the scourge of gaming, crawling and chittering their way through lines of code, turning what would have been a sure win into failure, making otherwise useful abilities worthless, crippling quests and destroying playtime. And so the clarion call goes out every time a new bug emerges that the developers should fix it -- a reasonable request, given that we are paying these people every month. (Or, on several occasions, we would be paying if the game weren't such a mess of bugs that they should be paying us.)

Yet months roll by, and despite countless lovingly assembled bug reports, these issues do not get fixed. And it's not just bugs, either -- balance issues go untweaked, content goes unfinished, features get rolled back or sometimes removed altogether. What the heck are we paying for? Why in the world doesn't the development team just fix these problems?

Continue reading The Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems!

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Somebody should do something about all the problems! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebalanced-environmentbrokenbug-fixesbugschallengedevelopersdevelopmentdevelopment-teamsdifficultyfeaturedfunctionalitykeeping-things-workingopinionsoapboxthe-soapboxworking-as-intendedTue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What developer do you appreciate?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/27/the-daily-grind-what-developer-do-you-appreciate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/27/the-daily-grind-what-developer-do-you-appreciate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/27/the-daily-grind-what-developer-do-you-appreciate/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Last week a group of bloggers led by Scarybooster celebrated DAW -- Developer Appreciation Week. In Scarybooster's words, DAW "is about developers and how we appreciate them. Plain and simple, this is the time to be positive and show them our heart-felt thanks for making our lives fuller."

So today, let us put down our critical cudgels and sarcastic snark to send some love toward individual developers and dev teams. Whom do you appreciate? Who do you think has been doing a stellar job making games, communicating with the players, and standing up to the immense pressure of the business?

Yes, it may be hard to bite your tongue when someone else mentions a dev you have a blood vendetta against, but let's make today's Daily Grind positive. It can be done! So who do you love, baby? Give your favorite devs a shout-out and perhaps make their day!

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: What developer do you appreciate? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dawdev-teamsdeveloperdeveloper-appreciation-weekdevelopersdevsmmo-studiosopinionscaryboostertdgthe-daily-grindSun, 27 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Would you prefer more developer transparency?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/the-daily-grind-would-you-prefer-more-developer-transparency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/the-daily-grind-would-you-prefer-more-developer-transparency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/17/the-daily-grind-would-you-prefer-more-developer-transparency/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

There is undeniable truth in the idea that we as gamers constantly want to know what our developers are working on; we just can't get enough, and we have a growing need to be "in the loop." To attempt to fill the void that most studios create, we dedicate time to our games' test servers and speculate in online forums to feed our addictions -- some of us even post "walls-o'-text" in hopes that one day our favorite dev will take a look at our ideas and turn them into reality.

On the flip side, some studios are taking an "open door" approach and ask that their devs post in the forums, tweet WIP photos, and connect with the community. Some of these devs even post in ideas threads and give feedback. And on even more rare occasions, they might like your idea so much that they buy it off of you or hire you (true story over at Star Trek Online with ThomastheCrypticCat).

As you can tell, both approaches bring up questions worth pondering. Do you like developers to be transparent with things they are working on or would you rather be surprised and plagued by anticipation? If they talk about something that is coming out but then becomes delayed, how does that make you feel? Do you follow any of the dev trackers religiously? Has any of you had your ideas come to life in your favorite game?

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: Would you prefer more developer transparency? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developersstar-trek-onlinestotdgthe-daily-grindthomas-the-cryptic-catThu, 17 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Win a developer's heart, win a date in Fallen Earth]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/14/win-a-developers-heart-win-a-date-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/14/win-a-developers-heart-win-a-date-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/14/win-a-developers-heart-win-a-date-in-fallen-earth/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Are you feeling lonely today? Kind of understandable -- as much as we like to say that this is the most commercial and pointless holiday ever, it's still hard not to feel a pang of loneliness, especially if you're wandering the wasteland of Fallen Earth alone. But the day's not over yet, and if you can scrounge up enough poker chips, you might just be able to buy yourself a date for the night with a developer, albeit via Skype.

Yes, the development team behind Fallen Earth has decided to take the heart-ripping antics to the next level, placing the hearts of several developers on the Auction House for players to purchase. Winning a heart means winning a 10-minute date with the team member on Skype, and while you probably won't be asking what the other person is wearing, it's still a fun chance to get in on the spirit of the event. Besides, it's cheaper than roses, right?

MassivelyWin a developer's heart, win a date in Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developersdevelopment-teamfallen-earthfallen-earth-llcfeicarusicarus-studiosin-game-eventskypestrange-eventsvalentines-dayvalentines-day-2011Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Anvil of Crom: Player feedback and "Raving Fans"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/the-anvil-of-crom-player-feedback-and-raving-fans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/the-anvil-of-crom-player-feedback-and-raving-fans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/13/the-anvil-of-crom-player-feedback-and-raving-fans/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A long time ago on a career path far, far away, I served as a director in a small business consulting firm. The project was spun off from a larger, older company, and its aim was to provide better and more personal services to a subset of clients that the parent firm was struggling to connect with. Along with my new assignment, I was handed a copy of the book Raving Fans by our CEO and instructed to commit its principles to memory and to integrate them into my daily workflow (despite the fact that said workflow had little to do with direct client/end-user interaction).

How does any of this relate to Age of Conan or The Anvil of Crom? Well, the book is basically the businessman's customer relations Bible, and I was reminded of it earlier in the week when Funcom's Craig "Silirrion" Morrison commented on a Daily Grind that I wrote about game developers and the large gap that often exists between their products and their customers' desires.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Player feedback and "Raving Fans"

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: Player feedback and "Raving Fans" originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conananvil-of-cromaocbusinesscraig-morrisoncustomer-relationsdevelopersdevelopment-prioritiesfansfantasyfuncomken-blanchardmmo-industryopinionraving-fanraving-fanssheldon-bowlessilirrionthe-anvil-of-cromthe-customer-is-always-rightthe-customer-is-always-wrongSun, 13 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE live developer chat tonight to discuss Incursion game design [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/eve-live-developer-chat-tonight-to-discuss-incursion-game-design/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/eve-live-developer-chat-tonight-to-discuss-incursion-game-design/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/24/eve-live-developer-chat-tonight-to-discuss-incursion-game-design/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In years gone by, EVE Online developers CCP Games interacted with the game's playerbase very directly through the forums and live audio developer blogs. As EVE's subscriber-base has grown, developers began to take a more hands-off approach to forum discussions and the live dev blogs gave way to solely written blogs. Back in July, reactions to the June CSM summit highlighted problems with CCP's approach to communicating with players and the way feedback was collected. Since then, CCP has been making an absolutely colossal effort to communicate more with players through focused technical devblogs and a recent series of video blogs.

Tonight, CCP is kicking that communication up another notch with the first of a new monthly live audio developer chat series. The first live dev blog will begin in just two hours at 22:00 EVE time (GMT/UTC). The discussion will focus on game design in the Incursion expansion, with EVE's lead game designer CCP Hammer being joined by senior game designer CCP Flying Scotsman and game designer CCP Omen. During a question an answer segment, players will have an opportunity to ask specific questions on the new character creator, Incursion game design goals and improvements to the planetary interaction feature. To join in, just log into EVE and join the chat channel "Live Dev Blog" and join EVE Voice.

[Update: CCP has contacted us to tell us that it's received far more questions via the forum than the devs can answer in today's Q&A session, so the team will be unable to take additional questions from the live chat channel.]

MassivelyEVE live developer chat tonight to discuss Incursion game design [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-flying-scotsmanccp-gamesccp-hammerccp-omenccp-soundwavedevblogdeveloperdeveloper-chatdeveloper-diarydeveloperseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeve-voiceincursionlive-devblogMon, 24 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Voting underway to restore RuneScape's wilderness PvP and free trade]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/voting-underway-to-restore-runescapes-wilderness-pvp-and-free-t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/voting-underway-to-restore-runescapes-wilderness-pvp-and-free-t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/voting-underway-to-restore-runescapes-wilderness-pvp-and-free-t/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Last week, we reported that RuneScape developer Jagex had taken the unusual stance of giving players a say in some major game design decisions -- namely, the restoration of the wilderness as an open-PvP area and the revival of free trade. Over 1.2 million names signed the petition in just 24 hours, proving without a doubt that players want the opportunity to vote on the decision. Jagex has now moved onto phase 2 of the referendum, opening a vote to any player with a RuneScape account. If you have an account and want to vote on this important issue, head over to the wilderness referendum page to have your say. Over half a million players have already voted, with about 90% voting yes for the restoration of the wilderness and free trade.

For those old enough to remember the old days of RuneScape before the wilderness and trade restrictions came in, there's a lot to look forward to if this motion passes. Back when RuneScape was young, the wilderness was an open PvP area full of dangerous challenges and worthwhile rewards. The further a player got into the wilderness, the higher the level difference could be between him and another player for PvP to still be possible. It was a place for gang warfare, battling the game's toughest creatures and ad-hoc survival challenges.

Several years ago, Jagex took some serious steps to curb the growing RMT and botting problems. Direct trading was heavily restricted, with a block on trades where one player puts up a significantly different value of items or gold than the other player. The auctioneer-style "Grand Exchange" became the only reliable way to trade, but even it has limits on item value. To avoid RMT salesmen bypassing the trade system to deliver gold, limits were placed on the stakes in item duels and PvP was completely removed from the wilderness. The PvP provided by the wilderness was replaced with Bounty Hunter servers and PvP minigames. If this vote passes, all of that will be reversed and players will be free to experience a part of RuneScape's history that has been lost for years.

MassivelyVoting underway to restore RuneScape's wilderness PvP and free trade originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developerdevelopersdevelopmentmmo-industryplayer-developmentreferendumrunescaperunescape-hdsurvivaltradetradingvotewildernesswildyWed, 29 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: 2010's roguish review]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2010s-roguish-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2010s-roguish-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2010s-roguish-review/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

I joked once, long ago, that I should never answer WRUP truthfully, because it will invariably result in a total lack of doing what I announced. Lo and behold, I had the time to play through a single Mission Architect mission amidst an intensely obnoxious virus (just at that level where you're sick enough to know it but not sick enough to avoid work) and the preparation needed to get my house ready for hosting an entire family.

For the record? Never agree to do that for your family, no matter who your family is.

So instead, we're going to take a look through the big news of the year, the five biggest stories that have affected City of Heroes in the past 12 months. I had originally planned to save this one for next week, but I doubt that we'll get an enormous piece of news between now and next week. It's been an interesting year for the game as a whole, so between an expansion, major updates, and tumultuous times in the larger MMO world, let's look at the five biggest stories pertaining to the city.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: 2010's roguish review

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: 2010's roguish review originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdevelopersdevelopment-teamend-of-the-year-2010expansionexpansionsfeaturedgoing-roguegrissue-17issue-18issue-19issue-20matt-millermelissa-bianconcsoftparagonparagon-studiospositronwar-witchWed, 22 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively interviews CCP Greyscale on the EVE Christmas gift]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/26/massively-interviews-ccp-greyscale-on-the-eve-christmas-gift/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/26/massively-interviews-ccp-greyscale-on-the-eve-christmas-gift/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/26/massively-interviews-ccp-greyscale-on-the-eve-christmas-gift/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Early yesterday morning, a new devblog by EVE Online developer CCP Greyscale brought us an exciting first look at something awesome arriving in the upcoming Incursion expansion's December release. Speaking on behalf of development team Yggdrasill at CCP's top secret Iceland hideout, Greyscale explained CCP's plans to completely abolish learning skills in EVE. Learning skills increase a player's attributes, which decrease the time it takes to train skills. Since they take some time to train, however, dedicating time to them will only pay off after several months of subsequent skill training. As a result, new players are often advised to put off training for that ship they want or those useful industrial skills, as focusing on learning skills early on will pay off in the long run. This can stunt a player's progression in his early days, making for a very boring early play experience that can be distinctly off-putting.

As part of the company's Christmas gift to all EVE players, the skillpoints we have invested in learning skills will be reimbursed so that we can add them to any skill we want. To compensate for the decrease in attributes and give new players a bit of a boost, all players will have 12 points added to every attribute. This is exciting news, as the removal of learning skills has always been strongly supported by the EVE community. We caught up with CCP Greyscale to ask a few important questions about what this change means for players.

Skip past the cut for our interview with CCP Greyscale on the EVE Christmas gift and what the learning skill changes mean for players new and old.

Continue reading Massively interviews CCP Greyscale on the EVE Christmas gift

MassivelyMassively interviews CCP Greyscale on the EVE Christmas gift originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-greyscalechristmasdevblogdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineinterviewlearningLearning-Curvelearning-skillspresentskillssurpriseFri, 26 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's in-depth interview with SWTOR Community Manager Stephen Reid]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/18/massivelys-in-depth-interview-with-swtor-community-manager-step/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/18/massivelys-in-depth-interview-with-swtor-community-manager-step/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/18/massivelys-in-depth-interview-with-swtor-community-manager-step/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Last Friday, Star Wars: The Old Republic finally revealed the Crew Skills crafting system. In a slightly less important announcement, BioWare also announced its new Community Manager, Stephen Reid. OK, I'm teasing. It is very important announcement. Since Sean Dahlberg stepped down, the community team has been without a face and voice to the community. Those left behind had to put in extra effort into providing the fans with the latest releases from the SWTOR news room, and for a while, the community was unsure who, if anyone, would be able to fill the shoes. Now, Stephen Reid has taken the helm of the massive community starship.

Now since we have a new voice of the SWTOR community team, Massively thought it would be interesting to get his thoughts on the game, on the community, and on how we, the fans, could best make Star Wars: The Old Republic the game it should be. Massively Senior Editor Brianna Royce sat down with Stephen at a recent LucasArts event for an in-depth interview -- join us past the break to see what he had to say!

Continue reading Massively's in-depth interview with SWTOR Community Manager Stephen Reid

MassivelyMassively's in-depth interview with SWTOR Community Manager Stephen Reid originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AlderaanBioWarebioware-eacommunitycommunity-debatescommunity-managercommunity-teamdevelopersdialogueeaElectronic-Artsfeaturedgazilliongazillion-entertainmentimmersionLucasArtsmetricsroleplayRolePlayingsingle-player-MMOStar-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicStephen-Reidstoryswtorthe-old-republictortriontrion-worldsThu, 18 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan's Morrison on designing for challenge and accessibility]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/age-of-conans-morrison-on-designing-for-challenge-and-accessibi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/age-of-conans-morrison-on-designing-for-challenge-and-accessibi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/age-of-conans-morrison-on-designing-for-challenge-and-accessibi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Funcom executive producer Craig Morrison is drawing on his game journalist roots of late, via a series of in-depth postings on his personal blog. Morrison, a former IGN editor prior to his Funcom days, has a lot to say about gaming trends, which is great news for industry watchers and anyone interested in occasional glimpses into the thought process of an MMO developer. In his latest opus, the former Anarchy Online (and current Age of Conan) game director discusses the challenges in developing, well, challenge.

In a followup post to his earlier discussion on progression, Morrison talks at length about the decisions developers face when it comes to providing players with a steady diet of dings and digital pats on the back, while simultaneously making it seem like something worthwhile is being accomplished. The post contains a number of interesting observations, among them the notion that most modern MMORPGs parcel out their challenging content in sideshows that are entirely optional (raids, dungeons, etc.) and, in many cases, tangential to the main event (questing and hunting).

While it would seem to be a relatively simple matter to add occasional challenges to the leveling treadmill, Morrison cautions that care is needed to avoid alienating segments of your playerbase. "If you are going to be able to inject occasional challenge or difficulty spikes into the standard progression as well, you need to have thought about it to make sure that it won't become a bottleneck, and that it will survive a review," he says.

MassivelyAge of Conan's Morrison on designing for challenge and accessibility originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessibilityage-of-conananarchy-onlineblogchallengecraig-morrisondev-blogdevelopersdifficultyfuncomgame-developmentlearning-curvesilirrionMon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aventurine reaches out to Darkfall community with tournament video]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/aventurine-reaches-out-to-darkfall-community-with-tournament-vid/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/aventurine-reaches-out-to-darkfall-community-with-tournament-vid/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/28/aventurine-reaches-out-to-darkfall-community-with-tournament-vid/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Darkfall's devs are going out of their way to interact with the community of late. Whether it's in the form of new blog entries or unannounced presences at in-game events, it's clear the Aventurine braintrust is interested in keeping their fingers firmly on the community's pulse. The latest outreach example takes the form of a forum post by Tascha, a developer who shares a company-produced video that was recently recorded at a dueling tournament on the game's EU server. "Several of us, including Aventurine's CEO, where watching from the shadows during the last 1vs1 Tournament on EU organized by Ninogan Swiftstep," Tascha writes.

As for the tourney itself, it was a labor of love for Swiftstep. "When you spend as much time as you do with an MMO, you want to make the most of your time and do cool stuff. For Darkfall, which is all about PvP for me, doing something like this felt natural," he says.

Keep an eye on Darkfall's community events forum for more happenings around the world of Agon, and don't forget to check out the tourney video after the break.

Continue reading Aventurine reaches out to Darkfall community with tournament video

MassivelyAventurine reaches out to Darkfall community with tournament video originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aventurineaventurine-sadarkfalldevelopersNinogan-Swiftsteppvptaschatournamenttournament-videovideoThu, 28 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: If you designed a quest, what would it be like?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/01/the-daily-grind-if-you-designed-a-quest-what-would-it-be-like/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/01/the-daily-grind-if-you-designed-a-quest-what-would-it-be-like/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/01/the-daily-grind-if-you-designed-a-quest-what-would-it-be-like/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Every once in a while, I like to turn the tables on the longstanding love/hate relationship players have with devs -- you know, "We totally love and appreciate you until you screw up, and then we'll eat your bones for dinner!" That sort of thing. From the outside looking in, it's often easy (and quite tempting) to play armchair-developer, to tell the world on forums and blogs just how it would be done if someone had the superior wisdom to put you in charge.

You know what? I believe in you. And I'm not even being sarcastic here -- I truly believe that there's a huge well of boundless creativity amongst gamers that's itching to come out (I mean, heck, look at what everyone's doing with the tools that Minecraft gives you). Not to mention that most devs and CMs are gamers first and foremost themselves.

So today I'm using the powers vested in me by the state of Massively to empower you to create one quest. If you could create an immersive, interesting, interactive, memorable quest for your MMO of choice, what would it be like? How would you make it stand out from all of the others?
Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: If you designed a quest, what would it be like? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armchair-developerdevelopersdevsmassively-marriageminecraftopinionquestquestgiverQuestGiversqueststdgthe-daily-grindFri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Who's your dev crush?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/26/the-daily-grind-whos-your-dev-crush/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/26/the-daily-grind-whos-your-dev-crush/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/26/the-daily-grind-whos-your-dev-crush/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In our tiny part of the pop culture world, players seem to be as absolutely fascinated with the people and personalities at work behind their favorite games as they are with the games themselves. These developers are, for all intents and purposes, the celebrities of the MMO world, and as such, are subject to much scrutiny and intense feelings.

I've noticed that the mere mention of a famous developer, community manager or industry leader on Massively is often enough to set off a huge string of comments that typically revolve around how we feel about the person rather than what he or she is currently doing. For example: Paul Barnett. Bill Roper. Richard Garriott. Raph Koster. Eliot Lefebvre. Right now, there are dozens of readers who have skipped the remainder of this article to provide a reactionary comment down below.

But for the rest of you, I'd like to know: Who is your "dev crush"? Which developer do you follow most closely? Which one do you believe in the most? Who excites you with his or her work? If you had to have just one developer's babies, whose genes would be most welcome in your household? (OK, that last bit is probably too much, but you get the idea.)

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Who's your dev crush? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-ropercrushdev-crushdeveloperdevelopersdevseliot-lefebvreopinionpaul-barnettRaph-Kosterrichard-garriotttdgthe-daily-grindThu, 26 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So I noticed something last week, in the comments section of my piece on UI design, that finally kicked me back into "endless rant" mode. It's a sentiment that I've noticed in the video game community at large for a while now, but I never really knew how to approach it until recently, thanks to my own life experiences with games. It's an idea that's pretty misinformed on how the industry works.

It's the idea that the developers behind any given game are an idiots. According to commenters, they're all blind, non-gamer morons, bumbling around in the dark without the slightest sense of what game mechanics are actually fun.

Why are these bumbling morons in the industry? Why don't they listen to the endless array of golden ideas that pop up on game forums? Don't they realize that these revolutionary ideas will turn every game into double-rainbow-crapping unicorns? Why haven't 15% of my readers (a totally accurate statistic, mind you) figured out how sarcastic I'm being at this point in the introduction?

This week we're going after some of the common misconceptions about developers and game design, and how making a game as complex as an MMO is really never as easy as you claim it is.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedbudgetbusinessdeadlinesdevelopersdevelopmentfeaturedforumsgame-designgame-developmentgames-are-easy-to-makemilestonesmmo-designmmo-developmentopinionpen-and-paperpen-and-paper-roleplayingperceptionseras-statistics-are-always-accurate-and-indisputableThu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Shannon Posniewski on the development of Champions Online's first adventure pack]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/shannon-posniewski-on-the-development-of-champions-onlines-firs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/shannon-posniewski-on-the-development-of-champions-onlines-firs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/shannon-posniewski-on-the-development-of-champions-onlines-firs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's been a quiet couple of weeks for Champions Online -- at least, from the news side of things. Players have had plenty to do in the form of the recent Serpent Lantern adventure, offering an experience for players of nearly any level and any group size. Shannon Posniewski sat down for a recent interview in which he detailed some of the work that went into the adventure pack, from the challenges in design to the lessons learned.

The overhaul of the perks system and the changes made to VIPER are both cited as elements that the development team was working on without the adventure pack, both of which dovetailed nicely with the new content. Posniewski describes the biggest hurdle as the scaling issues, however, which doesn't simply translate to adding more hit points to higher-level enemies. It's part of what contributes to the four-month design turnaround he describes in the interview. If you've been enjoying the new adventure, it's well worth a look at the interview for a peek at what makes Champions Online's development tick.

MassivelyShannon Posniewski on the development of Champions Online's first adventure pack originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventure-packbackstorychampions-onlinecocrypticcryptic-champions-onlinecryptic-cocryptic-studiosdevelopersdevelopment-timedifficultyinterviewinterviewspozscaling-difficultyserpent-lanternshannon-posniewskiThu, 05 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- Community backlash]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/24/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-community-backlash/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/24/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-community-backlash/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/24/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-community-backlash/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In an effort to get players more involved in the development process of EVE Online, CCP Games began the Council of Stellar Management programme back in 2008. Twice per year, developers meet up with this democratically elected group of players to discuss issues ranging from bug-fixes and balance tweaks to feedback on future expansions and how players recieved the previous expansion. The latest summit was not without its troubles, with chairwoman Mynxee and council member Ankhesentapemkah expressing their concern over CCP's attitude during the summit.

In the first of our two-part interview with EVE's Council of Stellar Management, we asked some general questions about how the summit went and what could be done to improve the CSM process. We gained valuable insight into what exactly CCP committed to do this term, what happens to ideas put forward by the CSM after approval and what's being done to improve communication between the council and CCP. In this vital second part of the interview, we moved on to more hard-hitting questions on player reactions to the summit meeting minutes, CCP's current assignment of development resources and whether the council can really achieve anything over the next 18 months.

Skip past the cut for an illuminating look at the council's opinion on these explosive issues.

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- Community backlash

MassivelyMassively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- Community backlash originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdevelopersdevelopmentdierdra-vaaleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedinterviewinterviewsmeissameissa-anunthielmmo-industrymynxeeopinionplayer-developer-relationshipplayer-developmentteadazetrebortrebor-daehdoowSat, 24 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- The summit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/22/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-the-summit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/22/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-the-summit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/22/massivelys-eve-online-csm-interview-the-summit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

When it comes to getting players involved in the development process, EVE Online's democratically elected Council of Stellar Management has up until now been a clear success. Previous council members have managed to get some important features implemented in the game and helped CCP with feedback on up-coming expansions. Last month, members of the fifth council met with CCP in Iceland for the first of their twice-yearly development summits. In meetings with developers, they put forward issues deemed important by the player-base. Initial impressions from the summit appeared grim, with both chairwoman Mynxee and council member Ankhesentapemkah voicing concerns on their personal blogs. Players were left waiting for the official meeting minutes to be published so they could decide for themselves whether or not those concerns were justified.

The summit meeting minutes were released last week to some strong reactions within the community. The bulk of the negative reactions seemed to stem from CCP's inability to commit definite resources to any CSM issues. The community backlash was further amplified by a later devblog setting out CCP's current development schedule for the next 18 months. Of course, the people best qualified to talk about how the summit went are the council delegates themselves. Having been present at the meetings and knowing more about CCP's future expansion plans than the rest of the player-base, members of the council should have a much clearer picture of the state of play than the average player. To help clarify some of the community's biggest issues, Massively caught up with the CSM delegates and asked them some important questions about the summit and CCP's current development plans.

In this first of our collossal two-part interview with EVE's Council of Stellar Management, I probe members of the council for their thoughts on the summit.

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- The summit

MassivelyMassively's EVE Online CSM Interview -- The summit originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdevelopersdevelopmentdierdra-vaaleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedinterviewinterviewsmeissameissa-anunthielmmo-industrymynxeeopinionplayer-developer-relationshipplayer-developmentteadazetrebortrebor-daehdoowThu, 22 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New devblog reveals only 54 developers working on EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/17/new-devblog-reveals-only-54-developers-working-on-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/17/new-devblog-reveals-only-54-developers-working-on-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/17/new-devblog-reveals-only-54-developers-working-on-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Icelandic MMO developer CCP Games has always made a point of being open and transparent with players. Through tools such as the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) and in-depth devblogs, a great deal of CCP's internal workings have been laid out in the open for all to see. In the latest CSM summit, CCP revealed that it couldn't commit any resources to CSM issues for at least the next 18 months as too many development resources were being used up by Incarna and Dust 514.

EVE Online's new senior producer CCP Zulu (formerly CCP Zulupark) elaborated on the issue yesterday with a full devblog on CCP's current allocation of developer time. In the devblog, Zulu provides a complete breakdown of CCP's current development teams, what projects each developer is assigned to, and what we can expect to come over the next year and a half. The devblog confirms grim fate of issues raised by the CSM, with no teams assigned to cover player-raised game defects. Perhaps the most surprising thing to come out of the devblog, however, was that only 54 members of CCP's "200-person development team" are working on anything that directly affects the current EVE populace. Of those, only 22 are working on features for the next expansion.

Skip past the cut to find out why there are only 22 developers working on features and what the reactions of the EVE player-base have been since the announcement.

Continue reading New devblog reveals only 54 developers working on EVE Online

MassivelyNew devblog reveals only 54 developers working on EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-zuluccp-zuluparkdevblogdevelopersdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfeaturedforummmo-industrySat, 17 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[More details on Going Rogue from the latest City of Heroes Q&A session]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/more-details-on-going-rogue-from-the-latest-city-of-heroes-qanda-s/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/more-details-on-going-rogue-from-the-latest-city-of-heroes-qanda-s/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/more-details-on-going-rogue-from-the-latest-city-of-heroes-qanda-s/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Although it took a bit of back-and-forth to get moving, the most recent batch of questions for the City of Heroes team has been answered, and with it comes several new pieces of information on the fast-approaching Going Rogue expansion. Some of the answers, naturally, are reasonably well-known facts, such as the fact that allegiances may be switched back and forth as often as a player wishes. But this is also the first time we've heard of a specific timetable, with the team estimating that casual players will be able to make the switch in about a week's worth of playtime.

Among the other new pieces of information are details on the content of both Kinetic Melee and Electric Control, with the former sporting a stacking buff via several powers and the latter set to feature a Sleep power that players might actually want. Even amidst the answers that players might already know, there are bits and pieces of gold, enough so that fans looking forward to the August 17th release date for Going Rogue would be well-served by reading through the whole set. It's looking to be a very interesting time to play City of Heroes, whatever side you choose to play on.

MassivelyMore details on Going Rogue from the latest City of Heroes Q&A session originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdevelopersexpansiongoing-rogueinterviewncsoftnew-detailsparagonparagon-studiosq-and-aquestion-and-answerWed, 30 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/eve-csm-delegates-voice-disapproval-of-ccps-attitude-to-council/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/eve-csm-delegates-voice-disapproval-of-ccps-attitude-to-council/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/30/eve-csm-delegates-voice-disapproval-of-ccps-attitude-to-council/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In recent years, CCP Games have made significant efforts to get players involved in EVE Online's game design efforts. In addition to pre-releasing features on a test server to collect feedback, CCP have involved players more effectively in the development process through their innovative Council of Stellar Management. The council members are voted for by players, with the highest-voted member securing the chair position for the year. Players bring important EVE-related issues to their council representatives, who meet with CCP developers in Iceland twice per year for a week-long council summit.

During the summit, all the most important issues backed by the council are posed to developers and discussed. Previous council sessions have made a significant impact on the game, getting features like the skill queue implemented and providing key feedback on expansions. This year's council had a record voter turnout, with confidence in the team at an all-time high. At the conclusion of their first council summit meeting with CCP, however, two key delegates have begun to voice concerns at the dismissive attitude with which they were met.

Skip past the cut to find out why two council members are annoyed with CCP's approach to this year's summit, and why it's not all bad news and negativity.

Continue reading EVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit

MassivelyEVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ankhesentapemkahccpccp-eveccp-gamescouncilcouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcsm-summitdevdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmentdevsdust-514eva-jobseeveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedincarnamynxeestakeholdersummitWed, 30 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Waging WAR: Patch 1.3.6 and the proverbial DPS-Healer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/19/waging-war-patch-1-3-6-and-the-proverbial-dps-healer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/19/waging-war-patch-1-3-6-and-the-proverbial-dps-healer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/19/waging-war-patch-1-3-6-and-the-proverbial-dps-healer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There aren't very many companies that open up planned patch changes to their players and fans for discussion; however, Mythic is one that does. This week, Waging WAR focuses on the suggested career balance changes for the Zealot and Runepriest coming in patch 1.3.6 for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. We'll cover the issue as well as the proposed solution for these careers. We'll also discuss the impact that these changes might have on the affected careers and on the community in general. There's also a part where Greg throws some drama at the fan and rants about "DPS-Healers."

Let's start by clarifying the main issue and the proposed change. Currently, the other healing careers (Archmage, Shaman, Warrior Priest and Disciple of Khaine) have their mastery paths organized by the role which they might play (i.e. damage focus, healing focus, etc.); whereas, the Zealot and Runepriest don't. Their mastery paths are organized by the delivery method of their healing (i.e. over time, direct, or area). The problem is, after deciding whether to specialize offensively or defensively and gearing to that role (a freedom of choice that they should be given), the Zealot and Runepriest are left with only one-half of an effective skill-set -- the other half of their skills being rendered ineffective by role choice and gear itemization. To bring these careers in line with their archetypical cousins, a new mechanism is proposed which gives Zealots and Runepriests a chance to retain some effectiveness in skills that are outside their chosen role.

Continue reading Waging WAR: Patch 1.3.6 and the proverbial DPS-Healer

MassivelyWaging WAR: Patch 1.3.6 and the proverbial DPS-Healer originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archmagecareersdeveloper-chatdeveloper-forumdevelopersdpsdps-healerdps-stancedpsingEAea-mythicforumshealerhealer-gearhealershealingmythicmythic-eaMythic-Entertainmentofficial-forumsofficial-websitepatch-1.3.6pvprunepriestwaging-warWarhammerwarhammer-eaWarhammer-OnlineWarhammer-Online-Age-of-Reckoningwarhammer-online-eazealotzealotsSat, 19 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST