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 Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/the-anatomy-of-wow-seven-games-that-inspired-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/the-anatomy-of-wow-seven-games-that-inspired-blizzard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/the-anatomy-of-wow-seven-games-that-inspired-blizzard/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Blizzard is one of the most prestigious and succesful developers in the world for good reason -- it takes the best ideas from all over the industry (even ones that don't quite work right... yet) and refines them, forcing them to succeed in ways they never did before.

Millions of people are playing World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King today, so we decided this would be the perfect time to dive into WoW's mechanics and see what other games inspired Blizzard when it was creating this monumental phenomenon. We'll look at seven critical predecessors to which Blizzard paid homage with its own design decisions. Join us and learn a bit more about why WoW is the enthralling experience it is today.


Gallery: The Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard

DikuMUD - The fundamentalsEverQuest - Raids and ZonesAsheron's Call - The action bar interfaceDark Age of Camelot - FactionsBattlefield 1942 - Battlegrounds

MassivelyThe Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>achievementsaction-barasherons-callbattlefield-1942battlegroundsdaocdark-age-of-camelotdikudiku-muddikumudeqeverquestfactionsfeaturedfeaturesinterfacejoystiqfeaturespvpraidingraidsstarsiege-tribestrade-skillstradeskillsuiultima-onlineuser-interfaceworld-of-warcraftwowxbox-livezonesFri, 14 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Terra Nova looks back (and forward) at the Diku legacy]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/terra-nova-looks-back-and-forward-at-the-diku-legacy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/terra-nova-looks-back-and-forward-at-the-diku-legacy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/terra-nova-looks-back-and-forward-at-the-diku-legacy/#commentsFiled under: , ,


EverQuest, World of Warcraft, The Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and many other MMOs all have one important thing in common. Well, okay; they have a lot of things in common -- like about 85% or more of their gameplay mechanics. But the main thing -- indeed, the reason why they have so much in common -- is that they are all descendants of a kind of text MUD game called Diku.

Acknowledging that, virtual worlds blog Terra Nova published a "State of the Diku" article for the year 2008. The article was written by Timothy Burke. It's mostly a dispassionate look at game design -- serious business. Burke starts out questioning the purpose of "vendor trash" drops (or grey items as they're generally known in many popular contemporary MMOs). Then he analyzes the public quests of Warhammer Online, viewing them as a positive variation on traditional Diku design.

If you're into thnking critically about MMO design, it's worth checking out. We take for granted the fact that most of today's MMOs are based on the Diku formula; maybe that means we're clinging to old ideas that don't make a lot of sense in today's world.

MassivelyTerra Nova looks back (and forward) at the Diku legacy originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conandesigndikudiku-muddropsgreyhistoryitemsjunklord-of-the-rings-onlinemudpublic-questsstate-of-the-dikuterra-novatheorytimothy-burkevendor-trashwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftSat, 30 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Is the genre too commercial?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/the-daily-grind-is-the-genre-too-commercial/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/the-daily-grind-is-the-genre-too-commercial/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/the-daily-grind-is-the-genre-too-commercial/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Every industry has its Wild West period. Seemingly crazy folks move forward with what turn out to be not-so-crazy ideas. They work together (or in competition) to usher in something totally fresh and new. Some of them stumble. Okay, most of them stumble. But some of them create something so inspiring it births a whole new industry.

If you played the early MMOs, you know that it was an exciting frontier. But in recent years the industry has settled into a groove. Yes, it's been a turbulent groove, but it's impossible to deny that in terms of design, most games these days are following a similar formula. This formula -- introduced by EverQuest (well, Dikus, actually!) and refined by World of Warcraft -- is used now because it works. It makes money most of the time -- more often than the other formulas or the wild-eyed ideas, anyway.

But since the genre has settled on this formula, has it lost something? Has the massive success of World of Warcraft replaced the exciting frontier with a commercial empire that's short on inspiration and character? Put another way: do you feel like the new games are so focused on commercial appeal that there's no trace of love or passion for the endless as-yet-unimagined possibilities of virtual worlds left over?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Is the genre too commercial? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>commercialcommercialismdikudiku-muddikumudeverquestfrontiergenreindustrytdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftFri, 01 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST