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[EVE Spotlight: An interview with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-clear-skies-creator-ian-chishol/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-clear-skies-creator-ian-chishol/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/02/eve-spotlight-an-interview-with-clear-skies-creator-ian-chishol/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

EVE Spotlight is a biweekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Every two weeks, 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.

EVE Online is well-known for its community's awesome cinematic productions, and no film is more renowned than the incredible machinima Clear Skies. Directed by Ian Chisholm, Clear Skies seamlessly merges in-game EVE footage with scenes composed using Valve's Source development kit. The films follow the adventures of captain John Rourke and his crew aboard the Minmatar Tempest class battleship Clear Skies. With more luck than sense, the Clear Skies crew continually finds itself in sticky situations but manages to come out on top.

The first Clear Skies film won the award for best long-format film at the 2008 annual Machinima Filmfest, and a second film solidified the series' huge cult following. Clear Skies has even inspired other players like Kyoko Sakoda to produce their own cinematic masterpieces set in the EVE Online universe. The third and probably final film in the Clear Skies series was released earlier this week, absolutely shattering all expectations.

In this massive edition of EVE Spotlight, I interview Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm to find out all about the production of Clear Skies III.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: An interview with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm

MassivelyEVE Spotlight: An interview with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescinematicclear-skiesclear-skies-3clear-skies-iiidirectingdirectoreveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeve-spotlightfeaturedfilmfilm-productionian-chisholminterviewjessicajohn-guthriejohn-rourkemachinimamotion-capturerichie-powlesso-freaking-awesomevideovoice-actingThu, 02 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-mog-log-eleventh-hour-changing-of-the-guard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-mog-log-eleventh-hour-changing-of-the-guard/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/11/the-mog-log-eleventh-hour-changing-of-the-guard/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

When I woke up on Friday, I was greeted by a message from Square-Enix, and that alone was enough to make me start wondering what in the world was going on now. As a direct result of that message, the gist of which can be gotten here if you've somehow missed it, I'm going to have to postpone the column I had previously written on Final Fantasy XI and Abyssea. I apologize, but I'm hoping the column will work out like a fine wine and just be better with age. Then again, considering that Final Fantasy XI is sharing the same management bug as Final Fantasy XIV, perhaps not.

And yes, wow, that was a big one. Tanaka dethroned, a new development team installed, and a whole lot of uncertainty about what this means for the future of Final Fantasy XIV. It could be a step forward, it could be a step backward, and unfortunately the official statements can be read in a multitude of different ways. Oh, right, and the free trial is being further extended until the development team can confidently outline a plan regarding the game's new direction... but what direction is that actually going to be?

Continue reading The Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard

MassivelyThe Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>controversydirectorfeaturedffff11ff14ffxiffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivgame-directorhiromichi-tanakaleadershipmanagementmanagement-changenaoki-yoshidaopinionsquaresquare-enixteamthe-mog-logthe-sky-is-not-actually-fallingSat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Mog Log: The natives are restless]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/18/the-mog-log-the-natives-are-restless/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/18/the-mog-log-the-natives-are-restless/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/18/the-mog-log-the-natives-are-restless/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Allow me a little bit of woolgathering. When I started working for Massively, it was October of last year, and Final Fantasy XIV had just been announced as the official title for the game code-named "Rapture" and unofficially codenamed "the sequel to Final Fantasy XI" by everyone else who had seen a single screenshot. About four days after you read this, the game is going to be officially live for players around the world willing to shell out an extra bit of cash for various doodads and a headstart.

This is kind of baffling. Objectively, you know that the game is getting close to release, but it's not made real until the release is right at your doorstep. So before I go too far off the deep end and start thinking about things like the franchise having started when I was four, let's move on to the discussions coming out of the impending launch. And really, do come back next week when Final Fantasy XIV comes out, as I'm sure we'll have plenty of things on launch day. (Very sure, in fact.)

Continue reading The Mog Log: The natives are restless

MassivelyThe Mog Log: The natives are restless originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>communitydirectorfatiguefatigue-systemfeaturedffff11ff14ffxiffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivfuturegame-directorlaunchlevel-caplevel-curvelevelingseptember-version-updateserver-mergesshutdownsquaresquare-enixstabilitytabula-rasathe-sky-is-not-actually-fallingtrupcoming-launchvideoworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Final Fantasy XI gets a new director]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/01/final-fantasy-xi-gets-a-new-director/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/01/final-fantasy-xi-gets-a-new-director/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/01/final-fantasy-xi-gets-a-new-director/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

With Final Fantasy XIV launching later this month and a major version update coming in the very near future, Final Fantasy XI is facing some very interesting times. So it's probably fitting that the game has acquired a new director, Akihiko Matsui, the former battle director for the game. Matsui has posted a short letter to the community, talking both about his experience with the game and his continued commitment to the development of Vana'diel.

While Square-Enix has clearly allocated a great many resources to the development of Final Fantasy XIV, there's no sign that support for the older game is stopping. As a 10-year veteran of the project, Matsui recognizes the challenges facing the continued operation and states that he hopes to keep the game up and running for many years to come. Coupled with the encouragement to play both games at once, this announcement should come as welcome news to all players of Final Fantasy XI, both past and present.

[Thanks to FusionX for the tip!]

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XI gets a new director originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>akihiko-matsuichange-of-leadershipcommunity-letterdirectorffff11ff14ffxiffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivmanagement-newsnew-directornewsseptember-version-updatesquaresquare-enixWed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The near-death of caravan escorts in Age of Conan's expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/the-near-death-of-caravan-escorts-in-age-of-conans-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/the-near-death-of-caravan-escorts-in-age-of-conans-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/the-near-death-of-caravan-escorts-in-age-of-conans-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Rise of the Godslayer is coming on May 11th, and if you're an Age of Conan fan the day probably seems like it can't come fast enough. While the developer letter for the end of April doesn't help hurry the date forward any, but it does highlight one of the smaller but interesting portions of the development process -- the sort of thing that can get lost between the more major systems. And interestingly enough, it was an element that director Craig Morrison originally looked at and declined to leave in the expansion!

Originally, the design team had included a feature where you could either hand over money and be automatically transported to and from Khitai, or you could volunteer your services as a caravan guard and make the journey for free. The trade was that as a guard, you would be expected to defend the caravan against assaults, resulting in a small instanced encounter. Morrison felt that the encounters weren't really adding anything that wouldn't be better served as a part of Khitai proper. The full story of the process and the change in philosophy can be found in the director's letter, certainly a nice tease for Age of Conan players.

MassivelyThe near-death of caravan escorts in Age of Conan's expansion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 May 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaoccraig-morrisondevelopmentdirectordirectors-letterexpansionexpansionsfuncomfuncom-gamesletterrise-of-the-godslayerMon, 03 May 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW movie still needs a writer, Blizzard's CGI team won't be involved]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/wow-movie-still-needs-a-writer-blizzard-cgi-team-wont-be-invol/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/wow-movie-still-needs-a-writer-blizzard-cgi-team-wont-be-invol/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/wow-movie-still-needs-a-writer-blizzard-cgi-team-wont-be-invol/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When you've just released an expansion pack that sold more copies than most major stand-alone releases, all in less than 24 hours, you know you're sitting on a goldmine of a franchise. Blizzard, of course, is aware of this, what with World of Warcraft getting a licensed miniature game and a coming feature film adaptation.

And speaking of the feature film adaptation, we have some elusive news about that. MTV's Multiplayer blog had a chat with Blizzard's Frank Pearce about the project. The scoop is that the studio, Legendary Pictures, is still looking for a screenwriter and director. Obviously, that means the movie is very early in development.

MTV also asked Pearce if Blizzard's own world-renowned CGI animators would be involved in producing the special effects for the movie. Pearce said that the suggestion has "come up in discussions but it's not something we've really considered because it takes so long to generate just the brief amount of footage that we create for the game."

MassivelyWoW movie still needs a writer, Blizzard's CGI team won't be involved originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trust is a rare commodity in EVE Online, and is one of those aspects of the game that makes it at once interesting and frustrating. That friendly person who offers you assistance in a mission, wants to sell you a faction module, or seeks to join your corporation may very well be waiting to backstab you when you least expect it. This might sound bad, but it's not necessarily a terrible thing in terms of enjoying the game. Indeed, some may feel that it adds to the risk inherent in EVE, and thus the thrill. The fact that players can manipulate trust within the rules of the game is one of the aspects of EVE that sets it apart from most other MMOs.

The risk vs. reward stakes are raised when trust comes into play with groups of players. Collective action through corporations or alliances will, at some point in time, entail trust. It may be a CEO or director lifting restrictions on access to resources for a member of the corp, hoping that the faith placed in the recruit wasn't a bad move. In other scenarios, the situation is reversed -- a director decides to cut and run, seizing assets and leaving the corporation shocked and understandably enraged.

Continue reading The high price of trust in EVE

MassivelyThe high price of trust in EVE originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alliancebetrayalccpccp-gamesceocorpcorp-theftcorp-thiefcorporationcrimeculturedirectoreveeve-mageve-onlinegame-mechanicsopinionpoliticsrewardrisksci-fisoleramnustrustSun, 10 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST