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[Music to kill by: The making of Rift's score]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/music-to-kill-by-the-making-of-rifts-score/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/music-to-kill-by-the-making-of-rifts-score/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/music-to-kill-by-the-making-of-rifts-score/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The musical score is often one of the little-appreciated aspects of MMOs, providing mood, tone and emotion for the player while hopefully refraining from being annoying or too repetitive.

In a new dev diary, Trion Worlds showcases the audio talent behind Rift: Planes of Telara's score. Audio Director Yannis Brown and Composer Inon Zur (Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout: New Vegas) talk about how the music lends itself to character identity and the environment's atmosphere, while giving us an aural sneak peek of Rift's tunes. One of the cool concepts the audio team is the creation of multi-layered music tracks that provide the same theme in different degrees of intensity based on how big the rifts have grown.

Hit the jump to watch the diary and hear for yourself whether this will be a game in which the default score stays on -- or gets quickly turned off in favor of personal playlists.

Continue reading Music to kill by: The making of Rift's score

MassivelyMusic to kill by: The making of Rift's score originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>composerdev-diarydragondragon-ageDragon-Age-Originsfallout-new-vegasinon-zurmusicriftrift-planes-of-telarasoundtracktriontrion-worldsvideoyannis-brownMon, 08 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA giving free game to disgruntled APB buyers [Updated]]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/ea-giving-free-game-to-disgruntled-apb-buyers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/ea-giving-free-game-to-disgruntled-apb-buyers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/ea-giving-free-game-to-disgruntled-apb-buyers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Ticked off about the recent closure of Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin? Well you're not alone, and surprisingly enough it seems like Electronic Arts has heard your cries for justice. According to reports from CVG and SavyGamer, the publishing giant is ponying up a free download from the EA Store for customers who purchased APB via Valve's Steam digital distribution platform.

The list of possible freebies is nothing to sneeze at either, as it includes BioWare darlings Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, as well as Spore, The Saboteur, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and several more. There's currently no word on refunds or compensation for those who purchased the ill-fated urban crime MMOFPS from retail outlets or other digital shops.

[Editor's Note: Having just gone through this process myself, I can tell you that it's easy and virtually painless. Simply visit www.ea.com, choose your country of origin, visit the support link in the upper right hand corner, and log into your EA account. Once that's done, click the "contact us/email us" button to create a new question to ask the EA support representatives. Select APB as the game in question and tell them that you own the game, where you bought it, and that you'd like to take advantage of their refund offer. The representative will ask you to make a list of games you'd like (pre-order titles are excluded and only games in the EA store are being offered) and that's it! Once you send your list, they'll give you a game (most likely your first choice) and you can download it using their instructions. ~Seraphina]

MassivelyEA giving free game to disgruntled APB buyers [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-points-bulletinapbbattlefield-bad-company-2BioWareDragon-AgeDragon-Age-Originseaelectronfree-gamefree-gamesmass-effect-2refundsporesteamthe-saboteurvalveMon, 27 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Waging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/28/waging-war-rvr-packs-the-wait-and-see-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/28/waging-war-rvr-packs-the-wait-and-see-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/28/waging-war-rvr-packs-the-wait-and-see-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

This week Waging WAR rides the double rainbow of gameplay customization via downloadable content and takes a cursory glance at the RvR packs being teased by the folks behind the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Let's follow along and see what Greg can unleash this time.

It is difficult to talk about the future of WAR right now. Not because it doesn't have a future, but because the availability of information regarding it is not exactly easy to find. Actually, information on the future of WAR is all but non-existent, surrounded by controversy on all sides, and steeped in rumor, speculation, assumption and misinformation. The best I can put together is that we, as players, can look forward to some sort of set of three different "RvR Packs" allowing us to "customize" our gameplay experience moving forward. The packs have been called "Power," "Progression," and "Personality." What exactly each contains is a mystery, although the few talking points I was able to find regarding these RvR packs are speculatively disappointing at best. Although Carrie, Andy, and anyone else involved with the Mythic development team have said time and time again that they are not discussing moving toward the free-to-play business model, what they're proposing with these customization packs looks suspiciously like the item shop established by Turbine, implemented in Dungeons & Dragons Online and soon in Lord of the Rings Online as well. V.I.P. membership, anyone?

Although concrete information is scarce and difficult to find, let's take a look at the most commonly referenced points of interest after the break.

Continue reading Waging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition

MassivelyWaging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-the-tower-of-eternityaion-tower-of-eternityandy-belfordbalaurBioWarebioware-eaBioware-MMObioware-mythicbioware-pointscarrie-gouskosddoddo-storeddo-unlimitedDLCdownloadable contentdownloadable-contentDownloadableContentDragon-AgeDragon-Age-OriginsDungeons-and-Dragonsdungeons-and-dragons-onlineEAea-mythicf2pfeaturefeaturedfeaturesfree-to-playgames-daygames-day-2010games-workshopgamesday-ukLord of the Ringslord-of-the-rings-onlineLordOfTheRingsmass-effectmass-effect-2MassEffectmicro-transactionmicro-transactionsmonster-gamesmonster-playmythicmythic-eaMythic-Entertainmentrenownrenown-armorrenown-bonusrenown-caprenown-pointsrenown-rankrenown-rankingrvrrvr-packscenarioscenario-weaponsscenariosskaventurbineTurbine-Entertainmentvipwaging-warwarWarhammer-OnlineSat, 28 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TOR's conversation system rebuilt to be like Mass Effect's]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/28/tors-conversation-system-rebuilt-to-be-like-mass-effect/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/28/tors-conversation-system-rebuilt-to-be-like-mass-effect/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/28/tors-conversation-system-rebuilt-to-be-like-mass-effect/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


BioWare lead designer and storywriter Daniel Erickson drops a few interesting nuggets about Star Wars: The Old Republic's well-publicized voice system. In an interview with CVG, he gives credit to Mass Effect, BioWare's celebrated single-player RPG, for inspiring a complete change in The Old Republic's voiceover content.

"Originally the game was built far more like Dragon Age as far as [the] Conversation System went," he said. "Our player characters were not going to be voiced because it's a massively insane expenditure and hugely complicated to do. You have to cast 16 of the best actors ever and then hold them for eternity," Erickson says.

He goes on to illustrate how the original Mass Effect caused the TOR team to adjust their thinking, as it debuted very early in the latter's development cycle. You can read the full article at CVG.

MassivelyTOR's conversation system rebuilt to be like Mass Effect's originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareconversation-systemdaniel-ericksonDragon-AgeDragon-Age-OriginsEAmass-effectstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republicMon, 28 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/the-digital-continuum-delay-you-cant-handle-the-delay/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Rumor: a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts.

Example: Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released in October, 2010.

Yeah, guys, that was never in the wings. The fact of the matter is that the game was never delayed. You need at minimum a projected release date before something can be delayed. I personally find it pretty ridiculous that some people are worried about hype dying down for a game which they themselves thrust a false release date upon because they're so hyped up for it.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!

MassivelyThe Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20102011biowaredelaydelayeddelaysdragon-agedragon-age-originseaelectronic-artsfeaturedlucasartsopinionrumorrumorssplinter-cellsplinter-cell-convictionstar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-digital-continuumthe-old-republicTue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars: The Old Republic rumored for spring in 2011]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A long time from now, in a game store probably not too far away... you might be getting your copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Well, all right, spring of 2011 might not be all that far along, but if you're one of the many eagerly looking forward to Bioware's entry into the MMO arena, it certainly feels like an eternity.

ShackNews has recently reported on a rumor that John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, mentioned that they were looking forward to their next big MMO launch in spring of 2011 while discussing the company's financial outlook. Although he was cautious and stated they had not announced a launch date, he did mention that the team was making "great progress" toward that timeframe.

Obviously, the game was not specified by name, which does technically mean he could have been referring to another game. But unless they've secretly been developing Warhammer Online II: The Warhammering, in all likelihood we can expect to see Star Wars: The Old Republic early next year. Which might be good news if you're a Bioware fan anyway, since Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 are making enough of a dent on your wallet this year.

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic rumored for spring in 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>daodragon-age-originseaelectronic-artsJohn-riccitiellolaunch-rumorsmass-effect-2me2rumorsshacknewsspring-2011star-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-the-old-republic-launchswtorswtor-launchwarhammer-online-2-the-warhammeringMon, 11 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Roleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We refer to our genre as MMOs in shorthand, frequently, as an abbreviation of MMORPG. Of course, there are entries that don't fit the mold -- Planetside makes no pretense of being an RPG, for instance, while Second Life is really a virtual environment rather than a game per se. But the roots of the term do define what most MMOs are fundamentally aiming at: being an RPG with a massive component of players. Which is ironic, because as We Fly Spitfires points out, they're not really RPGs at all. They feature the stats and the leveling, but nothing of the larger sense of place and story that the genre hails as its strengths.

Compared to games such as Dragon Age: Origins or Oblivion, it's clear that for all the strength of options we might have in some MMOs, we lack any sense of real character specialization or unique progression. Part of the concern, of course, is content -- you don't want to necessarily force any player who didn't happen to make the right choices in a dialogue tree to miss out on a major endgame event. The ubiquity of communication also helps herd players toward a specific set of specializations or ability tree, with little to no deviation encouraged.

But there's more that can be done, and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic seem to have a greater intent to focus on individual story and progression. Even if you don't necessarily like the impromptu acting which is usually associated with roleplaying in the genre, it's hard to deny that a greater sense of individual choice and uniqueness would be intoxicating.

MassivelyRoleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-customizationchoicescustomizingdaodragon-age-originsmmorpgmoral-choicesoblivionplanetsideroleplayingrpgsecond-lifeslstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwe-fly-spitfiresSun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How MMOs infect other games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/26/how-mmos-infect-other-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/26/how-mmos-infect-other-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/26/how-mmos-infect-other-games/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Games are rather viral in the way that their ideas spread around. You start off with perfectly self-contained genres, perhaps, but before long your characters are leveling up in a sports game and going through jumping puzzles in an action game (or a first-person shooter if you're unlucky). Next thing you know, you're shooting hoops before racing a car and shooting people and then solving a riddle... you get the idea. MMOs seem like they'd be largely immune to this -- after all, many of their conventions not ported from elsewhere, such as persistent online play, are fairly unique to them. However, Spinks has a fascinating essay regarding the way that, for better or for worse, MMOs are becoming closely entwined with other games.

In short, while she notes that the mechanics haven't always made the jump from, for instance, World of Warcraft to Dragon Age, the design of the game's structure and the tactics available have. She notes the increasing prevalence of the "holy trinity" in non-MMO games (Final Fantasy XII being another excellent example), the ways in which our ideas about discussing both the game itself and the tactics it requires have expanded, and the ways that our attitudes toward our characters in a game have changed as MMOs have diversified, expanded, and improved. Insightful and astute, fans of gaming should find more than a little food for thought within the full article.

MassivelyHow MMOs infect other games originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dragon-agedragon-age-originsemergent-gameplayffxiifinal-fantasy-xiiholy-trinitymassively-singleplayer-gamesmmos-infecting-gamesopinionspinksvilleworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 26 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aion grips top ten digital sales charts a month past release]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/07/aion-grips-top-ten-digital-sales-charts-a-month-past-release/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/07/aion-grips-top-ten-digital-sales-charts-a-month-past-release/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/07/aion-grips-top-ten-digital-sales-charts-a-month-past-release/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You'd be forgiven for thinking Aion would've fallen off the Steam and DIrect2Drive top ten sales charts, what with the fire hose blast of new PC releases. Fortunately for NCsoft, that isn't the case as the game is still clinging to said charts in the face of games like Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Torchlight and Left 4 Dead 2. Boldness!

Actually, the game is pretty darn good -- if you don't mind your peanut butter with extra grind -- so that's not a huge surprise all things considered. It's always a good sign when an MMO can stay on the top ten after its launch, moreso when it does so against high profile, high pedigree releases. So, rejoice Aion players, you've likely got a strong community! (We could've just told you that, but now numbers vindicate said observation.)

MassivelyAion grips top ten digital sales charts a month past release originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionborderlandsd2ddigitaldirect2drivedragon-agedragon-age-originsl4d2nc-westncsoftsteamtop-tentorchlightSat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GenCon Indy 09: Mythic and BioWare and Cryptic, oh my!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/gencon-indy-09-mythic-and-bioware-and-cryptic-oh-my/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/gencon-indy-09-mythic-and-bioware-and-cryptic-oh-my/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/gencon-indy-09-mythic-and-bioware-and-cryptic-oh-my/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Syp of the BioBreak blog drove five-and-a-half hours to Indianapolis to experience GenCon Indy 2009 for a day and he surely didn't waste any time chatting with a few of the biggest MMO developers out there. He managed to get some one-on-one time with Robert Mull and Andy Belford of Mythic, Chris Priestly of BioWare, and Jack Emmert of Cryptic.

Andy discussed Mythic's revised approach to Warhammer Online's development, some misconceptions about server performance, and his role in the Second Skin MMO documentary amongst other things. Chris was unable to talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic specifically as he was there to pitch Dragon Age: Origins, however, there is a little tidbit about ehancements they're making to their morality system, which fans will be sure to speculate upon. Finally, Jack seems confident that Champions Online hype will drastically escalate via word of mouth once the NDA drops.

Check out Syp's trip to Indy part one and part two. It's full of interesting information about the convention and boasts numerous photos of himself, some devs, and the growd in general. He notes a bit of disappointment that neither Blizzard nor Turbine were in attendance, otherwise, he'd surely have assaulted them with questions too.

MassivelyGenCon Indy 09: Mythic and BioWare and Cryptic, oh my! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andy-belfordbiowareblizzardchampions-onlinechris-priestlycryptic-studiosdragon-age-originsgencon-indy-09jack-emmertmythic-entertainmentrobert-mullsecond-skinstar-wars-the-old-republicsypturbinewarhammer-onlineFri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[E308: BioWare says there is no KOTOR MMO (wink)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/e308-bioware-says-there-is-no-kotor-mmo-wink/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/e308-bioware-says-there-is-no-kotor-mmo-wink/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/e308-bioware-says-there-is-no-kotor-mmo-wink/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We just saw BioWare show off their new Dragon Age: Origins here at E3, and while that singleplayer game looks great (imagine a Mass Effect game set in the world of Baldur's Gate), we did spring the requisite massively multiplayer question on them for you. At the very end of the Q&A session with developer Dan Tudge after the demo, the PR rep told us there was just "time for one more question," and we threw it out there: "So, how's the Knights of the Old Republic MMO coming?"

There was silence in the room for a moment. Tudge quietly said, "I... have no idea what you're talking about," and then everyone laughed as the PR rep nervously said, "Good answer." Tudge added, "You're asking me that in front of my boss?" And so we revised the question: Dragon Age has a very MMO-style design -- there's a minimap in the upper right, party portraits in the upper left, and a bar with icons for skills across the bottom. Does BioWare really want to make an MMO? "The interface looked like Baldur's Gate to me," said Tudge cooly. "The real question is, how much of the MMOs did Baldur's Gate influence?"

Touché. But we left the press conference with a smile, a special secret that we'll share with you now. As much as Tudge was thrown off by the question, as much as the PR flack was aghast that we asked it, we did leave with this satisfactory piece of information: they didn't, in point of fact, deny.
Did you enjoy this? Check out all of our E3 coverage as the week rolls forward!

MassivelyE308: BioWare says there is no KOTOR MMO (wink) originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>baldurs-gatebiowarebreakingdragon-agedragon-age-originse3e3-08e3-2008e308featuredjoystiqfeaturesknights-of-the-old-republicKOTORkotor-mmokotorommoprswtorWed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:00 EST