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[Blizzard's Pardo talks genre boundaries, Cataclysm]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/blizzards-pardo-talks-genre-boundaries-cataclysm/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/blizzards-pardo-talks-genre-boundaries-cataclysm/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/blizzards-pardo-talks-genre-boundaries-cataclysm/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Curious as to why Blizzard would opt to destroy what is arguably the most successful game world in the history of the MMORPG genre? A new interview with World of Warcraft co-designer Rob Pardo has some answers. "We do have the ability to continually add to the game and evolve it, but the trickier challenge is that eventually people are going to want to move onto new types of entertainment," Pardo tells Edge.

He goes on to liken MMOs to a long-running television series, and touches on why metrics aren't necessarily the tools that drive a game maker's creative decisions. So, is WoW, and Cataclysm, pushing the limits of what Blizzard can do with MMORPGS? "Not really," Pardo says. "Obviously you're not going to design a brand new game using WoW, but there's so much opportunity within that world to do different things."

MassivelyBlizzard's Pardo talks genre boundaries, Cataclysm originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This past August's announcement from CCP Games of a new title -- DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in EVE Online's New Eden galaxy -- drew both great interest and intense criticism from gamers. If successful, CCP Games will be the first game company to tie a console FPS in with a separate MMO. (Not entirely separate, however. DUST 514 mercenaries will fight it out on the surface of the same planets seen from space in EVE Online. Their successes and failures will ultimately play a role in the balance of power in EVE.)

Since that first flurry of info about DUST 514, it's been rather quiet on the news front. However, a two-part article published at Edge Online this week focuses on CCP's new game. Edge Online's "Enter Planet Dust" is something of a primer on the core concepts behind the title but is also one of the most comprehensive pieces written about DUST 514 to date. Edge also interviewed some of the key CCP Games staff working on the game in Shanghai -- Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, Managing Director of CCP Asia and Atli Már Sveinsson, Creative Director on DUST 514.

Continue reading CCP Asia on innovation and risk with DUST 514

MassivelyCCP Asia on innovation and risk with DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiaatli-mar-sveinssonccpccp-asiaccp-gameschinaconsolesdustdust-514edgeedge-onlineeveeve-onlinekjartan-pierre-emilssonmercenariesmercsmmofpsnew-titlesrtssci-fishanghaiwilliam-chenThu, 10 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Masthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/21/masthead-studios-explains-crafting-and-mass-production-in-earthr/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/21/masthead-studios-explains-crafting-and-mass-production-in-earthr/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/21/masthead-studios-explains-crafting-and-mass-production-in-earthr/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Earthrise is an upcoming sandbox MMO that will have strong emphasis on guild-vs.-guild conflicts and PvP. The game will also have a deep crafting system, something that may interest players looking for more than PvP in a sci-fi MMO. Earthrise developer Masthead Studios has stated in the past that it'll be possible for players to craft unique, customized items and perhaps even establish a reputation for producing certain wares. The latest Question of the Week answered by the Earthrise developers sheds a little more light on how crafting and mass production will work in the game. Specifically, Masthead Studios explains how mass production will apply to some of the game's rarest craftable items.

Moll, Earthrise's Community Manager, explains how a blueprinting process creates Designs which are used by crafters; these are essentially templates combined with ingredients/materials to create items. Each Design will have a finite property called Edge which gets burned off over time through the manufacturing process. The limited use of Design Edges mean that the game's rarest or most elite items can't be created in large production runs, in other words keeping them rare and elite in a game where mass production is possible.

Continue reading Masthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise

MassivelyMasthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's been a good year for the second expansion to World of Warcraft, but things just got even better. Edge Magazine has tossed up it's top 30 of 2008 and Wrath of the Lick King placed at number sixteen. The expansion is the only MMO on the list, which is saying a lot in a year when Warhammer Online and Mines of Moria came out, impressing many players.

The placement is attributed to Blizzard's re-imagining of what's possible in Azeroth through new quests and zones, as well as the addition of the Death Knight class. We've got to agree with them there, which is why Massively awarded Wrath with the best expansion of 2008.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyWrath of the Lich King ranks in Edge's top games for 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardazerothblizzarddeath-knightedgewotlkwrathwrath-of-the-lich-kingWed, 17 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Analyst: WAR subscriptions will eventually settle around 250,000]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/analyst--war-subscriptions-will-eventually-settle-around-250000/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/analyst--war-subscriptions-will-eventually-settle-around-250000/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/analyst--war-subscriptions-will-eventually-settle-around-250000/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Business analyst Arvind Bhatia shared his predictions about Warhammer Online's financial future with Edge magazine yesterday. Bhatia, who works at brokerage firm Stern Agee, said he believes EA is ultimately shooting for around 250,000 - 300,000 subscribers once the launch dust clears, with occassional bumps when major content releases such as expansons occur.

Given the hype around the game, those numbers seem a little low, but Bhatia said he based his projections on statements made by EA reps saying that the company hopes to break even on its investment. After the game shipped 1.5 million copies, some initial sales data began to emerge which indicated that sales are meeting but not significantly exceeding EA's conservative expectations. In the end Bhatia expects the company to pull in between $55 and 60 million dollars of revenue from WAR.

Numbers like the ones above would clearly not make WAR a WoW-killer, but they would make it one of the elite few truly successful Western, subscription-based MMOs. Certainly this prediction is a far cry from Paul Barnett's wild bet. But of course even Barnett admits his number is a little outrageous, and he only stands to lose $26 if he loses, y'know.

MassivelyAnalyst: WAR subscriptions will eventually settle around 250,000 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analystarvind-bhatiaeaea-mythicedgeelectronic-artsmythicmythic-entertainmentprofitrevenuesalesstern-ageesubscriptionswarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 24 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/drugs-arent-bad-in-eve-mkay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/drugs-arent-bad-in-eve-mkay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/drugs-arent-bad-in-eve-mkay/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

One of the interesting features of EVE Online is that it has a drug trade in which players are actively engaged. Rather than merely being an illegal commodity, drugs -- called boosters -- enhance the performance of EVE's pilots, albeit with some potential side effects.

To understand boosters though, we'll need to look into the game's setting a bit first. The thing to remember is that as a player, you're a capsuleer. You're not standing on the bridge of your ship barking orders at subordinates. Rather, you're floating inside a metallic capsule deep within your ship. Your mind is interfaced with the ship you pilot via neural implants, thus your vessel is an extension of your body and its senses; you regulate the ship's activities merely by thinking about them. Not all people in EVE's setting of New Eden have the raw potential to become a capsuleer, making your character one of the elite. However, when faced with others of your caliber in combat, every possible edge you can gain over rival capsuleers helps. That's where boosters come in... they're your edge. Boosters augment aspects of your mental processes and thus provide certain bonuses when piloting your ship.

Continue reading Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?

MassivelyDrugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bonusbonusesboostboosterscapsulecapsuleerccpccp-gamescombat-boosterscraftingcrimecrimescriminalsdrugsedgeeveeve-onlineeve-tribunegame-mechanicsillegalkirith-kodachimanufacturingpenaltiespenaltysci-fiside-effectssinsTue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft's Shane Kim on Xbox 360's MMO failures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/29/microsofts-shane-kim-on-xbox-360s-mmo-failures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/29/microsofts-shane-kim-on-xbox-360s-mmo-failures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/29/microsofts-shane-kim-on-xbox-360s-mmo-failures/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


EDGE spoke with Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Shane Kim about the MMO genre's failure to come to fruition on the Xbox 360 game console. Two MMOs that were planned for the platform -- Marvel Universe Online (an in-house project) and True Fantasy Live Online (developed by Factor 5) -- were cancelled. Check out the interview for all the quotes, but we have the gist of it here.

While Kim noted that the cancellation of those specific games was "the right decision," he also said "there's nothing to say those titles can't be successful on the 360."

Some critics (such as NCsoft) disagree. They argue that the Xbox Live service is too restrictive for an MMO developer's workflow. "I think those are real challenges ... we work very hard to create a stable and secure environment on Xbox 360 and that's where you see that tension," said Kim. "I'm sure we can solve that problem though in a way that is good for MMO developers and customers because we want that content: and we're getting very close. But we're late with that, and we feel bad about that."

MassivelyMicrosoft's Shane Kim on Xbox 360's MMO failures originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the closing of Games For Windows magazine, it's easy to say that Edge magazine is one of the finest videogame-related periodicals on the planet. They collaborate with the folks at the Next Generation site to bring their content to the web, and today they have up a fantastic piece on NCsoft's Tabula Rasa. The article walks through an exhaustive amount of information on the title's launch, and the issues that have come up for the Destination Games team since then.

The article kicks off with background on NCsoft's expansion into the western marketplace, and the long road Tabula Rasa took to market. Although they don't have any pictures of the space unicorn days, they're definitely implied. The article's author speaks extensively to Starr Long, discussing the miscommunication about the number of people fired and TR's financial success from a few months back. Long offers, "It's not as big as we wanted it to be, but it's big enough right now, and people are still buying the game and we're getting lots of retail activations every day."

From there, they launch into a discussion of the the game's growth, and the endless customer service battle any MMO has to put up with. Long concludes with hopeful comments for the future of games on the PC: "I think Peter Molyneux was saying at GDC something like PC gaming is 'all Sims and WOW', which I think is a little too doom and gloom for me ... There have been plenty of times when you've had the one game to rule them all, I mean I remember in 1994 when Myst came out and everyone was saying: 'If you're not like Myst you're screwed.' I don't really buy into that philosophy."

MassivelyA day in the life of Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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