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[Wings Over Atreia: Daevas of Our Lives casting call]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/23/wings-over-atreia-daevas-of-our-lives-casting-call/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/23/wings-over-atreia-daevas-of-our-lives-casting-call/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/23/wings-over-atreia-daevas-of-our-lives-casting-call/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Wings Over Atreia header
It's ironic: The topic I detest experiencing most in Aion is actually the most fun to write about. Whenever I think back to my favorite columns, the almost-too-surreal-to-believe antics of the drama-impaired (or should I say drama-addicted?) always rank near the top of the list. Perhaps chronicling these antics for the amusement of others is simply my choice form of therapy when I'm confronted with them. They say laughter is the best medicine, and who can't help but laugh when reading over the train-wreck that is drama? Seraphim Lords know that living through it is torture and avoidance truly is the best policy, but something about it can be simply fascinating... from a distance.

Over the past couple of years, Wings Over Atreia has provided the opportunity to witness Aion's drama vicariously without the danger of involvement or having any splatter on you Gallagher-style. During this time, different episodes of Daevas of Our Lives have offered glimpses of the various cast members. But what about a deeper look into the psyche of these seemingly unreal -- yet based on reality -- characters? This week offers a more detailed introduction to the current members of the cast as well as a new addition.

So whether you run away screaming at the first hint of impending drama in game or grab a giant bowl of popcorn and settle in for the show, this handy guide can help keep the who's-who straight for you when you're viewing future (or past) episodes. And if you're a perpetrator of said drama, don't be surprised if your antics are broadcast on the next episode of Daevas of Our Lives.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Daevas of Our Lives casting call

MassivelyWings Over Atreia: Daevas of Our Lives casting call originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-gamecastcastingdaevas-of-our-livesdramaDramaQueensepisodesfeaturedhumornc-softnc-soft-aionncsoftncsoft-aionpersonalitiessoap-operaWings-Over-AtreiaMon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SOE enlists comic book writer Marv Wolfman to pen PlanetSide 2 backstory]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/soe-enlists-comic-book-writer-marv-wolfman-to-pen-planetside-2-b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/soe-enlists-comic-book-writer-marv-wolfman-to-pen-planetside-2-b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/soe-enlists-comic-book-writer-marv-wolfman-to-pen-planetside-2-b/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

PlanetSide 2
Comic book writer Marv Wolfman is taking a cue from his superhero stories to team up forces once again with a powerful ally -- in this case, Sony Online Entertainment. The writer, who last worked on DC Universe Online, has now returned to the studio to flesh out the backstory for the upcoming PlanetSide 2.

Wolfman is in charge of writing a series of fictional episodes depicting the life and history of the people of Auraxis and the rising war between the three factions of the game. He's pretty jazzed about the opportunity: "I'm thrilled to be working with SOE again. Not only do I get to take elements from the original PlanetSide and further develop an extensive backstory that can help players more fully understand this incredible new world, but even better, I get to create dozens of individual characters that I hope will help bring alive the story of PlanetSide 2 for the entire player community."

In a dev diary, Creative Director Matthew Higby stresses that it's important to have not just a solid game but a believable world in which that game can take place. "Beyond grounding the design of the world, the story gives meaning to who the people fighting on it are, how they got there, their motivations and what their conflict signifies," Higby writes.

The first of these episodes will be released on the PlanetSide 2 site later this week.

MassivelySOE enlists comic book writer Marv Wolfman to pen PlanetSide 2 backstory originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backstorycomic-bookdcdc-comicsdc-universe-onlinedcuoepisodesloremarv-wolfmanmarvelmatt-higbymatthew-higbyplanetsideplanetside-2psps2soeSony-Online-EntertainmentstoryTue, 11 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cryptic releases new Star Trek Online Featured Episode]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/05/cryptic-releases-new-star-trek-online-featured-episode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/05/cryptic-releases-new-star-trek-online-featured-episode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/05/cryptic-releases-new-star-trek-online-featured-episode/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Ready for Star Trek Online's newest Featured Episode series? Well, ready or not, Cryptic is here to give us the skinny on Series 3: Cloaked Intentions. If you're wondering how STO's episodes work, it breaks down like this: Feature Episodes are tied together to form a single story arc. New episodes under each Feature banner take a bow on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. PST and are freely available to all STO players regardless of level.

The new Cloaked Intentions arc involves a series of missions focused on the Romulan Empire; the overarching goal of participating players is the prevention of a bloody civil war. The intrigue kicks off today with Episode 1: The Vault, followed by episodes 2 - 5 every Saturday through March 5th.

You can learn more at the official STO website, and don't forget to warp past the cut for the Cloaked Intentions trailer.

Continue reading Cryptic releases new Star Trek Online Featured Episode

MassivelyCryptic releases new Star Trek Online Featured Episode originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cloaked-intentionscrypticcryptic-studiosepisodesfeatured-episodesfree-contentmissionspveromulan-empireromulanssci-fistar-trekstar-trek-onlinestostory-arctrailervideoSat, 05 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Replay episodes or make your own with STO's Season Three]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/replay-episodes-or-make-your-own-with-stos-season-three/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/replay-episodes-or-make-your-own-with-stos-season-three/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/replay-episodes-or-make-your-own-with-stos-season-three/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's fitting that Star Trek Online's third major update is entitled "Genesis," because in several ways, it feels like a new beginning for the game. In a preview of December's Season Three, Cryptic reveals a trio of significant re-dos: a revamp of the visually lackluster sector space, the ability to replay your favorite episodes, and the beta of STO's player-created mission feature, The Foundry. While Cryptic is uncertain whether The Foundry will go live by Season Three, the studio does promise that players will at least be able to tinker with it on the test servers by then.

The Foundry is one of Cryptic's answers to STO's perceived lack of playable -- and original -- content, allowing gamers to construct their own stories and episodes using STO's robust editor. "Using The Foundry, you can construct Episodes and share them with your friends. If you're not interested in designing missions, you'll still benefit from The Foundry: Player-created missions will be available to you to play and enjoy, right alongside the Episodes you know and love today."

Cryptic has a number of other features on deck for the game following Season Three, including customizing Gorn characters, new uniforms and ships in the C-Store, ground combat improvements, and Klingon-specific updates.

MassivelyReplay episodes or make your own with STO's Season Three originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>c-storecrypticcryptic-studiosepisodesf2pfree-to-playgenesisgenesis-can-save-spockgornpatchplayer-created-contentseason-3season-threeseason-three-genesisstar-trekstar-trek-onlinestothe-foundryupdateTue, 16 Nov 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ship interiors planned in the near future for Star Trek Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/ship-interiors-planned-in-the-near-future-for-star-trek-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/ship-interiors-planned-in-the-near-future-for-star-trek-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/ship-interiors-planned-in-the-near-future-for-star-trek-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It's been an interesting process to watch the growth of Star Trek Online over the past few months, with Cryptic clearly making a concerted effort to pack a great deal more content into the game as fast as possible. They've stated prior that they would like to go no more than three months between major content updates, with smaller updates happening on a monthly basis. In the most recent Engineering Report on the official site, we get more details about what's being planned and worked on for the near future -- and the many players eagerly awaiting ship interiors don't have to wait that much longer.

The report outlines the rough plan for the next three months, for the Season 1.2 patch, the followup 1.3 patch, and the Season 2 update planned in July. 1.2 is aiming at adding a "sidekick" system a la City of Heroes, new playable races, and social improvements. 1.3, targeted for June, is adding Dabo, the option to trade bridge officers, and weekly episodes. And as could be expected, Season 2 is packed to the gills with new features -- including Klingon episodes, "neutral" episodes for all factions, and ship interiors. Take a look at the full report for more looks at what's on the table and being tested for Star Trek Online.

MassivelyShip interiors planned in the near future for Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crypticcryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdaboepisodesinteriorsnew-episodespatchespreviewsseason-1.2season-1.3season-2ship-interiorsshipsst-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotrek-onlineupcoming-patchesupdatesMon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Trek Online's State of the Game: The first patch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/star-trek-onlines-state-of-the-game-the-first-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/star-trek-onlines-state-of-the-game-the-first-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/star-trek-onlines-state-of-the-game-the-first-patch/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

According to the latest State of the Game from Cryptic, Star Trek Online's first update will be surprisingly hefty. "The first update is going to have more PvP, Klingon exploration content, more ground fleet actions, more ship costume pieces, more playable species, and then some," says the executive producer Craig Zinkievich. Of course, that's only a small piece of the rather titillating article outlining the current plan for the first few months of updates.

The future holds new Federation episodes, deep space encounters, Borg exploration clusters, quality-of-life updates, daily missions and an encounter with the Borg Queen. Cryptic teases at what they're calling "Raid-i-sodes" or high-end episodes requiring a five-person party to pull out all the stops for a win. The first of these will see players heading off against the Borg Queen, and we're quite excited to learn more in the coming months.

Continue reading Star Trek Online's State of the Game: The first patch

MassivelyStar Trek Online's State of the Game: The first patch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>borg-queenchampions-onlinecocrypticcryptic-champions-onlinecryptic-cocryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosepisodesfleet-actionground-fleet-actionklingon-explorationpvpraidisodest-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestate-of-the-gamestotrek-onlineThu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Trek Online's 'Episode Missions' detailed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/star-trek-onlines-episode-missions-detailed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/star-trek-onlines-episode-missions-detailed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/star-trek-onlines-episode-missions-detailed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Many an MMO has its own word for the ever present quest, but usually a name change is the only real difference. With Star Trek Online's Episode Missions, Cryptic is working towards creating a nomenclature that describes the experience of living out the beloved television shows of our past, and you can read all about it in a new developer blog.

Each episode will be roughly 45 to 90 minutes long and functions as a primary mover in player progression. Many of their stories will be infused with conflict, although Cryptic is saying not all episodes have to end with battle. The setting -- the year 2409 -- is a time of war, which gives credence to a Trek universe where blowing things up is unfortunately more common. In this respect, Star Trek Online is much more like the movie versions than the series.

The game is set to launch with three seasons of episodes, where each season represents 14 episodes. That's 42 episodes at launch, which is kind of like a nerdy lucky number. We'll take it as a good sign.

MassivelyStar Trek Online's 'Episode Missions' detailed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2409ataricrypticcryptic-studiosdev-blogdeveloper-blogepisode-missionsepisodesstar-trekstar-trek-onlinestoMon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

These last weeks of 2008 will inevitably be filled with "Best of" lists for every topic imaginable, so let Massively Speaking be no exception! Michael and I decided to take a day off from the podcast this week in order to give the listeners (and readers) our own little "Best of" list from the 36 episodes we've done since the podcast's inception on April 17th, 2008.

You can bet we'll be back in audio form next week though as we do a proper year-in-review, highlighting the very best MMO news that came out of 2008. But for now, follow along after the cut for my own Top 5 Episodes of Massively Speaking list.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008

MassivelyMassively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best-ofepisodesinterviewslistmassively-speakingpodcasttop-5Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST