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EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion

Brendan Drain — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox, Crafting

The Inferno expansion is set to launch on Tuesday May 22nd, promising a complete revamp of EVE Online's war declaration system and a whole host of new modules. If you're in a wardec corp, you'll need to make a few adjustments to the way you operate when the patch goes live. The minimum war fee will increase to 50 million ISK even if you're declaring war on a small corporation, making very small corps less-appealing targets. The fee increases based on the number of members in the target corp, but it doesn't start increasing until around the 130-member mark. If you want to get your money's worth, you'll be best off picking a target corp with 100-150 members or selecting very high-value small targets.

Be very wary of wardeccing large alliances after the patch. While the previous war system swung in favour of the attacker, the new system has gone to the opposite extreme. Large corps and alliances are now significantly more costly and dangerous to declare war on, especially as the defender can now call mercenaries into the war at any time. Players have complained that the increasing war costs could be abused by getting all alliance members to add alts to the corp, but this would be a logistical nightmare to apply in practice and would increase fees by only a few hundred million ISK. If alt padding becomes a problem, CCP will undoubtedly step in and revise the fee structure.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new modules and gameplay changes coming in Tuesday's Inferno expansion and give some tips on preparing for the patch.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion

EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How important is surprise to you?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

For some players, MMOs are all about discovery. The game is at its most fun when you're just exploring the world, figuring out what you need to do as best you can. But to other players, wandering around without a clue isn't as fun as knowing what to do and enjoying that actual accomplishment.

Of course, surprises come in both big and small varieties. No matter how well you might know Star Wars: The Old Republic's quests, for example, you might avoid looking up all of the datacrons and thus get a pleasant surprise when you find one. Or maybe you don't like knowing about the bosses you'll fight in a dungeon until you get into the fight.

We all like discovering things, but what we like to discover varies. So what about you? How important is having surprises in a game for you? Do you like to walk in with as little foreknowledge as possible, or do you like to have a pretty good map in your head before you start playing?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: How important is surprise to you? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Design your own robots with upcoming MMO Panzer Pets

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Mac, Post-Apocalyptic

If you've been desperately hoping for a Pokémon MMO all these years but have been disappointed by Nintendo's unwillingness to release one or let anyone else develop one, you might be interested in upcoming MMO Panzer Pets. Panzer Pets is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which robots have taken over, but robot builders have found a way to build their own pets to fight back. In Panzer Pets, rather than capture creatures, you'll hunt for robot parts and design your own customisable 3-D pet robots.

The game focuses on the exploration opportunities that a post-apocalyptic setting delivers, with a world filled with randomly generated zones, dungeons and towns to explore, and robot parts to collect. Players will be able to trade parts with each other, challenge other players to battles, form guilds, and embark on quests together. As it uses the Unity 3-D engine, the game will be released on iOS, Android, and both PC and Mac web browsers.

New studio Gamundo has been working on Panzer Pets for free so far but now needs support to work on the game full-time and complete it. If you're interested in exploring a post-apocalyptic world with a customised pet robot in tow, you can help Gamundo finish the game by pledging money to its Kickstarter campaign, which launched last night. The estimated date for completion of the game is October 2012, and the team needs to raise $85,000 to make it that far without giving a publisher or investor a controlling interest in the game.

Design your own robots with upcoming MMO Panzer Pets originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content

Jef Reahard — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox, Anniversary

Ten years is an eternity in the game industry, and MMOs that manage to hang around for a decade or more are few and far between. One such title is Vendetta Online, which originally released on April 20th, 2002 and is still going strong today.

Guild Software is hosting a couple of celebration events this weekend. The company has also announced that its massive 1.9 patch is coming later this year, followed by an even more massive expansion in 2013.

Vendetta is unique among MMOs for its twitch-based space combat and extensive trading, mining, and exploration gameplay. Large space battles, dynamic territory control, and player-generated content systems round out the feature set, all of which is coded and maintained by a four-man dev team. The single-universe game server is accessible from a number of different platforms that include Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. In March 2011, Vendetta became the first PC MMO to jump to mobile platforms, and it spent several weeks as the number one paid app on Android devices.

Check out the game's official website for more info, and don't forget to sign up for the trial while you're there. You can also read Massively's latest game impressions in Some Assembly Required.

[Source: Guild press release]

Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher

Brendan Drain — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, News items, Sandbox

As part of CCP's refocusing on EVE Online, the studio announced that work had begun on a new game launcher last November. Players with an out-of-date client currently receive a patch popup on logging in that requires the client to be restarted, and frequent optional patches to fix non-critical issues can force you to restart the client several times. The new patcher brings EVE up to the industry standard for MMO clients, pre-loading the game in the background and announcing when it's ready to launch.

The new launcher will go live tomorrow with the Crucible 1.5 update, but it's not the only thing getting some much-needed attention in the patch. All of the rookie ships have been visually revamped, three new 2/10 DED complexes have been added for newer highsec explorers, and the overview will now be more responsive. The patch also brings a whole host of user interface changes and bug fixes.

EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Ryzom, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure, Sandbox

One of the comments from last week's Choose My Adventure suggested that I must not be enjoying Ryzom all that much. That isn't entirely accurate, but it would be accurate to say that the charm of the starter island has worn out its welcome and then some, which wouldn't surprise anyone, given that last week's poll wound up in a decisive victory for leaving the island and heading out to the mainland. And while there may have been some business left unfinished there, I'm not one to ignore the rule of the polls.

And so it was that Corlede obeyed the will of the people and headed off for the Zorai city. Once there, I set about the important business of getting Corlede outfitted, taking some advice, and assembling a team to plant an idea inside the head of a talking lion meant to represent a well-known religious figure. Or something like that.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black

Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration

Jef Reahard — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox

If you're not in the ArcheAge beta (or if you are but can't figure anything out due to the language barrier), you'll want to check out a series of new gameplay videos at Steparu.com. The fan site has uploaded six clips that show off the high seas adventuring to be had in XLGAMES' forthcoming sandpark title, and there's an hour's worth of footage sure to be of interest to those of you chomping at the bit to do a little nautical exploring.

ArcheAge's oceans are apparently vast, as the party makes use of the fastest ship in the game and still spends quite a lot of time looking for an island to call home. There's also a bit of island exploration footage, and you can find the first video after the break.

Continue reading New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration

New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, Wallpapers, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

EVE Online recently celebrated the release of its incredible Crucible expansion, noted as one of the most feature-heavy expansions in the game's history despite the majority of its features being produced in a period of just a few weeks. Two years' worth of graphical upgrades, features, balance upgrades and quality-of-life fixes hit Tranquility all at once, and the response from players has been incredibly positive.

Last week I rounded up all the information there is to know about the Crucible expansion, but reading articles and news posts is no substitute for hands-on experience. This week I took a tour around parts of New Eden to explore the incredible new graphics Crucible delivered. As I have a background in graphics programming, the graphical upgrades are obviously the most exciting change for me. The astounding background nebulae are even more impressive when you know just how difficult it would be to build a nebula system that looks this incredible from any location.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore a reborn galaxy and catalogue my adventures in a massive HD gallery.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WildStar explores its Nexus

Larry Everett — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Dev Diaries, WildStar

WildStar Wednesday is upon us, again! The team at Carbine Studios intends to give a weekly update for its upcoming MMO WildStar. Before finishing off part two of From Concept to Creature, Senior Community Manager Robert "Robeardo" Land decided to sidestep the creature aspect of the world and concentrate on the history of the WildStar central planet, appropriately named Nexus.

Robeardo had to call on the talents of Narrative Designer Chad Moore to assist him in the developer blog. Moore explains that Nexus was once the home of the Eldan, an ancient, advanced race that disappeared from the galaxy over a thousand years ago, leaving behind all of its technology to rot. Part of the excitement for the player is exploring the planet and unearthing artifacts. Moore explains further:

The rusting wrecks of giant robots lie half-buried in shifting desert sands, and strange and deadly alien creatures prowl in the shadows of extraordinary monolithic machines. And hidden among all of these wonders are the dark secrets of the Eldan themselves, and the answers to why they disappeared from planet Nexus so long ago.

WildStar is locking in the explorer type of MMO player, and we at Massively will keep our eyes out to see if it hopes to hook the social, killer, and achiever types, too.

WildStar explores its Nexus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone

Brendan Drain — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Several weeks ago, EVE Online developer CCP Greyscale published possibly the single most important devblog of the past two years. Titled Nullsec development: Design goals, the blog laid the ground rules for high-level discussion on EVE's upcoming nullsec revamp. For those who live in nullsec, territorial warfare and nullsec life represent the true endgame of EVE. It's in these massive lawless regions of space that players forge alliances, build their own empires, and lead massive fleets of ships into enemy territory to kick over some space sandcastles.

Over the past two weeks, I've been delving into the discussion surrounding the upcoming nullsec revamp and speculating on what changes we might see. I started with a look back at the early days of nullsec industry and went on to give some ideas aimed at reclaiming those glory days. I followed that up with last week's summary of EVE Online's empire-building history, the problems faced by today's territorial warfare mechanics, and further speculation on how the system could be radically changed for the better.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I conclude this series of articles on the upcoming nullsec revamp with an examination of the discussion surrounding PvE, the local channel, and the potentially revolutionary smallholding system that could give even casual and solo players a taste of nullsec.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone

EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again

Brandon Felczer — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Interviews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log

Captain's Log, Stardate 65131.6...

Hello, computer (and players)! I seem to mention this all the time, but I believe it to be true: The developers working on Star Trek Online are more transparent with their work than the devs of most other games. Whether or not this transparency has been always been a good thing is debatable, though. Still, no matter what one's thoughts on this are, I think we can all agree we like to be "in the know" when it comes to new things in development. This past weekend, a select group of STO players was able to attend another Dine with the Devs event, hosted by yours truly, where transparency was taken to the next level.

As I let you all know last week, the second-ever Dine with the STO Devs event coincided with some STO devs' visit to the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Over 50 players gathered at a local Vegas restaurant to eat, drink and bombard Cryptic's developers with their most burning questions. Because 99.99% of the game's players were unable to attend, I captured the entire event on audio and would like to present you with a basic transcript of the evening's events. So make some food, grab a drink, and get ready to fire up the Holodeck for another edition of Captain's Log.

Ensign, warp 10! Auxiliary power to the Holodeck matrices and brace for impact...

Continue reading Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again

Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game world?

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Today we're going to ask you to strip away your normal preconceptions of what makes an engaging MMO, whether it be the combat, the features, the customization, or the IP -- and look at the game world itself without any of those distractions. I guess this goes hand-in-hand with Environment Week that's going on right now in our One Shots column.

Out of all of the MMOs I've played, only a small handful have bothered to construct worlds that teemed with personality, history, and unique flavor. When I'm really honest about it, most of these settings are about as generic as can be, hardly indistinguishable from the others. Yet while many games may tack on interesting elements to the flannel board of a boring world, occasionally developers put just as much time and effort creating a place that dares you to explore and get to know it intimately.

So today I'd like to know what your favorite game world is -- and why. What makes or made it so special? What about it do you wish other MMOs would emulate?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game world? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online dev blog outlines major long-term changes

Jef Reahard — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Sandbox

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about an EVE Online initiative to bring about substantial changes to the game's nullsec regions. Yesterday, CCP expanded on the initial concept via a lengthy new post that should banish any doubts as to whether or not the devs expect the game to be around in the far future.

CCP Greyscale outlines 12 bullet points discussed at length amongst both the dev team and the Council of Stellar Management, all with the aim of making nullsec the place to be in terms of EVE Online's primary gameplay. The post talks everything from mining to territory and conquest to intel and exploration. CCP Greyscale uses this last one as an example of how far-reaching the changes to EVE are shaping up to be.

"Hopefully the amount of stuff in here will also make it clearer why we're saying 'more than five years.' For example, those few bullet points under 'exploration' mean replacing all of the exploration content that's been developed in the past five years," he explains.

EVE Online dev blog outlines major long-term changes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect

Brandon Felczer — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log

Captain's Log, Stardate 65056.3...

Hello, computer (and players)! The slingshot effect is a maneuver, shown throughout the Star Trek franchise, which allowed starships to move back through the time continuum. By traveling at a high warp factor towards a star with a large gravitational pull, the ship would whip around it and time travel. While this seemed to only exist within the realms of the IP, it looks as though Star Trek Online's Executive Producer Dan Stahl took us on a reverse slingshot course, giving us a glimpse into the future of the game. Before we returned to the original timeline, he made sure to write up everything we saw along the way for those who couldn't make the trip.

In layman's terms, for those of you who missed the news earlier this week, July's Engineering Report has been released. While this is a monthly publication that contains the development pipeline for STO, including some items that have been featured in past issues, there are always a few bullet points added that seem to spark a healthy amount of debate -- one of these includes the ability to auction off your in-game Emblems, a form of currency, for C-Store points that have been paid for with real money. For information on this, including a response from Cryptic's PR department, and more, read ahead past the jump for this week's Captain's Log entry.

Ensign, warp 10! Let's pull a slingshot maneuver of our own...

Continue reading Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect

Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online posts the latest Engineering Report

Brandon Felczer — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, News items, Star Trek Online

With the launch of Season Four now behind the developers at Star Trek Online, the team is now focusing on what lies ahead for its Captains. The latest Engineering Report, a monthly forum post that is released and written by Executive Producer Dan Stahl, foreshadows some upcoming content that we will see soon[TM] and commits to the eradicating of bugs that recently came to life. There are even some new additions that are sure to bring some "healthy" discussions to the Cryptic forums.

Between now and Season Five, we will see the introduction of the Duty Officer system, STF revamps, new gear sets, more Klingon updates, and the advancement of the Borg into Federation space. While it has been said that Season Five will most likely not be released until 2012, players can look forward to seeing major updates for fleets, a rework of how exploration works, more in-game species, and the introduction of fleet starbases. Make sure to take a look at the full report, as well as this week's upcoming Captain's Log entry, to read about these and other updates coming to a starship near you.

Star Trek Online posts the latest Engineering Report originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Would you like more exploration options?

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous

Let's not mince words -- when you hear about a new location in any MMOs, you know it's being added so you can go in and kill its inhabitants. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, especially seeing as every new level brings MMO characters new ways to dice, filet, and otherwise demolish said inhabitants. But as many players have noted, it would be nice if there were occasionally other options, such as the puzzles and traps that Dungeons and Dragons Online places in some of its adventures.

So would you like to see more exploration options in MMOs? Would you enjoy the chance to have a new location where you had to puzzle your way past traps and not draw your sword (or gun or electrical magic or whatever)? How about exploring a landscape without certain knowledge about what was on the other side? Or do you feel that's a thing of the past and so long as answers and guides are freely available online that exploration can't quite be replicated?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Would you like more exploration options? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2's Eric Flannum on promises, pets and purpose [Updated]

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Interviews, Guild Wars 2

"Think of the personal story in Guild Wars 2 as you would the 'main' storyline of a great single player RPG," ArenaNet's Eric Flannum said in an interview with GamerZine. Instead of rote MMO quests, this storyline will be full of significant, one-time choices that will have a huge impact on your character.

This is just one of the many promises that ArenaNet has made in regard to Guild Wars 2 as the studio strives to differentiate it from the rest of the fantasy pack. The interview covers the main features list of the game: the event system, the personal storyline, and the emphasis on exploration.

When pressed about in-game events and holidays, Flannum said that many Guild Wars holidays will be returning: "We haven't planned out exactly what we're doing yet, but we certainly plan to support all of our usual holiday events in Guild Wars 2. Since our event system is very robust I imagine we'll be able to do a lot more things than we were able to do in the first game."

He also said that the team is striving to "push the fun and collectability" of the mini-pets system over Guild Wars 2's predecessor. You can read the full interview at GamerZine.

[Update: Tap Repeatedly also has a whopper of a GW2 interview up today, this one with Jon Peters and Jonathan Sharp!]

Guild Wars 2's Eric Flannum on promises, pets and purpose [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration

Jef Reahard — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge

If you've been curious about the crafting and gathering systems in XL Games' forthcoming ArcheAge sandbox, you'll want to check out the third and final part of ArcheAge-Online's extensive CBT3 review.

The piece has a detailed breakdown on the game's labor point system (a third point pool, if you will, much like more traditional health and mana pools). Labor points are somewhat scarce despite regenerating over time, and most of the game's non-combat activities require them (harvesting apples from apple trees, chopping down said trees, building furniture and boats, etc.). It's a unique system, and ArcheAge-Online goes into the nitty gritty of the mechanics and offers up plenty of opinion as well.

The review also features commentary and video footage on sailing and nautical exploration, with interesting tidbits about boat construction and the discovery of player settlements on uncharted islands off the beaten path. Head to ArcheAge-Online for more.

ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Old Republic dev blog outlines codex system, exploration mechanics

Jef Reahard — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries

You may have heard about the fact that BioWare is banking heavily on story as a selling point for its Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. Narrative has arguably been the focus of BioWare's marketing campaign over the past year, and by all accounts, TOR will have story in spades. How will individual players keep track of the sprawling mythology? And how will they keep track of how their particular class-flavored vignettes fit in with the larger whole?

Enter the codex. If you're familiar with BioWare's single-player RPG titles, notably the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, you'll likely feel right at home with TOR's version of the codex. In a new dev blog, TOR lead designer Damion Schubert explains how BioWare devs borrowed from Mass Effect's encyclopaedia-style codex and Dragon Age's chronicle-style codex to arrive at the perfect system for The Old Republic.

Aside from being a lore dissemination tool, the codex also functions as something of a questing system, with many entries locked behind requirements such as exploring certain locations in the game world. "All of these features combine to make a nice little collection game for the player, where the reward for the act of collecting is more lore and context offering insights and depth into the world of Star Wars: The Old Republic," Schubert explains. Check out more of his codex-related insights on the game's official website.

The Old Republic dev blog outlines codex system, exploration mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Previews, Wurm Online, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on

My journey around the world of Wurm Online continues on today through the second half of the trip. In yesterday's story, we explored the eastern and southern shores of the map's mainland, and now we get to see the western and northern shores in all their glory.

Although that southwestern-most tip of land is heavily populated, you're back to desolation when you make your way up into the cliff faces of the western shore. I spent one night in the side of a rocky mountain, only slightly protected from the elements as I chiseled my way into the rock just enough for a fire and shelter for the night. I decided to roleplay a bit during the trip, setting up proper shelter before I logged out of the game for the day. What's funny about this particular shelter is the fact that I discovered a very rare diamond only three squares into the cave. I've dug entire mazes of underground mines and never found a diamond before, so this was a sure sign that the rest of the trip was going to be bountiful. And it was! Follow along below for more.

Gallery: Around the Wurm Online world

Continue reading Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two

Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Previews, Wurm Online, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on

Wurm Online is a unique MMO. I can't think of many other games that allow the freedom of Wurm, which may be why I still consider it my favorite online game to this date.

For anyone who hasn't tried the game or heard me yammer on about it on the Massively Speaking podcast, I'll explain the basics. Wurm Online is a sandbox game created to allow players unbelievable freedom. If you've played Minecraft, you have the basic premise of Wurm, but multiply that experience by about 100. In fact, Markus "Notch" Persson was the co-founder and co-creator of Wurm before moving on to Minecraft and world fame.

Wurm Online starts you off as a fairly inanimate and uncustomizable character whose goal is to simply build. Find a spot of unclaimed land, throw down a settlement token, and build to your heart's content. You cut down trees for wood, mine stone for ore, forage and fish for food, and use it all to create the world that lives within your imagination.

Continue reading Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one

Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark

Brendan Drain — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Interviews, Lore, Endgame

EVE Spotlight is a bi-weekly 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.

At the start of this month, the folks at CCP Games updated their Facebook page with a link to a fascinating blog. The aptly named EVE Travel serves almost as a holiday brochure for the many interesting places to visit in EVE. I'm sure some players would look at this as a waste of time, but to me it underscores everything that's great about EVE and sandbox games in general. The number of viable ways to play the game is constrained only by a player's imagination and motivation. Mark and the guest contributors on EVE Travel are all highly motivated to explore the visuals and lore surrounding every interesting thing you might come across in EVE. Where we see a pretty shipwreck, they see an ancient battle with its own motivations and politics.

In reading EVE Travel, I shared in Mark's sense of wonder and excitement about a vast universe that I had taken for granted. That sense of awe, of being lost in the deep and having to learn all about everything for the first time, is something a lot of us have lost over the years. When we run missions or complete exploration complexes, many of us just see the numbers involved -- how much damage we can deal or tank and what rate of ISK per hour we can generate. We look at these areas through the eyes of a player gaming the system, but EVE Travel shows them to us through the eyes of a true explorer. I was even inspired to set out on my own exploration adventure, delving into the lore of places I'd taken for granted and seeing them again for the first time.

In this edition of EVE Spotlight, I talk to blogger Mark from EVE Travel about exploring the collossal sandbox of New Eden and what can be done to help the storyline of EVE come alive.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark

EVE Spotlight: An interview with EVE Travel's Mark originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Masthead adds exploration rewards to Earthrise, hints at player-crafted vehicles

Jef Reahard — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Patches, News items, Earthrise

It's patch time for Earthrise, and the sci-fi sandbox from indie developer Masthead Studios is looking to put the hurt on a few of its early-release gremlins. The patch notes for version 17045 indicate that players should notice a substantial reduction in lag and an overall increase in server and client performance. The patch has also added keybinding functionality to the world of Enterra as well as animation tweaks for strafing and walking.

Exploration rewards have also arrived in Earthrise, and players "will now be able to salvage materials and use them for either crafting or personal advantage." The dev team isn't stopping there, though, and producer Atanas Atanasov drops a couple of tasty hints regarding upcoming updates. "We are actively taking player feedback and requests into consideration for future releases, and have extensive developments planned for completion in the next few months, including the addition of territorial conquests and player crafted vehicles," he said via press release.

Gallery: Earthrise

Masthead adds exploration rewards to Earthrise, hints at player-crafted vehicles originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Lore, Hands-on, Roleplaying, EVE Evolved

Of all the things EVE Online has to offer, exploration is perhaps its most attractive lure. With around 7500 solar systems to visit and seven years of history enshrined amongst them, EVE offers players a very real and tangible universe to explore. There's something inherently attractive about getting lost in the depths of space and being absorbed into the stories woven around those thousands of little points of light on the map. While the official storyline of most MMOs can be seen all across their respective worlds, the sandbox nature of EVE adds significant player-determined influences to the usual developer-created storyline. In the colossal sandbox of New Eden, key battles and events have drenched areas of the game in a player-made lore that's ripe for discovery.

In the past, several players have capitalised on EVE's potential for exploration in order to craft for themselves a truly unique gameplay experience. In 2006, a new player by the name of Innominate Nightmare went on a roaming tour of EVE's lawless nullsec regions. In his travels, he talked with the locals and reported on daily events as they unfolded. The intrepid explorer soon discovered a New Eden fraught with war but at the same time bonded by it. Every space station and alliance-claimed system held stories of the blood spilled over its liberation, the good times pilots had together there, and the monumental efforts alliances had undertaken to carve a home for themselves out of the void.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I immerse myself in some of EVE's most unique exploration experiences and look at how you can become lost in New Eden's awesome sights and stories.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online

EVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The highlights

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PvE, The Game Archaeologist

For this month's Game Archaeologist expedition, I deliberately wanted to look at an older MMO that was -- for whatever reason -- no longer with us. After voting on a handful of these titles, Massively readers selected Earth & Beyond for March's focus, and I have to say that I'm intrigued.

Personally, I prefer science fiction over fantasy nine times out of ten, even though most of the MMOs that grace my desktop (with the exception of Star Trek Online) are fantasy games. Sci-fi has had an awfully difficult time making headway into the field of MMOs, with plenty of underperforming or canceled titles littering the way. I've heard it explained that the fantasy genre is easier for the common person to grasp because it uses elements of our past -- primarily the medieval period -- to provide a familiar baseline, whereas sci-fi's futuristic setting requires world-building from scratch.

Whatever the case may be, Earth & Beyond never really caught on the way that EVE Online did, and its miniscule population (GameSpot reported 20-25K subscribers six months before its shutdown) was not enough for Electronic Arts to keep it running. But between 2002 and 2004, Earth & Beyond reached for the stars and gave its own spin on how a sci-fi MMO could work. Let's take a look today at what made Earth & Beyond unique, what it gave the industry, and how it may help upcoming space MMOs avoid a similar fate.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The highlights

The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The highlights originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Uncharted Waters Online

Beau Hindman — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

Uncharted Waters Online by Netmarble is one of those games that I have been meaning to get around to taking a much deeper look at, but I never seemed to find the time. I knew that the game would require more concentration and chin-scratching than I was used to in many games, so I was a little worried. I also knew that a week would be seen as "not nearly enough time" to cover the game, but then I remembered my promise of covering the newbie experience for this column. I don't care which game we are talking about; they all deserve a look at the first few levels or days in game.

UWO was surprisingly easy. In fact, the hardest part about the game was figuring out exactly what it was that I needed to do in order to move forward, but honestly even that was probably covered in the 34-year-long tutorial. Every time I broke down and asked the chat denizens about a certain item or quest section, they would give me the answer. When I asked them where they found the information, they would simply say "the tutorial." I believed them -- the tutorial is long and filled with information that I quickly forgot.

In fact, if you decide to give the game a go, do yourself a favor and pay close attention to the tutorial. It will more than likely tell you everything you need to know. Besides my issues with listening, I found a lot more inside the world or pirates, exploration, and trade, so click past the cut and let's talk about it.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Uncharted Waters Online

Rise and Shiny recap: Uncharted Waters Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flyff's Rise of the Muran expansion now live, complete with catgirls, achievements and more

Brendan Drain — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Flyff, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play

When it comes to the free-to-play business model, US-based early-adopter Gala-Net has certainly raised a few eyebrows with its light-hearted fantasy MMO Flyff. Also known as Fly For Fun, Flyff has now had its doors open for several years and is showing no signs of slowing down. The game's latest expansion, Rise of the Muran has just gone live, bringing players a whole array of new content and gameplay just in time for Christmas.

The expansion raises the game's level cap to 139 and includes a new third job evolution system, introducing eight new classes to the game. Players can now take on the roles of Templar, Slayer, Harlequin, Crackshooter, Force Master, Seraph, Mentalist, and Arcanist. Also included for players is a new guild housing system, in which high-level guilds can bid on huge shared buildings. As if that wasn't enough, Rise of the Muran opens a new area of the game for exploration -- the lost region of Kaillun. It's here in the safe city of Eillun that a new race of friendly cat-like creatures known as the Muran live. With all the new content to explore, new classes to try out and a brand new achievement system coming in, there's sure to be a lot for Flyff fans to do while wrapped up warmly in their houses this winter.

Flyff's Rise of the Muran expansion now live, complete with catgirls, achievements and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, Endgame, PvE, EVE Evolved

EVE Online is often thought of as a strongly PvP-based game, with player conflict and competition at the heart of practically every activity the game offers. Competition for resources, power, and notoriety routinely drive players to disintegrate each other's ships, but this effect isn't limited to just PvP. Miners compete with each other for ore on a daily basis, for example, and traders fight for market supremacy. EVE's competitive sandbox element is such a headline feature that PvE often takes a back seat in discussions about the game.

EVE's combat-based PvE comes in the form of repeatable agent missions, hidden exploration sites, and deadly Sleeper encounters. While most of these can be completed solo by experienced pilots with a well-designed ship, they're often much faster and more fun when done in groups. The lack of a limit to how many pilots can be brought on PvE expeditions even makes it feasible to take newer players along to tough missions, something that doesn't happen in most MMOs.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why EVE's PvE is so inherently soloable, which types of PvE encounters are well suited to group play, and what the future holds for EVE's possibly neglected group PvE content.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online

EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wasteland Diaries: Passing the time

Edward Marshall — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fallen Earth, Events, in-game, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Roleplaying, MMOFPS, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic

With what looks to be a brand-new combat system on the way, there is a lot of anticipation for the next few incarnations of Fallen Earth. Well, I'm anticipating them, anyway. Dave "Archangel" Haydysch himself says the team will be "gutting" the combat system, for one. There are bound to be some major changes to Fallen Earth in the coming months. These changes include, but are not limited to, the combat system, factions, and PvP objectives. Not to mention that Icarus has verified that we will be getting PvE group instances to romp around in.

There's a lot of goodness on the way, but it's still several weeks or a couple of months off in the future. We will know more with the September state of the game announcement. In the meantime, many of us are at the level cap (I have three level 50 characters myself), and many of us are running out of things to do. Even with PvP-flagging, which allows PvP anywhere, there is very little endgame PvP. Most of the action seems to be in sector 2. I blame the combat system for that, but that's another story. With Deadfall looking like a ghost-town, sometimes the apocalypse can be a lonely place, at least for those of us who have hit the level 50 brick wall a couple times. After the cut, I'll throw you some ideas to pass the time until the next content update.

Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Passing the time

Wasteland Diaries: Passing the time originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Stahl highlights more of Star Trek Online's future direction

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Patches, News items, PvE, Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online's Dan Stahl has been fairly vocal since he took the executive producer post at the beginning of last month. We had our own chance to speak with him recently, where he discussed everything from the then-upcoming Season 2 content to the rumors about the game adopting a free-to-play model. His most recent interview at ZAM covers several of the same pieces of territory, but as one would expect with the time elapsed and the release of Season 2, there are several new pieces of information within.

The weekly episodes are one of the major points of discussion, with the first one premiering in late August. Stahl discusses the episodes focusing around the Deferi, a race with ties to both the Federation and the Klingons, but not explicitly allied with either. He also discusses plans for an overhaul to exploration, likening the current system to "a small box where you fly around and go through random doors," something that the team is planning on changing for Season 3. The full interview is well worth a read for what it contains -- nothing earth-shattering, but more signs that Star Trek Online's direction is getting progressively stronger.

Dan Stahl highlights more of Star Trek Online's future direction originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STO celebrates six months of interstellar conflict in the latest State of the Game

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Star Trek Online

While Captain Kirk and the original crew of the Enterprise had an initial five-year mission to explore the cosmos, Star Trek Online players have had a mere six months to do the same. In this span of time, a lot has happened for STO -- some good, some bad, some controversial, and some radically different. As the game heads into its second six-month tour of duty, executive producer Dan Stahl threw open the doors for STO's Season 2.0 update, entitled "Ancient Enemies."

In the latest State of the Game report, Stahl looks back at the additions, changes and accomplishments of the STO team since launch. The bullet point list he lays out is impressive indeed, listing 32 big ticket items that have been implemented into the game. He then looks at the immediate present with the launch of Season 2.0, which Stahl sees as a direct response to player requests and demands. "Season Two is filled with additional features and updates that you asked for, and in some cases even helped us design, specifically minigames," Stahl writes.

Finally, the State of the Game looks at the future of the title and the many improvements that are slated for delivery, including an upgrade to ground combat, more ship options for both factions and rethinking exploration. You can read Dan Stahl's full State of the Game report over at Star Trek Online's site.

STO celebrates six months of interstellar conflict in the latest State of the Game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Top tips

Brendan Drain — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

Over the past two weeks, I've been giving an in-depth look at EVE Online's exploration profession. Exploration is one of the many PvE elements that players can get involved in right from their first week in EVE. By concentrating on astrometrics skills, a new player can be a more-than-competent prober within a week. Although some sites may require the help of an older player for the first few months, it's still one of the most fun PvE elements a new player can get into. In the first part of this three-part guide, I went over the basic equipment and techniques you'll need to scan down hidden complexes. In last week's second part, I went on to look at the different types of hidden site you can discover, what loot you can expect to find in each of them and what kind of challenge you'll face.

Since the exploration system was launched many years ago, I've picked up a few tricks and tips that can help any explorer. In this final part of the EVE Evolved guide to exploration, I run down my four top tips for budding explorers.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Top tips

EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Top tips originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder!

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Exploration is one of EVE Online's most lucrative and enjoyable PvE professions, combining complex probe-scanning with mission-style combat. Through exploration, you'll find hidden sites across New Eden, packed full of NPCs to kill and loot to grab. Exploration is a casual PvE element that spans all skill levels, with new players able to get involved from their first week in the game. In last week's first part of this guide to exploration, I explained how new players can get into the lucrative profession and examined one of the most popular scanning techniques.

A wide range of hidden sites spawn across EVE, just waiting for a lucky traveller to scan them out. Tucked away in the depths of space, you'll find hidden asteroid belts, hacking database, archeological relics, salvaging fields and unstable wormholes. Those looking for riches will be pleased to find cosmic anomalies full of NPCs to kill and dungeon-like military complexes with a chance to drop rare and expensive loot.

In this guide, I look at the different types of site you can find via exploration, what loot you can expect to find in each of them and what kind of challenge you'll face.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder!

EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Exploration -- The basics

Brendan Drain — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

When we talk about EVE Online, it's often about PvP or the latest political intrigue in the sandbox. Less talked about is the game's core PvE gameplay, which for many players is the entire scope of their interests. I've covered a number of great ways to make ISK in previous guides, from my three-part series on trading and extensive four-part guide to research to the similarly thorough three-part guide to mission-running. Most recently I tackled the age-old art of asteroid-belt ratting in nullsec. Another of EVE's most popular PvE pastimes is exploration, where players scan out hidden mission-like sites hoping to strike it rich.

Exploration is one of those things that spans players of all skill levels, with new players able to make a useful contribution and group up with older veterans. Within a week of starting the game, new players can be locating hidden complexes, doing battle with the local NPCs and hopefully finding some valuable loot. Although exploration sites use the same deadspace dungeon and combat mechanics as missions, there are a few key differences. While missions can be created at will by going to an agent NPC, exploration sites spawn randomly in space and have to be manually scanned down using probes.

In this week's first part of the EVE Evolved guide to exploration, I look at the ships and equipment you'll need, and the scanning techniques typically used to find hidden exploration sites.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Exploration -- The basics

EVE Evolved: Exploration -- The basics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dawntide open beta coming on May 31st

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Virtual worlds, Dawntide

These days, "sandbox" so often gets read as "constant PvP" that the two can almost be used interchangeably. But Working As Intended's sandbox game Dawntide is focused on the creation of societies, cities, and an entire world based solely on player input, the sort of thing that's quite attractive to a number of players. The game has been in closed beta testing for quite some time, but if the premise intrigues you, there's good news on the horizon -- on May 31st, the game is going into fully open beta testing.

As the game approaches the deadline (which is very close indeed at this point), the development team is rolling out several improvements to the game. Those include a revamped and improved UI, a number of skills being implemented, and a stretch of islands available for players to claim as their own and build up as they see fit. If truly open-world gameplay appeals to you, the upcoming holiday weekend might be best capped off with a look at Dawntide's beta.

[Thanks to Bartillo for the tip!]

Dawntide open beta coming on May 31st originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time

Brendan Drain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

MMOs are a popular hobby for hardcore and casual players alike. While some people love getting firmly embedded in their favourite MMO every night, a growing number of players prefer to log in occasionally and just kill a few hours at a time. EVE Online is no exception, with a mix of both casual and hardcore players. Taking part in things like alliance warfare, starbase industry or corporate management may require that a player log in every night but most other avenues of gameplay don't. A lot of EVE's gameplay can be picked up for a few hours and set back down with no added responsibility. In fact, player demographic data shows that most players prefer to live in the more casual environment of high security space. So what kind of things can you do if you just fancy playing internet spaceships for a few hours?

In this opinion piece, I look at five of my favourite ways to kill a few hours in the name of EVE. What's your favourite way to spend a few hours?

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time

EVE Evolved: Playing casually or just killing time originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more

Brendan Drain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Professions, PvE

For the last few weeks, EVE Online players have been getting excited about the up-coming Tyrannis expansion with its Planetary Interaction feature. We received our first taste of what Tyrannis will hold last month when the expansion was announced and since then we've speculated on how its planetary interaction feature might work. Although CCP haven't answered our interview questions on Tyrannis yet, we caught up with EVE Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson at GDC 2010 to get the inside scoop. Torfi was keen to point out that a lot of what CCP are doing in Tyrannis is laying the foundation for future updates and expansions. He calls Tyrannis "a stepping stone toward something even bigger."

In addition to providing some inside info on the upcoming Tyrannis and Incarna expansions, Torfi revealed that there are more people working on EVE today than ever before. In contrast to MMOs that cut down their development team sizes once the game is out, CCP's ranks have been increasing at a huge rate in recent years. The ever-increasing revenue generated by EVE subscribers allows them to fund a large development team dedicated to making the game better for EVE players. "We've never had as many subscribers as we have today", says Torfi, "330,000 subscribers, like actual paying subscribers, not counting trials." It's thanks to all those subscribers that CCP are beginning to realise dreams they were never able to achieve when the game was less popular.

Skip past the cut to see what Torfi Frans Olafsson had to say about Tyrannis, Incarna and more.

Continue reading GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more

GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: What could planetary interaction be like?

Brendan Drain — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved

On Friday, CCP released the first details of EVE Online's next expansion, Tyrannis. The expansion's main feature is a form of planetary exploration and control but details on what exactly that will entail have been limited. Like walking in stations, planetary interaction has always been a major missing component from EVE. It's been on the drawing board from day one but the technology and resources were never really there to do the feature justice. A prototype planetary flight system was even demonstrated at EVE Fanfest 2004 and while it impressed Fanfest attendees, the feature never materialised. The announcement that Tyrannis will include a form of planetary exploration has a lot of players excited but is their enthusiasm justified? The information we have so far on the expansion is limited to a single devblog, which provides only a general mission statement for the expansion.

In the absence of further information, I find myself wondering what the planetary interaction in Tyrannis might be like. In this speculative opinion piece, I look over the information we know for sure about Tyrannis and go on to speculate on what it might be like.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: What could planetary interaction be like?

EVE Evolved: What could planetary interaction be like? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Planet Risk podcast explains tactics for EVE's high level wormholes

James Egan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Tips and tricks, PvE

The EVE Online-focused Planet Risk Show returned this week after a planned holiday hiatus. For those who've never heard of Planet Risk, it's a live weekly Split Infinity Radio program that's also released as a podcast. Planet Risk differs from most EVE podcasts in that it's largely focused on wormhole colonization, which only became possible after the Apocrypha expansion was released, allowing players to pull back the curtain of known space and head into uncharted expanses. Hosts Luminus Aardokay and Quivering Palm spend most of their EVE time in wormhole space, so they're fast becoming experts on the subject. Indeed, they broadcast The Planet Risk Show from within their colonized wormhole system, which is a rather unique one in the game.

Their home is one of the most hostile types of wormholes in New Eden -- a Class 6 -- where the Sleeper NPCs are especially deadly. The ship setups and tactics used against the Sleepers in such a solar system differ greatly from how it's done in lower class wormholes. They explain some of the tricks that allow them to overcome the Sleepers in their Class 6 wormhole this week in Episode 13 -- right around the 1 hour 11 second mark. It's a good listen, particularly as there isn't a great deal of information available on such high level encounters in the game.

Continue reading Planet Risk podcast explains tactics for EVE's high level wormholes

Planet Risk podcast explains tactics for EVE's high level wormholes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New info and screens for upcoming Star Trek Online content

Kyle Horner — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

Earlier we got a small taste of what's to come in Star Trek Online through the State of the Game feature, but already Cryptic is treating the community to a brand new "What's Next" page that lays bare their free update plans for the next two months. While all the major points themselves are old hat, it's the details of those major points that are in fact, new.

We've got a breakdown of the coming updates after the break, plus new screens in our gallery.

Continue reading New info and screens for upcoming Star Trek Online content

New info and screens for upcoming Star Trek Online content originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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