Massively

Some Assembly Required: Revisiting Origins of Malu

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Game mechanics, Guilds, Interviews, New titles, PvP, PvE, Massively Interviews, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting

Many moons ago when the air just started to cool from summer's heat (aka, last September), Some Assembly Required had the opportunity to talk shop with a new outfit that is developing a promising new sandbox MMORPG, Origins of Malu. And you know me: Sandbox is the magic word! As skeptical as I knew I should be, I still came away from that interview with renewed hope that a game with some of the features for player-generated content could exist again.

Back then, Burning Dog Media made the bold statement that it would absolutely release its flagship game in 2012, with a target of early 2012 to boot. But as the first quarter of the year quickly drew to a close with scant information available, it became pretty clear the game is still a ways off. In the realm of games, no news is not necessarily good news... and we definitely hit a drought in news.

Now that drought has ended. In our second exclusive interview, we spoke with Michael Dunham, Producer, Jason Mitchell, Senior Developer, and Dave Cruikshank, Art Director, to learn what's been going on behind the scenes and get the scoop on more details about those very features that have sandbox lovers salivating.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Revisiting Origins of Malu

Some Assembly Required: Revisiting Origins of Malu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

When Inferno arrives on May 22nd, it will introduce a whole new wardec system, war UI improvements, and iteration on faction warfare. We'll also see a ton of new modules released over time to completely mix up how people currently fit ships for different roles. For those who started playing EVE Online after 2007, getting new modules and having to rethink all your ship setups will be a very unusual state of affairs. For older players, it signals a glorious return to the way things were before Empyrean Age expansion -- players will have to learn to adapt to a constantly changing PvP landscape or stagnate and die.

The only people immune to wardecs will still be those in NPC corps, and all current loopholes like EVE University's infamous decshield will be removed. The number of wars the target corp is fighting will no longer be factored into the war cost, but the base cost is rising to 20 million and an additional 500,000 ISK will be added for every active member in the target corp. The number of wars the aggressor is fighting will still factor into cost, so you can sort of do a reverse-decshield by having alt corps wardec the target and waiting a week for his bill to recur. There are flaws with the system as presented, but those may have been at addressed at the roundtable, which was not streamed.

In this special EVE Evolved Extra edition, I delve into the information revealed at Fanfest on revamping PvP as presented at those talks that were streamed live.

Continue reading EVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno

EVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE reforms dev teams and preps a new patch for liftoff

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Patches, Humor, Dev Diaries

The dream is over. EVE Online's dev teams -- formerly known as Team Best Friends Forever and Team Pink Zombie Kittens -- are breaking up. Fortunately, this is because there are so many devs at this point that CCP is reorganizing its devs into three new teams: Team Super Friends, Game of Drones, and Five 0.

Along with the news of the team reorganization, CCP brings us word of an upcoming patch arriving January 24th. The update will include a rebalance of null ammo and assault ships, buffs to modules, better search options, new calendar notifications, and the ability for alliances to join faction warfare.

Even if you don't play EVE, these patch notes are both highly entertaining and informative, especially if you enjoy seeing devs unhinged and dispensing advice for mosquito repellant.

EVE reforms dev teams and preps a new patch for liftoff originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare

Brendan Drain — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

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

I think it's safe to say that most EVE Online players have never tried their hands at faction warfare, the state-sponsored bloodbath that pits Minmatar and Gallente pilots against their Amarr and Caldari rivals. When the system launched almost four years ago during 2008's Empyrean Age expansion, it was an immediate and colossal success. CCP ran news stories leading up to the expansion to show the growing tensions between the four nations, with several videos highlighting major flashpoints like the Malkalen incident. The stage was set for the war to end all wars, and players were brought to the front lines to die for their nations.

Faction warfare was originally designed to be a stepping stone for empire-dwellers who wanted to get into nullsec and to give fleet-based PvP to pilots without nullsec contacts. The first few months saw some spectacular action, with fleets of over a hundred rookie pilots happily smashing each other to bits. For over a year, faction warfare provided practically instant-action PvP on any scale you could want, from solo roaming and small gang warfare to full-on fleet battles with several capital ships. Unfortunately, CCP didn't iterate on the feature, so after a year with broken capture mechanics and no real purpose or reward for fighting, faction warfare began to grind to a halt.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I speculate on how faction warfare could possibly be resurrected.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare

EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

Brendan Drain — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, PvP, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime.

With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide 2's New Conglomerate faction detailed

Jef Reahard — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2

The distinction between terrorist and freedom fighter can be subjective, and the latest PlanetSide 2 dev blog offers an appropriate example. The piece profiles one of the three factions fighting for control of the planet Auraxis, and the New Conglomerate is either a bastion of liberty or a collection of cowardly infidels depending on whom you ask.

The NC are "in total open war with both the Terran Republic and the Vanu Sovereignty, seeking to free humanity from the tyrannical grip of the former and defend them from the fanatical alien influence of the latter," according to the blog entry.

If you're more interested in PlanetSide 2's gameplay than its lore, Sony Online Entertainment wants you to know that the New Conglomerate is "built around hitting first, hitting hardest, and taking a beating." Vehicles like the Reaver and the Vanguard are built to stay in the fight longer at the cost of mobility and speed. Head to the official PlanetSide 2 website for further details.

PlanetSide 2's New Conglomerate faction detailed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion

Brendan Drain — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Since EVE Online's release in 2003, CCP Games has been the center of one of the most interesting success stories in the games industry. Produced by a tiny indie development studio on a frozen volcanic rock, EVE was the perfect example of how to do things right. The game's publishing deal with Simon & Schuster allowed CCP to buy back the rights to the game several months after its initial release. With no publisher taking a cut of the profits, CCP ploughed subscriptions back into the game's development and grew the development team organically. As a one-game company, CCP worked closely with players to make EVE the best game possible for its loyal playerbase.

In a recent letter to the players, CCP CEO Hilmar laments that somewhere along the line, things changed for the worse. The CCP of today bears little resemblance to the "little indie studio that could" of 2003, not just housing over 600 employees in offices around the world but also developing upcoming MMOs DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Resources are spread thin, and EVE Online has suffered for it. Last month I looked back at the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion and asked why every expansion since then has cut down on the in-space development players want. Hilmar's letter and its accompanying devblog answered that question this week with a solid plan for iteration on flying in space features during the winter development period.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look forward to the winter expansion and explain why each of the issues being tackled in the coming expansion is a big deal to players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion

EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr

Brendan Drain — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, Endgame, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

People come to EVE Online from many different gaming backgrounds, and for one reason or another, the game doesn't click with most people the first time they try it. Two weeks ago, I encouraged people who have tried EVE but never got it to click with them to approach the game from a new angle -- to grab a few friends and charge head-first into PvP with guns blazing from day one. In last week's EVE Evolved, I advised new players on getting into their first PvP frigate, preparing for PvP, and staying financially ahead of the inevitable ship losses. I also put together two frigate setups for each race that will fit and function well with only a few days worth of skills trained.

While frigates are fantastically cheap ships in which to learn the basics of PvP, their effectiveness on the battlefield is limited. Most tech 1 frigates struggle to deal anywhere near 100 damage per second, and if caught by enemy tacklers they die quickly. While the next step up is the destroyer class, I strongly advise PvP-oriented players to skip it and move straight on to cruisers. Although cruisers have less mobility than frigates and are easier for large ships to hit, they pack a big punch for a relatively low cost and can take a bit of a beating.

In this week's extra large EVE Evolved, I share effective and battle-tested setups for the Thorax, Vexor, Arbitrator, and Omen that new players can use with less than two weeks of skills trained. I also suggest skills to train and give a few tips for keeping costs down. If you're a fan of Minmatar or Caldari ships, tune in to next week's EVE Evolved for the continuation of this article.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr

EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Gallente and Amarr originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Casual gameplay and public groups

Brendan Drain — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

I've always held a belief that EVE Online isn't really at its best until I get into a good group. A lot of the most fun gameplay I've experienced over the years has been in a small group of strangers, friends or people who would soon become my friends. The year I spent in faction warfare and the two years I spent on wormhole expeditions with friends were incredibly good times that I look back on fondly. I've even found that the parts of EVE that aren't specifically intended for groups, such as exploration, mission-running, and trading, are a lot more enjoyable if I take a few friends along for the ride. There's no doubt in my mind that EVE is primarily a group game.

Two weeks ago, I talked about how EVE is more of a giant social sandbox than a game and that it's EVE's social nature that really motivates people to keep playing in the long-term. The remarkable ability of social communities in MMOs to self-organise when faced with challenges could be a massive asset to EVE's development if used well. When faction warfare was first released, for example, players rapidly organised themselves into fleets. People who had never met each other, many with no PvP experience at all, were soon practicing core fleet maneuvers together as a cohesive unit and facing off against hostile fleets. With nothing but a war declaration, some cosmic anomalies, and a few medals, EVE turned thousands of newbies into four terrifying fighting forces. That is something I'd definitely like to see repeated.

In this week's opinion-filled EVE Evolved, I delve into the world of casual gameplay and ask whether new public group activities could dramatically broaden EVE's appeal and keep gameplay fresh.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Casual gameplay and public groups

EVE Evolved: Casual gameplay and public groups originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Getting into PvP from day one

Brendan Drain — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST

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

Although it has significant PvE elements, EVE Online has always at its core been a heavily PvP-oriented game. Players wanting to get into PvP are often advised to train months' worth of skills and build up significant ISK reserves before even trying it, but this is something I strongly discourage. As I've said in several previous articles, a new player can be a useful and effective part of a PvP squad with very little training time. This is something I personally put to the test when a few real life friends and I started completely new characters and started engaging in PvP with less than 12 hours of skills trained.

Although we had significant PvP experience under our belts, the exercise proved to me that skill training and ISK weren't the absolute minimum requirement they were thought to be. I firmly believe that all it takes to successfully PvP from the outset is some patient direction from older players and perhaps a little generosity to help you afford some early ship losses. In my experience with introducing new players to EVE, I've always found the EVE community to be more than willing to provide both of these in abundance. I'd say that not only is it possible to try out PvP within the 14-day trial period, it's highly recommended.

In this opinion piece, I explain some key things you can do as a new player to get into PvP right from day one of the EVE free trial.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Getting into PvP from day one

EVE Evolved: Getting into PvP from day one originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE video corner: "Future Proof"

Brendan Drain — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Lore, PvP

There's no doubt about it that EVE Online can produce some stunning visuals and incredible stories. New Eden has been the setting for countless creative works, some featuring real gameplay and events and others pushing the limits of the prime fiction. Every so often, I come across a video so mind-blowing that it has to be shared. Last night CrazyKinux's Musing pointed me toward an awesome new EVE video that's been seven months in the making.

Produced by Kale Ryoko, "Future Proof" tells the tale of a Caldari militia fleet on a combat mission for the state. Headed up by support commander Firefox of the Chimera "Overlord", the fleet must do all it takes to push through to their objective. Assisting with this twelve minute masterpiece is Veto corporation's Kyoko Sadako, the mastermind behind such incredible videos as "War Has Come" and "The Angel Cartel (Push Eject)". Made using some of EVE's art assets and the Unreal 3 Engine, Future Proof is a video that simply must be seen.

Skip past the cut to watch both parts of the video in HD. The original version is available for download at the video's official page on the EVE forums.

Continue reading EVE video corner: "Future Proof"

EVE video corner: "Future Proof" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Singularity's Empyrean Age begins Saturday

Samuel Axon — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Expansions, PvP

CCP will begin testing EVE Online's recently announced Emyprean Age expansion on the Singularity test server beginning this Saturday, the 17th of May. To celebrate the event, the dev team is hosting an event at 19:00 GMT. Everyone is invited to test the new features -- particularly Factional Warfare -- with the dev team.

There will be awards for achievements like "most kills" and "most bizarre bug found" once the dust has cleared. If you're an EVE subscriber, read the announcement for more details. If you want to jump right in, don't forget to download the patch and apply it to your client (not the installation with which you play on Tranquility, though!). Once you're all patched up and ready to go, log in on Saturday and join the chat channel "Faction Testing."

How often do you get the chance to blast the entire EVE dev team out of the skies? Sounds like fun.

Singularity's Empyrean Age begins Saturday originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments