Massively

Cheyenne files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, severs ties with Gary Whiting

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items, Legal

Anyone who has been keeping an eye on the situation surrounding Stargate Worlds, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and related publishing company FireSky, knows that there's been trouble brewing for some time. We've seen struggles to get funding, employees going unpaid, lawsuits for unpaid bills, and some of the studio's main names leaving the building. Still, they just released the FPS based on the work they'd been doing for Stargate Worlds, called Stargate: Resistance. The hope was that S:R would give Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment a much needed cash infusion.

Now, news has come to light that not only has Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, but they've also severed all ties with Gary Whiting -- former Chairman and CEO of CME. Add to that, the shareholders and Cheyenne Mountain have joined forces against Whiting in civil case (CV2010-003106) filed in Maricopa County, naming many other ventures including the curious "interactive social network," MMOGuls Inc. as co-defendants, in a civil complaint "alleging various wrong doing against the Company."

A statement detailing the company's current status was posted today to the Stargate Worlds forums. We've included it behind the break for those interested. In the meantime, let's hope that the change in leadership, combined with a reorganization under Chapter 11, and the release of Stargate: Resistance proves to be the boon that Cheyenne Mountain needs to get back on track -- and into the black.

Continue reading Cheyenne files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, severs ties with Gary Whiting

Cheyenne files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, severs ties with Gary Whiting originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds receives new funding, development to continue

James Egan — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds

The sci-fi MMO Stargate Worlds had mostly fallen off of our radar, and with good reason. It's seemed that Stargate Worlds would not see a release -- the developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment faced major cash flow issues resulting in employees not being paid and subsequent lawsuits. There were also departures of some of the major individuals connected with the game's development that painted a grim picture. There has been the occasional glimmer of hope of obtaining more funding, though, and some of the Stargate Worlds team has stuck with the project as additional financing for the title was sought. Now it seems things may be turning around for Stargate Worlds with the latest bit of info we came across, that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has gotten that needed funding.

Dana Massey over at MMORPG.com recently spoke with CME about where the project stands. Massey writes, "Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has received the funding that they believe will allow them to complete work on Stargate Worlds, and eventually pay back vendors and past and present employees who are still owed back pay."

Continue reading Stargate Worlds receives new funding, development to continue

Stargate Worlds receives new funding, development to continue originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Stargate Worlds facing an August 1st deadline to raise capital

Kyle Horner — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items, Rumors

Stargate fans have long since been left wondering what's been going on with Stargate Worlds, but come August 1st -- or sometime soon thereafter -- their wait may finally be over. The rumor stems from a claim made by a recently departed employee who claims MGM has given Firesky until the beginning of next month to acquire funding or face having the licensed pulled.

Apparently a group of doctors who could potentially invest up to $8 million are the game's last hope. However, the same ex-employee says there's little chance the deal will actually go through by the deadline. Shane Hensley, Firesky's director of new business development, has said that they're continuing to speak with investors -- including the doctors. While he also says they've never considered scrapping the project, he doesn't deny the claim, either.

Ultimately, Hensley has hope but seems to be realistic about the situation, saying, "I doubt this will last much longer, but those who are here currently are amazingly dedicated and continue to make progress on our projects despite the circumstances." We'll keep you updated on any new progress, and hopefully there's a happy ending to all of this, even though our instincts are currently warning us to think otherwise.

Rumor: Stargate Worlds facing an August 1st deadline to raise capital originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firesky confirms Dan Elggren's departure

Lesley Smith — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

We reported earlier this week about rumours that Stargate Worlds' Executive Producer Dan Elggren had left Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/Firesky for Gazillion Entertainment. However, the reasons for his decision were left rather vague aside from excerpts from Elggren's family blog. Firesky's Kevin Ballentine officially commented on his departure in an MMORPG.com blog post:

"While we are saddened by Dan's departure, we believe that Stargate Worlds will benefit from this unforeseen change. Dan's guidance has been crucial to getting Stargate Worlds to this point, but we believe fresh eyes may find ways to improve the game moving forward. We wish to express our appreciation to Dan for all he has done for our company and wish him the best of success in his new endeavors. Dan will be transitioning his responsibilities to Rod Nakamoto, senior vice president of product development, over the next week."

Firesky confirms Dan Elggren's departure originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds studio head leaves company for Gazillion Entertainment

Kyle Horner — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Dan Elggren has apparently left troubled Stargate Worlds developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment / Firesky for recently announced Gazillion Entertainment. This news certainly doesn't bode well for CME, who've been having financial trouble for a long while now. Dan is merely the most recent departure, although he seems to have weathered the storm longer than most.

What does this mean for Stargate Worlds? Well considering all the financial issues and employee departures, it sadly points to a game that's less and less likely to ever see launch day. Frankly, it'd probably take a funding miracle to finish the project and in this currently downtrodden economy most investors probably won't be taking much risk.

Moreover, what do we make of this MMO industry vacuum that is Gazillion Entertainment? They also picked up Jumpgate Evolution developer NetDevil last year while in stealth mode, and something tells us they're not done absorbing talent just yet. So much is known about the company and yet much more remains a mystery. Maybe they've got enough money to release Stargate Worlds, although they may not have the mind. Whatever ends up happening, we're sorry to see anything like this ever happen to an MMO, pre or post launch.

Stargate Worlds studio head leaves company for Gazillion Entertainment originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds marches onwards and upwards, says development team

Kyle Horner — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

"Our official response is that the lights here are still on and the development team is working hard every day to get this game built." say the developers of Stargate Worlds in an open letter to the community at large. This response comes in light of the not-too-pleased state that Stargate executive producer Brad Wright was in concerning the game's overall progress.

But Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment says that while the global economic downturn has affected the team, they are still plugging away seven days a week on the game while being supported by altruistic investors -- whom we hope have the clout to see the game through to completion.

The message closes with the assurance that CME is negotiating several deals to cover their financial responsibilities and fund development up through launch, and that when it happens they'll let us know. So until that fateful day comes, they'll keep developing, we'll keep reporting and everyone will assuredly be giving the team their best wishes.

Stargate Worlds marches onwards and upwards, says development team originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview gives more perspective on the state of Stargate Worlds

James Egan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds

We take no pleasure in pointing out the difficulties a new MMO faces in making it to market, even less so when members of our own team are big fans of the IP an upcoming game is built upon. Regardless, if something's happening in the MMO world we've got to point it out, as is the case with Stargate Worlds and the difficulties it's having along the way.

Darren Sumner, writing for GateWorld, recently spoke with Stargate executive producer Brad Wright (who serves as a creative consultant on Stargate Worlds) about the title. Although it's officially still in development at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and slated to be published by their partner company FireSky, there's no release in sight.

When asked about the status of Stargate Worlds, Wright tells GateWorld, "We don't know. It's a shame. If it doesn't happen - and, let's be honest, it should be happening now if it was happening. It's a shame. It's a terrible shame."

Continue reading Interview gives more perspective on the state of Stargate Worlds

Interview gives more perspective on the state of Stargate Worlds originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Stargate Worlds images show off armor and weaponry

James Egan — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Stargate Worlds

We must admit, Massively isn't certain what's going on at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment in terms of development for Stargate Worlds. The MMO builds on a popular sci-fi IP with lore fleshed out in both film and television, but we've heard the company is beset with cash flow issues.

We were concerned that the project might not be going forward given some of the news we've reported in recent months, but they've added two new screenshots to their gallery along with a brief summary: "The Stargate Worlds art team took some screenshots in the top secret Omega Site Ruins, but we were able to sneak a couple out to show off to the fans. These two shots show a soldier wearing Tier 4 Ablative Armor armed with the never before seen in public Tier 5 PVK Advanced Sub-Machine Gun."

Continue reading New Stargate Worlds images show off armor and weaponry

New Stargate Worlds images show off armor and weaponry originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet Jumpgate Evolution's new(ish) community manager

Kyle Horner — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, New titles, News items

This one managed to pass under our radar last month, but Katie "Khatie" Postma -- previously the community manager for Stargate Worlds -- is the newest community manager for NetDevil's upcoming Jumpgate Evolution. If the name seems familiar to any Massively readers, that's probably because Katie was one of the many community managers who spoke at the ION 2008 event. And for everyone else who's unfamiliar with her, we highly recommend reading through her viewpoints on taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live.

We're happy for Katie and even happier for the Jumpgate Evolution community that should get her expertise as the game's launch creeps nearer and nearer.

Meet Jumpgate Evolution's new(ish) community manager originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds newsletter reveals awesome new Jaffa armor

Kyle Horner — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

The second Stargate Worlds community newsletter has descended upon us, and with it comes what can only be described as a sweet crocodile Jaffa armor. We also get a peek at some Jaffa abilities such as Ground Blast and Kree!, an AoE knock-back and mez ability. Of course, a community newsletter wouldn't be complete without some sort of video to sink our teeth into and CME doesn't disappoint here with the YouTube insider page for Stargate Worlds. Since its launch, this page has become packed with all sorts of clips for fans to ravenously consume.

We're quite curious about what other sorts of Jaffa armors are in store for this game. Our vote goes towards a Beagle armor, because who'd want to mess with a face like this? Like the saying goes, "Always let a Beagle win."

Stargate Worlds newsletter reveals awesome new Jaffa armor originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds interview with Cheyenne Mountain studio head

James Egan — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, PvP, Stargate Worlds

GameZone recently spoke with Dan Elggren, studio head at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, about the upcoming title Stargate Worlds. The interview topics range from the challenges in moving the IP forward while remaining true to its origins, to the fact that sci-fi MMOs generally aren't as well-received as fantasy titles.

Elggren goes on to explain how Cheyenne Mountain has tried to merge the feature set and gameplay expected from an MMO with the more visceral feel of tactical shooter. A key aspect of their business model is that it's predicated on regular content updates. "We'll be adding new story, new levels, new archetypes and, obviously, new worlds about every three months post launch. This will be free content that we're giving away on an aggressive schedule," Elggren says. The interview also touches on Stargate Worlds having opt-in PvP at launch, which he states should later evolve into 'platoon-on-platoon large scale PvP events'. Check out the GameZone interview with Dan Elggren for more info from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment on what we can expect from Stargate Worlds.

[Via Blue's News]

Stargate Worlds interview with Cheyenne Mountain studio head originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds video shows impressive sub-orbital explosion

Samuel Axon — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, New titles, Stargate Worlds

Twiddling your thumbs in anticipation of the beginning of Stargate Worlds' closed beta test? The folks over at Ten Ton Hammer have an NDA-exempt goodie for people who are waiting -- a video of a Ha'tak class Go'auld attack ship exploding in the stratosphere of a planet.

We were actually a little surprised at how spectacular the explosion looked. TTH alleges that it's part of some pre-planned event within the game, so it's a special case, but still -- it's pretty awesome, with some interesting shaders to simulate the shockwave, and attractive fire effects as the broken pieces of the ship plummet through the air. Hey, there's not all that much Stargate Worlds video out there, y'know? We'll take what we can get.

Stargate Worlds video shows impressive sub-orbital explosion originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds closed beta announced for October 15

James Egan — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Stargate Worlds is one of the hotter sci-fi MMOs in development based off a popular television and film IP. We've been following this title for a while now through its ups and downs, and other places on the web are taking notice of the game as well. Massively's sister site Big Download has received word that the Stargate Worlds closed beta is no longer pegged for an unconfirmed date, and is now slated to commence on October 15th.

If you haven't been selected for the closed beta from that pool of over 200,000 people who signed up, at the very least there's a gallery of new Stargate Worlds screenshots to check out over at Big Download. Open beta is still a long ways off though, so the Stargate Atlantis episodes will just have to keep you occupied until then.

Stargate Worlds closed beta announced for October 15 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Introducing the Stargate Worlds YouTube channel

Samuel Axon — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Firesky has launched a Stargate Worlds channel on YouTube, and has promised that a new video will go live every week day from here on out. So far there are six videos, all of which are brief, punchy developer interviews related to the various weapons in the game.

A few of them are a little painful to watch due to extreme geekiness, but there is a somewhat amusing running joke about the flamethrower weapon being a terribly kept secret. Its existence is unconvincingly denied in most videos, and in one it is confirmed but the developer insists that flamethrower gameplay is not ready to be shown to the public. He says this while a monitor behind him displays all kinds of in-game flamethrower carnage.

Firesky proudly brags that the channel was the #1 most subscribed on YouTube during the week of the 21st, and that it sits comfortably in the top 25 for the whole month of September. That said, most of the videos have only had a couple thousand views, except for the very first video (the flamethrower one), which had 8,000 views. Huh; that's kind of like a microcosm of the monthly lifecycle of an MMO! Anyway, we've embedded the flamethrower footage on the other side of the jump.

Continue reading Introducing the Stargate Worlds YouTube channel

Introducing the Stargate Worlds YouTube channel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Stargate Worlds wallpapers feature in-game imagery

Samuel Axon — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, Wallpapers, Stargate Worlds

The official Stargate Worlds website has been updated in two waves with nine new wallpapers, most of which show in-game locales and combat engagements. You can go look at them at the official site, or you can grab them right here instead! We're awesome like that.

Most of the wallpapers depict a city, but we're apparently not quite Stargate SG-1 literate enough to identify it. There are a couple images of combat (including one of someone getting torched by a flamethrower; that's kinda cool), one shot of a Jaffa in the previously mentioned city (pictured above), and one montage of weapon concept art.

Despite a few cash flow problems at the studio, Stargate Worlds' closed beta test is either already underway or imminent, depending on who you ask. So if you like these images, you might as well go sign up.

Gallery: Stargate Worlds Wallpaper Gallery

New Stargate Worlds wallpapers feature in-game imagery originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds studio faces cash flow issues

Samuel Axon — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items, Rumors

Get ready for some dubious corporate drama. We were contacted by a tipster claiming to be a Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment employee. He or she alleged, among other things, that CME/Firesky is in critical financial condition -- that it has accrued a large debt, that massive layoffs are planned, and that the future of Stargate Worlds might be in jeopardy. Knowing full well that potentially-scorned anonymous employees are rarely a wholly reliable source, we contacted the company and provided them an opportunity to comment.

We were told that the tip was full of inaccuracies and overstatements. The official comment was this: "Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is a start up, and like many start ups, we face the typical cash flow issues that all pre-revenue companies face. CME continues to fund its operations in the same way it has done for three years and the viability of the Stargate Worlds project is not in question. We fully expect to complete and ship Stargate Worlds in 2009."

Continue reading Stargate Worlds studio faces cash flow issues

Stargate Worlds studio faces cash flow issues originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds open beta to come right before launch and not suck

Samuel Axon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Stargate Worlds Studio Head Dan Elggren told videogamer.com in an interview that there will be an open beta test for the game immediately before the commercial launch date. That's not a shock; most MMO developers these days run a small open beta test in the one or two weeks immediately preceding launch.

Elggren promised that the beta will be "pretty solid product," and pointed to Funcom's Age of Conan open beta event as the best example of what Cheyenne Mountain/Firesky is trying not to do. Our readers who participated in that beta may remember terrible performance and stability issues.

In both videogamer.com's interview and in a chat with us earlier in the summer, the SGW team has acknowledged that open beta events are more marketing tools than technical ones. The closed beta (which will begin within the next few weeks) might be a different kind of affair though.

[Via Ten Ton Hammer]

Stargate Worlds open beta to come right before launch and not suck originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds beta "just a few weeks away"

Samuel Axon — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Cheyenne Mountain/FireSky's Stargate Worlds beta test plans seem to be on track. At the Leipzig Games Convention, Studio Head Dan Elggren told the press that the beta would start in "early September/October." If you were worried that wouldn't happen, it might be time to stop worrying and start signing up (if you haven't already); there's an announcement at the official website saying that the closed beta test is "just weeks away."

No further information was provided. We just got the above and a reminder to sign up. Since it's just the closed beta, though, you're not very likely to get in too terribly soon what with 200,000 applicants and all. That probably shouldn't upset you too much, since early closed beta tests tend to be about as playable as Ultima IX: Ascension.

Hardcore Stargate Worlds fans will of course ignore these words of wisdom, because that's the kind of crazy gamers can proudly be.

Stargate Worlds beta "just a few weeks away" originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teal'c visits Stargate Worlds

Samuel Axon — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Stargate SG-1 actor Christopher Judge visited Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's game development studio to check out Stargate Worlds last week. Judge played the part of Teal'c -- the Jaffa warrior on the SG-1 team -- for the entire run of the TV series and in the movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum, and has appeared on Stargate Atlantis as well.

Members of the development teamed gushed about how awesome he was on the Stargate Worlds community site. "I wouldn't have thought I was the type to get embarrassed and feel like a blushing teenage girl (no offense to blushing teenage girls) when meeting a star like Christopher Judge but apparently I totally am," said one of the team members. The team got the impression that Judge was "SUPER excited" about the game.

CME/FireSky put up a gallery of pictures from the visit. The studio was also visited by Formula1 race car driver Jonathan Summerton, which seems kind of random. If you want pics of that event, there's a gallery for that too.

Teal'c visits Stargate Worlds originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds level cap to increase every three months

Samuel Axon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Stargate Worlds France conducted a very substantial interview with Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/Firesky Studio Head Dan Elggren at the Games Convention in Leipzig. We say it's substantial because it includes a few new revelations about the game.

The most notable of those revelations: CME/Firesky will be raising the game's level cap (50 at launch) by two levels every three months to coincide with new content updates and episodes. The second most interesting tidbit is about teams. Teams are a social unit smaller than commands (guilds); think of them as persistently existing and organized groups/parties. Anyway, the big news about teams is that players will be able to name their regular groups. Cool!

Other topics included various Stargate inside jokes, Elggren plugging the gas-guzzling Hummer promotion, and some stuff about the Asgard, Archaeologist, Jaffa, and Go'auld classes that has already been floating around for a while. Watch the video for all that. Note that most of the video is in French with English subtitles, while the interview itself is in English with French subtitles.

Stargate Worlds level cap to increase every three months originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds reaches 200k beta signups, dev chat on Friday

Samuel Axon — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

The Stargate Worlds team announced yesterday that 200,000 people have signed up for the game's beta test. That's not an unimpressive number, although both Age of Conan and Warhammer Online reported a lot more (but at later stages in development). Of course, history has shown that the number of beta applicants doesn't necessarily reflect on a game's post-launch popularity.

In other Stargate Worlds-related news, the game's sound designer (Nick LaMartina) will be participating in a live dev chat that will be open to all on Friday the 22nd at 11:00 AM Pacific time. Head over to the Stargate Worlds website for details and links on reaching the IRC chat room where it will take place.

When we visited Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment just over a month ago, a representative told us that the company was hoping to start the closed beta phase before the end of the summer. We've been a bit skeptical. Time's a-tickin'!

Stargate Worlds reaches 200k beta signups, dev chat on Friday originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds will be on display at Leipzig train station

Samuel Axon — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

European Stargate fans take note: Stargate Worlds will be making an appearance at the Leipzig Games Convention in -- you guessed it -- Leipzig, Germany. As was the case earlier in the summer at Comic Con, Firesky/Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment have some special stuff planned.

The team will be "taking over" the Leipzig Train Station, where they'll be showing "the latest" gameplay trailer (we don't know if it'll be new or not, but presumably, right?) and giving away various stuff, including t-shirts and dog tags. Apparently the prizes will be given out by "Stargate commandos." People in uniform, perhaps? Also, Studio Head Dan Elggren and marketing guy Kevin Balentine will be on site to promote the game and talk to the press.

The Stargate franchise has always been popular in Europe -- especially in Germany, so we know there are a few of you out there who'll want in on this. And with that subsidized airfare, getting there might be almost affordable, right?

Stargate Worlds will be on display at Leipzig train station originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video interview reveals Stargate Worlds stealth mechanics

James Egan — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, Interviews, Stargate Worlds, News items

Jon Wood at MMORPG.com is on a serious roll with Stargate Worlds video interviews. His latest is with Demetrius Comes, VP of Technology at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, on the Stargate Worlds stealth system. The system will be based off of combinations of abilities and gear, creating regenerating stealth points that are resisted with reveal points. Comes acknowledges that stealth play will not be a universal option for all players, and will be limited to the commando class.

Comes also reveals more of the game mechanics of stealth play, particularly the dynamic between a character's stealth rating and the reveal rating inherent to NPCs and player characters. The interview is brief, but hints at what fans of cloaky-sneaky gameplay will get in Stargate Worlds.

Video interview reveals Stargate Worlds stealth mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview: Stargate Worlds aims high with artificial intelligence

Samuel Axon — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds

MMORPG has posted its second video interview with the folks working on Stargate Worlds. Last time, it connected with Howard Lyon to talk about customization the game's user interface. This time, studio head Dan Elggren tells the site a little bit about the artificial intelligence that guides the actions of Stargate Worlds' hostile entities.

Elggren explains that there are different types of AI behaviors -- personalities, if you will. An aggressive enemy might throw caution to the wind and charge the player with a knife, while a defensive one will play it safe behind cover. Elggren hopes this will make combat more dynamic in Stargate Worlds than it is in other MMOs. He also said that enemies might run away or retreat for the sake of self-preservation. Of course, enemies do that in plenty of MMOs already, but hopefully it's a bit more complicated than the "run at 15% health" trigger that we're used to seeing.

Interview: Stargate Worlds aims high with artificial intelligence originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds video interview shows off interface customizations

James Egan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Previews, Stargate Worlds

MMORPG.com's Managing Editor Jon Wood is definitely on a roll with providing Stargate Worlds fans with new video content. We already mentioned that he put together a hands-on Stargate Worlds combat video, but he's also done a video interview with Stargate Worlds Art Director Howard Lyons about the game's user interface.

The UI is built to be completely customizable, both in terms of graphics and the layout, Lyons says. Players will be able to swap out button types and adjust the visual priorities of the various interface elements. Multiple UI profiles can be saved and then exported and shared with other players. Have a look at the video for a closer look at the Stargate Worlds user interface, but MMORPG.com does has one caveat -- what you see is pre-alpha footage.

Stargate Worlds video interview shows off interface customizations originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early Stargate Worlds combat video shows off enemy AI

James Egan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Stargate Worlds

Jon Wood at MMORPG recently put up a hands-on video of gameplay in Stargate Worlds. This latest footage gives us an early look at combat in Stargate Worlds. Primarily, it shows the importance of using cover to survive.

Wood seems to like what he's experienced of the game so far, particularly in terms of the AI in Stargate Worlds."Getting taken off-guard by AI opponents does not happen very often. But when it does, it's just fantastic. It gets your heart going, causes you to panic," he says. The comments related to the video are drawing comparisons with Tabula Rasa but keep in mind this footage is from an alpha stage of testing. That being said, what do you think about how Stargate Worlds is shaping up?

Early Stargate Worlds combat video shows off enemy AI originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds Comic-Con event plans unveiled

Samuel Axon — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

We learned a while back that developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and publisher FireSky are teaming up with the United States Armed Forces and the creators of the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis TV series to present Stargate Worlds at this year's Comic-Con. Fans will get to ask questions about the game and the series, as well as see gameplay footage. A life-sized stargate wll be deployed for photo ops, too.

Now the schedule has finally been announced. It'll all go down in Ballroom 20 on Friday the 25th. From 10:45 to 11:45, the showrunners and stars of Stargate SG-1 will sit in a panel discussing Stargate Continuum, the new movie based on the series. After that, the Stargate Worlds presentation will run from 11:45 to 12:15. Finally, the cast and crew of Stargate Atlantis will talk about season 5 from 12:15 to 1:15. All Pacific time, of course, since the convention's in San Diego.

So if you're just interested in the game, show up at 11:45 and leave at 12:15. We figure you'll go for the whole thing if you'll go at all though; most folks interested in this game are probably fans of the series too, right?

Stargate Worlds Comic-Con event plans unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chat with Stargate Worlds artists on your lunch break

Samuel Axon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is hosting another developer chat for fans who want to know more about Stargate Worlds. This time, the participating developers are Lead Artist Austin Germer and Lead Animator Carl Cross. The chat will take place at 11:00 AM Pacific and 2:00 PM Eastern, and will last for one hour. So that falls right on top of lunch for most folks -- or at least it can, if they schedule it right. So sneak in while eating a sandwich at your desk.

The place to which you may sneak: IRC chat room #Stargate-Worlds at irc.sgwirc.com. Once you're in, ask up to three questions using the /q command. More info can be found at the Stargate Worlds community website. If you're new to the game and want an introduction before the chat, (shameless plug alert) check out the coverage of our exclusive visit to the game's development studio and our interview with the directors.

Hey -- you knew we couldn't help ourselves.

[Via Ten Ton Hammer]

Chat with Stargate Worlds artists on your lunch break originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 4

Samuel Axon — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds

In part four of our interview with Cheyenne Mountain's studio head Dan Elggren, creative director Chris Klug, art director Howard Lyon, VP of technology Demetrius Comes, and senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine, Lyon describes the philosophy behind the game's artistic style, and we learn more about the company's plan for launch and post-live content.

Continue reading Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 4

Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 4 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 3

Samuel Axon — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds

In part three of our interview with Cheyenne Mountain's studio head Dan Elggren, creative director Chris Klug, art director Howard Lyon, VP of technology Demetrius Comes, and senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine, we discuss endgame content and go into great detail about the graphics and combat.

Continue reading Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 3

Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview, part 3 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview

Samuel Axon — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds, Massively Interviews

During our visit to Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Arizona studio, we got to sit down with five of the top minds on the Stargate Worlds team -- studio head Dan Elggren, creative director Chris Klug, art director Howard Lyon, VP of technology Demetrius Comes, and senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine. This exclusive, in-depth, and conversational interview is overflowing with information about everything in the game, including TV series tie-ins and cameos, episodic content, combat, graphics, mini-games, and much, much more. This meaty interview is an essential read for any Stargate or MMO fan. We've split it up into four parts for easy reading. Enjoy!

Gallery: Massively visits Stargate Worlds

Continue reading Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview

Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interview originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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X-play opens the Stargate and brings back Stargate Worlds gameplay video

Matt Warner — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, New titles, Stargate Worlds

G4's X-play gained access to the FireSky Studios where the developers are hard at work on Stargate Worlds. G4 was allowed to open the Stargate and returned back with gameplay footage, while undergoing their mission they infiltrated Studio Head Dan Elggren, Creative Director Chris Klug and Art Director Howard Lyon. As for game footage Elggren took a character through several environments of a pre-alpha build and played through an assault on a drug lord stronghold on the alien planet Lucia. The game is looking great, albeit some video lag in some parts. No earth-shattering revelations were disclosed, but if you'd like learn about the game be sure to check out all our SGW coverage.

X-play opens the Stargate and brings back Stargate Worlds gameplay video originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stargate Worlds to make a dramatic showing at Comic Con

Samuel Axon — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Firesky, MGM Home Entertainment, and the United States Armed Forces will be showing Stargate Worlds at Comic-Con 2008 in San Diego. The convention will run from July 24th to 27th. Firesky plans to deploy a full-sized stargate replica outside the convention center for photo ops. Fans will also get to be among the first in the public to see gameplay footage. Check out booth 3525 if you're going to be there.

Footage is exciting and all, but we're intrigued by the partnership with the Armed Forces. Presumably this means recruiters will be present at the event as well. The Stargate franchise has always had a close relationship with the military; its central characters have mostly been members of the Air Force. In fact, Stargate SG-1 has featured a handful of cameos by real-world military figures, including Air Force chief of staff Michael E. Ryan, who played himself in the episode "Prodigy."

[Via Ten Ton Hammer]

Stargate Worlds to make a dramatic showing at Comic Con originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Kaiju MMO

Kyle Horner — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

I know there's been a The Daily Grind about this subject already, but I felt like talking about my own personal kaiju (giant monster) MMO and this is just the place for that. Growing up there were certain things I could count on. For instance, there would always be some sort of Anime marathon in the summertime on the Sci-Fi Channel and that very same channel was also usually good for giant monster movies. Oh yeah and you could always count on a new Megaman game coming out that year.

It's strange how this never occurred to me but giant monsters are almost perfect as a theme for an MMO. Purely because the theme itself provides a gigantic, epic sort of combat gameplay that is central to the thrill of massively multiplayer online games. Whether it's a game where the players create and control their own giant monsters or fight against the monsters is the choice I've been struggling to answer -- but then something dawned on me. The two game types, when combined, make for a very interesting type of MMO experience.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Kaiju MMO

The Digital Continuum: Kaiju MMO originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chat with Stargate Worlds' community managers June 20th

Kyle Horner — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Can you hear that? It's the sound of thousands of Stargates being activated all over the galaxy. You're probably wondering why it's happening -- you might even be a little scared. Well, don't be scared. It's just what happens when the Stargate community finds out they'll be able to ask Khatie and Scepter questions about Firesky's upcoming game, Stargate Worlds in an upcoming chat.

The chat is schedule for Friday, June 20th and will take place at 1pm PST, 4pm EDT, 10pm BST and 9pm GMT according to a recent news post on the game's official website. A full hour will be spent talking about all things Stargate and attendees have been asked to come to the discussion early for the best chance to see their submitted questions answered. You've got a week to think up some clever questions so get to it. We'll be looking forward to seeing if any new juicy details are revealed by either Khatie or Scepter.

Chat with Stargate Worlds' community managers June 20th originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Summer to bring big announcements for Stargate Worlds

Kyle Horner — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

Get ready for information overload all you Stargate fans, because with summer setting in (at least for the upper half of the hemisphere) Firesky will be making big announcements for their upcoming MMO, Stargate Worlds. You can expect to hear new information about planets, racial abilities and even details on the origin of Op-CORE -- the evil human faction featured in the game. News of which expos the development team plans on attending are also soon to be announced but that information will be revealed at the Stargate Worlds official website.

It's likely that Massively will be attending at least one of the expos that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment goes to, so expect us to poke and prod them for the sake of new and exciting information regarding their game. We especially want to know what they think of our Jaffa jokes, as everyone we usually tell them to just gives us strange looks before walking away slowly.

Summer to bring big announcements for Stargate Worlds originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO episodes to mimic TV shows

James Egan — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items

Massively's recent ION Game Conference coverage featured an article on developing MMO's as if they were TV shows. This idea was introduced by FireSky's Joseph Ybarra, Senior VP of Strategic Operations. FireSky hopes to run with the concept of dishing up MMO content updates in episodes, with predictable development cycles of roughly six weeks. This marriage between MMO and TV production could also lead to developing 'pilot games,' which makes sense from a company perspective. After all, it involves smaller budgets and entails less risk. The developer can expend a small amount (by standard game development budgets) and gauge player interest. If that title proves to be popular, future iterations of the game could be developed with larger budgets, building upon the storyline of the previous episodes.

Do you think that gamers would have more of a say in what the creators do with these stories than they do with TV shows, since an episodic MMO is an interactive medium? Would this be a welcome change in the MMO industry, as opposed to waiting for a few years for that next game?

MMO episodes to mimic TV shows originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A chat with Stargate Worlds' Joe Ybarra

Kyle Horner — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

The guys over at MMORPG.com caught up with Joe Ybarra from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's (or CME for short) Stargate Worlds last week at ION to talk about their upcoming MMO. If you didn't catch it when it originally went up, we sat in on his "MMOs and Hollywood" panel during the conference. Joe has a lot of interesting things to say about not only the industry at large, but his companies' game.

Being that Stargate Worlds is expected to pull in both the TV series audience as well as MMO players, the team at CME is designing their title with a high level of accessibility. The title's story takes place in a modern -- or even futuristic -- setting, which means combat is similarly modern. We really love the idea that combat is being designed as a one-against-many affair in Stargate Worlds. Joe mentions that the minimum is one player-on-three NPCs and their median is about five or seven against one. That means you can expect battles to feel very action-packed, especially when you're in a group with four of five other players!

Continue reading A chat with Stargate Worlds' Joe Ybarra

A chat with Stargate Worlds' Joe Ybarra originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ION 08: Taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live, page 2

Kyle Horner — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, Launches, New titles, News items, Massively Event Coverage

Onto everyones favorite topic: "Fuckwads!" They're usually absolutely negative, but can they be converted?

Katie says, "You can convert them!" She's rather optimistic as her URU Live experiences have taught her that anyone genuinely interested in a game can be turned to the light side. Apparently back in Katie's URU Live days there were three guys who "vehemently" disagreed with each other, but did agree that the game was broken. These three guys had an incredibly impressive discussion in a thread, so Katie invited them all into a chat room one day. She told them how impressed she was with their ability to articulate their complaints and issues. So she asked, "Do you want to be moderators?" and they agreed! In the end these three players ended up being huge advocates of URU Live. Two of them even did some tech support for the game.

Identifying what a person is trying to accomplish through their behavior is also key, says Victor. Some of these people are just trying to get some attention unfortunately. Time can be wasted on the wrong people, so being able to locate and invest in people who can be brought over from the completely negative is an important skill.

Meghan brings up the ones who are hopeless. There was a poster in the Lord of the Rings Online forums (a LotRO Scholar) who took great pleasure in beating people with his intellectual epee. This person eventually had to be banned, but since he'd developed a niche group around him he did take some people with him. However, it truly was the best choice for the community.

If they're not a true "fuckwad" who's just trying to beat people with their intellectual epee then give them an NDA and beta access, says Craig. Letting them see the game -- and try the game -- for itself can alleviate many fears.

How do you balance the smaller fansites with the big PR-fueled media outlets?

"It's hard." laments Katie. Meghan chimes in with agreement, "I love the grass roots." she continues, "they're the people supporting you for basically nothing." They do it purely out of love and passion. "You can't not appreciate that." admits a solemn Meghan. Still, the truth is that developers need marketing and PR. "Sometimes you want to give the smaller sites screenshots, but you just don't have them." It's a tough place to be.

Something that Craig points out is that simply showing up letting small sites know that, "Hey, you guys rock!" is all the validation most of them need. It's easy and very important.

Katie mentions that she filters the smaller sites through her by taking their questions and answering some of them to the best of her ability. Then, she takes these answers to the PR folks, who of course just have to improve them (can you see the high-level trickery here?) before giving them back to her. This is a great way to reward the smaller sites.

Someone in the audience suggests that big sites have passionate writers who are hired for that very fact. "Big sites aren't all completely soulless." remarks Steve.

A trick that Craig makes use of is quietly suggesting to smaller websites to pay attention to news feeds over the next hour or so. This way the big sites still get that sexy press release while the small sites are able to talk in-depth about it right away. Katie brings up the problem of there being so many smaller fansites that tipping even several can make others feel like there is preferential treatment going on. She did however invite a local fansite to attend office events, purely because said fansite was nearby.

Steve asks about hanging the big carrot stick in front of players so they'll be good in order to earn a early beta slot. He asks if the panelists have been any good or bad uses.

Immediately Craig chimes in with, "Such as using a website where you have to play for membership to download the beta?" A square upper-cut to the jaw if I've ever seen one.

Another thing to keep in mind is that giving beta keys to smaller sites so they can give them away in contests is tricky. The contest has to be incredibly fair and nigh un-cheatable. Also, it's important not to announce the names of the winners in beta slot contests, because while that may sound cool it's only really announcing the 999,999 other people that they lost.

Of course the risk of letting influential individuals from the community into the game early on is "unexpected results". There's a lot of excitement about a game between the moment it's announced and the day it launches. Many players can't touch or feel the game out for themselves, so there's a risk of players building up a game in the mind that's completely different from the actual title.

Craig says that it's also important to clarify what's really going into a game with the game's lead. Otherwise you'll end up over-promising, which is of course very bad. "Yes you're going to have unicorns that poop Pegasuses!" exclaims Craig. He something else well-worth remembering, saying "Once you say it, that's it. It's for real now. Somebody from the company said it and that's it."

Next is the topic of dropped features which have been previously promised.

We don't talk about something publicly until we see it, says Meghan. Most of the panelists have learned this lesson in the most bitter of ways as all heads are nodding in agreement. "Don't talk about it until you see it." goes the mantra.

Katie says to be honest and genuine, admit that you were told to say it and so you said it, then apologize. Craig chimes in to say clear communication is incredibly important in all things. "It almost never happens, but there are times when you are told to go and say something by someone in the company." Craig reveals a bit surprisingly, to me at least. "I don't say this very often," begins Victor, "Part of our job is to advocate for the customer." A community manager sometimes needs to remind upper management that their reputation with the community literally relies on what they say. Craig also recommends trying not to say something that was dropped will be in a patch or expansion unless a lead developer commits to it.

"I like getting paid, so at the end of the day I'm going to do my job." notes Craig. It's best not to lose your job over it. Hopefully -- if you're lucky -- the company you work for respects the role that a community manager plays in the success of the game.

Meghan brings up the fact that it's a good idea to slowly break the news to the community when you do make the post. Make it an open discussion and lead up the breaking the bad news slowly.

"Hey, we cut that feature!" yells Craig while giving two thumbs up.

In all seriousness, a community manager has to speak to the large audience first. If there happens to be small pocket of players that are complaining loudly it's ideal to attack it and find out their issues. However, the general audience does come first. Meghan adds, "Just making sure that players know you're working on it helps."

Another fun story from Katie, this time about a player they recently let into the "Friends and Family Alpha" for Stargate Worlds. This player literally could not get into the game. They ended up getting in touch with a developer through an instant messenger and figured out what the issue was together. Bringing the right players intimately close with developers and making them a part of problem solving is a huge part of the overall success equation.

How do you handle negative buzz coming out even with an NDA in place?

Even with an NDA there will be a point when information gets leaked out. Victor suggests taking as much control of the situations as can be taken and to look for the right people to help you spread your message. Allowing people from the community to write up a personal blog post and then send it through PR to "OK" it is smart. Combat fire with fire, essentially.

Katie laments that, "There is always a vocal minority."

"SOE has a crack team of ninjas." Craig says in response to the NDA question.

"Your team is on crack?" queries Katie.

"Yes." says Craig with a great deadpan voice. Or maybe he's not kidding. Who can tell with Grimwell?

What we do know -- or Craig knows, at least -- is that when NDA discussions are leaking out into the Internet it's a sign that these people didn't have a provided place to vent these problems. Without any place else to go they simply post out on their own blogs or forums.

How do you deal with a buildup of negative-focused communities?

"Send them lots of cupcakes." Advises Craig, most wisely. (We finally know the secret to getting SOE to send us lots of cupcakes!) The truth is that these players -- or groups of players -- aren't really interested in your game, they're just interested in being a part of the hate club. It's fun for them to be hateful and spiteful. They simply don't want to do anything else but be angry.

The panel finished with lots and lots of different topics being covered, all of which continued to show me why these people are so important to the successful launch of an MMORPG. Every one of these community managers seem incredibly good natured. That's saying a lot when you consider that this is a group of people who constantly sit between the ire of fans and the supposed apathy of a developer. It's a tough job, but somebody has to constantly remind us that we're all just passionate people who all love online games.

Gallery: ION 08: Taking your community from pre-launch to live

ION 08: Taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live, page 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ION 08: Taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live

Kyle Horner — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, Launches, New titles, News items, Massively Event Coverage

Yesterday was the final day of ION 08, but that didn't mean there weren't some incredbly great panels to attend. "Taking Your Community From Pre-Launch to Live" was just one of these panels and to make things even better it included some previous speakers I quite enjoyed hearing from.

This time around the moderator was Steve Danuser (38 Studios) while Craig Dalrymple (Sony Online Entertainment) took a panelist seat along with Katie Postma (Firesky), Meghan Rodberg (Turbine) and Victor Wachter (Cryptic Studios). It's important to point out that all the panelist are in fact community managers, as opposed to Steve Danuser who is the lead content designer and director of community development for his company. However, Danuser was previously a community manager for EverQuest II.

Gallery: ION 08: Taking your community from pre-launch to live

Continue reading ION 08: Taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live

ION 08: Taking an MMO community from pre-launch to live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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