Massively

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What City of Heroes needs for its ninth year

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Anniversary

The past year of City of Heroes has been in no small part defined by the free-to-play revolution moving into full swing. 2010 was the year in which it became clear that free-to-play could work; 2011 was the year in which nearly every game moved over to the new model, with only a handful of stalwarts clinging to the subscription-only model. Unfortunately, this also means that the once-present divide between business models no longer exists, and by and large there's less sense that free-to-play games are inherently worse than subscription games. The imaginary barrier simply doesn't exist as it used to.

What does that have to do with City of Heroes for its next year of development? Almost everything. I've talked about how the game has two obvious and direct competitors in the superhero genre, but now they're all competing with the same business model. They all have the same initial outlay, instead of City of Heroes being the oldest, most respected, and cheapest option. In order for a game to be successful, and it no longer has to convince players that it's worth $15 a month for a few months -- it just has to convince you that downloading it and giving it a shot is worth the effort. That means flash, fun, and a quick dose of what you're looking for.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What City of Heroes needs for its ninth year

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What City of Heroes needs for its ninth year originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward

Matt Daniel — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Launches, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

December 20th is finally here, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is as live as it's going to get. The title's official launch has sent ripples through the interwebs, and MSNBC, Gamasutra, and Kotaku all have new features highlighting various facets of the new title. Gamasutra has a few words with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk and creative director James Ohlen regarding the game's post-launch strategy. Zeschuk claims that the team is "really busy working on future SWTOR content as well as continuing to improve the service. This will never end." Never is quite a long time, we think, but we'll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, MSNBC sits down with SWTOR's Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson, about BioWare's much-touted story pillar. He claims that the game's 20 writers worked together for a total of over 60 man-years of labor on the game's story and writing. And lastly, Kotaku has another few words with Zeschuk. When asked if SWTOR could potentially make a move to F2P like, say, DC Universe Online, Zeschuk replied, "Free-to-play works best when a game is built that way from the ground up... We're not saying never ever, but we certainly have no plans like that in the foreseeable future." For the full features, click on through the links below.

Star Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to the future [Updated]

Matt Daniel — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

You may think that now that Star Wars: The Old Republic's early start underway and moving nicely, the developers over at BioWare are sitting back and enjoying a celebratory glass of champagne (or bottle of whiskey). You would be wrong, however, because a new post on the official site shows that BioWare is already looking toward the future. But what can players expect from the future of The Old Republic?

Guild functionality is high on the priority list, and players can expect everything from guild banks to guild capital ships in the future. UI customization is also "a very big priority" to BioWare. The studio also has "an entire team dedicated to adding content and features to [PvP]." The space system, the legacy system, and the galaxy as a whole are also on board for future updates. For the full details, just head on over to the official SWTOR site.

[Update: The team has also just posted an address to those who are not yet part of the early access pre-launch. We've included the contents of the message behind the break. Thanks to Onyx for the tip!]

Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally here, and the Force is with Massively! We've prepared a Hutt-sized feast of class introductions, gameplay guides, lore roundups, and hands-on previews to help you navigate the launch period and beyond. And don't forget our weekly SWTOR column, the Hyperspace Beacon!

Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to the future [Updated]

Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to the future [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Anvil of Crom: Musings on MMO mortality

Jef Reahard — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Anvil of Crom

Most of you are probably aware that Star Wars Galaxies announced its impending closure recently. As I booted up Age of Conan for my daily faction runs and tossed around some ideas for this week's column, I couldn't help but return to the fact that the MMO space is going to be that much dumber on December 16th.

What does SWG have to do with The Anvil of Crom? Admittedly not much, unless you count the fact that AoC was the first of many games I migrated to when taking extended breaks from SWG beginning in 2008. The game's demise did get me to thinking on MMOs as a whole though, and of course Funcom's fantasy title in particular.

While it may seem like an obvious conclusion in some respects, the fact that MMO players are ultimately no more than renters living on borrowed time was a sobering thought.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Musings on MMO mortality

The Anvil of Crom: Musings on MMO mortality originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The future freaks me out

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

I'm hoping that the "splitting the anniversary column into two parts" thing doesn't become a yearly tradition, but we took a look into the future last year, and we're going to do it again. We're also once again referencing a song with no relevance to the proceedings beyond the title, because when you establish a tradition, you darn well stick with it. The future does indeed freak me out a little bit, because just like it does every year, City of Heroes is facing a bunch of challenges.

This coming year, City of Heroes is going to be facing an interesting field if for no other reason than the simple fact that not much is happening. Unlike the past few years, which saw major superheroic MMOs launching left and right, this year seems to be in the clear. DC Universe Online has launched, Champions Online is still working to fit into its free-to-play niche, and by and large it seems like the field once again belongs to the City as it always has. And that runs a bit counter to my predictions from last year, doesn't it?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The future freaks me out

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The future freaks me out originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 May 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Bottle show

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

It's a strange time in the Final Fantasy online world right now. For the first time in what seems to be a very long while, we don't know exactly what's coming next. Final Fantasy XIV has Naoki Yoshida's letter and poll, and Final Fantasy XI has the vague promise of another nine levels, but neither game has a future with any sort of clear-cut milestones right now. The next update on what to expect could come in a week, or it could come tomorrow. (Tomorrow for me, anyway. I'm writing this on Thursday; it's unlikely that much will happen on Sunday.)

While I made my predictions last week, and we'll see over the next year how accurate they are, I don't really know how many of those things will come to pass. And I have to wonder whether we're not the only ones who don't know what's waiting around the bend -- I think Square-Enix isn't totally sure what its next move is, because I think the past year has really forced a re-evaluation of some beliefs. I don't think it's a matter of cluelessness so much as not developing a plan B when plan A had worked up to this point, but I think plan A had only worked due to unique circumstances.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Bottle show

The Mog Log: Bottle show originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: The directed route

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

First things first: I should have pimped this last week, but the Aetheryte Radio Network's community show had me as a guest for the most recent episode. If you'd like to listen to my dulcet tones alongside Steak and Fusion as we discuss the game, The Mog Log, and how much we all hate Final Fantasy VIII, you are most definitely in luck.

And because we've seen the last Final Fantasy XIV update we're going to get this year, the game seems like the thing to discuss. With the most recent update, pretty much anything that players claimed was just plain broken has been trimmed up and cleaned. (Whether or not that should have been the case in September is another discussion altogether.) So we're moving into the new year with everything working and a new team primed to start taking the game forward.

So what exactly will that entail? Now that the functional issues of Final Fantasy XIV are tackled, there's just the other half of the equation to deal with -- making the game more engaging for a broader playerbase. Or to be more specific: the easy part is done, and now it's time to work on the hard part.

Continue reading The Mog Log: The directed route

The Mog Log: The directed route originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: The natives are restless

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Launches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Allow me a little bit of woolgathering. When I started working for Massively, it was October of last year, and Final Fantasy XIV had just been announced as the official title for the game code-named "Rapture" and unofficially codenamed "the sequel to Final Fantasy XI" by everyone else who had seen a single screenshot. About four days after you read this, the game is going to be officially live for players around the world willing to shell out an extra bit of cash for various doodads and a headstart.

This is kind of baffling. Objectively, you know that the game is getting close to release, but it's not made real until the release is right at your doorstep. So before I go too far off the deep end and start thinking about things like the franchise having started when I was four, let's move on to the discussions coming out of the impending launch. And really, do come back next week when Final Fantasy XIV comes out, as I'm sure we'll have plenty of things on launch day. (Very sure, in fact.)

Continue reading The Mog Log: The natives are restless

The Mog Log: The natives are restless originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI and the future

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

So, I had planned to go back to my soloing experiment from Final Fantasy XI this week, but two things got in the way. The first is named Final Fantasy XIV's open beta, and I'm not going to start talking about that because I won't stop. The second, however, is the September version update and the fast-approaching end of that timeline we saw back at VanaFest. While I'm not wholly qualified to talk about everything in the version update at the moment, I can certainly talk about what comes after.

And here's why: This is a significant update for the game. It's the last update before the release of Final Fantasy XIV later this month, it's the second stage in the level cap increase, and it's the second-to-last additional content that we know we're getting. And what it's doing for Final Fantasy XI says volumes about what's going to happen in the game in the coming months, as well as what we can hope for.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI and the future

The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI and the future originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions Online looks to its one-year anniversary and beyond

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, real-world, Previews, News items, Champions Online

It might be hard to believe at times, but it's true: on September 1st, Champions Online will hit the one-year mark. The development team has been fairly quiet of late, but judging by the latest State of the Game address, it's just been focusing on several updates and improvements. The Summer Update, with several new costume pieces, bug fixes, and visual treats, is scheduled to go live on Monday, but there are even better things coming around the bend, including the game's second adventure pack.

Dubbed the Demonflame and aimed at a late September release, the newest adventure is meant to incorporate several pieces of feedback from the Serpent Lantern adventure. The goal is to make the adventure less repetitive and easier to follow from point to point for all players. Beyond that, the team has a long list of issues they're looking into and planning to work on, starting with pet improvements and stretching to scaling instances and better difficulty slider integration. Champions Online fans should take a look at the full update, and while the first year has had ups and downs, the future seems to be on the upswing. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for our one one-year retrospective of the game around the anniversary, which should be coming right around the first of the month.

[Thanks Clinton and Faryon for the tip!]

Champions Online looks to its one-year anniversary and beyond originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions Online tells players what not to expect

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, News items, Champions Online

Sometimes it's very helpful to hear what you're not getting. It's never particularly pleasant, of course -- we usually like to hear about the cool things coming right around the bend -- but it's also useful to be told what isn't coming for your favorite game. The most recent installment of Ask Cryptic for Champions Online falls under that category, with several questions about upcoming features given a straight denial. There are no plans for four-armed characters, rotating and scaling tattoos, and a current push for more persistent content as opposed to zone-wide attack events.

On the flip side, the answers do paint a few interesting pictures, such as talk about potentially adding a villainous counterpart to the game in the vein of City of Villains. The idea is discussed as something not in the immediate future, but on the list for future inclusion -- albeit with a much more sandbox style of gameplay, keeping in the vein of a supervillain romp. Champions Online is currently pretty well dedicated to getting its existing systems shored up and working well, however -- and while that might mean a few rejected ideas, it means that the team wants to build a solid foundation.

Champions Online tells players what not to expect originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Half down, half to go

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

The start of July means that we're just about halfway through the year, and it also means some of the most major pieces of news have already come to light. We've had release dates announced, E3 has come and gone, and there's little else to do other than sit and watch as the next six months roll on. Of course, there's always the chance for a surprise announcement later -- but by and large, we've seen the shape of things, and we're just rounding out the dates now.

So how have you been feeling about MMOs over the past six months? Has there been a game such as TERA or Final Fantasy XIV that captured your attention for this year or the next? Have you been disappointed with the news and new releases for the past several months? Or has it all felt like business as usual? And if you're feeling brave enough to predict the future, what do you think the next six months will bring? (We're betting on World of Warcraft: Cataclysm selling like hotcakes. Going out on a limb there.)

The Daily Grind: Half down, half to go originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Decade of Divination...

Tim Dale — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Rumors

My first writings here at Massively were a look back at the last ten years of MMO gaming, much of which I'd taken some small part in, and a comparison of how early MMOs had been then, against how they seem to have shaped up today. I expect if I was going to grow out of these things it would have already happened by now, so am fully expecting to be playing an MMO of some description in 2019.

Much of the year 2019 is already known to us, and detailed extensively in the documentaries 'Bladerunner', 'The Running Man' and 'Akira', but what will MMOs be like, a decade from now? Join me as I charge up the flux capacitors, spin the big brass and crystal whirley thing with no obvious purpose and hop in my little blue box in a bid to divine...the future!

Continue reading A Decade of Divination...

A Decade of Divination... originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DC Universe Online's "The Next Legend Is You" trailer

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Super-hero, Trailers, Consoles, DC Universe Online

The new DC Universe Online trailer that just recently hit the streets is one comprehensive video. In the short one minute and 23 seconds that the trailer runs, we get to see many of the highlights of DCUO, including environmental weaponry and damage, many of the game's iconic characters, a frenetic look at the game's combat, a taste of character customizations, and more!

Currently the trailer can be viewed at the main DCUO site, or over at Shacknews in standard and hi-resolution modes. HD resolution, however, is only available to those who have a Shackvideo username and password.

Now, if you can excuse us, we're going to go ponder what colors of spandex we're going to choose for when the game comes out.

DC Universe Online's "The Next Legend Is You" trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paul Barnett predicts the decline of future asset-heavy MMOs

Brooke Pilley — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion

Mythic Entertainment's Creative Director for Warhammer Online, Paul Barnett, was recently interviewed by Ablegamers and had some interesting things to say about the current state and future of online gaming and asset-heavy MMOs.

To illustrate why he thinks online games are becoming much more mainstream, Paul uses a personal and generational example. His mother is hesitant to buy anything on credit because her generation believes credit is evil. Paul himself is wary of online purchases because of the potential for fraud and identity theft. His son, however, believes there is little difference between buying something online and buying something from the corner store.

He also talks about the iPhone generation and how he believes asset-light games that provide shorter bursts of fun are going to have the widest appeal moving forward because they're cheap, mobile, entertaining, and disposable.

Established asset-heavy games may not see a huge initial decline, but he does predict a decline in the start-up of these types of games because they are extremely costly and require large teams to make. They are also traditionally geared more toward a heavy investment of player time. If asset-heavy games are to continue successfully, Paul believes they'll have to allow for more flexible "time control."

[Via: When casual can get too casual]

Paul Barnett predicts the decline of future asset-heavy MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 May 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Direct download or retail box?

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Let's face it, with Steam being such a popular service these days (really, how many gamers do you know who don't have Steam installed?) and sites like Direct2Drive among myriad others out there, digital distribution is very commonplace. Five years ago, not so much. There again, there are bandwidth allocations/caps in many countries, and even some start of that here in the U.S. As such, we got to thinking about it, and considering the size of the general MMO, we wondered if we were likely to see more digital downloads coming up, or more people buying box copies? What do you think? Do you suspect we're on the way to a purely digital download future? Or do you think box copies will remain a staple since MMOs are generally pretty large in terms of file size? Or is there a third option, where we'll see more games somwhat like Free Realms and FusionFall where the game will stream to you incrementally as you explore new areas as opposed to coming in one enormous chunk?

The Daily Grind: Direct download or retail box? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why the web browser may be the gaming platform of the future

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Browser

Browser-based MMOs are nothing new, as games like RuneScape have dominated for a few years. Recent additions like FusionFall and Free Realms are opening up entirely new possibilities with browser-based game mechanics, and many feel it's only the tip of the iceberg.

According to Frederick Wester, CEO of GamersGate parent Paradox Interactive, "Web-based content and web-based gaming has a fantastic future." With no limitations on hardware, the browser is one of the next logical steps in casual gaming for the masses; there's just no denying it. In fact, David Lau-Kee of Unity goes so far as to predict that the Playstation 4 and Xbox 720 will be browsers. Check out the entire article over at gamesindustry.biz for more insight from industry leaders on this topic.

Why the web browser may be the gaming platform of the future originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Black Prophecy cinematic trailer reveals ancient Restorer race

James Egan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Lore, New titles, Races, Black Prophecy

Among the upcoming sci-fi MMO releases we're curious about is Black Prophecy, a title in development at Reakktor Media in Germany. Black Prophecy's backdrop is a far future setting where conflict rages between humanity's two evolutionary offshoots; the biologically-superior Genides wage war against the technologically-superior Tyi. Each opposed faction threatens to wipe out the existence of their rival, but both the Genides and Tyi now face a greater common threat, the ancient Restorer alien race.

Reakktor released a cinematic trailer for Black Prophecy today that shows off aggressive fleet battles and new ship designs, while giving us a closer look at the Restorers. We've got a YouTube embed of the Black Prophecy cinematic trailer for you below, best viewed in fullscreen HD:

Gallery: Black Prophecy

Continue reading Black Prophecy cinematic trailer reveals ancient Restorer race

Black Prophecy cinematic trailer reveals ancient Restorer race originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE illustrator breathes a dark, gritty life into the game's setting

James Egan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Lore, Races, Roleplaying

Writer Annalee Newitz from the sci-fi centric io9 blog recently took a look at some of EVE Online's memorable artwork, by Icelandic concept designer B. Börkur Eiríksson (apparently also known as "Nag" according to The Art of EVE book). Börkur has been the Lead Artist/Illustrator at CCP Games since 2004, imbuing New Eden's futuristic backstory with his very dark, gritty style that really helps set the tone. On Börkur's "Industra" -- a depiction of a gloomy, burn out industrial city -- Newitz writes, "This image of a future city... feels to me like some anachronistic mashup of impressionist art and science fiction. The people in their hats and bonnets look almost nineteenth century..."

io9 has a sampling of Börkur's artwork, but his online gallery -- Björn Börkur Eiríksson: Industrium -- is the prime place to find numerous examples of his work, divided between Concepts/Illustrations and Sketches/Speedpaints. EVE Online fans will recognize much of this artwork, which has been featured alongside fiction appearing in E-ON magazine and the official site's Chronicles over the years. If you're a fan of unidealized depictions of the future -- hell, if you just liked Blade Runner -- you'll probably appreciate the artwork of B. Börkur Eiríksson.

[Via CrazyKinux]

EVE illustrator breathes a dark, gritty life into the game's setting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Superstruct: The world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game

James Egan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Sci-fi, Video, Culture, Economy, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, Politics, Roleplaying

Forget what you typically expect from your average client-based MMO. In fact, the title you're going to read about here differs markedly from the type of game we normally cover at Massively, but that makes it no less interesting. Superstruct is truly something different -- a futuristic alternate reality game that launches today (October 6) and lasts only 6 weeks, developed by a team at The Institute for the Future (IFTF) -- a not-for-profit think tank based in Palo Alto, California. For lack of a better, and less inflammatory, description, Superstruct is a thinking person's MMO, and is in many respects a social experiment; the game is an attempt to harness the collective intelligence and problem-solving abilities of its playerbase to make forecasts about the world's future and its escalating problems.

In fact, Superstruct bills itself as the world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game, with the tagline: Play the game. Invent the future. Despite being set in 2019 and looking forward to world issues that will become crises 20 years beyond that, Superstruct's genre is more futurist than sci-fi. Superstruct doesn't feature the traditional game elements we've come to expect from a massively multiplayer title. Instead, it fosters new ways for players to work together, testing out their ideas and strategies in a creative, collaborative brainstorming experiment that spans different mediums. Plausible future scenarios will be posited to the player base, challenging them to really think and produce compelling responses to the events in the game.

Continue reading Superstruct: The world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game

Superstruct: The world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryzom devs describe plans, promise free play through October

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

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Ryzom, News items

Ryzom (or the game formerly known as The Saga of Ryzom), came back to life a little over a month ago. Rumors of its death had apparently been greatly exaggerated. Now the development team has published a document detailing its plans for the immediate future.

The first item on the agenda is "to get profitable." Good plan! Money will surely be helpful. The second item: "To get all our new Developer Teams up to date with the Ryzom code," a task that is apparently quite difficult because there are millions of lines of code to get used to. Finally, the team is putting together a development schedule for adding new missions, content, and features to the game.

Our first impressions of the re-launched game were positive. It's a bit laid-back compared to other titles. We're glad to see that some clear goals are being set for the game's future, but of course until the dev team manages "to get profitable," that future will remain uncertain. If you want to give it a try, though, the devs say it will remain free at least through the end of October.

Ryzom devs describe plans, promise free play through October originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer Online director expects three million subscribers

Samuel Axon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Warhammer Online, News items

Warhammer Online Creative Director Paul Barnett said in an interview that he's (literally) betting that WAR will achieve one million subscribers within a year and three million at its peak. Apparently there's an office betting pool at Mythic about this subject. If Barnett's right, he stands to win ... wait for it ... $26. Wow. Enjoy your large pizza, man!

It's an ambitious bet. Even Barnett himself described it as "bullish." Time will tell if another word -- similar to that one but with a relocated "i" and an added "t" -- will be more appropriate. If all 1.5 million shipped retail boxes sell and there's close to 100% player retention after the first month (that last bit is very unlikely), the game will quickly be halfway to the end goal. But we know from past experience that significant attrition can be a problem.

The interview is full of other cocky statements, about World of Warcraft and other topics. If you're interested, grab yourself a grain of salt and start reading!

Warhammer Online director expects three million subscribers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Cryptic explains how Star Trek Online will handle canon

James Egan — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Forums, Game mechanics, Lore, New titles, PvP, Star Trek Online, Races, Roleplaying

The latest Ask Cryptic focusing on Star Trek Online addresses a number of questions sci-fi fans have about where the IP is heading in the MMO space. Not surprisingly, many of the questions asked of Cryptic deal with how well they'll adhere to Star Trek canon.

The Cryptic Studios devs were asked about how they would handle the iconic story and characters of Star Trek, namely with voiceovers and cut scenes. The devs state that Star Trek Online avoids issues of tampering with Trekkie canon by setting the game in 2409, a good 30 years after Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Voyager. So while some of the locales familiar to Star Trek fans will be present in the game, players shouldn't expect to bump into any (or many) familiar faces.

Continue reading Ask Cryptic explains how Star Trek Online will handle canon

Ask Cryptic explains how Star Trek Online will handle canon originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games video interview on player interaction with fiction

James Egan — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Expansions, Interviews, Lore, PvP, News items, PvE

The backstory of EVE Online is something that CCP Games has put a great deal of time and effort into creating. As all MMOs are ongoing works, so too are EVE's backstory and the storyline that players experience. To that end, CCP has people like Lead Writer Tony Gonzales (author of The Empyrean Age novel) and Lead Content Creator Scott Holden to flesh out the setting's past, while ensuring that the future of EVE's story remains open enough to allow players to do as they choose.

MMORPG.com caught up with Tony Gonzales and Scott Holden at Gen Con, and got them to speak about the story of EVE in a video interview. They discussed how factional warfare finally came to be in EVE, player response to the Empyrean Age expansion, and how CCP is working to better integrate the backstory with gameplay. Be sure to check out MMORPG.com's Empyrean Age interview if you'd like to hear CCP's views on player-driven versus story-driven action.

CCP Games video interview on player interaction with fiction originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The future of storytelling in MMOs

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, Lore, PvE, Opinion, Roleplaying

We can't help but wonder what the future of MMO storylines may eventually evolve into. So many players have so many various preferences when it comes to their favorite game's plot, that it's not an issue of pleasing everyone at the same time, but what the majority wants. Tobold addresses this issue in his latest blog entry, and speculates on whether or not the MMO storyline will progress in the same evolutionary line as movies have, where they began as novelties of moving pictures and soon became rich with real plots and immersion for the viewers.

But if we follow the current trend of what's popular in MMOs, we'll see that the most popular games have little to no storyline. It takes a certain type of person to read every quest text and have a comprehensive understanding of what's going on in the game, and why they need to save the half-naked woman from the bad guys. That type of person seems to be a rarity, judging by the subscription numbers of the lore- and story-based games such as LotRO and AoC. But does this mean those games should stop being made? We certainly hope not, because it's always nice to have an intelligent game to play when you get burned out on grinding mobs and running errands.

The future of storytelling in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AoC Game Director gives us a hint of what's to come

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Business models, Game mechanics, News items

In a "State of the Game" letter of sorts, Age of Conan's Game Director Gaute Godager gives us a bit of an update on what the month of June holds for the Funcom MMO. It's certainly appreciated when a game developer keeps the players in the loop so soon after the game's retail launch, and Godager makes good use of this letter in that regard.

An overview of the issues he addresses in this letter include:

New content, specifically in mid-late thirties and mid-late fifties levels. Plus, they plan to make the leveling speed smoother in those areas, reducing the need to grind.
An overhaul of the PvP system, adding consequences and other small things.
Reported bugs are constantly being fixed, so keep up the reporting!
A new large outdoor region will be added for the 55-60 range this summer.
They are staffing up Customer Service, Quality Assurance and the Community departments.
Look for even more information at the end of next week.

AoC Game Director gives us a hint of what's to come originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&DO Module 7: Other updates, and the future of DDO

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, Hands-on

The new content wasn't all we saw -- there were a number of other good UI and feature updates we were shown that are set to enter the game in Module 7. One of the most interesting changes is something that we heard about for the first time on the walkthrough: the devs are going to be introducing a new quest type that players will be able to do once per day (examples given were for bounties and trophies on the local wildlife). They said that a lot of players had asked for quests that could be completed within a short period of time to advance their character -- obviously, World of Warcraft's daily quests design jumps to mind, and by the time they had finished explaining the idea to us, even they were using the words "daily quests." But whether the idea is lifted or not, it is a good one, and it should give more casual players (and anyone else with some extra time to spend) some more to do in game.

There were some good UI updates as well -- the main update we saw was a revamped ingame map, that will show dungeons as red and green doors, so that players can easily see where the quests are and which ones they can enter at a glance. Also, the map now shows where a player has been with a "fog of war" type effect, though uncovered parts of the map are now shown at 50% opacity, so if you look close, you can even see details of where you haven't been.

And we were also told that the Module will feature an improved chat system, as well as the addition of quivers to the inventory (so players can save all of their ammo in one inventory slot, rather than taking up extra space with all of it). And of course the crafting system is getting an anticipated update as well -- there are thirty to forty recipes being added, as well as "about a half dozen" eldritch rituals, so there should be more for players to mess around with in that system as well.

Finally, we had a nice long conversation about the future of DDO. Goals for Mod 8, we were told, include the aforementioned player invasion of Shavarath, and the devs are working on a new tutorial section, as well as revamping the character generator (in order to make it easier for new characters who don't want to spend so much time choosing where to put skill points and abilities).

"This is a marathon, not a sprint."

And we also asked what the devs thought about the Age of Conan launch, and if any of the games on the radar this year were going to have an effect on their licensed property. Mersky, Turbine's director of communications spoke up at this point, and he pointed out that Turbine knows exactly what Funcom is going through right now: launching a major MMO is a tough but super exciting task and they wish them well. But at the same time, DDO's devs seem content to faithfully do their own thing, and not worry too much about the new kids on the block -- Paiz told us that their "very devoted audience" was "a pleasure to work for," and Mersky said that Turbine is in this competition as "a marathon, not a sprint." He said that both Lord of the Rings Online (another big licensed Turbine property) and DDO have ten year plans stretching out ahead of them, and that Turbine is committed to building their games over time, steadily releasing content and improvements with updates.

We've heard for a long time that DDO was considering different forms of payment for their game (they've already tested the waters of free-to-play for former players, and Mersky said that the recently reopened lifetime option helps take the onus off of players to stick to just one game, so they'll keep considering options available for payment plans.

Finally, we chatted about the MMO market at large, and it seemed we all agreed that big things are happening as the genre grows. Mersky said he was extremely happy that the industry is becoming "more than the WoW-killer story" -- that as more and more games enter the space, people are less concerned with having a gigantic online world, and more concerned with carving out their own niche and innovations with what they as a development team can do. Module 7 isn't a groundbreaking update for Dungeons & Dragons Online, but it is a solid core update -- the new classes and new mid and higher level content are serious additions and improvements to the game and large.

We have one more treat for you -- an exclusive video of the areas and bosses we visited in Module 7.

Click one last time to check it out.

D&DO Module 7: Other updates, and the future of DDO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW graphics engine to be overhauled someday

Samuel Axon — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Interviews, News items

World of Warcraft producer J. Allen Brack and designers Jeff Kaplan and Tom Chilton were interviewed by Eurogamer today. Most of the interview dealt with Wrath of the Lich King content like the Death Knight, 10-person raids, and world PvP objectives. The most interesting bits of the interview were on the last page, though; the Blizzard reps talked about WoW's future.

According to Kaplan, a major graphics engine overhaul is "probably" part of that future. While he himself is not convinced it's necessary (he cited players' lukewarm reception of similar moves by the developers of Ultima Online and EverQuest), he said: "That's actually something we talk about every expansion ... and I'm positive we'll talk about it next expansion."

In the meantime, WotLK will allow "people with high-end machines some additional graphical effects." WoW Insider joked that future graphics engine updates might be dedicated entirely to producing even larger, more detailed shoulder pad armor. We wouldn't be surprised!

[Via WoW Insider]

WoW graphics engine to be overhauled someday originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bartle talks good, bad and ugly futures

Kyle Horner — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Virtual worlds

Evoking the name of Dr. Richard Bartle probably causes different reactions in different people, but the important thing isn't whether or not you know the man. What's important is that you check out this series of slides from his discussion at IMGDC about the three possible futures MMOs could be facing. We're expecially fond of how he ties in different classic movies, which end up giving each of the three futures the perfect names, "The good, the bad and the ugly" along with adding in some Muppets and Blondie for good measure.

Our take on the three different futures is that we generally agree with Dr. Bartle's projections on how things would pan out -- that includes which one he thinks will actually come to pass. So go check it out, we promise that it's a very worth-while read if you've got any interest in how things could most likely play out.

Bartle talks good, bad and ugly futures originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: MMO features in the year 2013

Kyle Horner — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

If you were to look back five years ago at the year 2003, the feature lists on the MMOs of that year look quite a bit different from the games of this year. Everything from graphical advancements to new in-game concepts like Warhammer Online's Tome of Knowledge. A lot of new features have cropped up through natural evolution and forcefulness as well. A lot of these improvements were obvious, but many of them have also been unexpected.

So what kinds of advancements will the massively genre have made in another fives years? Maybe we'll all be playing MMOs on the newest consoles, or maybe not. There are a lot of variables in this considerably young genre we all love, so looking five years into the future can lead to scary places. Although that won't stop me from trying to peer towards the future in an attempt see what sorts of virtual worlds await us all.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: MMO features in the year 2013

The Digital Continuum: MMO features in the year 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dwell On It: The most important thing

Tateru Nino — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Comics, Dwell on It

Continue reading Dwell On It: The most important thing

Dwell On It: The most important thing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The end of the MMO boom, and the next step

Mike Schramm — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:10:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Gods and Heroes, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, Vanguard

Tobold speculates, as only he can do, on "the future of MMOs." If you listen to what he says, we've basically just experienced a boom in the MMO market-- after the huge success of World of Warcraft, tons of MMO makers sunk tons of money into making new "WoW-killer" MMOs, and they've all started falling apart (Vanguard, Gods and Heroes) due to lack of resources. But that doesn't mean things are over. It only means that developers are starting to realize the truth: starting up a successful MMO is a huge undertaking.

Starting up a successful single-player game can be a very cheap undertaking-- I'm currently going at it with Puzzle Quest on Xbox Live, and it is a successful single-player game that didn't require much more than the intuition to combine addicting puzzle gameplay with addicting RPG gameplay. But an MMO doesn't work that way-- the more popular you get, the more it costs you, and the more games you sell, the more you have to work to deliver even more content. Tobold is exactly right: it's tough, if not impossible, to run a lower tier MMO, just because even the lower tier games require an upper tier budget.

But he doesn't end on a cynical note, fortunately. There are definitely videogame companies running around out there that have $50 million dollars to really invest in a great MMO (EA is one of them, and now they've got not only Mythic, but another great RPG company under their wing). And when they do, we the players will benefit. As Tobold puts it so succinctly: "MMORPG history doesn't end with WoW, it begins with it." Excuse me-- the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

The end of the MMO boom, and the next step originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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