Massively

SOE shows off PlanetSide 2's Galaxy transport

Jef Reahard — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, PlanetSide 2

Another day, another PlanetSide 2 vehicle reveal. The latest update from Sony Online Entertainment features the venerable Galaxy, and if that doesn't quicken your pulse a little bit, you must've missed the original PlanetSide.

The Galaxy is a heavily armored troop transport designed to "hot drop" 12 soldiers into the heart of enemy territory. What's a hot drop? It's basically the game's sci-fi twist on the traditional parachute, and SOE says that it "automatically encapsulates any soldier or MAX unit that bails out with a protective barrier that slows their fall."

Galaxies are also sturdy enough to serve as mobile infantry bases after landing, and the ships feature respawn tubes, equipment terminals, and four weapon systems that may be operated on the ground.

SOE shows off PlanetSide 2's Galaxy transport originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

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

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

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

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

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

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

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

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Explore The Old Republic's galaxy (far, far away) in 3-D

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST

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

While Star Wars: The Old Republic has long since displayed its many, many planets on its Holonet page, BioWare's just released a brand-new map that lets you explore the entirety of the galaxy in three dimensions.

The Galaxy Map serves to give players a good feel for how enormous the Star Wars setting is as well as where all of these planets stand in relation to each other. While there are billions of star systems, only a handful support life and will be featured in the game proper.

The map is divided up into five major sectors: Coreward Worlds, Unknown Regions, Seat of the Empire, Hutt Space, and Distant Outer Rim. Players can check out the 17 revealed planets within those sectors as well as an up close and personal view of each of the six player starships.

It's important to note that the use of the 3-D galaxy map requires the installation of the Unity web player onto your computer.

Explore The Old Republic's galaxy (far, far away) in 3-D originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Smedley tweets PlanetSide Galaxy transport image

Jef Reahard — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, PlanetSide, New titles, News items

Oh John Smedley, you coy devil! The enterprising Sony Online Entertainment bossman has dropped another PlanetSide Next tease bomb on the frothing faithful, this time in the form of a new concept model from the upcoming massively multiplayer shooter.

Fans of the original PlanetSide will no doubt remember the Galaxy heavy troop transport, and an updated version of the model is now viewable along with the previously released image of what appears to be a New Conglomerate tank. The Galaxy ship was a gargantuan heavy hauler, capable of stuffing nine infantry and two MAX (Mechanized Armored Exo-Suit) units into its ample cargo hold.

Fan website PlanetSide Universe notes that this is a preliminary model and not an in-game asset, and the site also managed to get a tiny bit of additional info from Smedley regarding the reveal. "The Galaxy plays an even more pivotal role in the new game," he told the website, while his Twitter announcement is a decidedly more cryptic "I love me some Galaxy!"

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Smedley tweets PlanetSide Galaxy transport image originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online and 'the places I've been' meme

James Egan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online

The game world of EVE Online is called New Eden, a vast setting of over 5000 mapped solar systems and more than 2000 uncharted systems that can be found through wormhole exploration. The game has an interactive 3D map of the galaxy where solar systems can be color-coded according to the filters a player chooses. Pair that with a feature of the client that keeps track of each solar system you've visited, and you've got a colorful visual representation of how much of New Eden you've seen.

EVE player Kirith Kodachi created a meme of sorts where players take a star map screenshot showing where they've been in New Eden and share it with others on their sites (or Kodachi's own, Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah blog). You can check out where it started with Kirith Kodachi and follow the 'links to this post' at the bottom to see where it leads.

EVE Online and 'the places I've been' meme originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: Frag Massively edition

Mike Schramm — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PlanetSide, Events, in-game, PvP, Massively Meta, MMOFPS, Humor

Time once again to ask you readers what you're playing this weekend, and this time, we know the answer: Planetside. That's right, tomorrow afternoon is our big event in the best MMOFPS of 2003, and we really hope you'll be there to join us -- we have to have someone driving the Galaxies we're planning to shoot down out of the sky.

Other than the Planetside event, Age of Conan continues to be popular around the Massively compound, as does World of Warcraft, and EVE Online has reattracted our attention lately with the new patch's factional warfare and whatever that was that happened in Jita the other day. As we like to ask you every week, dear readers, What aRe You Playing in the world of MMOs?

Just make sure that Saturday afternoon at 6pm EST, it's Planetside -- after all, it's not every day you get to shoot us in the face. We'll be on the US Gemini server, and if you need to figure out where we are, you can just hit ESC and punch "Instant Action" in the menu. That, or just follow the carnage left in our wake!

WRUP: Frag Massively edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments