Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Secret World's engine takes center stage]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/the-secret-worlds-engine-takes-center-stage/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Maybe this will work out okay. Maybe... maybe he just wants a friend.
Unified engines for MMOs have long been a rarity, simply due to the time needed to develop a game and the number of different companies developing separate products. The Secret World manages to buck this trend, using the same core Dreamworld Engine as Funcom's Age of Conan. A recent interview with lead programmer Øystein Eftevaag discusses the way that the engine interacts with the newer game, how the unified engine helps both games, and what special features the game is using in a technical sense.

Eftevaag explains that the Dreamworld Engine benefits chiefly from cross-pollination; improvements made in terms of optimization for Age of Conan can be imported to the engine on The Secret World with minimal extra legwork. The engine also uses a series of dynamic equations to determine what player characters should be able to see, subsequently leaving obscured areas blank to save on processor cycles. It's an interesting look under the hood at the technical side of Funcom's upcoming conspiracy and horror title, even if this particular dream world is tilted toward a nightmare.

MassivelyThe Secret World's engine takes center stage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocØystein-Eftevaagcodingcore-enginedreamworld-engineenginefuncomgame-enginegame-featuresgraphical-featuresinterviewinterviewsoystein-eftevaagprogrammingthe-secret-worldtswMon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you like optimizing your character?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-like-optimizing-your-character/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-like-optimizing-your-character/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-like-optimizing-your-character/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

See, it's an engine. Maybe it's been tuned. I don't know much about cars.
In some ways, a character in an MMO is like a car. Some people are going to have one that's just plain bad, because they don't care about it and just want the bare minimum of functionality. Others will take care of it to an extent, helping it blend into the great sea of average. But just like with cars, there are people who will spend days and weeks tuning a character to the absolute limits of performance, working hours on end just to eke out another fraction of a percent of stat bonuses. Either way, you're pushing the limits of what the engine can manage.

Of course, to some people, optimizing your character is the only way to play. To others, it's searingly tedious when all you want is to just log in and have fun. So what do you think? Do you like trying to tune your character to be the best? Or would you much prefer to just play the game and take a more casual approach? Are there certain things you have to be the best at and others you don't care about?

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

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you like optimizing your character? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancecharactercharacter-performancegame-enginegame-mechanicsopinionstat-bonusestdgthe-daily-grindtuningFri, 19 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Garriott returns to gaming with Portalarium]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/garriott-returns-to-gaming-with-portalarium/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/garriott-returns-to-gaming-with-portalarium/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/garriott-returns-to-gaming-with-portalarium/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Richard Garriott isn't a man content to rest on his laurels. Just after we hear that the documentary about his space trip is coming out, we now hear that he's found a new niche in the multi-player gaming industry. Only this time, he's not developing a traditional MMO as one might suspect. Instead, Garriott has revealed his involvement in a start-up called Portalarium, which is setting out to get a chunk of that browser-based social game cash floating around on Facebook and other social media networks.

Currently, Portalarium isn't so much a games company as a games engine company. According to a great writeup about this new company by Dean Takahashi over on GamesBeat, their general feeling is that the current crop of Facebook games are "relatively primitive in terms of game play." The Portalarium team plans to make richer, more engaging games that will manage to give players a high-quality game while still remaining in a browser and not needing a separate download. In all, it's a fascinating article -- both in terms of technology, and in terms of what Garriott has been up to (there's a bit about Tabula Rasa in there too) -- so be sure to pop over there and give the full article a read.

MassivelyGarriott returns to gaming with Portalarium originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browser-basedfacebookgame-enginelord-britishpokerportalariumrichard-garriottWed, 17 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST