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 Perfect Ten: MMO tributes to real-life people]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-perfect-ten-mmo-tributes-to-real-life-people/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-perfect-ten-mmo-tributes-to-real-life-people/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-perfect-ten-mmo-tributes-to-real-life-people/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Ten
When a beloved friend, family member, hero, or role model dies, we feel the pain of that loss and grieve in many different ways. Part of that grieving and healing process is often entails those left behind constructing some sort of tribute to the dearly departed. Sometimes this comes in the form of a shrine of flowers, sometimes it's the establishment of a charity, and sometimes it's creating an in-game memorial that thousands if not millions of people will see over the course of years.

So while death and illness are depressing topics to dwell upon, I find the many MMO tributes that studios and even gamers have erected to be inspiring and a celebration of individual players' lives. With the help of my fellow Massively staffers, I researched 10 wonderful in-game tributes that serve to honor the lives of fellow gamers.

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO tributes to real-life people

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: MMO tributes to real-life people originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier in the year when I started this column, I realized two things. First, I'd be giving myself as much as any of you a crash-course education in older MMOs, particularly with some of the more fringe titles that I'd never really explored up to this point. And second, it would be a challenge to find the right mix of elements to do these MMOs justice.

So before we look back at all the games this column covered in 2010, I'd like to ask each and every one of you to take a minute and drop a comment about what you'd like to see The Game Archaeologist do next. What titles would you love to see honored in 2011? What features are the most interesting to you -- dev interviews, player interviews, history overviews, photo galleries, first impression playthroughs, or links to community fansites and blogs? What could I add to make The Game Archaeologist even better?

I also want to take a minute to thank the readers, players and developers who have contributed to this column so far. While there are MMOs that get a lion's share of the press these days, we at Massively are committed to spotlighting as many of these games as possible, particularly if there's a passionate community and dev team behind them. I've loved hearing your stories and hope that in passing them along, perhaps we've opened a door or two to games that you might've never considered before.

So let's hop in our hot air balloon and soar over the year that was 2010!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the year that was 2010

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist and the year that was 2010 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Anarchy-Onlineaoaolbbsbulletin-board-systemdaocdark-age-of-camelotdnddoor-gamesdungeons-and-dragonseaea-mythicend-of-the-year-2010featuredfuncomgary-gygaxjagexjickkingdom-of-loathingmark-jacobsmr-skullheadmythicMythic-Entertainmentneverwinter-nightsnew-game-enhancementsngepvprichard-garriottrunescapesoestar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgthe-game-archaeologistthe-simsthe-sims-onlinetsoturbineultima-onlineuowinter-holiday-2010wookiee-loveTue, 28 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-dragon-of-the-deep-dungeon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-dragon-of-the-deep-dungeon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-dragon-of-the-deep-dungeon/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month, he chooses a different title in order to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences.

Part of the holy mission of the Game Archaeologist is to ferret out the roots of history that ultimately led to MMORPGs as we know them today. Another part of the mission is to root out ferrets, as my claw-scarred arms can attest. Some of that history is fairly recent, but today we're going to travel back -- way back -- to a time before many of you were born. Including me, as a matter of fact.

The year is 1974. The world is hip-deep in the throes of shag carpeting, driftwood furniture and the strains of Grand Funk Railroad. It truly seemed like nothing would ever be cool or non-earth-toned again. At this, the lowest moment in all of history, game designers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson took the concept of miniature wargaming, merged it with a fantasy motif, and sold it under the name Dungeons & Dragons. Geeks everywhere had a reason to rejoice, and through this roleplaying game the foundations for MMOs were laid.

Let's take a brief survey through D&D, giving special emphasis to how this great-granddaddy of RPGs passed down a legacy that we enjoy in our modern online titles. Also, there will be popcorn.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist and the dragon of the deep dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4th-editionbandicootcharacter-sheetscs-lewiscyberpunkdave-arnesondndDungeons-and-Dragonsdungeons-and-dragons-onlinee.t.etfantasygary-gygaxgenregiant-spidersHello-Kittyhello-kitty-onlinehorrorjack-vancejrr-tolkienkirklord-of-the-ringslovecraftmichael-moorcockpen-and-paperrobert-e-howardroleplaying-gamerpgspace-elfspockstar-treksteampunkthe-game-archaeologistwesternxpTue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Explore Bahamar Bayou in Sword of the New World]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/explore-bahamar-bayou-in-sword-of-the-new-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/explore-bahamar-bayou-in-sword-of-the-new-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/explore-bahamar-bayou-in-sword-of-the-new-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The developers of innovative, free-to-play MMO Sword of the New World have released Update #4 of their Manifest Destiny expansion which introduces the new area, Bahamar Bayou. This swampy area is filled with new monsters, bosses and quests for your adventuring enjoyment. Need a new friend? Then stop off in Auch and start your quest to earn Garcia Gygax, brother to Eduardo, skilled with pistol and rapier. You will need to have completed ALL the Auch quests before you can start the quest for this honorable and ferocious fighter. (And yes, the Gygax brothers are named in honor of the father of role-playing games, E. Gary Gygax).

Also in this patch are new swim trunks and bikinis for those times when you just need to relax and recharge between forays into the wilderness. Also added is Lucifer's Wing Pack and two additional Lacquers.

Be sure to read the full patch notes for the complete list of new features and bug fixes in this latest update!

MassivelyExplore Bahamar Bayou in Sword of the New World originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expansionfantasyfree-to-playgary-gygaxhistoricalnewspatchsotnw-update-4sword-of-the-new-worldThu, 29 May 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[D&DO Module 7: The Gygax shrine and Three Barrel Cove]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/danddo-module-7-the-gygax-shrine-and-three-barrel-cove/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/danddo-module-7-the-gygax-shrine-and-three-barrel-cove/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/danddo-module-7-the-gygax-shrine-and-three-barrel-cove/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We stood in front of a peaceful shrine, adorned with a book and an inlaid gem. This little shrine in the lower level area of Delera's Tomb is a monument one of D&D's greatest champions, co-creator Gary Gygax -- it stands in the middle of the area where the man himself narrated some of the ingame DM text. Paiz also told us that there would be event quests and items associated with Gygax in the game, and though we didn't get to see any of those, it seemed like a fitting tribute to one of the men who came up with the foundation of all these games we play.

Then, we were whisked away (via admin commands in the client) to another updated low level area, Three Barrel Cove. This area was one of the first created for the game a long time ago (all of the Turbine employees present at the play session admitted that it "preceded" all of them), and since so many players will be leveling up again with the Monk class, the devs decided to revamp the approximately level 5 area, and make it bigger, clearer, and completely redistribute the monsters within. This is only one of a number of changes made to the entire game to accomodate the new class -- Paiz said that they did a "full equipment pass" on all the items to make sure that Monks were itemized throughout the levels.

The first area within Three Barrel that we got to see was The Black Loch, a huge pirate ship in a cave that serves as the tavern and hub for the area. Everything was very pirate-themed (though the pirate vs. ninja battle, we were told, would have to wait for another game update), and the devs said they had a lot of fun playing with the pirate asthetic, and turning all of the different races and groups in the game into pirate versions of themselves.

This showed in our first quest, too -- in order to prove our worth as pirates, the party was asked to make it through Rackham's Trial, a test that a pirate captain gave to recruits. There were traps aplenty inside the quest, and as we carefully (and sometimes not so -- we sprung quite a few traps just by walking into them accidentally), the devs talked about how they try to both mix up the gameplay with different types of puzzles, but also give players who aren't as interested in mind games and tricks ways to avoid them if preferred.

One example given was an "agility test" -- there were a series of ladders heading up a vertical tunnel, and as players, we had to jump from ladder to ladder (sometimes even from one side of the tunnel to the other) to make our way up top. After a few tries, we weren't getting too far, so the devs pointed out that there was another entrance in the instance that led past the trap, so only one player had to beat the test and then let everyone else through.

But on the other hand, the devs said, they didn't want to make the puzzles too easy. They also showed us an extremely elaborate puzzle that could have been designed by Rube Goldberg, consisting of a number of different floor designs, levers, dart machines, and rotating directors. With the short time we had to try the trap, we didn't even get through the first phase of it, but as tough as it was, that didn't even compare to the second trap we saw:

In a quest to save a fellow pirate, we made our way through a dungeon, and eventually ended up in a room where the man we were looking for stood in a cage in the middle. As we entered, he beckoned us not to move, but at the devs' hinting, we took a look up around the walls of the room -- every single square inch of the large pedestals of the room was covered in a kind of rotate-able jigsaw puzzle (this one will be familiar to D&D Online players, as you play a much, much simpler version of it early on in the game). The idea was to rotate the pieces to line up and make light paths, but in this gigantic version of that puzzle (the dev who made it, we were told, "is probably certifiably crazy"), there's one twist: every wrong move gets our friend in the cage shocked, and too many shocks means a dead friend and a failed quest. Players who like puzzles will find no shortage of things to do in Module 7.

Our final stop in Three Barrel Cove was in the outer area, to get a look at one of the two new monster types in Module 7, the Sahaguin, a race of fishmen armed with spears living on the coast near the pirate ships. Their design and animations were suitably impressive (their spears did a fun flip before planting themselves in the sand when the creatures died), and we were told that this is only the beginning of the story for these creatures.

After a look at the updated lower level area, we then headed to a wreckage that will also be very familiar to D&D Online players, and that serves as the mouth of the new higher level quests dungeons in Module 7.

Click here to continue the preview...

MassivelyD&DO Module 7: The Gygax shrine and Three Barrel Cove originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dungeons-and-dragons-onlinegary-gygaxhands-onkate-paizshrinethree-barrel-coveTue, 27 May 2008 11:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/massively-previews-dungeons-and-dragons-onlines-module-7/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/massively-previews-dungeons-and-dragons-onlines-module-7/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/massively-previews-dungeons-and-dragons-onlines-module-7/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,


Dungeons & Dragons Online continues to hold their own in a quickly-growing MMO world. When DDO first showed up as a licensed MMO of the grandaddy of roleplaying games, their main goal was just to meet expectations -- so many people have been a fan of the pen-and-paper game for so long that putting it into MMO form was no easy task. But since release, the DDO team has made improvement after improvement, and added so much content to the game that it's moved beyond the license to stand on its own as a very singular kind of MMO.

Massively got a chance to sit down with the team and take a look at the latest update, Module 7, due out on June 3, and currently in public testing. In addition to some extended playtime with the new Monk class, we got to see updates to the lower level Three Barrel Cove area, a shrine to recently passed-on D&D creator Gary Gygax, and the new raid area under the destroyed Marketplace tent, as well as a few new monsters and raid bosses that can be found down there.

To start your tour through Module 7, just roll a d20 and click on through. To jump to any section of the walkthrough (including directly to our exclusive video preview, if that's what you're looking for), hit the links after the break.

Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Module 7 Walkthrough

Continue reading Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7

MassivelyMassively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since when did role-playing become a dirty word? Apparently even mentioning the initials of the dreaded "RP" is enough to make people want to prove John Gabriel's Greater Internet Dickwad Theory as loudly as possible. Players go out of their way to make others feel uncomfortable and to ruin any sort of fun some people may have. Is it because it's the internet? Or have we forgotten the history of the role-playing game?

Because I can't exactly spend a whole column talking about the horrors of the internet (NSFW) I'm going to be focusing on the place of role-playing and how it got interjected into these online games of ours.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: I wear funny hats and I'm proud of it

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: I wear funny hats and I'm proud of it originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The death of Gary Gygax earlier this month is still sinking in for the nerd nation. Despite some viciously cruel (and completely off-base) commentary on his legacy, it's fair to say that his work had an enormous impact on gaming as a hobby. Videogames in particular have been affected by his work, and to explore that the Newsweek games blog LevelUp has been chatting with various industry paragons about how D&D affected them. As you might imagine, the MMO developer crowd is well represented; NCsoft's Richard Garriott, EA Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs, and Sony Online CEO John Smedley all weigh in with a few words about their time with pen and paper.

Mr. Smedley and Mr. Garriott are well-known D&D players, with the game's influence on the Ultima and EverQuest titles a fairly open bit of gaming trivia. Mr. Jacobs, though, had an especially interesting take on what has been lost since the early days of tabletop gaming: "I think we've lost some creativity, challenge and true social interaction. If you go back to the heyday of table-top gaming, you had an amazing variety of games, worlds, etc. to explore ... while games like EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, World of Warcraft, etc. have their own magic and wonder, some of the pen-and-paper gaming sessions that I participated in were a lot more fun, intense and immersive than anything I've played on a computer."

MassivelyThe long goodbye to Gary Gygax continues originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dungeons-and-dragonsgary-gygaxjohn-smedleymark-jacobsrichard-garriottThu, 20 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New MMOs breaking the combat mold?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/08/new-mmos-breaking-the-combat-mold/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/08/new-mmos-breaking-the-combat-mold/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/08/new-mmos-breaking-the-combat-mold/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


With the recent death of Gary Gygax, one of the original creators of Dungeons and Dragons, lots of people have stopped to reflect on the way his work continues to affect the games we play. In many ways, the dominant style of MMO combat we see in games today, particularly in the Everquest and World of Warcraft vein, is a direct descendant of tabletop gameplay. As much as that model has served us well over the years, some, like JoBildo over at TTH, believe that the future of MMO combat is almost upon us, and once we see the light, we'll never want to go back.

It does certainly seem like combat is one of the most obvious areas where MMOs can use improvement, which is why it's really not so surprising to see so many developers try and attack it in order to become 'the next big thing.' Still, new combat systems haven't really done anything to help the success of DDO or Tabula Rasa, and rumors are flying around that the combat is just about the only thing going right in Age of Conan. You just don't see gamers defecting from World of Warcraft and its relatively old-school combat system, which leads one to believe that gamers are still more interested in the package deal. Including new ways to swing a sword will get you some curious attention at first, but in order to keep players coming back you've got to have a lot more than that.

MassivelyNew MMOs breaking the combat mold? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaoccombatcombat-systemgary-gygaxJoBildotthSat, 08 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Our games are built on paper and dice]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/our-games-our-built-on-paper-and-dice/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/our-games-our-built-on-paper-and-dice/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/our-games-our-built-on-paper-and-dice/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

As a tip of the hat to the passing of a tabletop gaming icon, I thought it worthwhile to link back to a great article Allen Varney wrote for the Escapist website in 2005. Entitled "Our Games Are Built On Paper", it outlines the incredible impact that people like Gary Gygax and Dave Arenson have had on videogames in general and Massively Multiplayer games in specific.

The piece notes the numerous PnP designers that have made the jump to videogame development; a reminder of the numerous people who have worked on City of Heroes and City of Villains that originated in the pen and paper world. It concludes by noting the advances of a more recent generation of tabletop designers, and fittingly begins with words that ring very true today:

IN THE BEGINNING - which is to say, 1974 - there were E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, two tabletop miniatures gamers in Wisconsin who begat Dungeons & Dragons. And D&D begat an orc-horde of paper-and-dice imitators and emulators. And it was good.

MassivelyOur games are built on paper and dice originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroesd20dungeons-and-dragonsgary-gygaxin-memoriampen-and-papertabletop-gamingTue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: A D&D tribute]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/one-shots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/one-shots/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/one-shots/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


For those who may not have heard the news -- according to his publisher, the well-loved Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax passed away this morning. In honor of the memory of Gary's vision and the game that has helped set many imaginations on fire, we'd like to bring you a screenshot from the MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons Online. It is a land, game and concept that would likely not have existed without Gary's imagination and determination.

We here at Massively would like to send out our heartfelt condolences to Gary's friends and family at this time. His contributions to the world of gaming -- both online and offline -- were enormous. He will be sorely missed, but his vision will live on with those of us who have been influenced by his passion for gaming.

Gallery: One Shots


[Updated to fix PEBKAC error]

MassivelyOne Shots: A D&D tribute originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ddodungeons-and-dragonsdungeons-and-dragons-onlinefantasyfeaturedgary-gygaxone-shotstributeturbineTue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST