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Pathfinder Online developer blog outlines the path of production

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Sandbox, Crafting

Everything comes from somewhere. That's one of the axioms underpinning Pathfinder Online -- almost every single object that players see will have been produced by a player. In the most recent development blog, the process for gathering and producing items is outlined, and it bears all of the detailed hallmarks of the game's other systems. This isn't a game in which players grab a pickaxe and swing at the nearest rock face for ore; instead, you construct a camp and start up an entire mining operation.

The game has a basic three-tiered structure to its non-combat operation, starting with harvesting the resource, moving on to processing and refining the items in question, and finishing with crafting a usable item. And as an outgrowth of the game's open systems, these elements work in multiple directions. Starting a camp to harvest resources, for example, can generate a lot of commotion and attract hostile monsters, necessitating that players deal with the fallout or find someone else willing to do so. No one can accuse the designers of making crafting activities a secondary goal with this degree of detail involved.

Pathfinder Online developer blog outlines the path of production originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Massively: A confluence of awesome edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous, Crafting

Every so often, awesome things happen. Apparently, for reasons I cannot begin to explain, I can now dress my characters in Final Fantasy XIII-2 in N7 armor from Mass Effect 3. This makes me happy in countless ways. I'd like to have full-on armor customization for the suits, but then, I'd also like the game to be a totally separate storyline as opposed to providing a wholly unnecessary epilogue to Final Fantasy XIII. So I'm focusing on combining an awesome game system with a visual element of an awesome game.

This week's Ask Massively has nothing to do with combining one thing with another thing. Or maybe it sort of does, seeing as how it's all about crafting and gathering instead of killing stuff. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment, send it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.

Continue reading Ask Massively: A confluence of awesome edition

Ask Massively: A confluence of awesome edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why I Play: Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Why I Play

From the moment I set foot in the beta to Final Fantasy XIV, I was hooked. This, if you somehow managed to miss everything going on around the game's launch, was the exact opposite of most players' reactions. Most people found the interface clunky and counterintuitive, the main form of content repetitive, and the combat system awkward and frequently frustrating.

Here's the thing: None of those statements is wrong. The game has made enormous progress over the past year toward fixing those issues, but the players like yours truly who do enjoy the game don't love these elements. They love the game that lies underneath all of that, the design elements that shine through despite a lot of hoops you have to jump through first.

I enjoyed the game at launch. I enjoy the game now, and based on what I've seen so far, I'm going to enjoy the game in the future. There's something very special about the game amidst all of the downsides, something that made me decide back in beta that even if this game is going to take extra work to play, it's going to reward the effort.

Continue reading Why I Play: Final Fantasy XIV

Why I Play: Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: Guild Wars 2 crafting explained

Elisabeth Cardy — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Guides, Crafting

Remember how I wanted to talk to you about crafting in Guild Wars 2? Let's do that now. I made a video while I was fiddling around with the weaponsmithing and armorsmithing disciplines in the recent Guild Wars 2 closed beta press weekend, and I've included it in this extra edition of Flameseeker Chronicles. Let's take a look at exactly what's going on for your first 25 points or so in these disciplines.

Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: Guild Wars 2 crafting explained

Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: Guild Wars 2 crafting explained originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes sets the date for the next Freedom Player Summit

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play

Did you miss the first City of Heroes player summit? It's understandable -- no matter how much of a fan you might be, a trip to California in November is hard to swing sometimes with the holidays fast approaching. But perhaps you'll have better luck in April, as that's the announced month for the second Freedom Player Summit taking place (once again) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Specifically, the summit is planned for Saturday, April 28th, 2012.

It's also quite possible, of course, that you did attend the first summit and found certain areas of the event to be sorely lacking. That's something that the staff at Paragon Studios is looking at very seriously; it's made a change to a single panel track rather than multiples and will host more interactive panels instead of static ones. Keep an eye over the next few weeks for more details on pricing and location if you're interested in going; for fans of the game, it's a great chance to get your feedback heard in person.

City of Heroes sets the date for the next Freedom Player Summit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Adventures equal battles

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

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

One of the big selling points of Final Fantasy XIV before launch was that there were many classes devoted to doing things other than fighting. The promise was made, more than once (if memory serves), that even non-combat classes would get to take part in the main story, and it was also stated that these classes would still be useful to an adventuring party even if not quite as good as another Disciple of War or Magic.

At this point, of course, we can confidently say that part was a lie. A Botanist is about as useful in combat as an actual botanist in a fistfight. But Naoki Yoshida has gone on record that the former part is a lie as well -- that if you want to take part in the main storyline, you really do need to level a combat class. It wasn't something that was really highlighted, but it was still there, and it's worth unpacking as we look forward to another year of the game's ongoing development. If you came in expecting to only craft and gather, you're no longer going to have your run of the place.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Adventures equal battles

The Mog Log: Adventures equal battles originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Double XP weekends coming soon to an Aion server near you

Jef Reahard — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Aion, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items

It's a good time to be an Aion fan, what with the recently released 2.7 update adding some new content to the world of Atreia and the buzz surrounding the forthcoming 3.0 patch building day by day. It's also a good time to return to Aion if you've been away for a while, as NCsoft is throwing a gaggle of bonuses your way over the next few weeks.

Every weekend from now through December 6th, you'll enjoy double gathering, crafting, and slaying XP. There are also time-played bonuses that reward arena tickets, enchantment stone boxes, and manastone boxes in two-, four-, and six-hour increments each day. Finally, the Daru Days festival starts on November 23rd, and daevas who are willing to complete the Daru quest series will receive a Silver Fur Daru clothing set for their trouble. Head past the cut to see NCsoft's new Aion promotional video (if you dare!).

[Source: NCsoft press release]

Continue reading Double XP weekends coming soon to an Aion server near you

Double XP weekends coming soon to an Aion server near you originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: WindSlayer 2 dev diary gets economic

Matt Daniel — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Professions, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Crafting

Now that we've gotten a look at the basics of WindSlayer 2's melee and ranged classes, it's time to delve into what makes the game's economy tick. So if you're a shrewd businessman, head on past the cut to the dev diary and find out how you can play the market in WindSlayer 2.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: WindSlayer 2 dev diary gets economic

Massively Exclusive: WindSlayer 2 dev diary gets economic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide

Jef Reahard — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Dawntide, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting

Hey folks, and welcome back to Some Assembly Required. The column's been around for a little bit now, and we've done everything from developer interviews to opinionated rants to sandbox and player-generated content feature spotlights. One thing we haven't done is an impressions piece on new sandbox titles, and I aim to fill that void today with an early look at Dawntide.

The title is an open-world fantasy sandbox under development by Working as Intended, an indie outfit that calls Copenhagen, Denmark home. Dawntide has been under construction for quite a while now (we first spoke with the devs way back in the summer of 2009), and after a series of funding and development challenges, the end of the long beta journey is in sight.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide

Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Age of Wulin videos show life skills, combat

Jef Reahard — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Crafting

More Age of Wulin beta news is on tap courtesy of MMO Culture, and more video footage is available as well. The free-to-play fantasy sandbox just opened its initial closed beta phase to the Chinese market, and as a result we're getting a first look at some of the game's unique features and skills.

While most MMOs focus completely on combat, Age of Wulin features some very intriguing non-combat aspects, many of which are found in the life skills tree. In addition to traditional gathering and crafting disciplines, there are also sewing, musician, artist, chess, fortune teller, and beggar skills, just to name a few.

Combat isn't forgotten, course, and you can view a basic combat tutorial video and some life skill clips after the break.

Continue reading Age of Wulin videos show life skills, combat

Age of Wulin videos show life skills, combat originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries

On the last exciting episode of Luvinia Online Exposé, Outspark shared with us some of the design plans and interesting mechanics behind its gear system for this upcoming title. Today, it's all about enchanting -- the interesting art of taking something and pimping the heck out of it -- and other cool ways to customize the items in your inventory.

So what does Luvinia's system for gear upgrades look like, and how can players best utilize these features to fine-tune their characters' potential? We'll let the devs at Outspark answer this for themselves:

You gotta have options

Last time we talked a little bit about some ways to make what you've got even better with energy stones. While the energy stones are temporary and add quite a bit of personalized bang for the buck, there are also a few ways to permanently update your gear to better suit your role. The two big ones we'll cover are enchanting and card placement, but there are a few other tricks in game to help you too.

Continue reading Massively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes

Massively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV talks about the new stealthy gathering

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

It's not always easy being a gatherer in Final Fantasy XIV. Sure, you get all of the features of a full-fledged class, and that's pretty nice. You are sent out into the wild amidst hordes of ravenous beasts, however, and you aren't given many defensive options beyond "try to throw a rock at things." At least, that's the case at the moment. Patch 1.19 is bringing a major change to the way Disciplines of the Land handle their trade, with a new ability known as Coeurl Step.

Named after the cat-like monsters found across the series, the new ability permits gatherers to enter an undetectable state for various tiers of levels at the cost of a severe drop in movement speed. Stealth can be maintained even while gathering, however, allowing players to sneak right past aggressive monsters and take their bounty from the land with ease. While Coeurl Step is exclusive to the gathering classes, there are few players who haven't picked up one gathering class or another, so most of the playerbase will benefit from the option to go incognito.

Final Fantasy XIV talks about the new stealthy gathering originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes heading for San Diego Comic Con

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, News items

It's understandable that a lot of people might be in convention overload at the moment -- after all, E3 is just now wrapping up with all the information that entails. But for City of Heroes fans, the next big convention is still around the corner. San Diego Comic Con 2011 is taking place at the end of July, and Paragon Studios will be showing off on the show floor, celebrating both the game's four-color roots and the latest developments in gameplay.

While the team has given several presentations in recent conventions, this year the game will have a booth on the show floor from July 21st to July 24th, giving players a chance to stop by and talk about the game with both developers and community managers. And if that's not enough, the team will also be giving away a new costume card, transforming characters into the Mk-VI Victoria assassin droid. City of Heroes players should keep their eyes peeled for more news of a meet-and-greet to accompany the gathering.

City of Heroes heading for San Diego Comic Con originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fishing changes on the way to Final Fantasy XI

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Patches, Professions, News items, Consoles

There are certain constants in Final Fantasy XI that every veteran of the game knows, whether or not they were intended by the development team. It's a known fact, for instance, that you need an extra character to serve as a storage mule. You need to farm if you want money. And fishing is well-known for both being all but required for making money and being frequently boring and frustrating. But that last constant looks to be poised for changing, with the newest fishing changes promising a cleaner and easier experience while trawling Vana'diel's waters.

The first welcome change will give players a more detailed set of information when fishing rather than a simple generic message that you've snagged something. The second, however, will be even more helpful for fishers -- a message informing you of exactly what you've hooked if your skill level surpasses the level required for the fish. Both changes go hand-in-hand with a general revamp and improvement of the fishing code to make fishing easier for Final Fantasy XI's anglers to enjoy, while at the same time cutting down on the often unwanted botting that plagues fishing holes.

Fishing changes on the way to Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW player makes her way to 85 without quest or kill experience

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items

Tired of the same old same old in your favorite MMO? Looking for something else to do? Well, if you're one of a particular breed of players, you might try out setting some self-imposed limitations on your leveling. In World of Warcraft, several players have tried their hands at different methods. Gutrot from the EU leveled to 70 wearing only a loincloth. Gweryc decided to run his hunter as a melee-only character. Noor the Pacifist then decided to level his character to 70 by not killing any mobs at all, and he only did quests that involved non-violent criteria (like FedEx quests).

Now we hear that another player has upped the alternative-leveling ante by not questing at all. Everbloom, level 85 Night Elf Restoration Druid from the Feathermoon server, leveled all the way to 85 by grinding exploration and gathering experience! While Everbloom's armory profile shows that the character entered one five-man dungeon at some point, there is only one completed quest -- and Everbloom explained that one was a fluke. Apparently Blizzard blindsided her by granting a quest completion for simply reading an Argent Tournament invitation letter -- even without having a quest for it. Everbloom additionally managed to level to 85 while only dying 25 times in total (once to falling), making this crazy stunt an even more impressive feat.

If you'd like to read more about it directly from the source, head over to the World of Warcraft forums and check out Feathermoon's leveling thread. It's certainly worth a look if you've ever thought about trying some form of self-imposed limitation leveling in your MMO of choice.

WoW player makes her way to 85 without quest or kill experience originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: I've been digging on the homestead...

MJ Guthrie — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Game mechanics, New titles, Opinion, Massively Meta, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic

All the live long day! Sing it with me now...

There really is something to be said for creating your own world. How many of you gamers out there have just ached for a MMO game in which you could truly affect the world instead of rolling along on a predestined path that is the same for everyone? As I delve deeper into Xsyon, that is what I find -- a world where my actions have real meaning. A world where we can change not only the political and economic landscapes but the literal landscape.

For Choose My Adventure this week, you, the Massively readers, decided that I shall work on my architecture skills and place a homestead (thereby allowing me to terraform). This really highlights some of the most unique features of the game. Although I dove into these new tasks with gusto, I now know why olden-day manual laborers sang songs during their work -- there is serious need of brain stimulation during long, monotonous labor. And building a new world from the ground up is seriously a long and slow process. If nothing else, Xsyon is not a game for the instant-gratification crowd. Which is all the better, in my opinion.

For a deeper look at terraforming, crafting, and general life in the Tahoe Basin, build a bridge over the cut and check out where our adventures led this week.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: I've been digging on the homestead...

Choose My Adventure: I've been digging on the homestead... originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP hides valuable information within QR code

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, News items

Being a bit devious and underhanded in EVE Online is pretty much the basic standard of interaction. CCP's flagship game has built itself a reputation of rewarding the clever and the analytical, but the developers themselves have only occasionally taken part in the antics themselves. The development team has gone a step further this time, however, posting a bit of valuable information for fans... in the form of a QR code, with no further hints for players.

Players with smartphones and other QR readers have already deciphered the meaning of the square, which promises a fan gathering at PAX East in Boston. There will be developers, drinks, and an event exclusive, but players will be required to mail their first and last names as well as their character names to paxeast2011@ccpgames.com in order to attend. It promises to be a fun time for EVE Online fans -- and while it's a bit of a sneaky way of making the announcement, really, it's par for the course.

[Thanks to Prime Synergy for the tip!]

CCP hides valuable information within QR code originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCsoft hypes Aion double crafting XP and holiday events

Jef Reahard — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game, News items

Happy Solorius Festival, Daevas! Yes, the Atreian equivalent of Christmas is back, and you can join the ongoing Aion celebration through January 5th. You'll find new quests in both Sanctum and Pandaemonium, as well as rewards that include decorative hats, gift bundles, and buff consumables.

Mid-winter and New Year's marks the Year of the Ribbit celebration, and festivities include even more quests and rewards (including new ribbit outfit pieces). The party starts December 22nd and lasts through January 12th.

Finally, NCsoft is turning on the double XP spigot again, this time in honor of Atreia's crafters. Friday, December 17th through Monday, December 20th is a prime time for catching up on any artisan activities you may have been neglecting, as double XP for crafting, essence-tapping, and aether-tapping will be in full effect.

NCsoft hypes Aion double crafting XP and holiday events originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game

Jef Reahard — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Darkfall, Massively Meta, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure

Welcome back to Massively's Choose My Adventure. As I'm gearing up for the fifth week of my excursion through Darkfall and the lands of Agon, I've settled into something of a groove based on my own personal playstyle and the schedules of folks that I've met in the game. Aventurine's sandbox is a game that sucks you in in a number of different ways. It's a game that you can (and really should) play a lot, and it's not a game that I'd recommend to folks who are dabblers and game-hoppers or those who have a ton of additional demands on their free time. This isn't solely because of the skill grind, either, but also because of the large degree of freedom a player has to choose his own goals, path, and endgame.

Ultimately, Darkfall is a pretty large middle finger in the face of the popular notion that MMORPGs are casual games. In fact, Aventurine said as much several months ago, and this attitude informs just about every aspect of Agon. Though some might consider this a negative, I've thus far found it to be quite a bit of fun as well as a refreshing change from the vast majority of the disposable MMOs I've played over the past half decade.

Join me after the cut for a look at time management in Agon as well as my weekly recap.

Gallery: Choose My Adventure - Darkfall Gallery #3

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game

Choose My Adventure: Time management and the AFK game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TOR video talks crew skills and PvP

Jef Reahard — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Ready for another look at crew skills and PvP in BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic? If so, G4TV has you covered in the form of a five-minute video featuring Daniel Erickson and extensive in-game footage. Erickson explains the gathering, crafting, and mission components that make up crew skills (which is basically BioWare's catch-all term for traditional MMO crafting).

"Missions are something very different, and for missions to make sense, you have to understand the base concept of crew skills, which is that you are not the one doing this stuff. Your companion characters are the ones who are going hands-on and doing the crafting," Erickson says.

In terms of TOR's PvP implementation, Erickson illustrates BioWare's goal of making the mechanic appropriately contextual to the Star Wars universe (as opposed to the kill-everything-moving-just-because mentality common to many PvP systems). He describes everything from slicing terminals to seeing turrets move in real time, painting a picture of an immersive PvP experience that makes sense within the framework of the license.

Finally, Erickson talks a bit about the recently announced race/class combos, including the Sith pureblood. Check out the video after the cut, or at G4TV.

Continue reading TOR video talks crew skills and PvP

TOR video talks crew skills and PvP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA crafting and gathering videos sighted

Jef Reahard — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, New titles, News items, TERA

En Masse Entertainment and Bluehole Studio have made action combat the focus of TERA's marketing campaign, and for the most part, that's all we've heard about over the past several months (well, that and how much some people are turned off by bikini armor).

At long last, a bit of information about TERA's crafting and gathering mechanics (yes it has them!) has surfaced. The news takes the form of a player-written guide over at TERAfans, and it features a run-down on resources, professions, and raw materials. As it turns out, players can opt to pursue alchemy, armor and weaponsmithing, carpentry, or tailoring and leatherworking professions.

The article also features two in-game videos showing the mechanics in action. Jump the cut for some footage of a player gathering ore and crystal as well as the crafting of a low-level staff. Keep in mind that this info hails from the Korean beta client and so is subject to change.

Continue reading TERA crafting and gathering videos sighted

TERA crafting and gathering videos sighted originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare reveals The Old Republic crew skill details

Jef Reahard — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:10:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Curious about crafting in BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMORPG? We are too. We're so curious in fact, that we're bringing you not one but two crafting-centric stories today. In addition to our exclusive dev interview, BioWare has also updated its official The Old Republic website with a hefty dose of info on crew skills.

In a nutshell, your hero character will have the ability to assign crafting, gathering, and even mission skills to various NPC crew members. While you're out saving the galaxy, chasing attractive Twi'leks, or whatever it is that heroes do these days, your faithful companions will be doing all the grunt work involved in keeping you competitive when it comes to crafting.

Gathering skills include bioanalysis, scavenging, and slicing, while crafting skills break down into armormech, artifice, and biochem categories. Last but not least, mission skills feature diplomacy and treasure hunting. That's not all either, as the web page features a few tantalizing question marks indicating further skill reveals in the future. We'll tell our astromechs and slicers to keep a sharp lookout, and in the meantime, you can view the crew skills video after the cut.

Continue reading BioWare reveals The Old Republic crew skill details

BioWare reveals The Old Republic crew skill details originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest Final Fantasy XIV dispatch clarifies the value of stats

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV players have been facing something of an issue when it comes to the game's statistics and its playstyle. It's not hard to guess at what three of the six physical stats do, but the three more magic-oriented stats have been a bit of a mystery, and the effect that any of the stats have on activities such as gathering or crafting has been even less clear. Fortunately for players, Square-Enix's renewed commitment to player communication has led to the most recent dispatch on the official site covering exactly what each stat does, what each one costs to raise, and how many points you can expect to spread between stats at the level cap.

Aside from simply clarifying the effect that each stat has on combat, the latest article goes into depth on which disciplines make the heaviest use of which stat. All three gathering classes, for instance, use one of the mental stats and one of the physical stats, while crafting classes use different stats depending upon the tool utilized. Players who are working their way through Final Fantasy XIV would be well-served to take a look at the full article and start considering how they want their stats arranged, especially considering that reassigning them only takes a little extra effort on the player's part.

Newest Final Fantasy XIV dispatch clarifies the value of stats originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A crafting and harvesting primer for Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, New titles, Professions, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Guides

Crafting and harvesting in Final Fantasy XIV is a bit more involved than players have come to expect from the genre. Of course, that's kind of a given for a game in which crafting and gathering classes make up more than half of the options for players. Like with any other game, crafting and harvesting are optional rather than mandatory -- but in this case, fighting monsters with spells and weapons is also optional, with the non-combat classes also being fully capable of reaching the level cap without ever attacking anything.

While the systems for gathering materials and for crafting an item aren't as in-depth and ability-specific as the combat system, they're still far more involved than the now-standard practice of clicking a glowing resource node and waiting for a moment. Both involve minigames which require some attention and thought during play. Click on past the cut for a quick primer on working with Final Fantasy XIV's less violent classes.

Continue reading A crafting and harvesting primer for Final Fantasy XIV

A crafting and harvesting primer for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More information on Final Fantasy XIV's crafters and harvesters

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

With the beta testing in full swing and the release date just around the corner, you might think that Final Fantasy XIV fans would have all the information that they need. Of course, anyone highly anticipating the game would be quick to point out the exact opposite, eagerly looking for any more details about the game, especially with so much left to know about the various Disciplines. A recent article on Famitsu (translated by the helpful team at FFXIVCore) sheds new light on some of the less flashy disciplines -- not those of War or Magic, but the Hand and the Land, gathering and crafting.

The new article gives more details on Harvesters (which may be dubbed Botanists in the official translation), Goldsmiths, Armourers (possibly due to lose the British spelling), Woodworkers, and Fishermen. Each class has a small writeup explaining their tasks and talents, such as the rapport that Harvesters enjoy with plants or the equipment-enhancing talents of Goldsmiths. Take a look at the article for a clearer picture of the plethora of non-combat activities that come along with Final Fantasy XIV -- even if many of the noncombatants will be well served by having a few combat-ready escorts.

More information on Final Fantasy XIV's crafters and harvesters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Greed is Good

Jef Reahard — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Economy, Guides, Crafting, Making money, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

The world of Atreia can be a bit unforgiving to the uninitiated, particularly when it comes to providing for your Daeva's economic well-being. Gear costs kinah, Aion's currency, and new skills cost even more kinah. Attaining level 40 last week set my sorcerer back over 800 thousand smackers. Granted, I got some nifty new death-dealing skills for my trouble, but I also parted with nearly all my net worth.

What's that you say? You want to advance your crafting and gathering skills beyond the newb tier? Yep, you guessed it, get ready to shell out some more kinah. In fact, skilling up a single crafting discipline to the mastery level will cost you between 2 and 2.5 million kinah, not including the cost of the materials needed to craft the work orders. Gathering is similarly expensive, though it doesn't require materials like crafting, only level tier purchases. Finally, there is the Soul Healer, that bank account black hole that has sucked many millions of mah money into the nether regions of NCSoft's server nebula, for, every time I die in PvE, it's off to see the Soul Healer to regain a bit of lost experience. As of level 40, my average trip to this big-hat buffoon costs between 40 and 50 thousand kinah. Last week, after a particularly unfortunate pickup group, I wracked up a 300 thousand kinah Soul Healing bill.

Fly past the cut for some Aion kinah-making strategies.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Greed is Good

Wings Over Atreia: Greed is Good originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go out and steal oil in Planet Calypso's 10.1 update

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Entropia Universe, Economy, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP

In a move to make our virtual lives eerily more like our real ones, the First Planet Company has re-opened the oil pumping station on Planet Calypso with patch 10.1, offering all players the chance to make a quick profit by grabbing oil from the pump -- if you can make it out alive, of course.

The pumping station is not only in the middle of the wasteland, but it's also surrounded by angry NPCs (the wastelanders) and it's right in the middle of an open PvP area. Sure, you can make a tidy profit by grabbing oil from the station, but you have to be efficient and sneaky about it. Otherwise, you'll just end up with a bullet in your back and your blood mixed with the oil.

Continue reading Go out and steal oil in Planet Calypso's 10.1 update

Go out and steal oil in Planet Calypso's 10.1 update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why you should be playing Runes of Magic: Open Crafting

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Guides, New titles, Crafting, Professions, Player Housing, Free-to-play, Massively Meta, Academic, Education, Runes of Magic, Why You Should Be Playing

"Why you should be playing ..." is a freeform column from Massively.com intended to inform you about our favorite parts of our favorite games. We want you to know why we're playing them, so you can know what to play.

Runes of Magic is enjoying some well-deserved attention lately as it's wrapping up its open beta and preparing for a launch in March. To offer some more incentive for interested gamers to check out the game, we figured we'd let you in on a little secret: this game is awesome! How awesome? Although this would be a 10,000-word essay if that question were to be answered entirely, we're going to give you some information on just one of our favorite features of the game: open crafting professions.

What exactly is open crafting? It's a crafting system with no restrictions and no limits. The crafting profession system in Runes of Magic is the gathering and manufacturing of materials to create in-game items. It's the process of creating these items with special recipes and selling them on the Auction Hall. This is something we're accustomed to in most of our favorite big-name MMOs, but in RoM, you can take all crafting and gathering professions right from the start.

Continue reading Why you should be playing Runes of Magic: Open Crafting

Why you should be playing Runes of Magic: Open Crafting originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making/Money: Hurry Up and Wait

Alexis Kassan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Economy, Crafting, Making/Money

It took a few weeks, but I finally made it to level 20 in Age of Conan. It was an intense time getting through quest after quest, killing random mobs, and starting to mark my map with waypoints in anticipation. Though the levels did seem to go quickly, they just could not be fast enough for me as I was trying to get to... resource gathering.

Yes, resource gathering is that important. It's the first look you get at the crafting system and a great opportunity to start hoarding money for later use (like for purchasing the lowest level horse in AoC, which costs a seeming fortune at 75 silver). That's especially true of games that put level minimums on skills as is seen in both AoC and World of Warcraft.

But AoC takes a new tack in the way that they approach leveling crafts. Keep reading as I take a look at what the pros and cons of this new system are for the crafting system and the economy overall.

Continue reading Making/Money: Hurry Up and Wait

Making/Money: Hurry Up and Wait originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crafting, what is it good for?

Chris Chester — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, MMO industry, New titles, Crafting, Professions, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Tabula Rasa

Crafting in MMOs is a complex and widely varying thing. While most games include crafting in some form or another, it doesn't seem like there's much of a consensus on what purpose crafting is supposed to serve, and similar systems are often received radically differently depending on the title in question. Brian Green of Psychochild has had crafting on the brain recently and simplified the perceived goals of crafting into three areas (which I have further simplified): fun, utility, and money sink. His analysis is pretty in-depth, but he stops short of offering his own version of a crafting system, which we would have liked to have heard.

It's interesting that something as valuable to a rewarding MMO experience as crafting is so routinely put on the back-burner. Age of Conan and Tabula Rasa are both glaring examples of recent releases whose crafting systems are either incomplete or mostly useless as they exist in the game. We'll be interested to see whether Warhammer Online's crafting system will be as interesting as it seemed when it was explained to us, or whether it will join the ever-growing pile of time wasting duds.

Crafting, what is it good for? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making/Money: Flawed by Design

Alexis Kassan — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Economy, Crafting, Player Housing, Making/Money

Last week your intrepid blogger was caught up in the other kind of beta testing - a Statistics final. Yeah, that was a bad pun. Oh well. Back to the money talk!

In the last column, we discussed value chains and how, in World of Warcraft, they work when dealing with NPCs but not the auction house. Today we are looking at another game and how it deals with value chains to ensure that they do not work when crafting by NPC purchases/sales alone.

Lord of the Rings Online offers players vocations - sets of three linked professions that cannot be chosen by themselves. In any given vocation, there is usually one "useful" gathering profession which supports one of the craft professions in the set and another, unsupported, profession. In other words, vocations are structured to enforce cooperation and trade between players by ensuring that no one can gather all the raw materials they will require to level their craft. But that doesn't mean that the supported profession is good to go from the start.

Continue reading Making/Money: Flawed by Design

Making/Money: Flawed by Design originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 May 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making/Money: My value chains are broken

Alexis Kassan — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Economy, Crafting, Professions, Making/Money

There's a person out there who claims that all they need to know about business can be learned from World of Warcraft. A fine sentiment, to be sure, but I take issue with its accuracy. Today we are discussing the first of their eleven business topics: value chains - and why they don't work.

In brief, value chain analysis states that for any good requiring multiple stages of production (meaning you don't just rip it out of your backyard and eat it), value is added at each level of refinement. Therefore the price should increase along its path to becoming a finalized product.

Continue reading Making/Money: My value chains are broken

Making/Money: My value chains are broken originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE promotes player-run events

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Events, in-game, Grouping

Socialization is the key ingredient in any MMO, I think we can all agree with that. So why is it we don't hear about more in-game events run by the players in our favorite MMOs? Everquest's Community Manager Lydia Pope has recently made a plea for the players of any SOE game to advertise for their special events and let the world know about them. She also states that if the SOE community runs more events, SOE will find new ways of supporting them. This includes SOE's help in spreading the word for you, and even the chance for someone at SOE to attend these gatherings.

If you're interested in doing something like this, but you're wondering what type of event to do, there are many fine examples cited. For example, you could create a scavenger hunt across a wide area of your favorite game map, or hold a performance where players can act out their favorite scene from a play. The possibilities are almost limitless, but no matter what you decide, be sure to check out the EQ guide entitled Tips on Player-Run Events. As with any MMO, be sure to also contact the appropriate community manager for more information or advice on running your very own event.

SOE promotes player-run events originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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