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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: Mission Architect in-depth]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/super-hero/" rel="tag">Super-hero</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/city-of-heroes/" rel="tag">City of Heroes</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/city-of-villains/" rel="tag">City of Villains</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-interviews/" rel="tag">Massively Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-event-coverage/" rel="tag">Massively Event Coverage</a></p><div align="center"><img vspace="0" hspace="0" border="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/04/gdc09-missarc-jm-580.jpg" alt="" /><br /></div>
At <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc-2009/">GDC</a> recently, Joe Morrissey, Senior Designer at <a href="http://www.ncsoft.com">NCsoft</a> and Lead Designer for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/mission-architect/">Mission Architect</a> talked to an audience about the challenges of implementing a user generated content system in a 5-year old MMO. Afterwards, we had a chance to sit him down and ask a few questions of our own. But to start with, the basics, for those of you who haven't been following <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/full-details-on-mission-architect-system-for-city-of-heroes/">Mission Architect's development</a>: it's a system that allows any <em>City of Heroes</em> or <em>City of Villains</em> player to create their own missions, complete with their own characters and stories. (If the idea of user generated content sounds strange and foreign to you, let Captain Dynamic <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/captain-dynamic-wants-you-to-touch-his-awesome-button/">explain the idea</a> to you.) Currently in beta, this content Godzilla will be released upon the live realms in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/issue-14/">Issue 14</a>. (For people who haven't yet dived into the <em>City of</em> franchise, there will also be a new game box coming out for Mission Architect: the aptly named Architect Edition.)<br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/">GDC09: Post Mortem: Mission Architect for City of Heroes panel</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/#1455742"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/img_4671_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/#1455745"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/img_4672_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/#1455729"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/img_4673_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/#1455744"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/img_4674_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-post-mortem-mission-architect-for-city-of-heroes-panel/#1455746"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/img_4675_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/">City of Heroes: Architect Edition</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/#1387054"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/02/welcome-to-architect-entertainment-2252009-5_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/#1387053"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/02/screenshot_2009-02-11-11-25-34-2252009-3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/#1387052"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/02/holograms-2252009-1_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/#1387051"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/02/architect-ui-10b-2252009-2_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/city-of-heroes-architect-edition/#1387050"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/02/architect-ui-09b-2252009-1_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>GDC09: Mission Architect in-depth</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/">GDC09: Mission Architect in-depth</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:05:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1501044/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/06/gdc09-mission-architect-in-depth/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>city-of-heroes</category><category>city-of-villains</category><category>coh</category><category>cov</category><category>cox</category><category>gdc</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>issue-14</category><category>joe-morrissey</category><category>mission-architect</category><category>morrissey</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>user-generated-content</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:05:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: How HeroEngine revolutionizes MMORPG game design]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/heros-journey/" rel="tag">Hero's Journey</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/business-models/" rel="tag">Business models</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/virtual-worlds/" rel="tag">Virtual worlds</a></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/heroengine"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/heroengine_cap7.jpg" alt="" /></a>Let's be frank, MMOs are a pain in the rear to design. You have large teams working collaboratively to build huge expanses of terrain, hundreds upon thousands of objects in the world that players can interact with, server architecture to worry about, and even more in-depth things that the standard player may not even notice or consider.<br /><br />But if you've been on the site recently and have been checking out <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc-2009">our coverage of the GDC</a>, then you may have heard us and developers talking excitedly about <a href="http://www.heroengine.com">HeroEngine</a>, the new MMO developing tool from Simutronics. HeroEngine is powering games like <a href="http://www.mindfusegames.com/" style="font-style: italic;">The World of Gatheryn</a> and this funny <a href="http://www.swtor.com">Star Wars game</a> from those BioWare people, as well as other companies that haven't announced their new projects as of yet.<br /><br />So why is HeroEngine so amazing? Well, we got the inside scoop straight from <a href="http://www.play.net/corporate/">Simutronics</a> as we visited their booth at the GDC.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>GDC09: How HeroEngine revolutionizes MMORPG game design</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/">GDC09: How HeroEngine revolutionizes MMORPG game design</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1502680/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>3d-studio-max</category><category>collaborative-development</category><category>developers</category><category>development</category><category>game-design</category><category>game-development</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>hero-engine</category><category>heroengine</category><category>heros-journey</category><category>photoshop</category><category>real-time</category><category>simutronics</category><category>virtual-worlds</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: Best of show (to me)]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/at-a-glance/" rel="tag">At a glance</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/humor/" rel="tag">Humor</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-hands-on/" rel="tag">Massively Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-event-coverage/" rel="tag">Massively Event Coverage</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/1454178/full/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-004-sms-0309-thumb.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
This year's <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/index.html">Game Developers Conference</a> has come to a close, and I just wanted to take a second here to reflect on what I got out of the show. I literally can't count the number of times I've been asked, "So what was the best thing you saw so far?". I was even asked this by a random guy in the Men's restroom at one point. Dude, I'm trying to pee, seriously. <br /><br />So these questions inspired me to write up my thoughts on what I enjoyed the most. This isn't meant to be a complete review of every single panel and every single game company present at the convention. It's an opinionated, slightly biased rundown of the best and brightest from an old jaded gamer who doesn't pay any attention to anything but MMO news. So ... there's that.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>GDC09: Best of show (to me)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/">GDC09: Best of show (to me)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1500358/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-best-of-show-to-me/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>featured</category><category>gdc-09</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>joystiqfeatures</category><category>wrapup</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: Catching up with Global Agenda]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/screenshots/" rel="tag">Screenshots</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/spy/" rel="tag">Spy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/global-agenda/" rel="tag">Global Agenda</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-interviews/" rel="tag">Massively Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-hands-on/" rel="tag">Massively Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-event-coverage/" rel="tag">Massively Event Coverage</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/global-agenda"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-019-booth-sms-0309.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Last year, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/massivelys-exclusive-tour-of-hi-rez-studios-and-global-agenda/">we had the opportunity to visit Hi-Rez Studios</a> to get one of the first press hands-on looks at <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.globalagendagame.com">Global Agenda</a>. While the game is still in the alpha test now, closed beta is about to begin soon. In order to gear up for these next stages of development, <a href="http://www.hirezstudios.com">Hi-Rez</a> brought <span style="font-style: italic;">Global Agenda</span> to the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc-2009">GDC</a> audience to try it out for themselves. This is actually the first public hands-on of the game at GDC, so it was a key moment for the team.<br /><br />So what has changed since our tour in October? Well, quite a bit, actually. This public showing brings out some exciting new developments from the Hi-Rez team, including brand new upgraded face customization and an improved tutorial. In addition, the AI, UI and graphics have all experienced quite a bit of tightening and polishing. With Hi-Rez implementing their own in-house motion capture studio, the character animation is among some of the best you'll see in an MMO. What hasn't changed? Well, I still get my butt kicked in the game quite frequently. But I love a good challenge.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>GDC09: Catching up with Global Agenda</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/">GDC09: Catching up with Global Agenda</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1500786/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-catching-up-with-global-agenda/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>featured</category><category>gdc-09</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>global-agenda</category><category>hands-on</category><category>hi-rez-studios</category><category>joystiqfeatures</category><category>spy-fi</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: Hands-on with Aion]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion/" rel="tag">Aion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-hands-on/" rel="tag">Massively Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-event-coverage/" rel="tag">Massively Event Coverage</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion/"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/aionkoreatimesarticleat425.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
To understand the game <a href="http://www.aiononline.com/us/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Aion</span></a>, you first need a bit of background on its setting. <span style="font-style: italic;">Aion</span> has many of the trappings you would expect to find in a typical fantasy MMO, but it is a completely original IP with some unique elements. As a player, you are a resident of Atreia, created by the deity Aion, and torn asunder by ancient war between the human races and the Aion's former servants, the Balaur. After millennia of struggle, the Balaur succeeded in destroying the Tower of Eternity, Aion's embodiment on Atreia, splitting the planet in half. In the game's present day, the Asmodians live in the harsh, frigid climates on the upper half of Atreia, far from the sun; while the Elyos live in the sun-drenched, tropical lower half of Atreia. Neither recall the details of the cataclysm that split the world and both blame the other for the destruction that befell Atreia.<br /><br />Today, fragments of the shattered tower have begun to drift through the heavens and mysterious portals have opened in the world, transporting the Asmodians and Elyos to the Abyss that lays between the two halves of Atreia. Here, they meet one another and their old, neigh-forgotten enemies, the Balaur.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, war is at hand. In <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Aion/" style="font-style: italic;">Aion</a>'s "PvPvE" system, you'll fight against both the opposing faction and the NPC Balaur at every turn as you seek to unlock the mysteries of the world around you.<br /><br /> <div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/">GDC09: Aion hands-on</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/#1453390"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-aion-assassin-elyos-3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/#1453397"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-aion-mage-asmodian-1_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/#1453404"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-aion-ranger-elyos-3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/#1453400"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-aion-sorcerer-asmodian-3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-aion-hands-on/#1453391"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-aion-templar-asmodian-3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>GDC09: Hands-on with Aion</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/">GDC09: Hands-on with Aion</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1499197/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-aion/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aion</category><category>asmodian</category><category>atreia</category><category>balaur</category><category>elyos</category><category>featured</category><category>gdc</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>ncsoft</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC09: The rise of the MMOs]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/galleries/" rel="tag">Galleries</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/virtual-worlds/" rel="tag">Virtual worlds</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-interviews/" rel="tag">Massively Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-hands-on/" rel="tag">Massively Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-event-coverage/" rel="tag">Massively Event Coverage</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/1454182/full/"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-009-sms-0309-thumb.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
Here we are in the midst of another epic <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/">Games Developers Conference</a> and we can't help but reflect on how much importance MMOs and Virtual Worlds have in the gaming industry these days. Everywhere we look, there are new ways to integrate the online experience with having fun and meeting new people. Throughout the week and beyond (as embargoes get lifted), we're bringing you more MMO panels and interviews than ever before. This is promising for those of us who happen to love MMOs.<br /><br />So even though the convention isn't over until tomorrow, we wanted to take this opportunity to fill you in on what we've already seen, and what is yet to come later in the week. You can check out <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc-2009">our GDC09 tag page</a> for the ongoing panels and exclusive interviews we've already conducted, plus look forward to more goodies from <em>Runes of Magic</em>, Hero Engine, Funcom, Mythic, <em>Earthrise</em>, CCP, <em>Global Agenda, Aion</em> [catch breath] and much more!<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/">GDC09: Around the show floor</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/#1454203"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-060-sms-0309_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/#1454202"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-059-sms-0309_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/#1454200"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-052-sms-0309_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/#1454198"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-050-sms-0309_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/gdc09-around-the-show-floor/#1454197"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/03/gdc09-wed-046-sms-0309_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/">GDC09: The rise of the MMOs</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1499174/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/gdc09-the-rise-of-the-mmos/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aion</category><category>ccp</category><category>earthrise</category><category>fallen-earth</category><category>funcom</category><category>game-developers-conference</category><category>gatheryn</category><category>gdc-09</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>global-agenda</category><category>hero-engine</category><category>mythic</category><category>runes-of-magic</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GDC 09: Eskil Steenberg on bringing the Love]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a></p><div align="center"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/lovegdc_425kv.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<div align="left">We're always on the lookout for innovation in the MMO genre, so that's why <a href="http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/index.html"><em>Love</em></a> has caught our eye. Developed by one man, Eskil Steenberg, <em>Love</em> is a procedurally-generated game, which essentially means that the entire world - including almost watercolor-looking graphics, different locations, etc. - are created randomly as you adventure through the world. Currently set to support 200 people per shard, <em>Love</em> is an interesting take on the massive genre. <br /><br />Within the world of <em>Love</em>, users will be treated to a completely free-form adventure that will involve complex chains of missions. According to Steenberg, "<em>You want to have cool adventures with cool things, but part of the fun is just to adventure; to just explore it. [Love] is the ultimate in player-versus-environment. The idea is that there are ways to control and manipulate things in the world - cities are like networks of interesting stuff rather than just static cities - which makes it more of a puzzle than a regular MMO. You can figure out your own ways to hack your environment, if you will; find your own way of doing different things to make it your own story.</em>" <br /><br />Steenberg's talk at GDC about creating a game like <em>Love</em>, and the tools involved will be held later today at 4:45 Pacific, which promises to be a very interesting discussion. Of course, if you're not able to make it to the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc09">Game Developer's Conference</a>, but are curious about <em>Love</em> and just how the project has proceeded with just one person working on it, Steenberg has been so kind as to post <a href="http://iloapp.quelsolaar.com/blog/news?Home&amp;post=41">the long version of his presentation on his blog</a> for us to enjoy. So if <em>Love</em> seems like an interesting game to you, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/index.html">the main site</a> for more information and procedurally-generated graphics from the current alpha. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one as it progresses. <br /></div>
</div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/">GDC 09: Eskil Steenberg on bringing the Love</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1496872/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/gdc09-eskil-steenberg-on-bringing-the-love/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>discussion</category><category>Eskil-Steenberg</category><category>gdc-09</category><category>gdc09</category><category>panel</category><category>player-versus-environment</category><category>procedurally-generated</category><category>puzzle</category><category>pve</category><category>replayability</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Krystalle Voecks]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What announcements do you expect at GDC this week?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/massively-meta/" rel="tag">Massively Meta</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.psu.com/GDC-2009--e000035-p0.php"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/gdc-09-banner-sms-0309.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
The <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/index.html">Game Developers Conference</a> is all this week and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gdc-09">we'll be there to report</a> the latest MMO news on your favorite games, old and new. Last year's conference revealed some exciting news on fresh projects like <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-when-love-came-to-town/"><em>Love</em></a>, as well as unexpected hits like the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/gdc08-realtime-worlds-shows-off-all-points-bulletin/">reveal of APB</a>. <br /><br />As we gear up for a week of interviews, panels and hands-on play time, we can't help but wonder what the big announcements will be for this year. We already know about <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/10/funcom-to-reveal-the-secret-world-at-gdc-09/">Funcom's unveiling of <em>The Secret World</em></a>, as well as goodies from <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/24/this-years-gdc-offers-a-lot-for-mmo-fans/">Blizzard, Mythic</a> and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/13/eves-council-of-stellar-management-to-be-discussed-at-gdc-09/">CCP</a>, but what secrets lie in store for us hungry MMO news junkies? Let us know what you think will be the biggest surprises of GDC 2009.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/">The Daily Grind: What announcements do you expect at GDC this week?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1494406/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/the-daily-grind-what-announcements-do-you-expect-at-gdc-this-we/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>announcements</category><category>game-developers-conference</category><category>gdc-09</category><category>gdc-2009</category><category>gdc09</category><category>reveal</category><category>surprise</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[CCP honored with two awards for innovation]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/CCP-Wins-Key-Awards-for-bw-14614788.html"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/eveccpawards.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
While the latest <a href="http://www.eveonline.com"><em>EVE Online</em></a> expansion, <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/apocrypha/index.html"><em>Apocrypha</em></a>, has hit the main server and the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/10/the-daily-grind-will-you-be-picking-up-the-eve-online-retail-bo/">retail boxes</a> for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online"><em>EVE</em></a> have reappeared on game store shelves, CCP has been <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/CCP-Wins-Key-Awards-for-bw-14614788.html">busy winning awards</a> for all of their work with <em>EVE</em>.<br /><br />CCP's awards include the <a href="http://www.fvh.is/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=552&amp;Itemid=1">Icelandic Innovation and Knowledge Award</a> from the <a href="http://www.fvh.is/">Association of Businessmen and Economists in Iceland</a> as well as the <a href="http://www.tagonline.org/articles.php?id=358">2009 Top 10 Innovative Technology Companies</a> award from the <a href="http://www.tagonline.org/">Technology Association of Georgia</a>.<br /><br />Both of these awards come from industry peers, a high honor for a company.  CCP isn't going to be resting on their laurels, however, as they have pledged a heavy presence at this year's GDC in San Francisco.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/">CCP honored with two awards for innovation</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://finance.yahoo.com/news/CCP-Wins-Key-Awards-for-bw-14614788.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1490551/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/ccp-honored-with-two-awards-for-innovation/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>apocrypha</category><category>awards</category><category>ccp</category><category>ccp-games</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-online</category><category>gdc</category><category>gdc09</category><category>georgia</category><category>honors</category><category>iceland</category><category>icelandic-innovation-and-knowledge</category><category>top-10-innovative-technology-companies</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
