Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Infiltrating SOE to get a sneak peek of The Agency]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/25/infiltrating-soe-to-get-a-sneak-peak-of-the-agency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/25/infiltrating-soe-to-get-a-sneak-peak-of-the-agency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/25/infiltrating-soe-to-get-a-sneak-peak-of-the-agency/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Eurogamer's Oli Welsh had a chance to visit SOE headquarters and chat with Hal Milton, Lead Designer of The Agency. We think it's fair to say this is the most we've heard about the spy-MMO in a long time and it has us excited about what we might find out at E3 2009.

We have known for a while that SOE was aiming to release The Agency on both the PC and PS3, but we weren't sure if they could pull it off. Apparently, development for the console is going well because Oli got a chance to watch two developers play a mission together on both platforms and says it looked pretty good. When asked about whether or not the game would use the subscription or F2P/RMT model, Hal responded by saying that they are aiming for the lowest barrier of entry for PS3 players, which probably lends itself to the latter.

The interview uncovers many details on planned methods of progression, including a mashup of reputation, influence, skill/item usage (à la Darkfall?), operatives, and XP unlocks. Operatives are one of the more difficult concepts to understand and the author explains them in an interesting way: "...operatives are loot, and hopelessly irresistible loot at at that. Pursuing and sorting an ideal roster will be akin to assembling a perfect gear set in an RPG - if your gear argued with itself, made more gear for you while you were offline, and you could equip 100 pieces at once at max level."

To learn more about the game including their plans for missions, the environment, PvP, and even gambling mini-games, check out the monster three-page interview.

MassivelyInfiltrating SOE to get a sneak peek of The Agency originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cross-platformdarkfalleurogamerhal-miltoninterviewoli-welshps3soespythe-agencyMon, 25 May 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Agency interview informs on character progression and skills]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/09/the-agency-interview-informs-on-character-progression-and-skills/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/09/the-agency-interview-informs-on-character-progression-and-skills/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/09/the-agency-interview-informs-on-character-progression-and-skills/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Information on The Agency has thinned out over the past few months. Still, nothing lasts forever, and like a cool breeze in the summer, a gust of sweet new information has wafted out via an interview with Hal Milton on The Agency HQ fansite.

While no new media comes with said interview, there's plenty of information on special role (The Agency's term for classes) abilities, character progression and even some talk of bouncing bullets off walls. In fact, there's so much interview that The Agency HQ has decided to parse it out over the coming weeks. Hopefully we'll get some new screens or even a gameplay video by the end of it all.

So until that time comes, we'll all just have to play spy around our house with BB guns and bond music in the background. Everyone does that, right?

MassivelyThe Agency interview informs on character progression and skills originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hal-miltoninterviewsoesony-online-entertainmentspythe-agencythe-agency-hqMon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively checks in on The Agency with Lead Designer Hal Milton]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/20/massively-checks-in-on-the-agency-with-lead-designer-hal-milton/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/20/massively-checks-in-on-the-agency-with-lead-designer-hal-milton/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/20/massively-checks-in-on-the-agency-with-lead-designer-hal-milton/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


As we noted yesterday, The Agency isn't canceled. Despite that mixup from Gamefly's automated notification system, the FPS/spy title from the SOE Seattle studio is still going strong. Joystiq spoke with the SOE subsidiary briefly yesterday, and we had the chance to do so as well. Being the MMO nerds that we are, we just had to go a bit outside the scope of this latest mixup - mechanics are far more interesting than drama!

Join us as we talk over the current state of The Agency's development with the animated and always-interesting lead designer Hal Milton. Hal shares with us a bit of insight into what they're currently working on, give us a few fun facts to chew on, and makes us actually look forward to next year's summer con season. We didn't think anything could do that. Spy social engineering at work!

Read on below the cut for our full discussion.

Gallery: The Agency

Continue reading Massively checks in on The Agency with Lead Designer Hal Milton

MassivelyMassively checks in on The Agency with Lead Designer Hal Milton originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredhal-miltoninterviewjoystiqfeaturessoesony-online-entertainmentthe-agencyThu, 20 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Two new videos of The Agency show more action]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/two-new-videos-of-the-agency-show-more-action/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/two-new-videos-of-the-agency-show-more-action/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/two-new-videos-of-the-agency-show-more-action/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The more of The Agency we see, the more interested we get. G4's X-Play recently showed off two new videos featuring more in-depth looks at gameplay than we've gotten to see previously. In speaking with Director of Development Matt Wilson and Designer Hal Milton, we get to see glimpses of various elements, such as cool spy gadgets a la James Bond's Q, and how the Operatives can help you in your missions.

We've got both videos after the jump, and you'll find them in larger resolutions on G4's site.

[Thanks, Steven!]

Continue reading Two new videos of The Agency show more action

MassivelyTwo new videos of The Agency show more action originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>g4gadgetshal-miltonjames-bondmatt-wilsonoperativesthe-agencyvideox-playTue, 20 May 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[ION 08: The Agency update and RMT confusion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-the-agency-update-and-rmt-confusion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-the-agency-update-and-rmt-confusion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-the-agency-update-and-rmt-confusion/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


While attending the SOE open house event last night after all the ION 08 panels were finished, we got the chance to sit down with The Agency's lead designer Hal Milton. He talked about the game at length, which of course meant our ears and eyes were firmly directed in his direction.

The first thing we feel is important to mention before getting into some new juicy details, is the recent news about downloadable content for the spy-fueled action MMO. You see there's been some confusion and in speaking to Hal he expressed his desire to clear things up. Players will in fact be able to purchase things with their hard earned money in The Agency, however, these items will not be weapons or equipment. To be clear: From what Hal told us, nothing that gives one player an instant leg-up over another will be for sale.

With that out of the way, lets get on to the new information.

Gallery: ION 08: SOE Seattle studio open house

Continue reading ION 08: The Agency update and RMT confusion

MassivelyION 08: The Agency update and RMT confusion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agentfeaturedhal-miltonionion-2008ion08joystiqfeaturesoperativesparagonsoesony-online-entertainmentthe-agencyuniteThu, 15 May 2008 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[ION 08: SOE Seattle studio tour]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-soe-seattle-studio-tour/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-soe-seattle-studio-tour/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-soe-seattle-studio-tour/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Our mission: infiltrate SOE's Seattle studio, obtain intel on The Agency, regale the awesomely hyperactive lead designer Hal Milton with questions from left field. Operatives were dispatched, urban primitive ladies were photographed, and foyer introductions were presided over by a really cool gun. Stay tuned for more news about living the life of an elite agent, and check out the gallery for tour photos featuring concept art from The Agency, giant robots, and a not-so-secret reveal.

Gallery: ION 08: SOE Seattle studio open house

MassivelyION 08: SOE Seattle studio tour originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredhal-miltonIONion-2008ION08ION2008matt-wilsonSOESOE-Seattlestudio-tourthe-agencyThu, 15 May 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Q&A with The Agency's Hal Milton: Part two]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/qanda-with-the-agencys-hal-milton-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/qanda-with-the-agencys-hal-milton-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/qanda-with-the-agencys-hal-milton-part-two/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


In the second installment of The Agency Q&A with Lead Designer Hal Milton, we learn a bit more about operatives and how they will work. If you missed the first part of this Q&A from last month, you can find it here. Also be sure to read all of our continuing coverage of SOE's upcoming spy MMO.

The Agency's operatives seem to be the largest RTS or micromanagement angle of the game. You can collect them, upgrade/level them and send them out to do their own specialized dirty work for you. This includes everything from stealthy assassinations to investigative reporting to filing paperwork. There will also be an item-based aspect of the operatives where you can gain the rarer ones after especially extensive quests. Hal even touches on the possibilities with operative-based PvP, which could essentially be very comparable to Guild Wars' Hero Battles.

MassivelyQ&A with The Agency's Hal Milton: Part two originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agencyhal-miltonoperativessoesoeseattlethe-agencyWed, 30 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Spying on The Agency]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/spying-on-the-agency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/spying-on-the-agency/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/spying-on-the-agency/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Hal Milton, The Agency's lead designer, recently had a lengthy chat with GameSpotUK about Sony's upcoming spy MMO. He revealed quite a bit of new information about the game, including its spy versus spy (PvP) mode.

PvP will have a mix of arenas supporting both casual and official game types. There will also be optional crossover missions that start off as PvE and morph as UNITE and ParaGON agents come into conflict over shared or competitive objectives.

At launch hundreds of PvE missions will be available and take place throughout Europe, Central America, and East Asia. The modular system will allow them to easily expand to cover the globe.

Gallery: The Agency

Continue reading Spying on The Agency

MassivelySpying on The Agency originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamespothal-miltonsony-online-entertai...the-agencyTue, 25 Mar 2008 20:30:00 EST