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PC Gamer's reader poll honors EVE as the #3 PC game of all time

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry

Reader polls always tend to be an exercise in popularity, bucking conventional wisdom and surprise upsets -- and perhaps never so much as a recent annual PC Gamer poll that asked readers to rank the top 100 PC games of all time. EVE Online scored a surprising #3 spot on the list (falling from last year's #2 position), behind only Fallout 3 and Half-Life 2. This certainly is a testament to EVE's devoted and outspoken fans.

Several other MMOs appeared in the top 100, including World of Warcraft (#10), WURM Online (#20), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (#25), Lord of the Rings Online: The Mines of Moria (#31), Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (#36), RuneScape (#45), Guild Wars (#72), World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (#97) and EverQuest (#100).

Of course, reader polls should always be taken with a grain of salt (mmm... salty goodness), as large organizational efforts and promotion from one studio or group of fans is often enough to create a skewed result. Still, it's a decent list, and terrific to see so many MMOs given the top honors.

PC Gamer's reader poll honors EVE as the #3 PC game of all time originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 May 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clear Skies 2 now ready to dock on your computer

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, News items, Machinima

For those of us EVE Online players - or just fans of great machinima - who have been patiently waiting for Clear Skies 2, the wait is over! Ian Chisholm and his crew have managed to crank out Clear Skies 2 in amazing time, offering up yet another exciting adventure in the dangerous space of New Eden. As with everything awesome that we want omg right now - the load on EVE Files is insanely high right now. May want to consider using the torrent for the moment, if you can.

In the meantime, while you're waiting for the download, may we suggest you check out the trailer for Clear Skies 2, or perhaps our exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes look at the making with the creator! If it's still going after you've checked all that out, there's always the bloopers from the first Clear Skies, which are made of extra-special awesome.

[Thanks, CrazyKinux!]

Clear Skies 2 now ready to dock on your computer originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Life pwns Gordon Freeman, Warhammer Online, others

Tateru Nino — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EVE Online, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Wagner James Au at New World Notes is carrying some surprising data from ratings giant, Nielsen Media Research. From actual measurements of usage across over 180,000 homes in the USA, Linden Lab's Second Life (paradoxically measured under the 'PC games' category) rates the number two most played title, just behind World of Warcraft.

Forget Warhammer Online, or EVE Online, they don't even make the top ten. World of Warcraft and Second Life beat out Gordon Freeman (Half Life 2), Civilization IV and StarCraft. As for actual weekly usage, Second Life is top of the pops at an average of 760 minutes per user per week. World of Warcraft earns the top spot with 653 minutes per user per week, but has a whole lot more users.

How about Google's YouTube, the 800 pound gorilla and market leader of online video? Just 47 minutes per week (figure from C|net).

Facebook? 84 minutes per week. Myspace, just 10.5 minutes per week (figures from ITProPortal).

This data is measured from actual homes, as we mentioned. Almost 200,000 of them, so it isn't just data that's centric to the hardcore gamer. This is a random sampling of ordinary people.

Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.

Second Life pwns Gordon Freeman, Warhammer Online, others originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Full trailer released for EVE Online machinima Clear Skies 2

James Egan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Machinima

If you're a fan of machinima, films made using video game graphics engines, there's a good chance you've heard about Clear Skies, an imaginative blend of EVE Online's far future setting with Half-Life 2 character models. Massively has taken a good look at Clear Skies in the past and had the opportunity to speak with the film's creator, Ian Chisholm, about what he has in store for us with Clear Skies 2.

However, rather than just reading more about it, why not check out the trailer? We've got an embed of the full Clear Skies 2 trailer for you below the cut. Enjoy!

Continue reading Full trailer released for EVE Online machinima Clear Skies 2

Full trailer released for EVE Online machinima Clear Skies 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Innovation

Craig Withers — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST

I'd like to talk about Innovation for a little bit.

There's an argument which runs along the lines of, "gamers don't get innovation because gamers don't want innovation." There's a certain logic there - if we, as consumers, are not willing to spend money buying games with innovative features or content, then why should developers and publishers spend money to make them?

Eating the same food again and again, refusing to change your diet would be monumentally unhealthy for you. Why then, do so many of us do almost exactly that when it comes to our gaming habits?

In my opinion, there's been plenty of innovation in gaming in past years. Half life 2 introduced a character I'm sure many of you grew attached to almost as much as I did; Lamarr Miss Alyx Vance. For the first time ever, we had an NPC did more than just get in your way, die easily and spout the same catchphrase over and over. While Alyx really shines in Episode One, the introduction of her character in the original game stands out for me.

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Innovation

Behind the Curtain: Innovation originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively interviews Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm

James Egan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Machinima, Massively Interviews

One of the most significant works of machinima created in recent years is Clear Skies, an unconventional amalgam of the gritty, far future setting of EVE Online tempered with a more human touch, imbued with life through clever writing and exacting manipulation of Half-Life 2 character models. Fans and critics alike have praised Clear Skies since its release. Indeed, the film recently took top honors at Machinima Filmfest 2008, garnering a Mackie award for Best Long Format Film.

This success at the festival was met with astonishment from Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm as well as from his collaborators, John Guthrie and Richie Powles. But it was decidedly less of a surprise to the many fans of the film, a seemingly ever-growing number judging by the number of times Clear Skies has been downloaded from EVE-Files.

Massively recently caught up with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm, who was gracious enough to provide us with a sequence of production stills from Clear Skies 2, explaining how he brings a scene to life in stages from voice recording, to choreography, to the culmination of this work in the final footage. While we had his attention, Ian also discussed what drives a man to dedicate years of his life to a project of this caliber, and what he has in store for us with Clear Skies 2.

Gallery: Behind the scenes of Clear Skies 2

Continue reading Massively interviews Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm

Massively interviews Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online films nominated for Machinima Filmfest 2008 awards

James Egan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Machinima

CCP Games announced that two EVE Online machinima have made the list of nominees for awards at Machinima Filmfest 2008: "Clear Skies" and "Havoc." The Machinima Festival is one of the major machinima events held annually. The full day event will take place on November 1st in New York City.

Clear Skies is an imaginative blend of EVE Online's galactic backdrop with Half-Life 2 character models, and is a Best Long Format nominee. Much of the film takes place within ship and station interiors, and represents two years of hard work by its creator, Ian Chisholm, as well as Richie Powles and John Guthrie. Clear Skies has been well-received by the EVE Community, with the announcement thread garnering 50 pages of praise and climbing.

Havoc is a newer machinima, nominated for Best Sound Design, Best Short Format, and Best Voice Acting. Havoc was created by Anil Kamath (Sound Design and Music), Chris Newcombe (Visual Design and Editing), and voiced by Sarah Murray. Like Clear Skies, Havoc is proving to be quite popular with the EVE playerbase, but holds appeal for a more general audience as well. The film is short, clocking in at one minute in length, but in that time nicely juxtaposes the grit of New Eden's setting with gorgeous visuals filmed within EVE. Like Clear Skies, Havoc is well worth a look. Video embeds of both machinima are found below the cut:

Continue reading EVE Online films nominated for Machinima Filmfest 2008 awards

EVE Online films nominated for Machinima Filmfest 2008 awards originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online meets Half-Life 2 in machinima masterpiece

James Egan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Machinima, Humor

Clear Skies is a groundbreaking machinima produced by Ian Chisholm, which takes place entirely within the galactic setting of EVE Online, known as New Eden. Any attempt to lump Clear Skies in with your run-of-the-mill machinima would be a disservice to the scope of the work; the film clocks in at just under 40 minutes and was a labor of love for two years in the lives of its creators.

Clear Skies follows a trio of down-and-out misfits who've seen no end of bad luck. John Rourke is the obstinate captain of the Clear Skies, a Tempest class battleship manufactured by the downtrodden Minmatar race of New Eden. Rourke's attitude toward his hazardous chosen lifestyle is cavalier, although this does not sit well with his friends among the crew. Solomon Burke is the pessimistic ship's engineer, while Charlie Fodder -- a gunner with an ironic name -- does his best to keep the crew alive. Typical of life in New Eden, Fodder is doomed to remain a rather busy man.

Continue reading EVE Online meets Half-Life 2 in machinima masterpiece

EVE Online meets Half-Life 2 in machinima masterpiece originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve hopes to make an MMO someday

Michael Zenke — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry

In a discussion with the CVG site, Valve's Doug Lombardi revealed that the trend-setting company is always looking to new genres. Talking primarily about their hopes to someday make a game for the Wii, Lombardi offers up tantalizing hope for MMO-playing fans of their landmark first-person shooter titles. The site quotes Lombardi as saying, "Gabe (Valve co-founder, Gabe Newell) is a huge fan of MMORPGs and he's always wanted to make one ... But that's a big risk to venture out on." Developers in the company are also looking to make kids titles for Nintendo's console, a direct result of the aging and family development of the games industry.

Lombardi goes on to say that these areas of interest would really stretch the company creatively, and they'd love to tackle them ... but that we probably shouldn't hold our breath. Their leap outside of the FPS comfort zone to the Wii or MMOs won't come this year or next. But it does, at least, give us some hope.

Valve hopes to make an MMO someday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinemassively: I'm So Sick

Moo Money — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Cinemassively, Machinima

There's definitely a hierarchy in the Machinima world. For example, I personally get all fangirl over people that do community-related activities, like Hugh Hancock or Phil Rice. They, however, rave about guys like Baron Soosdon.

Baron created this music video based on a song, of the same name, by Flyleaf and Legion of Doom. He used Unreal Tournament 2004, Half-Life 2, and World of Warcraft for the backgrounds, but the characters themselves are from WoW. The editing in this video is absolutely superb. The visuals are top notch, showing off stunning scenery and little tricks like depth of field.

Did I mention that it's just one of a ton of outstanding movies he's made in WoW and other mediums? Yep, he's just that good. You can read more about how he made it on his blog.

Cinemassively: I'm So Sick originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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