Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It wasn't one of the biggest news items of last week, but Blizzard's announcements regarding Battle.net and the RealID system did turn a few heads. The fact that it uses the real name of players was a bit surprising, but at the end of the day it's not the first game allowing people to track players across alts. City of Heroes has always had a global chat handle integrated with the client, and both Star Trek Online and Champions Online integrate your name directly with the name of a given character.

On the one hand, this can be seen as a good thing. Rather than friending an army of alts that your friend cycles through on a regular basis, you friend somebody once and you know them. There's also no hiding behind alts for disrespectful or unpleasant players. On the other hand, it means that no one gets to advantage of taking a night off on an alt no one knows about, and it can raise some security and identity concerns. (Especially in Blizzard's case, what with the real names being used.) What do you think about global identities in MMOs? Are they a good move as a whole, or are they a bit too Big Brother for your tastes?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battle.netchampions-onlinecharacter-nameschat-handlescity-of-heroescocohglobal-handleshandlesididentificationidentitynamesopinionrealidstar-trek-onlinestotdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Digital Continuum: Outrageous outcomes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/the-digital-continuum-outrageous-outcomes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/the-digital-continuum-outrageous-outcomes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/the-digital-continuum-outrageous-outcomes/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Sometimes I can actually hear the barking, crowing and general upheaval of a community to the extent that my knee jerk response is to consume the cacophony of squawking in a great ball of churning fire. Thankfully, I always resist that urge, and much for the better. That doesn't mean I'm unwilling to share those initial feelings here, though.

There's a good reason I'm sharing an otherwise personal knee jerk reaction. Too many people don't deny the evil voice growling incessantly from the back of the mind. They allow that pure id impulse to take the journey from their -- quite temporarily deranged -- minds, down their limbs, through their fingertips and into the comments section of many a website.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Outrageous outcomes

MassivelyThe Digital Continuum: Outrageous outcomes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atarichampions-onlinecommunitycrypticcryptic-studiosfeaturedidl4d2opinionsuper-egothe-digital-continuumvalveMon, 31 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA signs on to distribute the Wheel of Time MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/15/ea-signs-on-to-distribute-the-wheel-of-time-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/15/ea-signs-on-to-distribute-the-wheel-of-time-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/15/ea-signs-on-to-distribute-the-wheel-of-time-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


First announced late last year, the Wheel of Time MMO is not only in the works, but Electronic Arts has just confirmed their involvement in the distribution of the game. This includes more than just the MMO though, as Red Eagle Games will be developing a whole line of products which will launch on "all major videogame platforms," including the PC , consoles, wireless devices and handhelds.

This deal will allow EA to publish and distribute these games with other third-party developers such as Valve, Harmonix and id. It will also provide "a blockbuster launch on the global stage" for Red Eagle to promote their games, according to EA Partners senior VP and general manager David DeMartini, and will hopefully help in funding the product down the line. Check out the press release in its entirety just after the cut below.

Continue reading EA signs on to distribute the Wheel of Time MMO

MassivelyEA signs on to distribute the Wheel of Time MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaelectronic-artsharmonixidred-eagle-gamesrobert-jordanvalvewheel-of-timewotThu, 15 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Quake creator repeatedly turned down MMO opportunities]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/quake-creator-repeatedly-turned-down-mmo-opportunities/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

John Carmack, co-founder of id Software and lead programmer of the historic first-person-shooter games Doom and Quake, told Shacknews that id has been approached by multiple publishers interested in releasing an MMO version of Quake. Each time, the company turned them down.

It was implied that id has not pursued (and will not pursue) the idea because of the etreme challenges of developing a triple-A MMO.

There's a good point here. It's not as if Carmack and friends were throwing a money printer in the trash compactor by passing on the opportunity. The concern seems valid: MMOs are expensive, risky endeavors. Even with a team of experienced developers and a well-known intellectual property, there's always a risk that id could get in over its head.

[Via Joystiq]

MassivelyQuake creator repeatedly turned down MMO opportunities originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>doomfirst-person-shooteridid-softwareinterviewjohn-carmackmmommofpspublisherquakeshacknewsWed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[John Carmack to make a cell phone MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/john-carmack-to-make-a-cell-phone-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/john-carmack-to-make-a-cell-phone-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/john-carmack-to-make-a-cell-phone-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So when you think of the next shiny new MMOs coming out, do you think of any being released on a cell phone? Apparently John Carmack has said he does in a recent CNNMoney article. He says it will probably be after a sequel to one of id Software's newest original IP, Orcs and Elves. We can't imagine a cell phone MMO would have a very long development cycle (more akin to the PC-side of things) so the game could see light of day much sooner than anyone may think.

Carmack goes on to say that his reasons for the idea is a lack of interest in competing with Blizzard. That's understandable given how saturated the massively game market continues to become, however we can't help but wonder if a cell phone MMO would even be very successful unless some serious innovations were made. Considering mobile phone functionality, there are definitely some interesting possibilities such as being able to play easily with anyone in your contact list permitted they have the game as well. However, this isn't the first time we've heard of a mobile MMO, so maybe Mr. Carmack is going to run into a little competition after all.

[Via VirginWorlds]

MassivelyJohn Carmack to make a cell phone MMO originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardidid-softwarejohn-carmackorcs-and-elvesSun, 06 Jan 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW is the "train driving PC gaming," says John Carmack]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/wow-is-the-train-driving-pc-gaming-says-john-carmack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/wow-is-the-train-driving-pc-gaming-says-john-carmack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/wow-is-the-train-driving-pc-gaming-says-john-carmack/#commentsFiled under: ,

Game maker John Carmack, famous for developing landmark PC titles Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, sat down for a chat with Gamasutra earlier this week to discuss the state of the greater PC game industry. Normally, the shooter visionary wouldn't have much to say that would be of interest to those of us with massively multiplayer games on our minds, but in a discussion about what sets the PC platform apart from consoles, Carmack specifically cited MMOs as one of the few remaining genres that continue to bring in new players to the table, referring to them as the "train driving PC gaming."

While we agree with Carmack's assessment of the PC landscape today, we can't help but wonder how much longer the PC is going to be the exclusive domain of the MMO. With rumors of the next Blizzard MMO transitioning to consoles, NCsoft's plans to develop a new property for the PS3, and Nintendo getting into the MMO game, it looks like consoles are poised to play catch-up. The full interview will run on Friday, so we'll have to see if Carmack addresses this challenge later this week.

MassivelyWoW is the "train driving PC gaming," says John Carmack originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>consolesidjohn-carmackmmo-industrypc-gamingworld-of-warcraftWed, 21 Nov 2007 19:01:00 EST