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[Glitch swaps out XP for imagination, tweaks UI]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/glitch-swaps-out-xp-for-imagination-tweaks-ui/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/glitch-swaps-out-xp-for-imagination-tweaks-ui/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/glitch-swaps-out-xp-for-imagination-tweaks-ui/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Glitch - No idea what this is to be honest
It's a happy day if you've been yearning to scratch that browser-based sandbox itch. Yes, Glitch has returned with an overhauled user interface and the new imagination system.

What the heck is imagination? Well, glitches now have imagination (iMG) instead of XP. You gain iMG by questing, crafting, and collecting (i.e., by playing the game), and you can spend it on upgrades and various other gizmos still in the works. In short, iMG allows you to "create, grow, and customize the world and your character." It also serves as a nifty way of explaining new game abilities as opposed to boring old XP.

TinySpeck has authored a FAQ on the imagination changeover. Give it a read-through before you log in, as both the level curve and your character's accumulated XP have undergone significant changes.

[Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]

MassivelyGlitch swaps out XP for imagination, tweaks UI originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>back-to-betabetabrowserbrowser-basedcasualf2pfantasyflashfree-to-playglitchglitch-imaginationglitch-imgglitch-uiglitch-xphipsterimaginationimgsandboxtinyspeckunlauncheningThu, 03 May 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-your-journeys-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-your-journeys-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/03/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-your-journeys-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

This is the end, my only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that MOOs, the end. No safety or aggro radius, the end.

Man, listening to The Doors early in the morning does not put you in a happy state of writing, let me tell you!

In any case, we've extended our MUD/MU* month here on the Game Archaeologist Channel to include a few more first-hand testimonies of Massively readers' favorite text-based MMOs. As much as anything else we've talked about in this column, it's vital that we not forget the roots from which our current MMOs were born nor neglect to take the opportunity to expose a whole new generation to a graphically simpler but textually richer experience.

So let's kick the tires and light the fires of nostalgia as we talk with five of the baddest MUDders you'll ever know!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 2

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: Your journeys, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Aalynors-Nexusamerica-on-lineamerica-onlineaolatariavpbig-bang-theorydnddunedungeons-and-dragonsfeaturedhernes-notesimaginationintellivisionlost-soulslpmudmetacrawlermoomumudmud-connectormudsmulti-user-dungeonsmushnew-worlds-ateraannintendopredatorpueblorealms-of-despairrichard-bartlesheldonsierrasmaugstar-blazerstelnetultima-vwheel-of-timewolf-brotherworld-of-warcraftwowzmudTue, 03 May 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: What happened to building worlds]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/anti-aliased-what-happened-to-building-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/anti-aliased-what-happened-to-building-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/anti-aliased-what-happened-to-building-worlds/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I hope you guys have taken the time to check out our GDCO coverage, specifically our interview with Richard Bartle. If there's anything that has really been on my mind for these past weeks, it's been that. Dr. Bartle's approach to MMOs is very similar to my own personal approach to MMOs: these are games, but they are also worlds.

And it's been that line of thinking that has lead me to today's column. What happened to creating worlds in our games?

Now, I'm not saying that our games don't include vast settings for us to explore. All of our MMOs include some great settings, but they seem to fall flat anymore. Instead of focusing on how players can interact with the world and each other, many developers are focused on creating the coveted "theme park" environment. We have worlds filled with pre-planned obstacles and challenges that rarely change and evolve over time, instead of allowing players to interact with the world and vice-versa.

So, with all of our new knowledge on how games work, what's stopping us from tackling the challenges we used to tackle regularly? How can we make world building and sandbox practices approachable? How can we re-ignite the creative fire?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: What happened to building worlds

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: What happened to building worlds originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedbuilding-worldsfeaturedgame-designimaginationonline-worldsopen-world-designpvepvpsandboxtheme-parkvirtual-worldsworldworld-creationFri, 22 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars Galaxies celebrates over 3 million player created quests]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/star-wars-galaxies-celebrates-over-3-million-player-created-ques/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/star-wars-galaxies-celebrates-over-3-million-player-created-ques/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/star-wars-galaxies-celebrates-over-3-million-player-created-ques/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Player created quests are the hot trend right now, and Star Wars Galaxies is right there with it. Since the creation of the Chronicle Master system, over 3 million quests have been created by the always active Star Wars Galaxies community. Way to go guys! Oh, and did we mention that the system has only been available for under a month? No? Well, we did now.

And, to kill two topics with one post, Star Wars Galaxies has gone on sale this weekend on Steam. You can get the complete collection of the game for only $10 instead of the usual $20. While the game is certainly a little dated, the community is truly proving that it's worth the $10 cost. You're going to get immersed in a lot of imagination for that small sum of money.

MassivelyStar Wars Galaxies celebrates over 3 million player created quests originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3-million-questschronicle-mastercommunityimaginationsalestar-wars-complete-online-chroniclesstar-wars-galaxiessteamswgFri, 20 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Paralyzed man walks in Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/03/paralyzed-man-walks-in-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/03/paralyzed-man-walks-in-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/03/paralyzed-man-walks-in-second-life/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Move over gamepads, joysticks, dancepads, keyboards, mice and plastic guitars with whammy bars; the future of game control is here. According to a recent experiment, Japanese researchers have successfully manipulated a virtual internet character in Second Life through the use of one patient's imagination only.

The 41-year old paralyzed patient was able to walk through the game and talk with other players in the first-ever recorded instance of something like this in a virtual world. By wearing headgear containing three electrodes, his brain waves were able to be monitored enough to allow the thought of himself walking to actually happen in the virtual world. If we carry this a few steps further, how long will it be before our complete thoughts will be able to translate onto a screen? Sure it's fun in an online virtual world, but imagine the possibilities beyond that. Thought police, anyone?

MassivelyParalyzed man walks in Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain-wavesimaginationlinden-labparalyzedsecond-lifevirtual-worldsTue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Crackwhip, your source for MUD-style D&D gameplay]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/crackwhip-your-source-for-mud-style-dandd-gameplay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/crackwhip-your-source-for-mud-style-dandd-gameplay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/crackwhip-your-source-for-mud-style-dandd-gameplay/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

One of the greatest things about the Web is that there's no such thing as obsolescence. Anything you have ever loved is out there, somewhere, waiting for you to find it and love it again. Such is the case with old-school MUDs, where virtually everything, from gameplay to character creation, is text-based. Well, the creators of Crackwhip have been missing those days, so they've brought the glory back with their browser-based text adventure.

Alongside the text you'll find simple graphics that represent objects, areas, and characters from the game. Additionally, these guys understand addiction -- from the press release: 'Want to play CrackWhip at work? No problem; at the top there are check boxes, uncheck these to turn graphics off, this way your computer screen will not reveal graphics as you quest for glory and coinage at your place of work.' Ironically, of course, those of us with jobs that are somewhat graphics-rich will be firing off a huge flare when our supervisors see a text-only screen.

Regardless, if you've been pining for the days of yore and want to return to a time when imagination was the killer app, check out Crackwhip.

MassivelyCrackwhip, your source for MUD-style D&D gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asciibrowser-basedcrackwhipimaginationMUDsnew-titletext-basedMon, 31 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EST