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[Lost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic's potential for EVE combat]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/lost-pages-of-taborea-runes-of-magics-potential-for-eve-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/lost-pages-of-taborea-runes-of-magics-potential-for-eve-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/lost-pages-of-taborea-runes-of-magics-potential-for-eve-combat/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Runes of Magic screenshot
I've been thinking a lot lately on other ways that Runes of Magic reminds me of EVE Online. Not that any systems are exactly the same, but they have certain similarities. Wurm Online and Minecraft are arguably different in how they function, but they both scratch the same creative itch.

RoM's gear-modification system lends itself to EVE-esque combat. Keep in mind we're not talking about how the mechanics or guts of the games are similar or different; we're talking about how the same itch is being scratched. In the case of RoM's PvP being like EVE, it's more like tickling the itch with a feather, which makes you want to scratch it even more. I want to scratch that itch with a Brillo pad by exploring how RoM's open-world PvP could function more like EVE's, thanks to the arcane transmutor. Let's start with how I think battlefields differ from open-world PvP.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic's potential for EVE combat

MassivelyLost Pages of Taborea: Runes of Magic's potential for EVE combat originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefieldscombatdeatheveeve-onlinefeaturedffa-pvpffapvpfrogsterfrogster-americafrogster-interactiveincentivesjeremy-strattonlootinglost-pages-of-taboreapenaltiespk-protectionplayer-lootingplayer-vs-playerpvprewardsromrunes-of-magicrunewakerrunewaker-entertainmentMon, 22 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/wings-over-atreia-bribing-for-balance/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/wings-over-atreia-bribing-for-balance/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/wings-over-atreia-bribing-for-balance/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Nope, this isn't a new game show on a cable network but rather the idea behind the latest program from NCsoft to help increase and balance the populations of the servers in Aion. In a game heralded for its PvPvE, keeping enough enemies around to ensure PvP is more than just a passing fancy -- it's vital to the welfare of the game. And of late, on some servers it almost seems as if Asmodians are just mythical creatures that Elyos tell stories about.

Although I won't speculate (here at least) on the decline, Asmodian populations have dwindled across many servers as has their participation in PvP. Besides the universal events that celebrated the release of patch 2.5, Aion has aimed some new (or revamped) events specifically at reversing this population trend. The basic premise is this: If you bribe them, they will come. The plan, unveiled in May, would encourage players to return to their furry-backed roots or even try some claws on for the first time by offering special faction incentives. Couple this with the free trial and the hope was that servers would see an influx of Asmodians and a return to the days of faction warfare glory.

Just what exactly are the incentives and -- more importantly -- how well are they working? Glide past the cut for details and to join in a discussion on the matter.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance

MassivelyWings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2.5-patchaionaion-gameEmpyrean-Callingfactionfaction-incentivesfactional-warfarefactionsfeaturedfortressfortress-siegefortress-siegesfortsincentiveincentiveslow-populationlow-population-serversnc-softnc-soft-aionncsoftncsoft-aionpatch-2.5pvepvppvpvesiegesiegesMon, 27 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: The selfish gamer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-soapbox-the-selfish-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-soapbox-the-selfish-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/the-soapbox-the-selfish-gamer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

It happened a couple of months ago. I was in a remote area in Lord of the Rings Online when another player -- the only other player in this small zone -- sent me a tell. "Can you help me? I need to finish this quest, and I keep getting killed in this cave."

Honestly? My first instinct was to say no. It had been a busy day, and I was sitting down to a brief, 20-minute session that would be my only chance to get anything done until tomorrow. I was hoping to knock out a couple quests of my own, and I really didn't want to log out without accomplishing something with that character. So I responded and declined to help, which he took in good humor.

Then it hit me what I just did. In a social online game, I'd refused to help someone who blatantly asked for it, all because I was being self-centered. So I sent him another tell. "You know what? What the heck. I'm sorry; I was having a me moment. Let's do this." And so we did. It was fun, and I logged out 20 minutes later without having advanced my character but feeling as though I accomplished something substantial even so.

It was at this moment that I started to realize just how MMOs have conditioned me to be as selfish as possible -- and I made a promise right then and there that I'd start fighting back against that conditioning. I didn't want to be a selfish gamer any longer.

Continue reading The Soapbox: The selfish gamer

MassivelyThe Soapbox: The selfish gamer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>behaviorcarrotconditioningculturedaily-grinddeadly-sinsfeaturedguildincentivesleadershiplord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionpavlovself-centeredself-centerednessselfishselfish-behaviorselfishnessseven-deadly-sinssoapboxsticktdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 17 May 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wings Over Atreia: Anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/07/wings-over-atreia-anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/07/wings-over-atreia-anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/07/wings-over-atreia-anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

You know the feeling -- you learn about some upcoming goodness and you want it. Or do you crave it? You can fall anywhere along the spectrum of anticipation, provoked by things you just look forward to all the way to things that make you squeal in schoolgirl giddiness at the mere thought! It's a game in and of itself. Such is the way of Aion updates, which tantalize and tease players for quite some time before going live (and even longer if you can translate the original Korean patch notes yourself!). Not yet having a release date for updates is not dampening the anticipation of many Daevas but rather is fueling it instead.

So what brought about my musings on this topic? I squealed! More specifically, an announcement this week that put me right into the giddy mode: Winter is coming! George R.R. Martin's fifth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series will release in July. Now, while my fangirliness in its supreme is reserved for this outstanding literature, I also have things that I am looking forward to in game. However, there are those who have a virtual heart attack when new goodies for Aion are announced; I have one legionmate who will only re-sub when update 2.5 rolls around and brings with it all the little bells and whistles he is pining for. It is quite interesting to listen as he randomly pops into Ventrilo to trumpet the greatness of this upcoming gaming salvation, then disappears again into the night.

So what about 2.5 has my legionmate so excitable... and excited? Skip-to-my-lou past the cut to take a look at some of the upcoming features.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation

MassivelyWings Over Atreia: Anticipaaaaaaaaaaaation originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2.5aionaion-gameCasting-Speedcasting-speed-capemotesfeaturedgeorge-r-r-martingraphics-upgradehelper-systemincentiveincentivesnc-softnc-soft-aionncsoftncsoft-aionnerfnerf-batnew-skillspatch-2.5patch-notesporgusskillsstealthupgradeupgradesventriloWings-Over-AtreiaMon, 07 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Help stress test LotRO to win cool prizes and meet devs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/help-stress-test-lotro-to-win-cool-prizes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/help-stress-test-lotro-to-win-cool-prizes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/help-stress-test-lotro-to-win-cool-prizes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Isn't it funny? People are always clamoring to get into closed betas but once an MMO launches, test servers are usually pretty empty, even for special events. Turbine has decided to offer some great incentives for players to participate in their upcoming Lord of the Rings Online performance test and is giving away several high-powered computer accessories and making sure the devs are online to interact with.

Subscribers and even trial-account holders can log into the Bullroarer public test server between 9:00PM and 11:00PM Eastern on Thursday, May 14 and have a shot at winning:

  • Two (2) first prizes - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition CPU + OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
  • Five (5) second prizes - OCZ Vertex 60GB MLC Solid State SATA II Hard Drive
  • Ten (10) third prizes - ATI Radeon HD 4890 Video Card
  • Twenty (20) fourth prizes - Signed copy of The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
In order to qualify, you must play the entire two hours of the event and be a resident of the United States. Disconnects will not disqualify you as long as you log back in immediately. You can download the Bullroarer client here. Good luck!

MassivelyHelp stress test LotRO to win cool prizes and meet devs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 May 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atibullroarercontestincentiveslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromines-of-moriaperformance-testplay-testprizestestturbineTue, 12 May 2009 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[More incentive for guilds to claim keeps in Warhammer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/more-incentive-for-guilds-to-claim-keeps-in-warhammer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/more-incentive-for-guilds-to-claim-keeps-in-warhammer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/more-incentive-for-guilds-to-claim-keeps-in-warhammer/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Claiming and defending keeps in Warhammer Online can be a costly endeavour, but it just became a lot more rewarding. Guilds that own a T4 keep when the zone their keep is in is captured will now receive a gold bag containing Annihilator gear. They will receive another gold Annihilator bag for each successive zone that is captured. If the fortress falls in the pairing where you own a keep, you will recive a gold Conqueror bag. Guild masters can transfer these gold bags to anyone in the guild.

Recently, Mythic added other incentives for keep claiming. In order to lock a zone with the new Zone Domination System, all keeps must be claimed. The most recent patch also included a keep upgrade system. Guilds who claim keeps can upgrade the the gate, guards, and add special merchants. The intrinsic incentive for claiming and defending a keep is of course guild pride. Wouldn't we all like to see our heraldry flying in the wind?

MassivelyMore incentive for guilds to claim keeps in Warhammer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>guildsincentiveskeep-upgrademythic-entertainmentrewardswarwarhammer-onlinezone-dominationWed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: User generated stories in shardless worlds]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-user-generated-stories-in-shardless-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-user-generated-stories-in-shardless-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-user-generated-stories-in-shardless-worlds/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Massively checked out an interesting session at GDC 2009 titled "User Generated Story: The Promise of Unsharded Worlds" by James Portnow, CEO and Creative Director of Divide by Zero. His talk was part of the Worlds in Motion Summit, and focused on how single worlds and their shared space can also give rise to shared stories. Portnow discussed ways that game designers can encourage and enable players to tell their own stories within the virtual space.

***

The storylines we've seen thus far in MMOs aren't yet tapping the potential of massively multiplayer online games, Portnow relates, largely because they're not capitalizing on an MMOs greatest asset -- its players. Portnow says, "We haven't achieved stories that really rely upon the core of our media, the playerbase that a MMO environment environment gives us. We haven't achieved player-driven stories really directed by players themselves. And lastly we haven't achieved meaningful stories."

Why do people skip the quest text? It's because they have no stake in it. Unlike the experience they get from single player games, their actions don't affect the the world they play in. Story, then, doesn't add to immersion and thus players don't feel engaged by quests. The solution then is to unshard worlds and give agency back to the players, with real choices, real consequences, and less restrictions.

Gallery: GDC09: The Promise of Unsharded Worlds panel

Continue reading GDC09: User generated stories in shardless worlds

MassivelyGDC09: User generated stories in shardless worlds originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>choiceculturedivide-by-zeroeve-onlinefactionsfreedomgame-designgame-mechanicsgdcgdc-2009incentivesjames-portnowmassive-choice-eventmassive-choice-eventsmmo-industryplayer-created-contentplayer-drivenplayer-politicspoliticsquestssandboxshardlessstorystorytellingunshardworld-designworld-shapingWed, 25 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Korean government to pour $200 billion into gaming industry]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/05/korean-government-to-pour-200-billion-into-gaming-industry/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/05/korean-government-to-pour-200-billion-into-gaming-industry/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/05/korean-government-to-pour-200-billion-into-gaming-industry/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As Western game developers are losing money and closing down more games than ever before, the Korean government is taking a drastically different approach. According to a recent report, the Korean government plans to invest $200 billion USD into their gaming industry in an attempt to boost the country into the top spot for game development.

Although this incentive will reach across all gaming genres, Korea is well-known for its involvement with MMOs. NCsoft, which is among one of the largest MMO publishers, is headquartered in Korea and could potentially aim to benefit from such funding. This proposal plans to fund the gaming industry through 2012 and hopes to expand its game exports to around 5 trillion won (around $3.3 trillion USD) per year.

MassivelyKorean government to pour $200 billion into gaming industry originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fundingincentiveskoreakorean-governmentncsoftFri, 05 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Non-combat titles vs combat titles]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/19/the-daily-grind-non-combat-titles-vs-combat-titles/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/19/the-daily-grind-non-combat-titles-vs-combat-titles/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/19/the-daily-grind-non-combat-titles-vs-combat-titles/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I admit it; I'm a title hunter. Way back when I started up City of Heroes, the idea of gathering as many badges as I could seemed like a lot of fun to me. It gave me a plethora of various titles and accolades to choose from at any given time. Later, when the TaxiBots entered the scene, I joined up with their cause. One of the things we had the most success with in regards to player-run events was the Badge tours, whereby people who either didn't know where the badges were, or just didn't feel like hunting them could get teleported from place to place via Recall Friend. We took the badge flavor text and spun outrageous stories based on it, then sent them along to the next person in the route. After approximately 2 minutes, the "fare" (player) would have gained 5-7 new badges, and had a lot of fun listening to us spin tales of bravery and occasionally depravity. Fast forward to WoW and LotRO, and I find myself chasing titles once again, but most of these require combat to gain. It is quite different from the early CoH badges with many available just for walking over a certain area, or finding an easter egg.

Is there a better way to do it? Perhaps. But this is what we'd like to ask you about today. Are you also a badge hunter, seeking the next new title? If so, do you prefer yours for combat and feats of prowess, would you rather have them for just finding some "historic" spot that advances the lore, or do you like the idea of a combination of both? Do you think the idea of a non-combat title is just silly? Or do you really just not care about the idea of titles at all?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Non-combat titles vs combat titles originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accoladesbadgesfeaturedincentivesnon-combat-accomplishmentsreward-systemsthe-daily-grindtitlestokensWed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST