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New MOBA SmashMuck Champions fights its way into closed beta this month

Matt Daniel — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, New titles, News items, MOBA

Watch out, MOBA fans: A new challenger has appeared! Indie game developer Kiz Studios announced in a press release today that its upcoming MOBA title, SmashMuck Champions, is set to enter closed beta this month. Of course, if you're anything like us, you're probably wondering what the heck a SmashMuck Champions is.

According to the game's official site, the title is "a free-to-play action/strategy game featuring online multiplayer combat" in which players "build and train their own SmashMuck teams... to do battle in the toughest sport on Planet Muck." Gameplay-wise, the game seems to be your standard MOBA with a few not-so-standard twists. The addition of persistent champion gear plus interesting new mechanics such as stat-boosting training routines aim to put a new spin on the old formula. But hey, you don't have to take our word for it. The game will be entering closed beta testing on May 27th, so if you're a MOBA fan looking for a new thrill, just head on over to the game's official site and sign up for yourself. Oh, and while you're at it, don't forget to check out the game's latest official trailer after the cut.

[Source: Kiz Studios press release]

Gallery: SmashMuck Champions

Continue reading New MOBA SmashMuck Champions fights its way into closed beta this month

New MOBA SmashMuck Champions fights its way into closed beta this month originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retro-themed sandbox 8BitMMO announced

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, Free-to-play, Sandbox

Archive Entertainment is looking to get a slice of the massive Minecraft pie (which is square, not round), as the team has dived into the concept of a retro-style sandbox MMO called 8BitMMO. It may not boast the most incredible graphics, but that's kind of the point; players who recall their NES days with fondness will be right at home with the presentation on display.

8BitMMO is touted to be a "100% player-built world," where anything can be built, destroyed, and harvested for raw materials. Up to 250 players can occupy a server at the same time, and there's the option to group or go solo while you build, explore, or fight off the evil LawyerCats. There are quests, PvP engagements, and methods of protecting one's buildings from griefing.

This project is the sole creation of Robby Zinchak, who was formerly a producer at Microsoft. Zinchak has been working on 8BitMMO since 2001 and is impressed with the creativity shown in the game so far: "People are creating some genuinely cool architecture - everything from towering windmills to sports arenas. One player even made a huge statue of a flying dragon. The community is very inventive, and I can't wait to see what they'll come up with next!"

Currently, 8BitMMO can be played on the official website as it continues to be developed. You can watch the trailer for this interesting project after the jump.

[Source: Archive Entertainment press release]

Continue reading Retro-themed sandbox 8BitMMO announced

Retro-themed sandbox 8BitMMO announced originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense

Jef Reahard — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS

"I didn't want to make another Derek Smart game because usually when you mention 'Derek Smart' and 'game', gamers tend to run in the opposite direction," Smart told us when we asked about Line of Defense.

That's quite a candid intro, and it set the stage for an interesting 40-minute interview that featured plenty of insights into 3000AD's latest offering. Smart, of course, has something of a notorious reputation in the online community, and while we won't go into that here, it is worth noting that he's focusing on the work and letting his game do the talking.

Continue reading GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense

GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Two years and counting

Beau Hindman — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Free for All

On March 9th, 2012, this column will turn two years old. I thought it would be a fun idea to look back on those two years and recount what I might have learned. I've learned a lot, actually. When I was first hired to write a column about free-to-play games, I thought I would be covering relatively simple topics, stuff like "how much would you pay for a horse?" or "how many free-to-play games do you have on your hard drive?" Pretty soon I realized that free-to-play, to many people, represents a sort of gaming movement and genre rather than a payment model.

The discussions have been open, frank, and sometimes infuriating. It's easy for me to write so simply that it can seem as though I am attempting to make a larger point, and it's much easier to make much more of the term "free-to-play" than is necessary. I have seen the lines being drawn by many players who feel that free-to-play is a sort of scary neighbor who threatens the peaceful existence of their neighborhood, while many others couldn't care less.

Like I said, I have learned a lot.

Continue reading Free for All: Two years and counting

Free for All: Two years and counting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dawntide development officially on hiatus

Jef Reahard — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Dawntide, Sandbox

Last December we told you about Dawntide's impending beta server closure and temporary hiatus. Working as Intended was getting ready to go to work on a large-scale world revamp for the fantasy sandbox, and the firm said the open beta server would be down for a couple of months.

According to an update on Dawntide's official website, that hiatus is now going to last quite a bit longer because the dev team has run out of funding. "We're still working on finding new investors, but this will take time. In the meanwhile, we have officially stopped all development," the announcement says. "We hope to be able to resume it in the not too distant future, but as of right now we cannot say when that will be or whether it indeed happen at all."

[Thanks to Mersault for the tip!]

Dawntide development officially on hiatus originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stick it to the world in The Missing Ink's open alpha

Matt Daniel — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

If you like your MMOs a little bit sandboxy, a little bit quirky, and 100% indie, then RedBedlam's upcoming title The Missing Ink might be right up your alley. The game puts players in control of a 3-D world which they can mold to their liking and also provides MMO mainstays such as combat, PvP, exploration, and more. The game is still in the alpha testing phase, so players should expect more than the occasional bug or glitch. But if you want to help an indie developer iron the kinks out of its Unity-based sandbox MMO, then just head on over to the game's official site to sign up. There's no selection process; just sign up, jump in, and shape the world.

Stick it to the world in The Missing Ink's open alpha originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SWTOR devs leaving BioWare to make indie game

Jef Reahard — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

What's next for BioWare's Arnie Jorgensen, Alex Thomas, and John Watson? A new RPG/RTS hybrid called The Banner Saga, according to Kotaku.

The trio spent the past half decade slaving away on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and now they're striking out on their own to make an indie title described as "roleplaying meets turn-based strategy, wrapped into an adventure miniseries about vikings."

Watson was SWTOR's lead combat programmer, while Thomas and Jorgensen filled the senior environment artist and lead concept artist roles, respectively. The trio has formed an indie studio called Stoic, and the company's maiden offering is apparently "coming soon."

SWTOR devs leaving BioWare to make indie game originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMObility: Let's make a mobile game, part three

Beau Hindman — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Events, real-world, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Hands-on, Casual, Humor, Miscellaneous, MMObility

Last week we continued our discussion about how to make a mobile game, and the Massively readers offered up some great input. I wish I had the space to write up every single comment, but instead I will pick some of my favorites and we can discuss it from there. Unfortunately, real life has pushed development on the game back just a bit. Dave Toulouse, my indie developer partner-in-crime in this series, not only has two games of his own to run, Star Corsairs and Golemizer, but is now dealing with my silly emails. So while last week's column got some great ideas in the comments section, we were really only able to switch out the artwork, name the game, and add a tad bit of lore.

Fear not, fair readers! I will break down the development that is still planned on being pushed into the game over the last week, and it's important to note that Dave and I plan on coming back to the experiment over time. I'd like to update the game and continue discussion since it has been so interesting so far! In the meanwhile, click here to go to the official game page!

Continue reading MMObility: Let's make a mobile game, part three

MMObility: Let's make a mobile game, part three originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If it looks like an MMO, walks like an MMO, and quacks like an MMO...

Matt Daniel — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

Then it might just be an MMO! Indie gaming fans out there are probably already familiar with thatgamecompany, creators of hit PSN titles such as Flower, flOw, and the to-be-released Journey. Journey is going to be the studio's first experience with online interaction between players, but a new job listing from the studio seeking a scalability engineer states that the studio would "like to take it a step further with [its] next game." Taking online interaction a step further, you say? Why, they could be talking about an MMO!

The job listing further corroborates this theory as it continues on to state that "while [thatgamecompany is] pretty experienced making games, [the studio has] never built a full scale online service available to hundreds of thousands of users." Hundreds of thousands of users, you say? Why, that sounds even more like an MMO! Of course, this is all pure conjecture at this point, but surely we're not alone in our belief that an MMO from the minds of the folks that brought us Flower and flOw would be pretty groovy. But the fact remains that Journey won't even be released until next month, so this next project -- whatever it may be -- is still far off the horizon, but stay tuned. Hopefully we'll know more about this new project before too long.

If it looks like an MMO, walks like an MMO, and quacks like an MMO... originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: PlaneShift

Beau Hindman — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Bugs, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Crafting

As with many of the games I choose for this column, I am a bit lost as to how long the game has been in existence, what sort of time has passed since the game first began to allow players into its world, and what the exact state of the game currently is. With PlaneShift, a game that seems to have existed since I was 12 years old and has remained in some sort of testing or beta phase since then, I am even more unclear. Really, it shouldn't matter, but I can see the importance of knowing whether the game you are about to play is in testing or has even been released yet.

Without those key words, a player can become confused. Is this quest broken, missing parts, or just poorly designed? Is the game world empty because it's midnight or because the testing crowd is on at different times? I've heard from developers who keep their games in a beta state for years and years, and it usually means that they simply want a sort of explanation as to why the game feels incomplete. I say release it already and perhaps you'd attract more players anyway.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: PlaneShift

Rise and Shiny recap: PlaneShift originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Give indie a chance

Beau Hindman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

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's a pretty cool thing to introduce readers to new games. It's especially cool when the new game I am showing them would otherwise have completely passed under their radar, mainly because they receive most of their gaming news from other sites or from the blueshirts at Best Buy. I find no greater satisfaction than when someone tells me, "I didn't think I would like a game like that." When a player who normally feels comfortable engaging only with standard mechanics like linear questing, class-based gameplay, or raiding finds himself obsessed with some odd browser-based strategy game, everyone wins.

Once that player gets hooked on one of my favorite indie titles, most of the hard work is over. The real challenge comes a few steps before that: getting the player to actually try the game in the first place. I've tried a lot of different tactics over the years, from using guilt or shame to acting as though only cool people play the game in question. Unfortunately, it feels as though the audiences have become increasingly resistant. I have to think that the recent crop of easily digestible AAA titles has not helped the situation at all.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Give indie a chance

The Soapbox: Give indie a chance originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Fantasy Online

Beau Hindman — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

This week I decided to check out Fantasy Online, an extremely indie browser-based MMORPG by Pixelated Games. I've had my eye on it for a while but hadn't yet taken a chance on it. I liked the 8bit style of the game, but to be honest there are so many 8bit stylings going on right now (could it be more hip?) that it sort of all blends together into one pixelated mess. I have a buddy who makes 8bit music, t-shirts have featured 8bit designs for a while, and entire generations of gamers who never played the original games that the style is based on are diving head-first into the world of primitive graphics. Let's just say it's very popular.

What are the advantages of making a game that looks like it came from 1985? Someone once pointed out to me that an indie developer might have an easier time making a game that doesn't require state-of-the-art graphics. Good point. 8bit is sort of instant indie cred, as well. Just ask Notch of Minecraft fame.

Fantasy Online is more than just 8bit graphics, though, so allow me to fill you in on the details. Click past the cut!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Fantasy Online

Rise and Shiny recap: Fantasy Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Post-apocalyptic car combat MMO developer interviewed

Jef Reahard — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox

One-man dev teams aren't exactly unheard of thanks to Eskil Steenburg's Love MMO. One-man dev teams working on post-apocalyptic turn-based driving MMOs are pretty unique, though, and Sam Redfern has that particular market cornered.

Redfern is the brains (and everything else) behind Darkwind: War on Wheels, a free-to-play title based on the Torque engine that also mixes in a web interface for its social and economic gameplay. Rock, Paper, Shotgun recently caught up with Redfern and managed to ask a few burning questions.

Among the interesting tidbits is the fact that Darkwind has been in the works since 2005 and that the title currently boasts 220 subscribers. Redfern says most of these are heavily invested in the world. "It's not my game, it's the whole community's game. I think that's the reason a lot of them like it; if they want to, there's a good chance of influencing it. There's various ways they can add content," he explains.

Post-apocalyptic car combat MMO developer interviewed originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide

Jef Reahard — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Dawntide, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting

Hey folks, and welcome back to Some Assembly Required. The column's been around for a little bit now, and we've done everything from developer interviews to opinionated rants to sandbox and player-generated content feature spotlights. One thing we haven't done is an impressions piece on new sandbox titles, and I aim to fill that void today with an early look at Dawntide.

The title is an open-world fantasy sandbox under development by Working as Intended, an indie outfit that calls Copenhagen, Denmark home. Dawntide has been under construction for quite a while now (we first spoke with the devs way back in the summer of 2009), and after a series of funding and development challenges, the end of the long beta journey is in sight.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide

Some Assembly Required: An early look at Dawntide originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Browser-based indie MMO Star Corsairs goes live

Matt Daniel — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Launches, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser

Indie developer Machine 22 is at it again. Following the 2006 release of Golemizer, the one-man studio has now released Star Corsairs, a sci-fi title focusing on real-time starship battles. Players can explore the depths of outer-space, craft upgrades for their starships, do battle with alien species and other players, and form alliances to conquer entire space systems.

The game is free-to-play and browser-based, meaning that anyone can play it on almost any machine (as long as you're not running a Commodore 64, in which case you're on your own). More details on the game can be found at the title's official site, or you can jump past the cut for Star Corsairs' release trailer.

[Source: Machine 22 press release]

Gallery: Star Corsairs core gallery

Continue reading Browser-based indie MMO Star Corsairs goes live

Browser-based indie MMO Star Corsairs goes live originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Hero Engine sandbox to feature 3-faction PvP, deep crafting

Jef Reahard — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox, Crafting

Hey sandbox fans, here's another indie title to keep your eye on as we look toward the new year. Above & Beyond Technologies is working on a sci-fi game called The Repopulation, and the company has just released a new trailer filled with pre-alpha footage.

The project is built on the Hero Engine (and if that doesn't mean anything to you, you'll surely recognize the tech's most famous implementation to date) and is described as a three-faction PvP game that allows players to join existing nations or create their own. Gameplay is purportedly skill-based, and there is a toggle between traditional MMORPG button-mashing combat and some sort of action mode. There are also "many non-combat activities" including an "advanced" crafting system.

The video shows quite a bit of footage given its sub-two-minute running time, and you can get a glimpse of city building, combat, and the user interface after the break.

Continue reading New Hero Engine sandbox to feature 3-faction PvP, deep crafting

New Hero Engine sandbox to feature 3-faction PvP, deep crafting originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: The MMO freak show... step right up!

Beau Hindman — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Culture, Opinion, Humor, Free for All

Back when I played and toured with a band, we would always finish up our East coast trips in New York. Sure, it's a big beautiful city but the true fun came when we visited Coney Island. We'd check out the rides and grab some fried foods, but the best part was visiting some friends of ours who ran and performed in the freak show. One particularly lovely lady was known as Insectavora, and she was covered in tattoos. She had a knack for eating bugs, too, and describing to the audience what they tasted like. (Feeding crickets oranges made them taste orangey.)

There are plenty of MMOs out there that would feel right at home in the Coney Island freakshow. These odd ducks are made by someone special, played by a special few and visited by me. I love them, but making a list of them was sort of hard. After all, these days we have MMOs that are populated with the weirdest looking critters you can imagine, and all of our tolerance levels for the odd and unusual have risen.

But click past the cut and let me show you some of my favorite oddball MMOs. Remember...I use that term lovingly.

Continue reading Free for All: The MMO freak show... step right up!

Free for All: The MMO freak show... step right up! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales

Beau Hindman — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Opinion, Hands-on, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

OK, I have to admit: I liked Gilfor's Tales before and even recommended it to others, but without noticing many of the issues that came up over this last week. It should be noted, however, that many of them seemed to have happened since the last time I played and are the result of some sort of server change or update. I wish I knew more but the developer team seems to be about as communicative as a pet rock, even going so far as to finally apologize to their fans on Facebook. One fan replied "It's been a year guys..." What is this, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes? (Ba dum kssh!)

So, yes, this game has many flaws. Many. I'll tell you all about them in a minute, but it's important to note that after I streamed it live (check the embedded video) I gave it more time and the game did seem to open up and become more fun. It helped that things started to make more sense, but of course how I arrived upon the answers was pretty silly in itself.

Click past the cut and check it out!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales

Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ensemble Online wants you for alpha testing!

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, New titles, MMORTS, Giveaways

Longtime Massively readers will remember a giveaway we had last year for Ensemble Online alpha keys. Ensemble Online has been under construction since then, and the small indie studio creating it has grown as well. The developers -- now operating under the SemiFormal Studios moniker -- are preparing for alpha test phase II, and you're invited!

SemiFormal has given us 50 alpha test keys to share with you, so if you'd like to see how far the game has come since alpha test phase I, head to our giveaway page and pick up a key for yourself. It's an alpha test, so don't forget to report all those little bugs and glitches. Even more importantly, don't forget to have fun!

[Sorry, all codes have been claimed]

Ensemble Online wants you for alpha testing! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former LEGO Universe dev: 'I have decided to get out of the MMO game'

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, LEGO Universe, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous

We're all familiar with that guy who gets burned out on his game and makes a very public and lengthy rant as to why he's quitting on the official forums. But what happens when a developer does the same thing to a larger audience? Today we found out, as former LEGO Universe dev Ryan Seabury wrote an open letter saying why he left NetDevil -- and why he'll never work on MMOs again.

Seabury cites four reasons: that the "MMO" label has lost its meaning, it takes too long and is too stressful to develop new games, it's difficult to play around with creative concepts, and the market is trending toward indie titles anyway. He left to start up END Games Entertainment so that he and others of a similar mind could indulge in "a ridiculous variety of game ideas" instead of treading the waters of the status quo.

His letter is largely upbeat as he focuses on the joys of game development and play, and he thinks that it's high past time studios break out of old mindsets to embrace the new: "We have come to a point where the game concept trumps such insignificant bullet points, and global social connectivity is a given. From a creative standpoint, this is fantastic. Ideas are king once again; the industry feels as vibrant to me as the golden nostalgia years I experienced as a kid growing up through the coin-op and early console eras, except we've finally ditched the nerd-in-basement stigma."

You can read Seabury's full letter over at Kotaku.

Former LEGO Universe dev: 'I have decided to get out of the MMO game' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: A few tips for the indie developer

Beau Hindman — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Free for All

I am no developer, nor do I have dreams of one day becoming one. I absolutely love having the ability to write about what I like and to interact with those who enjoy (or hate) what I write. Developers have their hands and tongues tied much of the time, and often the indie developer gets no credit whatsoever. Granted, if artistic release or programming is your thing, I say go for it. But I will absolutely admit to wanting attention most of all -- it's what I like to do.

Over the years, I have visited more independent MMO sites and played more independent MMOs than I care to recount. Still, not a week goes by when I do not find a new one to look at, and so I file it away for future use. I am often amazed at some of the mistakes indie developers make -- such obvious ones, too. I try to remind myself that the garage-coder is not always the best choice for graphic designer, so sometimes the websites and logos of these tiny companies look like they were hosted on Geocities.

I decided to have some fun and throw down some general rules that I apply to indie developers. Take them or leave them, but I think that they are based on quite a bit of observation. Feel free to add any of your own. Click past the cut and let's get to them!

Continue reading Free for All: A few tips for the indie developer

Free for All: A few tips for the indie developer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 May 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMObility: Illyriad, a kingdom in your pocket

Beau Hindman — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Massively Interviews, MMObility

There are a lot of city-building, army-amassing, crop-growing RTS-style games in the browser market. Heck, I will wager that they probably make up about 70 percent of the games I come across while researching (my fancy word for lurking through game sites). The genre works really well in a browser, though, so I can see the appeal of making such a game. Of course, as in any popular genre, you will have your duds. After seeing my billionth army-builder, I have to say that I'm just not really interested that much anymore. It takes a unique one to grab my eye.

In comes Illyriad. It looks pretty similar to other RTS-style browser MMOs, and it plays similarly as well. Something about it was different, though, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. The hand-drawn art was a nice touch, and the world truly felt large, but there was something else.

Join me past the cut as I examine what it was. I also fired off some questions to the developer, Stormcrow, to get his take on the game's success.

Continue reading MMObility: Illyriad, a kingdom in your pocket

MMObility: Illyriad, a kingdom in your pocket originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer

Beau Hindman — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All

Ah, the life of the indie developer: long nights followed by more long days followed by long weekends, slugging through mountains of code to find tiny errors that break entire worlds... it would seem like a thankless job. It's ironic that many wanna-be designers and armchair developers often picture development as some kind of glamorous process, one that puts the developer in an office surrounded by character sketches, 3-D models, and walls of monitors.

The truth is that design, at any level, is often tedious and heart-breaking. You will more than likely find a designer surrounded by lists of numbers and spilled coffee before you'd find him tweaking character models. Making games is hard, they say. It's true. So then why are we so fascinated by the process? Why do we daydream of one day making our own world to explore and share with friends?

I decided to ask Dave Toulouse, lead-everything for Golemizer, what he thought about the whole process. Turns out Golemizer is pretty darn fun, complex and open... and it runs within your browser!

Click past the cut and let's see what he has to say about the ever-so-glamorous world of game design.

Continue reading Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer

Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: Indie and free-to-play edition

Beau Hindman — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, Massively Meta, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous

Howdy, folks. It's that time again -- time to choose a new game for the infamous Choose My Adventure series. This time, however, I, Beau Hindman, have been nominated to act as your guide for the next month and a half. This might be good or bad depending on what kind of games you would like to see me write about. As the resident "indie/free-to-play dude" I am morally obligated to make a list composed of games we do not already cover several times per week.

Do me a favor, though: Even if you do not recognize many of these games, go ahead and vote anyway. Take a moment before you do and check the game's website, read up on some of the FAQs, and maybe make an account. Then, cast your vote. It's important that we give the same amount of spotlight to smaller titles. If we start to value games only for their budget or staff size, then we will end up talking about a very limited set of choices. Variety is the key to happiness!

So click past the cut and vote on your favorite pick! Just make sure to have your vote in by 12:00 p.m. noon EST on January 10th.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Indie and free-to-play edition

Choose My Adventure: Indie and free-to-play edition originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop

Beau Hindman — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Puzzle, Sci-fi, Culture, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Trading card games, Casual, Virtual worlds, Kids, Free for All, Family, Miscellaneous

So there you are, reading a column from your favorite Massively writer on your shiny new laptop. You might be stuck with your parents and family because of the snow, or you might simply want to find a new MMORPG to play on the device. Perhaps you broke down and bought that cute pink netbook at Target, and now you need something to do with it besides reading your favorite writer of all time?

Don't worry, because I've taken the time to compile and test 25 MMOs that will work wonderfully on your new toy! Yes, there are real MMOs out there that are not dependent on the latest graphics card or six gigs of ram. These are fully realized worlds, complete with chat windows and socializing. I will make a note if the game might have some difficulty on the oldest of hardware -- or the least powerful -- so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, download away!

For the record, this is my new toy. I got it for work, but you know the first thing I had to do was try out gaming on it. Click past the cut to see the list!

Continue reading Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop

Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Four games I'm dying to play in 2011

Beau Hindman — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Free for All

The year 2010 was a great year in gaming. If anyone tells you any different, look him in the eye -- you've just met a madman. In fact, 2010 did so much for me, personally, that it might be hard to top it for a while. I actually started getting paid to write my blog entries this year, discovered so many wonderful new developers this year, and played more hours than in all of the previous years combined.

As luck would have it, there are already several new games being announced that are making 2011 look like an even bigger year for me. Browser-based technology is only growing more robust and rich, indie gaming is finally starting to get a lot of the respect it deserves, and I now have the ability to contact almost any developer I want for use in my columns. All of this adds up to some exciting times ahead, for sure. All thanks to Massively, of course.

There are four games in particular that I am very excited about. More will come, I'm positive, but these four have already cast huge spells on me. Click past the cut to see what you should be excited about, too!

Continue reading Free for All: Four games I'm dying to play in 2011

Free for All: Four games I'm dying to play in 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: An insight on indie from Alganon

Beau Hindman — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Alganon, Free for All

Recently I decided that I wanted to ask different indie developers how their world revolves and what it's like to exist within that world. Development is a funny thing and often much more difficult than many of us will ever know. In my experience, the budget doesn't change the basic goings-on in the development studio, but it can effect what developers are willing to talk about. I would never expect certain mainstream developers to ever open up to certain questions, while many indie developers seem more than willing.

Last time, I asked the developers of Istaria what they thought, which you can read here. This time, I decided to send some questions to Quest Online, the maker of Alganon. I received my answers from Derek Smart, president of QOL. Alganon has been one of my surprise favorites of the last year, so I was eager to ask some questions -- after all, he says exactly what's on his mind.

Continue reading Free for All: An insight on indie from Alganon

Free for All: An insight on indie from Alganon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Linkrealms

Beau Hindman — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, in-game, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Rise and Shiny

Over the last week I was privileged enough to participate in Mythyn Interactive's Linkrealms beta, a game that I had watched for a while now. The trailer is just neat (to use a truly nerdy word) and strikes you immediately with its awesome animations and spell effects. In fact, the animations are very cool and probably one of my favorite parts of the game. That says a lot, especially since the combat and community are such charmers. There's something about the animations that brings the game out of indie territory -- and out of Ultima Online territory -- and plants it more in the area of original and immersive.

Of course, the game is still testing. I will bet that, like many indie games, it will stay in beta for a long, long time. We players need to be forgiving when developers do this and understand that true release -- even just calling it that -- is just not that simple. I can almost sense the fear in my discussions with some of the developers: they have worked their butts off on the game, they have spent way too much time working on this digital world, and they don't want their work to be misrepresented. This fear is completely rational, especially if we think just for a second about how quickly players not only eat up content, but mercilessly blame developers for every single thing they feel is wrong with the game.

So, follow me after the jump and let's talk about why this game is so good, even if it does still need a little more time in the oven.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Linkrealms

Rise and Shiny recap: Linkrealms originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: MilMo

Beau Hindman — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, Previews, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, Kids, Family, Rise and Shiny

If there's one thing I think many developers need to learn, it's to keep games accessible. No, I'm not talking about making a game "easy" -- I'm talking about making it available to as many different players as possible. This means making a game that can run on many different PC setups and does not require a degree of some sort to play. Yes, there is a time and a place for uber-realistic, theory-crafting, nerdy-wonderland games, but bear in mind that good design does not automatically translate into complicated design.

As I played through MilMo this week, I realized how much potential this new generation of browser-based games has. The new engines, Unity in particular, give developers the ability to make beautiful games that can be accessed directly through the browser. I was surprised to find a good-looking "kid's game" that presented plenty of challenge and fun for kids of all ages (including 36-year-old game writers like myself).

Read on for more details.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: MilMo

Rise and Shiny recap: MilMo originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Lessons from the world of indie and free-to-play

Beau Hindman — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Kids, Free for All

I'm no expert at anything. I'm sort of like the Mario of gaming -- not an ace in one particular area, but relatively experienced in all. Luckily, this has worked out for me. Name a title; I either have played it or know about it. Name a developer, and I can probably tell you something about it that sticks out. Granted, this ability might not come in handy when Twitter is exploding in the usual "Hey, we all love football" Sunday chatter, but look where you're reading this now. On this turf, being a well-rounded gamer has its advantages.

Over the last 11 years, I've noticed quite a few trends and picked up on some unique ways that developers do business. I would never say that the information I have is 100 percent accurate, but it does come from a very open mind. I'll also not pretend that all these lessons will lead to massive piles of cash and free booze. Some of them are examples of what not to do.

In fact, stop listening to me. Go read the examples right now, after the jump.

Continue reading Free for All: Lessons from the world of indie and free-to-play

Free for All: Lessons from the world of indie and free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Other dark parts of space

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, One Shots

To be sure, there are hundreds of MMOs out there in the world, but every so often we catch wind of one that we hadn't heard of before. Today's One Shots of a space-based indie MMO called DarkSpace is such an example. This image was sent to us by a reader who goes by the name "Frank Exchange of Views." For those of us who aren't familiar, Frank explains the image:

"What's going on, you ask? Well, three Dreadnought-class ships from the Interstellar Cultural Confederation (ICC) are engaging two United Galactic Trade Organization (UGTO) Dreadnoughts near the gate into the Tau Ceti system, an important system to the ICC due to its being the sole link into the farstar worlds they call their own. The ICC's front ship is suffering a quantum singularity torpedo's detonation. Normally the GUI draws indicators of armor and hull on the ships, but I disabled it for this particular screenshot. DarkSpace can be found at www.darkspace.net, and due to its nature as an indie game held together by volunteers, its graphics may not be up to par -- but I think it is a fun enough game that people should know about it."

We love to hear about indie games you love to play. If you know of a game we haven't showcased lately, then don't be shy -- send in a screenshot! Drop it in an email to oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. It could be the next one we feature here on Massively!

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

One Shots: Other dark parts of space originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, MMORTS, Giveaways

How would you like to alpha test an MMORTSRPG? Yeah, that's what we thought. The amount of letters has distracted you. Our evil plan is coming to fruition!

And, speaking of things coming to fruition, let's talk about Ensemble Online -- a new game from a small indie developer group. The game is incorporating aspects of a traditional RPG with elements of a real-time strategy game, all under an MMO flag. Retrieve resources, hunt monsters, build buildings, craft weapons, create empires, and wage war with other players in this 2D MMO. It's very ambitious, and ambitious things need testers.

We've gotten 50 alpha keys to give away, and that means it's time for a contest! If we've caught your interest, jump with us after the break and we'll give you all of the relevant information.

Gallery: Ensemble Online: Alpha Test Screenshots

Continue reading Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively!

Grab yourself an Ensemble Online alpha key with Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love launch day roundup

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Love

Today is the day that Eskil Steenberg launches his indie procedurally-generated art-house MMO, Love. As if the idea of one man creating his very own MMO weren't ambitious enough, Steenberg also created a comprehensive set of tools to build the entire game from scratch. If you're curious for more information on this beautifully unique MMO, we've gathered up some highlights from our coverage of Love here for you to check out. Perhaps we'll see you in game!

	Anti-Aliased: What is Love? So what is love? That's certainly the metaphysical question of the ages, isn't it? ... That's why we're going to spend this week talking about Eskil Steenberg's indie-MMO, Love!
	A first look at the Love alpha The graphical style floats somewhere between impressionist and Abstract, with only the suggestions of people and things. Gone are the "customize your character heavily" moments of an MMO. You simply log in and your character is immediately created - an amorphous entity ready to take part in all that Love has to offer.
	Two new videos bring the Love Since we've heard about Eskil Steenberg's concept for a procedurally generated MMO, we've been craving a close look at Love. Luckily for those of us who have only heard about it through news sources, he's decided to publish a video presentation showing off just what gameplay is like in Love....

Continue reading Love launch day roundup

Love launch day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: The glow of Love

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Screenshots, One Shots, Love

When it comes to looking for new gaming ideas, there's no denying Eskil Steenberg's procedurally-generated art-house MMO, Love stands out. Now in beta, Eskil has been working hard at improving the game since the last time we looked at it. Today, we have a gorgeous One Shots from the beta to share with you. This came in with a report in from the front lines, courtesy of GamingLove's iamacyborg, who writes:

This is a screenshot of a player settlement in Eskil Steenberg's game, Love, on the UK1 server. We had the base set up on top of a few pillars, over a lake, with a force-field (that pink ball) protecting the important tokens. Here's a video someone took of the settlement a little while after the screenshot was taken, once we'd set up a perimeter defence with some blaster turrets.

Are you playing something we haven't seen before - or only see rarely? If so, why not take a moment and send some screenshots in? Just mail them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: The glow of Love originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: What is Love?

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Puzzle, Guides, New titles, Tips and tricks, Opinion, Hands-on, Love, Anti-Aliased

So what is love? That's certainly the metaphysical question of the ages, isn't it? Is it simply an attraction to another gender, or is it a deep bond between two people that goes beyond mere friendship, and more into the realm of headbanging, suit and sunglasses wearing pride? Do I have the authority to take on questions such as this in my editorial column?

Heck no! That's why we're going to spend this week talking about Eskil Steenberg's indie-MMO, Love! We've been covering Love extensively this week, announcing that the alpha was available and showing off some really beautiful in-game footage. But, even with all of that, we never got into the meat of the game. What is Love about? What do you do in it? Why is it so special to us on the Massively staff?

Those questions and more will be answered in this week's edition. So come on in, the Love is great!

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: What is Love?

Anti-Aliased: What is Love? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie developed Divergence Online to combine third person shooter with MMO

James Egan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, MMOFPS

Divergence Online is a sci-fi hybrid of a third person shooter and MMO, from indie developer Stainglass Llama. The game is set hundreds of years in the future, in a time when human and alien civilizations clash. The rated-M game will feature a "hybrid interface" where players can switch between "RAG Mode" (Run-and-Gun Mode) with crosshairs and "MMO Mode" with auto-attack, more standard MMO-style targeting, movement, and camera control.

The MMO Gamer has some early info about the game, revealed in an interview by Mobin Koohestani with Divergence Online Project Manager Ethan Casner, who is also the creator of the Divergence universe. Casner gives The MMO Gamer a brief overview of the game's concepts, lore and game mechanics in the interview. He says, "Our goal is to get as close to the feel of combat in a traditional FPS/3PS as possible, with the capabilities of an MMORPG such as character progression and a persistent world populated by (hopefully) thousands of players at the same time."

Continue reading Indie developed Divergence Online to combine third person shooter with MMO

Indie developed Divergence Online to combine third person shooter with MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LOVE creator Eskil Steenberg on how his game differs from other MMOs

James Egan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Love

It would be an understatement to say we're excited about the upcoming massively multiplayer online game titled LOVE, and we've certainly given the title some mention here in the past. It's an MMO being developed by one person, Eskil Steenberg, featuring a rather unique art style and some interesting gameplay elements. We're always looking out for more info about the title and came across an interview with Steenberg conducted by Phill Cameron from Gamasutra, just before the LOVE creator's Independent Games Summit lecture at GDC 2009.

Steenberg discusses his choice to adopt procedural generation for LOVE, which was actually the only way forward on this project. "Working alone, you simply just can't build a massive world all by yourself, so you need to do something smarter," he says. "Given that I am forced to solve this problem, I get some added bonuses like being able to constantly generate new content while the game is running." Steenberg points out another benefit to this type of game design."As it turns out I think this could be the key to gaming in the future, as the game is able to develop and change in response to the player's actions," he says. "Rather then having a few binary plot choices, the world becomes far more dynamic and responsive to your actions."

Continue reading LOVE creator Eskil Steenberg on how his game differs from other MMOs

LOVE creator Eskil Steenberg on how his game differs from other MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First trailer of Love is absolutely breathtaking

Samuel Axon — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, New titles, Love

What does it say about our industry when one man and a laptop can create a game arguably more artistically ambitious and breathtaking than anything to come out of SOE, Mythic, Funcom, Turbine, Cryptic, or Blizzard? We were left to ponder that question after watching the first trailer for Love, an MMO with a one-man development team.

We were first introduced to the game at GDC, where we first witnessed its gorgeous impressionist art style and learned about its procedurally generated narrative and creativity-driven social gameplay. Trailer host Rock, Paper Shotgun says this new trailer is the first moving image of the game seen by the public, but we actually included an off-screen video in our impressions of creator Eskil Steenberg's one-on-one presentation. That said, this video is much more impressive. It's simply stunning. We're not able to embed it, so head over to RPS to watch.

Gallery: GDC08: Love by Eskil Steenberg

First trailer of Love is absolutely breathtaking originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie MMO Game Developer Conference coming to Vegas in April

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry

Just as this year's gaming conference season is beginning to wind down, we start to receive news of next year's events already. Last Straw Productions has just announced the third annual Independent MMO Game Developers Conference will be held in Las Vegas, NV on April 17th through the 19th, 2009.

This conference will feature more presentations and vendors than the previous years, plus new demo stations where the Indie developers can show off their latest projects. In addition, the imgdc.com website has been completely revamped with a new logo, layout, adviser and speaker blogs. Check out the website for more information on the upcoming event.

Indie MMO Game Developer Conference coming to Vegas in April originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online gaming on Google's Lively to take on "corporate mentality"

Samuel Axon — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Browser

Kevin Hanna, creative director of Google's Lively, said at AGDC that he hopes that Lively will become an online gaming platform that will challenge the status quo in a game industry he says is currently dominated by a "corporate mentality" that is "sucking the life out of what should be the most creative and innovative medium out there."

He said that game developers and publishers seem eager to be "first to be second." That is, they have no interest in creating anything genuinely new. They just want to capitalize on ideas that have already been proven. His hope is that Lively will lower the barrier to entry so would-be developers ("passionate startups and kids in college") can experiment with new ideas with less risk.

So far, the aspects of Google's vision for Lively as a game development platform that we've seen have looked like a greatly scaled back, poor man's version of MetaPlace; just the tools for creating simple arcade-like games, without any of the loftier purpose. But Hanna's comments suggest that at least some folks on the Lively team have grander ambitions after all.

Online gaming on Google's Lively to take on "corporate mentality" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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