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[Looking at the brighter Moria in Lord of the Rings Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/looking-at-the-brighter-moria-in-lord-of-the-rings-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/looking-at-the-brighter-moria-in-lord-of-the-rings-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/looking-at-the-brighter-moria-in-lord-of-the-rings-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

LotRO
Does Lord of the Rings Online's Moria benefit from a brighter night-light? The folks over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor went on the test server to investigate just how different the underground zones look now that Turbine's gone back to give the area additional lighting effects.

The fansite examines four different locales on both the live and test server and took screenshots to document the changes. The Great Delving, Silvertine Lodes, The Waterworks, and Durin's Way are the stops on the tour, and out of all of them, Silvertine is the most noticeably brighter.

"While playing, I can say that I do feel like it's easier to see," Goldenstar writes. "I don't know if I would fall into 'it's too bright' category. It still feels like Moria to me."

A revamp to half of Moria is planned with Update 7. Head on over and check out the differences for yourself!

MassivelyLooking at the brighter Moria in Lord of the Rings Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-casual-stroll-to-mordorcompare-and-contrastf2pfantasyfree-to-playlightinglord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromines-of-moriamoriamoria-brighteningmoria-revampmoria-updatepatch-7shades-of-the-pastturbineturbine-entertainmentupdateupdate-7Mon, 07 May 2012 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[MAG patch 1.07 due out next week]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/mag-patch-1-07-due-out-next-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/mag-patch-1-07-due-out-next-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/28/mag-patch-1-07-due-out-next-week/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


MAG's next patch, due out next week, will bring some very welcome free updates to players. While the full patch notes aren't available yet, the MAG team has provided a short list of updates to hold fans over for a bit.

MAG v1.07 will bring a number of fixes, content changes, and additions to the game, including a new happy hour feature. Happy hour is a double XP bonus that's applied to the first hour of every player's gaming session in a 24-hour period, giving you a little boost to start off with.

You'll also find better lighting, redesigned maps, a new faction neutral Supression gameplay mode, and new code that allows for faster patching. Check out the current patch notes on the MAG site, and keep an eye out for the complete notes, available nearer the time of the update.

MassivelyMAG patch 1.07 due out next week originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>contentdlcdouble-xpdownloadable-contentfree-contentfree-dlcfree-patchhappy-hourlightinglighting-fixmagmag-1.07mag-patch-1.07mmofpspatchsupressionzipperzipper-interactiveWed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video highlights the differences in Final Fantasy XIV test versions]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/27/video-highlights-the-differences-in-final-fantasy-xiv-test-versi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/27/video-highlights-the-differences-in-final-fantasy-xiv-test-versi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/27/video-highlights-the-differences-in-final-fantasy-xiv-test-versi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

We're not done with the love for Final Fantasy XIV around here by a long shot, especially not as the game moves into the next phase of testing. Amidst secondhand reports, allegations, rumors, and the general wall of non-information Square-Enix surrounds the game with, it can be difficult to know whether the new phase of testing has actually changed anything, or we're just looking at the same build with a few names changed. There's a new video making the rounds, however, demonstrating exactly what has changed.

It's easier to understand the changes by watching the video, but in brief: they've improved light sourcing, distance rendering, and a vastly different combat system. The latter is perhaps the most surprising, as the two systems sound similar but have significant differences when compared side by side. Any fan of Final Fantasy XIV is encouraged to watch the video not just to see the version comparisons, but to get a good sense of what the game will look like in action.

MassivelyVideo highlights the differences in Final Fantasy XIV test versions originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alphaalterationsbetaclient-changescombatcombat-systemsffff14ffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivgraphicslightingmovementsquaresquare-enixupdatesvideosSun, 27 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Tattered Notebook: Nerding out on Shader 3.0]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/the-tattered-notebook-nerding-out-on-shader-3-0/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/the-tattered-notebook-nerding-out-on-shader-3-0/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/the-tattered-notebook-nerding-out-on-shader-3-0/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

"Hello nerds. Look at your game, now back to me, now back to your game, now back to me. Sadly, your game isn't me, but your game could look like me if it stopped using that crappy 2000s-era shader and started using shader 3.0."

That's what she would say if she could say things other than her pre-programmed voice-over. With the release of Halas Reborn today, many players will be undoubtedly checking out the frozen north's new content overhaul. However, Halas Reborn didn't just stop with a simple content update. The storyteller system was introduced in this update, and the game's graphics had new life breathed into it via Shader 3.0.

So today, in honor of nerd day, let's take a look at what exactly Shader 3.0 does with the game's graphics and if it's worth all the hype.

Gallery: EverQuest II: Shader 3.0 versus 1.0

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Nerding out on Shader 3.0

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Nerding out on Shader 3.0 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eq-2eq-iiever-quest-2ever-quest-iieverquest-2everquest-iifeaturedgpugraphicsgraphics-updatehalas-rebornlightinglighting-effectsopinionshader-1shader-3soe-eq-2soe-eq-iisony-eq-2sony-eq-iithe-tattered-notebookTue, 25 May 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/#commentsContinue reading Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Landscapes have been a staple component of almost every MMO in recent memory. With the exception of some sci-fi titles, most MMOs take place on the land of some imagined island or continent. Some use stylised fantasy landscapes that run smoothly on even low-end computers while others have managed almost photo-realistic visuals at the cost of performance. But have you ever thought about what's going on behind the scenes in your favourite MMO? Most of us don't think about how the computer is actually drawing the terrain we run around on. We don't give much thought to the different ways each MMO renders the water in lakes, rivers and oceans. And just how does your computer render so many trees and plants without grinding to a halt? As part of my masters degree in computer science, I got to grips with a number of these techniques and found it a fascinating thing to learn about. Now when I play a new game or see MMO screenshots, I can't help but think about what the computer is doing in the background and how particular visual effects could have been achieved.

In this technical article, I talk about some of the components of an MMO landscape scene and a few of the techniques used in creating the graphics behind them.

Continue reading Building MMO landscape scenes

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST