Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/the-mmo-report-cool-balloon-bro-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/the-mmo-report-cool-balloon-bro-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/the-mmo-report-cool-balloon-bro-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The MMO Report
This week on The MMO Report -- where everyone prefers "a blaster over hokey religions and ancient weapons" -- Casey tries to make the most of a slow MMO news week. He reports that the fallout over Fallout Online has settled, Multiverse (the Buffy/Firefly MMO platform) is dead in the water, CCP is launching EVE Online character avatars into orbit via balloon, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is boasting 350,000 concurrent users.

There's no mailbag this week, he relates, because everyone's too busy playing lightsabers with their friends, which is probably true.

He also thanks BioWare for teaching him how to /getdown... and I think you should tune in at the five-minute mark to see his moves for yourself. The video's tucked behind the break for your amusement!

Continue reading The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition

MassivelyThe MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bethesda-Softworksbiowarebuffybuffy-mmobugscasey-schreinerccpccp-gamescool-balloon-broeaElectronic-Artseveeve-onlinefalloutfallout-onlinefireflyfirefly-mmogetdowninternet-lightsabersinterplaylightsabersmmo-reportmultiversestar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-mmo-reporttorvideovideosThu, 05 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Behind the Mask: The Force Unleashed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/behind-the-mask-the-force-unleashed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/behind-the-mask-the-force-unleashed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/22/behind-the-mask-the-force-unleashed/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Now that The Old Republic has hit the shelves, it seems like everyone has something to say about it. Cryptic seems to acknowledge it in its own unusual way: by lampshading it.

Enter the Unleashed, Champions Online's newest free archetype. No, you're not misreading me here; the Unleashed is not a gold archetype. If you make an account right now, you can play the Unleashed from the moment you enter the character select screen, without spending a dime. Since it's the ninth free archetype, you'd think that he'd be a stable, bread-and-butter class. However, the Unleashed is nothing but. His wackiness approaches the Impulse, but where the Impulse is kind of ineffectual, the Unleashed is deadly efficient.

Interested in a sword-wielding knight who slings force blasts? Hit the jump and we'll see what Cryptic's take on a Jedi can do.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: The Force Unleashed

MassivelyBehind the Mask: The Force Unleashed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archetypebehind-the-maskbrawlerchampionschampions-onlinechampscocrypticcryptic-champions-onlinecryptic-cocryptic-studiosfeaturedforce-unleashedjedilightsaberlightsabersmelee-dpsperfect-world-entertainmentpwesithstar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicthe-old-republicThu, 22 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Second Life gets a really bad rap from the MMO community that's largely undeserved. I get to hear all of these slams like it's a usless waste of data, there's nothing to do, it's a bunch of sex sims, and how I should work on my "first life" before my Second Life. Har, har, har.

But, like I said at the opening of this column, Second Life doesn't deserve those punches to the gut. The world of SL is pretty vast and has much to offer any gamer, regardless of what they like. It's important to remember that this system is not a game. It has no objectives and no overt goals, but it does have an unlimited supply of imagination and creative possibilities. It's not a place of "serious business," because something that's fun shouldn't be taken quite that harshly. Sure, you can make money, but you guys want to have fun, right?

So let's talk about Second Life, the reason the masses hate the system, and how you can find something enjoyable inside of "the grid" even if you've tried it before and got some negative first impressions.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedchatclubsfeaturedfungridgroupshaving-funjoystiqfeatureslightsabersnew-citizens-incorporatednova-albionroleplayingsearchsecond-lifesltips-and-tricksvirtual-worldsThu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars: The Old Republic to have choreographed combat]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/star-wars-the-old-republic-to-have-choreographed-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/star-wars-the-old-republic-to-have-choreographed-combat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/star-wars-the-old-republic-to-have-choreographed-combat/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

For some MMO players, nothing kills immersion more than the constant reminder that your avatar is a hollow, ephemeral character model, with every weapon strike that passes right through your ghostly form driving that point home. Star Wars: The Old Republic has a new take on MMO combat that should come as welcome news to anyone who faults the way combat looks in most massively multiplayer online titles.

Bioware president Greg Zeschuk has told videogaming247 that combatants in SWTOR won't be 'swinging through each other', largely due to the fact that choreography will play a major role in the forthcoming title's combat system. "Star Wars is choreographed, it's elegant; it's big, powerful moves and lightning bolt flashes, but in a way that makes sense visually and aesthetically. One of the goals we have is to create this choreographed type of combat that looks as though it could be taking place in a Star Wars movie," he recently commented to videogaming247.

Is this a welcome change for you as an MMO player, or is the way avatar combat presently looks in most massively multiplayer titles fine for you?
Star Wars: The Old Republic BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic to have choreographed combat originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarechoreographycombatgame-mechanicsgreg-zeschuklightsaberlightsaberspvpsci-fistar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtortorMon, 10 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[First look at Star Wars: The Old Republic in PC Gamer magazine]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/first-look-at-star-wars-the-old-republic-in-pc-gamer-magazine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/first-look-at-star-wars-the-old-republic-in-pc-gamer-magazine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/first-look-at-star-wars-the-old-republic-in-pc-gamer-magazine/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If ever there was a thing to go all googly-eyed over, it's the first look a Star Wars: The Old Republic. While it's a shame that such information isn't being released onto the web, at least we've got it earlier than most people were expecting. PC Gamer magazine has gotten an exclusive first look at BioWare's incubating MMO, including interviews with creative director James Ohlen, principal lead writer Daniel Erickson, and BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk.

The issue also apparently has exclusive screenshots for anyone brave enough to look. We're sure that what we've seen so far are very early conceptual designs, but it still pains us to see log-sized lightsabers -- even if BioWare is willing to laugh at themselves over it.

MassivelyFirst look at Star Wars: The Old Republic in PC Gamer magazine originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowaredaniel-ericksoneaelectronic-artsgreg-zeschukhalloweenjames-ohlenkotorlightsaberlightsaberspc-gamerray-muzykastar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorFri, 07 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[BioWare employees satirize SWTOR's ginormous lightsabers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/04/bioware-employees-satirize-swtors-ginormous-lightsabers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/04/bioware-employees-satirize-swtors-ginormous-lightsabers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/04/bioware-employees-satirize-swtors-ginormous-lightsabers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


You may have noticed that the lightsabers in Star Wars: The Old Republic are disproportionately large. A vocal minority of fans are crying bloody murder about this, and BioWare is not unaware of that fact. At a company Halloween party, it would appear that they made a self-deprecating joke of it, with at least one employee showing up with an outrageously huge lightsaber, then staging a recreation of the screenshot that raised all those eyebrows.

The image was leaked to gaming blog Kotaku, and here it is. BioWare seems to believe it's good to have a sense of humor about yourself, and we agree!

MassivelyBioWare employees satirize SWTOR's ginormous lightsabers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artart stylebiowarebioware-austincostumecostumeseahalloweenjokelightsaberlightsaberslightsabrelightsabresstar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicstyleswtorthe-old-republictorTue, 04 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST