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GDC 2012: A peek behind SWTOR's project management curtain

Jef Reahard — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Massively Event Coverage, Star Wars: The Old Republic

GDC is often described as the most cerebral of the various gaming conventions. E3 has its big reveals and booth babes, PAX has its fan-friendly hands-on sessions and general geekery. GDC, though, is mainly by developers and for developers, and last night's BioWare panel was a good case in point.

The session ran for well over an hour (not counting a brief Q&A at the end), and it focused largely on the daunting management tasks inherent in a project like Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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GDC 2012: A peek behind SWTOR's project management curtain originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storyboard: An event with a touch of plot

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

In tabletop games, the GM is sometimes referred to as the player who doesn't get to play. Running a plot-heavy event in an MMORPG is fairly similar -- you're still technically there in the form of a character, but the focus is on an adventure that you're presenting for your fellow players. That means a whole lot of extra work on your part because you suddenly lack the advantage of letting the game handle most of that pesky worldbuilding work.

You probably don't need to be told that this can all go bad. No, what you really want to know is how to avoid going bad. And while some of the stuff that I've posted in the past about running in-game events is still entirely applicable, there are also some unique issues that you're going to have to deal with when your event is meant to be tightly scripted. Plan it right, and the whole thing can go off without a hitch. Plan it wrong, and... well, do I need to do another column on drama already?

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Storyboard: An event with a touch of plot originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst sees a management shakeup

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin

GamersFirst is in the minds of gamers for its successful relaunch of APB: Reloaded, which went from a lightning-fast shutdown to a successful free-to-play title. The company is also developing new games based on original IPs for future release. But there's some rumbling going on behind the scenes at the company, as the company's parent corporation, K2 Network, saw the resignation of its CEO, Joshua Hong. Bjorn Book-Larsson, former COO and CTO, has been promoted to the CEO position, with Hong's future uncertain.

The official statements claim that the transition of power was amicable and pre-arranged, but it also comes on the heels of worldwide layoffs from K2 and rumors of a power struggle behind the scenes. Rahul Sandil, the company's public relations chief, claimed that there was no truth to these rumors and that the plan was to move forward from simple localizations of titles developed in foreign markets. Sandil went on to confirm that APB: Reloaded continues to be a large-scale success for the company and that further development will be centered around work that Book-Larsson had already seen during his time as CTO and COO.

GamersFirst sees a management shakeup originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Massively: Stay inside edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Livestream, Miscellaneous

In sharp contrast to last week's advice, this time around, I'm advising everyone to stay inside. There's all sorts of cool stuff wherever you are right now, and it's kind of hot out today. Besides, look at how much fun Christopher Walken is having inside. Don't you want to be like Christopher Walken? Don't you want the ability to fly when your indoor cavorting requires it?

In other news, please enjoy the earbug that's infected the entirety of the Massively staff on the day this was written.

In other other news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, addressing significantly less weighty issues than last week's gold selling question. No, this week we're talking about old livestream videos, the reason for the non-ubiquity of authenticators, and of course, the great outdoors. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future edition of the column, leave it in the comments or send it along to ask@massively.com.

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Ask Massively: Stay inside edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shannon "Poz" Posniewski leaving Champions Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online

After stepping into the leadership role for Champions Online and launching the game's conversion into a free-to-play model, Shannon "Poz" Posniewski is waving goodbye to Cryptic Studios, at least for now. In a recent news post, it was announced that Posniewski was heading off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and in his own words, possibly face death by exposure. Rob Overmeyer has been announced as the man to fill Posniewski's shoes and continue to lead the game into the future.

Although the absence is termed as a vacation (which certainly implies that it's a temporary affair), all signs point to Posniewski's departure being a permanent one. The rather tongue-in-cheek style of the announcement certainly doesn't help matters. While some fans are clamoring for a clarification, it appears the man behind the past year of development is departing the project, which makes it a sad day for Champions Online players pleased with Posniewski's leadership. We wish Poz the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Shannon "Poz" Posniewski leaving Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 May 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guild Counsel: Is it time to merge?

Karen Bryan — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous

One issue that every guild leader needs to face at some point is whether to consider merging with another guild. There are times when even the busiest recruiting guilds have a hard time fleshing out a roster that can achieve in-game goals. As a result, they turn to other guilds for outside help. But merging with another guild brings up a whole new set of issues and pitfalls, and if not handled well, it can lead to drama on a scale never before seen.

In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll take a look at the issue of joining forces with other guilds and discuss some ways to make it work. No, really, it can work! Don't run away!

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The Guild Counsel: Is it time to merge? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Tough lessons in corp management

Brendan Drain — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Back in November, we began the Massively Mob -- an EVE Online corporation designed to help our readers get into EVE despite the game's steep learning curve and harsh death penalty. The primary goal of the Mob was was to provide advice and assistance to new players as well as a financial safety net to help them overcome the game's notoriously steep learning curve. Free corp ships were available to help players try out the many things the game has to offer without that fear of losing a lot of belongings in one newbie mistake.

Players flocked to the corp in droves, many just starting EVE or returning to give the game another shot. One member set up a forum, another a killboard, and a third provided a free teamspeak server. Members wrote helpful guides; the forums filled with ship fitting advice and mission fleets flew almost every night. Regular events and contests kept the corp alive with activity, and for a time everything was good. We started out with the best of intentions and set our sights on the very difficult task of being a large corporation that does a little bit of everything. It's been a bumpy road; the corp has lost its way several times and we've learned some very tough lessons.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I dig up some tough personal truths and share my experiences of the difficult job of corporate management.

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EVE Evolved: Tough lessons in corp management originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

When I woke up on Friday, I was greeted by a message from Square-Enix, and that alone was enough to make me start wondering what in the world was going on now. As a direct result of that message, the gist of which can be gotten here if you've somehow missed it, I'm going to have to postpone the column I had previously written on Final Fantasy XI and Abyssea. I apologize, but I'm hoping the column will work out like a fine wine and just be better with age. Then again, considering that Final Fantasy XI is sharing the same management bug as Final Fantasy XIV, perhaps not.

And yes, wow, that was a big one. Tanaka dethroned, a new development team installed, and a whole lot of uncertainty about what this means for the future of Final Fantasy XIV. It could be a step forward, it could be a step backward, and unfortunately the official statements can be read in a multitude of different ways. Oh, right, and the free trial is being further extended until the development team can confidently outline a plan regarding the game's new direction... but what direction is that actually going to be?

Continue reading The Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard

The Mog Log: Eleventh-hour changing of the guard originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Taking inventory

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

One of the great points of commonality for MMOs is the time-honored tradition of inventory management. Specifically, the minigame wherein you have to decide what to keep, sell, throw away, or hold on to with a limited amount of space. One of the major contentions regarding the Allods Online cash shop at launch (aside from the huge debuff only removable via cash shop items) was how much it used to cost just to make a minor upgrade to your inventory storage. The prices have since changed, of course, but the irritation at inventory management was obvious.

Nearly every game has to decide how much of a management aspect should be involved and the right amount of space for a given character in any stage of their career. Moreover, these aspects usually change with time, as stack sizes increase and decrease with patches. Some players see space management as a relic of games like Dungeons and Dragons, which used it to try and maintain realism in broad strokes. Others see it as an obnoxious limitation on gameplay that's long ceased to have any connection with its original purpose.

So what do you think? Is inventory management a good thing, or is it one of those gameplay elements you'd like to see go the way of the dodo?

The Daily Grind: Taking inventory originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Roper no longer executive producer of Champions Online, game improvements promised

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, News items, Champions Online

Most of the news coming out of Cryptic Studios of late has centered around Star Trek Online, which has garnered quite a following and looks to expand with the upcoming Season 1 patch. But Champions Online hasn't gone anywhere, and the game is gearing up for its mini-expansion and for the future. A state of the game letter has just been released, announcing both what's coming for the game as well as some management shakeups. The latter comes last in the letter but is worth noting early -- Shannon Posniewski, known as Poz on the forums, will be assuming the Executive Producer role for the game, taking over from Bill Roper.

In terms of actual in-game changes, the letter reiterates many things we heard at the GDC: the team knows there are level bands that are a bit thinner in terms of content than the players (or the developers) would like. While they're not prepared to reveal details, they are looking to expand those areas with more content and more to do. There's also the promise of new Adventure Packs, which sound similar in concept to the packs of Dungeons and Dragons Online. The full letter also mentioned updates to powersets and melee damage that should be welcome news for all Champions Online players, a clear sign the game is moving forward and not forgotten.

Bill Roper no longer executive producer of Champions Online, game improvements promised originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Allen leaves Alganon

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Alganon

It's been a strange ride over at Alganon of late. The game's announcement of a shift to a subscription-free model came out on the heels of David Allen's statements that the game would never go even remotely free-to-play. It seems that it didn't exactly happen on his watch, as Quest Online has just announced Mr. Allen's departure from the company. There's no reason given, although speculation can (and no doubt will) run rampant. Replacing David Allen is Derek Smart, creator of the Battlecruiser 3000AD game series, and something of a contentious figure in the gaming world.

The company continues to push forward that the game's "official" launch is in mid-April, after having retroactively turned the opening in December of last year into a "soft launch." What this means for the game as a whole is still uncertain, although the number of shakeups of late certainly don't suggest that it's been a resounding success thus far. Alganon players should keep their eyes peeled for any news about the game, as a new president usually means that there will be some significant changes in store.

David Allen leaves Alganon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PoxNora gets a major update

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, News items, Free-to-play, PoxNora

Better a little late than never, when you get down to it. PoxNora's large-scale update was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, February 24th, but it wound up being a few days late. But it's all good, because the update has gone live today, not even a week behind schedule. Even if you can't help but be miffed at the delay in the update, you can probably be happy with the scope of the update, not to mention the Heirs to Legend midterm expansion going live at the same time.

So what's changed? Major interface changes have been made, including large-scale improvements to the UI as well as a greatly improved Rune Manager. With improved sorting functionality in the manager and a new rune dock in the UI, it should be much easier to enjoy playing on the game's twenty new or revised maps, as well as working your way through a streamlined and improved leveling process. The game has also made attack and defense values more straightforward, while improving the tutorial to help guide players into the game. As a free-to-play game, if the scope of the updates in PoxNora sounds interesting, head on over and take a look at this unique offering.

PoxNora gets a major update originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: A Cryptic opinion

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Champions Online, Anti-Aliased

So, wow, what a set the last week and a half has been. There seems to be a very strong theme going on in my inbox recently, and that's, without a doubt, Cryptic Studios. I've read unflattering comments about my integrity as a journalist, the usual statements of how this site is Cryptic's lapdog due to all of the Star Trek Online and Champions Online coverage, and, even more oddly, people want to know my opinion of Cryptic's recent actions -- specifically Star Trek Online and Vibora Bay.

Well, I was never one to shirk from the truth. I've been wanting to give my personal opinion on these events since Vibora Bay hit, so I might as well dedicate this column to my evaluation of Cryptic Studios. But, before we get to Cryptic, I have a few ground rules that I want to go over with you guys. Some facts that I'd like to set straight for, oh, I dunno, the fifth time.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: A Cryptic opinion

Anti-Aliased: A Cryptic opinion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Economist on games and profit

Samuel Axon — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EVE Online, Business models, Culture

Newsmagazine The Economist ran an article titled "Playing for profit" about using video game technology to increase productivity in the workplace. The article -- which was a sort of book report on "Changing the Game: How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business" by David Edery and Ethan Mollick -- looked to trends such as game mods and web-based-games-as-marketing-tools for inspiration, but special emphasis was placed on MMOs, including World of Warcaft and EVE Online.

Believe it or not, the WoW feature that was heralded by the writer was the soul-crushing grind! Or rather, the grind was compared to the sorts of tasks that your average office worker has to sit through each day. WoW provides a context -- the leveling system and other rewards -- that (supposedly) makes the grind worth the trouble. Companies should emulate that, the article says.

EVE, on the other hand, was used to demonstrate what not to do. That's pretty ironic, since The Economist's editorial stance is all about economic and societal openness! Regardless, the author pointed to the famous incident in which a CCP employee provided inside help to a corporation at war, using it as an example of the dangers of game-playing in a business environment.

The Economist on games and profit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harvard looks to MMOs for online leadership styles

Chris Chester — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Guilds, MMO industry, Raiding, Academic

While much has been said in recent weeks about raid leaders and whether the job necessitates being a jerk, nobody seems to dispute that the position engenders players with valuable leadership skills. In fact, according to a recent report by the Harvard Business Review, big companies may have a lot to learn from MMOs in terms of fostering leadership roles in a business world that is every bit as geographically decentralized as the roster from your typical raiding guild.

But before you go and put your guild leadership experience on your resume, you might want to read the report in full. While they say that there are parallels between leadership in-game and leadership in a board room, the report focuses more on how the games themselves engender these leadership qualities, by creating an environment that fosters honesty, duplicity of leadership, non-monetary incentives, and transparency. It's interesting to think that games might actually change the way business works in the future, but we guess only time will tell if that proves prescient or not.

[Via GamePolitics]

Harvard looks to MMOs for online leadership styles originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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