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The Firing Line: Defining the MMO shooter

Jef Reahard — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Global Agenda, DUST 514, PlanetSide 2, The Firing Line

Hello shooter fans, and welcome back to Massively's Firing Line. Last week's inaugural column hit the ground running with a visit to Hi-Rez Studios and a preview of the company's new Tribes: Ascend title. This week I'd like to pull back a little bit and lay the groundwork for some of the things we'll be talking about over time.

When I talk about MMO shooters with friends and colleagues, one of the first things mentioned is the definition of the term. Everyone knows what a shooter is (or at least what he thinks it is), and everyone knows what an MMO is (although thanks to MOBAs and the social networking explosion, the definition of the latter grows murkier by the day).

Can we all agree on the definition of an MMO shooter, though? Probably not, and to be honest, that's perfectly OK.

Continue reading The Firing Line: Defining the MMO shooter

The Firing Line: Defining the MMO shooter originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MAG offers extra character slots, on the cheap

Jef Reahard — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, News items, MMOFPS, MAG

If you're an altoholic playing Zipper Interactive's MAG MMOFPS, chances are you're probably a fan of the recently announced extra character slot promotion. The new service debuted yesterday, and allows players to create two new in-game avatars. For $.99 (US), you can purchase one of the two slots and take it for a 30-day trial run.

After your free month is up, you can opt to subscribe the new characters or keep them for a rainy day, locked up tight in cold storage, where they'll retain any gear and advancements you may have acquired. Check out all the details on the official MAG blog.

MAG offers extra character slots, on the cheap originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What could the PS3 bug mean for console MMOs?

Rubi Bayer — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

If you're a PS3 owner, you probably already know about the difficulties surrounding the PS3 Phat consoles as of late. You're probably also wondering why we are talking about this here at Massively. Well, the problems that began this weekend left many players unable to log into the Playstation Network, rendering certain games unplayable. Games like MAG. We're betting the MAG population is looking a bit sparse right now.

Earlier today, Sony warned owners of the affected consoles to shut them down and leave them alone for the next 24 hours, while they work to repair the bug with the internal clock that's causing the problem. While it's great that Sony has isolated the problem and is working to repair it, it leaves us with some food for thought.

MMO developers are beginning to turn an eye to the console market, and this incident highlights a potential significant weakness. PCs rely almost entirely on software and individual hardware when it comes to gaming. It's the rare MMO gamer who doesn't know how to open his or her tower and create a custom machine. Consoles don't work like that. If a bad update comes down or there is some sort of internal glitch (with the internal clock, for example), everyone who owns that particular console is going to get it because everyone has the same hardware. That, in turn, will affect everyone trying to play an MMO from their console.

While this doesn't mean mass hysteria and the doom of the console MMO market, hopefully it will serve to alert MMO developers to a problem that they can address before it moves from "potential" to "actual".

In the meantime, here's a little something to look at while you wait for your PS3 to come back to the land of the living.

What could the PS3 bug mean for console MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: My Fallout MMO

Kyle Horner — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

There are times when I feel like being completely indulgent, and this week's The Digital Continuum is one of them.

The Fallout MMO has been a long while coming and probably will continue to be "on the horizon" well into the foreseeable future. So, it's with this knowledge that I've put together a grocery list of ideas that would be in my version of the game -- things that would make me decidedly excited to play as soon as possible. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised it took me so long to write these things down.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: My Fallout MMO

The Digital Continuum: My Fallout MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MAG resuscitates their medic class with update, prepares to launch stats on MAG.com

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Patches, MMOFPS, MAG

Medics of the Shadow War, unite! MAG's latest patch did many favors for you, and even those who aren't of the resuscitation persuasion will find some tasty benefits in their latest version, patch 1.02.

The last patch has cleaned up the field support's HUD by removing resuscitation icons from those players who can't be resuscitated, resulting in a much cleaner field of view for medics. Downed players who can be brought back to life also now carry a distance indicator icon on their body, so now you too can GPS your way to help a teammate. The same tracking system has also been given to players who have equipped explosive detectors, pointing out the location of mines. Lastly, medic icons will only be given to soldiers carrying defibulators, so those only holding a healing gun will no longer be medics.

The patch has also improved server performance, resulting in reduced lag during high-end matches, and has made a change to the statistics system to prepare it for integration into MAG.com.

So, if you're going to be jumping into the medic class after this patch, MAG's art director Steve Suhy has some tips for you when playing support. We've got the video embedded for your viewing pleasure right after the break.

Continue reading MAG resuscitates their medic class with update, prepares to launch stats on MAG.com

MAG resuscitates their medic class with update, prepares to launch stats on MAG.com originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: MAG

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Opinion, Hands-on, Consoles, MMOFPS, First Impressions, MAG

It's a technical marvel, really, to be able to shoot at 256 people at once. Very few games have been able to get this many players into one enclosed space, and even fewer have been able to do it without having everything lock down in lag. But Zipper Interactive's MAG is taking the bull by the horns and is following in the footsteps of games like PlanetSide to deliver a true "war" experience to the PS3.

With the impending release of MAG to the shelves of stores everywhere, my editor wanted me to get down to the front lines of combat and find out what the fuss was all about. To that end, I've joined up with Shadow Raven Industries to get a taste of the combat that MAG has to offer. Follow after the break, and let's break down how this "Massive Action Game" plays out.

Continue reading First Impressions: MAG

First Impressions: MAG originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MAG in open beta until January 10th

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, News items, Consoles, MMOFPS, MAG

It's last minute, we know, but if you're a PS3 owner then you might want to scoot over to the PlayStation Store and download the MAG open beta client. The system's MMOFPS will be online until the 10th, when they take the game off the store and prep it for the official January 26th launch.

Beware you have room on your hard drive and time to leave your PS3 on to download, however, as you'll be looking forward to a 2 GB download. A headset is nice to have too, so you can communicate with your squadmates (they'll appreciate it,) but it's not required to play the game.

So this weekend enjoy conducting a war with 255 other people on the battlefield with you. Try not to get shot too much!

MAG in open beta until January 10th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wishes do come true, Planetside 2

Kyle Horner — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items

"X game sounds a lot like Planetside. I wish they'd make a sequel to that game." is something we've heard over the years as similar-yet-different titles have been announced and released. Well who says wishes don't come true? As it turns out, SOE is planning to "expand the Planetside universe with another game" and is asking players of the original for their input via survey. Rock Paper Shotgun picked up the scent of impending sequelosity, which is a word we've just made up that describes a sequel revelation of such ferocity that it slaps your jaw to the ground.

There are a lot of games, such as MAG, that are attempting a Planetside-ish experience. However, nothing new has really attempted the scope of the game, so hearing that another is on the way infuses us with a intoxicating blend of hope and curiosity.

Wishes do come true, Planetside 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What exactly makes a game Massive?

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind

If you've been paying attention to this year's E3 coverage, you may have heard of Sony's new title under development, MAG, or "Massive Action Game". The game touts 256 simultaneous players in 8-man teams, and calls itself an MMO. But is 256 players enough to qualify as massively multiplayer?

There is no defined metric for how many concurrent players constitutes enough of a group for MMO designation, but what's a good place to start, at 500? 1,000? 5,000?

The Daily Grind: What exactly makes a game Massive? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What does "MMO" mean, anyway?

Samuel Axon — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

What is an MMO, and what isn't? There was the central question in a hearty debate in the Massively offices yesterday after some of us watched (or attended) the Nintendo and Sony E3 press conferences. It's an old question, but it's all the more relevant in the context of E3 this year.

At the Nintendo conference, a game called Animal Crossing: City Folk was announced for the Wii. In that game, each player has his or her own persistent town hosted on Nintendo's servers. There are likely thousands of players, but only four players can be in each town at a time. Is Animal Crossing: City Folk an MMO? On one hand, you have thousands of players in persistent worlds. On the other: only four players per world? That doesn't sound very massive! We decided it's not, but what do you think?

A couple of hours later, Sony announced a PlayStation 3 game called MAG, which stands for "Massive Action Game." In MAG, up to 256 players battle over control points in a persistent battlefield. There's even character advancement. Is MAG an MMO? That depends on just how many players have to be in the world for it to be called "massive," doesn't it? You might say that there should be thousands. Then again, some first generation MMOs like Meridian 59 didn't usually have much more than a couple hundred people on each server. Tough call?

The Daily Grind: What does "MMO" mean, anyway? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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