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[Global Agenda video highlights the game's new flair]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/new-global-agenda-video-highlights-the-games-new-flair/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/new-global-agenda-video-highlights-the-games-new-flair/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/new-global-agenda-video-highlights-the-games-new-flair/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If there's one thing Hi-Rez Studios loves to do -- aside from actually developing Global Agenda, anyway -- it's making humorous videos centered around the game. And while the latest one pulls out a couple of memes whose days may have come and gone, it does serve a practical purpose as well -- showing off the new pieces of flair and several dyes that players can expect from the game with today's patch.

Even if you're not on-board for the humor, you can still appreciate the new flair pieces, ranging from the somewhat silly (dinosaur heads) to some rather robotic appearances. Or you can take a look at the comparative dye animations at the end, which show exactly how the coloration affects armors in a uniform pattern. Or you can just enjoy a bit of Global Agenda humor. The video gives you a variety of options in that regard.

MassivelyGlobal Agenda video highlights the game's new flair originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 May 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comedycosmetic-optionscosmeticsf2pfree-to-playgaglobal-agendahi-rezhi-rez-studioshumormemesshootervideovideosWed, 25 May 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How do you feel about zoomorphs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-zoomorphs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-zoomorphs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/25/the-daily-grind-how-do-you-feel-about-zoomorphs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A recent ArcheAge video and our subsequent coverage of it brought to light a curious phenomenon. Many viewers of XL Games' latest teaser were struck by the potential awesomeness of the company's new sandpark title, but just as many took the time to express their displeasure with the game's feline bipeds.

Zoomorphic characters are nothing new in the MMO space, of course, as cat- and dog-like humanoids show up in everything from Aion (above) to EverQuest II to Final Fantasy XIV and many other titles. Furry-fandom extends beyond gaming, too, and Know Your Meme traces the phenomenon at least as far back as Aesop's Fables.

For this edition of The Daily Grind, we'd like to get your take on zoomorphic characters and the people who feel strongly about them one way or the other. Do you like playing animal-themed characters? Why or why not?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How do you feel about zoomorphs? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aesopaesops-fablesanthropomorphismcatgirlcatgirlsfurriesfurrygame-discussiongamer-discussioninsecuritymemememesmmo-discussionmmo-hot-topicsmmo-issuesmmo-topicsmmorpg-discussionmmorpg-hot-topicsmmorpg-topicsopiniontdgthe-daily-grindWed, 25 May 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Free for All: Three trends that need to go away in 2011]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/05/free-for-all-three-trends-that-need-to-go-away-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/05/free-for-all-three-trends-that-need-to-go-away-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/05/free-for-all-three-trends-that-need-to-go-away-in-2011/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

You know what? I hate geek memes. Heck, I hate the word meme. I generally will not support any term or phrase that was made popular in the last 10 years and mainly through the use of the internet. If it was made popular in programming circles in the early days of BBS (whatever that means) or if it was lovingly crafted during the great internet bubble of the '90s, I will avoid its use. Most of the time, I do not want to use someone else's words to support my own. You will never see the following sentence coming out of my virtual mouth: "Oh, hai! >.< All your base are belong to pedo bear! O.o Angry writer is angry!"

The worst of the worst has got to be "die in a fire." Yes, I know you are a geek. I get it -- you are using a term that, I am sure, qualifies you as a socially awkward individual, as someone who simply must say the most inappropriate thing at the most inappropriate times (such as during a developer chat with developers who had almost lost their lives to recent wildfires -- I am not kidding). But I will not wear that badge of geek cred.

Until now. These practices that I am about to list to you after the cut can, you know, die in a fire.

Continue reading Free for All: Three trends that need to go away in 2011

MassivelyFree for All: Three trends that need to go away in 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beau-hindmancash-shopcash-shop-comparisoncash-shopsChangyoueq2xEverQuest-2everquest-2-extendedeverquest-iif2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreemiumkingsislekingsisle-entertainmentlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromemememesSOESony-Online-EntertainmentturbineTurbine-Entertainmentwizard101zentiazentia-mmoWed, 05 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online and 'the places I've been' meme]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/eve-online-and-the-places-ive-been-meme/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/eve-online-and-the-places-ive-been-meme/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/eve-online-and-the-places-ive-been-meme/#commentsFiled under: ,


The game world of EVE Online is called New Eden, a vast setting of over 5000 mapped solar systems and more than 2000 uncharted systems that can be found through wormhole exploration. The game has an interactive 3D map of the galaxy where solar systems can be color-coded according to the filters a player chooses. Pair that with a feature of the client that keeps track of each solar system you've visited, and you've got a colorful visual representation of how much of New Eden you've seen.

EVE player Kirith Kodachi created a meme of sorts where players take a star map screenshot showing where they've been in New Eden and share it with others on their sites (or Kodachi's own, Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah blog). You can check out where it started with Kirith Kodachi and follow the 'links to this post' at the bottom to see where it leads.

MassivelyEVE Online and 'the places I've been' meme originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eveeve-onlineexplorationgalaxyinner-sanctum-of-the-ninveahkirith-kodachimemememesnew-edensci-fistar-mapTue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cutting down the noise in online situations]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/cutting-down-the-noise-in-online-situations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/cutting-down-the-noise-in-online-situations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/cutting-down-the-noise-in-online-situations/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Technically, the idea that Randall Munroe (author of XKCD, one of the funniest and definitely the geekiest of the comics on the web) had wasn't really about MMOs, but I think there is an application to the communities that we're all gaming in. His problem was that, whenever a community reaches a certain number of people, connections weaken, and it becomes an ever-increasing struggle of signal versus noise. And while his interest in that problem has to do with the IRC channel associated with the comic, it will surely sound familiar to those of us who've spent any amount of time in an online gaming environment.

So what's his plan to fix things? His theory is that a lack of meaningful communication is directly tied to the originality of the statements contained therein-- ie. get rid of the Chuck Norris comments and the older-than-dirt memes and jokes, and you'll have meaningful communication. So he created a script to sit in the channel (#xkcd-signal on irc.foonetic.net) with logs of the past two years of chatting, and if you say anything that's already been said, you'll get muted.

Continue reading Cutting down the noise in online situations

MassivelyCutting down the noise in online situations originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chatchuck-norrisenvironmentsgamingircjokesmemesmmonoiseratioscriptsignalTue, 15 Jan 2008 20:30:00 EST