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The Game Archaeologist and the Kesmai legacy

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

Most studios would be overjoyed to have pioneered one significant advancement in video game history, but then again, most studios aren't Kesmai. While it's not a household name today, it's reasonable to say that without the heavy lifting and backbreaking coding that this company shouldered in the '80s and '90s, the MMO genre would've turned out very different indeed.

Last week we met two enterprising designers, Kelton Flinn and John Taylor, who recognized that multiplayer was the name of the future and put their careers on the line to see an idea through to completion. That idea was Island of Kesmai, an ancestor of the modern MMO that used crude ASCII graphics and CompuServe's network to provide an interactive, cooperative online roleplaying experience. It wasn't the first MMO, but it was the first one published commercially, and sometimes that makes all the difference.

Flinn and Taylor's Kesmai didn't stop with being the first to bring MMOs to the big time, however. Flush with cash and success, Kesmai turned its attention to the next big multiplayer challenge: 3-D graphics and real-time combat. Unlike the fantasy land of Island of Kesmai, this title would take to the skies in aerial dogfighting and prove even more popular than the team's previous project.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Kesmai legacy originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What will your favorite MMO look like in 20 years?

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Even though we've certainly seen some short-lived MMOs in our time, the average lifespan and half-life of a title is still up for grabs. Considering that titles like Ultima Online and Meridian 59 are creeping ever closer to the two-decade mark, I think it's conceivable that some of the very MMOs we play today might still be around in 20 years.

So assuming that they don't go belly-up or invent free-free-to-play-supreme editions that sinks them for good, what do you think your current MMOs might look like in the year 2032? Will we be playing World of Warcraft in holodeck simulators, be teaching Star Wars: The Old Republic in grade-school classrooms, or be experiencing EVE Online's radical "walking in spaceships" feature?

Cast your prognosticating abilities far into the future and tell us what we have to look forward to with our favorite games!

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!

The Daily Grind: What will your favorite MMO look like in 20 years? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist seals up 2011

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: A Tale in the Desert, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, EverQuest, Lineage, Meridian 59, PlanetSide, Shadowbane, Everquest Online Adventures, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

You know what I love about the end of each year? The lists. Man, but I'm a sucker for lists, especially when they come in "best of" varieties. In the lull between Christmas and New Year's, there typically isn't a lot happening in the world of entertainment, so it's a good time to look back before we head forward.

And so it is for The Game Archaeologist. 2011 marks the second year I've been doing this column, and it's been one of my personal favorite series to write. Every week I'm learning more and more about the history of the MMO genre, and I'm encouraged to see just how much passion and interest there are for the titles that started it all and got us to where we are today.

So before we head into 2012, let's take one last glimpse back at the road we've traveled. If you've missed out on any of these columns or want to revisit your favorite classic MMO, I've compiled a huge list of everything I talked about this year, from histories to interviews to player stories. There's also a special request for you (yes, you) at the end of this column, so do me a favor and hit that jump!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist seals up 2011

The Game Archaeologist seals up 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: A chat with Brian Green (part 2)

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist

Welcome to the second part of our interview with former Meridian 59 developer Brian "Psychochild" Green as he reminisces about running one of the oldest graphical MMOs in history. If you missed the first part, I heartily recommend you catch up on it before continuing further.

And now, for the exciting conclusion...

The Game Archaeologist: What's one of your favorite stories from your experience running Meridian 59?

Brian Green: One time I was at Dave & Busters restaurant one evening after a day at the Game Developer's Conference (GDC). I was chatting with Raph Koster about the conference, when from behind us someone says, "Oh my god, are you Psychochild?!?" Raph, who has always been more high profile than I am, gives a grin and leaves. Turns out they were fans of the game and bought me a drink as thanks.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: A chat with Brian Green (part 2)

The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: A chat with Brian Green (part 2) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: An interview with Brian Green (part 1)

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist

Last week we began to examine one of the most significant MMOs in history: Meridian 59. While it never rose to the level of fame and subscriber numbers as its successors did, Meridian 59 was a daring pioneer that paved the way for all that followed. Its story is almost like a movie, with the title born from the fruits of two amateur programmers, surviving studio shutdowns and huge competition, and persevering from 1996 through today.

As I'll recount over the next two episodes of The Game Archaeologist, I sat down with Brian Green, a blogger and game developer who oversaw the resurrection of Meridian 59 in the early 2000s and ran it for the better part of a decade. Green graciously agreed to participate, saying that he always loves talking about games -- and this one in particular.

The Game Archaeologist: Hi! Please introduce yourself and your current position and project.

Brian Green: I'm Brian "Psychochild" Green, a long-time MMO designer and programmer. I'm known for my professional blog and my work on Meridian 59. I'm currently working on the Storybricks project as the MMO Wizard. We're a startup, so that means I do whatever needs to be done at the moment.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: An interview with Brian Green (part 1)

The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: An interview with Brian Green (part 1) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: The highlights

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, MMO industry, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist

A colony founded through a magical nexus, Meridian 59 had it all going on -- until, that is, the portal to the colony collapsed and it was left to fend for itself. Monsters swarmed over the land, politics split the community into factions, and adventurers were called to rise up and become the heroes that were desperately needed. And all it took was $10.95 a month and an internet connection.

Welcome to 1996 and one of the very first -- if not the first (more on that later) -- graphical MMOs to hit the scene. Meridian 59 may not have been one of the biggest games in the genre, but it was arguably one of the most important, the John Adams to World of Warcraft's Abraham Lincoln. If you were wondering, Darkfall was Chester A. Arthur.

It seems fitting to end 2011 by touching upon this significant title that, against all odds, continues to operate today. Meridian 59 weathered studio shutdowns, newbie developers in every sense of the word, and a world that wasn't quite sure what to make of these fancy-schmancy massively interactive roleplaying games. MIRGs! Oh, that would've been such a better acronym, but I digress. Let's set the wayback machine to 1978 to see how one amateur game led to another that led to the birth of an industry.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: The highlights

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The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous

You know that sinking feeling when you get into something that's way, waaaay over your head and you have no choice but to swim furiously or drown? That's exactly how I felt when I started to do research for this month's series on MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons -- and their descendants.

At first I was thrilled, because I knew that along with Dungeons & Dragons and Bulletin Board Systems, the MUD was one of the key predecessors to the MMORPG as we know it today. It was, and still is, vital gaming history that helped to shape the genre. The only problem was that for various reasons -- mostly a lack of good internet access in college and general ignorance -- I'd missed out on MUDs back in the day.

But it's not like that stopped me from covering any of the other games in this series that I never experienced first-hand way back when; after all, there are few among us who can honestly say they did everything. So the problem wasn't the lack of first-hand knowledge but the sheer, overwhelming scope of this subject. One game alone is a manageable subject -- MUDs are an entire genre unto themselves. It's intimidating, to say the least.

It doesn't still my excitement, however, nor will it stop us from diving into this topic no matter how deep the waters get. This week we'll take a look at the brief history of the MUD/MUSH/MOO/et al. and then get into specific games later this month. So hold your breath and jump on in with me!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history

The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer

Beau Hindman — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All

Ah, the life of the indie developer: long nights followed by more long days followed by long weekends, slugging through mountains of code to find tiny errors that break entire worlds... it would seem like a thankless job. It's ironic that many wanna-be designers and armchair developers often picture development as some kind of glamorous process, one that puts the developer in an office surrounded by character sketches, 3-D models, and walls of monitors.

The truth is that design, at any level, is often tedious and heart-breaking. You will more than likely find a designer surrounded by lists of numbers and spilled coffee before you'd find him tweaking character models. Making games is hard, they say. It's true. So then why are we so fascinated by the process? Why do we daydream of one day making our own world to explore and share with friends?

I decided to ask Dave Toulouse, lead-everything for Golemizer, what he thought about the whole process. Turns out Golemizer is pretty darn fun, complex and open... and it runs within your browser!

Click past the cut and let's see what he has to say about the ever-so-glamorous world of game design.

Continue reading Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer

Free for All: An interview with Golemizer's lead (and only) developer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare's Rich Vogel talks gaming history, Ultima, and the first MMO

Jef Reahard — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Quick, what was the first MMO?

No, this isn't the global chat of your favorite game, and no the answer doesn't start with World and end with Warcraft. According to veteran designer (and current Star Wars: The Old Republic producer) Rich Vogel, Meridian 59 was the first MMO, as there were "a lot of firsts with that game, for sure. It was really the first 3D visual of a virtual world, if you want to say that."

In a new interview at Gamasutra, Vogel talks about everything from M59, to Star Wars Galaxies, to Ultima Online (and how the PvP minority managed to ruin it for virtual world enthusiasts everywhere). "Frankly when you give people a simulator and the ability to do anything in the world you have to have limits, you have to have constraints that they understand," Vogel explains. UO's free-form PvP, coupled with the thieving mechanic and the ability to manipulate the game world to your advantage, was a recipe for griefing that caught the game's developers completely off guard.

"It went through eight or nine iterations before we kind of found a balance of what really worked and what didn't. But it was certainly an experience and many people talk about their experiences in UO. The experience there, no one's ever been able to duplicate today," Vogel says.

BioWare's Rich Vogel talks gaming history, Ultima, and the first MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The vets

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Interviews, The Game Archaeologist

We just had to start 2011 in style, didn't we? I knew that by invoking the sacred name of EverQuest, I'd be opening the door for thousands of collective years' worth of memories, opinions, frustrations, nostalgia, gushing and blocky screenshots. But the Game Archaeologist fears not even the greatest mountain in MMO legend; it had to be climbed sooner or later. And of course, who better to guide you up the mountain than a few EQ Sherpas who know the way? Sure, they might try to steal the idol and not throw me the whip in the end, but that was a very real risk I was willing to take to get the full story.

So today I'd like to introduce you to three EverQuest veterans who are all now world-famous bloggers. If you sense a connection between these two facts, I will only hint at the possibility of a secret society in SOE's headquarters that bestows great blessings upon its faithful fans.

Hit the jump to meet this EQ trio and hear what they had to say about the MMO that profoundly affected their playing careers!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The vets

The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The vets originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Culture, The Game Archaeologist

To many veteran MMO players, the opening horns of EverQuest's score are enough to trigger vivid memories, violent hallucinations, and an unstoppable desire to leap through the computer screen to return to Norrath. It all depends, of course, on which MMO you first cut your teeth, and while many gamers would claim titles like World of Warcraft as their first, there is a large contingent who will confess that EQ was their first MMO lover.

In fact, before WoW came on the scene in 2004, EverQuest was the gold standard of MMOs for a half-decade -- it was insanely popular, perfectly addictive, and absolutely revolutionary. It was a giant that roamed the virtual lands of those days, a giant that continues to forge new grounds well over a decade from its inception.

It was 1995 when John Smedley realized the potential for online gaming and roped in Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover to start putting together an online RPG for SOE. What began as a small project ballooned into a crazy endeavor as the growing team created a monster RPG the likes the world had never seen before -- a game that would forever shape the MMO genre.

This month, the Game Archaeologist is going after one of the biggest treasures of recorded history as we unearth the secrets to EverQuest's popularity, legacy, and longevity. The first step on our journey is to look at some of the highlights that made EQ what it is today.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights

The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: Player sagas

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Asheron's Call, Interviews, The Game Archaeologist

It's an odd thing to realize how far MMOs have come right in front of our eyes in a relatively short span of time. After all, 1999 wasn't that long ago, despite what Prince and Y2K would have you believe. One day we'll be telling our children -- if we aren't already -- about the primitive MMOs that didn't feature RealGore[TM], motion sensor-linked emotes, and mostly nude elves dancing for tips on mailboxes. They may gasp and sputter in disbelief, but you'll assert that it is true: You experienced an era when polygons were blockier than LEGO pieces, people logged in over dial-up connections, and the community was small enough for GMs to host personal live events.

There's been a lot of love flowing into my email inbox and Twitter since posting the first Game Archaeologist on Asheron's Call, enough to tell me that this title is a dear old friend to many a seasoned gamer out there (including a few on the Massively staff who won't stop writing epic haikus about AC in its honor this month). As a result, I got in touch with two die-hard fans of the game, and they agreed to scribe their memories of this MMO for future generations to discover, generations who will undoubtedly marvel at the hardship and perserverence that such scrappy gamers showed in being part of the first wave of MMO players.

Without further ado, please give a warm round of applause to Amanda and Jon. No, nobody can hear you clap over the internet, but it's the thought that counts.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: Player sagas

The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: Player sagas originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make your travel plans to visit Rift's majestic Meridian city!

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, RIFT

If your tastes run more to the technological terrors of Rift: Planes of Telera's Defiant, then prepare to get to know Meridian, the faction's capital, quite well. Spitting in the eye of the old gods, Meridian is a cutting-edge metropolis full of harnessed magics, steampunk wonders and rogue water elementals.

Although it is on the front lines of the great world war, Meridian still prides itself on its beauty and elegance, as evidenced by soaring towers and technomagic constructs. The city will offer players a quick travel system via portals, which allows a character to instantly zip to any portal he or she has already discovered. There are secret places to uncover, colorful characters such as Sparky the potion-mixing automaton to meet, and plenty of places to drop your coin in exchange for goods and services.

You can read a guided tour of the city and watch the quick one-minute flyby of Meridian after the jump.

Continue reading Make your travel plans to visit Rift's majestic Meridian city!

Make your travel plans to visit Rift's majestic Meridian city! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist

Before he was Tabula Rasa's General British, Richard Garriott was simply -- and most famously -- known as Lord British, the absolute ruler and creator of the Ultima franchise. From 1980's Ultima I through 1999's Ultima IX, Lord British guided the development of one of the most popular RPG series of all time, including 1997's Ultima Online. Through it, Garriott and his Lord British persona became the de facto face of the series, a video game celebrity before such a thing really existed.

After the floundering of Tabula Rasa and his subsequent falling-out with NCSoft, Garriot took a little R&R time to blast into outer space, returning to Earth to get involved with a social media games company called Portalarium. Because of his stature as one of the founding giants of not only MMORPGs, but video game RPGs as well, the Game Archaeologist stopped at nothing to procure his wise words for an interview. This quest took us to far-off, dangeous places -- including the world's most famous haunted house, Britannia Manor -- at which point we promptly purchased a return ticket and pleaded with our editor to do our dirty work for us.

So bow, mere mortal! For you are now in the presence of LORD BRITISH! (cue wild applause)

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott

The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Can you look backwards with games?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Take a look at the screenshot above from Meridian 59. It probably doesn't look like much to most of you. But for some of our readers, that screenshot represents a game that was one of the first graphical and three-dimensional MMOs ever, and it might well bring back fond memories. It all depends on whether or not you were gaming at the time and interested in the genre, and even then you might not have enjoyed the game or had a chance to pick it up and play regularly. (Cable internet was not exactly a foregone conclusion in 1996, after all.)

Games are on an ever-increasing ramp of graphical complexity and depth of play, and so games that were revolutionary at one point have become much less so with time. But can you look past that and see why they were important in the first place? Do you play EverQuest and see dated graphics and gameplay models, or do you see a game that inspired interest in the genre enough to make the current market possible? Do you look back when you play a game, or do you find yourself hung up with the latest and greatest features instead?

The Daily Grind: Can you look backwards with games? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Near Death Studios closes down

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, MMO industry, News items

If 2009 hadn't claimed quite enough lives for your tastes quite yet -- in terms of companies, jobs, and games -- you might have a bit of a morbid approach to things. We're just over the border into the new year, but it looks like there was one last item on the chopping block. Near Death Studios, the team behind Meridian 59, is no longer simply "near" death, but over the line into pining for the fjords. Brian 'Psychochild' Green broke the news on his blog yesterday, announcing that while the game wouldn't be going anywhere, it would no longer be a commercial venture run by the now-defunct company.

So what went wrong? As Green puts it, while Near Death Studios was able to raise the money and the operational talent to get the game running and keep it in maintenance mode, the game never really grew -- the one shot it might have had at attracting new players was unfortunately timed right around the launch of World of Warcraft. He's not bitter about the experience, however, and he's glad that he had the chance to keep Meridian 59 running for such a long time and help shape something people really enjoyed. It's a sad announcement for a venerable game, though, and we can only hope that this is the last of the fallout we see from the closing-filled year.

Near Death Studios closes down originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The gaming renaissance, part 2

Brendan Drain — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

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The gaming renaissance, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The gaming renaissance

Brendan Drain — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Academic, Virtual worlds

In the early 70's, some clever chap programmed a pile of circuits to create a primitive game we all know as Pong. Fast-forward some forty years down the line and we're now battling Orcs in Azeroth and flying spaceships in the far-reaches of another galaxy. An entire games industry has erupted from those first simple arcade systems, with people designing and programming games for kids and adults alike. In the 90's, the first generation of kids that grew up with those early game systems became the ones making them and a virtual renaissance in game design ensued. Those kids that grew up wishing they could make their own games started to realise their dreams and the games industry as we know it came forth. More recently, the people that grew up with early MMOs have begun to hit the games industry and we're seeing a rebirth of the genre.

In this article, I look at the games industry explosion and how it relates to the generations growing up with games. I ask whether the MMO genre is headed for its own great gaming renaissance and take a speculative look ahead at the future for MMOs and the games industry as a whole.

Continue reading The gaming renaissance

The gaming renaissance originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet the Team: Samuel Axon

Samuel Axon — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Massively Meta, Meet the Team

Once a week our writers will give you a glimpse into their lives, to let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more Meet the Team.

What do you do for Massively.com?
I'm a core blogger. That means I'm one of a handful of writers who keep the regular flow of content going, hit news when it comes up, and sometimes do featured articles.

What's your favorite MMO?
My all-time favorite is Meridian 59. I still haven't played a game I liked half as much as that one. It was a completely different kind of game, and there hasn't been anything even remotely like it since. It was horribly flawed in many ways, but I'm sad no one -- except maybe CCP with EVE Online -- has refined what it tried to do.

Gallery: Meet the Team

Continue reading Meet the Team: Samuel Axon

Meet the Team: Samuel Axon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How will factions and PvP work in Star Wars: The Old Republic?

Samuel Axon — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, PvP, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Since BioWare and LucasArts' Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced, we've learned that there will be two factions in the game -- the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. We've also learned that players will be able to embrace either the Dark or Light Side of the Force. But there's something surprising in all this: there's no direct correlation between the two distinctions. You could, for example, play as a Jedi working within the Empire -- "a good guy in a bad place," as BioWare put it.

We're big fans of the idea -- more moral complexity is welcome (especially in the Star Wars setting, which tends to quite literally be black and white), but it raises some interesting gameplay questions, particularly with regards to PvP -- questions we're eager to raise!

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Continue reading How will factions and PvP work in Star Wars: The Old Republic?

How will factions and PvP work in Star Wars: The Old Republic? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30

Samuel Axon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Opinion, MUDs

Today marks the 30th birthday of the original MUD, created at Essex University by Roy Trubshaw in 1978. We recommend you check out what Richard Bartle -- who worked on later iterations of the project -- has to say about this event, as well as Raph Koster's words on the subject. The question at hand, as presented by Bartle, seems to be: does this matter?

While he is skeptical, we would like to posit that it does matter a great deal -- or at least that it should. Graphics alone shouldn't lead to a strong distinction when the fundamentals are the same, so let's consider the modern MMO to be part of the same tradition as the MUD -- let's say that this is the MMO's 30th birthday too.

Continue reading Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30

Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: The best MMO music

Samuel Axon — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Here's a story for you: a certain blogger is playing The Lord of the Rings Online. He's in the Trollshaws, and he notices the music -- oft-ignored in MMOs -- is actually really good. It's classy and it's beautiful. Then he starts to think about the music in other games -- the gorgeous and mournful guild hall ballad of Meridian 59, the beautiful and muted arpeggios of EverQuest's Kelethin theme, and the dark and foreboding ancient instrumentation of Age of Conan's various Stygian pieces.

Music is not usually the focus of a lot of discussion or attention in MMOs. A lot of people probably just turn it off and listen to terrible terrible pop rock in the background. But for those of you who actually pay attention: do any particular musical compositions in MMOs stand out to you? What's the best track yet featured in an MMO?

The Daily Grind: The best MMO music originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are the stakes too low in modern PvP?

Samuel Axon — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Player vs. Player gameplay has undergone a drastic change in recent years. Games like Meridian 59 and Ultima Online didn't pull any punches. Anyone could kill anyone anywhere, and the penalties could be quite severe. When you died In Meridian or UO, you dropped all of your gear. The person who killed you could steal whatever he or she pleased.

Of course, in games like that, gear wasn't quite such a big deal. In Meridian a sword would wear out after a few of hours of use anyway. But combined with stat and skill losses, death in the games of the 90s was comparatively harsh. Now, in World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online, the stakes are lower. You have absolutely nothing to lose by dying in PvP in WoW, and AoC and WAR's designs aren't much more aggressive.

But here's a question from a veteran of the oldschool: with stakes this low, does PvP really matter? Will it really get you sweating? Will you really care that much about winning or losing? Some oldschool folks will argue that PvP is boring and meaningless now that death has been de-clawed. Maybe we should go back to the barbarism of the old days. What do you think?

The Daily Grind: Are the stakes too low in modern PvP? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take a visual tour of EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey's new dungeons

Samuel Axon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions, Wallpapers

EverQuest II's The Shadow Odyssey expansion is set to launch this November. In addition to heritage quests and the shard reward system, the expansion will add an EverQuest classic -- the dungeon of Guk. And in the days leading up to the launch, EQ2 players will get to start exploring another dungeon: Veksar.

To build up anticipation, SOE is rolling out articles, screenshots, and concept art related to the two new dungeons. For Guk it put together a series of lore-oriented postcards and images explaining what the place is all about, culminating in some concept art wallpapers. The Veksar article is a little more traditional in its presentation, but the substance is all there. We've put together in a gallery all the images from both of those tours.

SOE also released concept art for guild halls, which will be implemented soon. Guild halls date back to Meridian 59 and text MUDs before it, but for some reason they've been out of vogue in the 21st century.

Gallery: EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey Dungeons

Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Take a visual tour of EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey's new dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Player abuse, redemption and revolution

Kyle Horner — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

Lets go back about ten years or so to the original EverQuest. Now it isn't my intention to pick on any one game, I just happen to be more familiar with it than Ultima Online or Meridian 59. For the sake of immersion let me assume the role of a 1999 copy of EverQuest that you happen to be playing on your gaming machine back in the last year of the last century.

You just died in EverQuest. How dare you die! Since you had the nerve to be defeated in combat, you'll now be required to run from your binding point -- which could potentially be very far away -- to your dead body, which contains all of your equipment and bags that just happen to hold all of your inventory. If you fail to do this, then you lose all of these items. Oh but you've already lost some experience and possibly de-leveled if you happened to have recently leveled up.

Hey! Why are you logging out? So what if you think you'd rather play Half-Life right now, this is the game you're paying for monthly. Don't you think you'd better get the most out of it? Hah! See? I knew you were only bluffing. All right, now get to running, noob.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Player abuse, redemption and revolution

The Digital Continuum: Player abuse, redemption and revolution originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vigilante Meridian 59 players wage war against pirate servers

Samuel Axon — Sat, 24 May 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, News items

Meridian 59 is a game with a pirate problem. A while back, the server source code leaked onto the internet and seedy players began hosting their own servers without subscription fees. Pirate servers are a problem for many MMOs, but because of M59's comparatively small scale, it has a lot more to lose to the trend.

Amidst these troubles, some M59 players can be quite loyal. Case in point: the blog of game developer Patrick Rogers tells the story of two former M59 players hacking into a pirate server and mass-killing all its residents with powerful admin commands. The vigilantes hoped to make life (and death) on the pirate servers as unpleasant as possible so as to encourage the residents to migrate to the legitimate servers hosted by Near Death Studios. That's not the most amazing bit, though.

Continue reading Vigilante Meridian 59 players wage war against pirate servers

Vigilante Meridian 59 players wage war against pirate servers originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 May 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I

Samuel Axon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Lineage, Meridian 59, Nexus: The Kingdoms of the Winds, MMO industry, The Realm Online, Ultima Online

The MMORPG genre has come so far in these past few decades, it's almost difficult to believe. The journey from text MUDs to America Online-based dungeon crawlers, and all the way up to Age of Conan and Warhammer Online has been a truly impressive one. We here at Massively would like to invite you to step into the time machine with us and take a visual tour of that journey. We're taking a close look at the most important titles in online role-playing game history!

What was the first MUD? Howabout the first 3D MMO? When did these games transition from niche curiosities to global, cultural phenomenons, and who's responsible? In this series, we'll tackle all those questions and more. Plus, we'll see just how far these fancy graphics have come over the years! Sound like fun? Jump into the gallery!

Gallery: Massively's Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I

Massively's Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Damion Schubert seeks a different kind of grind

Samuel Axon — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Meridian 59, Game mechanics, Ultima Online, Shadowbane

MMO developers and publishers try to provide game-play that keeps you coming back again and again so you won't stop their money flow by canceling your subscription. The easiest way for them to do this is to make their games an addictive grind. You feel compelled to level up. You can't help yourself.

Just because something's addictive, though, doesn't mean it's fun. But is there another way? Damion Schubert (of Meridian 59 and Ultima Online fame, and one of a certain blogger's personal heroes) posed that question on his Zen of Design blog.

MMOs must be centered around highly repeatable activities, Schubert said. Combat, for example, works well because developers can put in a lot of changeable variables to make the experience different every time. On the other hand, he uses puzzle/mystery games like Myst as examples of games not based on a repeatable activity. Once a puzzle is solved, it's solved, and that's the end of it. So, if not that, then what? What other games have mechanics that can be used as a model for MMO game-play that sticks?

That discussion is going on right now at Zen of Design.

Damion Schubert seeks a different kind of grind originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Podcast looks back at Meridian 59 history

Samuel Axon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Interviews, MMO industry, PvP

Want to work on your old-school cred? Check out Virgin Worlds' "Online Gamer's Anthology" podcast episode #5 and learn a bit about the history of arguably the first graphical MMO ever, Meridian 59.

The podcast starts out with a somewhat awkward skit which pays homage to Meridian 59's gameplay, but if you skip ahead about 30 minutes you'll get straight to the meat of it -- an in-depth, tell-all interview with developer Brian "Psychochild" Green, who has worked on the game since 1998. He talks about what makes the game unique and relevant, its demise at the hands of 3DO, and its resurrection by his own company, Near Death Studios. Here's a highlight from the interview -- Green explaining why re-launching Meridian 59 was important to him:

If you don't have a good sense of history it's really hard to move forward. Looking at more modern games, you have the level and class based system of EverQuest or World of Warcraft. I think a lot of times people look at only the most recent things and think, "Oh, that's the way it's always been, and that's what we have to follow." I think having a wider range of history -- the Meridian 59s, the Ultima Onlines, even those older games back into the proprietary systems -- knowing more about those can kind of give you a wider perspective.

Podcast looks back at Meridian 59 history originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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