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 Soapbox: Nobody's hero]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/the-soapbox-nobodys-hero/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/the-soapbox-nobodys-hero/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/the-soapbox-nobodys-hero/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Heroes (which would make an awful MMO, btw)
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

We're not heroes, at least in the ubiquitous Hollywood sense. We're teachers and janitors and businessmen, and we may occasionally be heroic in the eyes of our kids or our colleagues, but rarely are we celebrated beyond a tiny circle of family and friends.

Games can meet this emotional need, at least temporarily, and that's a major reason they've become such a booming business over the last couple of decades. We get to be Kratos for a couple of hours, or fem-Shepard or a thousand other pixelized pariahs -- until we set foot in an MMORPG, that is.

Software companies sell pre-packaged heroism in ways that book publishers and filmmakers can only dream of, and it doesn't really matter that it's fake heroism or impersonal heroism crafted on an assembly line and shipped out to millions of consumers. Shouldn't it matter, though, when it comes to MMORPGs?

Continue reading The Soapbox: Nobody's hero

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Nobody's hero originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-heroclassic-mmodesigneditorialeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfake-heroismfakeryfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgalaxiesgame-designheroismlucasartsmmo-designmmo-fakerymmo-heroesmmo-industrymmo-narrativemmo-storynancy-mcintyrenobodys-heroop-edopinionpessimistic-soapbox-is-pessimisticrantrantssandboxsci-fisoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardsoesonysony-online-entertainmentstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgothe-soapboxthemeparkFri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[BioWare's Erickson talks about creating MMO story]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/biowares-erickson-talks-about-creating-mmo-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/biowares-erickson-talks-about-creating-mmo-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/biowares-erickson-talks-about-creating-mmo-story/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Not as clumsy or random as a blaster
Story is on everyone's mind when it comes to discussing Star Wars: The Old Republic, and who better to talk to than one of the devs primarily responsible for creating it. PC Gamer does just that in a new interview with BioWare writer Daniel Erickson. The development process is quite complex, and it's also one that takes some time given the hundreds of hours of dialogue required, not to mention the interplay between quest NPCs and players.

Erickson says that the world-building team uses "greybox" placeholders to connect story quests together while the technical and narrative details are ironed out, and there's a lot less room for error than there is in a typical single-player RPG.

"You can teleport people around in a normal RPG, you can fake things, you can make it look like you went from one place to another because there's a secret room hidden in the wall - you can do all sorts of chicanery that, if you tried to do in an MMO somebody's gonna find that room, somebody's gonna teleport out. We have to cheat a lot less, and that takes more time," Erickson explains.

MassivelyBioWare's Erickson talks about creating MMO story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowaredaniel-ericksonea-biowareElectronic-Artsgreyboxinterviewsmmo-designquest-designquestssci-fistar-wars-the-old-republicstoryswtorthe-old-republictorWed, 28 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: Applying Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation to MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/the-soapbox-applying-neal-stephensons-innovation-starvation-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/the-soapbox-applying-neal-stephensons-innovation-starvation-to/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/the-soapbox-applying-neal-stephensons-innovation-starvation-to/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Rocket launch failure
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

You've probably heard of Neal Stephenson. The celebrated sci-fi author recently released his 13th novel, Reamde, and while it treads a little closer to traditional thriller territory than some of his more cerebral efforts, it still packs a futurist punch (and even led the author to comment on MMOs, virtual worlds, and World of Warcraft in a recent interview).

In addition to speculative fiction, Stephenson is also prone to the occasional essay, the latest of which found its way onto the intarwebs a few weeks ago. While not directly related to the gaming or massively multiplayer industries, the piece does feature some interesting observations about the stagnant creative culture to be found in contemporary corporate America, and Stephenson also offers plenty of food for thought that can be applied to the current state of the MMO space.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Applying Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation to MMOs

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Applying Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation to MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarecraig-morrisonculturedavid-brevikdesigndesign-rutfeaturedfuncominnovationinnovation-starvationMiscellaneousmmo-designmmo-design-rutmmo-industrymmo-innovation-starvationneal-stephensonopinionpolishpolishing-a-turdriskrisk-aversionsandboxsoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardstar-wars-galaxiesstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-soapboxthemeparkTue, 25 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Soapbox: On armchair development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/the-soapbox-on-armchair-development/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Armchair
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

A couple of weeks ago I penned a Soapbox that, to put it mildly, elicited passionate responses. While a few people sided with me in my belief that MMO combat is silly and sucky, the cries of the masses drowned us out with variations on "you know nothing, Jon Snow" and "go back to consoles, you inexperienced newb!"

Some of the responses got me to thinking about game design in general and about game designers and their cult celebrity status in particular. When you cut through the anonymous insults and keyboard courage, most of my would-be critics were actually right about one thing: I'm not a game "developer." You know what's funny, though? That doesn't make a lick of difference when it comes to the ability to talk intelligently about games and game design.

Continue reading The Soapbox: On armchair development

MassivelyThe Soapbox: On armchair development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armchair-designarmchair-designerarmchair-developersarmchair-developmentarmchair-devscelebritycraig-morrisoncreativitycult-celebritiesdaniel-ericksondesigndesignersdevelopersdevelopers-know-bestdevsexperienceexpertiseexpertsfeaturedmmo-designmmo-industrymmo-status-quoopinionsoapboxsoapbox-jef-reahardstatus-quothe-soapboxtow-the-linewhat-is-a-developerTue, 27 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Anvil of Crom: What's wrong with AoC's crafting?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/the-anvil-of-crom-whats-wrong-with-aocs-crafting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/the-anvil-of-crom-whats-wrong-with-aocs-crafting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/the-anvil-of-crom-whats-wrong-with-aocs-crafting/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Anvil of Crom
In the wake of Funcom's glorious announcement that Age of Conan is due for an extreme tradeskill makeover in 2012, I thought it might be fun to brainstorm a few crafting-related design ideas.

To be frank, I think any change will be an improvement, as it's hard to fathom a more boring and ultimately worthless gameplay system than what currently passes for crafting in Hyboria. This is a pretty huge topic, of course, so join me after the cut for the first part of what will likely be an ongoing discussion over the next few months. Before we can talk about solutions, though, we've got to identify what's wrong with AoC's crafting.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: What's wrong with AoC's crafting?

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: What's wrong with AoC's crafting? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanage-of-conan-craftingage-of-conan-crafting-sucksage-of-conan-unchainedanvil-of-cromaocaoc-unchainedcraftingcrafting-revampdesignfantasyfeaturedfuncomgame-designhyboriammo-designopinionthe-anvil-of-cromtradeskillswhats-wrong-with-craftingSun, 25 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Funcom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/funcoms-craig-morrison-on-background-story-and-immersion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/funcoms-craig-morrison-on-background-story-and-immersion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/funcoms-craig-morrison-on-background-story-and-immersion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Age of Conan - Forgotten City
It's been a while since we checked up on Age of Conan game director Craig Morrison's personal blog, and the latest update is a lengthy morsel designed to get gamers thinking about MMO story as something more than a marketing bullet point. Along the way, we get a glimpse of Morrison's thoughts on games ranging from MMOs, to Brink, to id Software's forthcoming RAGE.

While you might think that story is all about narrative and characterization, Morrison opines that a sense of place and attention to world-building details like societal structures are equally important. Quest text can be crucial too, and while gameplay is obviously a big deal, Morrison says that it's only part of the equation.

"Sure, a game can be good on its own mechanical merits, and first and foremost a game must be a compelling gameplay experience... but those truly great games? Those are the games that also create a sense of place for the player. A world they can believe in," he writes.

MassivelyFuncom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocbackgroundblogcraig-morrisondesigndev-diaryfuncomgameplayimmersionmmo-designmmo-industrysilirrionstoryWed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GamersFirst hires Dave Jones as APB Reloaded advisor]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/gamersfirst-hires-dave-jones-as-apb-reloaded-advisor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/gamersfirst-hires-dave-jones-as-apb-reloaded-advisor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/12/gamersfirst-hires-dave-jones-as-apb-reloaded-advisor/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: Dave Jones is back on the All Points Bulletin team. The former Realtime Worlds boss and the brains behind APB's original incarnation (as well as Crackdown and the first two Grand Theft Auto games) has joined GamersFirst "in an advisory role and will share his vast game design experience during critical design stages" according to a new press release.

Jones has flown under the radar since the meltdown of Realtime Worlds and appears to be excited to get back on the development horse. "The game was my passion back when I was developing it with Realtime Worlds, and I'm extremely excited to be able to participate in fulfilling the long term vision for the title," he said. Jones also goes on to praise GamersFirst's free-to-play vision for San Paro.

APB Reloaded is currently winding down its closed beta stage, with open beta scheduled for May 18th.

MassivelyGamersFirst hires Dave Jones as APB Reloaded advisor originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-points-bulletinall-points-bulletin-reloadedapbapb-reloadedbetaclosed-betacrimedave-jonesf2pfree-to-playgamersfirstmmo-designmmo-industrypress-releaserealtime-worldssan-paroThu, 12 May 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan's Morrison talks progression, design]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/20/age-of-conans-morrison-talks-progression-design/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/20/age-of-conans-morrison-talks-progression-design/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/20/age-of-conans-morrison-talks-progression-design/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Armchair designers of the world, take note. If you've ever wanted a peek inside the mind of an MMORPG developer, Craig Morrison's latest personal blog entry might be right up your alley. The Funcom executive and current Age of Conan boss has posted a lengthy look at his thoughts on massive design, and more specifically, progression.

Morrison examines progression versus entertainment, and goes on to contrast the need for the former with the desire for storytelling. He also touches on the vast array of player motivations, ultimately concluding that while "progression, and the need for it, is a bedrock of the expected player experience," future MMO designers should be mindful of the differences between what they want the player to do and what the player wants to do.

Clearly, there is no easy answer to the question of how does one design a good MMORPG. After all, one gamer's soul-sucking grind of death and despair is another's relaxing evening at home. That said, Morrison's perspective illuminates at least one line of developer thinking and is worthy of a read-through whether you're a dev, a player, or both.

MassivelyAge of Conan's Morrison talks progression, design originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocblogcraig-morrisondesignfuncomlevelingmmo-designmmo-developmentopinionpersonal-blogprogressionsilirrionWed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: How I mine for craft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/anti-aliased-how-i-mine-for-craft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/anti-aliased-how-i-mine-for-craft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/anti-aliased-how-i-mine-for-craft/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This column was bound to come sometime. We've had legions of people asking us, "Why don't you cover Minecraft? It's totally an MMO!" The email barrage was so constant that I had nightmarish fits in my sleep, where I was drowning in oddly block-shaped emails pouring out of my ceiling.

Now, after I've finally played Minecraft, my nightmarish fits have turned into scenes in which I'm being attacked by giant block-shaped spiders, but that's neither here nor there.

I can see why people have fallen in love with this game, and they have every reason to. Minecraft may not be an MMO by our standards, but it is an example of gaming done right. It's the purest form of everything we love about gaming, and it's a game that could teach MMO makers a lot about design, should they care to listen.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: How I mine for craft

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: How I mine for craft originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedcooperativecraftingcreativefarmingfeaturedgame-designminecraftminingmmo-designmmo-game-designmojang-specificationsmultiplayernon-combatnotchsingle-playerThu, 30 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/anti-aliased-dont-hate-the-playa-hate-the-developa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So I noticed something last week, in the comments section of my piece on UI design, that finally kicked me back into "endless rant" mode. It's a sentiment that I've noticed in the video game community at large for a while now, but I never really knew how to approach it until recently, thanks to my own life experiences with games. It's an idea that's pretty misinformed on how the industry works.

It's the idea that the developers behind any given game are an idiots. According to commenters, they're all blind, non-gamer morons, bumbling around in the dark without the slightest sense of what game mechanics are actually fun.

Why are these bumbling morons in the industry? Why don't they listen to the endless array of golden ideas that pop up on game forums? Don't they realize that these revolutionary ideas will turn every game into double-rainbow-crapping unicorns? Why haven't 15% of my readers (a totally accurate statistic, mind you) figured out how sarcastic I'm being at this point in the introduction?

This week we're going after some of the common misconceptions about developers and game design, and how making a game as complex as an MMO is really never as easy as you claim it is.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Don't hate the playa, hate the developa originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedbudgetbusinessdeadlinesdevelopersdevelopmentfeaturedforumsgame-designgame-developmentgames-are-easy-to-makemilestonesmmo-designmmo-developmentopinionpen-and-paperpen-and-paper-roleplayingperceptionseras-statistics-are-always-accurate-and-indisputableThu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The perfect MMO concept is complete]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/17/the-perfect-mmo-concept-is-complete/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/17/the-perfect-mmo-concept-is-complete/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/17/the-perfect-mmo-concept-is-complete/#commentsFiled under: ,

GamerZines just wrapped up a blog series detailing all the ingredients that make their perfect MMO and they want your feedback. They also plan to pitch these ideas to various MMO studios and eventually compile it all as a full feature in their free MMO magazine, aptly titled MMOZine.

We wrote about parts one through five a couple weeks ago and since then they have come out with a sixth part. In part six, the author suggests "next-gen" MMOs should become more homogenized in terms of their feature sets. Why re-invent the wheel when you can copy a perfectly working system already, they ask. Somehow, we don't think everyone's going to agree with that one.

If nothing other than one man's (or magazine's) opinion, this series highlights a valid point about game development. Because everyone has different gaming tastes, developers are bombarded with strong opinions from all sides. "You should focus on hardcore raiding." "No, you should focus on casual questing." "I want to experience epic large-scale PvP." "But I want your PvP to be solo-friendly!" That has to be difficult, unless you're so focused on your game's vision that you can tune out most of the background noise.

MassivelyThe perfect MMO concept is complete originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designgamerzinehomogenizationmmo-designtheorywow-killerSun, 17 May 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gamerzines blog series on crafting the perfect MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/05/gamerzines-blog-series-on-crafting-the-perfect-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/05/gamerzines-blog-series-on-crafting-the-perfect-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/05/gamerzines-blog-series-on-crafting-the-perfect-mmo/#commentsFiled under: ,

Gamerzines doesn't want to sound arrogant, but they're pretty sure they can design the perfect WoW-killer and because they're such nice folks, they're going to spill the beans in a series of blog posts. There are five parts so far that include their must-have elements for the next best MMO since [insert your favorite MMO title here].

  • Part 1 - User generated content that passes through a quality filter
  • Part 2 - Persistent world and good story
  • Part 3 - Crafting and economy 2.0 (see EVE Online's industry)
  • Part 4 - Old school RPG customization system (stats, appearance, gear, etc.)
  • Part 5 - Real world simulation
This is obviously a pretty bold series if it aims to change the MMO landscape, but the ideas do seem interesting even though none of them are exactly novel so far. That said, they are starting to fit together nicely as newer parts of the series come out.

For instance, allowing players to have a visible and lasting impact on the game and then mixing it with the concept of a more real world simulation could produce interesting outcomes; e.g., too much hunting of one particular species could throw the ecosystem and biodiversity of the surrounding area out of balance.

[Via: Warcry]

MassivelyGamerzines blog series on crafting the perfect MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designeve-onlinemmo-designpersistencesimulationtheoryuser-generated-contentworld-of-warcraftwow-killerTue, 05 May 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The unintended consequences of MMO design (and cars)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/09/the-unintended-consequences-of-mmo-design-and-cars/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/09/the-unintended-consequences-of-mmo-design-and-cars/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/09/the-unintended-consequences-of-mmo-design-and-cars/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Veteran game designer Damion Schubert put up an interesting post to his personal site discussing some of the unintended consequences of design choices. Just as the seemingly simple decision to allow objects to have collision properties resulted in Ultima Online towers being robbed, design elements in other fields can have unexpected results.

Schubert points out the dangers of the Prius as a perfect example of these unexpected results. The fact that the hybrid vehicle is incredibly quiet probably didn't seem like a big deal to the Toyota designers. In fact, they may have seen that as a plus. A plus for everyone except those without sight, of course. The result is that the vehicle's designers are now considering how to add more auditory feedback to the vehicle. Check out the post and the attendant comments for some additional MMO design elements that seem, in 20/20 hindsight, kind of obvious.

MassivelyThe unintended consequences of MMO design (and cars) originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>damion-schubertgame-designmmo-designpriusMon, 09 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Quest designing]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/the-daily-grind-quest-designing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/the-daily-grind-quest-designing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/the-daily-grind-quest-designing/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Well, as anyone who has been around MMOs can tell you, one of the most commonly complained about quest types is the "kill x" quests -- where x is any number, just like back in algebra class. Quest designers have been accused of everything from being unimaginative, to being downright lazy for using this mechanic so frequently in their games. We keep waiting for someone to offer something more.

Today we thought we'd ask you what kinds of quests you'd design if you were able to create MMO quests. (And don't be surprised if we pelt you with rotten produce if you answer with the "kill-x" variable.) Would you use more stealthy missions, quests involving retrieving a certain item that you had to fight your way through a bunch of bad guys to get to? Timed? Escorts? What is your ideal quest design?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Quest designing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredkill-xmmo-designquest-designqueststdgthe-daily-grindMon, 10 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building a better MMOusetrap: PPOrnography in games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/building-a-better-mmousetrap-ppornography-in-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/building-a-better-mmousetrap-ppornography-in-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/building-a-better-mmousetrap-ppornography-in-games/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Quick turn out the lights, shut your door, and unplug the phone... today we're going to talk about boobs. shh shh shh, I know, please keep it down, don't get all worked up, it's really not anything to worry about. I'm not actually going to show you any boobs, just talk about them, or rather about morality, censorship and the like in our favourite type of video games. As I'm sure you're all aware, as informed gaming news readers, you've read the latest load of tripe about our beloved "sex-boxes" and how they are filling us full of sodomisingly good times. Well, I decided to take a look at MMOs under the same plate, but before you fill the comments section with slander, and my inbox with hate, let me just say I think the fellow who wrote the article is a grade-A ass, but he did make me think about a few things.

First off, let's look at the ESRB rating that comes on most of our MMO titles, generally they are rated T (for teen!) but have the wonderful disclaimer of "experience may change during online play". Now frankly that's pretty much a carte blanche to do whatever they like, because if they get pulled into court they can just grab their Objection! sign and point at the rating. But I think that for the most part MMO game developers take a lot of strong steps towards keeping the playing environment relatively tame. There certainly aren't any terribly un-graphic alien lesbian love scenes in Paragon City, and last I checked, even though the Mithra are cute little cat ladies, there hasn't been any rampant cases of cross-species hot loving in Vana'diel.

I think what I'm trying to get at is, that game developers do in fact keep our online experiences as puritanian as they can (violence aside of course), because they don't really see a need to change their games into online porn. Certainly there are the usual video game metrics of unrealistic body types (for both the women and the men), and the fact that somehow the more armour a female character puts on, the more like a princess leia golden bikini (link is semi-NSFW) it looks. But other than that things are generally tame, that is, until it gets into the hands of the players.

Continue reading Building a better MMOusetrap: PPOrnography in games

MassivelyBuilding a better MMOusetrap: PPOrnography in games originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescoxdevelopmentffximmommo-designmmo-developmentmoralitynsfwpolitics-in-gamingsecond-lifeworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 16 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Comedy MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/the-daily-grind-comedy-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/the-daily-grind-comedy-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/06/the-daily-grind-comedy-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One of the things that came up last night in a round of "what would you like to see" was the concept for a "comedy" MMO. Now I have to admit, I've never really considered that at all, but there are certainly elements of the silly or absurd in some of the games that we already play -- so why not a "comedy" mmo? If you run around in WoW, you'll find many many truly silly things. By way of example, think of the Winterspring Yeti quest, wherein you release a wee tiny mechanical yeti that goes chasing people hither and yon. You can almost hear the Benny Hill music in the background. If you look at different bios in CoX, you'll find many have written some awfully funny (and fun) ones to go with their character concepts. Also, there are things like Lego Universe and even Cartoon Network's FusionFall coming out that really would lend themselves to funny-business.

Now, all that said -- our favorite concept we came up with through throwing names around was a Monty Python MMO. You could have PvP/RvR castle sieges involving French Taunting, catapulting cows, and the witty usage of wooden trojan badgers. (The rabbit, after all, not being a so-witty usage.) Epic battles? Take on the Killer Rabbit, or go head-to-head with the motorcycle grannies. If you feel like soloing, you can level up your skills in How Not to be Seen, or practice your Silly Walks! With all that silliness aside, we'd like to ask you -- do you think comedy would work as a major "plot element" beyond just the one-off quest? Would you play an MMO that spent most of the time with tongue firmly in cheek? Are there any other wickedly funny properties that you think might make for a good MMO to play with friends? (Even if just in a java-based browser game like Runescape.)

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Comedy MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comedycomedy-mmofusionfalllego-universemmommo-designmonty-pythonsillysilly-mmoSun, 06 Jan 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Could smaller be better?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/could-smaller-be-better/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/could-smaller-be-better/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/could-smaller-be-better/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The great Raph Koster and Anyway Games' Aaron Miller have a little conversation going that inspired an interesting question for me: when it comes to MMOs, could smaller actually be better? Raph started it-- he put forth the idea that most MMOs these days are designed like theme parks-- they're designed to keep you around for as long as possible, with twisting passage ways, lots of checklists, and a certain sense of desperation: "please, please stay and grind. We've got content!" And Aaron continued the thought and suggested an MMO like a bar-- a place that you went to because it was fun to go sometimes, not that you went to because you couldn't leave.

And both of these posts point towards the same conclusion: that in a social situation like an MMO, smaller might actually be better. Currently, most games are fascinated with being as big as possible-- a "world" of content to explore, or "millions of players," all in the same space. MMOs have "expansions," and ever larger instances and battlegrounds-- the bigger the world can get, the better the selling point sounds.

But should it? Blizzard, the world's most famous MMO maker, has determined in the past year that a group of 40 doesn't work nearly as well as a group of 25, and that doesn't work as well as a group of 10. And as much as players say they want to play with their friends, just how many friends are we talking about?

Continue reading Could smaller be better?

MassivelyCould smaller be better? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anyway-gamesdesigndiscussionfeaturedgame-designmmo-designraph-kostersmallersmaller-is-bettertheme-parkMon, 19 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: MMOs that didn't click]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/the-daily-grind-mmos-that-didnt-click/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/the-daily-grind-mmos-that-didnt-click/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/the-daily-grind-mmos-that-didnt-click/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You know how it goes. You hear about a great idea for an MMO -- perhaps based on a book, movie, or game you loved. You devote time and effort to following forums, reading up on developer notes, and trying to get into the beta. But somehow, the idea translates poorly. Even if it's a good solid MMO, it just doesn't click with you for some reason. Or maybe they looked at the source story/information and then ran screaming in the totally wrong direction with the game's storyline.

Personally, such was the case for me with The Matrix Online. I remember chasing every scrap of information I could get about it, watching videos and all of that. I did manage to make it into the beta, and what I saw there both exhilarated me and saddened me. The game was so very cool looking. The ability to decompile items into code and recompile the code bits into other items struck me as being perfect for someone truly aware that they are living in the world of MxO. But despite all the things I loved about it, I just couldn't handle the combat system; I'd describe it as rock-paper-scissors with Bullet Time. I understand they've since reworked it, and I'll probably give it a try again before long knowing how much I love MMOs. Of course, I'd counter with the fact that had they just used a more traditional MMO combat system from the word go, I'd probably never have left in the first place.

How about you? Were there any games that you were excited about but just didn't work out for you? What things about them made you step back? What would you change if you could?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: MMOs that didn't click originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredloremeh-mmosmmo-designmxostorythe-matrix-onlinewarner-brosSun, 18 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[As the Worlds Turn: Hey, mom! Look at what I made!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/as-the-worlds-turn-hey-mom-look-at-what-i-made/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/as-the-worlds-turn-hey-mom-look-at-what-i-made/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/as-the-worlds-turn-hey-mom-look-at-what-i-made/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You've toiled. You've trudged great distances. You've sought out the wisdom of the land's greatest craftsmen in pursuit of perfection in your art. Hours of work have culminated into this precise moment. You have finally done it. You have crafted a hat. Not merely any hat: a red hat. You equip it to your character to see how splendid you look in a finely crafted red hat. You quickly put your helmet back on and sell the hat to the nearest vendor for a paltry handful of copper coins. What was the point?

The desire to craft is easy to understand. The millions of MMO players out there have many different goals but there is one goal that they often share: the desire to be special and unique. I'm not referring to a warm and fuzzy after-school kind of special, either. I'm talking about the coolest gear, the most impressive weapon and the super rare mount. Crafting systems often lead players to believe that they can make cool gear and look different. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it sounds.

Continue reading As the Worlds Turn: Hey, mom! Look at what I made!

MassivelyAs the Worlds Turn: Hey, mom! Look at what I made! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classescrafterscraftingfeaturedgame-designmmommo-designtradeskillsWed, 14 Nov 2007 13:00:00 EST