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ArenaNet talks about naming Guild Wars 2's world

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries

While it's easy to get caught up in the big picture side of the development process, we risk overlooking the smaller but crucial work that goes into gluing the game together. One of these tasks is the naming of the world and all that lies within it. Content Designer Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda wrote an ArenaNet blog post about the challenges and decisions that went with labeling everything under the sun in Guild Wars 2.

Mitsoda said that the team has established a system for nailing down names. After coming up with the name, the team sends the moniker through a "sanity check" that makes sure it's not too hard to spell or say. The team also tries to weed out the more obscure or overt pop culture references, then passes along the names to the team's "loremasters," who check it against an internal wiki for consistency.

She goes on to share a few anecdotes about the naming process, such as the evolution of Charr names, the difficulty of putting a label on an animal that has no Earth equivalent, and how the creepy rat-dog Murellow got its name. It's an interesting read into a different side of the development process that often goes unnoticed, so check it out!

ArenaNet talks about naming Guild Wars 2's world originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reserve your Guild Wars 2 character name today

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Guild Wars, Launches, Guild Wars 2

Everyone seems to freak out about grabbing his or her special character name at the launch of a new MMO, and we imagine Guild Wars 2 will invoke the same emotions. Instead of leaving this oh-so-important action to Day One, ArenaNet is giving players a chance to reserve their Guild Wars 2 names... starting today.

The way it works is that ArenaNet will be reserving all current Guild Wars names for the launch, and players attached to those names can then swoop in and collect them from the start. Three caveats are attached to this process, however: You have to log into Guild Wars sometime in 2012, you have to claim your names in Guild Wars 2 by launch day, and you can't secure Guild Wars 2's single names (as Guild Wars forces you to make two-word names).

The studio says that there are 20 million two-word names in use at this point, and we suspect that list will grow much longer after today. These names can be reserved at any point from now until whenever ArenaNet decides to compile its master list. After launch, ArenaNet promises to free up the unclaimed names for others to take.

Reserve your Guild Wars 2 character name today originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard renames Blizzard DotA to Blizzard All-Stars

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Legal, Miscellaneous, MOBA

What's in a name? Quite a lot, as it turns out. A name alone was enough to send Blizzard and Valve to man the lawyer cannons over two upcoming games, DOTA 2 from Valve and Blizzard DOTA from Blizzard. The companies have reached an agreement, however, which includes Blizzard renaming its game to Blizzard All-Stars while retaining use of the "dota" name for noncommercial use in the fan community. Valve retains the commercial use of the name.

It sounds like a little matter until you remember that Warcraft III was the source of the map that spawned this game type, leading to both companies developing competing versions of a sequel. Blizzard All-Stars currently has no release date, while DOTA 2 is due out sometime next year and is currently in beta testing. Luckily, the terminology is only being changed on the corporate side, meaning players are free to continue discussing the games as they would have anyway.

Blizzard renames Blizzard DotA to Blizzard All-Stars originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 May 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you try to grab names on launch?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

Early access for Star Wars: The Old Republic started earlier this week, and that meant that Tuesday evening saw me taking part in a time-honored tradition, namely speeding through the character creator several times in hopes of getting the names that I wanted. I got pretty lucky; out of the eight names I was hoping for, six were available and two were available with just a slight tweak, which was pretty good all around.

Of course, these are all characters that I plan on playing in the very near future, but it was still a big batch of character names right out of the starting gate. Do you do the same? When a new game comes out, do you rush to nab the names of characters you already know you want to play? Do you wait and see if you can get certain names or try to grab the same ones? Or are character names just not that important to you in the long run?

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: Do you try to grab names on launch? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you recycle character names?

Jef Reahard — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, Culture, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Earthrise, DC Universe Online, RIFT, Xsyon

So the next couple of months are shaping up to be rather busy here at the Massively offices (that aren't really offices). Aside from the usual news gathering, column writing, and convention prepping, there's a veritable smorgasbord of MMOs releasing in short order that are going to be demanding lots of our collective attention. Between now and March 1st, we've got DC Universe, Earthrise, RIFT, and Xsyon, and if there's ever been a swath of games that cater to a wide variety of tastes releasing one after the other like this, we'd love to hear about it.

With new games comes new characters and for some of us, that represents a bit of a conundrum apart from class or skill choices. Character names are all-important, and for folks that play a lot of MMOs, it might be easier to simply pick one and use it across multiple games. Roleplayers, on the other hand, probably shudder at the thought of recycling character names (and possibly personalities) from game to game.

What about you, Massively folk? Do you have an MMORPG handle that you're prone to using in each new title, or are your character names unique?

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: Do you recycle character names? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Making the cut

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

"What position are you applying for?" The interviewer listens and nods.

"Mmhmm. Thank you. Now, what special skills can you bring to the team?"

"Please list all previous experience and describe your major accomplishments." A pause.

"Have you the required equipment to adequately perform your duties?"

The interviewer is quiet while sizing up the applicant.

"I'm sorry, but you just don't quite have what we are looking for. Next!"

Sound familiar? No, this isn't a job interview -- this is the rigmarole many players experience simply to get into a group in NCsoft's Aion. You might think that time of day or availability of people in the right level range would have the most affect on forming up a group, whether in a legion or a PUG. Instead, players often must contend with an entirely different beast before even stepping foot into an instance: group elitism.

Unless you have a regular group of friends with identical play times or a very supportive legion, you are apt to occasionally find yourself in the situation of seeking a group while traipsing about Atreia. Even with a regular group, there are going to be times you are left more-or-less on your own and just want to get something done. Thus begins the (oft times unpleasant) task of creating or finding a group. Like a microcosm of drama played out in short spurts, group formation showcases a variety of less-than-desirable attributes: greed; envy; lust; selfishness; and inflated egos. Just how exclusive can this process become? Your inclusion could ride solely on your class, equipment, or skill set, and have nothing to do with your ability and skill as a player. Heck, even your name may keep you out of groups.

Join me past the cut to explore elitism in group dynamics in Aion.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Making the cut

Wings Over Atreia: Making the cut originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: What's in a name?

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

Classic balladry informs us that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Would the same hold true of an Elyos or an Asmodian? OK, maybe sweet-smelling and back hair don't necessarily mix (and let's not even ask how long that Elyos has been stuffed in all-encompassing armor), but there is no denying the impact a name has in Aion.

Unlike those handed us at our birth (and with few exceptions kept throughout our lives), names in games are completely self-inflicted; we have control over what the floaty text above our heads announces to the rest of our pixel world. And announce it does -- more than many people even stop to think about. A name is so much more than just a convenient way to send whispers or in-game mail to others within Aion; with only a glance, your name implies much about you, your playstyle, and your personality. It is not uncommon for people to actually base their grouping decisions, their legion recruitment, their trust in you, and more on just a simple glance at your in-game moniker or your legion tag.

Whether the impact is born of reputation or of first impressions, others have a reaction to and make decisions based simply on names. Fly past the cut to see how different monikers influence the world we live, fly, and fight in.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: What's in a name?

Wings Over Atreia: What's in a name? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Previews, News items, Consoles, Races, Final Fantasy XIV

If you're one of the lucky souls in Final Fantasy XIV's recently expanded beta testing, you might well be a new arrival. And even though the beta build isn't the final release of the game, there's still a lot of different things to do. So where do you begin? Thankfully, there's a new guide available from Famitsu (translated by FFXIVCore) that should give a fair picture of where players can start. It covers everything from sights in the city to the options available for retainers.

Once players pick a race for the retainer, a wide variety of appearance is available, but said assistant's name is fixed. You can give a nickname, however, which opens up a number of affectionate (and horrible) possibilities. Of course, that does little for the players not involved in the Final Fantasy XIV beta, but Square-Enix has also released a video on the development of character models and customization in the game. Embedded past the cut, the trailer won't quite take the edge off being unable to use the guide in practice, but it's the next best thing.

Continue reading What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta

What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aion offers six free server transfers per character

Jef Reahard — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items

With NCsoft's upcoming Aion server merges looming, chances are you've taken the time to figure out where your daeva's new home is going to be (as well as marked your calendar to be sure you get first dibs on keeping your name). What you may not know is that you've got plenty of opportunities to test out the various Aion server communities after the merges are complete.

In its weekly Eye on Community featurette, NCsoft answers a player-generated question about transfer specifics. "During the free character transfer period, characters you submit for transfer are placed in a collated list, together with transfer requests from other players. The transfers outlined in this list will all be executed at the same time during weekly maintenance. Because transfers are moved in a batch each week, you will be able to transfer your character up to six times before the 18th of August, when the free character transfer period ends. Our intent is to let you test the waters so that you can decide which server best suits you," says the featurette.

Aion offers six free server transfers per character originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are guilds too important?

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

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

They're called different names, but a guild by any moniker is still a collection of players with a distinct affiliation. In some games, guilds offer wide-reaching powers and benefits; in others they're little more than a special chat channel with no rewards past that channel's existence. But whether you're in a kinship in Lord of the Rings Online or a linkshell in Final Fantasy XI, your guild makes a big difference -- some might say too much of a difference. After all, it's awfully easy to keep playing a game you're tired of because, well, your guild still needs you.

World of Warcraft clearly uses the guild as a basic measurement of grouping, to the point where outside of your circle of friends, your guild name is often more important than your character name. It's been a long accepted fact that players who socialize and join guilds are more likely to stay in the game for the long haul. But are they too heavily emphasized? Would you rather see a greater emphasis on individual skill and accomplishments? Or do you feel that lessens your attachment to the game and your fellow players?

The Daily Grind: Are guilds too important? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

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

It wasn't one of the biggest news items of last week, but Blizzard's announcements regarding Battle.net and the RealID system did turn a few heads. The fact that it uses the real name of players was a bit surprising, but at the end of the day it's not the first game allowing people to track players across alts. City of Heroes has always had a global chat handle integrated with the client, and both Star Trek Online and Champions Online integrate your name directly with the name of a given character.

On the one hand, this can be seen as a good thing. Rather than friending an army of alts that your friend cycles through on a regular basis, you friend somebody once and you know them. There's also no hiding behind alts for disrespectful or unpleasant players. On the other hand, it means that no one gets to advantage of taking a night off on an alt no one knows about, and it can raise some security and identity concerns. (Especially in Blizzard's case, what with the real names being used.) What do you think about global identities in MMOs? Are they a good move as a whole, or are they a bit too Big Brother for your tastes?

The Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More looks inside of Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, Final Fantasy XIV

It's a good time to be a Final Fantasy XIV fan, with testing now in full swing and information coming out an accelerated pace. While we'd been in the dark for some time, we're now moving into almost having an information glut. FFXIVCore has been hard at work translating everything released by Famitsu, and there's a lot to digest from there, ranging from confirmation of things we've already suspected to new information altogether.

Aside from several screenshots of the game in action, we find out that characters will indeed have both first and last names on creation, in the style of Guild Wars and Dungeons and Dragons Online. The battle system will apparently use staggered sets of abilities rather than steady auto-attacks, something more akin to City of Heroes than Final Fantasy XI. Learned abilities can be used regardless of a character's class, allowing extensive mix-and-match play with each character.

In addition to all of that, we also learn just how deep the character building is: levels allow you to improve your stats and skill levels allow access to new abilities, but almost everything is built on player choice. There's a lot for Final Fantasy XIV fans to digest, but the game is shaping up to be very different than its predecessor while retaining the same rich flavor.

More looks inside of Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square Enix: FFXI players may be able to keep their names in FFXIV

James Egan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Interviews, New titles, Final Fantasy XIV

Good news for Final Fantasy XI players looking to make the jump into Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 -- you may be able to keep your existing FFXI character names in the upcoming title. At least, you will if Square Enix Producer Hiromichi Tanaka has his way. Tanaka and FFXIV Producer Sage Sundi were interviewed by the PlayStation Blog's Chris Morell at GamesCom 2009, when they were asked if name transfers between the Final Fantasy MMOs will be possible.

Tanaka said, "It hasn't been confirmed yet, but we would like to give incentives to the players. First of all, FFXI has 32 worlds, and they may have the same name across different worlds [...]. However, when we have FFXIV, we still don't know how many worlds there's going to be yet, but players might have the same name if they all move to the same world, so there may be conflicts."

Square Enix's solution, if implemented, is to have a surname system where players can keep their original name but pair it with something else unique in a surname. While the ability to import character names into FFXIV isn't confirmed, it's still good news that Square Enix is considering offering this to their long-time fans in Final Fantasy XI.

[Via Joystiq]

Square Enix: FFXI players may be able to keep their names in FFXIV originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just say no to bad guild names

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, Humor

There you are, poised at the ready. The guild you've created is almost complete! You've gathered a few friends for potential guild-mates. You've discussed the general focus of the guild. Now all you need is a name! You've come up with a few, but for some reason, your friends keep rejecting your suggestions concerning LOLcats, Prince Caspian or the latest song by the Jonas Brothers. What gives?!

Well, according to a recent blog post by Syp over at the Waaagh! blog, you're just doing it wrong. Not to worry though, because Syp compiled a comprehensive list of what to avoid while considering a guild name or tag. Even if you've already created your perfect guild and you're just curious about the effectiveness of your name, check out the blog post. Chances are, you did it wrong.

[Thanks Syp!]

Just say no to bad guild names originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Naming your AoC characters

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Forums, Game mechanics, New titles

So there you are, sitting at the AoC character creation screen. You've just installed the game, created your perfect character that you will be playing for the next few months or years, but now you stare blankly at the little box with the blinking cursor asking for your character name. Argh!

Fret no more, my Hyborian friends. There is an easy way to create the perfect name for your AoC character without resorting to something like Chuknorissrulez or Ipwndurface. A simple, easy-to-use web-based name generator has been created around the infrastructure of the GE Name program. With proper permissions in place already, this generator can prove to be a valuable tool for those not as familiar with the Conan lore, yet eager to get started in the game.

Naming your AoC characters originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 May 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jesus Christ spotted in Tabula Rasa

Samuel Axon — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:42:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Tabula Rasa

Razor over at Razorwire experienced a surprising theophany in the world of Tabula Rasa. "I was playing Tabula Rasa last night," he said, "when a figure wearing battle armor and carrying a chain gun ran past me and my avatar provided the appropriate double-take for me. The character's name was Jesus Christ."

Yes, Jesus Christ in Tabula Rasa. Obviously, Jesus Christ wasn't really playing Tabula Rasa (well, we assume he wasn't, anyway), but whether the use of the name amuses you, offends you, or both, it brings up some interesting questions about Tabula Rasa's naming policy -- questions Razor asks in his post. Give it a read. It's not super in-depth, but he points out that because Tabula Rasa is not a fantasy world like World of Warcraft or The Lord of the Rings Online, it uses a different naming policy. That policy opens the door to abuses that would have been nipped in the bud far earlier in those other titles.

According to Razor there is unfortunately no way to report the name because the game's GM help features are still disabled.

Jesus Christ spotted in Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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