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[Rise and Shiny recap: Faxion Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/rise-and-shiny-recap-faxion-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/rise-and-shiny-recap-faxion-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/05/rise-and-shiny-recap-faxion-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I've been following Faxion Online for quite a while. Aww, I remember when it was just a cute little game in development, back when I visited the UTV True Games studio for a tour during GDC Online last year. The team was very passionate about its product, and there was obviously a lot of talent at work behind the scenes. One of the comments I made then (and that I will always remember) is that the devs all seemed like a bunch of gamers -- they appeared to have a love for what they were doing and truly seemed to believe in the game.

They also talked about how a lot of MMO development took several years and the budget of a small country. I agreed with them on that. So they wanted to create their game in a much shorter time period yet have it still feature free-to-play accessibility along with old-school PvP. It was a tall order, especially considering the time frame they were looking at. Again, though, the team seemed capable of pulling it off.

But did it? I spent half a week (I will explain later) in the game, and my impressions are right past the cut.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Faxion Online

MassivelyRise and Shiny recap: Faxion Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beau-hindmaneve-onlinefaxionfaxion-onlinefeaturedfpsmountsoffline-advancementoffline-levelingoffline-skillingperformancerise-and-shinyskill-advancementskill-basedspellbornstylizedstylized-graphicsthe-chronicles-of-spellborntravelutvUTV-Ignitionutv-ignition-gamesutv-true-gamesWorld-of-WarcraftSun, 05 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's first look at Faxion Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-first-look-at-faxion-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-first-look-at-faxion-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/massivelys-first-look-at-faxion-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

The worst thing about touring through a virtual world is not knowing exactly what to bring with you. Over the last several months I have slowly but surely tweaked my habits to make writing easier. Even then I am sometimes perplexed as to how to do it better and what tools would work best for me. Luckily, the greatest tool of all time does exist and is dirt cheap. It fits within my pocket and works with any operating system or peripheral.

Yes, I'm talking about a stack of Post-Its.

As I ran through the different areas of Faxion Online with one of the developers, I scribbled my notes down on the tiny notepad. Then I stuck the notes to my computer monitor for later reference. I also took screenshots (not the ones you see in this article -- these were supplied by UTV True Games, the developer behind Faxion) and later used them to try to remember how I felt during the walkthrough. While writing, I looked down at my Post-Its and saw three key words: optimization, stylized graphics, and gross fat guy.

Click past the cut to see what else I might have jotted down.

Continue reading Massively's first look at Faxion Online

MassivelyMassively's first look at Faxion Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alphabeau-hindmancash-shopdeath-metaleve-onlinef2pfaxionfaxion-onlinefeaturedfree-to-playfreemiumftpheaven-and-hellMicrotransactionsmulti-classnew-gamesoffline-advancementoffline-levelingpreviewpvpscreenshotsskill-basedUTVutv-true-gamesFri, 21 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Darkfall offline leveling goes live]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/darkfall-offline-leveling-goes-live/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/darkfall-offline-leveling-goes-live/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/darkfall-offline-leveling-goes-live/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's patch day in Agon, and Aventurine's servers are slowly coming back to life after some prolonged downtime earlier this morning. What has the new update wrought? The biggest change is the much-discussed offline leveling system. The Darkfall Epic Blog has the details, which basically amount to spending in-game gold to purchase meditation points. These points can then be distributed amongst skills that you've already purchased, and the journal interface displays how many meditation points are required to level the skills to 100. You can also view the time it will take to train if you start meditating.

Aside from offline meditation, the patch notes indicate a few subtle tweaks such as ammo stacking, friend-specific system messages, and the addition of a dice rolling mechanic to the game's chat system.

MassivelyDarkfall offline leveling goes live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aventurineaventurine-sadarkfalldarkfall-onlinein-game-diceoffline-advancementoffline-levelingoffline-meditationpatchpatch-notespvepvpsandboxFri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[New Darkfall blog talks optimizing interaction and offline leveling]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/new-darkfall-blog-talks-optimizing-interaction-and-offline-leveli/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/new-darkfall-blog-talks-optimizing-interaction-and-offline-leveli/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/new-darkfall-blog-talks-optimizing-interaction-and-offline-leveli/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Darkfall has always had a reputation for being a very hardcore game, but Aventurine has been hard at work trying to improve the in-game experience for all players -- both the well-known PvP audience and the more PvE-focused crowd. In the most recent official blog, Tasos Flambouras calls the team's focus "optimizing interaction," a convenient catch-all term for an overarching goal of making the game world and the interface easier to work with and more meaningful to players.

Flambouras mentions the previously discussed offline skill leveling -- in short, you will pay gold to meditate on a skill to advance it while you're offline. The feature will be limited to a few skills when first implemented, but if it proves not to cause any balance issues, more skills will be added to the roster. There's a lot of information about where the Darkfall development team is placing its emphasis, so take a look at the full article for a peek inside the team members' head.

MassivelyNew Darkfall blog talks optimizing interaction and offline leveling originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessaccessabilityaventurineaventurine-sadarkfalldarkfall-onlinedev-blogdeveloperdeveloper-blogdevelopmentfeedbackoffline-advancementoffline-levelingoffline-skillingoptimizing-interactiontasos-flambourasupcoming-featuresupcoming-patchesFri, 12 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Darkfall prepping offline skill advancement]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/31/darkfall-prepping-offline-skill-advancement/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/31/darkfall-prepping-offline-skill-advancement/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/31/darkfall-prepping-offline-skill-advancement/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tired of the lengthy skill-grind in Darkfall, as well as the perception that it will take newer players many months to be competitive with veterans? Aventurine has heard your concerns and is currently in the process of implementing a form of offline skill advancement for the PvP sandbox MMORPG.

In a recent activity report on the Darkfall forums, developer Tasos Flambouras clarified the plans for offline advancement and was quick to point out that Aventurine doesn't intend for the mechanic to be used as a substitute for skilling up. "We're not looking to upset the game's balance by adding a convenience feature and this is why I mentioned there's a lot of thought and balancing going into this. So on offline skilling, we'll start with a small amount of skills and gradually expand it, and obviously many skills won't be included," he writes.

Offline skilling is nothing new in MMORPGs, as EVE Online has used the system for years, and even themepark games like Age of Conan have gotten into the act. Whether Darkfall implements a similar system or tries something completely new, Massively will be there to bring you the latest.

MassivelyDarkfall prepping offline skill advancement originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aventurineaventurine-sadarkfalldarkfall-onlineGame-Mechanicsoffline-advancementoffline-levelingpvepvpsandboxskill-advancementskillingskillstasostasos-flambourasSun, 31 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Earthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


One of the independent MMOs in the works that interests Massively is Earthrise, being developed by Masthead Studios in Bulgaria. We came across an Earthrise interview at OnlineWelten by Anja Gellesch, originally in German but translated into English. Masthead's Lead Game Designer Apostol Apostolov gives a well-worded introduction to the premise of the game and its "post-post-apocalyptic" setting, but there's plenty of details to be found in the interview as well.

He discusses player choice in the game, how some will opt to join a faction while other players remain neutral in the struggle between the technocratic elite Continoma, and the shadowy resistance movement Noir. Apostolov also mentions that there are 20 different zones spread across the game's island setting of Enterra.

Continue reading Earthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics

MassivelyEarthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anja-gelleschapostol-apostolovconcession-groundscontinomacraftingearthriseeconomyenterragame-mechanicsguild-vs-guildinterviewsmasthead-studiosnoiroffline-advancementonlineweltenpost-apocalypticpvpresourcessci-fisocial-experienceThu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-massively-previews-earthrise/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-massively-previews-earthrise/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/29/gdc09-massively-previews-earthrise/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The futuristic game Earthrise is one of the upcoming sci-fi massively multiplayer games that we can see on the horizon. It's the first MMO developed by Sofia-based Masthead Studios and features the post-apocalyptic setting of a world divided between utopian idealism and revolution. Massively had a chance to sit down with Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov at the Game Developers Conference 2009 where he gave us a walkthrough of Earthrise, shedding some light on what this new title may bring to the MMO world.

Gallery: Earthrise

Continue reading GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise

MassivelyGDC09: Massively previews Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atanas-atanasovbattle-ratingbulgariacontinomacraftingdesignearthriseenterrafeaturedfull-lootinggdcgdc-2009guildsjoystiqfeatureslootingloremanufacturingmassively-event-coveragemassively-interviewsmasthead-studiosnew-titlesnoiroffline-advancementopen-pvppost-apocalypticpreviewspvpsandboxsci-fiskillpointsskillssofiastancestancestacticsSun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST