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Leaderboard: Permadeath vs. no permadeath

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, Game mechanics, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard

Permadeath is one of those game mechanics that seems destined to forever be nibbling away at the fringe of the MMO genre than invited to the cool kids' table. Many players find themselves aghast at the notion of losing all their hard-earned progress with one untimely demise, and it seems like game developers agree with them: Very few MMOs have any sort of permadeath option.

However, this most-severest-of-severe death penalties does persist. Some players elect to form guilds and meta-groups to pursue a permadeath lifestyle in their games. A few upcoming titles, such as Salem and Wizardry Online, have permadeath as a core mechanic. Even the recently released Diablo III has a "hardcore" permadeath mode for the brave at heart.

The question we put before you today is yet another nibble that may never be noticed by the mainstream, but it's important to consider: Is permadeath worth including in MMO design, even as an optional mechanic or server, or should this brand of death penalty kick the bucket once and for all? Vote after the jump!

Continue reading Leaderboard: Permadeath vs. no permadeath

Leaderboard: Permadeath vs. no permadeath originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: I saw the wilds of Salem (and lived to tell about it)

Jef Reahard — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Economy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, PvP, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting

I spent an hour romping through the woods of Salem last Friday with Seatribe head honcho Bjorn Johannessen. The tiny indie company (current dev population: two) is hard at work on its followup to Haven and Hearth, an acquired taste of a sandbox game notable for its no-holds barred approach that includes permadeath and the ability to summon (and kill) criminal characters -- even while their lulz-loving puppet-masters are offline.

Publisher Paradox bills Salem as "the crafting MMO," and boy it's not kidding. Over the course of this particular dev tour, I saw crazy amounts of tradeskill functionality, all kinds of cool world-building stuff, and ultimately, more than enough reasons to spend time with the game when it launches later this year.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: I saw the wilds of Salem (and lived to tell about it)

Some Assembly Required: I saw the wilds of Salem (and lived to tell about it) originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Podcasts, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Earthrise, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous

Massively Speaking Episode 201 gets into all of your dirty little secrets -- not to mention Funcom's, as well! We're joined by Jef, who gives us the full scoop on The Secret World now that the NDA's come tumbling down. Will this be another Failcom or possibly a Fabulouscom? Only Jef knows, and he's highly resistant to torture and bribery.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets

Massively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Salem sandbox MMO not for the faint of heart

Jef Reahard — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

Twenty minutes of gameplay doesn't seem like a lot when it comes to previewing an MMO, but PC Gamer is giving it the ol' college try with a look at Seatribe's new Salem sandbox. You know the Salem we mean. The one with... permadeath. Ooooh. Scary.

Anyhow, the piece offers up a few interesting insights, like when creative lead Bjorn Johannessen admits that the devs "have almost nothing to do with what happens" outside the game's only safe area (a colonial-era Boston). Another noteworthy tidbit is the fact that Salem doesn't display avatar names. Instead, it prompts you to name other characters for yourself (or trust that someone is who he says he is).

For more on Salem, check out the source below as well as our permadeath-flavored interview with Johannessen in Some Assembly Required.

Salem sandbox MMO not for the faint of heart originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What outdated game mechanic should be retired from MMOs?

Brianna Royce — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Returning to an old game is like hopping in a time machine and surveying the horrible mistakes made by MMO studios a decade ago. Forget those five guys who still murmur the word "permadeath" wistfully; we're talking corpse runs, vitae penalty, corpse looting, tank mages, experience loss, holy trinities, zone walls, hybrid class level penalties, and tree-top cities without railings, all as a matter of course for the games of the day. Nowadays, these mechanics are abandoned in a field somewhere by all but the most retro game studios.

I have to wonder what we'll look back on in another 10 years with the same feeling of "wow, I can't believe anyone thought that was a good idea." Cash shops? Flying mounts? Faction-grinds? Classes? Skill bars? Questing? Tree-top cities without railings? (Seriously guys -- stop making those.) What game mechanic is so outdated and so abhorred that it should be retired from MMOs right now?

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 outdated game mechanic should be retired from MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups

Matt Daniel — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

It's time to set sail for the New World with Paradox Interactive's upcoming free-to-play sandbox title, Salem. The studio announced today that beta sign-ups for the title have opened up, and anyone and everyone is welcome to jump in and give the team feedback.

But remember, folks, the untamed wilderness of the New World is a harsh and unforgiving place, and death is not something to be taken lightly. If you don't play your cards just right, you could end up six feet under with no way of returning to the world of the living. Don't worry too much, though; the folks at Paradox have released a new video to give players a bit of a heads up on how to survive the wilderness. So after you're done with the "how-to-not-die-of-dysentery" primer, just head on over to the game's official site and get in on the test.

[Source: Paradox Interactive press release]

Continue reading Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups

Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crime and punishment in Salem, New World-style

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, PvP, Sandbox

With all of the open world sandboxy goodness going on in Salem, one might wonder if Paradox Interactive is prepared for the level of griefing that can come with such games. Interestingly enough, the team has given this some serious thought and come up with an elegant system of crime and punishment in the game world.

Player villages are protected by claims that set these areas apart from the rest of the world, and these claims can be expanded by building certain structures. Griefers who set out to do harm or mischief against villages within these claims will leave a "scent" behind that can be used to track them. There are certain skills, such as ranging and tracking, that players need to have to follow the scent to the perpetrator, however. This opens the door for players to specialize in becoming bounty hunters who protect the village by rooting out enemies.

As for punishment, well, Creative Director Björn Johannessen expects players will take justice into their own hands -- and more than one perpetrator will pay the ultimate price for violating a peaceful sanctuary.

You can watch the full discussion of Salem's crime and punishment system after the jump.

Continue reading Crime and punishment in Salem, New World-style

Crime and punishment in Salem, New World-style originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: Salem dev talks permadeath, griefing, and skill-based gameplay

Jef Reahard — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting

Hello, sandbox faithful, and welcome to a special interview edition of Some Assembly Required. We recently had a chance to pitch some questions to the team behind Seatribe's upcoming Salem title, and creative director Björn Johannessen was kind enough to answer them.

Salem is being advertised by publisher Paradox as "the crafting MMO," but it's also rife with throw-back mechanics including a huge amount of player freedom and a permadeath/punishment system similar to the one in Johannessen's Haven & Hearth.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Salem dev talks permadeath, griefing, and skill-based gameplay

Some Assembly Required: Salem dev talks permadeath, griefing, and skill-based gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year!

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

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

Oh, that feeling when a game is new and everything is an adventure! Say what you will, but I cherish those moments of still being a newb and getting to experience things for the first time while exploring a new world (mind you, that is newb as in "new person," not n00b meaning "hopelessly moronic"). The problem is, once you have been in a game for a while, that whole aura dissipates and you lose that feeling of wonder. I envy those just now coming to Aion, as those of us who have been here for the past two plus years have lost that initial excitement. And when you've lost that newbie feeling, then it's gone, gone, gone, whoa whoa whoa...

Or is it?

When you have played the game for a long period of time, you tend to settle into a rut that is hard to break out of. Log in, do dailies, do arenas, do dredge. Toss in a siege. Rinse and repeat. In the past, Wings Over Atreia has delved into some of the reasons to stay in game when things become a bit monotonous and we sludge through some of the more difficult times. But why should we sludge? Why not find ways to make Aion more interesting when you hit that plateau?

Some players have done just that. A little creativity (and sometimes some really insane friends) can really make a difference and bring back that newbie feeling -- or at least make things interesting while adding some variety to gaming.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year!

Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you play in self-enforced hardcore mode?

Brianna Royce — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous

The permadeath-in-MMOs issue has been debated to death. Most of us have probably either played in a Diablo-esque hardcore mode or gaped at the stones required to publish a true MMORPG with permadeath (hi, Salem). But who says you need game mechanics to make permadeath a reality?

I've gamed with roleplayers who took their characters deadly seriously and would delete their characters if they were killed off within the context of the game. (So much for the idea that roleplayers are casuals, eh?) Their web of self-inflicted rules is so complex (maiming? dice rolls? emote-combat?) that playing with such RPers can actually become stressful, especially if you don't want to be responsible for their having to delete and reroll.

What about you folks? Do you play or roleplay in a self-enforced hardcore mode? Do you do it because it's fun, because it makes gameplay more intense, or because you like a good challenge?

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 play in self-enforced hardcore mode? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, World of Darkness, Fallout Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, Transformers Universe, Otherland, MechWarrior Online

In coming up with a follow-up list to my previous Upcoming MMO Contenders list, I found myself almost paralyzed by more choices than I could shake a wireless mouse at. Pointing at the sure bets is one thing, but narrowing down a field of dozens and dozens of interesting -- yet more far-flung -- prospects is far more difficult. It's one thing to have a good idea; it's another to say whether or not this game will actually make it to launch, and if it does, that it'll pull the idea off well.

That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right.

Deep breath -- let's give it a go!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots

The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A

Matt Daniel — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did.

A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.

Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizardry Online launches open beta in Japan while eyeing the west

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, PvP, Free-to-play

Gamepot's hardcore do-or-die Wizardry Online took a big step in its development last week as the title went into open beta in Japan. Over 100,000 players stormed the castle gates to get a peek at this permadeath MMO, and Gamepot had to add several additional servers during the first day to handle the influx of adventurers.

Gamepot's Shuhei Ueda says that seducing Japanese players is just the first step in the company's plans: "For Gamepot, it is truly amazing to see so many enthusiastic fans of the Wizardry franchise participate in the open beta testing, and now live service, of Wizardry Online. Bringing this innovative and legendary series to a new platform has been a rewarding process and we're looking forward to continuing our world-wide rollout to fans around the globe."

Work continues on an English version of Wizardry Online, which Gamepot hopes will make it across the Pacific sometime in 2012. The studio is also seeking out a publisher for North American and European markets. While you wait, you can read up on our first look at Wizardry Online from this past summer's E3.

Gallery: Wizardry Online

[Source: Gamepot press release]

Wizardry Online launches open beta in Japan while eyeing the west originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem

Rubi Bayer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Sandbox

Salem, the upcoming MMO from Paradox Interactive, has gained more and more attention in recent weeks. Perhaps because a fair amount of this attention has been of the "Wait, what is this game about?" variety, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen sat down with Rock, Paper, Shotgun to talk Salem.

Bjorn describes the game as "a similar premise" to Wurm Online, in that everything in the world is player-made with the exception of natural objects. It's not just a bland Wurm-clone, however. The world of Salem is a little darker, with a harsh justice system, witchcraft, and otherworldly creatures like Hide-Behinds -- creepy predators that hide behind things as they stalk you.

Bjorn explains part of the justice system, discussing what happens when a player kills another (or commits any crime, for that matter): "He leaves a little scent behind, called the Stench of Crime, a kind of clue. Those clues can be used to track the crime; I get up this little window here, where I can choose to track the perpetrator, the claim of the perpetrator, or the item that was stolen. [...] And if the crime is serious enough [...] I can also use this clue to summon the character into the game, if he is offline."

There's much more, so head to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the full interview!

'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Video, Sandbox

Ever since we heard about Salem, the crazy mash-up of sandbox tools, crafting, colonial setting, and permadeath, we've been understandably curious about just how the game will pan out. While it's still in the pre-alpha stage, Paradox Interactive hosted a Twitch.tv broadcast yesterday, during which a trio of devs showed off the game while talking about its features.

If you missed it, you're still in luck: The broadcast was recorded and saved for posterity. In it, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen, "Code Gnome" Frank Tolf, and Senior Producer Gordon Van Dyke want to give viewers a feel for how the game functions and feels.

It's important to note that the demonstration doesn't begin for real until the 14-minute mark, so unless you really like elevator music and waiting, you might want to skip ahead to there. You can watch the full video after the jump.

Continue reading Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour

Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Salem livestream set for September 27th

Jef Reahard — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Livestream, Sandbox, Crafting

Paradox Interactive is highlighting a new opportunity for fans of the upcoming Salem MMORPG to get a first-hand look at how game development is progressing. A live demo will be streamed over Paradox's Twitch.tv channel on Tuesday, September 27th, offering curious onlookers the first real glimpse of the game that bills itself as "the crafting MMO" while also featuring PvP and permadeath.

Salem is a free-to-play browser-based MMORPG that takes place in a fantastical New England, and though the game has its share of "light-hearted gothic" elements and "a charming and cute art style," it also has quite a dark side in terms of hardcore mechanics and dangerous creatures based on colonial folklore.

Salem livestream set for September 27th originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP reveals World of Darkness details to bloodthirsty fans

Justin Olivetti — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events, real-world, PvP, Massively Event Coverage, World of Darkness

Details about CCP's World of Darkness are popping out of White Wolf's The Grand Masquerade in New Orleans this weekend, and they're definitely worth draining for every last sweet drop of... information. While the game is still in pre-production -- and as such, nothing is set in stone -- the devs weren't hesitant to dish out a lot of the ideas and features that they hope will make this the best vampire MMO to date.

It's CCP's desire to emulate LARPing (live-action roleplaying) as much as possible with World of Darkness, with plenty of metaplots running inside the game and without. Players will begin as a mortal human who can make the choice to become a kindred (vampire) or stay mortal for the duration of their characters' lives. There's a very real danger that characters might experience "final death" -- permadeath -- if they take too many risks. If you get in over your head, you can retreat to your character's Haven for safety.

The entire game will take place at night and on one server, and CCP is definitely aiming it toward the hardcore set. Nudity, gore, and insanity effects are all par for the course.

If players push outside of the acceptable boundaries too often, they'll lose "humanity" points and could become flagged for constant attack by other players and NPCs. Play your cards right and you may become the prince of the city. The game will change over time with dynamic events, and CCP promises that there will be real consequences for player decisions.

Look for our World of Darkness interview with CCP coming later this week.

[Thanks Pilgrim for the tip!]

CCP reveals World of Darkness details to bloodthirsty fans originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Massively Interviews, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox

"This will be the world's best game ever ever ever!" -Michael Dunham. You tell 'em!

Honestly, we have heard it before: MMORPG feature lists that promise what our sandbox-loving hearts desire. Try as we might, we cannot escape those sneaky tendrils of hope that find the chinks in our +10 jaded armor of cynicism as we read about the return of a true virtual where actions have consequences, personal choices dictate gameplay, and individuality is a matter of principle.

Sadly, time and time again those hopes are dashed by titles that either cannot deliver on their promises or never even survive until launch. The same is true for the developers at Burning Dog Media; they too have ridden the roller coaster of sandbox dreams and harbored in their hearts a vision of their ultimate game if only they had the wherewithal to produce it. The difference between them and us is... they do!

Welcome to issue #6 of Some Assembly Required -- an exclusive interview with Michael Dunham and Dave Cruikshank -- Lead Developer and Art Director of Burning Dog Media, respectively -- who are in the midst of developing the new sci-fi/fantasy MMORPG Origins of Malu. Originally called just Origins (the change was to help avoid confusion with other projects that were cropping up with similar titles), this game previously teased sandbox aficionados with a glimpse at some hope-stirring features. Today, we have the privilege of expounding on "coming soon" and revealing more features that not only are planned but are for the most part implemented.

So why should we check out Origins of Malu? And what tantalizing tidbits of sandboxy goodness can we expect? Grab onto that hope and dive past the cut -- if you dare -- to see what Michael and Dave have to share.

Gallery: Origins of Malu

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview

Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: Non-vanilla server rulesets

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, Asheron's Call, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall, Dofus, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Lord of the Rings Online, Ultima Online, Vanguard, Shadowbane, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

I've always thought that rulesets are a golden opportunity for MMO developers to get creative with their products and try something fresh and exciting. Unfortunately, most every MMO these days, new and old, adheres to the four "vanilla" rulesets that have been in place since Pong. You have your default PvE, your same-as-PvE-except-we-have-a-naming-policy PvE-RP, and the two player vs. player variants: PvP and PvP-RP.

Those are all well and good, but... y'know... couldn't rulesets be used to create fascinating variations on these games? It turns out that yes, yes they can.

While the vanilla rulesets are the vast majority, there does exist a group of fringe rulesets that dared to walk the different patch, er, path and made versions of MMOs that are a bold and refreshing flavor. Like blue! Sometimes these new rulesets were whipped up to inject new life into an aging title, giving players a valid reason to come back and see the game from a different perspective.

In this week's Perfect Ten, we're going to check out just how wild 'n' wacky server rulesets can get!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Non-vanilla server rulesets

The Perfect Ten: Non-vanilla server rulesets originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser

Jef Reahard — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Browser, Miscellaneous

A couple of months ago, we were treated to a sneak peek of Salem, the new browser-based MMO from Paradox Interactive. Aside from its colonial America setting and Salem witch trial underpinnings, the defining feature of this odd MMORPG is permadeath.

Today, Paradox has a released a new trailer for the title at Gamescom, and though there's no gameplay footage to be had, the atmosphere conjured by the clip is nothing short of bizarre. The video runs a tad over a minute and a half, and perhaps the most interesting thing about it is a subtitle that shows up after the ending title and proclaims that Salem is "the crafting MMO."

It's the crafting MMO with permadeath and a PvP focus, if previous Paradox releases still hold true, and if that doesn't tweak your curiosity, well, head past the cut and watch the video anyway.

Continue reading Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser

Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC Europe 2011: Freelance designer identifies key problem with MMOs

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous

Sometimes we don't stop and think about just how strange our games are from a logical standpoint, but freelance designer Ernest Adams has, and he's not that pleased. Speaking to a crowd at GDC Europe, Adams said that the biggest problem in MMOs is that there's a disconnect between what the game tells us it's doing and what is actually happening. Mobs can never truly be "killed" since they respawn; NPCs don't perform any promised actions after you complete their tasks; and quests can be abandoned without any consequences.

Adams feels that player actions should be able to change the world in a real, significant way and be permanent (including the possibility of, yes, permadeath). Player choice should trump developer intentions, he says, quests should be unique to each player, and the game should ultimately have an ending.

Using the concept of a fictitious MMO called The Blitz Online, Adams hypothesizes how this might be accomplished. The game would take place during the attacks on London during World War II, and players would have to take action to shore up the city's infrastructure and defenses lest the situation grow worse. If enough players pitched in using their various skills, morale in the area would increase and the Nazis would eventually give up the attacks, causing the "win" condition for all.

By focusing on player choice and a dynamic game world, Adams hopes that the experience would become much more real and personal for players. However, he admits that such a project might be a long shot: "I realize this game breaks almost all the rules."

GDC Europe 2011: Freelance designer identifies key problem with MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry, The Game Archaeologist

I had so much fun walking down the halls of "What if?" last week that I thought I'd keep the streak going for the rest of the month (if you'll allow for some summertime indulgence). It's not that I necessarily wanted MMO history to turn out differently than it did, but it's always tantalizing to wonder what the field would look like with different games out there. Would they have proven more popular than our current crops? Would they have pushed the envelope of innovation?

Of course, it's easy to project greatness onto never-released titles, bemoaning that "if only MMO X had launched, we would've had the perfect game!" What ifs are interesting but should never be taken as absolute fact.

This week I wanted to look at a project that's related to an MMO near and dear to my heart. As most of you know, I'm somewhat of a Lord of the Rings Online nut here at Massively. Sure, the rest of the staff is upset that I smoke pipeweed inside and never wear shoes, but that's just how far I go to understand the game.

But even my LotRO isn't immune to a massive what if. Known to some but not to all, Turbine wasn't the first MMO studio to take a crack at Tolkien's license -- no, for that we have to travel back to 1998 and revisit Sierra On-Line. It was this company that had a brief but memorable run designing Middle-earth Online, aka "What if LotRO had permadeath?" It's a fascinating glimpse into an entirely different approach to the IP, and even though it died a fairly early death, it's important to be remembered. Frodo lives!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online

The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2011: First look at Wizardry Online

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage

"One of the aims of Wizardry Online is to create a true experience of exploration like in classic MMOs," Headlock Games' representative said as he began this E3 presentation. "And to that end, you won't find a linear path funneling you through the dungeons, and your minimap won't show the exact location of your next objective."

This set the tone for the company's first reveal of this up-and-coming MMO. Wizardry is a long-running RPG franchise that dates back to 1981, although this will be the series' first steps into online multiplayer. And while the series enjoyed modest success in North America, it's been a phenomenon in Japan, where it's seen numerous spinoffs and sequels.

Wizardry's always been known for its open-world exploration and party-based combat, and it seems as though the MMO will continue this legacy as well as retain the hardcore approach that the devs feel has been lost to most modern games. "As this skeleton can attest, life is not so easy in Wizardry Online," the rep said with a smile.

Hit the jump to read more about this first look at the game as well as get a peek at the game's first screenshots and trailer!

Continue reading E3 2011: First look at Wizardry Online

E3 2011: First look at Wizardry Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A sneak peek at Salem

Matt Daniel — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, New titles, News items, Browser, Miscellaneous

Are you tired of the same Orcs-Elves-and-Dwarves high fantasy in your MMORPGs? Perhaps you're looking for something more grounded in reality? Then Salem might just be for you. Instead of dropping you into another Azeroth, it sticks you in Colonial America during the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

Not a whole lot is known about the browser-launched MMO from newcomer studio Paradox Interactive, but MMORPG.com has a scoop that reveals a few details. For one, it's not another themepark MMO. It's a sandbox game with a focus on crafting and open PvP. Oh, and one more thing: When you die, you're dead for good. That's right, Salem will feature permadeath. While your new character will inherit your dead one's belongings, you'll still have to develop that new character from scratch.

For full information on this unique new MMO, check out the full article.

A sneak peek at Salem originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 May 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: Death penalties

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

Death penalties belong in that tier of MMO discussion topics that is reserved for the most controversial subjects, along with skimpy armor and the New Game Enhancements. Death, as we know well, comes for us all with big, nasty, pointy teeth. But for some reason, we are not fans of it, neither in real life nor in online games.

One of the reasons death penalties continue to be a divisive subject is that they used to be brutal beyond belief in MMOs back in the olden days of yore. As the MMO genre progressed, the penalties were lightened and experimented with in an effort to avoid driving players barking mad because of them. So we've ended up with two camps: one group of gamers who campaign for harsh death penalties to make the world seem exciting and dangerous, and another group that campaigns for lenient penalties in the interests of sanity.

So today we're going to go through 10 of the most-used types of death penalties in MMOs, starting with the most brutal and ending with the most lenient. Stay for the after-column party as well, as you'll get a taste for this debate in the comments section!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Death penalties

The Perfect Ten: Death penalties originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A wrap-up of the Paradox Interactive MMO conference in NYC

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, News items, MMORTS

If you're unfamiliar with Paradox Interactive, you could be forgiven -- it's never been a flashy studio. But it does have a very solid track record of producing historical simulations and strategy games, including the critically acclaimed Mount & Blade and the Europa Universalis series. So when the company's New York convention includes two upcoming online games, it's with a background of producing solid games with a strongly simulationist angle. Two titles, Dreamlords Resurrection and Salem, were both on display at the conference, with two very different foci but similar levels of polish.

Dreamlords Resurrection is an MMORTS with an emphasis on player armies rather than on city building. Players take on the role of a newly awakened Dreamlord attempting to work with allied players to claim as much land as possible... with the caveat that the game's regular resets will keep any one group of players from becoming too overpowering. Salem, meanwhile, is a sandbox game that plans to include not only open PvP but the threat of permanent death, forcing players to hopefully band together and police behavior. Both sound like interesting takes on the genre that will give players plenty to mull over as they move through development.

A wrap-up of the Paradox Interactive MMO conference in NYC originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Video, Interviews, New titles, PvP, Miscellaneous

Permadeath is a topic that's brought up on a regular basis in MMO discussion circles, usually featuring a cast of characters that span the full spectrum of the debate. Is there a burning desire for the risk and finality of a permadeath system in MMOs? Would players flock to or flee from such a game? And how would it work in such a way to retain players instead of alienating them?

Game Designer Bjorn Johannessen is working hard on the answers for those questions in his new MMORPG, with the working title of Salem. Developed by Paradox Interactive, this free-to-play title is set in New England during the early period of North American colonization and features players stepping off the boats from Europe to make their way in uncharted wilderness. Like Wurm Online and Minecraft, Salem will focus heavily on crafting as players forge the tools, buildings and weapons they need to survive. For Salem's aesthetics, Johannessen named H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Burton's gothic horror as sources of inspiration, and the MMO will include magic and witchcraft as potential paths.

Over all of this is the specter of permanent death: "When your character dies, he stays dead," Johannessen said matter-of-factly. This is made even harsher by the fact that Salem will allow free-for-all PvP, which means that anyone can attack you without provocation. Player buildings can be razed and their corpses looted, but Johannessen hopes that the players will band together to protect each other and mete out justice.

You can watch Bjorn Johannessen's introduction to the game after the jump.

Continue reading One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath

One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waging WAR: Finding the sandbox

Greg Waller — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Waging WAR

In this installment of Waging WAR, Greg takes a look at Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning from a few different angles and goes in search of the proverbial "sandbox" in a game that contains neither sand nor boxes.

Somewhere along the line during my childhood, I developed a habit for playing games with nearly every game I've ever played. I can even remember a time in my early teens when I sat down with a few friends and collaborated on making our own version of battlechess. Pages of chicken-scratched rules and several dice results-tables later, and we were off and running for a solid week of the most entertaining chess matches I've ever played. Or there was that time with The Sims when I started creating experimental families and then leaving my computer on overnight and not interacting with them, just to see how successful they could be without my help. I could bore you for hours on end with examples of how I twisted the rules and made my own games from the games I've played.

I suppose I can blame my penchant for metagaming on my early introduction to pen-and-paper roleplaying (i.e., D&D 1st Ed., to be specific). All I had was a sheet of paper, a handful of dice, a description of the world around me, and my imagination. By its very nature, PnP gaming is sandbox gaming. The reason I'm bringing this up now is that, until WAR, I had pretty much been able to "find the sandbox" in any MMO I was able to get my hands on. Whether it was building hardcore Dungeons & Dragons Online characters, roleplaying in City of Heroes, or achievement-chasing in World of Warcraft, I've never really been troubled with finding something to do when the grind started to wear me down. But now, with WAR, I'm finding most of my old tricks for MMO metagaming just aren't working.

To read about what I've tried, and why it didn't work in WAR, follow along after the break.

Continue reading Waging WAR: Finding the sandbox

Waging WAR: Finding the sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Create-a-Server

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

In this day and age, it seems as though servers have checked their creativity at the doors. PvE, PvP, RP, RP-PvP come as standard as red, green, blue and yellow in a Crayon four-pack. Hey, if it ain't broke, right? These four server rulesets do their job admirably, and for most people, that's good enough. It's almost easy to forget that devs have the ability to create rulesets that strike out in different directions, such as permadeath servers (oh yes, I went there) and progression servers (where a server resets to the core game, with expansions added at a steady pace).

Of course, on rare occasion you do see a game experiment with unusual rulesets, such as EverQuest's 51/50 server. More recently, Realtime Worlds announced that they're contemplating a slew of unique rulesets for APB, including newbie, Chaos and pure skill. So the potential is there for servers to branch out -- it's just that, for various reasons, the risk is seen as not worth the potential reward.

But this is The Daily Grind, a place to unleash your imagination and engage the "What if?" in its full glory. So if you could create a unique ruleset server for your game, what would it entail?

The Daily Grind: Create-a-Server originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: One life, one death

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Permadeath -- AKA "permanent death" -- is always a contentious topic when brought up in gaming circles. Most MMOs are like a digital version of Valhalla, where warriors battle, die and are resurrected for all eternity. Death ceases to be "death" in a true sense, instead becoming a speed bump with penalties attached.

Hence the appeal of permadeath, where once your character dies, that's it -- there's no coming back for seconds. Death matters, fights become more intense, and victories are that much sweeter. However, permadeath isn't for everyone, especially when you consider just how much time it takes to level your typical MMO character. Few people would want to risk something in which they've invested over 200 hours. But that doesn't mean permadeath is non-existent in MMOs: some titles have the option or special servers to support it, while others see a subset of players create and enforce their own permadeath rules (such as DDO).

Today's question is simple: would you play a permadeath mode if your favorite MMO enabled it, and if not, what changes would be necessary to entice you into trying it? Would they need to dramatically increase the speed of leveling? Let you pass down "heirloom" buffs and items to your next of kin? Give special rewards for permadeathers only?

The Daily Grind: One life, one death originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Gone for good?

Craig Withers — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, Behind the Curtain

I've been thinking recently about loss. Having been incredibly lucky with my own brush with the possibility of losing my World of Warcraft characters, I got to thinking. Not only about what I would have done if things hadn't worked out for me, but about how loss works in MMOs today.

Last week, Gabriel wrote a fantastic column about item decay in games past, present and future. I've been playing Diablo 2 again lately, for obvious reasons, and I had found myself thinking on the similarities and differences between the durability system in Diablo and WoW.

I've said before that my MMO career started with Star Wars Galaxies, so I don't have the long-term experience many of the other writers here at Massively do. I've never had to worry about making corpse runs in Everquest, or had to concern myself with losing my items in Ultima Online. While Galaxies did have item decay, it wasn't set to a punishing degree - items did wear out eventually, but at a reasonable rate. When an item eventually gave out, you crafted yourself a replacement, or you picked one up from another player. By doing so, you knew you were contributing to the economy, so if you tried hard you could convince yourself that you were actually helping the game.

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Gone for good?

Behind the Curtain: Gone for good? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Using permadeath as a character reset

Mike Schramm — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Leveling, PvE, Opinion

Damion over at Zen of Design combined (or saw his readers combine) two things that are rarely done in MMOs, and draw a lot of attention when they are done. Recently, permadeath has been brought up a few times (and implemented a few as well), and other games (most notably Shadowbane) have reset all character information in the game. And Damion asked if the two ideas complemented each other-- could permadeath make sure that, as with a character reset, everyone who gets too powerful is brought back to zero?

It would only work, however, if lower characters could somehow stop someone who was too powerful, and as Damion notes, permadeath usually lets people accumulate power, not lose it. If one character is able to gain enough power to break the game and you combine that with a permadeath system, then any deaths he or she causes bring everybody else back to zero. And the balance to keep the lower characters powerful enough to stop the higher character and yet not overpowered is so precarious that, as Damion says, it usually ruins the game.

But we are falling yet again into Damion's stages-- permadeath, it seems, just doesn't work unless you build your game around it, and then it can't necessarily be called permadeath anymore. The very fact of gaming means that, in a social game, to build a character worth playing, death, it seems, cannot stand in your way.

Using permadeath as a character reset originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dofus embraces permadeath with new hardcore servers

Samuel Axon — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dofus, Game mechanics, News items, Casual

Richard Bartle once said, "Do you want permadeath or pedophilia? Both seem equally attractive to most players." In other words, permanent death in MMORPGs is pretty much unheard of, and most people who hear the idea are horrified that it should even be suggested. A few MUDs have it, but in the graphical world, there's almost no such thing. The original Lord of the Rings MMO that was developed by Sierra and eventually canceled was going to have it. That's the closest we've gotten to mainstream MMO permadeath.

The developers of Dofus, then, are either completely insane or just very daring. They've announced plans to open up "hardcore" servers in December. On hardcore servers, player characters will receive significantly more experience and gain new items and abilities much faster than on normal servers. But when they die, that's it. They've passed on. They are no more. They have ceased to be. Bereft of life, they rest in peace. They've joined the bleeding choir invisible. They are, in their entireties, ex-Dofus toons.

At various stages in an age-old debate, proponents have suggested that if executed in the right way in a certain kind of game, permadeath could enrich the online gaming experience. Battles would be more intense and PvP would be more meaningful, for example. Will you play on Dofus' hardcore servers, or is permadeath an affront to everything you believe in?

Dofus embraces permadeath with new hardcore servers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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