Massively

Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III

Brendan Drain — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, PvE, Opinion, Guides, Dungeons, Diablo III

Diablo III officially launched at midnight last night, opening the floodgates on what is possibly the most pre-ordered PC game in history. It's been almost 12 years since the previous game in the series launched, and it's still going to this day. Whether you've played previous games, have taken part in the Diablo III beta or are taking your first steps into Sanctuary today, everyone starts with a clean slate. In this article, I give my top five tips for spending your first few days wisely in Diablo III.

#5 - Spend most of your time on one character

It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to initially focus on one character, but in Diablo III's case, there's a special reason to do it. You'll likely finish normal mode around level 20-30, and until then, you'll get a new skill almost every level. It's only when you've completed normal mode and moved on to nightmare that the challenge really starts and you will have picked out an effective set of skills. Your last active skill unlocks at level 30, and from then on you'll gain a combination of two to three runes or passive skills every level until you hit the level cap at 60.

Read on for four more tips you should keep in mind as you start playing Diablo III.

Continue reading Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III

Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Darkfall update talks camera, physics improvements

Jef Reahard — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox

What's up in the lands of Agon recently? Quite a lot if the latest Darkfall dev update is any indication. The lengthy wall o' text touches on current development tasks including the possibility of an improved third-person camera, momentum mechanics, and ragdoll physics for the game's animations.

Starter areas are also getting a makeover, and Aventurine producer Tasos Flambouras says that new and more powerful guard towers will deter newbie ganking without creating full-blown safe zones. Additionally, there's a bit more explanation regarding the ongoing siege and clan tweaks, and the devs continue to work on Darkfall's new armor specialization mechanics.

Unfortunately there's still no word on either character wipes or a timeline for Darkfall 2.0's release, but there is quite a bit of other info available to peruse on the game's official site.

Darkfall update talks camera, physics improvements originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

DC Universe video touts world, combat physics

Jef Reahard — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, New titles, News items, DC Universe Online

The DC Universe hype machine is in full swing, what with this week's partial NDA drop and the steady stream of information flowing out of Sony Online Entertainment pertaining to the superhero title.

To that end, game director Chris Cao narrates the latest DCUO video, which focuses on physics and physics-based combat. Note that when Cao says physics, he's talking more comic book and less Stephen Hawking, and the two-minute short does a good job of demonstrating the possibilities generated by what SOE is calling the MMO genre's first fully integrated physics system.

Whether you're looking to encase your enemies in blocks of ice and toss them out of the fight, or use them as a frozen weapon to bludgeon any nearby baddies, it's all doable according the video. Check it out on the official DCUO Facebook page.

DC Universe video touts world, combat physics originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vindictus entices players with a dynamic new trailer

Larry Everett — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, New titles, Previews, Free-to-play, Vindictus

The creators of Vindictus, or Addictus (as it's been called by certain Editors-in-Chief), have thought to inspire us to play their action MMO by launching another trailer. The free-to-play game launched two weeks ago as the first real-physics based MMO. This game that features constant twitchy combat, also, recently announced a new ranged-class giving the gameplay a completely different dynamic. The trailer magnifies the intensity of this unique gaming engine by slowing down and reversing much of the in-game shots in the video. All creatures and player characters affect the environment, as well as their intended target. Walls are mashed. Buildings fall. The earth is crumbled beneath mighty weapons.

If violence and passion fuel your gameplay then Nexon invites you to try out Vindictus for yourself at the official website. It will cost you nothing to try it out for yourself, and you may just find a new world you'll love to explore. Fix your eyes on this film featuring a frenzied flash into this fantasy realm after the break.

Continue reading Vindictus entices players with a dynamic new trailer

Vindictus entices players with a dynamic new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video shows CCP's incredible cloth and hair simulation

Brendan Drain — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, MMO industry, Previews, World of Darkness

We've known for some time that CCP planned to use physics simulation to make the clothes in EVE Online's Incarna expansion and their upcoming World of Darkness MMO more realistic. They even gave a talk on using NVidia's APEX cloth simulation at the 2010 Game Developer's Conference. Until now, all we've seen are technical details and the occasional screenshot, which makes it hard to work out how the end product will look.

NVidia have released a new video this week of CCP's cloth simulation in action, giving those of us that are interested a sneak peak at the incredibly impressive results. Although APEX cloth simulation will be introduced to EVE when Incarna is released, the video looks much more like something out of World of Darkness. As an added bonus, the system seems to simulate realistic hair and not just clothes. Hair in most MMOs has always been limited to shorter styles which would look alright without animation. The ability to simulate complex clothes and long hair styles make character customisation in World of Darkness and EVE's Incarna expansion look very promising.

Skip past the cut to watch the video in HD.
[Thanks for the tip, Patrick!]

Continue reading Video shows CCP's incredible cloth and hair simulation

Video shows CCP's incredible cloth and hair simulation originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC10: Nexon's Vindictus revealed

Beau Hindman — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, New titles, Vindictus

I'll admit to being somewhat of a Nexon fanboy, and someone that considers them to be in the toy business rather than in the MMO business. They manufacture joy in my eyes. Bright, shiny joy. But the recent announcement of their new title "Vindictus" shows us a game that we are not used to seeing from Nexon. While it will follow the same business model that other Nexon games do, it promises to be a "sexy" game: a game that will make players feel like a hero. It promises to be more of an action game, or as Nexon America's Vice President Min Kim put it when he sat down with us for an interview, "an mmoACTIONrpg, epic, fierce and intense."

Want to know more? Want to see the killer trailer? Join us after the jump.

Gallery: GDC10: Vindictus

Continue reading GDC10: Nexon's Vindictus revealed

GDC10: Nexon's Vindictus revealed originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Prophecy networking physics explained

Jef Reahard — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Black Prophecy

Reakktor Media Technical Director Cyrus Preuss is back with his fourth and final dev diary regarding Black Prophecy's game physics. This time around, the focus is on the networking side of the equation, and the article does a good job of presenting the Reakktor team's networking challenges to the lay person.

"It must be noted that we are talking about a real first-person, respectively third-person MMO. So no server-sided dice play but real physical hit detection," Preuss says. "All of these mechanisms serve to determine what actually happens as precisely as possible. Every parameter adjustment has "logical" consequences as well as side effects that you can only track down with precise analysis."

Whether you're a physics major, or your eyes gloss over at the thought of balancing your checkbook, it's clear that Black Prophecy is a labor of love for Reakktor.

Hit this link to jump to the original article, as well as the first, second, and third parts of the Game Physics dev blog. Also be sure and stick with Massively all week as we will be interviewing the Reakktor team at GDC 2010.

Black Prophecy networking physics explained originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Balancing realistic physics with fun in Black Prophecy

James Egan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, New titles, Black Prophecy

The latest info about the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy, currently in development at Reakktor Media, comes in the form of a series of dev blogs from the game's Technical Director, Cyrus Preuss. As with his two previous blogs, Cyrus gets down into the nuts and bolts of how the game's physics work, which may be of interest to those who'd like to know more about the underlying systems that will govern Black Prophecy's space combat.

His rather technical dev blog is all about interaction with the physics engine. It especially deals with balancing the realism that some players want with the need to throw aspects of that realism to the wind, in favor of game mechanics that are simply more fun. He also discusses how the physics engine will relate to space stations, capital ships, and weapon physics. Black Prophecy fans interested in this kind of a look at the game can read all about it in "Interaction with the Physics Engine" on the game's official site.

Balancing realistic physics with fun in Black Prophecy originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Prophecy technical director on game's physics

James Egan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Black Prophecy

Black Prophecy from Reakktor Media is a sci-fi MMO that may ultimately be a bit more accessible to some gamers than reigning sci-fi champ EVE Online. It will be a very different sort of game than EVE, though. In fact, there is still much about Black Prophecy that has yet to be revealed, but the title's certainly got potential from what we've learned so far. While we're hoping to have more information for you about Black Prophecy in the coming months, the team at Reakktor Media is keeping fans up to date with dev diaries explaining some of the different facets of the game. The latest series of these blogs on the game's physics is being written by Black Prophecy's Technical Director Cyrus Preuss, which he continues today by focusing on the physics engine itself.

His dev diary is a bit technical, but not all that difficult to follow either. Cyrus explains the concepts of the "physics loop" and the factors which ultimately define the game environment in space. (This includes collision detection, which triggers particle effects and sound effects, but there's quite a bit more to it than that.) If you're curious about this aspect of Black Prophecy's game design, have a look at Cyrus's dev diary or jump into the discussion by the fans on the game's official forums.

Black Prophecy technical director on game's physics originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Prophecy dev diary gives peek at game's physics

James Egan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, New titles, Black Prophecy

Now that the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy is free to keep moving forward, the game's developer Reakktor Media is revealing more about the title. Recent dev diaries focused on Black Prophecy's art direction but now Technical Director Cyrus Preuss is kicking off a short series on the game's physics. The physics in any game can be important, perhaps moreso in a space-based MMO where players can move about in any direction and potentially interact (and collide) with many other ships in a single area.

Cyrus boils a complex subject down to some easily understood explanations of how game physics work in the first installment, and will explore more on the topic in the coming weeks. He writes, "But you don't need to be afraid that I will confront you with highly complex equations or formulas. With this diary I also want to provide a look behind the scenes to those who didn't take the advanced physics or mathematics courses in school."

Fans of Black Prophecy or those curious about the underlying game physics in an MMO can follow along with Cyrus' dev diary on the official game site.

Black Prophecy dev diary gives peek at game's physics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Physics engine grounds Earthrise players

James Egan — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, News items, Earthrise

Being grounded in this case is a positive thing. Honest. Moll, the Community Manager for the sci-fi MMO Earthrise, typically fields a 'Question of the Week' over at the game's forums. This time, Moll answered a few related questions in one go, writing about the physics engine in Earthrise. Moll stressed that Masthead Studios wanted to balance client requirements with server load, while trying to build a realistic experience for Earthrise's players:

"The physics engine will run simultaneously on the client and on the server. The server will ensure that the physics results from the client are feasible and prevent cheating. We are using a 3rd party physics core, which can take advantage of hardware and GPU acceleration and also have some internally-coded subsystems." Sound will be tightly integrated with all physics effects in the game, adding another layer of realism. Best of all is the revelation about Earthrise's physics engine: it will feature ragdoll style effects.

Continue reading Physics engine grounds Earthrise players

Physics engine grounds Earthrise players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Study says 90% of virtual worlds don't last 18 months

Samuel Axon — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Virtual worlds

A study released by Gartner, a large research firm based in Connecticut, claims that 90% of all "business forays into virtual worlds" fail within 18 months.

According to the study, most businesses focus too much on expensive and unnecessary technology such as powerful physics engines, and don't pay enough attention to the demands and interests of users actual or potential. This is not surprising to us; savvy MMO developers will talk your ear off about how multi-million dollar graphics are at best a red herring and at worst a harbinger of doom.

On the other hand, the study also said that by 2012, 70% of all organizations will be using virtual worlds, and that those endeavors will more successful because businesses will have learned exactly what to expect and will plan development accordingly.

[Via Worlds in Motion]

Study says 90% of virtual worlds don't last 18 months originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blizzard's next-gen MMO(s) might appear on consoles

Samuel Axon — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:26:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Consoles

Blizzard has said time and again that World of Warcraft will probably not be released on consoles. But as we learned this year, World of Warcraft is not the only MMO on Blizzard's plate. They've been occasionally tossing up job adverts for people with various skills to work on "Next-Gen MMO" stuff. The folks at Blizzard have never fully embraced consoles and successful console MMOs are rare, so even though we knew Blizzard had some kind of console title in the works, there was no evidence that the next-gen MMO project(s) would be for anything other than the PC (and maybe Mac).

Well, the latest of the MMO job adverts (this time for a physics programmer) requires would-be applicants to have "programming experience on both console and PC titles." This leads us to believe that Blizzard is either making an MMO that will be released for both the PC and one or more consoles, or that it's producing multiple MMO titles with the same physics engine and that the PC and consoles will get different games ... or both.

Either way, it's a tantalizing hint at what's to come.

Blizzard's next-gen MMO(s) might appear on consoles originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments