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Ask Massively: Moving shop edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, in-game, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous

As you read this, I'm making my final preparations to move from my home for the past three years into a new and much nicer home. Of course, this brings with it certain concerns. Will the utility companies reconnect everything correctly? Will the movers drop something I can't easily replace? Will I forget something in the old apartment and have to go back?

So, if my posts next week seem a bit off, assume that the move resulted in fiery death all around and I've been replaced by a crude AI pasted in Visual Basic.

This week's Ask Massively, sadly, does not include anything about AI or my new apartment. Instead, it's about player-run events and why we cover some of them but not all. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, send it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Moving shop edition

Ask Massively: Moving shop edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: Xsyon picks up speed

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Events, in-game, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox

Last year, I had the opportunity to meander around Xsyon for Choose My Adventure. Then, the game was still at the end of its beta phase. Now, with some time under its belt since release, the game continues to grow. And January has seen quite the growth spurt.

I won't complain if the momentum that Xsyon has shown in the last month keeps up. Announcing multiple events and an architecture contest? Not to mention introducing new goodies? You go, game! Though it's small and indie, I am totally rooting for this title to succeed. Why? The main reason is that the game is reliant on player generated content: Instead of developers designing every aspect of the game, they built the world as a foundation and gave players the tools to go from there. This game is one of the few out there that offers many avenues for players to generate their own content and have a visible and lasting impact on the world around them.

And just how is post-apocalyptic Earth shaping up with the players at the helm? This week, Some Assembly Required explores the once-ravaged land to highlight some of that generated content, from events (both player-run and developer sponsored) to small- and large-scale construction.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Xsyon picks up speed

Some Assembly Required: Xsyon picks up speed originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xsyon highlights upcoming player-run event, includes bear-fighting

Matt Daniel — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox

It's been a while since we've heard anything from Notorious-Games' sandbox MMO Xsyon, but the silence has been broken with a new press release from the studio announcing a large player-run event. The Praetorian Guard tribe is hosting a Spring Clean-Up event, throughout the course of which attendees will be treated to activities ranging from treasure hunts, obstacle courses, and -- our personal favorite, if only for the wtf factor alone -- The Bear Arena of Doom. The event will be taking place at 3:00 p.m. EST on January 14th, which is this coming Saturday, so gather up your best ursine-proof equipment and go wrestle some bears for fun and profit.

[Source: Notorious-Games press release]

Xsyon highlights upcoming player-run event, includes bear-fighting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part two

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

Today, I'm continuing on with my discussion of roleplaying events from two weeks ago, which seems fitting given the big event that I'm undertaking at the moment. (I'm running our Choose My Adventure column for the next few weeks -- you've missed a chance to decide on the game, but you can still make me dance like a puppet in other ways.) The first time around, we discussed three big mistakes that you can make when you're planning your event, making the same basic erroneous assumption that leads you to just throwing random ingredients into a bowl and calling the resultant mass a cake.

Really, just read the article; I think it came out rather well.

The funny part is, most of the stuff we discussed last week comes up during the planning stages of an event. We haven't even touched upon behavior during the event itself, which is the sort of thing that really makes the whole thing sing -- or as is sometimes the case, squawk awkwardly to the tune of MacArthur Park. So now that we've got the first part out of the way, let's talk a little more about making that sweet, sweet event cake come out nice and tasty.

Continue reading Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part two

Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part two originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part one

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

There's a philosophy for organizing good roleplaying events that runs something like this: If you have a strong overall theme for the event and a bunch of good roleplayers, all you need to do is throw the two together and the next few hours will be fun for all. By the same token, if you have good ingredients and a good oven, you don't need to bother knowing anything about cooking -- just throw all of it together and you'll come out with a cake.

Those of you who have tried this and wound up with a cake composed of corn bread, beef, teriyaki sauce, frosting, candy, graham crackers, and fresh-chopped onion will probably be having flashbacks right about now. To make all of the ingredients work together, you need a recipe, a plan -- more than just good intentions and a good group of parts. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble. It's not enough merely to have a good plan for a roleplaying event and a good group of roleplayers to take part. You need to have a plan for why characters are taking part, a way to make the group actively gel into a coherent unit instead of into just a group of people standing around.

Of course, no one cooks without a recipe, the ingredients, and the necessary tools. But a lot of roleplaying events I've seen have neglected one of those three elements. So let's start off with the basics, with the things that crop up right in the planning phase that should make it clear your event is going to have some pretty major issues to overcome.

Continue reading Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part one

Storyboard: Cooking up a roleplaying event, part one originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player-run event in RIFT kicks off an eight-month war

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Roleplaying, RIFT

One of the core conflicts underpinning RIFT is the righteous and absolute morality of the Guardians versus the technology and self-determinism of the Defiants. If you've been playing the game, you've been forced to pick a side, but sometimes that might not feel like such a big distinction in the midst of the PvE gameplay. A player-run public event is aiming at changing that by marching the Guardians across Telara to reclaim lost lands and take out the leaders of the Defiants -- and players of both factions are invited.

Run by the Gaiscioch Family group of players, the event is taking place on the Faeblight server. It's a roleplaying-friendly gathering of players for both PvP and PvE clearing during the march to the home of the Defiant faction. Players who arrive are promised equipment, instruction on the game's mechanics, and plenty of support in the overarching quest to cleanse the land of the opposing faction. Take a look at the full rundown for more information -- RIFT players will have plenty of time to take part, as the events are running until August.

Player-run event in RIFT kicks off an eight-month war originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Shakespeare in Aion

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST

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

OK, OK, maybe Shakespeare is a bit melodramatic, but the idea of taking on a role and playing it out on a stage is not a foreign idea -- even in Aion. It just so happens that this stage is not under your feet but in virtual space instead. Besides, I happen to love Shakespeare, so props to me for mentioning him in a gaming column!

Now, I am the first to admit that NCsoft doesn't make it easy for a gamer to roleplay in Aion; there are scant few tools to support this style of play. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Despite this dearth, there is in fact a whole community comprised of legions both large and small as well as individuals. These players use personal connections and a player-created chat channel in-game as well as external tools such as the Aion Roleplayers website to bind themselves together and support the community as a whole.

So what exactly is roleplay, and how viable is it in the world of Atreia? Exit stage left (past the cut) to define RP, debunk some RP myths, and explore RP in general Aion.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Shakespeare in Aion

Wings Over Atreia: Shakespeare in Aion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes players get engaged in-game and in style

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Events, in-game, News items

The City of Heroes team loves its community. There's no real doubt about that -- whether or not you care for the design principles the team has embraced, any given member will happily engage with players about the reason behind same. So it's probably not surprising to learn that the team backed up an in-game proposal with more than just GM support. It might be a little more surprising, however, to find out that it included a Giant Monster and the intervention of War Witch herself.

The New York Post has the full details in comic form as well as a brief interview with several members of the Paragon Studios team about what it was like helping to make the proposal one to remember. And really, when your engagement starts off by destroying Rularuu, what can you say but yes? Read the full details over in the article, sure to bring a smile to the faces of any City of Heroes players of a romantic bent... or any romantics, period.

City of Heroes players get engaged in-game and in style originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What are your favorite player-run events?

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, in-game, Opinion, The Daily Grind

The adage goes that no matter how fast developers put content into MMOs, players will blow through it even faster. The end result is a good crowd of antsy gamers with a lot of time on their hands and a desire to do something... anything. Enter player-run events, special games and activities created by players, for the players. These cover the gamut from parades to scavenger hunts to suicidal charges deep into enemy territory.

Some of my favorite memories from MMOs come from participating in -- and even creating -- special events. Level one gnome runs across the world of Azeroth used to be a popular pastime in WoW, City of Heroes is well-known for its constant costume design contests, and not a day goes by without some sort of concert peppering the towns of LotRO.

So what are your favorite player-run events? How have you seen the ingenuity of your fellow gamers blossom into memorable experiences? Did you ever run one yourself? Wake up, splash your face with scalding-hot coffee, and dish!

The Daily Grind: What are your favorite player-run events? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storyboard: A group effort

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, in-game, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard

Roleplaying is like many other activities in MMOs -- it can't be done alone. That means that no matter how much of an antisocial player you might be for the rest of the game, you'll need a number of other people to make any roleplaying work. By extension, any longer storylines and character development require people working together with some level of consistency. You can technically have a character's development take place without the same audience, of course, but it won't mean as much to the late arrivals.

Put very simply, you want a coherent overarching sequence of events that you can point to for your characters. This is going to require some level of group coordination, and group RP events are a great excuse for roleplaying bonds to form anyway, so it's fully endorsed. For this week's Storyboard, we're going to take a look at running a group event in the smoothest way possible, ranging from a simple one-off night of adventure to a long guild-wide storyline that ends with time travel. (You know the story is really getting overwrought when the time travel makes things simpler, see.)

Continue reading Storyboard: A group effort

Storyboard: A group effort originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Out on the town

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

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

There are an awful lot of things to do in most MMOs. Sometimes it's the diverse spread of activities available in a game like Final Fantasy XI; other times it's the tiered progression of dungeons in a game like World of Warcraft. Either way, it's all fun, but with a long-term goal in mind. Except that sometimes you wind up getting sidetracked, and the next thing you know you're rolling a new character just to participate in a massed player event, or dancing in the middle of nowhere and giving money to passersby.

Everyone needs a break from the serious from time to time, a chance to head out and just do something silly but fun. One could even argue that roleplaying is by and large something unnecessary for the game itself, but still a fun diversion. In a genre that's occasionally prone to feeling a lot like work, it's good to get the option of stepping back and just enjoying yourself. What's the last activity you took part in that wasn't even remotely progress-oriented but was just fun for the heck of it?

The Daily Grind: Out on the town originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weatherstock '10 takes the stage in LotRO this Saturday

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Roleplaying

You know how your hippie relatives are forever bragging about how they went to Woodstock during the Summer of Free Love, and how your generation will never experience something that historical and muddy? Well, now you can get all up in their faces and say, "Yeah, but were you at Weatherstock in Lord of the Rings Online, dealing with lag and hobbits underfoot? I thought not!"

Weatherstock has become a tradition on the US Landroval server, a yearly gathering of bands and music lovers at the summit of Weathertop (aka Amon Sul) in the Lone-lands. Where once Frodo and Aragorn fought off the Nazgûl, these grounds now will be covered in song and spirits. Organized by the Lonely Mountain Band kinship, Weatherstock will feature three hours of music as 10 bands face off to win prizes. However, only one group will be chosen by the crowd and declared the best.

The player-run event is very organized, with "Freakout Zones" and cheap goodies available. If you play on another server and want to check Weatherstock out, lowbie characters will be protected by event security, who are tasked with beating down enemy mobs on the road to the summit. You can surf the crowd at Weatherstock on Saturday, June 12th, 7pm EST on the Landroval server.

Weatherstock '10 takes the stage in LotRO this Saturday originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Community Spotlight: Helicity Boson

James Egan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, PvP

The setting of EVE Online is a vast galactic sandbox called New Eden, with thousands of charted solar systems and thousands more hidden in uncharted space. The title's developer CCP Games provides the expansive setting and PvE content, but beyond this it's up to the players to define what the game can really be. Although there are plenty of opportunities to take risks in the game with commensurate rewards, a large percentage of the game's playerbase are content to remain in high security space where there are less dangers. Many of these players spend their time mining in asteroid belts and ice fields, which most would admit can be a semi-AFK playstyle. After all, the process of mining is rote: lock asteroids, fire up your mining lasers, and some cycles later you've harvested ore that can be sold outright or used in manufacturing.

That zen-like calm punctuated by the gentle hum of mining lasers was shaken up for many high sec dwellers earlier this month though, when the player-run event Hulkageddon II tore through the mining ship hulls of over 1000 players. The core idea of Hulkageddon II, as with the original event, was to destroy as many mining vessels as possible over the course of a week... a goal that many players pursued with reckless abandon. Indeed, there were numerous prizes awarded and 'achievements' that players racked up over the course of Hulkageddon II. Ultimately, the event injected some much-needed risk into the game -- whether some players wanted it or not -- in places where miners once felt they were untouchable by EVE's criminal population. Of course, a player-run event that pitted players eager to rack up kills against those who would prefer to avoid conflict has proven controversial.

The man behind Hulkageddon II is Helicity Boson, a pirate who flies with The Python Cartel, though he was helped in large part by fellow player Garmon (aka El'Tar) and generous donations from other players. Massively caught up with Helicity to discuss his motivations behind running Hulkageddon II, his views on the game in general, and why some EVE players might be wound up just a bit too tightly.

Continue reading EVE Community Spotlight: Helicity Boson

EVE Community Spotlight: Helicity Boson originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulkageddon II event begins in EVE today, miners despair

James Egan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events, in-game, PvP

A player-run event called "Hulkageddon" kicked off in EVE Online today, the second such event to be held in the game. Hulkageddon II is the brainchild of EVE player Helicity Boson, a pirate who flies with The Python Cartel, and is essentially a contest that rewards the destruction of exhumer (Hulk and Mackinaw) mining ships. The most recent Quarterly Economic Newsletter released by EVE developer CCP Games indicated that the Hulk is the most flown ship in the game, which provides plenty of targets for gankers in the contest.

Hulkageddon exists much to the detriment of the game's numerous miners, seeing as it's a galaxy-wide demolition derby using the very ships they pilot, but has proven very popular with other players the first time around in 2009. Although it's only been a matter of hours since Hulkageddon II began, the event's killboard shows over 250 mining ships destroyed (along with 40 of their pilots). That number will, no doubt, climb over the course of this week. Also, the tears may be just a bit sweeter given the fact that Hulk prices rose sharply in the weeks preceding Hulkageddon II, the result of changes made to Tech II manufacturing requirements with the Dominion expansion.

Whether you're interested in taking part in the contest or want to know what you're in for over the next week, here are a few details about Hulkageddon II:

Continue reading Hulkageddon II event begins in EVE today, miners despair

Hulkageddon II event begins in EVE today, miners despair originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships

James Egan — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events, in-game

One of the things we really like about EVE Online is how the sandbox encourages all manner of player-run services and ventures. Sure, some of them can be risky, but others have been quite successful. A few of these projects are starting to become a mainstay of the game and some players have really made a name for themselves by establishing such ventures. A good example of this is EVE Online player T'Amber who is known for running lotteries. Big lotteries. The current (and fourth) "Ships of EVE" lottery that T'Amber is running is no exception and has tons of prizes, including some very rare ships in the game. Ticket prices are reasonable at 10 million ISK each, particularly in light of what can be won.

1st place is a whopping 228 ship collector's fleet, featuring one of virtually every Tech I, Tech II, and Tech III ship across the game's four races, along with their faction variants (including the pirate faction ships). The collective value of this prize fleet is many billions of ISK. Just as appealing to some players as winning first prize in this lottery is coming in second -- and getting a "Mimir". Blueprints for these rare cruisers were only given to members of Pandemic Legion for winning EVE Alliance Tournament VII this past September. Indeed, the "VII" is emblazoned on the ship's hull, commemorating the tournament victory. There are very few Mimirs in the game and Ships of EVE 4 might be the only chance most players will have of obtaining one.

Continue reading EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships

EVE player run lottery offers some of game's rarest ships originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE pirate corp Hellcats running player event, Saturday Oct 24

James Egan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events, in-game, PvP, News items, Giveaways

Hellcats is well known to many EVE Online players as the game's only all-women pirate corp. They're holding an in-game event this Saturday, October 24th -- The Hellcats Pub Party -- which sounds like it'll be a good time for all. Hellcats CEO and EVE underworld celebrity Mynxee had this to say about the event: "This party is intended to express our appreciation of fans and friends plus give folks the chance to hang out, share stories, wave e-peens, and get to know each other. I promise to drink much wine and act outrageous while giving away all sorts of goodies."

Those "goodies" will include pirate faction cruisers, pirate faction and officer modules, rigged ships, forum sigs and blog banner art, and InterStellar Kredit giveaways in 50 and 100 million ISK chunks. (Plus, Hellcats corpses... don't ask.) If any EVE players have donations they'd like to add to the prize drawings, you can contract them in-game to Mynxee with the description "Hellcats Pub Party Donation". She'll credit all donors for their contributions during the giveaways.

Continue reading EVE pirate corp Hellcats running player event, Saturday Oct 24

EVE pirate corp Hellcats running player event, Saturday Oct 24 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: A bit of bearded fashion

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, One Shots

It's not everyday that we get to see a screenshot of a fellowship in their finery -- or of a MMORPG drag show, but this one fits the bill nicely. Today's Lord of the Rings Online One Shot was sent in to us by Perthir, who had this to say about the above screen:

Defenders of the White Tree on Eldar had another kin social night recently. Our favourite social organiser Mirlina put another cracker together, "The Bearded Ladies Fashion Parade." As you can see from the attached pic the 'gentlemen' defenders let loose their inner feminine side and donned their favourite dresses! It's worthwhile noting that Milnestar won the event. (It's becoming a habit as he won our pirate night competition as well!)

Following the revelry around Bree, the Defenders headed to the Ettenmoors for a bit of PvMP in dresses. Much hilarity ensued as we imagined what the creep side were thinking. (Probably hey - easy renown here - they're all in dresses.)

We love to see these types of events that players dream up! If you've been to a player-run event recently, why not gather up some screenshots of it and send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with a quick blurb as to what we're seeing. Bonus points for anything involving bearded guys in festive dresses!

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: A bit of bearded fashion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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