Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Star Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/star-wars-the-old-republics-hype-train-barrels-onward/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/star-wars-the-old-republics-hype-train-barrels-onward/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/star-wars-the-old-republics-hype-train-barrels-onward/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Screenshot -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
December 20th is finally here, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is as live as it's going to get. The title's official launch has sent ripples through the interwebs, and MSNBC, Gamasutra, and Kotaku all have new features highlighting various facets of the new title. Gamasutra has a few words with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk and creative director James Ohlen regarding the game's post-launch strategy. Zeschuk claims that the team is "really busy working on future SWTOR content as well as continuing to improve the service. This will never end." Never is quite a long time, we think, but we'll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, MSNBC sits down with SWTOR's Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson, about BioWare's much-touted story pillar. He claims that the game's 20 writers worked together for a total of over 60 man-years of labor on the game's story and writing. And lastly, Kotaku has another few words with Zeschuk. When asked if SWTOR could potentially make a move to F2P like, say, DC Universe Online, Zeschuk replied, "Free-to-play works best when a game is built that way from the ground up... We're not saying never ever, but we certainly have no plans like that in the foreseeable future." For the full features, click on through the links below.

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarebusiness-modeldaniel-ericksoneaelectronic-artsfuturegreg-zeschukjames-ohlenlaunchpost-launchstar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republicwritingTue, 20 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC Online 2011: RIFT's Scott Hartsman on surviving and thriving in today's MMO climate]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/gdc-online-2011-rifts-scott-hartsman-on-surviving-and-thriving/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/gdc-online-2011-rifts-scott-hartsman-on-surviving-and-thriving/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/gdc-online-2011-rifts-scott-hartsman-on-surviving-and-thriving/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Scott Hartsman
Recently, we took time to look back on the past six months of RIFT's milestones, and this year at GDC Online, Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman sat down for a question-and-answer session to do the same thing. While we've seen the results of Trion's post-launch efforts, Hartsman gave a candid glimpse at what was going on behind the scenes as the team finished up beta and moved toward launch day. He took questions from N'Gai Croal, as well as from the audience, and highlights from the interview follow after the break.

Continue reading GDC Online 2011: RIFT's Scott Hartsman on surviving and thriving in today's MMO climate

MassivelyGDC Online 2011: RIFT's Scott Hartsman on surviving and thriving in today's MMO climate originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betafeaturedgdcgdc-onlinegdc-online-2011panelpost-launchriftscott-hartsmantriontrion-worldsThu, 13 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars: The Old Republic is keeping a close eye on World of Warcraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/07/star-wars-the-old-republic-is-keeping-a-close-eye-on-world-of-w/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/07/star-wars-the-old-republic-is-keeping-a-close-eye-on-world-of-w/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/07/star-wars-the-old-republic-is-keeping-a-close-eye-on-world-of-w/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Aside from the guns, it almost looks like a telescope. If you squint a bunch.
From the interface to the design, many people have commented that there's a certain degree of similarity between Star Wars: The Old Republic and World of Warcraft. So it probably comes as no real surprise to learn that Electronic Arts is studying WoW when it comes to SWtOR's upcoming launch -- but not in the way you might think. The company isn't concerned as much with the mechanical side of the equation, but with the question of what happens post-launch and how to increase player retention.

This might not seem like terribly relevant information, but a lot of attention is being paid to the game's content release schedule, the speed at which experienced players will go through new content, and the game's post-launch foci. It also extends to an emphasis on smooth networking code to ensure that players can log in and experience the game quickly rather than having to fight off latency. It's no secret that WoW is influencing other games, but SWtOR seems to be designed with an eye toward more than just gameplay.

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic is keeping a close eye on World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardbiowarebioware-austinblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcontent-updatesea-biowarelaunchmmo-industrynewspost-launchstar-wars-the-old-republicstudyingswtorupdate-schedulewatchingworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 07 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Hyperspace Beacon: Post-launch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/hyperspace-beacon-post-launch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/hyperspace-beacon-post-launch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/hyperspace-beacon-post-launch/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Hyperspace Beacon: Post-launch
Readers of this column have a lot of questions for me, and I do my best to answer all of them. However, the most frequent question I get is "what class are you playing?" followed by "which guild are you going to join?" Thankfully, I work from an office at home, and my time can be very dedicated to playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Many of the websites and podcasts fall off after a game is launched because, hey, the producers of these bits of entertainment have a game to play now. Fortunately for you, I really want to give my readers something to look forward to once TOR actually launches. Unlike others who lack either the time or dedication to their fans, I am going to be stepping up my game after launch -- literally.

I have teased my post-launch plans a few times before, but I figured I should put it all down in writing. This way I have something to reference when the time comes, and I'm sure the readers here will hold me to my word. Most of all, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be an extraordinary experience for anyone who follows me. Hop past the break for the full details.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Post-launch

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: Post-launch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWareclassesEAElectronic-Artsfeaturedgunslingerhyperspace-beaconjennifer-halejosh-allenjuggernautjustin-loweloreLucasArtspost-launchpower-levelingroleplaysadosith-warriorsmugglerStar-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorTue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's your favorite post-launch feature?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/09/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-post-launch-feature/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/09/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-post-launch-feature/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/09/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-post-launch-feature/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Single-player games can occasionally get major DLC or expansions to change the face of the game, but for the most part MMOs are the field where a game can change between two patches. Champions Online recently made a major change with the addition of hideouts, adding in a form of housing to the game that hadn't existed at all when the game launched. It's a recent example, but it's hardly the only time that a game or a expansion has gone live and later had a major addition to its features list.

Sometimes features are added in shortly after launch as promised features not quite ready at the time the game went gold, but far more frequently an entirely new feature is developed and added. So what's your favorite feature that was introduced after the game's launch? A player-generated content system a la City of Heroes or Star Trek Online? The addition of instanced PvP such as World of Warcraft's Battlegrounds? Let us know!

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's your favorite post-launch feature? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>feature-patchesgame-featuresgame-updateslaunchmajor-patchesnew-featuresopinionpost-launchpost-launch-featurestdgthe-daily-grindSat, 09 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Checking up on Fallen Earth: One month later]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/checking-up-on-fallen-earth-one-month-later/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/checking-up-on-fallen-earth-one-month-later/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/29/checking-up-on-fallen-earth-one-month-later/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's been a little over a month since Fallen Earth launched, and we think it's safe to say that quite a bit has changed since then -- but what, exactly? For those who may have found themselves unhappy with the game's state at launch, this article is for you. For those of you who may have tried the game during a beta stage or stress test event, and come across some technical issues that made the game completely unplayable, this article is for you, too.

We want to continue our tradition of revisiting games after launch, and this time it's Fallen Earth's turn. So we're going to spend the first half of the article discussing the facts, and what the community has to say about the last month's changes to the game, and the second half will be spent giving my own impressions of what I've experienced in the first month. Follow along, won't you?

Continue reading Checking up on Fallen Earth: One month later

MassivelyChecking up on Fallen Earth: One month later originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fallen-earthfallen-earth-llcfeaturedicarusimpressionsone-monthpost-launchThu, 29 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's post-launch interview with Free Realms]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/massivelys-post-launch-interview-with-free-realms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/massivelys-post-launch-interview-with-free-realms/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/massivelys-post-launch-interview-with-free-realms/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Free Realms has launched, the floodgates have been opened and the servers have multiplied like little fluffy bunnies. Despite a slight delay, the launch's feedback has been predominantly positive. Not only is this rare for an MMO launch these days, considering the factors, but it's also a testament to the team involved.

We took this opportunity, not even 2 days after launch, to sit down with the game's Creative Director, Laralyn McWilliams, to discuss the big event and how players have reacted so far. Plus, we talk a bit about the future of the game and what types of features we can expect to see coming soon. Follow along after the cut below for our complete interview with Free Realms!

Continue reading Massively's post-launch interview with Free Realms

MassivelyMassively's post-launch interview with Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredfree-realmsinterviewkatie-hansonlaralyn-mcwilliamslaunchpost-launchsoesony-online-entertainmentThu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST