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The Firing Line: Exclusive Blacklight Retribution Evac Q&A

Jef Reahard — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, The Firing Line

It's been a while since The Firing Line took a look at Zombie Studios' Blacklight: Retribution title. The sci-fi shooter, published in conjunction with free-to-play giant Perfect World, has added quite a bit of content since that pre-launch preview, and more is coming this week courtesy of the Evacuation Update (including a new map and premium/private server functionality).

Join us after the cut for an exclusive chat with Zombie devs on that and more.

Gallery: Blacklight: Retribution screenshots

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The Firing Line: Exclusive Blacklight Retribution Evac Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Citizen crowdsourcing moves to Kickstarter

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry

Are you excited about Chris Roberts' Star Citizen project? Get in line, space jockey: Roberts said that "overwhelming response" to the proposed space sim ended up crashing the game's site. As a result, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to continue raising funds for the game.

The good news for interested parties is that the game is already halfway to its fundraising goal, as one out of two million dollars has been raised through pledges. The Star Citizen Kickstarter is attempting to pull in $500,000 by November 19th.

For his part, Roberts is bowled over: "It's a testament to the will power of our amazing fans. At a time when most would have given up, some dedicated fans kept trying to log on and eventually were able to get through and make a pledge. We appreciate all those efforts, and now with Kickstarter, we believe we have an answer for everyone."

[Source: Cloud Imperium press release]

Star Citizen crowdsourcing moves to Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Citizen FAQ outlines modding, micropayments, hardware requirements

Jef Reahard — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox

If you're looking forward to Chris Roberts' new Star Citizen title, you'd best be saving your pennies for a PC upgrade. Much like Roberts' 1990s-era Wing Commander series, the new game will push the limits of your hardware, this time courtesy of the CryEngine 3.

The space combat sim's website has updated with a new FAQ that outlines the game's projected system requirements (it recommends an i7 CPU and a GTX 670 or better graphics card, but keep in mind that launch day is two years away). The FAQ also mentions Star Citizen's modding philosophy and its payment model.

Modding is encouraged, as Roberts says that players are free to tweak the game however they wish on private servers. The devs also "hope to institute a mod approval process that will allow the best of the best player-created ships and other additions to be integrated into the central persistent world as well," according to the FAQ.

In terms of payments, you'll need to buy the game initially and that's basically it. There will be no monthly fee, though "some in-game items may be available as microtransactions." Unlike most free-to-play titles, Star Citizen's cash shop "will never sell anything that can't be acquired through honest (and fun!) gameplay."

Star Citizen FAQ outlines modding, micropayments, hardware requirements originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Firing Line: Five reasons to love Tribes: Ascend

Jef Reahard — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, Opinion, War, Free-to-Play, DUST 514, World of Warplanes, The Firing Line

Oh, Tribes: Ascend, if only you were an MMO.

Actually, wait a minute. When I think on it, if Hi-Rez Studios' new free-to-play sci-fi shooter were an MMO, I probably wouldn't like it as much. There's something to be said for frequent updates and instant gameplay gratification, and Tribes provides those things (and more) in spades.

Continue reading The Firing Line: Five reasons to love Tribes: Ascend

The Firing Line: Five reasons to love Tribes: Ascend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Would you pay extra for a filtered community?

Jef Reahard — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Earlier this week we asked if there was a game you'd like to play but for its awful community. The topic got a lot of replies, and the usual MMO suspects turned up in many of the comments. The thread got us to thinking about customizable communities, server rulesets, and creative uses for instancing technology, and though no MMO firm has offered players control over their community experience as of yet, it's certainly doable.

Funcom executive producer Craig Morrison mentioned the possibility in 2011, and for today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know how you'd feel about being able to carve off pieces of a game world specifically for your friends, your guild, or your niche community (roleplayers-only, PvPers-only, etc.). Would you pay extra for dedicated communities or filtering technology?

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: Would you pay extra for a filtered community? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2 to provide private server functionality? [Updated]

Jef Reahard — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Roleplaying

One of the more interesting reveals to come out of the post-PAX news glut is a blurb about player-created PvP servers in Guild Wars 2.

Yeah, we did a double-take as well, and the post over on MMORPG.com is pretty light on the actual details while promising more info later in the week. Apparently, ArenaNet's Colin Johanson and Eric Flannum let slip that GW2 will allow players to "create and host their own servers or games with specific rule-sets as well."

The thread title mentions PvP servers, but the "specific rule-sets" bit above seems to indicate that the mechanic could cater to roleplayers, PvEers, or any number of other specialized groups who desire a customizable play experience apart from the meddling masses. Is Guild Wars 2 following the trail that Neverwinter Nights blazed a decade ago? Is it all a misunderstanding? It looks like we'll find out later this week.

[Update: ANet has clarified this topic by posting the following: "In the interview {Eric} mentioned that we are considering allowing players to 'create' their own PvP servers, it is not for certain. And we never mentioned anything about 'private PvE server' -- that is something we will definitely not do."]

Guild Wars 2 to provide private server functionality? [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Anvil of Crom: Server merges, separation, and why both are potentially swell

Jef Reahard — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Anvil of Crom

Last week I mentioned that the Age of Conan Unrated announcement has given us a lot to talk about. There's the 800-lb. free-to-try elephant in the room, there's a bunch of new content that's both coming soon and already here, and there's also an endlessly fascinating quote from Funcom game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison that is, well, endlessly fascinating.

This last bit got lost in the big announcement blitzkrieg, and because it was buried in the depths of a thread about roleplay on the EU boards, it's safe to assume that 99.99% of Age of Conan players didn't read it. Regardless, it may well be one of the more interesting and exciting developments in Age of Conan's short history. What was it about? Well, it involves servers, server merges, and new technology that could change the way we think about MMORPGs and server populations.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Server merges, separation, and why both are potentially swell

The Anvil of Crom: Server merges, separation, and why both are potentially swell originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Myst Online goes open source (again)

Jef Reahard — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Myst Online: URU Live, Business Models, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous

If a dictionary entry for the phrase "long, strange road" existed, it likely would feature an image from Myst Online. The fantasy MMORPG began its checkered life as the multiplayer component of 2003's Uru: Ages Beyond Mist before being scrapped and subsequently revived by GameTap in 2007.

Cyan Worlds then acquired the title and released it as a free-to-play MMO, a strange move considering that the company also open-sourced Myst Online assets in 2008 but continued to support a commercial-grade centralized shard.

This morning, Rock, Paper Shotgun tipped us to the fact that Cyan is once again fanning the flames of open source by announcing that the game's MOULA client engine and associated development tools (as well as a MOULA server replacement called MOSS) will be made available and hosted on OpenUru.org. "The goal of the open source CyanWorlds.com Engine and the MOSS server is to provide a playground where new writers can learn their craft, and new maintainers can inspect it, and new cartographers can map it. The Cyan Worlds MOULA servers will continue to provide a (relatively) safe environment for the D'ni faithful to mingle and share," explains Cyan's Rand Miller.

Myst Online goes open source (again) originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Massively: Bree made a huge mistake edition

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous

During a mail discussion earlier today, Bree made the mistake of asking if I could be more of a brat. My revenge is this picture, which has never failed to produce a general flailing fit of discomfort in anyone on the team. I've been saving it for months on end just for the perfect occasion. And now I've devoted an entire paragraph to talking about it (it's a shot from the Clonmel Junction Festival, for the record) to make removing it really problematic.

The fact that she's been editing my work for the past 10 months is a testament to something. I'm not quite sure what. [Editor's note: It's either stubborn persistence or general apathy. -Bree]

Editor-baiting aside, it's time for another installment of Ask Massively. This week's questions have little to do with a man in a green suit making horrible faces and instead focuses on the future of Star Trek Online and the ever-present scourge of private servers. As always, you can feel free to mail questions to ask@massively.com or leave them in the comments for next week's column

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Ask Massively: Bree made a huge mistake edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Should MMOs live forever?

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

As we learned in the 1990s, just as Full House had an unholy beginning, so too it had to have an unholy finish. Life begets death, launches beget cancellations, and official MMO forums beget the end of a civilized community. So while we play our MMOs under the illusion that these persistent worlds will, well, persist forever, the truth is that one day the curtain will come down and our characters' journeys will come to a screeching halt.

Generally, MMOs will continue as long as the companies running them find them profitable -- running online games isn't a charity, after all. Sometimes a flagging title will receive new life through a F2P transition, via a makeover, or by being lumped in with a group discount package.

Our question today is a rather broad one: Should MMOs live forever, and if so, how do you propose they keep on running when the subscriber base no longer generates enough income to cover the costs? Are you OK with MMOs bowing out of the market once their numbers dip below a certain point, or should companies do everything they can to keep them afloat, including handing the title off to private server operators?

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: Should MMOs live forever? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard awarded $88M from WoW private server lawsuit

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Legal

Private game servers are a controversial, often hushed topic in gaming circles. Some gamers enjoy the fee-free nature of private servers, while others use these forbidden realms to experience the MMO in a different state than the live game (for example, playing on a "classic" private server that doesn't allow for expansion packs). No matter what the reason, game companies tend to frown on such activities. Last week, Blizzard frowned at a particular private server and was awarded $88,000,000 for the effort.

In October 2009, Blizzard filed a suit against Alyson Reeves, owner of Scapegaming and a private World of Warcraft server. Reeves was making a profit from the enterprise, using microtransactions on the server. The judge ruled that this was indeed copyright infringement against Blizzard, and ordered Scapegaming to pay $85.5M in statutory damages, $3M in inappropriate profits, and $63,600 in attorney fees. Reeves may appeal the suit at this point.

As with the bnetd case, Blizzard is sending a clear message to people trying to mess with their code: don't. Scapegaming's Facebook page isn't exactly overflowing with support for the company, and we can imagine that many private server operators are thinking long and hard about whether the risk is worth it this week.

Blizzard awarded $88M from WoW private server lawsuit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Want a private server?

Jef Reahard — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: The Daily Grind, Roleplaying

When someone says 'private server' with respect to MMORPGs, it's hard to avoid mentally swapping a few letters and coming up with 'pirate server.' Rarely, if ever, have game companies licensed their software to individuals or groups, preferring instead to maintain tight control over the end user's options and general gaming experience.

The lock down hasn't stopped many enterprising coders from rolling out their own versions of their favorite games. Titles as diverse as Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Lineage 2, Aion, and World of Warcraft have all been accurately replicated by third parties in the past, and many of these private communities, while illegal, boast very respectable user populations.

Clearly there's a market for a customizable MMORPG experience, and I'm curious why development teams and publishers haven't tried to cater to it. Is it the costs involved? The technology? Surely with all the instancing in use in today's games it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to rent copies of the game world to roleplayers, immersion enthusiasts, and others who prefer a little more control over their experience.

What do you think, dear readers? Would you, or your guild, pay a premium for your own MMORPG server?

The Daily Grind: Want a private server? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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