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[Aion producer talks about 3.0 and being truly free]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/aion-producer-talks-about-3-0-and-being-truly-free/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/aion-producer-talks-about-3-0-and-being-truly-free/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/aion-producer-talks-about-3-0-and-being-truly-free/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Games as a whole are really hitting the concept of ascending pretty hard.
The conversion to free-to-play is taking place in less than a month for Aion, and that means an influx of new players along with a massive new update. Producer Adam Christensen recently sat down to record a short video for the fans discussing how the conversion will work, what players can expect in terms of the update's storyline, and what to expect in terms of store offerings once the conversion takes place.

Christensen explains that the primary motivating factor behind the removal of subscriptions was a simple need for players to have a larger influx of other people to group with -- the game plays best with other people, and making the game free-to-play would secure a larger number of people. He also opines at length about features such as housing and the new dungeons coming with patch 3.0. The full video is just past the break, and if it piques your interest, clear a little time away around April 11th to give the game a shot.

Continue reading Aion producer talks about 3.0 and being truly free

MassivelyAion producer talks about 3.0 and being truly free originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam-christensenaionaion-patch-3.0ascensionbusiness-modelscontentf2pfantasyfree-to-playncsoftproducerproducer-interviewtruly-freevideovideosWed, 21 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EverQuest II producer handing over the reins]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/everquest-ii-producer-handing-over-the-reins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/everquest-ii-producer-handing-over-the-reins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/everquest-ii-producer-handing-over-the-reins/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

CHEEEEEEEEEESE
EverQuest II players will probably be familiar with the name Smokejumper, the forum handle of the EverQuest franchise's Executive Producer Dave Georgeson. Georgeson has served as Executive Producer for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and the upcoming EverQuest Next while simultaneously filling the role of Producer for EverQuest II. As you might imagine, that's quite a lot of work for a single person. With that in mind, Georgeson announced on the official EQII website today that Holly "Windstalker" Longdale has rejoined SOE in order to take over the position of EverQuest II's Producer.

Holly also takes the opportunity to introduce herself to the community, remarking that "the opportunity to be a producer on this team is surreal and certainly perfect." She goes on to say that "EverQuest... has had a place in [her] life for well over a decade now," making it clear that she's not just some corporate suit who doesn't care about the game -- she's a player who is passionate about the game and is in-tune with the playerbase. To read the full announcement from Smokejumper as well as the follow-up by Windstalker, just click on through the link below.

MassivelyEverQuest II producer handing over the reins originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dave-georgesoneq-iieq2everquest-2everquest-iiexecutive-producerf2pfree-to-playholly-longdaleproducerproducerssmokejumpersoesony-online-entertainmentwindstalkerThu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg steps down as producer and game director]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/anarchy-onlines-colin-cragg-steps-down-as-producer-and-game-dir/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/anarchy-onlines-colin-cragg-steps-down-as-producer-and-game-dir/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/anarchy-onlines-colin-cragg-steps-down-as-producer-and-game-dir/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Colin Cragg
Anarchy Online players know Colin "Means" Cragg quite well at this point, as Cragg has worked at Funcom since 2004 and handled the roles of both producer and game director in recent years. Sadly, Cragg announced that he will be leaving the company at the end of the month to "pursue another challenge" and be closer to his family in Sweden.

"When I look at the passion this team and the community has for Anarchy Online it has always made me feel privileged just to get to be a part of it," Cragg wrote in his farewell letter. "It has been an incredible honor to get to spend the last eight years working with Anarchy Online and being a part of the Funcom family."

Two Funcom employees will split his former duties. Dave "Ilaliya" Williams, who has worked on both Age of Conan and The Secret World, will take over as producer. Filling the game director shoes is Fia "Lindelu" Tjernberg, a long-time member of the Anarchy Online dev team.

MassivelyAnarchy Online's Colin Cragg steps down as producer and game director originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conananarchy-onlineaocolin-craggdave-williamsf2pFia-Tjernbergfree-to-playfuncomgame-directorIlaliyaLindelumeansproducerthe-secret-worldFri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes producer letter details Freedom transition, Fall Player Summit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/city-of-heroes-producer-letter-details-freedom-transition-fall/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/city-of-heroes-producer-letter-details-freedom-transition-fall/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/city-of-heroes-producer-letter-details-freedom-transition-fall/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Retro Sci-Fi costume set art
City of Heroes Freedom has been going strong for some time now, and Paragon Studios seems understandably pleased with the game's F2P transition. In the latest producer's letter on the official City of Heroes site, executive producer Brian Clayton states that "the Freedom initiative and Issue 21: Convergence have significantly increased our active player base and our revenues, and have invigorated our game with amazing new content including monthly Signature Stories, weekly items in the Paragon Market, Paragon Rewards, a kickin' Halloween event, and plenty more!"

Clayton also speaks about the Fall Player Summit the studio held on November 19th. During the gathering, the team took the time to listen to players about what they liked and disliked about Freedom so far. In addition, artist extraordinaire David Nakayama hosted a Create a Costume Set panel, in which he worked collaboratively with players to create the Retro Sci-Fi costume set, which will be introduced to the game sometime next year. For the full letter, just click on over to the City of Heroes official site.

MassivelyCity of Heroes producer letter details Freedom transition, Fall Player Summit originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-claytoncity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdavid-nakayamaexecutive-producerf2pfree-to-playfreedomparagonparagon-studiosproducerproducers-letterFri, 02 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC Online 2011: Riot Games' Travis S. George talks game production]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/12/gdc-austin-2011-riot-games-travis-s-george-talks-game-product/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/12/gdc-austin-2011-riot-games-travis-s-george-talks-game-product/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/12/gdc-austin-2011-riot-games-travis-s-george-talks-game-product/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Riot Games logo
Gamasutra has its hands on a new interview with Riot Games' lead producer Travis S. George, straight from GDC Online 2011. In the interview, George goes into the finer points of game production and outlines five habits into which producers can find themselves falling if they aren't careful. These habits are things like writing down tasks and documentation or resolving all conflicts; in sum, they're all things that sound harmless, or even benevolent.

George warns that the true danger comes when the five habits are combined, like some kind of bizarro-game-production-Captain-Planet. It's a truly interesting piece for anyone interested in game production or design, and let's be honest: There are worse people to learn from than the lead producer of Riot Games. For the full technical details, click on over to the full article.

MassivelyGDC Online 2011: Riot Games' Travis S. George talks game production originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdcgdc-onlinegdc-online-2011interviewlead-producerleague-of-legendsproducerproducingproductionriotriot-gamestravis-georgetravis-s-georgeWed, 12 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Free Realms producer letter talks new farming content]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/free-realms-producer-letter-talks-new-farming-content/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/free-realms-producer-letter-talks-new-farming-content/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/free-realms-producer-letter-talks-new-farming-content/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Free Realms has a new producer, and Sony Online Entertainment's Harvey "Flametalon" Burgess recently dropped by the game's official website to pen a brief letter to fans. SOE has updated the game's farming system, and in addition to a new locale (Briarwood Farm), players will find new seeds to grow, a boom box "to make your plants dance," new farming items, and new quests and recipes specific to Briarwood.

Burgess also drops a hint about future Free Realms updates (including ranching), and promises a quick turnaround on June, July, and August membership packs.

The producer assignment marks Burgess' second go-round with Free Realms, as he also served as a designer on the title at an earlier point in his 10-year SOE career.

MassivelyFree Realms producer letter talks new farming content originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>briarwoodbriarwood-farmf2pfamilyfantasyfarmingflametalonfree-realmsfree-to-playharvey-burgesskidsproducerproducers-lettersoeSony-Online-EntertainmentTue, 26 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Newest producer's letter for City of Heroes talks about updating old content]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/01/newest-producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-talks-about-updating/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/01/newest-producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-talks-about-updating/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/01/newest-producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-talks-about-updating/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Pretty much every time the development team at Paragon Studios answers player questions, there's a question that comes up about updating older content in City of Heroes. And usually the answer is a pretty standard one, a promise that updates will be looked at but aren't on any sort of specific timetable. It's a bit generic as answers go -- but the newest producer's letter for the game goes into more detail about why content gets updated, why it doesn't necessarily get updated, and the fact that there will be updates to legacy content in the future.

The usual rationale for fewer updates is the amount of work involved in updating this content, but the letter explains in more detail that it's not enough for content just to be old. In order to be ripe for a reworking, the task force or zone has to be underutilized to begin with, which gives a good reason for development to try to revitalize the content. City of Heroes players will be happy to note that the letter also promises revamps coming to the early leveling areas in the near future -- while it doesn't specify the details, more information will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

MassivelyNewest producer's letter for City of Heroes talks about updating old content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdevelopmentncsoftparagonparagon-studiosproducerproducers-letterrevampsrevisionsupdatesWed, 01 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Shannon "Poz" Posniewski leaving Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/shannon-poz-posniewski-leaving-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/shannon-poz-posniewski-leaving-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/shannon-poz-posniewski-leaving-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

After stepping into the leadership role for Champions Online and launching the game's conversion into a free-to-play model, Shannon "Poz" Posniewski is waving goodbye to Cryptic Studios, at least for now. In a recent news post, it was announced that Posniewski was heading off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and in his own words, possibly face death by exposure. Rob Overmeyer has been announced as the man to fill Posniewski's shoes and continue to lead the game into the future.

Although the absence is termed as a vacation (which certainly implies that it's a temporary affair), all signs point to Posniewski's departure being a permanent one. The rather tongue-in-cheek style of the announcement certainly doesn't help matters. While some fans are clamoring for a clarification, it appears the man behind the past year of development is departing the project, which makes it a sad day for Champions Online players pleased with Posniewski's leadership. We wish Poz the best of luck in his future endeavors.

MassivelyShannon "Poz" Posniewski leaving Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 May 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingchampionschampions-onlinecocrypticcryptic-studiosexecutive-producerf2pfree-to-playhumormanagementmanagement-changesnewspozproducerrob-overmeyershannon-posniewskishannon-poz-posniewskistaffFri, 06 May 2011 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wizard101 releases producer's letter for April]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/19/wizard101-releases-producers-letter-for-april/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/19/wizard101-releases-producers-letter-for-april/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/19/wizard101-releases-producers-letter-for-april/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Wizard101 is staying cool -- frosty, even. At the very least, the game's storyline is staying icy, as the game's next new area will be the region of Wintertusk. The newest producer's letter from Leah Ruben explains that Wintertusk will continue the story started in Grizzleheim, giving players a chance to venture farther into snowbound regions of the world against various tundra-themed enemies. But there are a lot of other changes coming along with the game's next update, offering players of all levels new content and additions.

Higher-level players will be able to enjoy the addition of high-level quest pets as well as a variety of additional spells and effects designed for the best of the best. Lower-level players will be heading back to Crab Alley to continue the mini-story associated with the Selena Gomez promotion a while back. There's also some new content slated to just be meant for those at the apex of power, as well as the opportunity for players to upgrade a given spell to help it match their newer abilities. In addition, the letter includes a continuation of last month's questions and answers for the producer. Wizard101 players can check out the full producer's letter for more information.

MassivelyWizard101 releases producer's letter for April originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfree-to-playkingsislekingsisle-entertainmentleah-rubennewspending-changespending-patchespending-updatesproducerproducers-letterupcoming-patchesupdatesw101wizard101Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Producer's letter for City of Heroes hints at the future and promises big improvements]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-hints-at-the-future-and-pro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-hints-at-the-future-and-pro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/producers-letter-for-city-of-heroes-hints-at-the-future-and-pro/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's the start of a new year, one that already promises to be an exciting one for fans of superheroic MMOs. DC Universe Online is launching tomorrow, Champions Online will be going free-to-play early this year, and City of Heroes is not sitting down either. In what we hope might be a new monthly tradition, fans have been treated to a brand-new producer's letter that looks back at the year before and begins peering ahead to the next 12 months while also hinting at some of the more interesting new additions to the game.

Among the more interesting revelations are the promise of a double XP weekend this month, as well as more information regarding Praetoria's Hamidon when PAX East rolls around. The development team is also hoping to step up its communication this year, both from well-known members of the team and from some of the newer talent with less public exposure. While another expansion might not be in the works for City of Heroes in the near future, fans can take a look at the full letter on the site and rest easy -- it promises to be a very interesting year.

MassivelyProducer's letter for City of Heroes hints at the future and promises big improvements originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdouble-xpdouble-xp-weekendin-game-eventncsoftnewsparagonparagon-studiospaxpax-eastpax-east-2011praetoriaproducerproducer-letterupcoming-eventsupcoming-patchesMon, 10 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Wizard101 offers sharks - and a letter from the producer, too]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/wizard101-offers-sharks-and-a-letter-from-the-producer-too/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/wizard101-offers-sharks-and-a-letter-from-the-producer-too/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/05/wizard101-offers-sharks-and-a-letter-from-the-producer-too/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

If you've somehow missed the flurry of shark-love that's been taking place on Massively over the past few weeks, let's reiterate: sharks. Even Wizard101 seems to be knee-deep in sharks, judging by the picture accompanying the newest producer's letter, which hints at a possible shark mount in the upcoming Celestia. Oh, wait, that's right -- there was a producer's letter. Leah Ruben, who has recently taken the title of full producer for the game, penned a letter to let fans know how the game is progressing, what to expect in Celestia, and of course, to include art of sharks.

Although Ruben doesn't explicitly state that the shark mounts will be available, the prominent artwork certainly suggests that the underwater area will be well-served via aquatic mounts, as well as a wide variety of new tricks and spells for players in Celestia's added ten levels. She does discuss some of the new features, promising that the areas in Celestia will be larger than prior doses of content for the game, as well as talking about some of her roles within the game's development structure. Wizard101 fans will want to take a look at the letter, as it bodes well for the game's future. Also, we must reiterate: sharks. (We'll make sure to ask about sharks during our upcoming interview with the team at GenCon.)

MassivelyWizard101 offers sharks - and a letter from the producer, too originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>celestiakingsislekingsisle-entertainmentlandsharkleah-rubenlevel-caplevel-cap-increasemountsproducerproducer-lettersharkshark-mountshark-petupcoming-patchesw101wizard101Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Tattered Notebook: Post-Halas Reborn interview with producer Dave Georgeson]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/the-tattered-notebook-post-halas-reborn-interview-with-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/the-tattered-notebook-post-halas-reborn-interview-with-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/the-tattered-notebook-post-halas-reborn-interview-with-producer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Hello there, brave Norrathian adventurers! It is I, Seccia Ravenloft, back again from my recent excursion to track down "The One Final Truth." While I didn't find "The One Final Truth," I did run across Dave Georgeson again, and that made the whole excursion totally worth it.

Last week, I noticed a fair number of you had some problems with Shader 3.0 in EverQuest II. I'm sorry to hear that your pathetic non-Tier'dal computers cannot handle the wonderous onslaught, but I certainly brought that up with Dave in this interview, as well as the controversial decision to remove the starting areas of Freeport and Qeynos. Plus, I may have even weaseled a small detail or two on the next expansion out of him, thanks to my incredible interrogation techniques.

But why shall we delay the inevitable any longer? To the interview, quickly!

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Post-Halas Reborn interview with producer Dave Georgeson

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Post-Halas Reborn interview with producer Dave Georgeson originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dave-georgesoneq-2eq-iiever-quest-2ever-quest-iieverquest-2everquest-iifeaturedfreeporthalas-reborninterviewnew-halasproducerqeynosshader-3soe-eq-2soe-eq-iisony-eq-2sony-eq-iistarting-zonestarting-zonesthe-tattered-notebookThu, 03 Jun 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Tattered Notebook: A moment with Dave Georgeson]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-tattered-notebook-a-moment-with-dave-georgenson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-tattered-notebook-a-moment-with-dave-georgenson/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/the-tattered-notebook-a-moment-with-dave-georgenson/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Foolish and pathetic mortals! It's another week of adventuring and mystery here in Norrath, as I, Seccia Ravenloft, have once again braved the depths of Sony Online Entertainment's inner sanctum. And by "I," I mean I sent Seraphina Brennan to do my work for me. Now who is the master and who is the slave?! Ahahahahahahaha!

For this week's column, Seraphina was able to speak with Dave "Avatar" Georgeson, the brand new EverQuest II producer. Dave is stepping in for Alan "Brenlo" Crosby, as he has moved onwards, away from my might. (Little does he know that I pursue him still with powerful Tier'dal magic, but that's a story for another time.) Some of you may know of Dave Georgenson's works, as he has been producer of SOE's PlanetSide as well as Gaia Online's ZOMG!

So come along, listen to Sera as I force her to ask questions of Dave, and listen to Dave as he answers to the avatar of my will! No producer is safe from the Tier'dal might!

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: A moment with Dave Georgeson

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: A moment with Dave Georgeson originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alan-crosbybrenlodave-georgensoneq-2eq-iiever-quest-2ever-quest-iieverquest-2everquest-iifeaturedinterviewproducersoesoe-eq-2soe-eq-iisony-eq-2sony-eq-iisony-online-entertainmentthe-tattered-notebookTue, 20 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Champions Online talks about their new executive producer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/champions-online-talks-about-their-new-executive-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/champions-online-talks-about-their-new-executive-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/champions-online-talks-about-their-new-executive-producer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The change of leadership on Champions Online produced some pretty strong reactions, nearly all of them aimed at Bill Roper. Fair or not, there was a general sense that many of the game's problems were linked to him being in charge, and in the midst of everything it was a bit easy to lose sight of the new executive producer. Shannon Posniewski, known to forum regulars as "Poz" and former Lead Programmer, has inherited the job and all that goes along with it, good and bad. That means it's a fine time to learn a little more about the person in charge of the game's direction.

Posniewski has been with Cryptic for some time, having worked on City of Heroes before the studio left the game behind and moved on to Champions Online. He discusses a fair bit about his experience working on the games, as well as some of his own tips for working in the game industry and what sort of challenges are faced. What he doesn't mention are his plans for the game's near future -- but those facts are fairly public knowledge at this point. Considering how much impressions of the game were based upon Bill Roper's personality, it seems more than fair to give the new guy his own turn at the helm.

MassivelyChampions Online talks about their new executive producer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-roperchampions-onlinecocrypticcryptic-champions-onlinecryptic-cocryptic-studiosexecutive-producerleadershipproducershannon-posniewskiMon, 22 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft names new producer for Aion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/ncsoft-names-new-producer-for-aion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/ncsoft-names-new-producer-for-aion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/ncsoft-names-new-producer-for-aion/#commentsFiled under: , ,

NCsoft announced this evening that they have named a new producer for Aion. Chris "Kinslon" Hager left his Associate Producer position to make the step up to Aion Producer. Kinslon has been with NCsoft since the fall of 2005, working on Guild Wars and Lineage II as well as Aion.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle welcomes Kinslon: "We're all very excited to follow our new Producer forward. His intricate knowledge of Aion and deep history with the game and NCsoft are invaluable as we move forward. Needless to say, there is plenty to be excited about that we have yet to announce."

The team at Aion has spoken very often about changes and new content coming in 2010, and this is presumably the first of many to come. Along with the rest of the Community team, as well as the fans, we wish Kinslon the best of luck in his new position.

Continue reading NCsoft names new producer for Aion

MassivelyNCsoft names new producer for Aion originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionandrew-beeglechris-hagerkinslonncsoftproducertamatFri, 15 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/07/eqiis-producer-discusses-the-next-update-and-scrapped-features/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/07/eqiis-producer-discusses-the-next-update-and-scrapped-features/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/07/eqiis-producer-discusses-the-next-update-and-scrapped-features/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The latest EverQuest II producer's letter has shed some light on what the next game update, Will of a Tyrant, is likely to contain when it is released on the 9th of December. Senior producer Alan Crosby freely admitted that the patch will not bring as much new content as players might be used to getting; instead, the focus for this round of updating has been to fix lots of little bugs, some of which have been mildly irritating folks since EverQuest II's launch. Crosby said that this approach was chosen to give the game a nice clean slate for the coming expansion, Sentinel's Fate.

The letter goes on to discuss a couple of features (that may or may not have once been considered a part of the Will of a Tyrant update) that have been scrapped altogether. The Item Ratings system was abandoned, at least partially due to feedback from the player base, and the Fighter revamp that was in the works has been considerably scaled back. Both of these negatives do have a silver lining though -- the developers are looking at alternative ways to enhance gear, and Fighters will still see some tweaks, albeit "small changes, rather than sweeping revamps". Crusaders will be among the first Fighter classes to be looked at -- see the full letter for some early details.

While the producer's letter makes Will of a Tyrant sound overwhelmingly lacklustre, keep in mind that it doesn't go into some previously announced events that should give players something new to do for at least a little while. Hopefully the decision to squash all those bugs pays off with a smooth launch for Sentinel's Fate in February.

MassivelyEQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alan-crosbyeq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iiexpansionfighterfighter-revamppatchproducerproducers-lettersenior-producersentinels-fatesonysony-online-entertainmentupdatewill-of-a-tyrantMon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Square Enix: FFXI players may be able to keep their names in FFXIV]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/square-enix-ffxi-players-may-be-able-to-keep-their-names-in-ffx/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/square-enix-ffxi-players-may-be-able-to-keep-their-names-in-ffx/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/square-enix-ffxi-players-may-be-able-to-keep-their-names-in-ffx/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Good news for Final Fantasy XI players looking to make the jump into Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 -- you may be able to keep your existing FFXI character names in the upcoming title. At least, you will if Square Enix Producer Hiromichi Tanaka has his way. Tanaka and FFXIV Producer Sage Sundi were interviewed by the PlayStation Blog's Chris Morell at GamesCom 2009, when they were asked if name transfers between the Final Fantasy MMOs will be possible.

Tanaka said, "It hasn't been confirmed yet, but we would like to give incentives to the players. First of all, FFXI has 32 worlds, and they may have the same name across different worlds [...]. However, when we have FFXIV, we still don't know how many worlds there's going to be yet, but players might have the same name if they all move to the same world, so there may be conflicts."

Square Enix's solution, if implemented, is to have a surname system where players can keep their original name but pair it with something else unique in a surname. While the ability to import character names into FFXIV isn't confirmed, it's still good news that Square Enix is considering offering this to their long-time fans in Final Fantasy XI.

[Via Joystiq]

MassivelySquare Enix: FFXI players may be able to keep their names in FFXIV originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-nameschris-morrellfantasyffxiffxivfinal-fantasy-xifinal-fantasy-xivgamescom-2009hiromichi-tanakainterviewsnamesnew-titlesplaystation-blogproducersage-sundisquare-enixMon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cryptic's Bill Roper on balancing powers in Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


When news came in of the Champions Online launch being delayed to September, a few of the writers at Massively were despondent. It's always better for a game to launch once it's solid rather than release in a buggy state, though. While we wait for the re-scheduled September 1st launch, we're keeping up with the news and interviews surrounding the upcoming superhero title. In fact, we've just come across an MMOCrunch interview with Bill Roper, executive producer of Champions Online you might be interested in.

Roper gets into how some of the game mechanics in Champions Online will play out, and explains a bit about how travel powers like flight and teleportation can be countered by those without such capabilities. (For example, how does a ground-based melee character engage a kiting opponent in flight?) He also touches upon the game's sidekick system, which will allow newer players to temporarily boost their powers to keep up with higher level friends. Alternately, the sidekick system will give advanced characters the ability to tone their powers down to the level of their appallingly weak lower level buddies.

Continue reading Cryptic's Bill Roper on balancing powers in Champions Online

MassivelyCryptic's Bill Roper on balancing powers in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-roperchampions-onlinecryptic-studiosexecutive-producergame-mechanicsmmocrunchnemesisnemesis-systemproducersidekicksidekickssuper-herosuperherotravel-powersvillainvillainsWed, 08 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jumpgate Evolution economy changing to player-driven system]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/05/jumpgate-evolution-economy-changing-to-player-driven-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/05/jumpgate-evolution-economy-changing-to-player-driven-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/05/jumpgate-evolution-economy-changing-to-player-driven-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Some gamers were disheartened when NetDevil opted to delay the Jumpgate Evolution launch in order to refine some aspects of gameplay, but we're hoping the extra time they've bought for themselves will equate to a more polished release. One of those aspects of the game they're improving is Jumpgate Evolution's economy, which is the subject of an interview that producer Hermann Peterscheck gave to JGERadio's "Tikigod."

Throughout the interview, Peterscheck emphasizes that Jumpgate Evolution's economy should, by design, function in ways similar to a real world economy (but hopefully with a lot less fail) -- a far more dynamic system than one driven by NPC vendors. Peterscheck says, "I actually think the changes make the economy more alive. What we have done is moved away from an AI-based economy to a player-driven economy."

Continue reading Jumpgate Evolution economy changing to player-driven system

MassivelyJumpgate Evolution economy changing to player-driven system originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction-housecraftingeconomygame-mechanicshermann-peterscheckinterviewsjgejgeradiojumpgate-evolutionnetdevilplayer-drivenpositional-valueproducersci-fiSun, 05 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively interview: Thom Terrazas in his new role as EverQuest's producer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/27/massively-interview-thom-terrazas-in-his-new-role-as-everquest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/27/massively-interview-thom-terrazas-in-his-new-role-as-everquest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/27/massively-interview-thom-terrazas-in-his-new-role-as-everquest/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Thom Terrazas just recently replaced Clint Worley as the producer for EverQuest, and we were lucky enough to get the chance to speak to him about the move. Among other things, we found out what's in store for the current playerbase in the future, why EverQuest newbies should try the game, and learned that although the 51/50 server type won the latest poll, we should hold out hope for other new types too -- maybe even a "Classic" server. We snuck in a few questions about Vanguard and PlanetSide as well. To get Thom's take on these things and more, click through and read the full interview.

Continue reading Massively interview: Thom Terrazas in his new role as EverQuest's producer

MassivelyMassively interview: Thom Terrazas in his new role as EverQuest's producer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>51-50-serverclassic-servereqeverquestfeaturedinterviewplanetsideproducerserver-typessoesony-online-entertainmentthom-terrazasvanguardWed, 27 May 2009 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[NetDevil producer Hermann Peterscheck on Jumpgate Evolution's ship design]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/netdevil-producer-hermann-peterscheck-on-jumpgate-evolutions-sh/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/netdevil-producer-hermann-peterscheck-on-jumpgate-evolutions-sh/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/16/netdevil-producer-hermann-peterscheck-on-jumpgate-evolutions-sh/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Fast, dynamic, joystick-style space combat is coming to MMOs soon with Jumpgate Evolution from NetDevil. Jumpgate Evolution producer Hermann Peterscheck has written a dev blog for MMORPG.com titled "Iteration on Ship Design", which focuses on a crucial aspect of creating the game -- defining the roles that ships should fill and how they should handle in performing these tasks.

He explains how NetDevil went from having 'a multitude' of ships with different capabilities but with minor differences between them, to a more complete system where ships have clearly defined roles, but don't lock a player into that role, as a class-based system would. However, this clearer separation between ships entailed scrapping some of the designs they'd created.

Continue reading NetDevil producer Hermann Peterscheck on Jumpgate Evolution's ship design

MassivelyNetDevil producer Hermann Peterscheck on Jumpgate Evolution's ship design originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designdev-blogdev-blogsdynamicgame-designgame-mechanicshermann-peterscheckjoystickjumpgate-evolutionmmorpg.comnetdevilproducerpvepvpsci-fiship-designSat, 16 May 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Thom Terrazas takes over EverQuest producer role]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/13/thom-terrazas-takes-over-everquest-producer-role/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/13/thom-terrazas-takes-over-everquest-producer-role/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/13/thom-terrazas-takes-over-everquest-producer-role/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


For the last few years Thom Terrazas has been the producer for Vanguard -- we interviewed him in that role only a couple of months ago. Now, with EverQuest's former producer Clint Worley moving on, Terrazas has stepped up and taken the reigns. Although some might already be familiar with him, he has introduced himself properly over at the EQ Dev Blog, where he explained that this won't be his first involvement with the venerable EverQuest. He was one of the first GMs on the Tunare server way back in the day, so he certainly has some old-school credibility.

Most people would agree that Terrazas has done a fantastic job at improving Vanguard, and he will probably continue to perform well in his new position. This does leave one big question though: who is taking over as producer of Vanguard? We haven't heard any news from the Vanguard team about their producer departing. Is it possible that Terrazas is doing some uber multi-tasking?

MassivelyThom Terrazas takes over EverQuest producer role originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clint-worleyeqeverquestproducersoesony-online-entertainmentthom-terrazasvanguardWed, 13 May 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Interview with AoC Live Producer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/18/interview-with-aoc-live-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/18/interview-with-aoc-live-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/18/interview-with-aoc-live-producer/#commentsFiled under: , ,

MMORPG.com sat down with Age of Conan Live Producer, Henning Solberg to chat about various aspects of his job, recent positive reviews the game has been getting, and new things coming down the pipe. In case the second point in the previous sentence is surprising to you, here's some proof!

Henning has been with Funcom since 1995 and has worn many different hats during his tenure, including: QA Manager, Designer, Lead Designer, Lead Scripter, Director of Online Services, Associate Producer, and now finally Producer. His current job has him planning, organizing, setting overall priorities, and staffing for the various development teams. "The team makes the game, the producer helps make it happen!"

In terms of new things he's working on, Henning mentions the RPG overhaul that will make gear more valuable to players and the new Tarantia Common District, two items that have been in development for a long time. In order to figure out what to update next, Henning lists various sources such as playing the game themselves, reports containing detailed player feedback, and the QA team.

For an expansion of these details and much more, head on over and check out the full Henning Solberg interview.

MassivelyInterview with AoC Live Producer originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanfuncomgearhenning-solberginterviewproducerRPGtarantia-commonsupcomingSat, 18 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Got PotBS questions? Ask Rusty!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/got-potbs-questions-ask-rusty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/got-potbs-questions-ask-rusty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/got-potbs-questions-ask-rusty/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Flying Lab Software's CEO Russell "Rusty" Williams has been fairly vocal about his company's game Pirates of the Burning Sea in the past, doing the rounds with media outlets and spreading the word. His latest project has just been announced on the PotBS official site, and will allow him to maintain his parlance with the game's community; a new podcast series called "Ask Rusty" will be featured on the site on a regular basis, and players will have the chance to do as the name would suggest and Ask Rusty questions about PotBS.

For the first podcast, questions were taken from the old "Ask an FLS developer" forum, but in the future, the questions will come from submissions to community AT flyinglab DOT com (make sure to use "Ask Rusty!" as the subject line). Russell is joined by lead designer Kevin Maginn and producer Michelle Williams in this first installment. There is a direct link to the podcast for those looking to download it or listen in their browser, and there is also an RSS feed that can be subscribed to if you like what you hear.

MassivelyGot PotBS questions? Ask Rusty! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-rustyceoflsflying-lab-softwarekevin-maginnlead-designermichelle-williamspirates-of-the-burning-seapodcastpotbsproducerrussell-rusty-williamsrussell-williamsrustyrusty-williamssoesony-online-entertainmentThu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aion producer Brian Knox interviewed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/aion-producer-brian-knox-interviewed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/aion-producer-brian-knox-interviewed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/aion-producer-brian-knox-interviewed/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Aion: The Tower of Eternity has been kicking ass over in its local territory of Korea, and we're sure that there's a growing throng of folks out in the rest of the world that are dying to try it out. Massive Gamer Magazine recently had an interview with Brian Knox, a producer for the game, and what he said didn't give us much hope for betas outside of Korea -- at least not in any meaningful form. He says (correctly) that gamers are quick to judge a title on its beta, and that they would prefer to have "exclusive preview events" to show off the game at its best instead. Having said that, Korea did have a beta before launch, and hopefully we will too.

A lot of the interview is spent discussing Aion's high level of customization. Knox claims that the character creation system is so robust that it would be possible to "literally create your own race within a race" by tweaking the sliders. As players level up, they will have the chance to equip stones that will change existing skills or grant new ones, further adding to character uniqueness. The other aspect of the game that Knox seemed very keen to talk about is the flying mechanic. Far from being tacked on, flight is intended to be integral to the gameplay in Aion, and its strategic use will be of the utmost importance in combat. To find out more, check out the full interview, which is now available online.

MassivelyAion producer Brian Knox interviewed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-the-tower-of-eternitybetabrian-knoxcharacter-creationcharacter-customizationcustomizationflightkoreancsoftopen-betaproducerWed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Producer & game director for Age of Conan resigns from Funcom]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/producer-and-game-director-for-age-of-conan-resigns-from-funcom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/producer-and-game-director-for-age-of-conan-resigns-from-funcom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/producer-and-game-director-for-age-of-conan-resigns-from-funcom/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Some big shake-ups seem to be happening over at Funcom today as Gaute Godager resigns from his position at the company as producer and game director for Age of Conan. His replacement is Craig Morrison, who's held the same position with Anarchy Online for several years prior to this change. While most (or more than half) will agree that Age of Conan is in a very dissatisfying state, this news still comes as a shock. Gaute Godager was one of the founders of Funcom and is leaving the company and the games industry after 16 years. He was also a part of Age of Conan's development since its conception.

Incoming producer/director Craig Morrison stepped fully into the Conan community to greet the players today, as well. You can read his address to the faithful on the official forums. Follow the break for Godager's parting words and reasons for leaving Funcom.

Continue reading Producer & game director for Age of Conan resigns from Funcom

MassivelyProducer & game director for Age of Conan resigns from Funcom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocblizzardbreakingcraig-morrisonfuncomgame-directorgaute-godagermythicproducerwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingWed, 17 Sep 2008 07:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Mark Jacobs responds to 'magic show' accusations]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/mark-jacobs-responds-to-magic-show-accusations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/mark-jacobs-responds-to-magic-show-accusations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/mark-jacobs-responds-to-magic-show-accusations/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Earlier today, we posted a link to an article over at Warhammer Alliance that accused Mythic of conducting a "marketing magic show" on their fan-base by refusing to come forward with many of the juiciest, most controversial details about Warhammer Online yet to be released. Judging by the comments on that post, the disagreement about the quality of Mythic's efforts to date is stark indeed.

In a demonstration of class and forthrightness, Mythic co-founder and designer Mark Jacobs stepped forward on the WHA forums today to address the editorial directly, taking apart the argument piece by piece. He outright rejects the notion that the marketing department is calling the shots when it comes to the release of details, saying that the flow of information begins and ends at his desk. He further disputes the notion that the game is unfinished or lacking in the fun department, citing the imminent guild beta as proof of the confidence they have in their product.

Given the volume of information we were allowed to show off in our Massively goes to WAR coverage, we're inclined to side with Mark. For a site whose message of the day for many moons now has been, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last," we hope the writers and posters over at WHA regain their patience.

MassivelyMark Jacobs responds to 'magic show' accusations originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browncoatea-mythicmagic-tricksmark-jacobsmarketingmythicproducerWARwarhammer-alliancewarhammer-onlineTue, 08 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Star Wars Galaxies' new producer hints at future content]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/28/star-wars-galaxies-new-producer-hints-at-future-content/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/28/star-wars-galaxies-new-producer-hints-at-future-content/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/28/star-wars-galaxies-new-producer-hints-at-future-content/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Just yesterday we noted that Star Wars Galaxies has a new producer, as long-time friend of the game Lorin Jameson moves into a directorship position for SOE-Austin. The new producer, Christopher "Dotanuki" Field, sat in with the forum-goers last night to answer a number of their resulting questions. Here are some highlights:
  • They are aware of player concerns over server population, and have something in the works right now to address it.
  • Hoth (coming in Chapter 11) is planned as a strictly PvE experience, and at the moment they don't plan on space combat to be a part of the instance.
  • More on Hoth: It will be both indoors/outdoors, and "There are going to be things in Hoth that you've not seen before in Star Wars Galaxies."
  • Droid Commander is right now slated for Chapter 12.
  • They're already at work on a new holiday for the year, something we haven't seen before.
  • A fan asks if the Hoth battle means they're advancing the gameworld's timeline, to which Field responds: "We're not changing the timeline. It's going to be very self-contained and not linked to the game world like our other Heroics."
  • Spy additions/changes are planned for Game Update 6, as are issues with the City system.
  • Five year veteran rewards will be coming with Game Update 5 (coming next week to TC).
  • They're working on some more new weapon models for the game, especially welcome given the new Weaponsmithing system coming in GU5.
  • Before signing off, Field answers a fan who asks what SWG should offer players: "SWG should offer players compelling Star Wars content that makes them feel like they're part of the Star Wars universe. Most of all, it should be a fun game to play. I would hope that SWG has something to offer for all play styles. Whether you enjoy leveling up, Heroics, crafting, casual play, etc... it should always be enjoyable."

MassivelyStar Wars Galaxies' new producer hints at future content originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chris-fieldslorin-jamesonlucasartsproducersoesony-online-entertainmentstar-wars-galaxiesswgswg-chapter-11swg-chapter-12swg-game-update-5swg-game-update-6Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck - Part two]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck-part-two/#comments
We read recently that you were against the idea of separate servers for players who want to PvP and players who want to PvE. How do you plan to allow the two groups co-exist and still fulfill both groups' desired play-style?

I'm actually not opposed to that at all. I think it depends on what kind of game you have. The issue of PvP versus PvE is a hotly contested issue in the core gamer circles and the game development industry. Outside of that, it's not nearly as hot a topic. It's like every other almost religious debate, like capital punishment or abortion or whatever. You're never going to convince people that are believers in one versus the other that the other is correct. If I hate PvP, you're never going to convince me that it's a good thing. You have to build the game in such a way that you acknowledge that both of those positions are valid and that you give both sides something to do.

That being said, the way you implement it into your game is largely dependent on the kind of game you want to make. So if you look at a game like World of Warcraft, which is a largely kill-collect, progress-based game, you see the Battlegrounds and Arenas and stuff like that. They've acknowledged that both are important.

The way I see it working in a game like Jumpgate is that the large PvP space battles are largely going to be done by the people who represent a large minority of players. Maybe something like twenty percent. They're going to log in every day and want to engage in massive battles. Those people are being fed by the player-run economy, which is being contributed to by another minority of players. And the rest of the people are in the middle, and are probably going to mostly hang out in the safe areas. Every once in a while though, they'll venture out and see what PvP is all about.

You basically just divide the space. This area of space is safe, this area of space is not safe. But you have to make sure that there is opportunity for fun on both sides. If you make a sort of situation where the first 30 levels are PvE and the second 30 levels are PvP, you're going to make everybody hate you. The PvE players are going to quit at level 30, and the PvP players are going to wonder why they have to grind through all this crap to get to the fun part.

"I'd love to have something like the hardcore servers in Diablo where you lose everything if you get killed."
So by bifurcating the experience, we tell players, 'Go PvP, and you'll get X rewards. Go PvE and your rewards are Y.' There's no bias towards one or the other and you can easily flip between the two. That's kind of how I imagine Jumpgate being. That said, I'd love to have something like the hardcore servers in Diablo where you lose everything if you get killed. So I love the idea of having a server where everything is open PvP, and you can kill anybody at any time, and that's it. We'll see how that pans out, but that's how I imagine the Jumpgate universe working in regard to that.

How does that translate to an end-game. Obviously, PvP players can just continue with their huge battles, what would be the PvE equivalent of that?

That's already reasonably well-established. PvP would be something similar to Battlegrounds, where you have instanced PvP and also open, epic PvP between organizations. And then on the PvE side you have things like really, really tough creatures that you have to band together with a bunch of people and there's limited access to. Those are the things that give you the best rewards in the game.

Personally, I like both. I like engaging in big battles against other players and I also like cooperative battles operating with others people against some giant boss that nobody's every taken out before. So we try and do both of those things.

We've read on your forums that you're knocking around the idea of including capital ships, how big are these battles going to get?

We've been knocking the idea of capital ships around for a while. It's sort of the consequence of the way that we approach iterative development. If you think about space fiction, one of the things that always comes to mind is blowing up the Death Star, basically, or the equivalent in other fiction. It's the huge base that a bunch of people take out. So we've had this idea for a space station. And there's all these reasons why we thought we wouldn't be able to do it. We didn't have time, maybe it's something that we can do after release, but it kept coming up. So we decided that we have to look at this. So we actually made a battlestation. And it turns out that fighting a huge battlestation with a bunch of people is really really fun.

The natural progression of that is to have some sort of large ship that flies around . My expectation at this point is that they won't be player-flyable. One of the problems we had is that since Jumpgate is a skill-based game and if you have this giant battleship that you're flying and you have turrets on it -- now you have to balance it against you and your ship with aiming. It's tricky. We've thought about things like having other players man the turrets and then one person is the pilot, which games like Battlefield have done, so there's a possibility for that. But for now, when we're talking about battleships, on the PvP side they would be largely AI controlled and player-friendly and on the other side, they'd be either giant things you attack or things that fly with you when you attack. You as a pilot would still be controlling your personal ship.

That being said, it's really cool to fly around and get that sort of Battlestar Galactica thing going. You see the huge ship that's sort of hulking along, around it are the little Corvettes that are a little bit faster, and then around that are the sort of quick-moving individual craft. We want to create that sort of experience.

How do you take something like mining for minerals or hauling cargo and make that as fun as a giant space battle?

I don't know, I think it just sort of works out. I spend many hours in EVE just mining. In fact, right now I'm trying to get my isk bars because I want to do that. So I'm happy to spend lots and lots of time just mining, learning how that system works, and just making money in doing that kind of stuff. They have this other kind of stuff there that drives the economy . So it's a different kind of economy. The way we've implemented mining, for example, is to make it a sort of Easter Egg hunt. You're flying around amongst the asteroids, looking for that rare thing. And then you go and find it and it's like a slot machine, and you mine at it and it might drop something rare. Then you can go sell it and make a certain amount of money, and there's an anticipation and reward for that in the same way that there's a reward for taking out a new tough enemy that you've never taken out. I think it's all about giving people a path to achieve something. And you can do that with any number of different verticals -- you can do the same thing with crafting, which we call manufacturing. It's all about putting in time and effort to make progress, and getting rewarded for that is fun.

To me the whole point is that different people like to do different stuff, and those same people like to do many different things instead of just one. I think many successful MMOs have alternative activities that you can do so you don't get bored. As fun as it might be to just blow something up, after you do it two hundred times, you might want to do something else too.

Going back to the PvP, we've heard Jumpgate described as a skill-based game. How much is skill going to weigh in relative to the amount of time invested in player versus player engagements?

We're somewhere between World of Warcraft and Quake. In WoW, equipment arguably matters more than skill (although this tends to change as you get further and further into the arenas), but if you look at a game like Quake, equipment is irrelevant because everybody has access to all the weapons. So we're somewhere in between there. A rank 1 guy coming in with beginning equipment whose the best pilot in the game is unlikely to take out the guy in the most powerful battleship and the best equipment. Our game, however, gives a much larger range where you can participate in PvP. So whereas in WoW if I'm level 65 and you're level 68 and have much better equipment, it's unlikely I'll be able to beat you. But in our game, that's not the case. If you're a much better pilot, you'll probably take me out, even if I'm in better equipment. It's that sort of subtly that I have to balance. So we have to be careful balancing that.

Of course, it's very unlikely that somebody whose played the game for hundreds of hours and has accumulates a bunch of equipment is not to be a better pilot within the rules of the game than somebody who just logs in one day. So it's likely that the people who spend the most time will be the most skilled AND have the best equipment.

Positioning yourselves as a skill-based game, do you plan to use client-side hit detection or server-side?

We're similar to first-person shooters, where we have to trust the client to some degree, but we have a check on the server to make sure that people aren't cheating. In a game that's more turn-based, you can do something where you say you want to hit, and the server says, "OK, now you're swinging" and plays the animation. We can't do that. We have to verify and authenticate and trust more than a lot of MMOs do. But it's really no different than games like Quake and Counterstrike, and those kind of games have. You just have to solve for the cheating using the game style that you have.

Anybody that's developed an MMO before knows that a certain percentage of your resources goes to the eternal battle against people trying to cheat. Every game has it, and it runs the gambit. It's hacking the client, it's trying to break into the servers, it's contacting customers and trying to steal their accounts, it's hacking memory, it's exploiting weaknesses in the system. I can't think of any MMO that doesn't have a constant war between their tech people and groups of people that are trying to exploit the game. The funny thing is that most of the people trying to exploit the game aren't doing it for any other reason than it's a challenge for them to do so.

Without giving away too much, we have to be clever in a way that corresponds to the style of game we have, expecting of course that it'll be an on-going scenario.

Maybe it's too early for you to talk about, but have you decided on a subscription model for Jumpgate? Will it show up on the shelves at Gamestop, or will you use digital delivery or what?

It is too early to say, yes.

That doesn't pose much hope for this question, but we'll ask anyway. How close are we to the closed beta?

Let me put it this way, I want to release a game as soon as I possibly can, which means I want a beta as soon as I possibly can. However, I won't do it until it's necessary. The way I see it, you should go into beta when internally you can't make decisions about where your game is without it. Not just to prove some point. A lot of MMOs go into beta way too early, because they have some schedule that says, 'OK, beta here.' I think what happens when you do that is that, you have these players who are really excited about your game, and we have lots of these kinds of people. And then you release them a pile of crap doesn't work and then they say, 'Hey, why did you give us a pile of crap that barely works?' and they tear you apart. Then you close the beta, go back into development, and work on something else, and maybe it's better, but you've already burned all those people.

So yeah, people ask that question all the time, and I think a lot of the time they think I'm being coy or something, but I really don't know. It's not tomorrow! And there's some period of time where I know it's not, but I don't know, because game development is a tricky thing. You don't really know when a game is going to be fun, you don't know what thing is going to make it work, and you also don't really know what major probably could be lurking just around the corner. So to know more than a few weeks or months in advance for something like a beta is just guess-work. You can beta when you're ready or beta before you're ready, but that doesn't change when it's ready.

I guess the simplest answer is: as soon as we can.

Thanks Hermann, we appreciate it.

No problem.

MassivelyMassively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck - Part two originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capital-shipsclosed-betacoloradohermann-peterscheckjumpgate-evolutionminingnetdevilproducerpvepvpsci-fiThu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/massively-interviews-jge-producer-hermann-peterscheck/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,


Ever since ION 2008, the fine folks at NetDevil have been slightly more forthcoming with details from their sci fi opus-in-development, Jumpgate Evolution. First there was the interview that writer Keith Baker did about the game's three factions, filling us in one some of the background lore that's being plugged into the game. More recently, they did an interview on the more technical aspects of the game's development. Not wanting to miss out on the action, we caught up with Jumpgate Evolution producer Hermann Peterscheck, who, as you might recall, is awesome.

Check below the cut for some insights into NetDevil's perception of the recent mergers in the MMO industry, their approach to integrating PvP and PvE into the same game, and some information about Jumpgate's capital ships.

Continue reading Massively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck

MassivelyMassively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capital-shipsclosed-betacoloradofeaturedhermann-peterscheckjoystiqfeaturesjumpgate-evolutionminingnetdevilproducerpvepvpsci-fiThu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Say hello to Champions Online's producer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/06/say-hello-to-champions-onlines-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/06/say-hello-to-champions-onlines-producer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/06/say-hello-to-champions-onlines-producer/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The job of a producer is a precarious one, full of uh -- well we're not sure exactly. That is, we weren't sure until this new article when up over at the Champions Online official website about Chris Lena and his daily activities in the ongoing development of CO. So sort of producing background does Mr. Lena have? Ah, we're glad you asked, oh readership of ours -- as Chris was the producer for EverQuest. In our books, that makes him pretty well-suited for the job of making Cryptic realize all of our superhero fantasies. His typical day is full of emails, future planning, status meetings, cheerleading and playing any new version of CO. Can you guess which one of those things we're jealous of him for? Yeah, the cheerleading.

Aside from work, apparently Chris enjoys bringing the tunes on the Theremin in Rock Band, but don't we all?

MassivelySay hello to Champions Online's producer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>champions-onlinechris-lenacrypticeverquestmeet-the-teamproducerthereminThu, 06 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New producer, patch for PotBS]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/new-producer-patch-for-potbs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/new-producer-patch-for-potbs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/new-producer-patch-for-potbs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Joe Ludwig announced on his personal blog as well as in a new Pirates Devlog, that he is officially taking over the producer duties for Pirates of the Burning Sea, replacing John "Rev" Tynes in the position. No reason is given for the shift, Ludwig only briefly and cryptically saying that Rev is "going to work on other things." Ludwig assures us that he's fit for the role though, jokingly claiming that he's made it his job to meddle in relations with SOE over the last year anyway, even when it wasn't a part of his job title.

Without sparing any time for further pleasantries, Ludwig dives right into business, announcing that their first big content patch is on its way. Among the most significant additions to the game will be a new and improved French Capitol. They are reimagining Pointe-a-Pitre both in terms of looks and mission content, and Ludwig assures us it will be quite the sight. Another interesting tidbit is the addition of a quest called "Bey's Retreat," which will be the first of hopefully many "epic" missions, and should take players in the area of 4-6 hours to run through completely. There's even more juicy bits that we don't have the space to describe here, so make sure to check out the new Devlog.

MassivelyNew producer, patch for PotBS originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1.2-patchbreakingfrancejoe-ludwigjohn-tynespirates-of-the-burning-seapotbsproducerrevThu, 21 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New monsters revealed for EverQuest II expansion; producer Scott Hartsman weighs in]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/new-monsters-revealed-for-everquest-ii-expansion-developer-scot/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/new-monsters-revealed-for-everquest-ii-expansion-developer-scot/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/26/new-monsters-revealed-for-everquest-ii-expansion-developer-scot/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


MMORPG.com has posted part one of their Creature Feature article, in which they had a chance to chat with Everquest II senior producer Scott Hartsman about monsters being introduced for the game's upcoming expansion, and about bringing new monsters to an MMO in general. The feature will have two parts, and cover five new monsters from Rise of Kunark.

The two nasties that we meet in this episode are the Burynai Casters and the Devourers. These races both debuted in the Kunark expansion of the first EverQuest. Fans will recall that the Burynai are usually located deep underground -- if you see one walking above ground, you can be sure there's a cavernous tunnel nearby. Devourers seemed to show up all over the place, but I always wondered what the heck allowed them to float in mid-air. Regardless, a very cool-looking mob.

Hartsman's contributions to the article are insightful as he discusses ideas, balancing and time frames when bringing new creatures to MMO's. He also reassures us that beyond the five monsters featured in the two-part series, there are plenty more to discover in EverQuest II's new expansion. Click through to the full article below, and we'll let you know when part two goes up.

MassivelyNew monsters revealed for EverQuest II expansion; producer Scott Hartsman weighs in originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>burynaiburynai-casterdevourerdevourerseq2eqiieverquesteverquest-2everquest-iiexpansionhartsmankunarkmobsmonstersproducerrise-of-kunarkscott-hartsmanFri, 26 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST