Massively

The Road to Mordor: Is LotRO's questing system over the hill?

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

There's a good chance you're not reading this column right now but instead are fully immersed in the weekend beta for Guild Wars 2: Guild Harder. That's OK. I won't hold it against you -- I may even be playing it as well. Oh, those ArenaNet folks. They make such lofty promises, don't they? They're going to rewrite MMOs as we know them and show us once and for all that we've been playing with Tinker Toys when we could have fully functional jetpacks and whatnot.

I don't harbor any ill will against Guild Wars 2; in fact, I'm quite looking forward to it. But as everyone's focused on the game's excising of traditional questing as popularized by World of Warcraft, I thought it would be worth examining just how dated Lord of the Rings Online's questing system has become, if at all.

In an era of dynamic events, public quests, full voice-over, and other techniques designed to get us away from the text box questing model, will LotRO hold its ground against these fads or is it truly becoming a relic of the past? Let's dig in!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Is LotRO's questing system over the hill?

The Road to Mordor: Is LotRO's questing system over the hill? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Online to add new features, anniversary gifts

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, PvP, Free-to-play, Allods Online

Allods Online is barreling down the road toward Patch 3.0.0.02 (the extra decimals denote quality!), with an array of fine features to anticipate. Chief among those is an overall improved questing experience. The patch will give players additional ways to track and find quests, not to mention a new "auto-move" feature that will whisk you away to your desired destination.

Next on the patch's agenda is the game's second PvP skirmish map: Deserted Farm. Deserted Farm will be a 6v6 skirmish where players will struggle to control a central flag. The twist to the map is that a pair of cannon can focus-fire onto this location, so obtaining one or both of these is mandatory for success.

Finally, 3.0.0.02 (the extra decimals are a secret code that tells you gPotato loves you) will add a new raid boss to the Kingdom of Elements. His name is Gen'ul, Lord of the Volcano, and he'll be very pleased to meet and then wipe the floor with you. Multiple raids can attempt to down him at the same time and then squabble over the huge treasure chest that he drops.

The Allods site has also been updated with details on the anniversary celebration and gifts.

Allods Online to add new features, anniversary gifts originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alganon delays expansion, plans double-XP weekend

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events, in-game, Expansions, Free-to-play, Alganon

Citing "unforseen circumstances," the team at QOL has announced that Alganon's Rise of the Ourobani expansion will be delayed until the fourth quarter of this year. "After evaluation of the project, it was decided that more time was needed in order to do some critical bug fixes as well as to spend more time on certain areas and features of the expansion in order to do the best work possible," the devs wrote in the April newsletter.

Rise of the Ourobani will feature the playable titular race, a brand-new continent to explore, a Warden combat companion, PvP, and flying mounts. To soften the blow of the expansion's delay, QOL has released several sneak peek pictures and videos.

Even though the expansion is a ways away, players have a reason to log in now, as Alganon is preparing a double-XP weekend from April 20 through the 23rd.

You can watch Rise of the Ourobani flying mounts in action after the break.

Continue reading Alganon delays expansion, plans double-XP weekend

Alganon delays expansion, plans double-XP weekend originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar Wednesday examines redundancies in quest text

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, News items, WildStar

Can you really produce a meaningful set of quests while keeping each snippet of text down to 140 characters? The team developing WildStar certainly thinks so. In a previous installment of the regular WildStar Wednesday feature, fans were introduced to the concept, but this week's developer diary is all about explaining how you keep all of the flavor of a quest while trimming it down to the bare minimum necessary. It's not about stripping out flavor -- it's about exactly the opposite.

Senior narrative designer Cory Herndon explains by example that a lot of quest text winds up repeating unnecessary facts or stating something that should be immediately clear. Herndon starts with a longer example of quest text and steadily pares it down to the most important bits of information, keeping all of the flavor while posting each bit of communication in quick and comprehensible bursts. Combined with the discussion of adding further bits of quest dialogue after important objectives are completed, the diary shows just how you can get a lot of flavor into the quests without quite as many fancy words.

WildStar Wednesday examines redundancies in quest text originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Firing Line: Derek Smart on Line of Defense

Jef Reahard — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, MMOFPS, The Firing Line

Welcome to a special interview edition of The Firing Line, folks. True MMOFPS titles are few and far between these days, though 2012 is shaping up to be a banner year for the genre thanks to games like PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, and possibly even Firefall. There's another massive FPS on its way, too, and even though it hasn't had quite as much press coverage as the aforementioned titles, 3000AD's Line of Defense project is worth a look.

Join me after the break for a conversation with lead designer Derek Smart as he talks about what makes the game massive as well as what sets it apart from its competitors.

Continue reading The Firing Line: Derek Smart on Line of Defense

The Firing Line: Derek Smart on Line of Defense originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Choose My Adventure: Quest rhythm

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Game mechanics, Ryzom, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure

Questing is an essential part of MMOs. You can say that players should be the ones crafting stories in games, not the developers, but quests provide you with structure and guidance. Even if you can create all sorts of stories on your own, it helps to know what the world is supposed to be like and how to set your own objectives. Not to mention the fact that having some sort of pointer is massively useful when you start playing.

So it makes sense to take a good look at the questing in Ryzom, even though the game definitely veers toward the "sandbox" side of the fence. Plus, questing won the poll last week, so even if I thought quests were categorical garbage, that would still be my destination. I can't run you through all of the quests that I've done in the game, but one in particular lent itself to a narrative, albeit in a somewhat disjointed form.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Quest rhythm

Choose My Adventure: Quest rhythm originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Does quest reward realism matter?

Brianna Royce — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous

While playing Star Wars: The Old Republic this week, my quest partner and I ran into something odd: A group of anti-Jedi Twi'lek pilgrims handed over an elite Jedi robe to his Consular. What were these pilgrims doing with expensive gear from their enemies, and if the quest-givers had looted the garb from Jedi corpses, why would they consider such wearables worthy gifts for us? In a game as story-driven as SWTOR, you'd think the quest rewards would match the lore, right?

Of course, BioWare's new epic isn't alone in these weird quirks. Think about how many fantasy games have monsters that drop abnormal numbers of body parts, or worse, money, when you know that ghost couldn't carry a sack of gold and you're pretty darn sure that bat had two eyes, not just one. But does it bother you? Are your immersions disrupted by such inanities, or do you chalk them up to game mechanics and go about your MMO business, happily accepting illogical quest rewards and looting ridiculous items (like furniture!) from any old white-con mob that wanders into your crosshairs?

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: Does quest reward realism matter? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you favor random quests?

Brianna Royce — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

One of Star Wars Galaxies' content quirks, borrowed heavily from Anarchy Online, is the random quest. If you tire of themepark questlines, you can trek over to a mission terminal and ask it to generate a random kill-10-rats quest for you. In SWG's prime, these quests were terribly annoying; no one really wants to spend all of his time leveling up by taking missions to destroy a gubbur lair over and over and over. Thank goodness for this new era of individual, scripted quests brought on by World of Warcraft, right?

Well, not necessarily. More than once, I (and some our our forum-goers) have been irked at hand-written quests in WoW-esque games. They're usually trite and transparent, and the quest-givers rarely have good reason to entrust me with their tasks. We're still getting kill-10-rats quests -- we just have to click through a bunch of lame dialogue first.

What do you think? Do you prefer pre-scripted, one-off, linear quests, or do you long for the simplicity and honesty of random quest generation?

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: Do you favor random quests? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: Anatomy of a failed quest

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

After last week's column on the 10 most memorable quests in Lord of the Rings Online, I had a couple of people ask for the polar opposite: the 10 worst quests. While I know that there are many -- stupid Sara Oakheart escort! -- they don't stick in my mind the way the best ones do. However, I think it's worthwhile to examine one such quest to see how game design can fail the player in small but meaningful ways.

The quest in question? Rise of Isengard's Taking a Stand, which, coincidentally, was the only quest I've done this past week, and not because I was super-busy but because every time I'd log in I'd hit my head against it, try it a half-dozen times, and then give up out of frustration. Rinse and repeat. Since it was part of a chain and I am trying to do all the quests in RoI, skipping it wasn't a possibility. It had to be done, and it stood between me and the remainder of the content like a bully that's four times my size and has no compunction against shoving me to the ground.

So what was it about Taking a Stand that failed me so badly? And what could Turbine learn from this quest for future reference? Hit the jump as I break it down, piece by stupid piece.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Anatomy of a failed quest

The Road to Mordor: Anatomy of a failed quest originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: The 10 most memorable quests in LotRO

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

I honestly have no idea how many quests we're up to in Lord of the Rings Online at this point. Thousands, for sure. And as with many other facets in life, 90% of these quests are fated to be unmemorable tasks that blur together with all the rest. However, I've always felt that LotRO has a decently high cool quest-to-forgettable chore ratio, at least compared to other MMOs.

What makes a memorable quest? Here's my litmus test: When I sat down first thing in the morning, all bleary-eyed, to write this article, these quests bubbled up to the forefront of my mind. They've "stuck," for lack of a more precise term, in my head. They've made an impression, and because of that I feel they're among the cream of the crop in LotRO's repertoire.

For today's Road to Mordor, I'm going to simply list the first 10 most memorable quests that came to me. I actually was going to just do six, but couldn't stop myself there; I could barely halt at 10, if that gives you an indication. These might not be your most favorite quests or even the best in the game, but they've been the ones that have stuck with me through thick and thin.'

Warning: Past this point thar be spoilers! Beware!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: The 10 most memorable quests in LotRO

The Road to Mordor: The 10 most memorable quests in LotRO originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Enter at Your Own Rift: The no-quest challenge

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, PvE, Enter at Your Own Rift

OK, I know you all probably want to talk about the news that addons are coming to RIFT, but the truth is that it's not that big of an issue for me. My feelings on addons are that I'm for them if they enhance the game and encourage player creativity, but I'm against them if they reduce players to mere statistics in the eyes of others (GearScore) or are absolutely necessary to tackle the game's content.

So if you feel passionate about this topic, I give you leave to vent more about it in the comments below, but as for me and mine, we're going to look at quests today. More specifically, not doing them.

Now, I generally like quests. They give me a feeling of accomplishment (as I am fond of checking off items from my to-do lists in real life), the stories are occasionally interesting, and they give nice boosts to leveling. But I've come to realize something interesting about RIFT that might run under the radar of most: Quests are superfluous to the game. Well, at the very least, they're optional and not the mandatory tasks that most modern MMOs make them out to be.

So I had a thought. What about playing RIFT without questing at all -- taking on a "no-quest challenge" of sorts? Is it not only possible but fun too? Hit the jump and we'll examine this from all the angles.

Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: The no-quest challenge

Enter at Your Own Rift: The no-quest challenge originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape: Sixth anniversary retrospective

Brendan Drain — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser

When it first launched back in 2001, RuneScape was a primitive beast. Its blocky three-dimensional world was littered with hand-drawn two-dimensional sprites, and most of its sound effects could have been created by whacking random objects with a hammer. Only a handful of quests and skills existed, and there wasn't much land to explore. After over a decade of development, the RuneScape we have today bears little semblance to its primitive ancestor. The map is an order of magnitude larger, the list of quests has grown immensely, and there are countless things to do in the world.

With several million actively playing free accounts and over a million paid subscribers, RuneScape has risen from its humble beginnings to be one of the world's most popular free-to-play MMOs. It's been a long road, with a few important milestones along the way. Today marks the sixth anniversary of the date that the RuneScape 2 beta was officially completed and the game's first major overhaul was launched live to players. Anyone who played back then will remember the beta fondly as the rebirth of a game they loved. Since then, regular game updates have added a huge amount of depth and content every year.

In this retrospective article, I look back at RuneScape's past to see how it got to where it is today and what's new to the game over this past year.

Continue reading RuneScape: Sixth anniversary retrospective

RuneScape: Sixth anniversary retrospective originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Solving the mystery of Kael Drakkel

Karen Bryan — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, Expansions, Guilds, The Tattered Notebook

In last week's Tattered Notebook, I mentioned a mysterious quest given to me by a server Guide named Kaaell. It involved locating several spots in Kael Drakkel, which would be no easy task given the difficulty of the zone. As Kaaell himself put it, this was a challenge for only the bravest players of the highest adventure level. Kael Drakkel is the newest contested dungeon from Destiny of Velious, and it's the most difficult group content available. Fortunately for the guild, we happened to catch him offering the quest again, and we all set off together to explore the zone and figure out what the quest would award us.

Did we solve the quest and discover the reward? Read on to find out!

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Solving the mystery of Kael Drakkel

The Tattered Notebook: Solving the mystery of Kael Drakkel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alganon patches Phase III PvP update

Jef Reahard — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Alganon

Destruction, terror, and mayhem came to Alganon this past November with the arrival of the game's first PvP patch. This week, the free-to-play fantasy MMORPG is tweaking the functionality with Phase III of its planned PvP rollout which includes a couple of noteworthy additions.

First up is the new tower mechanic. In a nutshell, the towers are PvP-enabled zones that automatically flag players for conflict five seconds after they've entered. Temporary promotions will be in effect for characters from levels 10 to 49, and statistics and action levels will be raised to level 50 for the duration of a player's time in the tower zone. The towers can also be captured, which brings bonuses to every member of your faction in the zone. The Quest devs have also added local and world defense chat channels to facilitate battlefield communication.

Finally, the new patch has also increased the renown level cap to 10 and there is new PvP gear for sale at various capital city quartermaster NPCs. Read all the details on Alganon's 2.5.2 patch at the official website.

Alganon patches Phase III PvP update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Mog Log: The fall of the ivory tower

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

No, I'm not talking about Delkfutt's Tower. That's cermet, not ivory, and by all indication it's still standing just fine. No, I'm looking at the ivory tower that any Final Fantasy XI fan is familiar with, that high and imposing structure from whence developers hand down their proclamations, nevermind whether said proclamations have any relation to things people would actually want.

Considering that Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV have both been seeing a lot of new and open communication from the development team, it's safe to say that those days are over. Whether or not you like the content of the updates is... actually pertinent, now. The developers seem to be listening to us in a way that we're just not accustomed to. I mean, seriously, show of hands, who expected the removal of Fields of Valor cooldowns?

It's a big change. And it makes me hopeful about both games, because in light of the leadership shakeups, it looks as if the new development direction is something I can really get behind. I might have a few reservations here and there, but last week's news leaves me excited.

Continue reading The Mog Log: The fall of the ivory tower

The Mog Log: The fall of the ivory tower originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: The Professor

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

This past week on January 3rd, J.R.R. Tolkien celebrated his 118th birthday -- or rather, we celebrated it for him. Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892 and lived a rich and full life, from fighting in the first World War to working on the Oxford English Dictionary to taking a position at several universities that would earn him the nickname "The Professor."

He is, of course, most well-remembered for his seminal works of fantasy -- The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -- although his writings didn't end there. Due to Tolkien's love of nature, linguistics, and mythology, his creations were born out of comprehensive backgrounds and rich histories, which he seemed to love making up just as much as the stories themselves.

For years now, Tolkien fans around the world have remembered his birthday by raising a glass on his birthday and giving a simple toast, "The Professor," at 9:00 p.m. wherever they lived. Likewise, in Lord of the Rings Online, many players gathered at their tavern of choice to do the same.

Today I thought I'd remember the Professor in a slightly different way by exploring the quest chain "Missing the Meeting." While it's not completely overt if you happened to come across it, "Missing the Meeting" is a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien and his life, and it's worth going through at least once if you want to pay homage and get a nifty token by which to remember him.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: The Professor

The Road to Mordor: The Professor originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The R-Team

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, The Game Archaeologist

The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month he chooses a different title to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences.

They come from all over the world just for one shot to be the elite of the elite. After a rigorous selection process, the survivors undergo months of hardcore training. Fingers aching from the strain and eyes itchy with sleep deprivation, these ripped warriors emerge to battle evil wherever it rears its ugly head. Budapest, probably. Or Easter Island. They loot with wild abandon, they craft with purpose, and they aren't afraid to jam on the caps lock button to make their voices heard.

So if you need their help -- and if you can afford them -- maybe you can hire the R-Team.

As we continue our month-long RuneScape safari, it's high past time that we hear from the R-Team members themselves. Four past and present RuneScape players graciously laid out the case as to why this MMO rocks socks off. To make a good thing even better, Jagex sent in five new screenshots for your enjoyment.

So what are you waiting for? Hit that jump like you mean it!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The R-Team

The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: The R-Team originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: Words with Paul Gower

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, The Game Archaeologist

The Game Archaeologist is a lazy adventurer-slash-professor who dons his trademark cap for a weekly expedition through some of the most famous MMOs of the past few decades. Each month he chooses a different title to examine its highlights, talk with its developers, and invite its fans to share their experiences.

Some of you may be old enough to remember comedian Rodney Dangerfield's classic line, "I don't get no respect!" Double negatives aside, Dangerfield's catchphrase resonated with many people -- perhaps even the team behind RuneScape. Despite being one of the most popular MMOs in the world, it's battled a perception of being "that" MMO that's not quite a full-fledged member of the Big Boy's Club. Lord knows that browser-based titles have struggled against such negativity ever since their inception, and RuneScape is no different.

But as I stated last week, perhaps it's high time we get over our exclusion of RuneScape from the discussion whenever MMOs are brought up and start giving the game its due. My inbox's spent a busy week receiving all manner of testimonies about RuneScape, and I saw a common theme of fondness for what was many players' first MMO. Next week I'll let these testimonies out of Pandora's Box (if you haven't already, send me your own RuneScape story via email!), but today I've invited Paul Gower, one of RuneScape's founders, to share his perspective on making and running a gaming phenomenon.

Hit the jump to level up!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: Words with Paul Gower

The Game Archaeologist and the Forbidden RuneScape: Words with Paul Gower originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wings Over Atreia: Destination guide -- Taloc's Hollow

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST

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

Are you weary of group dynamic bickering, spittle-laced rants, or plowing through repeatable quests until your head is spinning and your hands have a death-grip on your weapon? Are the crowds around Atreia just getting to you? Why not spend some quality time alone... when you needn't answer to anyone else? That's right folks! Leave your friends, your legion-mates, and all reminders of real life behind and come visit beautiful Taloc's Hollow!

Thinking of just kicking your heels up in Pandaemonium or Sanctum? Lounging around in an inner tube on dry land hardly a getaway makes, so hurry on down to the lush lands of Taloc's Forest (Inggison) or Krug Basin (Gelkmoros) for a little R&R -- rewards and, well, rewards. What does Taloc's have to offer? For the discerning level 51-55 adventurer, Taloc's offers the unique opportunity to gather treasure and soak up experience, all without having to share any of it with your compatriots. Need a random five-minute break to grab that leftover pizza? No problem! Find an awesome piece of fabled jewelry? Nope, you don't have to roll -- it's all yours.

Choose Taloc's Hollow as your next Aion destination spot today! Ready for adventure? Cruise on past the cut for a guided tour, along with some helpful hints, special tips, and time-saving deals for your trip.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Destination guide -- Taloc's Hollow

Wings Over Atreia: Destination guide -- Taloc's Hollow originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wings Over Atreia: Mira, mira, on the wall...

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST

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

Who is the happiest to be done with it all? If not me (I will certainly defer to those who endured 10+ attempts at the hot heart of magic craft), then I surely rank right up near the top! Yes folks, there is a Santa Cl... I mean an end to the Miragent/Fenris questline in Aion, and I have found it. To those naysayers, those unbelievers who think otherwise, I say I am living proof that Mira does not stand for mirage!

I admit, I am indeed grateful to be looking back on the experience, instead of ahead to it. Between the grinding, the spawn camping, and the curse of the RNG, to say that the journey to obtain Miragent or Fenris armor is a rough road is putting it mildly. I spent a fair share of time just being grateful the questline doesn't include belts and hats; I think there would be a mass exodus if NCsoft introduced Miragent/Fenris jewelry.

Although each leg of this race has had rough patches, I still believe it has been worth it. Make a final dash past the cut to experience the end of an era: the completion of the quest for Miragent armor.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Mira, mira, on the wall...

Wings Over Atreia: Mira, mira, on the wall... originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: If you designed a quest, what would it be like?

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Every once in a while, I like to turn the tables on the longstanding love/hate relationship players have with devs -- you know, "We totally love and appreciate you until you screw up, and then we'll eat your bones for dinner!" That sort of thing. From the outside looking in, it's often easy (and quite tempting) to play armchair-developer, to tell the world on forums and blogs just how it would be done if someone had the superior wisdom to put you in charge.

You know what? I believe in you. And I'm not even being sarcastic here -- I truly believe that there's a huge well of boundless creativity amongst gamers that's itching to come out (I mean, heck, look at what everyone's doing with the tools that Minecraft gives you). Not to mention that most devs and CMs are gamers first and foremost themselves.

So today I'm using the powers vested in me by the state of Massively to empower you to create one quest. If you could create an immersive, interesting, interactive, memorable quest for your MMO of choice, what would it be like? How would you make it stand out from all of the others?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: If you designed a quest, what would it be like? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EQ2 Storyteller system detailed

Jef Reahard — Sat, 15 May 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, News items, PvE

Sony Online Entertainment has revealed another feature of their Halas Reborn content update for EverQuest II. Coming later this month, the patch will include a new mechanic called the Storyteller system. The unfortunately named system is not a robust set of roleplay tools like the one in Star Wars Galaxies, but rather a modification to the game's existing quest journal.

The system adds a tab to the quest journal user interface that consolidates the story of each major quest. Additionally, the Storylines tab will chronicle your position in EverQuest II's lengthy quest chains, provide clues to completion, and add a bit of narrative flavor to the long-running fantasy MMORPG.

The Storyteller system is a work in progress, as SOE will not have all of the game's quest loaded into the system when the patch launches. "What you see when Halas Reborn reaches the live servers will only be a starting point, and other quests will be connected and looped as we progress the feature. If you don't see your favorite quest right now, don't worry! It will be there soon," says the official press release.

Check out the release and the associated discussion thread on the official boards for more information.

EQ2 Storyteller system detailed originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II unveils a new puzzle upon Norrath, and we've got some pieces of it

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Culture, Events, in-game

Once again, we've gotten another package from that strange community Dark Elf, Kiara. This time, however, instead of sending us a set of tablets, we've gotten sheets of paper containing some foreign language!

We're told that once the language is successfully deciphered, it should provide clues to a brand new questing opportunity to those who play EverQuest II. If you've been itching for more information on Sentinel's Fate, then look no further than these various scripts to provide you with information -- if you can crack them.

We've placed our four sections of writing in the article after the break, so be sure to click on the continue reading button to get a glimpse of the stuff you'll need to understand. We hear you'll need a big forehead to beat this one. *wink wink*

Continue reading EverQuest II unveils a new puzzle upon Norrath, and we've got some pieces of it

EverQuest II unveils a new puzzle upon Norrath, and we've got some pieces of it originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Disguising the grind, part 2

Brendan Drain — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Continue reading Disguising the grind, part 2

Disguising the grind, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Disguising the grind

Brendan Drain — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Age of Conan, EverQuest II, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, Quests, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, Virtual worlds

Believe it or not, grind is an essential part of an MMO and we might be pretty lost without it. Repetitive content is the cornerstone of the MMO genre but it's not all just smacking monsters over the head for hours on end or completing yet another "kill ten rats" quest. The repetitive elements in an MMO give us predictable gameplay in a form we can digest. We don't feel lost when we pick up a quest because it uses similar mechanics to previous quests we've done. From a development standpoint, the amount of time it takes to create new and unique gameplay for an MMO is quite large and it's just not feasible to churn out unique gameplay with every new piece of content. Instead, developers are forced to re-use the same gameplay mechanics over and over again. So if we genuinely appreciate predictable, repetitive gameplay and it's not feasible to do otherwise, why are we always so up-in-arms about the evils of grinding?

In this probative opinion piece, I look at why we need repetitive gameplay in MMOs and the various ways developers disguise grind to keep the game entertaining.
Update: Link to page 2 fixed. Thanks Brian!

Continue reading Disguising the grind

Disguising the grind originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Starting out in Vana'diel: Time to pick up that second job you always wanted

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Quests, Grouping, PvE, Consoles

Hello again adventurers! Ready to go on another tour of Vana'diel? So, ok, you're in Valkurm Dunes. You're enjoying the luxurious beaches, the warm weather, the beautiful sandstorms, the nasty crabs that use defense buffs, and fish that fly in the air and attempt to impale you. It's all par for the course down here at Valkurm.

Yet, I know what you're saying to yourself. You're saying, "Well Brennan, when are you going to tell me how to get that sub-job, so I don't look stupid around the other players?" Perhaps you're not putting it so nicely in your head, but you get the drift.

For those of you who have thought that, then you'll be pleased to know that today's topic is getting your sub-job. Sure, the quest is pretty straightforward, but I have a couple of tips that may help you get through it that much faster. This way, when you get to level 18, you'll have a second job next to your name before your house moogle can say "Kupo~!"

Continue reading Starting out in Vana'diel: Time to pick up that second job you always wanted

Starting out in Vana'diel: Time to pick up that second job you always wanted originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How often do you party?

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

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

There's something really scary out there. Something so mean, so vicious, so terrifying that it will blow your socks from your feet. Things so horrible that people tell stories every day about them, and even devote entire websites to their needs. What are we talking about?

Your fellow MMO players.

Ok, ok, we're all not that bad, but it does raise a good question -- how often do you brave the structure of a group? Are you the type of person who groups for lots of quests, groups for dungeons only, or tries in vain to avoid the whole grouping process? Even better question, why do you like or not like groups?

Of course there are the old games, like EverQuest and Final Fantasy XI, which push people into groups to do their daily activities and leveling, but not all games are like that. So please, share with us your stories, your favorite moments, and even your tribulations of grouping in your favorite MMO.

The Daily Grind: How often do you party? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Richard Bartle responds to "torture quest" issue

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta, Academic

A few days ago we ran a report on Richard Bartle's take on a torture quest in World of Warcraft, the Art of Persuasion. Since then, the discussion has exploded and some have taken Bartle's quotes out of context. Because of this, Bartle has created a follow-up post to clarify some of the points that may have been misinterpreted.

First of all, he's not talking about the Death Knight quest entitled, "How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies." Bartle does realize that Death Knights, while under Arthas's control, were horribly evil and he understand that this quest is necessary to make them look as evil as they are. That quest makes a very strong point that resonates with the storyline of the game.

He is quite aware that Warcraft involves killing, fireballs, destruction, and more killing. He knows there's a "dismiss quest" button at the bottom of the quest window. He is also aware that the game is not real life, it's only a computer game, and does not contain the Geneva Convention. So then, what's all the fuss?

Continue reading Richard Bartle responds to "torture quest" issue

Richard Bartle responds to "torture quest" issue originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Celebrating Bilbo's birthday in LotRO

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Lore, Quests, PvE, Roleplaying

Today is both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins' birthday, and to celebrate, Turbine has reinstated the Belated Birthday quest in Lord of the Rings Online. This quest is basically a way for Bilbo and Frodo to get you to deliver their presents to each other, but you get a nifty little musical cracker as a reward.

As you may remember from the books (or heaven-forbid, the movies), this day is the beginning of Bilbo's disappearance from The Shire , so this is a big deal to many of the game's lore buffs and role-players. Even if you're not a fan of the lore though, this quest only happens once a year. It's available to those level 43 and above, and begins in The Last Homely House of Rivendell. Simply run over to Bilbo's Room inside the House and follow Frodo's instructions.

Celebrating Bilbo's birthday in LotRO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

AO designer says adieu, moves on to The Secret World

Samuel Axon — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Culture, The Secret World

Anarchy Online content designer Nina "Aythem" Sund has been writing developer journal entries over at Ten Ton Hammer for several months, sharing game design wisdom and insider anecdotes with players. Her latest entry had a different tone, though. She used the medium to bid farewell to AO players as she moves on to work on Funcom's next MMO, The Secret World.

As a parting gift, she spent the rest of her entry telling fans how they too can become game designers. Hers is good advice if that's an aspiration for you. Unfortunately, she didn't slip out any news or information on The Secret World, which as so far been very, well ... secret. Ten Ton Hammer attached two bits of concept art, though, so savor that!

We hope Funcom will continue to support AO even though it now has Age of Conan and The Secret World to worry about, too. Sund was a popular quest designer at AO; we're glad she'll be adding her touch to TSW, but poor AO!

AO designer says adieu, moves on to The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

LotRO's Korean launch may alter western business model

James Egan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, PvP, News items

Turbine is busy gearing up for its Korean launch of Lord of the Rings Online. The title is currently in closed beta in Korea and moving toward limited open beta. Fantasy titles are hugely popular in the country, but the enthusiasm with which beta testers are greeting LotRO has likely been spurred on by the popularity of the films directed by Peter Jackson.

MMORPG's Jon Wood recently caught up with LotRO Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel to discuss Turbine's plans in the east. They discussed some of the details about LotRO's forthcoming Korean launch, which revealed how this might impact North American and European subscribers.

Continue reading LotRO's Korean launch may alter western business model

LotRO's Korean launch may alter western business model originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online dev blog: new missions galore

James Egan — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Quests, News items, PvE

EVE Online developer CCP Molock writes in his dev blog that CCP Games has big plans for PvE content in the game, especially for mission-runners. Eight devs are currently working full-time on mission and deadspace creation. In addition, there are a number of freelancers working on new mission text. The freelance opportunities were announced in EVE's EON magazine, so it seems they found the people they needed -- particularly in light of just how much PvE content is on the way.

Molock describes the process of getting everything in order for The Empyrean Age and Factional Warfare as 'dizzying', particularly in light of the 160 new Factional Warfare missions that were part of the expansion's launch. Molock states that more content is to come in subsequent Empyrean Age releases, and explains what we can expect from EVE's PvE experience in the future.

Continue reading EVE Online dev blog: new missions galore

EVE Online dev blog: new missions galore originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sword of the New World expands with Nocturnal Sonata

James Egan — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Sword of the New World, News items, Free-to-play

IGN has a scoop on the new 'Nocturnal Sonata' expansion to Sword of the New World, an MMO also known as Granado Espada in Asia. Sword of the New World is a free-to-play title brought to North America and Europe by the K2 Network. Massively has looked at this game in the past and found it to be a quirky title; IGN describes its setting as 'the European Baroque period if it was designed by a modern anime artist'. Sword of the New World becomes even more surreal given that its old world setting is juxtaposed with a techno soundtrack.

Surreal qualities aside, the game has some interesting features, particularly the use of collectible UPCs, or Unique Player Characters. The concept is somewhat comparable to the Heroes in Guild Wars. You control up to three characters at once who are members of your 'family'; certain NPCs for whom you've successfully completed quests offer themselves up to be added to your family as UPCs and called upon to aid you in your adventures. They provide access to special hybrid classes with unique powers to match. There are over 40 such UPCs, and two more are initially being added in the Nocturnal Sonata expansion: Vincent Rio (who inflicts damage with music) and Baek Ho (martial artist extraordinaire). Yet more UPCs are to follow in the coming months, adding new gameplay possibilities to Sword of the New World. The Nocturnal Sonata expansion will be released on June 25, and closely follows the 'The Land of the Dead' expansion released only three months ago.

Sword of the New World expands with Nocturnal Sonata originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Player vs. Everything: Age of Conan's 250 hours

Cameron Sorden — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, MMO industry, Endgame, Races, Player vs. Everything

It's going to take you 250 hours to get to level 80 in Age of Conan. That's the big news today, and I'm not sure exactly how I feel about that. On the one hand, that tells us very little about the actual game. Saying you have 250 hours of content means nothing unless that content is fun content. On the other, it does let you know exactly what you're getting into as far as a time commitment goes (on average). It's also important to note that that's pretty close to World of Warcraft's benchmark, too -- most players can get from 1-70 in 6 to 14 days played. I think my first 70 took me about 7 and 1/2 days.

What's a good length of time for the leveling game to be, anyway? If you make it too long and drawn out, won't many players quit in frustration before they ever get to the top (EverQuest was notorious for having players that never capped)? Maybe. Let them level too quickly, though, and they'll quit if there's nothing to do at the top. Even if there is something to do when you're capped, for many people, leveling is the game. I'm probably one of those people. I hate structured PvP (like arenas) and while I dabble in raiding, I really have more fun leveling. So is 250 hours long enough to keep you interested? And why even tell us that in the first place? What does Age of Conan's 250 hours mean to you?

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: Age of Conan's 250 hours

Player vs. Everything: Age of Conan's 250 hours originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 May 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Player vs. Everything: Learning by doing

Cameron Sorden — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Player vs. Everything

In most MMORPGs, it's practically considered a right of passage to learn advanced concepts by the sweat of your brow and with a big helping of independent research. We're MMO players, after all! We don't need tutorials guiding us through the advanced aspects of the game. Right? They're for the weak and lowly fans of single player and casual games. We rely almost solely on forum information, lessons from more advanced players, and learning by doing (and we're darn proud of it). And as Tobold discussed a few weeks ago, you really have to do that stuff if you want to be a successful player.

While raiding Karazhan last weekend, my guild brought a relatively newbish hunter along for the ride. Her spec wasn't terrible, and she brought a number of epics (albeit PvP epics) to the table, so we figured, "What the heck?" We didn't even get too worried when her DPS wasn't up to par. Things were going just fine until we got to the second boss fight and needed her to do a little chain trapping. A few wipes later, we realized that she had absolutely no idea how to use her frost traps effectively-- a core mechanic of her class. What was the problem there?

Well, there's no game tutorial that comes in, holds your hand, and says, "Hey, pal. You're going to need to use frost trap effectively in the end game. Let's practice it a little until you get the hang of it." Most MMOGs just teach you the bare-bones basics of the game (like running, moving, and auto-attack) before they abandon you to the wild. You're expected to figure out the rest on your own, and eventually to hit up sites like Elitist Jerks or the World of Warcraft class forums to make sure that you're being all that you can be. Is this necessarily the best way to do things, though?

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: Learning by doing

Player vs. Everything: Learning by doing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

PC Gamer previews Age of Conan

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Age of Conan, News items

PC Gamer (part of the CVG network) has just released their preview of Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures. It is packed full of tasty observations, screenshots, and interesting details about this eagerly anticipated MMO. While we knew some parts of it already (the conversational choices with NPCs affecting your standing with them) other parts were interesting to hear about. We're most interested in the work of the 8 dedicated quest-writers, working hard to fulfill the promise of staying true to the books that we've heard so much about. Apparently they've cranked out 800 quests for launch! Someone order these guys a pizza and a frosty adult beverage for writing approximately 100 quests a piece -- and for trying to do it without using the "kill x things" mechanic.

When you couple this with the other great write-ups we've seen and the statement at the very end: "The open beta starts any moment now" we can honestly say we're more than ready to go Barbarian! Anytime you want to hook us up with some of that sweet, sweet beta love Funcom, we'll be here.

PC Gamer previews Age of Conan originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What is your quest?

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Quests, Opinion, The Daily Grind

One of the things that we can't seem to get away from no matter what MMO we're playing is the presence of Monty Python quotes. A particularly funny exchange combined with the daily news surfing brought the concept of open-source GPL MMOs (like PlaneShift) to mind. These worlds essentially allow talented folk to join the team and make up their own quests using the world that is already established.

For today we thought we'd ask -- if you had the knowledge and time, what kind of a quest would you make? Now let's take it a step further and ask about the worlds you play in; if you could write a quest for any MMO, either currently available or in beta, what game would you write it for, and what kind of quest would it be? Would you make up one of the "go collect x items" quests, or would you write in more history, instead sending players all over the place? Would it be really easy, or really hard? Would it be a holiday event or daily quest? Would it involve killer rabbits?

The Daily Grind: What is your quest? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Most disgusting quest

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:05:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

As anyone who has ever played World of Warcraft can tell you, there seems to be quite a few quests that just make you go "yuck." What kinds of quests? Well, as highlighted in a recent Real Life comic, one of the Nagrand quests sends you hunting around in Talbuk poo to get beans which you then make something to eat from them. Admittedly, I can't speak for anyone else, but I finished that quest arc with every single one of those 'Nagrand Cherries' still in my bag -- having made a few underwater breathing potions on my Alchemist alt.

Sure, you're aware that you aren't really eating the poo-beans, but the idea was just gross to me at the time. (Besides, I had a lot of herbs back-stocked, so it cost me nothing beyond the vials and a mailing fee.) But we know that's far from the only yucky quest out there. For today's question, we thought we'd ask just what quest you've come across made you stop and go "ew" in your travels. We know Blizzard can't have the corner of the market on gross, so share your yucky stories!

The Daily Grind: Most disgusting quest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures

Samuel Axon — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Forums, Game mechanics, PvE

It seems that most gamers these days haven't played any of the old Apple II computer games, much less the particularly ancient text-based adventure ones. Most people now see them as arcane and even intimidating. Those black & white fossils bear no relation to something as modern as say, The Lord of the Rings Online, right?

Wrong! Gaming's old-timers will be tickled to hear that a quest in Tal Bruinen was inspired by a gameplay mechanic from an Apple II text adventure game. A Turbine employee revealed this behind-the-scenes tidbit in a thread about the quest on the official LotRO forums.

The Apple II was the first widely successful personal computer. It had a large library of games, many of which are cornerstones of computer gaming history. You can play a lot of those games in your web browser at virtualapple.org, one of the best online emulators. It has many of the all-time classic RPGs like Ultima, Might and Magic, and Wizardry as well.

LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest Halloween event live today -- late start due to fires

William Dobson — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events, in-game, Quests

By now you will all be aware of the wildfires last week in San Diego, and that the Sony Online Entertainment offices were affected by them. Now that everyone is getting back on their feet, the EverQuest team are able to launch their Halloween event, "The Haunting of Norrath". Whilst it is being implemented a little late, the event has been extended and runs from October 30th to November 4th -- fans of Halloween will get to cling on to their favorite holiday for just that little bit longer.

The Haunting of Norrath will feature a generous helping of Halloween quest-lines (with the event's homepage filling you in on where to get started). There will be merchants selling candy and costumes, and a number of other things to do including trick-or-treating, bone-collecting, and -- my personal favorite -- a hungry halfling event. Players are advised to seek Zigand Ribshard in the Plane of Knowledge to find out more, and be sure to visit the link below for other Haunting of Norrath details.

EverQuest Halloween event live today -- late start due to fires originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments