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BioWare publishes this week's SWTOR community Q&A, preps for next week

Jef Reahard — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A

BioWare has published a selection of community questions (and answers) on its official Star Wars: The Old Republic website. The firm is making a concerted effort to reach out to its players lately, and the Q&A is the latest effort that comes on the heels of a website revamp and the in-game rakghoul plague.

Combat designer Cameron Winston fields a query about SWTOR's threat mechanics, while lead designer Damion Schubert talks about the logic behind the equipment available at commendation vendors. "We don't want you to get all of the pieces of an armor set from any one source of gear. We want you to do multiple activities in the game to build out a full set of gear. This is a conscious decision on our part to encourage and reward playing multiple facets of the game. So you should do other things -- heroics, check the GTN, etc. -- the full set of gear is out there," he explains.

BioWare has also made two new discussion threads available on the forums: one for this week's questions and one for next week's Q&A.

BioWare publishes this week's SWTOR community Q&A, preps for next week originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wargaming.net talks World of Warplanes features and functionality

Jef Reahard — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, World of Warplanes

Wargaming.net has published some new World of Warplanes info in part three of its ongoing community question-and-answer series.

The free-to-play World War II aviation title is shaping up to be an action-heavy game with a casual playstyle that is similar to World of Tanks. Over the course of 30 questions, Wargaming.net covers a lot ground including joystick controls (available but not required), cockpit views (not available), and airborne vs. ground spawn points.

"Aircraft will be spawned in the air at the beginning of the battle. As an option, you will be able to land the aircraft at the end of the battle and a successful landing will give you additional experience. An unsuccessful landing will break the plane and will [incur repair costs]," according to a post on the official WoWP forums.

Wargaming.net talks World of Warplanes features and functionality originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Funcom hosting The Secret World Templar Q&A on Facebook

Jef Reahard — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World

Want to know more about The Secret World's Templar faction? Aside from reading up on everything related to Templar Week, the best thing you can do is tune in to Funcom's next Facebook developer Q&A session.

The shindig happens tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. EST, when lead content designer Joel Bylos and writer Ben Schroder will be fielding your Templar-related questions. Funcom's press release says that interested gamers are free to submit their questions in advance, but the devs may not be able to answer everything.

Thus far Templar Week has served up some new screens, art, and a few mission details, and the dev Q&A looks to be the icing on the cake. Funcom also notes that the Illuminati faction will be getting a similar week-long publicity treatment in the near future.

[Source: Funcom press release]

Funcom hosting The Secret World Templar Q&A on Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A

Matt Daniel — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did.

A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.

Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE talks Everquest II's Freeport revamp

Jef Reahard — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

EverQuest II's new Age of Discovery expansion is coming later this month, and Sony Online Entertainment is introducing the first of its major city revamps along with it. Freeport gets the extreme home makeover treatment in Game Update 62, and though the city will still be recognizable to long-time players, a new SOE Q&A hints that the changes will be substantial.

Art director Timothy "Haohmaru" Heydelaar talks a bit about architectural and layout changes, the city's color palette, and the impetus behind the revamp itself. "Now that Lucan has returned, he has exercised his power by turning Freeport into a proud, magnificent city in a bid to attract more followers and to show off his renewed power. This brought about the need for the art changes and coincided with a lot of work the design team was going to do. We also wanted to remove zoning, like players have asked for as well," Heydelaar explains.

SOE talks Everquest II's Freeport revamp originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlanetSide 2 devs answer questions via Twitter

Jef Reahard — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2

MMO Crunch has the details on Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2 Twitter question-and-answer session that went down on September 16th. The chat covered a lot of ground and answered quite a few of the PlanetSide nation's most burning questions.

What kinds of questions?

Well, there are bits about customizable armor, bunny hopping, strafing, sun glare as it affects pilots, online vs. offline skill training, and dozens more where those came from. PlanetSide 2 fans will also be happy to know that each of the game's continents will support over 2000 simultaneous players, and said continents will feature varied environments including snow-covered terrain, glaciers, and forests. Check out an abbreviated list of discussion points after the break.

Continue reading PlanetSide 2 devs answer questions via Twitter

PlanetSide 2 devs answer questions via Twitter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third

Matt Daniel — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries

Part three of Elsword's Massively-exclusive dev diary is now available for your perusal. This time around, the devs talk about their long-term goals for the game, character favoritism, and the relation between Elsword and fellow side-scroller Grand Chase. Dash on past the cut for their answers.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third

Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fan Faire videos show off new EverQuest II tradeskill goodies

Jef Reahard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest II, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

Sony Online Entertainment's Fan Faire came and went a couple of weeks ago, but EverQuest II news coming out of the annual convention was so dense that various fan sites are still collating and publishing it.

EQ2Wire released its latest dev panel videos over the weekend, with a focus on tradeskills and housing as well as a lengthy question-and-answer session. The tradeskill and housing panel introduced a couple of upcoming prestige homes, the house rating system scheduled to go live with GU61, tradeskill apprentices, and a new Frostfell group crafting instance.

The Q&A panel covered a huge range of topics, and rather than try and summarize them all here, we'll direct you to the transcript at EQ2Wire as well as the videos embedded after the cut.

Continue reading Fan Faire videos show off new EverQuest II tradeskill goodies

Fan Faire videos show off new EverQuest II tradeskill goodies originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall dev blog talks armor system updates, roles, and PvP viability

Jef Reahard — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Dev Diaries

The latest Darkfall dev blog update has an interesting new Q&A session dealing with the game's armor system (and ongoing attempts to balance it). Aventurine devs collected a sampling of related questions from users on the sandbox title's official forum, and Tasos Flambouras has a pretty lengthy list of answers that should be of interest to Agonian veterans and newbs alike.

Aventurine's goals for the upcoming revamp are threefold: more diversity in terms of the number of combat roles available to the player, a reduction of the time it takes to become viable in PvP, and retaining the ability for players to freely select, combine, and change roles at any time.

Flambouras also spends a bit of time explaining Aventurine's stance on Darkfall physics, particularly bunny-hopping. "It's a fun way of using physics," he says, "but we never intended for players on foot to be able to keep up with mounts." Head to the official Darkfall website to see the changes coming to Agon in the near future.

Darkfall dev blog talks armor system updates, roles, and PvP viability originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline

Matt Daniel — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Interviews, News items, Ultima Online

An Ultima Online developer Q&A was released today for all the undyingly loyal UO fans out there, and boy is it packed with information. Allow us a moment to take a deep breath and get a glass of water as we try to break it down for you.

In the Q&A, UO Producer Cal Crowner (Uriah) and Associate Producer Bonnie Armstrong (Mesanna) cover a ton of territory, including spring cleaning, bug fixes, the potential addition of rare titles, and... woodchucks. A few notable responses, though, involved new additions coming to Ter Mur, the upcoming new player experience update, and the oft-discussed classic shard.

Regarding the former two, the devs say that the tweaks to Ter Mur aren't finished just yet, with a new live event arc -- which will "encompass the history of Ter Mur" -- coming this June, while the new player experience is getting a huge revamp with the sweeping adjustment of many classic dungeons and the early play experience.

And lastly, but very certainly not least in terms of "how likely is this to raise a firestorm from the deepest and most depraved depths of Hades," is the discussion of a classic shard. The verdict? There won't be one... for now. The team says, "We hear you... and yes it would be great, but there are so many ifs that people can't agree on... that it would be a really bad pursuit right now with what we're doing." That's right, light your torches and pitchforks, classic UO-lovers, and riot on past the cut for the full video.

Continue reading Ultima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline

Ultima Online developer Q&A video covers... way too much for this headline originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 May 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Cryptic: Champions Online gets an April encore

Jef Reahard — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online

The first round of Ask Cryptic: Champions Online for the month of April was a bit on the short side, at least compared to its Star Trek Online counterpart. Happily, Champions producer Rob Overmeyer is back with a second segment that is quite a bit longer than its predecessor.

The encore covers a wide range of superhero-related questions from the free-to-play title's fans including the next power set revamp (telekinesis), feedback acknowledgment and pricing adjustments regarding the controversial costume slots, and some interesting bits about the last 10 levels of the game (as well as future level cap increases).

"In order to increase the level cap we need to update how itemization and rewards work post-40. This is something that we are actively discussing now. Revamping rewards is a huge task and there are no quick solutions," Overmeyer explains. There's a lot more interesting Champions info to be found in part two of this month's Ask Cryptic, so head to the official website and see for yourself.

Ask Cryptic: Champions Online gets an April encore originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: If you could ask a dev any question and get a straight answer, what would it be?

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST

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

Today, let's pretend like marketing, public relations, and corporate secrecy don't exist, shall we? And while we're dreaming up crazy scenarios, let's imagine that you got to sit down with an MMO developer of your choice and ask him or her one direct question. The catch? That dev would have to give you a direct, straight answer without any hedging, PR-speak, or "no comments."

What would that question be and to whom would you address it?

Would you want to know the top secret release date for The Old Republic or Guild Wars 2? Would you uncover the very real truth behind shady scandals of the past? Would you want to know what the devs say about players amongst each other? Or would you want to know their favorite pies?

Today you get one question. Today is your... destiny!

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: If you could ask a dev any question and get a straight answer, what would it be? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lock and load: Undead Labs talks guns

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Previews, News items, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous

If you're going to include zombies in your game, they're there to be shot. That's a simple fact of life, a fact that Undead Labs seems to be fully cognizant about. The company's most recent developer blog talked about firearms for its upcoming zombie outbreak games, and the topic proved so irresistible to potential players that a second question-and-answer session has been posted talking more about guns. Whether it's in the console version or the full-scale MMO, who doesn't want to be sure of the highest-caliber destruction one can wreak upon the undead?

The original developer blog talks in depth about trying to balance a realistic feeling with what players will expect from guns, but the follow-up goes into more detail. Gunfire and sounds will indeed attract zombies to players, but the team doesn't seem interested in burying players under mountains of different ammunition types. The guns in question will most likely not be licensed brands, although some licenses are being sought for some more iconic weapons. There also won't be a full spread of exotic firearms in the console game, Class 3, although the MMO version will likely have a wider variety. Take a look at the full set of answers for more details on the best part of zombie invasions -- sweet, sweet hails of bullets.

Lock and load: Undead Labs talks guns originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Hartsman answers RIFT player questions

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Endgame, News items, RIFT

RIFT's launch is getting ever closer, and that means more and more questions for players to start wondering about. Scott Hartsman recently took part in an interview responding to several player questions, ranging from guilds and dungeon grouping to the disruption the eponymous rifts can wreak upon a questing environment. As Hartsman puts it, the large-scale changes that can happen as a result of the dynamic spawns can shut down questing, but that's part of the goal, and it's tuned so that an empty zone will never be subjected to a cascading series of unbeatable enemy invasions.

While the game isn't set to have any sort of group-finding system in place on launch, Hartsman is of the mind that it's better to wait and launch an excellent tool than to simply put in a half-hearted attempt. He also expands on the varied high-end content available to players beyond simply raids as well as what players can expect for content releases down the line. While RIFT still has about half a month until release, the information already available is painting a fairly cohesive picture.

Scott Hartsman answers RIFT player questions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gods & Heroes lead designer and art team hosting live community chat

Jef Reahard — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items, Livestream, Miscellaneous

Normally, pre-release fan communities are overflowing with questions for a game's developers. Whether they're specifics on combat, crafting, or any of the traditional ingredients that make up our favorite genre, queries and concerns abound during the information void that usually accompanies an MMO's beta stages.

Gods & Heroes is looking to rectify this situation with a live Q&A event featuring the game's lead developer and members of the art team. Heatwave Interactive is hosting a USTREAM chat today at 6:00 p.m. CST, and the devs will be fielding live questions from the streaming audience as well as those submitted prior to the broadcast.

Get in on all the action by visiting the Gods & Heroes USTREAM channel, and don't forget to submit your questions ahead of time via the game's forum, Facebook, and Twitter pages to increase your chances of being heard.

Gods & Heroes lead designer and art team hosting live community chat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questionable freshness

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

We've been on a bit of a kick for new players lately, and that's not by coincidence. Sure, City of Heroes has a well-established playerbase by this point, but it's not like the game is exactly hostile to new players. And while I wanted to do another session of questions and answers, I wanted to wait until I had a good crop of questions that pertain to the newer crowd -- players less familiar with the game or with a given archetype, players who are interested in learning more but unable to find a cogent resource amidst scattered threads on the forums and one-off references in posts.

Let's face it, after nearly seven years, a lot of us don't need or want references to these things any longer. We don't need someone explaining to us about Enhancement Diversification or why someone other than the healer asks what you need for a wakie when you die. A newer player might have no idea about these things, though, and so we're mixing up the format a bit here. Let's get back to basics and look at some questions that might seem simple if you know the answer -- but don't tend to get answered if you don't.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questionable freshness

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questionable freshness originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall community Q&A follow-up offers more details

Jef Reahard — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Interviews, News items

Aventurine's Tasos Flamboras has donned his flame-retardant gear and ventured into the eternally blazing forest that is the Darkfall forums in an attempt to douse the fires raging after the publication of a lengthy Q&A session earlier this week. Put together by noted Darkfall blogger Paragus, the community-generated question list was initially answered by a three-man team that included Flambouras as well as developers Claus Grovdal and Kjetil Helland. Controversy erupted when community members balked at the perceived evasiveness of the answers.

"When we say that we're looking into something, or considering, or have plans for, it doesn't mean that we're being evasive or diplomatic in our answers. If that was our intention, we simply wouldn't answer. It means that we're trying to give you actual insight or confirmation on what we can't go into detail about," Flambouras says. He goes on to briefly outline Aventurine's information-revealing methodology before expounding on a few of the answers from the Q&A as well as new tidbits like armor dyes, significant improvements to crafting, a completely redesigned UI, and of course the prestige class system. "Prestige classes are the largest feature ever added to Darkfall and will definitely change the face of the game," Flambouras states.

Darkfall community Q&A follow-up offers more details originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details on Going Rogue from the latest City of Heroes Q&A session

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items

Although it took a bit of back-and-forth to get moving, the most recent batch of questions for the City of Heroes team has been answered, and with it comes several new pieces of information on the fast-approaching Going Rogue expansion. Some of the answers, naturally, are reasonably well-known facts, such as the fact that allegiances may be switched back and forth as often as a player wishes. But this is also the first time we've heard of a specific timetable, with the team estimating that casual players will be able to make the switch in about a week's worth of playtime.

Among the other new pieces of information are details on the content of both Kinetic Melee and Electric Control, with the former sporting a stacking buff via several powers and the latter set to feature a Sleep power that players might actually want. Even amidst the answers that players might already know, there are bits and pieces of gold, enough so that fans looking forward to the August 17th release date for Going Rogue would be well-served by reading through the whole set. It's looking to be a very interesting time to play City of Heroes, whatever side you choose to play on.

More details on Going Rogue from the latest City of Heroes Q&A session originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rescheduled developer question-and-answer contest for City of Heroes

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests, Events, real-world, Expansions, News items

You may recall that a couple of days ago we announced a rather tantalizing deal for City of Heroes players, involving both a chance to win a free gaming mouse and the opportunity to ask the developers your questions. Unfortunately, due to technical limitations, the session was postponed, as the team found the formspring service didn't quite have the capacity for what they were doing. We're happy to say that after a very short turnaround time, the session has been re-arranged and put back on the schedule.

Answers will still be forthcoming on the 30th of June, but participants will need to directly email the team their questions and all pertinent contest details, rather than using a third-party site. The official rules and regulations have been slightly changed as well, but what hasn't changed is that it's an excellent opportunity for City of Heroes players to get in touch with the developers and potentially get rewarded for it. If you're a fan of Paragon Studios, take a look at the rules and then figure out your best possible question.

Rescheduled developer question-and-answer contest for City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes hosting Razer-sponsored question-and-answer service [Updated]

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests, Expansions, Interviews, News items

[Update: We were just informed by NCsoft that this contest will unfortunately need to be postponed, due to some technical issues. Please ignore the dates posted here. We will let you know as soon as we hear something new.]

There's nothing quite as nice as getting rewarded for doing something you would have been inclined to do anyway. City of Heroes is offering players and fans a chance to do precisely that via an upcoming question-and-answer session. Not only do you get a chance to ask the developers whatever you want, but there's a chance for you to win a free Razer Naga mouse, which is designed specifically around MMO gaming. What could be better?

~~Mirroring the~~ ~~earlier formspring session~~ ~~from April, the~~ ~~City of Heroes~~ ~~team is opening up submissions for questions between June 21st and June 28th. The answers are coming on the 30th, with three lucky players winning a Naga mouse.~~ The full rules and regulations can be found on the official site, which includes language explaining that questions will only be answered regarding Going Rogue, the upcoming Super Booster, and the recent video documentary. Take a look at the official rules, and think of what you can ask the team about the upcoming content.

City of Heroes hosting Razer-sponsored question-and-answer service [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your Battle of the Immortals questions answered: Our developer chat with Clifton Chu

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, Battle of the Immortals

Didn't get to come to our developer chat last night with Clifton "Kantorek" Chu from Battle of the Immortals? Don't worry, as we've got you covered with this transcript of last night's question and answer session!

Clifton fielded many, many questions in one hour and 30 minutes, covering everything from BoI's player-killing system to future updates and new skills. We even got a behind-the-scenes sneak peak at the game's Westernization, covering some of the many changes Perfect World Entertainment made to the game in order to make it "fit" better for Western audiences.

So, without anymore time wasted, let's take a time warp back to last night, and see what questions you had to ask Clifton!

Continue reading Your Battle of the Immortals questions answered: Our developer chat with Clifton Chu

Your Battle of the Immortals questions answered: Our developer chat with Clifton Chu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Difficulty sliders and grind reduction due for Champions Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 17 May 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Champions Online

With additions like the melee review patch and the first adventure pack either out or coming on fast, the obvious question about Champions Online is also the simplest to ask: what now? The latest installment of Ask Cryptic certainly does answer the question; unfortunately, said response includes saying "no" to some things that players want. The addition of a base construction feature is a prime example and the biggest negative -- while it's acknowledged to be frequently requested, the development team apparently lacks the time to add it in a fashion that they find interesting.

On the other hand, there are features which almost any player can welcome, such as the difficulty slider seen in Star Trek Online, currently slated for release along with the first adventure pack. There's also a promise that the development team will look into grinding as being the most "rewarding" activity in the game via adjusting drop rates and overall rewards. In the somewhat more mixed news category, the team plans to do another review of powers after the adventure pack goes live, although they're not yet certain which sets and mechanics will be undergoing examination. Read the full list of questions and answers at the official Champions Online site.

Difficulty sliders and grind reduction due for Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reminder: City of Heroes developer chat today

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Interviews, News items

They've got an anniversary coming up, but no one can accuse the team over at Paragon Studios of resting on their laurels. The studio responsible for City of Heroes is hard at work on the next major content update, several anniversary celebrations, and they're still stopping to reach out to their fans.

In not very much time at all, it will be time for a live chat with the development team of City of Heroes via their forumspring.me page. A few fans submitted questions to us, and we passed along three of them to the development team -- but that doesn't mean that there's no chance of getting other questions to reach their ears.

So hurry on over to the City of Heroes question submission page, fire off the best question you can think of (after enabling JavaScript if you've got it turned off), and keep your eyes peeled for all of the answers. With Melissa Bianco, Matt Miller, Jesse Caceres, and David Nakayama all fielding the questions, there's sure to be some interesting information to be had.

Reminder: City of Heroes developer chat today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Answers (and disclaimers)

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Expansions, Game mechanics, Leveling, Endgame, Grouping, Opinion, The Mog Log

In this edition of the Mog Log, every question you have ever had will be answered completely accurately. (Disclaimer: these questions must pertain to either Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV. And they must have been asked via e-mail or comments. And it must be noted that "I don't know" is an accurate answer to a question. Also, this aside is now longer then the introductory sentence.) Aren't you excited as possible? I know I am.

We'll start off with a question from Dormer:
"Why aren't we getting more information from the beta?"

We're not sure, but we can certainly speculate. The most logical reason is that the testing is closer to an alpha than anything and they're not letting people in that they can't trust implicitly. Square-Enix has a pretty good track record at keeping things quiet when they want to, and they're likely making sure that nothing leaks out from this phase. How much of an NDA further phases of Final Fantasy XIV's testing will have is a mystery. But there's another reason for the possible dearth of information. (Which we've intentionally put behind the cut to inspire you to keep reading.)

Continue reading The Mog Log: Answers (and disclaimers)

The Mog Log: Answers (and disclaimers) originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall offers up community Q&A session

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Interviews, Previews, Professions, PvP

Darkfall has pegged itself from the beginning as a niche title, focusing on a brand of open PvP that doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. And it's certainly handled that title with aplomb, earning our staff pick for best PvP in a 2009 MMO. But one of the most important aspects of its existence as a niche game is a strong sense of community among the players, a goal that Aventurine has been meeting more than adequately. Tasos Flambouras, Claus Grovdal and Kjetil Helland recently took part in a question-and-answer session, with the results just posted for all of the game's players to see and enjoy.

Summarizing the breadth of the questions and details released is difficult at best. The game's third large content update, preliminarily named "Darkfall 2010," is discussed in depth, and it promises a variety of changes and improvements. Aside from graphical improvements such as DirectX 11 support, it promises to add a variety of new crafting items and an armor dye system. The developers are also keeping a close watch on PvP hotspots and balance, as well as promising to expand the game's specializations and diversify player skills. Read through the full Q&A for a great deal of information about what's promised and coming soon.

[ Thanks to Paragus for the tip! ]

Darkfall offers up community Q&A session originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer Online's developers reach into the grab bag

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Patches, Warhammer Online

Warhammer Online has been making some big changes with their upcoming patch 1.3.2, which naturally leads to a number of player questions about the finer points of interaction between the changes and the present game state. The developers have sat down for another question grab bag, this one focusing heavily on the changes and how they'll impact both items and abilities, as well as the ongoing issues of class balance.

Unfortunately, a number of answers to rather pressing questions (such as whether or not RvR weapons that match the PvE equivalent-tier weapon will be introduced) is the age-old developer mantra of "we're talking about it, but we have no firm details." Still, there's some useful information for those curious about how the removal of Forts will affect the game and obtaining high-end equipment, some information regarding stacking and tuning abilities, and a few interesting tips regarding communication and transport between players. If you're hungry for more information regarding the latest and greatest changes coming to Warhammer Online, you can take a look at the full grab bag on the official site.

Warhammer Online's developers reach into the grab bag originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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