Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Final Fantasy XIV adding market and player search improvements]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/08/final-fantasy-xiv-adding-market-and-player-search-improvements/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/08/final-fantasy-xiv-adding-market-and-player-search-improvements/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/08/final-fantasy-xiv-adding-market-and-player-search-improvements/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Merlwyb, of course, can always find a party anyhow.
As the release of Final Fantasy XIV's next major patch approaches, more previews continue to go up for the various improvements it will bring. Two of the major promised features are the improvements to both the market wards and the introduction of a proper player search feature, both of which have been posted to the official site. The market wards will now include several pieces of functionality similar to the Final Fantasy XI auction house, including transaction histories and the option to buy direct from the search screen.

The player search feature, meanwhile, will allow players to flag themselves as looking for a party, indicating preferred classes and activities. Searchers will be able to sort results by a variety of criteria to help identify potential teammates. It should make assembling groups for larger content much simpler than it currently is, which should in turn encourage the community to take part in more challenging content. Neither system might seem like a revolution, but there's no doubt that both improvements will have a definite impact.

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV adding market and player search improvements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction-houseffff14ffxivffxiv-patch-1.20final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivmarket-wardsnewspatchpatchesplayer-searchsearchsquaresquare-enixupcoming-patchesThu, 08 Dec 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[CCP expands EVE's asset search functionality]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/ccp-expands-eves-asset-search-functionality/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/ccp-expands-eves-asset-search-functionality/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/ccp-expands-eves-asset-search-functionality/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

EVE Online - asset search update
If EVE Online is truly spreadsheets in space as some of its detractors (and even fans) have surmised, thus far it's been a spreadsheet with fairly limited search capabilities. Now thanks to the efforts of CCP developers, finding your random crap spread across the cosmos in various New Eden station storage facilities just got a lot easier.

The latest EVE Online dev blog has the details on the asset search functionality updates, and they include new keyword searches and a complete listing of keyword values. "There [is] definitely more we can do with this in the future but we started this rather late and [we] didn't want to add lots of broken functionality, but rather a few simple options that work and cover the basics and a bit more," the dev blog explains.

MassivelyCCP expands EVE's asset search functionality originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asset-searchccpccp-gamescrucibledev-blogseveeve-crucibleeve-onlinekeywordsnew-edensandboxsci-fisearchsearch-functionThu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Final Fantasy XIV brings in the item search with the last update of the year]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-in-the-item-search-with-the-last-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-in-the-item-search-with-the-last-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/final-fantasy-xiv-brings-in-the-item-search-with-the-last-update/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Final Fantasy XIV has boasted a robust crafting system since launch, but the system designed to help players sell their goods has been somewhat less robust. After several passes of revisions and improvements, the game has received a feature that was both much-requested and promised -- a search function for the market wards. That's the bulk of the game's newest patch, along with a slew of bug fixes, but the search itself merits extra explanation as offered in the patch notes.

Rather than simply having players type in an item, the search function requires players to select a ward, then one of the item categories properly sold within that ward. The full list of items for sale will be displayed, with players able to select a given item and have the retainers therein marked as vendors for the sought item. There are a few more wrinkles as explained in the patch notes, but on a whole it should make searching for something specific far simpler for Final Fantasy XIV players -- and that's nothing but a good thing.

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV brings in the item search with the last update of the year originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ffff14ffxivffxiv-december-updatefinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivitem-searchmarket-wardspatchpatchessearchsearch-functionsquaresquare-enixupdatesTue, 21 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life search upgrades in late January]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/08/second-life-search-upgrades-in-late-january/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/08/second-life-search-upgrades-in-late-january/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/08/second-life-search-upgrades-in-late-january/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's always enlightening to hear from Frank Ambrose at Linden Lab. His posts about Second Life architecture, when they appear, are generally packed with information about upcoming plans, pending architecture changes and more. Clear, to the point and generally very few signs of spin (although a bit of distressing a tendency to type 'LAG' in all-caps). Overall, it's what we like to see more of.

In a similar vein, there's a notice from Liana Linden about some late-January upgrades to the Google appliances that handle much of Second Life's search infrastructure. There's a few additional benefits in the wings there, to be sure, and well laid-out.

Continue reading Second Life search upgrades in late January

MassivelySecond Life search upgrades in late January originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fj-lindenfrank-ambrosegooglegsaliana-lindenlinden-labopinionpatchessearchsecond-lifevirtual-worldsFri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/anti-aliased-the-reason-why-you-hate-second-life-and-a-few-ways/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Second Life gets a really bad rap from the MMO community that's largely undeserved. I get to hear all of these slams like it's a usless waste of data, there's nothing to do, it's a bunch of sex sims, and how I should work on my "first life" before my Second Life. Har, har, har.

But, like I said at the opening of this column, Second Life doesn't deserve those punches to the gut. The world of SL is pretty vast and has much to offer any gamer, regardless of what they like. It's important to remember that this system is not a game. It has no objectives and no overt goals, but it does have an unlimited supply of imagination and creative possibilities. It's not a place of "serious business," because something that's fun shouldn't be taken quite that harshly. Sure, you can make money, but you guys want to have fun, right?

So let's talk about Second Life, the reason the masses hate the system, and how you can find something enjoyable inside of "the grid" even if you've tried it before and got some negative first impressions.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedchatclubsfeaturedfungridgroupshaving-funjoystiqfeatureslightsabersnew-citizens-incorporatednova-albionroleplayingsearchsecond-lifesltips-and-tricksvirtual-worldsThu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Nicholaz editions for Second Life in "U" versions on all platforms]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/nicholaz-editions-for-second-life-in-u-versions-on-all-platfor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/nicholaz-editions-for-second-life-in-u-versions-on-all-platfor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/nicholaz-editions-for-second-life-in-u-versions-on-all-platfor/#commentsFiled under: ,

Bleeding Edge UI
Nicholaz Beresford, Barney Boomslang and Balp, between them, have released a U version of the Nicholaz Bleeding Edge Second Life client for windows, mac and linux.

All three of them add that this is an update that is very much optional, but seems to be quite stable. As with all other versions of the Bleeding Edge client the friends and IM windows are separated once again (pre-Chatterbox style). This particular version also adds the new search functionality. I have to say I have switched over, and having been initially a little cautious about it, I recently deleted my old versions of the client. I get stable, good performance, an UI I prefer and the new search all at once.

For those curious about the T-edition: it wasn't stable, although it is available for windows and mac if you insist.

MassivelyNicholaz editions for Second Life in "U" versions on all platforms originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BalpBarney-BoomslangBleeding-EdgechatterboxClient-patchNicholaz-BeresfordsearchSecond-LifeTue, 11 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO Lorebook features guide on using the Advanced Search function]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/09/lotro-lorebook-features-guide-on-using-the-advanced-search-funct/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/09/lotro-lorebook-features-guide-on-using-the-advanced-search-funct/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/09/lotro-lorebook-features-guide-on-using-the-advanced-search-funct/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


There is a feature guide at Lord of the Rings Online's Lorebook on using the advanced search function to peruse the wealth of information available there. You might ask yourself, why do I need a guide on running a search? Well the truth is, you probably don't -- the sign of a good search is its simplicity of use.

The benefit of the guide is in letting people know that the advanced search exists. It is a recently implemented feature, and with more information being added to the lorebook on a regular basis, it certainly comes in handy. The categories you can search in are Weapons, Armor, Quests, Deeds, Traits, NPCs, and Recipes. Following this, you can narrow your search down some more with other options that are based on the category. The pictured example shows an advanced search for Recipes, Tier 2, and Scholar.

Although the lorebook is incomplete, the advanced search is a useful addition to the site, and you can give it a spin here.

MassivelyLotRO Lorebook features guide on using the Advanced Search function originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advanced-searchcategoryguidehow-tolorebooklotrosearchturbineSun, 09 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building a better Search tool in Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/building-a-better-search-tool-in-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/building-a-better-search-tool-in-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/07/building-a-better-search-tool-in-second-life/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Finding the right thing right away is of huge importance in Second Life, as it is for the online experience in general. Residents have been stuck with a sometimes-useful Search tool for what feels like forever. According to this article, that might change soon.

One of the problems with past Search results is that they've been shown by alphabetical ranking, or by amount of traffic received. This new tool will generate results based on relevance, the way Google works. In fact, this new Search will be based on a Google product.

The caveat, however, is that for these results to be at all relevant, objects must be tagged with appropriate information. While this will initially be a pain, given the tens of thousands of objects available in SL, it will allow residents to decide for themselves the level of privacy they'd like to inhabit. Once this goes live, you can bet enterprising coders grid-wide will work on providing tools to manage this new step in SL's growth.

(Via technologyreview)

MassivelyBuilding a better Search tool in Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>googlemassivelysearchsecond-lifetechnology-reviewWed, 07 Nov 2007 08:30:00 EST