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[The Perfect Ten: Clever ideas]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/the-perfect-ten-clever-ideas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/the-perfect-ten-clever-ideas/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/the-perfect-ten-clever-ideas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Ten
I'm a sucker for a good, clever idea. You know the type: the ideas that make you slap yourself on the forehead and shout, "Why didn't I think of that first?" Or for the less humble of us out there, "Why, I did think of that first! But I got lost on the way to the patent office and I'm pretty sure that someone stole my dream journal to pilfer my genius notions!"

While critics point their fingers at the MMO industry and proclaim it a barren wasteland of innovation, there are quite a few awesome -- if small -- ideas that bubble up in MMO and move the genre forward. Maybe they're teeny-tiny baby steps; maybe they're giant hopscotch leaps over the six-spot with the rock in the middle. But these ideas can and have had the power to change how these games are made and played.

So this week I'm saluting 10 clever ideas, both large and diminutive, as a reward for a job well done!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Clever ideas

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Clever ideas originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aoe-lootaoe-lootingarea-of-effect-lootingcity-of-heroesclever-ideascohdiplomacydiplomacy-systemdoffdoodlingdungeon-finderduty-officer-systementertainereveeve-onlineexamplarexemplaringfeaturedglitchguild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw2listlistsminimapoverflow-serverperfect-10perfect-tenriftsidekicksidekick-systemsidekickingstar-trek-onlinestar-wars-galaxiesstar-wars-the-old-republicstoswgswtorterathe-perfect-10the-perfect-tentome-of-knowledgevanguardwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 23 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Betray your mates with Age of Wushu's boss sidekick system]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/10/betray-your-mates-with-age-of-wushus-boss-sidekick-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/10/betray-your-mates-with-age-of-wushus-boss-sidekick-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/10/betray-your-mates-with-age-of-wushus-boss-sidekick-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Age of Wushu - boss sidekicks
How does becoming a boss mob in your favorite MMORPG sound? It certainly raised our eyebrows, and Snail Games' new Age of Wushu (also known as Age of Wulin in Europe and its native China) is apparently going to allow you to do just that.

MMO Culture has the details, and the new boss sidekick system basically involves random boss mobs that ask players for help. If a player agrees, he will spawn next to the boss mob, essentially becoming one of its minions for an upcoming fight. The source article notes that Age of Wushu lacks grandiose fantasy elements, so the boss (and you as its minion) will still be human as opposed to a variation on the gargantuan crab/dragon/spider creature you may be expecting.

Another point of note is that the minion player will temporarily relinquish control of his character, and the avatar will fight alongside the boss AI against player characters (and it will provide substantial rewards if the human party is defeated). Finally, MMO Culture says that player decisions relative to the boss sidekick system will affect the world storyline for every player on a given server. We don't know how just yet, but we'll certainly keep our eyes on this curious new mechanic.

MassivelyBetray your mates with Age of Wushu's boss sidekick system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-wulinage-of-wushuboss-sidekickf2pfantasyfree-to-playgame-mechanicsmartial-artspvesandboxsidekicksnail-gameswulinTue, 10 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Should more MMOs implement sidekicking?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/20/the-daily-grind-should-more-mmos-implement-sidekicking/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/20/the-daily-grind-should-more-mmos-implement-sidekicking/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/20/the-daily-grind-should-more-mmos-implement-sidekicking/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

City of Heroes
Back when Ultima Online was young, gamers didn't have to think about things like levels or content walls. Regardless of our skills or how long we'd been playing, we just joined up with our guildmates and went dungeoning. Throw enough people at a lich lord or a demon and that sucker's going down! But with the rise of level-based themepark games, the gap between time-rich and time-poor players has widened -- you aren't going to accomplish much if you're level 15 and your friends are all 50 and knee-deep in the endgame.

To help alleviate that problem, games like City of Heroes and EverQuest II pioneered "sidekicking" and "mentoring" systems, which allow highbies to partner up with lowbies, effectively boosting the noobies' levels and enabling their access to high-end content. Other games shun such systems, perhaps because they're difficult to balance and allow players to (at least temporarily) skip grindy level-based content that's meant to slow them down and keep them paying. What do you think -- should more MMOs implement sidekicking systems?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Should more MMOs implement sidekicking? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It is fun, I've decided, to overthink things in life. This is especially relevant in MMOs, where we've long since taken absolutely bizarre staples as the accepted status quo. Sure, it's all polite fiction that allows developers to merge necessary game mechanics with a veneer of credibility, but many elements of MMOs simply fall apart when put under the microscope.

Case in point, the NPC. Is there a figure in online games that more symbolizes the thin barrier between the server database and user playerbase than the non-player character? NPCs exist to fill the world with warm bodies so that places don't feel empty, yet they also exhibit no more life than a mannequin with a tape recorder strapped to its back. These cardboard cutouts of the MMO scene are either reanimated corpses struggling to remember basic quest-giving instructions, or else they're prisoners of a foul witch who has struck the entire land with a paralyzing spell.

So even though it's 2011 and you'd think that NPCs would be showing us more signs of life than swiveling slightly when we approach, I'm happy to jump in and offer my opinion as to the secret life of these figures. What makes them tick? What do they get out of helping -- and prodding -- us into action? Why don't they ever sleep or use the bathroom? Just who are these people we encounter and dismiss every day?

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: The secret lives of NPCs

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: The secret lives of NPCs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barbartenderfeaturedlovemannequinnon-player-charactersnpcnpcsperfect-10perfect-tenretiredretirementsidekicktavernteacherthe-perfect-tentop-10top-tentop-ten-listtrainerturgoth-the-destructorvendorThu, 10 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[STO's Season One: Update Two soft lands today]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/stos-season-one-update-two-soft-lands-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/stos-season-one-update-two-soft-lands-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/03/stos-season-one-update-two-soft-lands-today/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Star Trek Online players are in for a treat today as Cryptic's next content patch hits the servers. Titled in such a way that we think they're going to count to 10 eventually, Season One: Update Two (Mark Three, Variant Four, Version Five) comes bundled with a number of new features and quality of life improvements for all to enjoy.

The premiere features of this patch are the new Accolade and Squad Support systems. Accolades are your basic MMO achievements with a Star Trek veneer, although if you collect enough of them, you can earn real benefits for your character (such as passive resistances) in addition to titles. All we can say is that if there isn't an accolade for the number of "Picard Maneuvers" you've done, then Cryptic needs to get on that and make it so.

Squad Support is a new version of Cryptic's famous Sidekick system from City of Heroes. It paves the way for friends of varying levels to group together for missions and fleet actions by temporarily raising or lowering the rank of the group to match the squad leader's.

Season One: Update Two contains several other additions, so head over to STO's site and check them out!

MassivelySTO's Season One: Update Two soft lands today originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accoladescity-of-heroescohcrypticmake-it-sopicard-maneuvers1u2season-one-update-twosidekicksquad-supportstar-trek-onlinestotwo-two-updates-ah-ah-ahThu, 03 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WAR producer's letter details major 1.3.1 changes and lays out plan for near future]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/18/war-producers-details-major-1-3-1-changes-and-lays-out-plan-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/18/war-producers-details-major-1-3-1-changes-and-lays-out-plan-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/18/war-producers-details-major-1-3-1-changes-and-lays-out-plan-for/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The newest Warhammer Online producer's letter starts off by detailing all the major changes coming with patch 1.3.1, including revamped city siege, open RvR enhancements, and social improvements. Basically, it's a lot of stuff we've heard about already. However, things get really interesting when Jeff Skalski starts talking about what is on the horizon for patch 1.3.2. There are some gems.

It sounds like Mythic is planning on uncoupling the fortresses from zone capture. This is a major RvR campaign design shift but the details are pretty vague at this stage. They will also be reworking the earlier tiers of the game in an effort to retain newbies and make alting more pleasurable. This could work quite nicely with the sidekick/buddy system they are working on as well. Finally, they're continuing to tweak crowd control and hint at a potential new Live Event tied to the "Daemon Moon." Maybe it will involve the Khorne Daemon Prince in the image above.

MassivelyWAR producer's letter details major 1.3.1 changes and lays out plan for near future originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buddy-systemcity-siegecrowd-ontroldaemonfortress-siegejeff-skalskikhornemythic-entertainmentRvRsidekickwarwar-patch-1.3.1war-patch-1.3.2warhammer-onlineTue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cryptic's Bill Roper on balancing powers in Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/cryptics-bill-roper-on-balancing-powers-in-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


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

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

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

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

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It's been a couple of months since we last checked in on Rohan: Blood Feud, and it was doing pretty well back then. The latest big news from YNK Interactive's free-to-play MMO is a decent-sized patch that was released last week, which featured a brand new dungeon called the Fire Temple Garden, among other things. The Fire Temple Garden is intended to be a pretty dangerous area for level 80s, and has four separate sections within: Kasa's Tower, The Blazing Temple, The Ring of Flames, and the Lamp of Flames. Starting to pick the common theme here? The selection of screenshots that came with the dungeon's announcement confirm that there will be some firey foes to contend with.

16 new quests were added to the game in the patch, and all of these are found in the new dungeon. A system to fuse Option Stones was also introduced, allowing players to fuse multiple stones of the same grade to form a better one. The other main update is a new sidekick called Molly that can be purchased from the Item Mall. Molly can be used to heal your character every two minutes, and she can be leveled up a bit to increase her healing powers. If you haven't tried Rohan yet, you can do so by downloading the client and making an account at the official site.

MassivelyRohan: Blood Feud gets new dungeon and more in latest patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among the legions of fortunate Warhammer Online fans that have played through beta and the preview weekend is Syp from the Waaagh! blog. He's always entertaining and it's clear he's passionate about Warhammer Online. So when he writes about features in other MMOs that he'd like to see in WAR, you know he's not bashing a game that's not even out of the gate yet. Rather, he's genuinely looking at ways the game could be better.

Syp puts forth his ideal WAR feature set, which includes capturable and trainable pets similar to World of Warcraft's system and the player-created content and sidekicks of City of Heroes. Syp would also like to see WAR include an in-game music player like EVE Online, and other features drawn from Everquest 2 and Lord of the Rings Online. Have a look at the Waaagh! "10 features" post and see if you agree with him on what could make Warhammer Online a better title.
Warhammer Online Coverage Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

MassivelyMMO features that haven't made it into Warhammer Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescity-of-heroesdungeondungeonseveeve-onlineeverquest-2fantasyfeaturesgame-featureslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromusicmusic-playermythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftopinionpetsplayer-createdplayer-created-contentsidekicksidekickssoesonysony-online-entertainmentsypturbinewaaaghwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftWed, 03 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gonna try with a little help from my friends...]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/gonna-try-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/gonna-try-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/28/gonna-try-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

As much as players and designers have lauded the Massively Multiplayer genre for being the social future of gaming, allowing players from disparate geographic and sociological backgrounds to come together in a virtual space to accomplish goals together, they're often still very anti-social experiences. As Van Hemlock explored in a blog post recently, the City of Heroes series is really one of the few games out there that let players of disparate levels play together in a meaningful experience.

In some ways, its strange that more games don't offer the same kind of Sidekick/Exemplar system, where players can have their attributes raised or lowered to an appropriate level to be able to play with friend. As Van Hemlock discusses, part of it has to do with the way the CoX battle systems work. By working with relative percentages instead of absolute values, it's easier to tweak content difficulty by level. But some of it also just seems like willful disregard for how much more difficult keeping up in-game friendships is when you level at different rates. In any case, we were delighted to see that Age of Conan has its own sort of apprentice system already in place, and we hope it becomes the trend in the future.

MassivelyGonna try with a little help from my friends... originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanapprenticecity-of-heroescoxexemplarfriendsfriendshipsidekicksocialWed, 28 May 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Player vs. Everything: Frustrated by levels]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/player-vs-everything-frustrated-by-levels/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/player-vs-everything-frustrated-by-levels/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/player-vs-everything-frustrated-by-levels/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I was reading through my usual round-up of blogs and news items this morning when I found an interesting post by Van Hemlock on the topic of levels in MMORPGs. More specifically, it was about how levels in games keep players from playing with each other. He discusses how ever since he started gaming in 1999, being a different level than the people he wants to play with has kept him from playing with them. Whether you're too high for the content to be challenging or too low to be effective, playing with your friends at different levels just never seems to work very well.

Van Hemlock makes an excellent point, and it's a problem in almost every single MMOG out there with two notable exceptions: EverQuest 2 and City of Heroes/Villains. Both of these games recognize the problem and attempt to circumvent it, but they do it in very different ways. In City of Heroes, you can move either up or down in level so that you can see high level content at low levels or go back and do low level content as a high level player and still advance. In EverQuest 2, it's strictly one-way. You can bring yourself down to your friend's level and adventure with them for alternate advancement experience. Is this really as big of a problem as people make it out to be, and if it is, why don't more games have systems like these?

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: Frustrated by levels

MassivelyPlayer vs. Everything: Frustrated by levels originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 May 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when you thought you couldn't get any sicker of news surrounding the 2.4 patch for World of Warcraft, here we are again with another edition of Ask Massively. Here at Ask Massively, we like to consider ourselves the "Anti-Trendy" crowd, not because we all shop at Hot Topic or put bumper stickers that preach non-conformity on our SUV's (Mass produced non-conformity? I digress...), but because we like to take stories that have been beaten to death and take a look at them from a slightly more skewed perspective.

This week's inspiration comes from a young lady named Tara.

Dear Massively Massive Guy,

I've been playing World of Warcraft for quite some time, but I wonder what other games do that WoW doesn't. What games offer features that may someday be implemented by Blizzard? Surely, Blizzard doesn't innovate everything that is popular in MMORPGs.

Curiously Yours,

Tara

If you would like to be immortalized in electronic print, send us a question via our tipline, or by email at ask AT Massively DOT com. To the nice Nigerian gentleman who wants to enter into a business arrangement, the check is in the mail. For more on this topic, feel free to read on after the jump.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Now that World of Warcraft is perfect...

MassivelyAsk Massively: Now that World of Warcraft is perfect... originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conancity-of-heroescombateconomyeve-onlinefeaturedlord-of-the-rings-onlinepirates-pf-the-burning-seasidekickworld-of-warcraftFri, 28 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EST