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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Enter at Your Own Rift: Getting a head start]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/launches/" rel="tag">Launches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/rift/" rel="tag">RIFT</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/enter-at-your-own-rift/" rel="tag">Enter at Your Own Rift</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://www.riftgame.com"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/rift1.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
Dateline: Thursday, February 24th, 12:55 p.m. EST. After having rushed home from work (huzzah for a half-day), I was frantically putting the kids to bed for an afternoon nap and patching up my <a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/"><em>RIFT</em></a> client. Twitter was abuzz with gamers sitting at the starting gate and revving their mice. It was here. After seven betas, it was here, and we would be the first in the door.<br />
<br />
12:59 p.m. EST. Began checking the server status list, trying to will the dull grey names to light up as they signified activity.<br />
<br />
1:00 p.m. EST. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/scott-hartsman/">Scott Hartsman</a> posts a short message on Twitter: <em>"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to </em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/rift/">RIFT</a><em>."</em><br />
<br />
Right on cue, the servers came up, and what felt like the entire population of Oregon tried to cram into the game all at once. By 1:01 p.m., when I logged in, my chosen server of Faeblight was already full and had 461 people in the queue. I was 462. It would be another 45 minutes until I was able to play the game proper.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Enter at Your Own Rift: Getting a head start</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/">Enter at Your Own Rift: Getting a head start</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19863184/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/enter-at-your-own-rift-getting-a-head-start/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>abigale</category><category>basketball</category><category>featured</category><category>football</category><category>head-start</category><category>holy-grail</category><category>lars-buttler</category><category>launch</category><category>pick-up-games</category><category>realms</category><category>rift</category><category>rift-planes-of-telara</category><category>scott-hartsman</category><category>servers</category><category>shards</category><category>soccer</category><category>social</category><category>social-experience</category><category>social-game</category><category>social-gaming</category><category>trion</category><category>trion-worlds</category><category>turtle</category><category>turtle-mount</category><category>turtle-power</category><category>twitter</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The evolution of classes]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/classes/" rel="tag">Classes</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26578/Analysis_The_Evolution_Of_The_Class_System_In_Games.php"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/classesevo.jpg"  alt="" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">Classes are one of those central components of our MMOs.  From the early days of <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/"><em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em></a> to the use of class based systems in MUDs, we've been relying on the concept of characters with unique sets of skills working together to get the job done.<br />
<br />
<span class="newsAuth">Andrew Vanden Bossche over at Gamasutra has recently sat down and <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26578/Analysis_The_Evolution_Of_The_Class_System_In_Games.php">looked at everyone's favorite FPS</a>, <a href="http://teamfortress.com/"><em>Team Fortress 2</em></a>, to analyze how classes have gone beyond their original roleplaying roots.  While the article isn't exactly MMO-focused, it certainly does have bearing on our genre as we too begin to branch out away from the sword-and-board fantasy and into FPS territory with games like <a href="http://www.globalagendagame.com"><em>Global Agenda</em></a> and <a href="http://www.darkfallonline.com"><em>Darkfall</em></a>.<br />
<br />
So if you want to see how experience and bullets go together while making gameplay more social and fun, check out <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26578/Analysis_The_Evolution_Of_The_Class_System_In_Games.php">the full article</a> at Gamasutra.<br />
</span></div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/">The evolution of classes</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26578/Analysis_The_Evolution_Of_The_Class_System_In_Games.php>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19297413/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-evolution-of-classes/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>analysis</category><category>classes</category><category>darkfall</category><category>dungeons-and-dragons</category><category>evolution</category><category>gamasutra</category><category>global-agenda</category><category>social-experience</category><category>team-fortress-2</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Earthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/crafting/" rel="tag">Crafting</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/politics/" rel="tag">Politics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/earthrise/" rel="tag">Earthrise</a></p><a href="http://www.onlinewelten.com/games/articles/interviews/4408-earthrise-interview-game-designer/4/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/09/apostolapostolovimage225.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />One of the independent MMOs in the works that interests Massively is <a href="http://www.play-earthrise.com"><em>Earthrise</em></a>, being developed by <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/masthead-studios">Masthead Studios</a> in Bulgaria. We came across an <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/earthrise"><em>Earthrise</em></a> interview at <a href="http://www.onlinewelten.com">OnlineWelten</a> by Anja Gellesch, originally in German but translated into English. Masthead's Lead Game Designer <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/apostol-apostolov">Apostol Apostolov</a> gives a well-worded introduction to the premise of the game and its "<em>post-post-apocalyptic</em>" setting, but there's plenty of details to be found in the interview as well. <br /><br />He discusses player choice in the game, how some will opt to join a faction while other players remain neutral in the struggle between the technocratic elite <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/continoma">Continoma</a>, and the shadowy resistance movement <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/noir">Noir</a>. Apostolov also mentions that there are 20 different zones spread across the game's island setting of Enterra.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Earthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/">Earthrise lead game designer on core concepts and game mechanics</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.onlinewelten.com/games/articles/interviews/4408-earthrise-interview-game-designer/4/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19147479/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/03/earthrise-lead-game-designer-on-core-concepts-and-game-mechanics/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>anja-gellesch</category><category>apostol-apostolov</category><category>concession-grounds</category><category>continoma</category><category>crafting</category><category>earthrise</category><category>economy</category><category>enterra</category><category>game-mechanics</category><category>guild-vs-guild</category><category>interviews</category><category>masthead-studios</category><category>noir</category><category>offline-advancement</category><category>onlinewelten</category><category>post-apocalyptic</category><category>pvp</category><category>resources</category><category>sci-fi</category><category>social-experience</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Egan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
