Massively

First Impressions: UFO Online

Beau Hindman — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Bugs, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, First Impressions

I've written about UFO Online before. It should be obvious how much I am looking forward to this new browser-based, turn-based strategy combat game. When I got to sit down with representatives from publisher gamigo at E3 earlier this year, I felt that familiar old feeling that I used to get when shopping for tabletop gaming miniatures. There's something about controlling a squad of little dudes with guns, something that seems to resonate with my generation.

Well, the board game has gone digital, and now we do not have to drive for miles and miles to get to the closest gaming shop and wade through six feet of nerddom just to hope that we aren't teamed up with players who really give the hobby a stereotypical bad name. Now we can digitally join up with fellow game geeks and have it out across worlds that fit in our browser.

I was able to take a bit of a tour through UFO Online over the last week. So what did I find? Click past the cut and I'll let you know.

Continue reading First Impressions: UFO Online

First Impressions: UFO Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Video, Interviews, Previews, News items, World of Darkness, Miscellaneous

There are a lot of gamers pretty interested in World of Darkness, and it's not hard to see why. The game is based in lore that's still hugely influential in the arena of tabletop gaming, and it's hard to imagine a developer better suited to labyrinthine political dramas than CCP. Machinima.com had a chance to chat with Chris McDonough during the recent Grand Masquerade, where McDonough revealed a few more tidbits about what the game would incorporate and how it would cater to existing fans of the property.

As McDonough puts it, the overall goal is to bring some of the feel of the game's many LARP activities into the MMO space, with the focus on player and character interplay in a sandbox environment. The full interview also discusses the spread of the overall property, why the team decided to focus on vampires initially, and more about what players can expect from the game world. View the full interview after the break.

[Thanks to Pilgrim for the tip!]

Continue reading Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness

Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

WAR40K throws down the gauntlet

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, Warhammer 40k

Other MMOs are predictable, lazy and lack the real "feel" of combat -- or so says Vigil Games' founder Dave Adams. In a recent PC Gamer article, Adams and Creative Director Mike Maza share their vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online -- and it's all about bucking the industry standard.

Adams had a few strong words for Vigil's competition: "A lot of developers see that as an opportunity to cut that corner because there's so much to do on an MMO. They think people care about X, Y and Z. They don't really care about the feeling of the combat... Our goal is when some guy's walking past DMO they won't instantly know it's an MMO. That depends on a minimal interface: it's not a full FPS but it looks more 'actiony'."

The devs confirmed that there would be a wide range of combat features in this action-based title, including fierce melee brawls, intense ranged firefights -- and no action bar icons of which to speak. The team is working hard to recreate the tabletop's iconic world into a virtual one, designing guns (stubber and bolter firearms) and player-controlled vehicles (Titan mechs and Predator tanks) to look deadly, used and WAR40Kish.

The game will kick players into the fight almost immediately. "There's scenarios that introduce you to your character class. We'll throw you into your very first instance, to get a feel for a very player directed experience. Then you'll go to your trainers and merchants, then drop down onto the over-world from orbit," Maza said.

You can read the full article at PC Gamer.

WAR40K throws down the gauntlet originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tabletop veterans to lead the MMO persistence revolution

Shawn Schuster — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry

What do you get when you combine $20 million in venture capital, two giants in the tabletop gaming industry and a World of Warcraft veteran-founded MMO development company? A pretty good chance at a successful MMO, that's what. However, in addition to that you need an innovative idea, and you need a successful execution of that idea. Red 5 Studios' Ed Stark and Dave Williams might just have that idea with their recent yet-to-be-named MMO project. They recognize that the two major ingredients in any MMO are community and persistence, so they're banking on improving those concepts.

"Right now for most of these games, when the player saves the princess and he starts walking away from the tower - if he looks back he's going to see the princess at the top of the tower again," says Dave Williams. Their ideas revolve around expanding upon the sandbox concept and allowing players to affect and change the world around them, not just play in it. We'll certainly be keeping our eyes on Red 5 Studios for more on this exciting project.

Tabletop veterans to lead the MMO persistence revolution originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Are you a worshipper of Tzeentch?

Chris Chester — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, New titles, Warhammer Online

One of the delightful things about the development of Warhammer Online is that it has breathed life into a tabletop game that, for many, was an every-present fantasy standby as they grew up. While few people we know of were actually rich and/or talented enough to put together that 2000 point painted and converted army that is the stuff of dreams, just about everybody could inhale the lore in the army books and fancy the day when they could.

Cicadymn over at The Greenskin is doing his part to get everybody back into a Warhammery mood with a recent blog post about the chaos god Tzeentch--pronounced "Zeench" for those who tend to side with the forces of Order-- the first in a series highlighting the plethora of Warhammer gods. As he rather astutely points out, Tzeentch, as the changer of ways, is really the patron god for any MMO player who strives for the next level or who has ever gone back to fix his talent layout. More than that, we think EA Mythic opted to go with Tzeentch over one of the other Chaos gods because they couldn't stand the thought of making a game without those nifty Discs of Tzeentch.

Are you a worshipper of Tzeentch? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Champions Online content is king for Brian Gilmore

Kyle Horner — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Champions Online

You'd be right to think that Brian Gilmore -- a content designer for Champions Online -- is an interesting fellow. In fact, you'd probably be right in wanting to play some Champions tabletop with him, too. All in all, we have to wonder what sort of contacts, missions and spawns Brian has been concocting for our most anticipated superhero MMO. Will there be Victorian era zombies wearing Frock coats and Top Hats. What? We can dream!

While there isn't any new game information in the article you can find a very cool story about one of Brian's GM (Game Master) experiences with the tabletop Champions game. We're kind of jealous that we'll never get to do battle with "The Demon's Hand" supervillain group. Anyhow, the fact of the matter is that with each of these Meet the Team articles we find out that the group of people working on Champions Online are a pretty unique lot.

Champions Online content is king for Brian Gilmore originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Recognizing Champions Online's tabletop roots

Chris Chester — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Champions Online

One of the unexpected benefits (at least from our perspective) of Cryptic's shift from Marvel Universe Online to Champions Online is the professional relationship it fostered with the guys who managed the Champions pen and paper IP. While the crossover from paper RPG to MMO is far from straight-forward, there is a considerable brain trust from which Cryptic can draw in the creation of their game. The Escapist recently posted a terrific article which went into some depth with one such mastermind -- 16-year veteran of the franchise, Steve Long.

While Long maintains some unadulterated affection for the HERO character creation system of the pen and paper game, he seems to be of the belief that the current arrangement (with Cryptic buying the Champions IP outright and licensing it back to Hero) is going to be beneficial for both parties. While MMOs seem to be driving the overall simplification of pen and paper RPGs, Long thinks that MMOs have a lot to learn as well, especially in the areas of customization and interactivity with environments.

Recognizing Champions Online's tabletop roots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

From Tabletop to Desktop: WAR's Destruction careers

Chris Chester — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, Lore, New titles, Warhammer Online

With the announcement of the White Lion as the final career in Warhammer Online, we finally have a good idea of what the class dynamics will be in the long-anticipated MMO from Mythic. Obviously, the specifics of each aren't set in stone, as some classes don't even have their masteries announced yet, but one finally gets the sense that it's all starting to come together. With this is mind, we've put together an overview of the game's classes, including a comparison to their tabletop equivalents, to give you a better idea of what you've got to look forward to with the upcoming open beta. In the first part of this feature, we take a look at the careers on the side of Destruction.

And if you like what you what you see here, make sure to check out our on-going Massively goes to WAR features!

From Tabletop to Desktop: WAR's Destruction careers >>>>>

Gallery: WAR Careers - From Tabletop to Desktop - Destruction

From Tabletop to Desktop: WAR's Destruction careers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

PC Gamer's Warhammer 40k interview

Akela Talamasca — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, Lore, New titles, PvP, News items, Races, Warhammer 40k

While many people are eagerly awaiting the release of Warhammer Online, there's another MMO in development with same initial name: Warhammer 40,000 Online. Although the initial difference between the two is obvious -- one's a fantasy RTS, the other is a science fiction RPG -- a recent interview with Vigil Games' General Manager David Adams and Studio Creative Director Joe Madureira offers up more juicy details.

Topics covered in the interview include customization options, available classes and NPCs, and how the existing Warhammer 40k universe will be introduced to gamers who may not have ever played the tabletop version. While there are still no beta or release dates on offer, development continues apace. We'll have more on this title as news emerges.

PC Gamer's Warhammer 40k interview originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What tabletop games would make good MMOs?

Krystalle Voecks — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind

One of the tidbits of news that made many of us happy here this week was the claim (and yesterday's follow-up statement) that the MMO underway at Cryptic is most likely a Champions MMO. If the sheer geekgasm that occured amongst many veteran tabletop players is any indication, careful planning and design will likely make this a winning title, drawing quite a bit of player-base to it.

Of course, this got us to thinking about some of the tabletop games we've played, and in turn this brought up a variety of interesting IPs that could be optioned for a MMO. Today we thought we'd ask you -- if given your choice of all the different tabletop RPG systems out there, which do you want to see as an MMO? Are there any particular rulesets that you think would lend themselves more readily to the workings of an MMO? Are there any niche games that the world never picked up, but would be fantastic for an MMO?

The Daily Grind: What tabletop games would make good MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments