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 Daily Grind: What game terminology gets your goat?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

MMOs, like any hobby, have their own specialized jargon. Someone who's never played an MMO might have no idea what it means if you say the MT pulled adds on your boss pull twice and wiped the group, but an experienced player will understand it without a problem. But that doesn't mean every acronym or term sits comfortably with everyone -- considering the plethora of specialized language that accompanies the genre and the variety of synonyms for given concepts, it's probable that there are some terms you like more than others.

So which part of MMO slang rubs you the wrong way? Does it get your hackles up when someone refers to a character as a toon? Do you hate seeing "mob" used to refer to a single enemy? Will you go out of your way to avoid saying "DPS" as a description of class roles? Is it an abbreviation or term common to a single game, like a class nickname? Or do you feel comfortable fully ensconced within the language, with no particular irritations or pet peeves?

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: What game terminology gets your goat? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chatculturehumorjargonopinionspeechtdgterminologytermstextthe-daily-grindSat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As we've looked at the ins and outs of managing a guild, one issue that's often overlooked is whether to vent or not to vent. No, not the Minus 50 DKP type of vent -- I'm talking about Ventrilo and voice chat in general. Ten years ago, guild leaders didn't have to worry about this, because the choice was between typing text or hosting a LAN party. But today, with the rise of voice chat clients like Ventrilo and in-game voice services like Vivox, the culture has changed quite a bit.

In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll take a look at the benefits of type vs. voice chat, and we'll look at what role each plays in guild management. Whether you sleep with your headset on or cling to your keyboard, read on for a look at why both have their merits.

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent

MassivelyThe Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredguild-chatguild-counselguild-managementmumblesleeperteamspeaktextventrilovivoxvoicevoice-chatThu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Five years of scum and villainy]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-five-years-of-scum-and-villainy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-five-years-of-scum-and-villainy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-five-years-of-scum-and-villainy/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Let's face it, being a supervillain is fun. Sure, you root for the hero, because blowing up the entirety of California would probably be a bad thing, but in your heart you think that having come up with a plan to wipe out an entire state is pretty darn cool. City of Heroes might have launched letting players just take the role of a heroic sort, but five years ago tomorrow, they launched the game's first expansion, the appropriately named City of Villains.

Of course, these days few players think of CoV as an expansion. Since the two games were merged two years ago, the very concept seems almost ridiculous, and the two have long felt like halves of a whole. City of Heroes is generally accepted as the name of the game, despite a better fashion sense and leveling experience over in the Rogue Isles. But let's take a step back through to 2005 and honor this hive of scum and... well, you know the rest.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Five years of scum and villainy

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Five years of scum and villainy originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archetypescity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclass-balanceclass-dynamicsclassescohcovcoxexpansionexpansionsfeaturedmissionsncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiospvpretrospectivetextwritingWed, 27 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you read the quest text?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/14/the-daily-grind-do-you-read-the-quest-text/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/14/the-daily-grind-do-you-read-the-quest-text/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/14/the-daily-grind-do-you-read-the-quest-text/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Serious question time. You guys ready? We hope you are, because we're about to do this.

Do you read the quest text?

We're not kidding. That's today's morning question. No better way to start your day than by having your favorite MMO news site ask you if you read the quest text. Now don't lie to us -- we know when you're lying thanks to that lie detector we installed in your keyboard. If you've found it and disabled it, don't worry, we put lie detector software in our comment box just for you.

So, tell us, do you skip right over it? Do you read it enough to get the gist? Or are you a writing fiend, taking the time to savor each and every word? Drop us a line and remember, we know.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you read the quest text? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dont-lie-to-us-we-watch-you-sleepquest-textreadingtextthe-daily-grindSat, 14 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: You must first pass the test]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/08/one-shots-you-must-first-pass-the-test/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/08/one-shots-you-must-first-pass-the-test/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/08/one-shots-you-must-first-pass-the-test/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Normally we likely wouldn't generally add in a 'screenshot' from a browser-based, primarily text MMO, but we're such huge fans of the Test of Literacy that we simply couldn't resist posting this Kingdom of Loathing screen that was sent in to us by Harmen. Here's what he had to say about this extremely funny screenshot - A One Shot of something completely different: Kingdom of Loathing, browser-based, stick-figures, is hilarious, free, really rather hard and even includes PvP. It has been running since 2003, and is still actively expanded. This is a screenshot of the 'tests' you need to pass when you want to enter the chat channel the first time. One of the tests is the difference between 'their', 'there' and 'they're'. Really, we think more MMOs should have literacy tests.

If you're playing a funny, independent, off-the-beaten-path MMO, we want to see a screenshot and hear a bit about why you think this is a really cool game! Who knows - you may recruit some new players to check out your game. Just email those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game, and whatever you'd like to say about the screenshot. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots

MassivelyOne Shots: You must first pass the test originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asymmetric-publicationsbrowser-basedfunnyHarmenkingdom-of-loathingkolone-shotsscreenshotscreenshotssnarkystick-figurestextSun, 08 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/today-the-mud-and-the-mmo-turn-30/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/today-the-mud-and-the-mmo-turn-30/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/today-the-mud-and-the-mmo-turn-30/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Today marks the 30th birthday of the original MUD, created at Essex University by Roy Trubshaw in 1978. We recommend you check out what Richard Bartle -- who worked on later iterations of the project -- has to say about this event, as well as Raph Koster's words on the subject. The question at hand, as presented by Bartle, seems to be: does this matter?

While he is skeptical, we would like to posit that it does matter a great deal -- or at least that it should. Graphics alone shouldn't lead to a strong distinction when the fundamentals are the same, so let's consider the modern MMO to be part of the same tradition as the MUD -- let's say that this is the MMO's 30th birthday too.

Continue reading Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30

MassivelyToday the MUD and the MMO turn 30 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>30th-anniversary30th-birthdayanniversarybirthdayessex-universityeverquesthistorymeridian-59mudmud1raph-kosterrichard-bartleroy-trubshawtextthe-realmultima-onlineworld-of-warcraftMon, 20 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Richard Bartle at Metanomics]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/16/richard-bartle-at-metanomics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/16/richard-bartle-at-metanomics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/16/richard-bartle-at-metanomics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Richard Bartle dips in and out of Second Life. He likens it as going to London. He might not be there for months, and then multiple times in a week. To him, Second Life is a place, much like many others.

Bartle was in that place on 11 March, as a part of the Metanomics series, hosted by professor Robert J Bloomfield. Bartle often regarded as the father of the first MUD. In a sense he's the progenitor of all existing virtual worlds, both those based on games and those that are game-free.

Continue reading Richard Bartle at Metanomics

MassivelyRichard Bartle at Metanomics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>academicbartle-testbartle-typesfeaturedinterviewsmetanomicsmmo-industrymudmushrichard-bartlerobert-bloomfieldsecond-lifetextvirtual-worldsSun, 16 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


It seems that most gamers these days haven't played any of the old Apple II computer games, much less the particularly ancient text-based adventure ones. Most people now see them as arcane and even intimidating. Those black & white fossils bear no relation to something as modern as say, The Lord of the Rings Online, right?

Wrong! Gaming's old-timers will be tickled to hear that a quest in Tal Bruinen was inspired by a gameplay mechanic from an Apple II text adventure game. A Turbine employee revealed this behind-the-scenes tidbit in a thread about the quest on the official LotRO forums.

The Apple II was the first widely successful personal computer. It had a large library of games, many of which are cornerstones of computer gaming history. You can play a lot of those games in your web browser at virtualapple.org, one of the best online emulators. It has many of the all-time classic RPGs like Ultima, Might and Magic, and Wizardry as well.

MassivelyLotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureappleapple-iiemulatorhistorylord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromight-and-magicold-schoolquesttextturbineultimawizardryzorkSat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST