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Rise and Shiny recap: LEGO Universe

Beau Hindman — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Screenshots, Video, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Humor, LEGO Universe, Kids, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

Ah, LEGO. Who in this world was unfortunate enough to grow up without the wonderful plastic bits of imagination? I remember specific types of LEGO, from the hinged legs of the minifigs to the more advanced gears and pistons of the Technic sets. We used to build great long space battleships, similar to the ones you might see in Star Blazers, and we would run down the hall at each other, smashing them into hundreds of wonderful hard plastic pieces. LEGO built my childhood and was as important to me as destroying wasp's nests and building forts. Of course, girls moved to the top of the list pretty soon after that.

So when I heard about LEGO Universe, I was as excited as any normal person would be. I imagined building anything possible, sort of like a child-friendly Second Life, and spending hours in gleeful, plastic bliss. What I found during the beta greatly disappointed me.

Flash forward to now, and I have to say that my opinion has changed quite a bit. Let me tell you what I found, OK? Click past the cut... but leave the massive battleships behind for now.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: LEGO Universe

Rise and Shiny recap: LEGO Universe originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars Galaxies: Dr. Fool strikes back

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Star Wars Galaxies

Toys turning tables on Imperials and Rebels alike? It may sound like a bad joke, but Star Wars Galaxies has never seen such dire straits. The elusive and diabolical Dr. Fool (who has a Ph.D. in Evil Medicine) has returned once more to unleash his fiendish toys on the residents of Tatooine, Naboo, Lok, Corellia, and Endor. These high-level toys -- some resembling miniature AT-ATs -- should be treated as hostile on sight and taken down without prejudice.

Of course, for this April Fool's event, players are to be rewarded for their diligence. SOE is tempting all SWG fighters and lovers to disable the toys with a special title: "Toy Recaller." This title can only be achieved on April 1st by taking down the malfunctioning toys before the stroke of midnight PDT.

Wookiepedia has more information on this toy rampage, which coincidentally also happened a year ago to the day. You can also read the aftermath of the 2009 event on SWG's forums.

Star Wars Galaxies: Dr. Fool strikes back originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite toy?

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

We've all got our best abilities, the ones that do the most damage or heal the most or save us the largest number of headaches. We all have the armor or items or random hats or whatever that give us huge stat increases and make us almost invulnerable in most circumstances.

And then... we have the toys. The stuff that's not bad, but just... doesn't really do much of anything. The one that lets you hover when that's not actually relevant to anything except looking cool. Or the item you've been holding on to that lets you shoot non-damaging fireworks all over a room. Totally useless, of course, but always fun when you get to break it out.

What's your favorite in-game toy? Is it a piece of equipment without any useful stats but a really amazing look to it? An item that does something silly and unique? A spell that's been designed without many practical components, or one that has practical usage but generally just gets played with? When you have the downtime, what's your choice of fun little toys in your favorite game?

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite toy? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Animax Entertainment appoints new CTO for undisclosed projects

James Egan — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Virtual worlds, Kids

Animax Entertainment is a full-service creative studio that specializes in character-driven digital content. Animax is the company behind TyGirlz.com and Beanie Babies 2.0, virtual worlds that accompany lines of plush toys, and has new ventures in the pipeline for the virtual space. In preparation for its new projects, Animax has appointed Sabri Sansoy to the position of Chief Technology Officer, where he will spearhead Animax's expansion into MMOs and virtual worlds.

Sansoy, formerly the vice president of interactive entertainment technology at GSN (Game Show Network), was chosen by Animax for his past experience with convergent media. (And presumably not for his attempt to fly around the world in a hot air balloon!) "Animax is a leader in building cutting edge interactive applications with a robust portfolio of innovation, exceptional talent, and exciting business opportunities in the pipeline. I am very honored and excited to contribute to the growth and success of this company," Sansoy said of his appointment. If the new offerings from Animax Entertainment are anything like what they've produced in the past, we're likely to see 'play' with more lines of toys extending into the virtual realm through interactive narratives, that place where toys and games meet.

Animax Entertainment appoints new CTO for undisclosed projects originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beanie Babies Online entertains kids, sells toys

Samuel Axon — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Browser, Casual, Kids

Ty -- the company behind Beanie Babies -- has teamed up with Animax to take on Webkinz with a somewhat similar online service called Beanie Babies 2.0. Unlike Webkinz, the different levels of service will only unlock when children buy new real-world Beanie Babies. The toys ship with some sort of registration code that will progress the account to the next level when entered at the Beanie Babies 2.0 website.

Usually we're glad to see virtual worlds and online games adopted by the culture at large, but we're not so crazy for this one. It looks less like a meaningful experience for kids than it looks like a sneaky attempt to use technology to sell more Beanie Babies. Sure, Ty is a business, and it needs to profit. But we're more quick to admire businesses that try to do something constructive with their products as well -- like Fluid Entertainment and its environment-friendly kids' game. At the very least, the game should be fun on its own, right?

Beanie Babies 2.0 has no such aspirations. The New York Times thought it fitting to call it "Catalog 2.0."

Beanie Babies Online entertains kids, sells toys originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC08: Thinking outside the virtual world

Elizabeth Harper — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:14:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, Virtual worlds

Tuesday afternoon, Michael Acton Smith, CEO of Mind Candy, presented attendees at the GDC's Worlds in Motion summit with an interesting look at the confluence between real goods and virtual worlds. For some background on where Smith is coming from, Mind Candy "creates games and puzzles that span multiple media.... [they] use all forms of technology to tell stories and interact with... [their] audiences." They run Perplex City, an alternate reality game that uses clues puzzles in the real world combined with web-based resources to create a unique type of gameplay. Their upcoming game Moshi Monsters is an adoptable pet game geared towards kids. Smith says it's a "new type of virtual pet experience." The pets will be very alive with their own emotions (driven by a behavior engine which will cause your pet to act different ways depending on how you treat it) that will be reflected in the pet's animations. The game will also incorporate a number of social tools, so both you and your pet monster can hang out with friends. And, of course, there will be toys, oh glorious toys. (Some already available, though the game itself is still in beta and closed to the public.)

Gallery: GDC08: Worlds in Motion summit day 2

Continue reading GDC08: Thinking outside the virtual world

GDC08: Thinking outside the virtual world originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Expecting stability

Mike Schramm — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Culture, MMO industry, Patches, Server downtime, Opinion

I think I've mentioned before that I really enjoy Sanya Weathers' blog about running communities for MMO games, and in her latest post, she makes a great point about stability and expecting it from the games we play.

The example she uses is Xbox Live, which isn't technically an MMO, but does, as she says, constitute a "massive, multiplayer experience." Microsoft has had trouble over the holidays keeping it up and running, and now they've decided to give out a free download to compensate players. How, says Sanya, can they be surprised at this point that they'd have a surge of users over the holidays? Isn't it common knowledge at this point not to play MMOs when a new expansion comes out or when new users show up in droves?

But then she shares the real insight: this shouldn't happen any more. MMOs are no longer a niche business, something we should have to suffer hardships just to play these games. As she says, "it's time to expect our toys to work when we plug them in."

Of course, any IT guy will tell you that downtime is unavoidable-- accidents happen, and predictions are just predictions. Anyone expecting anything to work all the time is going to get disappointed. But at this point, if you have a game (or a system, or a service) that is supposed to be "massive," you have no excuses when everybody shows up to play.

Expecting stability originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bid to become a Tabula Rasa NPC, it's for charity!

Chris Chester — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Culture, MMO industry, Tabula Rasa

The fine folks over at Destination Games are throwing their lot into the charity ring this holiday season with a few auctions full of Tabula Rasa goodies sure to make any gamer's non-denominational season celebration all the sweeter. The proceeds will be going to the charity of champions -- Child's Play. If you aren't already aware, Child's Play is a charity originally organized by the guys over at Penny Arcade to buy toys (video games and more traditional fare) for sick kids in partner hospitals across the country.

On the docket:

Two separate auctions (found here and here) for a copy Tabula Rasa signed by Richard Garriott w/ TR dog tags from E3 '06, a developer Tabula Rasa challenge coin, an AFS clearance card, and a picture of Richard Garriott in his goofy magician's outfit.
An NPC named after the auction winner to be placed in the Tabula Rasa world. Assuming the winner owns Tabula Rasa, they will also be escorted to the NPC bearing their name by none other than General British himself.

Even if you're not interested in these auctions, we urge you to check Child's Play out. In the interest of not being a huge hypocrite, this writer just plugged his credit card number in and bought a game for a sick kid. It's easy, fast, and it'll make you feel good about yourself!

Bid to become a Tabula Rasa NPC, it's for charity! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vanguard team struts their nerdy stuff

Chris Chester — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:28:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Forums, Vanguard

Ever wonder what kind of work environment it takes to crank out your favorite MMOs? Personally, I conjur up an image of a pristine high-tech underground bunker, perhaps built under a volcano, with rows of computers facing a large screen showing the current state of the game. All the developers are busy yammering on headsets while reading from indistinguishable printouts. But that's just in my head.

The Vanguard team recently made the move to SOE's San Diego offices, and they thought it would be fun to engage in a bit of a nerd-off with their fans, give fans an inside look at the life of a developer, and to see whose desk is littered with nerdstalgia in the greatest density and splendor. The Vanguard boys put up a pretty good fight, but we'd say their fans give them a run for their money.

Vanguard team struts their nerdy stuff originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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