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[RIFT looks at Scarwood Reach]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/rift-looks-at-scarwood-reach/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/rift-looks-at-scarwood-reach/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/rift-looks-at-scarwood-reach/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Whether or not you're looking forward to RIFT, it's hard to deny that the game makes great use of setting. The latest region revealed, Scarwood Reach, is haunting and evocative in both backstory and current events. Once an enchanted forest covered in the majestic granitewood trees, the woods have been logged to their demise, with only scattered pockets of trees remaining as a testament to what once was. But the servants of Greenscale seek to undo the damage in the only way possible -- by opening a portal to the Plane of Life that might swallow Telara whole.

Aside from the abandoned shrines and local creatures harmed by the mad rush for wood and the abandonment of old traditions, the explosion of unfiltered Life at the heart of what was once forest is equally toxic. Even apart from the rifts that occasionally blossom, the forest is beset by creatures unseen in this land, coupled with crawling roots that bring searing and unwelcome new life to the barren landscape. Take a look at the gallery for a quartet of preview images, a fine preparation for the maddening environment that RIFT's damaged forest remnants are poised to deliver.

Gallery: RIFT: Core Gallery

MassivelyRIFT looks at Scarwood Reach originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backstoryenvironmentforestgalleryin-game-regionslogginglorenewsplane-of-liferegionsriftrift-planes-of-telarariftsscarwood-reachtreestriontrion-worldswoodzonesMon, 10 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes-part-2/#commentsContinue reading Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Building MMO landscape scenes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/building-mmo-landscape-scenes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Landscapes have been a staple component of almost every MMO in recent memory. With the exception of some sci-fi titles, most MMOs take place on the land of some imagined island or continent. Some use stylised fantasy landscapes that run smoothly on even low-end computers while others have managed almost photo-realistic visuals at the cost of performance. But have you ever thought about what's going on behind the scenes in your favourite MMO? Most of us don't think about how the computer is actually drawing the terrain we run around on. We don't give much thought to the different ways each MMO renders the water in lakes, rivers and oceans. And just how does your computer render so many trees and plants without grinding to a halt? As part of my masters degree in computer science, I got to grips with a number of these techniques and found it a fascinating thing to learn about. Now when I play a new game or see MMO screenshots, I can't help but think about what the computer is doing in the background and how particular visual effects could have been achieved.

In this technical article, I talk about some of the components of an MMO landscape scene and a few of the techniques used in creating the graphics behind them.

Continue reading Building MMO landscape scenes

MassivelyBuilding MMO landscape scenes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanbillboardengineeverquest-2everquest-iigraphicsheightmaplakelandscapelightinglodlord-of-the-rings-onlineoceanplantsriversceneryscenictechnologyterrainterrain-renderingtexturestreeswaterworld-of-warcraftMon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Know Your LotRO Lore: The Ents]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/know-your-lotro-lore-the-ents/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/know-your-lotro-lore-the-ents/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/know-your-lotro-lore-the-ents/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Welcome to Know Your LotRO Lore, a new weekly column here at Massively showcasing the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's world as it intersects with Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online.

"I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate. For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I've lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time saying anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to. " - Treebeard

This quote from Tolkien's The Two Towers gives us just a glimpse into these fantastic creatures known as Ents. In this week's Know Your LotRO Lore, we're going to explore the "Shepherds of the Trees" a bit more and help you understand their importance in the grand scheme of Middle-earth. Follow along below for more on these curators of the copse, these guardians of the grove, these wardens of the woodland! Ok, I'll stop that now.

Continue reading Know Your LotRO Lore: The Ents

MassivelyKnow Your LotRO Lore: The Ents originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>entfeaturedjoystiqfeaturesknow-your-lotro-lorelord-of-the-rings-onlinelorelotrotolkientree-herdertreesTue, 24 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Welcome to the World of Treecraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/welcome-to-the-world-of-treecraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/welcome-to-the-world-of-treecraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/welcome-to-the-world-of-treecraft/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Science Daily reports that a Stanford computer scientist named Vladlen Koltun has produced a program that allows both amateur and professional creators of virtual worlds to select from countless possible types of trees (all modeled based on scientific research) and to customize those trees based on their own needs.

The program is cleverly called Dryad, and Koltun and his associates hope that it will be one of the first steps towards making the development of believable 3D online spaces an achievable goal for creative types without enormous budgets. Koltun said that there is a very small community of 3D modelers skilled in creating objects like trees, and that the rarity of the skill is partly responsible for a lull in the progression of user-generated virtual worlds.

So, if you are planning on making a 3D MMO, you can use the program for free at the Stanford website. Maybe then your army of expensive employees can be smaller! It's also just fun to play with.

MassivelyWelcome to the World of Treecraft originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d-modelingartdevelopmentdryadstanfordtechnologytreesvladlen-koltunFri, 11 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST