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 future of VastPark looks bright]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-vastpark-looks-bright/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-vastpark-looks-bright/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-vastpark-looks-bright/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sandbox virtual worlds are becoming the newest thing these days following the success of Second Life and the anticipated success of Metaplace, but VastPark has recently announced a partnership with a few companies that will serve to improve their spot among the ranks. First there was the agreement they signed with NICTA, Australia's Information and Communications Technology Research Center, and now they've formed a relationship with TurboSquid to access their catalog of over 195,000 3D models. This combined with the announcement that they'll be running their virtual economy through Twofish's economic Element engine.

What's this mean for the players? It means a much more flexible economic system where you are in control of your own currencies, the value of your goods and the management of your markets. This basically means that each player-created world will have it's own economy. VastPark founder and CEO Bruce Joy explained, "This is a new step in bringing economic power to the masses. We also see it as a fundamental way for us to build value in our platform, as it allows for the creation of realistic, responsive and highly customizable virtual worlds."

MassivelyThe future of VastPark looks bright originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>metaplacesandboxsecond lifesecond-lifesecondlifeturbosquidtwofishvastparkvirtual-worldsTue, 08 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twofish to make microtransaction economies easier with middleware]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/twofish-to-make-microtransaction-economies-easier-with-middlewar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/twofish-to-make-microtransaction-economies-easier-with-middlewar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/twofish-to-make-microtransaction-economies-easier-with-middlewar/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Gamasutra notes that a new middleware company is offering online game developers tools to manage their in-game economies. Twofish is the name of the startup, and their offering (Twofish Elements) is intended to plug directly into the backend of any in-development Massively Multiplayer Online Game. Their product seems to be geared at allowing indie developers to offer a microtransaction economy similar to the one Nexon uses in Maple Story.

The company was founded two years ago, in part by Lee Crawford - a veteran of Yahoo! Games, Shockwave.com and Segasoft Networks. In order to prove out their technology they're also developing an online game to utilize it. Entitled Edgeracers, the offering will feature "the culture of car customization and casual racing", and should release within the next few months. Crawford has a few comments featured in the announcement writeup, and (along with many players) views the move to microtransactions as a rough road for games and developers. "We see Twofish Elements being a way to help independent publishers and developers compete on a level footing ... In our view, the world is moving towards the mass-market consumer and, ultimately, the hardcore player going to free-to-play with microtransactions," Crawford said.

MassivelyTwofish to make microtransaction economies easier with middleware originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>economyedgeracersgamasutramaple-storymicrotransactionsmiddlewarenexontwofishTue, 12 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST