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EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Sandbox

If you're playing EVE Online, you are going to lose a ship sooner or later. It's as inevitable as the tides. Sometimes you'll be outnumbered and outgunned, and while that can be frustrating, there's no real shame in it. But when you're having your ship locked in place by an attacker you can't see and you don't actually know what's happening, that is a different matter. It's particularly infuriating, and it's something that the game's next update is aiming to fix.

Starting with the next patch, the new Effects Bar will show a quick overview of all the effects currently in place on your ship as well as the source of same. So if there are two people attacking you, an icon will pop up, and you'll be able to target and counterattack appropriately rather than fumble through more clumsy interface methods. If the blog entry explaining the system isn't clear enough for you, check out the short preview video just past the break.

Continue reading EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship

EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Trion previews End of Nations' armory

Jef Reahard — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS

Trion's super-secret End of Nations is moving right along in its alpha cycle, and today Massively has an exclusive piece of news for you regarding the upcoming MMORTS.

The game differs from traditional real-time strategy titles because it doesn't have base-building, but what it does have is something called an armory. Trion tells us that players will "set their loadouts, create companies, modify units, customize skins, and more" inside the armory. The dev team has just revamped the armory mechanics, and you can get a good look at the armory window in the image after the cut (click on it to zoom in!).

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Trion previews End of Nations' armory

Massively Exclusive: Trion previews End of Nations' armory originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare shows off SWTOR's customizable UI in new video

Jef Reahard — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Custom user interfaces are an oft-requested feature in the MMOs that lack them at launch, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is adding the functionality in its 1.2 update.

BioWare lead interface artist Michael Voigt walks us through the particulars of TOR's HUD in a new video just posted to the game's official website. Players will be pleased to note that both the placement and size of each UI element can be adjusted, while accessing the layout mode is as easy as clicking the plus button on the top left of your hotbar.

BioWare has also included three pre-made layouts: the default mode, an extended quickbar setup, and a retro look that moves the target and map circle to the top of the screen (and the chat window to the bottom). Head past the break to watch the clip.

Continue reading BioWare shows off SWTOR's customizable UI in new video

BioWare shows off SWTOR's customizable UI in new video originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making the 'jump' from Guild Wars to Guild Wars 2

Brianna Royce — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Guild Wars, Business models, Classes, Economy, Game mechanics, Guilds, Lore, Previews, PvP, Endgame, Guild Wars 2, Hands-on, Guides, Dungeons, Crafting

The second Guild Wars 2 press beta weekend has come and gone, and Massively was there every step of the way. Stay tuned throughout the day today for even more guides, impressions, videos, and Q&As to get you ready for the highly anticipated sequel to Guild Wars.

Guild Wars 2 is on the way (when it's ready), and classic Guild Wars players probably understand that soon they'll be competing with a younger sibling -- a smarter, more attractive one who's sure to get more of mom's attention. And while we're sure that some of the more stalwart Guild Wars 2 fans are also Guild Wars players, not all veterans of the first edition are dedicated to licking up every drop of sequel info squeezed out of blogs, conventions, and betas. Those veterans might just be wondering, what exactly can Guild Wars 2 offer them, other than Hall of Monuments tie-ins? What's changed? What's the same? What will they love, what will they hate, and what could possibly make them jump ship to the new hotness?

The first and most important thing you must know is that yes, you can jump in Guild Wars 2! Seriously, though, jumping is more than just a thing you do with your spacebar when you're bored; it's a symbol of boundlessness. Guild Wars 2 itself is trying to jump a lot higher than its elder brother, and probably the essential difference between the games is that feeling that the walls have come down and gravity is letting loose. That alone should urge classic players to take a peek, but if that's not enough for you, fire up your Jeremy Soule soundtracks (yes, he's onboard for an encore!) and read on...

Continue reading Making the 'jump' from Guild Wars to Guild Wars 2

Making the 'jump' from Guild Wars to Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: Gooey GUI

Larry Everett — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Hyperspace Beacon

As far back as my interview with Blaine Christine at PAX 2010, I have been concerned with the user interface of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Although the question did make it into that article way back when, I did ask him about the UI because at that time, it was mostly black and rather clunky. We knew that incarnation would not be the final product. Animations were being touted as innovative at the time; I had asked about the UI's drawing the player's attention to the center of the screen because that's where the action was happening. Of course, he answered that the ultimate goal with the UI was to enhance the player's overall experience. That's what all UIs should do, right?

One the sticking-points during my beta impressions centered around my having to stare at my UI as I waited for cooldowns. I know that it's not a new thing for MMOs. In fact, nearly every MMO I can think of has some sort of abilities that require cooldown. Generally speaking, I am OK with having to look at the UI for those cooldowns. However, the positioning of SWTOR's UI really drew my attention away from what was happening on the main part of the screen.

Exactly three months after release, I have become comfortable with how the Star Wars whack-a-mole works, but with the changes in Update 1.2, I can dream of something better...

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Gooey GUI

Hyperspace Beacon: Gooey GUI originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher

Brendan Drain — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, News items, Sandbox

As part of CCP's refocusing on EVE Online, the studio announced that work had begun on a new game launcher last November. Players with an out-of-date client currently receive a patch popup on logging in that requires the client to be restarted, and frequent optional patches to fix non-critical issues can force you to restart the client several times. The new patcher brings EVE up to the industry standard for MMO clients, pre-loading the game in the background and announcing when it's ready to launch.

The new launcher will go live tomorrow with the Crucible 1.5 update, but it's not the only thing getting some much-needed attention in the patch. All of the rookie ships have been visually revamped, three new 2/10 DED complexes have been added for newer highsec explorers, and the overview will now be more responsive. The patch also brings a whole host of user interface changes and bug fixes.

EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's latest devblog is on a big bunch of little updates

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Patches, Previews, News items

Little things can make a big difference. That's the topic of the newest EVE Online developer blog by CCP karkur, which covers all of the little changes coming to the game's UI with the next point release. None of the updates is a matter of life or death, but each little change is meant to help improve the quality of life for players in little ways, leading to a better overall experience in the game. And who doesn't want that?

Among the more immediate changes are several additions to quickbar functionality as well as proper menus for the quickbar. There's also a revised blueprint folder, the ability to see at a glance what market stops are along your plotted route, a character display as you type an in-game mail... you get the idea. These aren't tools that will make it easier to undercut other players or blow up opposing ships; these are tools that make each step along that path just a little bit easier. It makes a big difference in the long run.

EVE Online's latest devblog is on a big bunch of little updates originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wurm Online client update brings proximity voice chat, UI update, and more

Matt Daniel — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Wurm Online, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox

The latest client update to Code Club AB's construction-oriented sandbox title Wurm Online brings a cornucopia of new features to the game, but perhaps none so interesting as the addition of proximity voice chat. That's right, players will now be able to vocally communicate with any players in the immediate vicinity without the use of third-party applications like Ventrilo or Mumble. Have you ever wanted to gather up your village group, sit around a fire, and tell stories or just enjoy a bit of idle banter? Maybe typing "oh god help there's a rabid pachyderm devouring my face" just isn't expedient enough when there's a rabid pachyderm devouring your face. Either way, players now have access to proximity voice chat, an updated UI, and much more.

For the full details on the latest client update, just click on through the link below to Wurm Online's official site.

Wurm Online client update brings proximity voice chat, UI update, and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mortal Online announces a new expansion called Awakening

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Mortal Online, Sandbox

Mortal Online has already launched one expansion, but the game's second expansion in its two years of operation will soon join the first. Awakening has just been announced and is set to bring a variety of improvements to the game. The centerpiece is the introduction of Tindrem, the eponymous Tindremic capital and the home of the Emperor. The sprawling city encompasses several districts, but there's more to the city than the orderly facade it presents to travelers.

The expansion will provide more than simply a new city, however. It offers improved artificial intelligence and a better user interface to players, along with new dungeons in which players can test their skills against improved enemy intelligence. There's also a new set of special Trade Brokers in the cities, dyes for clothing and armor, and several other improvements that should be cheered by every Mortal Online player.

[Thanks to James for the tip!]

Mortal Online announces a new expansion called Awakening originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP shows off EVE neocom updates

Jef Reahard — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox

Remember that dev blog about a year ago that mentioned updates in store for EVE Online's neocom interface? Well, it hasn't been forgotten, but the New Eden poo-storm of 2011 kind of bumped it to the back of the line.

Today, the EVE website has been updated with a look at the new neocom's design, and CCP Optimal has plenty of pics as well as some insights into what's changing below the pretty exterior. Chief among the tweaks is the ability for pod pilots to pick and choose the features they use most and remove extraneous buttons from the interface.

The new neocom is slated to go live in the Crucible 1.1 patch coming later this month.

CCP shows off EVE neocom updates originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: The twelve days of Solorius

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia

Aren't I thoughtful? As my present to you, I am going to help banish those Solorius tunes that got stuck in your head a couple of weeks ago. How shall I accomplish this? No, not with a home-delivery amateur lobotomy or a plethora of psychotropics (though these could alternately be helpful I concede) but by replacing them of course! Yes, let's round out the season with a rousing rendition of The Twelve Days of Solorius.

Last year, I shared my first ever Aion holiday wish list. Although nothing from that hopeful list was granted in 2011, there is promise of at least two of those items being introduced to Atreia next year! So while some may have considered my brazen declarations of wants an exercise in futility, I shan't abandon hope! After all, what is a holiday season without hope?

Is there a little something special you'd like to see in Aion? Make your list then check mine twice past the cut.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: The twelve days of Solorius

Wings Over Atreia: The twelve days of Solorius originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Display changes for graphics and levels in Star Trek Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play

As the free-to-play conversion for Star Trek Online continues to approach, the game's development team continues to make more last-minute polishes. As outlined in the most recent entry in the Path to F2P blog series, one improvement directly pertains to the game's graphics, putting in DirectX 11 support for players whose cards can support the display mode. While it won't offer a performance increase for every player, there are players who have reported big jumps in FPS with DirectX 11 on while testing on the Tribble server.

The other major improvement deployed to the test server is a change to the game's rank display. Previously, the game displayed levels by rank and grade -- a player would move from Commander 10 (level 29) to Captain 1 (level 30), which was evocative of the setting but a bit hard to process at a glance. So the display has been trimmed up and improved, with player level displaying as a rank followed by the level (the previous example would now display as Commander 29, then Captain 30). No actual levels have been lost -- it's just a change to ensure that new players have an easier time understanding the level differences.

Display changes for graphics and levels in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: The Force ghosts of past, present, and future with SWTOR's James Ohlen [Updated]

Larry Everett — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Economy, Interviews, New titles, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Massively Interviews, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Crafting

Fans have been sitting on pins and needles, waiting for their blessed early access emails for Star Wars: The Old Republic. What can you do while we wait to reserve your character names before the noobie rush on December 20th? You could check out the awesome guide Massively released on Monday to scout out which class you want to play before you play it. You could read the Hyperspace Beacon that came out yesterday; it may take the edge off the anticipation. Or maybe you could have a chat with SWTOR Creative Director James Ohlen about the current state of the game and what's coming down the bend.

We went with the last one.

After the break, find out what Ohlen had to say about SWTOR's legacy system, customizable ships, and other future content.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: The Force ghosts of past, present, and future with SWTOR's James Ohlen [Updated]

Massively Exclusive: The Force ghosts of past, present, and future with SWTOR's James Ohlen [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DUST 514 vehicle fitting screens examined

Jef Reahard — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox

If you haven't managed to snag a spot in the DUST 514 beta, you'll want to have a look at a fan site known as DUST 514 Base. The site posted a detailed look at the game's vehicle fitting interface over the weekend, and it gives a good rundown on many of the options in store for the planet-based mercenaries of New Eden.

If you're an EVE Online veteran, the fitting screens will seem somewhat familiar. If not, at least you can get a leg up on what is likely to be one of the more complex console FPS UIs in the business.

The blog entry contains a fair bit of speculation in terms of the numbers presented on the UI, and there are also plenty of high-quality images augmenting the text. Hit the links below for more info.

DUST 514 vehicle fitting screens examined originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The new player experience

Brendan Drain — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

Ever since a graph showing a downward trend in daily peak concurrent logins started to make the rounds on blogs, players have insisted that EVE Online's recent Incarna expansion has been a complete failure. I mentioned in an earlier article that we should really have expected this as the captain's quarters were primarily designed with new players in mind. Starting the game as an avatar, even one who's been grounded in his space-room by his space-dad, helps people identify with their characters in a way that bridges the gap between EVE and traditional avatar-based MMOs. By introducing a player to his character as a person rather than a ship, the new player experience may also help make the loss of a ship not such a big deal.

It's all fine and well to theorise about Incarna's success or failure, but ultimately it's only new players who can make that determination. If the captain's quarters do their job of flattening that initially jarring part of EVE's learning curve, the expansion's effect on subscriptions would be to convert more free trials into paid accounts -- an effect that wouldn't be immediately noticeable until another exciting and heavily advertised gameplay expansion brings in large numbers of new players. To help figure out if the captain's quarters have been successful in that regard, we have to turn to people who have never played EVE before.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I finally convince my friend Kajatta to try EVE for the first time. I delve into his first experiences with the game to find out what EVE does right and wrong in the new player experience.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The new player experience

EVE Evolved: The new player experience originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV previewing beastman strongholds and UI improvements

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Fans of Final Fantasy XIV are eagerly anticipating the arrival of patch 1.19, which promises to bring no shortage of improvements to the game's mechanics and content. The previews of the patch are still ongoing, and the latest round covers both the changes coming to the game's UI and the upcoming strongholds for the beast tribes. Strongholds are described as challenging content for groups of adventurers, requiring a party to fight through guards to reach a central notorious monster, with the first preview covering the amalj'aa compound known as Zahar'ak.

The UI changes include the long-requested feature to make aetheryte, retainer bells, and similar environmental objects directly targetable. But that's the least of the improvements that include a UI lock feature, several adjustments to text colors to help indicate item quality and rank, and an auto-compare feature for equipment bought from vendors or retainers. While there's still no word on exactly when FFXIV players can look forward to the update going live, all signs point to "soon" for the latest major update.

Final Fantasy XIV previewing beastman strongholds and UI improvements originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the hardest learning curve?

Jef Reahard — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Second Life, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Sandbox

MMOs come in all shapes and sizes, and with new titles launching every other day, there's bound to be one out there that caters to just about every skill level imaginable. While many of these games boast similar mechanics, occasionally a dev team will stray from the norm and create a head-scratchingly complex title (or in some cases, a title that is deliberately user-unfriendly).

Games like EVE Online and Second Life are renowned for their learning curve and the amount of research necessary to play at a high level, and we're curious to hear about others you may have experienced.

For this edition of The Daily Grind, share your thoughts on MMO complexity, and whether the term entails mechanics, the UI, gameplay options, or some combination of all three. While you've got your thinking cap on, which MMO has the hardest learning curve?

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!

The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the hardest learning curve? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2011: Hands-on with SWTOR's Imperial Agent Operative

Dan O'Halloran — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Star Wars: The Old Republic

E3 officially kicked off today in Los Angeles, and I was lucky to be one of the first in line for the latest hands-on demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic at the enormous Electronic Arts booth. There were two different types of demo stations awaiting us: level 1 Galactic Republic characters for those who were new to the game and level 26 Sith Empire characters for those of us who were more comfortable with MMOs. I was hot to play the mid-level Sith characters, but first we had to watch a 10-minute instructional video on how to play each advanced class.

Continue reading E3 2011: Hands-on with SWTOR's Imperial Agent Operative

E3 2011: Hands-on with SWTOR's Imperial Agent Operative originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Building a better UI

Brendan Drain — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, EVE Evolved

It's no secret that EVE Online has a poor user interface. With its drop-down menus for interacting with objects and text lists to show information like market orders and nearby objects in space, EVE has thoroughly earned the nickname "spreadsheets in space." The UI has changed drastically since I started playing in 2004, but in recent years, it's fallen behind the development curve. In a new devblog this week, CCP Snowlax suggested that the UI developers at CCP have lacked the framework necessary to do what they wanted with it. The existing framework had become bloated with eight years of development, and the underlying rendering engine wasn't even capable of using custom shaders.

With Incursion 1.6, CCP pushed live a completely new UI framework that makes cool features like holographic UI elements possible. With the new Carbon UI framework in place, developers are taking another look at redesigning the EVE user interface. Screenshots of the new features being used in the upcoming Incarna expansion are impressive, but that's all taking place inside stations. I can't help but wonder how these new technologies could be applied to the space-faring portion of EVE and whether there are more fundamental challenges to overcome in UI design than adding flashy graphics.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I give some thoughts on the development of EVE's UI, from the necessary evil of the overview to some things I'd like to see change.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Building a better UI

EVE Evolved: Building a better UI originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Incursion patch 1.6 is live

Matt Daniel — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Patches, News items

EVE Online's Incursion patch 1.6 has now been deployed! It's a small patch that brings a few bug fixes as well as the introduction of CarbonUI, the "new UI rendering framework." According to CCP, "CarbonUI is an evolution of the existing UI framework, with a completely new rendering layer." What does this mean for players? "[CarbonUI] gives the EVE UI designers and UI programmers a range of new possibilities for creating exciting user interfaces in EVE going forward." Check out more on this new addition to the game at the EVE Online dev blog.

The patch announcement article also notifies players about a known issue with T3 ships that players have previously viewed: "These ships have engaged their reverse thrusters causing them fly backwards. Clearing your cache will reset their on-board computer and cause them to fly in the correct direction again." Flying in the proper direction is often a very useful ability, so players are encouraged to take action immediately. For the full notes, as well as a link to the patch discussion thread, hit the full article on the official site.

EVE Online Incursion patch 1.6 is live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blade & Soul closed beta UI profiled

Jef Reahard — Sat, 07 May 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Blade & Soul

More news made its way out of the Blade & Soul Korean beta this weekend. Blade & Soul Dojo has a breakdown of the game's user interface complete with a large annotated screenshot and plenty of commentary.

While nothing about the UI looks markedly different from long-running MMORPG conventions, there is an interesting hint at a mechanic that is unique to NCsoft's upcoming fantasy martial arts epic. The Qinggong meter (the green bar below the health and fuel meters) ties in to the game's travel system and looks to put a novel spin on both exploration and fast travel. If you're wondering, Qinggong is a Chinese martial art that has been heavily stylized in Wuxia fiction (see the wire-fu action sequences in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, and The Matrix).

Blade & Soul Dojo also confirms that the game will have an auction house as well as social features including mail, a news page, and a calendar (though these features were disabled in the beta). Check out the original article for more details.

Blade & Soul closed beta UI profiled originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Let's get personal, personal...

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

Come on let's get personaaaaaaaal. Let me hear your...

OK, maybe that song is a bit beyond some of you folks, but for others, you simply won't be able to get it out of your head all day! I cannot help it if 98% of my thoughts are all in music: old, new, classical, show tunes, or Disney ballads. Even MMO theme music and scores. It doesn't matter -- they all swirl around my head. So you will just have to suffer along with me once in a while.

But I digress -- let's get back to the topic at hand. What? I haven't shared the topic yet? Sure I have! This week, Wings Over Atreia is all about getting personal. Or rather, making it personal. Even though our favorite MMOs host a multitude of players and have to lay out a general canvas for all, who doesn't long for a more personalized experience? We express it through names, character customization, fashion, and even roleplay. We buy cash shop items to achieve it. Another way is by customizing our UI. After all, even moreso than your characters, the UI is the one piece of Aion that you have to look at constantly (unless you play with the UI off, which must be an interesting feat!). Mods pepper the net for many games, giving a more unique touch to the games we love to play. So why not for Atreia?

Load on past the cut to explore this aspect of personalizing your Aion experience. Or more accurately, the way you can't.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Let's get personal, personal...

Wings Over Atreia: Let's get personal, personal... originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daniel Dociu talks Guild Wars 2 art direction

Jef Reahard — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2

If you're looking for the latest art-centric news for ArenaNet's long-awaited Guild Wars sequel, look no further than Tap Repeatedly. Guild Wars 2 art director Daniel Dociu recently sat down for the second part of an interview that shines the spotlight on the forthcoming fantasy MMORPG's visual palette as well as the man responsible for overseeing it.

The piece covers a lot of ground, including everything from GW2's painterly user interface to the company culture at ArenaNet (which was founded by a group of engineers but also boasts one of the MMO industry's premier artistic rosters). This is no accident, Dociu explains, and one of his goals as ArenaNet's art director is to ensure that game art is given the respect it deserves. "Too often in this industry art is an afterthought. More often than not the expectations are set too low. It isn't always regarded as an equally important component next to game design or technology," he explains.

So what's up with the hand-crafted aesthetic that permeates everything from Guild Wars 2's client interface to its marketing materials? It's very deliberate, Dociu says, and it resulted in a marriage between talented artists and the realities of a finite budget. "We've unified stylistically the cinematics, user interface, and all visual branding... It all started because it was something we wanted to do, but we had to wait for the right moment and approach it from the resources angle."

Daniel Dociu talks Guild Wars 2 art direction originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI developers answer more player questions

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles

Let's face it, sometimes Final Fantasy XI players can be all "???" about the game. And that's not apropos of nothing, since the most recent developer dispatch talks about the multi-function "???" used for both Notorious Monster spawns and event triggers. While players had asked to see a change to distinct symbols such as a "!!!" for events, the technical effort required to make the switch wouldn't be worth the relatively minor functional update. The same rule goes for the /names command, which players would like to see toggle for NPCs or PCs selectively.

The latest answers aren't all bad news, however, with one of the more interesting factoids being the roundabout announcement of official forums for the game. There's also news about updates to General Rughadjeen in response to his strange behavior following Protect V or Shell V, a problem originating from the fact that the spells didn't exist when Besieged was created. Final Fantasy XI players are encouraged to read the full list of answers.

Final Fantasy XI developers answer more player questions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

It's been a few months since the November Update in Lord of the Rings Online, and the natives are restless -- as usual. Some folks are despairing the long wait until Rise of Isengard while others are itching for more challenges to their currently level-capped characters. Then there are the players who are hopelessly lost in Moria and would give their eye teeth for a flashlight.

Happily, a new update is just around the bend, code-named Echoes of the Dead. The actual name is Echoes of the Dead too, so I guess that's not such a great code. Over the past couple of weeks, we've started to get a feel for just how large this update is, and after reading through the Bullroarer test notes on Wednesday, I think we're in for a tsunami of a patch.

Of course, these patch notes come in the middle of Turbine's carefully spaced dev diaries dealing with each major change or addition, which means that we're a little in the dark as to the specifics of half of this update. That's not going to stop me -- or any of you -- from analyzing, speculating and gesturing excitedly to no one in particular.

So let's dig in to this hearty meal of mushrooms and patch notes to see just how deep LotRO's rabbit hole goes!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend

The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIFT beta 5 introduces public grouping, will be "twice as big" as beta 4

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, RIFT

Ready for their fifth taste of RIFT this week, beta testers will find a host of changes and improvements waiting their assessment. Chief among these is a much-requested feature: public grouping. Because so much of RIFT's dynamic content revolves around spontaneous zone events, players have clamored for a way to quickly group up instead of spending precious time spamming the chat channels. Two UI additions now allow players to connect with public groups as efficiently and quickly as possible.

This news comes from Scott Hartsman, who posted a lengthy preview of RIFT's beta 5 event on the official forums today. Announcing that beta 5 will be "twice as big" as the previous beta event, Hartsman revealed that the team is increasing the number of servers from 18 to 32, which should allow for up to double the amount of players.

Other changes in store for players this week include a better organization of planar currencies, Rogue energy fixes, ranged sound improvements and "significant love" for invasion mechanics. Hartsman also revealed a few items that the team is working on for future updates, such as better racial abilities and master looting. You can read his full announcement here.

RIFT beta 5 introduces public grouping, will be "twice as big" as beta 4 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Naoki Yoshida talks upcoming changes to Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Since taking control of the game in December, Naoki Yoshida has been relatively silent about the future of Final Fantasy XIV -- aside from a letter to kick off the new year and a player poll, development has been oddly quiet. That does appear to be changing, however, with Yoshida giving an interview to Famitsu in which he discussed priorities for the game's further improvements as well as what he doesn't want to change.

According to the interview, the team's first priorities are further improvements to the UI and changes to the battle system, with Yoshida cryptically remarking that the world currently seems a little too peaceful. He does note that trying something innovative like the market wards isn't necessarily the best option all the time, and there's a hint that we may see a more traditional auction house put in place for the game. It's interesting news for Final Fantasy XIV fans, no doubt enough to chew on for some speculation -- although how soon any of it will come to pass is anyone's guess.

Naoki Yoshida talks upcoming changes to Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: My wish list for 2011

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

January is always a month of denial for me because it usually takes a full 30 days for the reality of a new year to settle into my skull. It can't be a new year! I just, just got used to the old one! I'm going to forget the real year when I sign my checks and then I'll be denounced as a fraud! What horrible teenage fad will be inflicted on us this year?

Seriously, Ke$ha was the final straw for me. She's like all four horsemen of the apocalypse melted down and recast as a talentless banshee with an ironic dollar sign smack in the middle of her name. But that's my problem.

A new year also means a virgin slate for all of our MMOs. What happened last year was so last year -- now we turn our eyes to the future. We know a little of what's upcoming for Lord of the Rings Online, but that doesn't mean we can't have wishes. You know what they say: If wishes were horses, I'd have the Steed of Night.

So in honor of '11, I've come up with an 11-point wish list of what I'd love to see in LotRO this year. I fully expect Turbine to drop everything -- everything -- to get on it!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: My wish list for 2011

The Road to Mordor: My wish list for 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How many hotbars do you have?

Jef Reahard — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Super-hero, Aion, Opinion, The Daily Grind, DC Universe Online, RIFT, TERA

It's been argued that MMORPGs are being "dumbed down," and while there may be some truth to that in broad terms, one thing that is most certainly not being dumbed down is MMO combat. On the contrary, combat is getting more involved with each new release, whether it's a result of action titles like DC Universe Online or TERA (which require the player to have a certain amount of twitch skill and situational awareness), or more traditional fare like World of Warcraft, Aion, and RIFT, all of which are special-ability spamfests with a huge number of said abilities for each class.

With such a plethora of attacks, defenses, buffs, and crowd-controlling maneuvers at the player's disposal, it's a wonder that the entire screen isn't covered with hotbars. Keybindings play a big role here, of course, but today's Daily Grind is all about your UI. How many hotbars do you have? How are they set up? Do you use a lot of keybindings and macro-enabling peripherals or are you a mouse-clicker?

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!

The Daily Grind: How many hotbars do you have? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UI upgrades on the way for EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Dev Diaries

EVE Online's complex user interface has been a sticking point for many new and prospective players over the years. Although the interface has been drastically improved in the seven years that EVE has been in operation, it lacks much of the customisability players expect from a modern MMO. Players have been asking for UI overhauls and customisation options for some time, and it seems CCP is finally poised to deliver on those requests. In a new devblog, CCP Optimal has explained some preliminary UI overhauls coming with the Incursion expansion's final release on January 18th.

As expansions tend to add new features that must be accessed via the neocom, that little bar on the left of the screen has become cluttered. CCP aims to replace it with a new neocom bar along the bottom, moving many of the existing buttons to a familiar start-menu type system. The new neocom bar is customisable both in size and in what buttons are on it. Functions a player uses frequently can be dragged from the EVE menu onto the neocom bar, while underused options can be removed. Rather than gathering feedback on the new UI exclusively on the test server, CCP will debut it as a beta feature on the live server on January 18th. CCP hopes to use this new approach to gather more accurate feedback on several upcoming features before they're released.

UI upgrades on the way for EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV's December update goes live

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV players can take heart, as the first of two promised updates in December has just gone live. The game's last major update a month ago was centered on quality-of-life improvements, but this update is focused toward content as well, with the addition of several new guildleves and the promised notorious monsters. That doesn't mean that there's a shortage of improvements to the game's interface, however, with several persistent issues having been addressed or expanded, even beyond the previously known changes.

Among the more welcome interface changes are the addition of visible timers to all status effects, an increase in the chat character limit, and improved display of an item's durability. As for content, players not looking to kill monsters can enjoy the first part of the promised recipe book and lessened spawns around gathering points, not to mention the option to abandon unwanted local levequests. Final Fantasy XIV players can look forward to a second update later in the month, that promises to build upon this update and offer further improvements to the game.

Final Fantasy XIV's December update goes live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV's update dated and expanded

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

The first of two major updates for Final Fantasy XIV in the month of December will be going live tomorrow, according to the official word from Square-Enix. That's good news for the game's players, who have been looking forward to the previewed notorious monsters ever since the first of several teasers was made public. But that's not the only thing that players can expect, with the promise of another update later in the month bringing even further improvements to the game's mechanics and the market system.

Among the more significant features that have not been previewed in detail are the addition of more guildleves and recipes for crafting, as well as another free retainer slot that will serve to boost inventory and marketing capacities significantly. The update is also scheduled to contain more UI improvements, including an increase on the maximum allowed input in the chat box (which is currently rather myopic). Further details on the second December update are promised for a later date, but this update alone should be a fine tiding for Final Fantasy XIV players the world over.

Final Fantasy XIV's update dated and expanded originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waging WAR: Guide to addons

Greg Waller — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Guides, Waging WAR

This week in WagingWAR Greg takes a look at the basic interface offered in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Well, he said he would take a look, but then he mumbled something about needing a blindfold first. Instead, he writes about all the great ways it can be changed via third-party add-ons and shows us why WAR's modding community really is just the bee's knees.

Let's be honest with ourselves right off the bat and agree that the WAR default interface, although functional, is lackluster in some respects. That's not to say that the developers of WAR made a disastrous UI for us to play with; in fact, the truth is quite the opposite. The standard UI is functional, genre-standard, and provides all the necessary information at a glance. It gets the job done. It also offers a layout editor that allows for simple, easy customization. But sometimes, someone else's idea for a UI element is simply better. Thankfully, WAR supports the Lua programming language and enjoys a strong and talented modding community.

Continue reading for the lowdown on what I consider to be the best of the best of what WAR's mod community has to offer as of patch 1.4.

Continue reading Waging WAR: Guide to addons

Waging WAR: Guide to addons originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Patching holes

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Due to a general case of it's-the-blasted-holiday-season, I didn't get nearly as much playtime with Final Fantasy XIV following the November patch as I would have liked. I had to wait a couple days to really sit down and engage in a nice play session to really get a feel for all of the changes that had been wrought on the game by the update. And in a way, I'm glad I knew that I would need some time and thus focused on the community piece last Saturday, because it's meant more time to really appreciate the improvements.

The short version, if you're allergic to page breaks, is that this patch solves a huge number of issues, to the point that I imagine many players who couldn't see past those issues to the core game will be better able to see what's at the root. But there's a lot of unpacking to do, so I'd still recommend hopping past the cut for a breakdown of the patch as a whole as well as a brief look for what the December update still has to do for Final Fantasy XIV.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Patching holes

The Mog Log: Patching holes originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV sends the November update live

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Everyone in the US got to spend the day gorging on turkey and pie, but Final Fantasy XIV players got to gorge themselves on something else -- a large patch. The far-reaching November version update has gone live as of yesterday evening, bringing with it a host of updates and improvements to help bring the game up to speed in both content and accessibility. While the patch notes focus on enhancing the play experience, the improvements should be well-received by many players.

Among the more significant gameplay changes are the movement of skill points to an end-of-combat reward in the same manner as experience points and the reduction of points needed for ranks 11 through 31. The UI response time has been improved, and the widgets of the interface have been changed around to make the game more accessible and responsive. Synthesis materials have been altered, inventory space has increased, and the high-quality drops that once clogged inventories are being streamlined. All of the details can be found in the patch notes, a veritable feast of good news for Final Fantasy XIV players from a very appropriate day.

Final Fantasy XIV sends the November update live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall dev diary talks new UI, quest content, and more

Jef Reahard — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, News items, Dev Diaries

Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras returns with another activity report on the Darkfall Epic Blog, and the focus is fairly broad. He touches on the dynamic quests and lore-driven events we mentioned last week, as well as upcoming world optimizations that include aggressive wildlife based on location and time of day, new monster families and epic mob encounters, and improvements to both player character models and monster animations.

Those of you who haven't been able to get past Darkfall's unique user interface will also have reason to give the game a second look in the near future, as Flambouras states that Aventurine has decided on a new GUI framework and tools. "These should yield a vastly improved user interface. The next phase for the GUI is the architecture and adapting the current GUI functionality to the new framework," he says.

Other notable items include the mention of a completely new environmental sound system as well as an in-game political map which will feature clan associations, vendor and bank locations, and various other resources. Check out all the details on the official Darkfall blog.

Darkfall dev diary talks new UI, quest content, and more originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look at the updated UI for Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

The first major update for Final Fantasy XIV is tentatively dated for a little more than a week from now, and Square-Enix is beginning to discuss the specifics about what the new update will contain. With the most recent reveal centering around the user interface, players can get a look at the improvements coming to one of the game's least-loved features, and the updates range from smoothing off the rough edges of targeting and mouse interaction to the substantial improvement of more inventory space. The latter will be welcomed even by those not put out by the interface, as another 20 slots will be added to both the character's inventory and the retainer's inventory.

Other updates include improvements to the chat client, ranging from keyboard shortcuts to the ability to create custom tabs for players. There's also a redesign of the current Attributes & Gear panel into two separate interfaces, with the Gear window having much improved functionality and the Attributes window providing a better rundown of information. Players can take a look at the preview for a full picture of how the UI will be altered to improve Final Fantasy XIV as well as a quick look at what some of the new windows will look like and how they can be customized.

A look at the updated UI for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II

Brianna Royce — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Massively Event Coverage, RIFT

As part of its recent Gamer Day event, Trion Worlds invited Massively back to its studio for another look at Rift: Planes of Telara. Having now been to two of these Gamer Day events, I can say without a doubt that last week's was the more festive -- the player-community leaders and swarm of devs certainly made the whole experience much more wild than the first and reminded me that I was supposed to be having fun (not just studiously taking notes for you lovely readers, although I did that too!).

Since this was my second day-long hands-on with the game (the first being last summer when I got to check out Rift's dynamic content), I thought it best to focus on two areas: improvements to systems I'd seen before, and totally new elements I hadn't seen at all (like the Guardian starting zone, PvP, UI enhancements, Deepstrike Mines, and several new souls including Riftblades, Bards, and Wardens!). Follow along after the break for my second impressions of this MMO that continues to surprise me with its glittering shine of polish.

Gallery: RIFT: Core Gallery

Continue reading Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II

Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Black Prophecy UI details brought to light

Jef Reahard — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy

Black Prophecy fans are a patient lot, and in the case of the founder of the Prophecy Nation website, quite enterprising as well. Travis, otherwise known as "Nexiom," has helped fill the void of information about the long-in-development space shooter with an interesting breakdown of the game's interface. In the second installment of a two-part article making use of existing screenshots, he paints a picture of what the free-to-play title's UI probably functions like, all without breaking the beta NDA.

The article boasts a healthy complement of images and helpful annotations; it also delivers some interesting insights and speculation. Chief among these are the author's guesstimates as to the functionality of certain buttons (possibly target locking, communications, and trade). Check out the full piece at Prophecy Nation.

More Black Prophecy UI details brought to light originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Black Prophecy fan finds fun in interface functions

Larry Everett — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy

More and more science fiction MMOs are making their way to the market. One of the most highly-anticipated ones is Black Prophecy. This twitch-based, third-person, space sim is currently being developed by free-to-play developer Gamigo. Since the game has entered closed-beta, fans have been itching for news, but Gamigo has not released much news since then. This silence prompted fansite owner Travis "Nexiom" to spend some time examining the user interface of his favorite game.

Prophecy Nation decided to help out fans by providing news of its own. Nexiom gathered all the screenshots and videos of Black Prophecy and thoroughly examined each one to piece together an in-depth analysis of the game's user interface. His first entry studies the user interface aboard space stations and the general player menu. This includes the ship/character information, skills, inventory, starmap, and many more display items.

Before anyone comments that he is breaking some sort of NDA by posting this information, Nexiom assures us that he is not in the closed beta and all the screenshots were taken from previously released images.

Catch all the information over at Prophecy Nation. You are also welcome to sign up for closed beta at the official Black Prophecy website.

Black Prophecy fan finds fun in interface functions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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