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[Creative staff discuss the story setting of The Elder Scrolls Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/creative-staff-discuss-the-story-setting-of-the-elder-scrolls-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/creative-staff-discuss-the-story-setting-of-the-elder-scrolls-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/21/creative-staff-discuss-the-story-setting-of-the-elder-scrolls-on/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Right now, this pretty much qualifies as concept art.
MMOs in an existing franchise always present certain issues: You need enough conceptual space to advance a game's storyline, but you may not want to be locked in to never doing another title in the franchise. So The Elder Scrolls Online has to be set in just the right time period for the game to work. In a recent video interview, creative director Paul Sage and content designer Rich Lambert sat down to talk about the why behind the when.

Sage and Lambert explain that the real draw to this particular time period was the fact that there's neither a great deal of recorded in-game history nor a lot of huge events that might affect future titles -- it's a time when almost anything can happen without derailing future events in the universe. The duo also discusses keeping the game aligned with existing lore and ensuring that nothing gets thrown off by mistake. Those looking forward to the game will want to watch the full interview, which goes into more details regarding specifics of lore and setting.

MassivelyCreative staff discuss the story setting of The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Personally, I was hoping for the first game to be Hunter: The Reckoning. Just for shock value.
With layoffs having hit CCP, there's been a lot of apprehension about whether or not World of Darkness would continue in development or suffer a quiet death. But a recent interview with Senior Producer Chris McDonough makes it clear that the title is still very much in development and very much following in the footsteps of its older brother, EVE Online. Both games will share the single-shard setup, and McDonough states that several technologies developed for World of Darkness have been incorporated into EVE Online (something many players suspected about player avatars from the beginning).

McDonough also talks in depth about turning the game into an MMO, claiming that a pen-and-paper game naturally translates into an MMO better than other properties because of the lack of iconic characters who players wish to play. The challenge, of course, is bringing over some of the feel of a tabletop setting into an online environment, with McDonough explaining that several of the computer games such as Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines have been used as a point of common reference. Click past the break to see the full interview.

Continue reading Chris McDonough talks about the development of the World of Darkness

MassivelyChris McDonough talks about the development of the World of Darkness originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adaptationccpccp-gameschris-mcdonoughdesigneveeve-onlineinterviewvampirevampire-the-masqueradevampiresvideovideo-interviewvideosvtmwodworld-of-darknessTue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/video-interview-with-chris-mcdonough-reveals-more-details-on-wor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/video-interview-with-chris-mcdonough-reveals-more-details-on-wor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/video-interview-with-chris-mcdonough-reveals-more-details-on-wor/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

So I'll be able to create a fifth-gen Brujah Anarch with Celerity 7 if I scan my character sheet, right?
There are a lot of gamers pretty interested in World of Darkness, and it's not hard to see why. The game is based in lore that's still hugely influential in the arena of tabletop gaming, and it's hard to imagine a developer better suited to labyrinthine political dramas than CCP. Machinima.com had a chance to chat with Chris McDonough during the recent Grand Masquerade, where McDonough revealed a few more tidbits about what the game would incorporate and how it would cater to existing fans of the property.

As McDonough puts it, the overall goal is to bring some of the feel of the game's many LARP activities into the MMO space, with the focus on player and character interplay in a sandbox environment. The full interview also discusses the spread of the overall property, why the team decided to focus on vampires initially, and more about what players can expect from the game world. View the full interview after the break.

[Thanks to Pilgrim for the tip!]

Continue reading Video interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness

MassivelyVideo interview with Chris McDonough reveals more details on World of Darkness originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backstoryccpccp-gameschris-mcdonoughinterviewlarploretabletoptabletop-gamingvideovideo-interviewvideoswodworld-of-darknessWed, 28 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GameX 2009: Victorian spaceships with Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-victorian-spaceships-with-ben-yahtzee-croshaw/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-victorian-spaceships-with-ben-yahtzee-croshaw/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-victorian-spaceships-with-ben-yahtzee-croshaw/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of the infamous Zero Punctuation reviews on The Escapist is a bit tricky to track down, but we were able to get some time in with him at this year's GameX in Philadelphia.

We pitched the fast talking reviewer some questions to get his opinion on the MMO genre beyond his reviews of Tabula Rasa and EVE Online, and found out some interesting things -- like victorian steampunk spaceships are awesome. So what breaks the MMO genre for Yahtzee? Will more MMOs be smash... er... featured on Zero Punctuation? If you're wondering the answers to these questions, then wonder no more! Just click on through after the break to check out our video interview!

Continue reading GameX 2009: Victorian spaceships with Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw

MassivelyGameX 2009: Victorian spaceships with Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ben-croshawben-yahtzee-croshawfeaturedgamexgamex-2009interviewmmosopinionthe-escapistvideo-interviewyahtzeeyahtzee-croshawzero-punctuationWed, 28 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GameX 2009: Massively talks with Lee Hammock on what's next for Fallen Earth]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-massively-talks-with-lee-hammock-on-whats-next-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-massively-talks-with-lee-hammock-on-whats-next-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/28/gamex-2009-massively-talks-with-lee-hammock-on-whats-next-for/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Content, community, and epic beards ahead fair readers! When lead game designer Lee Hammock walked into the media room at GameX 2009, we immediately tackled him into a chair and demanded he answer our many questions on what's coming up for Fallen Earth. What we got (after he figured out that we wanted to interview him and not kidnap him) were answers on the upcoming "social" patch for Fallen Earth, a look at the brand new crafting skill, construction, and the camps that will be added to the game, what lies beyond Sector 3 (hint: it's Sector 4) and how much the team loves their community.

So if you're interested in Fallen Earth, or are looking for a reason to get into the game, look no further than the interview that lies beyond the break! Unfortunately though, we must make a slight correction to what Lee says in the interview. Fallen Earth did send us 2,000 trial keys, but thanks to an overwhelming response, we're out of keys! This makes us sad pandas, but you can still enjoy what Lee has to say about the game, and be amazed by the hypnotic beard.

Continue reading GameX 2009: Massively talks with Lee Hammock on what's next for Fallen Earth

MassivelyGameX 2009: Massively talks with Lee Hammock on what's next for Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>campsconstructionfallen-earthfeaturedfree-trialgame-expogamexgamex-2009interviewlee-hammocksector-4social-patchvideo-interviewWed, 28 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[GameX 2009: Video interview with Nathan Richardsson and "Alli" Óttarsson]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-video-interview-with-nathan-richardsson-and-alli-o/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-video-interview-with-nathan-richardsson-and-alli-o/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-video-interview-with-nathan-richardsson-and-alli-o/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

After their panel at GameX 2009 (and some free lunch) we got to sit down with "Alli" Ottarsson and Nathan Richardsson from EVE Online and talk shop about the future of the game. Where are we going directly after the Dominion expansion releases this year? What other product tie-ins can we expect from the White Wolf end of the company? And what's Neocom all about anyway?

Nathan and Alli were happy to take our questions and give some direct responses on what they hope to tackle in Neocom, how EVE's model is multiple game models, and what we might see take place in the highly-anticipated Incarna in regards to gambling and missions.

To check our exclusive video interview, jump after the break with the "continue reading" button below!

Continue reading GameX 2009: Video interview with Nathan Richardsson and "Alli" Óttarsson

MassivelyGameX 2009: Video interview with Nathan Richardsson and "Alli" Óttarsson originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GameX 2009 was insane this weekend and we were all over the place, but one of the first groups that we set a chunk of time aside for was Jeff Lewis (Vork), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), and Robin Thorsen (Clara) from The Guild. We weren't missing out on catching up with those three.

The interview that ensued answered some of the important questions in life, like how many MMO real life experiences get moved into The Guild's script, what it was like to work with Wil Wheaton and Jed Whedon, and is that a real Sandeep Parikh Backflip (TM) in the "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar" music video?

If you're curious to these answers and more, then you should click that button below and continue reading after the break. We have an exclusive video interview for you!

Continue reading GameX 2009: Massively.com talks with The Guild

MassivelyGameX 2009: Massively.com talks with The Guild originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Erling Ellingson, Funcom's Product Manager for Age of Conan, recently gave a video interview with Jon Wood from MMORPG. Wood brought some tough questions to the interview regarding the problems many players are having with the game, questions that may not have simple, clear cut answers as the footage implies. Or perhaps they're just not the answers many gamers are hoping to get.

Wood's interview covered the gambit of player concerns about the game: the lack of DX 10; missing and upcoming features; and speculation about changes in mature content. Perhaps of greatest significance to the Age of Conan player base is the content drop off after level 20. On the post-20 game experience, Ellingson likened Age of Conan to being two titles in one -- a single player experience and an MMO. The introduction to the game is meant to be very detailed to draw the player into the setting, but the second part is a different experience. Some people may like the first part more than the second, he says. Also, in terms of content thinning as levels go up, he feels that this happens with most MMOs when they launch, and states that even when World of Warcraft launched, "the higher level content was relatively sparse." To remedy this, Funcom is now focused on adding higher level content, including level 80 dungeons, and Ymir's Pass -- a level 55+ zone.

Continue reading Age of Conan video interview focuses on player concerns

MassivelyAge of Conan video interview focuses on player concerns originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaoccontentdx10erling-ellingsonfantasyforumsfuncomgame-mechanicsinterviewinterviewsjon-woodmaturemature-contentmature-ratingmmorpgnew-contentpvpvideovideo-interviewzoneSat, 02 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan product director, Jorgen Tharaldsen: "You'll see titties"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/age-of-conan-product-director-jorgen-tharaldsen-youll-see-ti/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/age-of-conan-product-director-jorgen-tharaldsen-youll-see-ti/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/age-of-conan-product-director-jorgen-tharaldsen-youll-see-ti/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Gamesblog.it managed to score a video interview with Jorgen Tharaldsen, product director for Funcom and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures , and just in case you weren't sure yet, he makes it clear -- this game is not for kids. The interviewer poses a few questions relating to how AoC will be different from other MMO's out there, in particular its more mature and violent approach.

The passionate Tharaldsen does not hold back -- much like the game itself -- with his responses. He places a lot of emphasis on Funcom wanting to be faithful to the Conan story and license, and not having to "dumb it down" or remove elements for a younger audience. Decapitations, prostitutes, and copious amounts of blood are some of the things mentioned that you may not find in your average MMO. Tharaldsen said that it was liberating to not have to worry about including aspects like this -- anything that they wanted to add, they did.

It remains to be seen how the proposed server-side ratings system will pan out, and whether there will be an uncut edition of the game available in every region, but it's nice to know that at least somewhere, the game will exist in a form that is exactly how the developers envisioned.

MassivelyAge of Conan product director, Jorgen Tharaldsen: "You'll see titties" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aocbloodconandecapitationfuncomhyborian-adventuresjorgen-tharaldsenproduct-directorratingstharaldsenvideo-interviewThu, 15 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST