Massively

Storyboard: Talk this way

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

One of the great problems presented to roleplayers is the challenge of presenting audio via text.

We don't think about it all the time because most of the time it's easy to construct the sound of something from context. Sure, simply saying that your character sighs could mean any number of things, but contextually it's usually obvious whether it's meant as a gesture of exasperation or a sign of relaxed contentment. "Yes, I'm sure your new weapon will make a huge difference in the war" could be sarcastic or serious, but there are generally enough clues in the situation to make the difference obvious.

But there's one obvious case in which that breaks down, and that's in the matter of accents. After all, people from two different regions shouldn't quite sound the same... but there's also no effective way to communicate how one voice or another sounds different. And the most common solution is essentially a matter of making your character's words borderline unreadable in the hopes that you convey a sliver of your intention.

Continue reading Storyboard: Talk this way

Storyboard: Talk this way originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soapbox: Voice chat is the worst thing ever

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Part of me thinks that voice chat is a product of the miraculous and wondrous age we live in. I can still remember when the very idea of the internet seemed like a magical idea. I could search an entire world full of knowledge and ideas at once! The fact that video games have evolved into games where I can log in to a shared world and speak to someone in a real-time discussion is nothing short of astonishing.

Most of me, however, really just hates voice chat.

I've used voice chat extensively before, and I didn't like it then. I still don't like it now. And for all of the advantages it offers, I can't say it's something that I consider a positive addition to the MMO landscape any more than I'm happy about the widespread adoption of the colloquial term "toon." It might not be a cultural issue that needs to be addressed, but I really hate voice chat.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Voice chat is the worst thing ever

The Soapbox: Voice chat is the worst thing ever originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Hero Squad Online gets vocal with new all-star cast of talent

Matt Daniel — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Family, Super Hero Squad Online

Voice-acting in MMOs seems to be all the rage these days, and Gazillion Entertainment, publisher of the free-to-play Super Hero Squad Online, seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. In a press release today, the company announced that each and every hero and villain in the game will be receiving a full vocal makeover, and many characters will be voiced by the same actors who provide voice work for the Super Hero Squad television series.

Jay Minn, vice president of The Amazing Society -- the development studio behind the games -- is obviously quite pleased with the decision to give voice to the game's dozens of characters, stating that "the heroes and villains in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online have always had their own unique personalities and attitudes... We're excited and very proud to let our heroes and villains speak their minds!" The statement adds that the game currently includes over 3000 lines of spoken dialogue (with over 100 attributed to everyone's favorite Merc with a Mouth), so players can expect plenty of witty quips from their characters of choice.

To get in the game and hear the new voiceovers for yourself, just click on through the link below to Super Hero Squad Online's official site.

[Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]

Super Hero Squad Online gets vocal with new all-star cast of talent originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets into the record books

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It remains to be seen if Star Wars: The Old Republic will set a number of records in its lifetime, but it's already made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records for 2012. At over 200,000 lines of recorded dialogue, the game has scored a record for having the largest amount of voice acting not only for a video game but for any entertainment project. The record appears in the Guinness Book of World Records Gamer's Edition, on the stands now in the US and on sale in the UK on the 19th.

Of course, considering the amount of press the game has received for its voice cast, we suspect this won't come as a huge surprise, but it's interesting to see. The book also includes a list of the best Star Wars games in the franchise's history, which unsurprisingly includes Knights of the Old Republic, perhaps a harbinger of SWTOR's future.

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets into the record books originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Previews, RuneScape, Free-to-play

RuneFest, Halloween, and Bot Nuking Day may be over, but the RuneScape team is far from taking time off for good behavior. If anything, the devs' eyes are as big as their stomachs as they detailed plans for the game leading up to Thanksgiving.

Speaking of the holiday, a turkey invasion led by the fearsome Captain Turkerton is imminent and only the players will be able to negotiate a truce before the gobblepocalypse arrives. As incentive for participating in the event, RuneScape is planning to award Thanksgiving crests and turkey pets for the diplomatically savvy.

Jagex has a lot more on its plate for November, including revamping elements of the interface, overhauling the website design, and introducing the Slayer-centric Polypore Dungeon. Additionally, the November quest, "One Piercing Note," is a first for the game: a fully voice-acted experience that will incorporate singing and dancing into the story!

Following Bot Nuking Day and the resulting dip in population, Jagex has consolidated several servers into new multi-country European worlds. The team is also hard at work addressing some current issues with players having problems logging in and experiencing lag. A fix is scheduled for later today.

RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Storyboard: In your own words

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

I really should have learned by now to not promise anything for a given week's column other than the fact that it will be there, as I got halfway through the original draft of this particular new featurette before deciding that I hated it. So while I still want to delve a bit deeper into specific game lore and backstory, that bit is going to have to wait for just a little bit while I wrestle with the concept a little more thoroughly. (It'll be worth the wait.)

Instead, this week I'm going to focus on an aspect of roleplaying that I've discussed before in passing but never in any real depth: finding a character's voice. That's more than just consistent characterization, although that's a part of it. Strong characters have distinct voices and behaviors, unique outlooks, and hangups, things that help an individual stand out from the crowd. It's the trick of finding that voice and having a distinct tone from other characters that makes starting a new character at once engaging and mildly horrifying.

Continue reading Storyboard: In your own words

Storyboard: In your own words originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent

Karen Bryan — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous

As we've looked at the ins and outs of managing a guild, one issue that's often overlooked is whether to vent or not to vent. No, not the Minus 50 DKP type of vent -- I'm talking about Ventrilo and voice chat in general. Ten years ago, guild leaders didn't have to worry about this, because the choice was between typing text or hosting a LAN party. But today, with the rise of voice chat clients like Ventrilo and in-game voice services like Vivox, the culture has changed quite a bit.

In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll take a look at the benefits of type vs. voice chat, and we'll look at what role each plays in guild management. Whether you sleep with your headset on or cling to your keyboard, read on for a look at why both have their merits.

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent

The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vivox doubles user base, now serves over 45 million

Jef Reahard — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

Last year was mighty productive for the folks at Vivox, as the voice chat firm doubled its user base and now serves over 45 million customers worldwide. While 45 million is quite a large number on its own, when taken together with the fact that Vivox served a mere 18.5 million users in early 2010, it's easy to see how the competition has its work cut out for it.

Gaming firms including Wargaming.net, Runewaker, and Bigpoint all turned to Vivox for their voice needs in 2010, and company CEO Rob Seaver says that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. "There is a clear opportunity for voice providers to reshape the social web with a communication medium that has proven to be the easiest, most intuitive channel of communication throughout [...] thousands of years of existence: voice," he said in a press release earlier today.

Vivox also provides voice services for the likes of CCP Games, Linden Lab, and Sony Online Entertainment, and you can find more coverage of the company in our interviews with VP of Product Management Monty Sharma.

Vivox doubles user base, now serves over 45 million originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dragon Gaming Speech Pack set to bypass complex keystrokes

Jef Reahard — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Miscellaneous

Ready to use your voice for something other than barking raid orders or bantering pop culture references over your guild's Vent server? Nuance Communications has announced what it hopes is the next wave in PC gaming: voice command sets. The new Dragon Gaming Speech Pack enables gamers to bypass complex keystrokes in favor of spoken commands, theoretically making gameplay more intuitive.

Currently, the software supports World of Warcraft and Second Life in the MMO space, with a number of lobby and single-player games included as well (Call of Duty Black Ops, Mass Effect 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator X, to name a few). The software retails for USD $129.99, but Nuance is running a special introductory offer that you can read about at its website.

Dragon Gaming Speech Pack set to bypass complex keystrokes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks announces Vivox voice chat

Jef Reahard — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Historical, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, World of Tanks

What's a military action game without angry squad leaders, four-letter words, and locker room camaraderie, amirite? In service of those ideals, and a few that are more family-friendly, Wargaming.net announces the arrival of integrated voice chat in its World of Tanks action MMO.

High-definition in-game voice will be heard around the battlefield courtesy of Vivox, Inc. "When creating World of Tanks it was critical for us to include voice communication capabilities. With proven scalability, numerous live integrations, and best in class quality -- partnering with Vivox was an easy decision," says Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi.

World of Tanks is a free-to-play, vehicle-based action game currently undergoing closed beta testing. The Vivox integration will allow seamless communication, sans third-party apps, during combat and via the game's various lobbies. You can learn more, as well as sign up for beta, at the official website.

World of Tanks announces Vivox voice chat originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

APB's voice chat feature will contain advertisements

Brendan Drain — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, All Points Bulletin, Crime

With launch day closing in, crime MMO All Points Bulletin has been getting its payment scheme in order. The game's pricing structure was revealed at the end of April, including several flexible pay-per-time and monthly subscription options. In addition, the game will have a currency called "RTW points," which can be used for character customisations or converted into game time. While looking through the payment options in his account management page early this morning, one APB forum poster spied a strange button that set off a few warning bells in his head. Marked "VOIP Premium," the option removes adverts from APB's in-game voice chat for 30, 90 or 180 days in exchange for payment.

This was the first players had heard of adverts being inserted into their voice chat and speculation began to run wild in the game's pre-release forum community. Players feared the worst -- that right in the middle of their game, a radio advert would start playing over their speakers. Community Officer Toxico was quick to address concerns, explaining the exact circumstances under which the ads will be played. For an advert to play, you have to be entering a district and must not have heard an ad for the past three hours. This ensures that they'll never interrupt normal play and won't play in an irritatingly high frequency. While some forum posters are avidly opposing a premium VOIP service, most seem content with the explanation provided and the conditions under which adverts will be played.

[Thanks for the tip, Kip!]

APB's voice chat feature will contain advertisements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What are you like in voice chat?

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Voice chat isn't a part of every facet of games, but it's usually de rigeur for communication in endgame activities. While some of us can type pretty quickly, we can still talk a bit faster, and if you're using the keyboard as anything other than an ornament time spent typing is time spent not pressing other buttons. The popularity and proliferation of Ventrilo is almost entirely based upon this need, and games have increasingly come to include built-in voice clients (including World of Warcraft, although its quality is rather widely debated).

Of course, hand-in-hand with the fact that we can talk faster than we can type, many of us have a clearer personality by voice than we do in text. We're more trained as human beings to react to audio cues anyway, as opposed to subtleties in sentence structure or the occasional "lol." So what do you act like when you get behind the microphone? Are you the one guy that won't stop making off-color jokes, or are you quiet and professional? Do you act the same way you usually do via text, or do you have a totally different side that only comes out over voice chat?

The Daily Grind: What are you like in voice chat? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Global Agenda to feature Vivox voice integration

James Egan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, MMOFPS, Global Agenda

Massively has been following the growing prevalence of MMOFPS games poised to enter the market in the coming months and years, with the most notable of these being Global Agenda. The game's developer Hi-Rez Studios got in touch with us today to let us know about their partnership with Vivox, who will provide voice features for Global Agenda. Vivox will enable push-to-talk voice chat and in-game news broadcasts "that describe key victories and events associated with Global Agenda's persistent territory control gameplay," states Hi-Rez Studios. An additional (subscriber-only) feature will be out-of-game voice chat that will keep agency members in touch when they're not fragging their rivals. According to Hi-Rez, "Players can use a variety of access methods including the Vivox Web Voice within the toolbar controls, Vivox Voice on Facebook, or calling into a specified chat channel from their phone."

Hi-Rez also announced they will hold a dev chat via Facebook on Wednesday, November 18th, from 10-11pm (Eastern), which will require participants to download the Vivox Voice app for Facebook. A Facebook group announcement from Hi-Rez today states that the dev chat will be limited to 75 people who will pose questions to the Global Agenda devs.

Global Agenda to feature Vivox voice integration originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Second Life racks up 1 billion voice minutes last month. Linden Lab announces new services

Tateru Nino — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Business models, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Linden Lab has announced that it is currently averaging one billion voice-minutes per month. That's time actively engaged in a voice session, not just time spent with voice support enabled. That's quite a statistic. That puts Second Life's voice service right up there among the top VoIP providers, and around 12% of Skype. That's very impressive.

In the 18 months since voice was introduced, roughly 15 billion voice-minutes have been served, through Vivox's voice services for Second Life. Additionally there are new products/services. Some available from today, and some scheduled for later this year.

Continue reading Second Life racks up 1 billion voice minutes last month. Linden Lab announces new services

Second Life racks up 1 billion voice minutes last month. Linden Lab announces new services originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vivox to provide voice solutions for urban crime MMO All Points Bulletin

James Egan — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, All Points Bulletin, Crime

If you're a fan of GTA-style urban crime games, you might be interested in what Realtime Worlds is cooking up for the MMO space: All Points Bulletin, which could very well prove to be the online evolution of single-player games like Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown. While new details on this title are still light, Vivox announced today that they'll be providing voice solutions for APB.

The integration of Vivox with the All Points Bulletin client will include voice fonts, where players will be able to alter their voices to better fit their character. Vivox has already established its presence in EVE Online and Second Life, and recently announced plans to extend gaming VOIP to web browsers as well. There could be interesting times ahead with this agreement between Vivox and Realtime Worlds in All Points Bulletin.

Vivox to provide voice solutions for urban crime MMO All Points Bulletin originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xfire contest rewards you for playing Lord of the Rings Online

James Egan — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Contests

Xfire and Turbine are teaming up to offer a Lord of the Rings "Play 2 Win" event. Gamers playing either the full game or its demo, and who've joined the Official Xfire Lord of the Rings Online Clan, are eligible to win prizes in the contest. The time you spend logged in determines your prize eligibility, if you're selected:

Gold Level Prizes (50 hours +): Ten winners each get a 6-month subscription, in-game Bree horse mount, and a LotRO t-shirt.

Silver Level Prizes (15-49 hours): Ten winners each get a 3-month subscription, and a LotRO t-shirt.

Bronze Level Prizes (under 15 hours): Ten winners each get a 30-day subscription.

The contest runs from January 28th to February 11th. You can check out the rest of the details of The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Play 2 Win Event on the official Xfire site.

Xfire contest rewards you for playing Lord of the Rings Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively interviews Champions Online's lead designer, part 2

Kyle Horner — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, New titles, News items, Massively Interviews, Champions Online

Continue reading Massively interviews Champions Online's lead designer, part 2

Massively interviews Champions Online's lead designer, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Cinemassively: Stimme

Moo Money — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, Cinemassively, Machinima

The Vendetta Clan, of Lord of the Rings Online, has a machinima project in the works. Since it's in German, we're not sure what it's about yet, but it looks like it will be full length. Their editor, Tirethiel, has already released two trailers and a music video for it. Most short clips involving this game include PvE, or a musical instrument, but he made a huge effort to give it a polished feel, which is no easy feat. This clip from Stimme, or Voice, is one of the best LotRO scenes that we've seen come out of the MMO!

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

Cinemassively: Stimme originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reach out and touch someone: Avatars by PSTN

Tateru Nino — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

A number of sources have been talking about Second Life avatars getting their own phone number for voice calls. First hinted at in a discussion between Information Week writer Mitch Wagner, and Linden Lab's VP for Platform and Technology, Joe Miller, by far the best information on the topic at the moment seems to be available from Expletive Deleted.

E.D. spoke with Miller and got some more details. The goal, it would seem, is PSTN numbers for either groups or avatars with some sort of access PIN to prevent wholesale misuse -- and it looks like some elements of that may already be getting closer.

Continue reading Reach out and touch someone: Avatars by PSTN

Reach out and touch someone: Avatars by PSTN originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New open source voice project

Tateru Nino — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Ryan McDougall has announced the formation of a new Sourceforge project, called VoIP for Virtual Worlds. The long-term goal is to create an interoperable open-source standard for all virtual worlds.

To help the project find its feet, the initial short-term goal is to create an open-source replacement for the existing Vivox component (SLvoice) that is used for voice in Second Life that can communicate with a SIP-based backend server. Developers who are interested in the effort can start with the project's new mailing list.

We don't presently know if an open-source solution could be fully compatible with the existing voice system in Second Life as the existing system relies heavily on Vivox servers and backend software.

New open source voice project originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

RealXtend viewer now on Sourceforge

Tateru Nino — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Sourceforge - billed as the largest open source website in the world -- is now host to the source code project for the RealXTend viewer (rexviewer) for Second Life. RealXtend claims to have replaced all of the license encumbered portions of the viewer with GPL-friendly alternatives, though they are still having some issues decoupling FMOD from their VoIP solution.

The project website remains at rexviewer.org, while the project page and source code (available via subversion) is now on Sourceforge. Rexviewer is only in alpha at present, but has a number of distinctly interesting technological features, and more planned.

RealXtend viewer now on Sourceforge originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Peering inside - looking back at 2007 [UPDATED]

Tateru Nino — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Second Life, Peering Inside

It's been no less a tumultuous year for Second Life in 2007 this year than any previous year, frankly. There are a few standout items though.

This isn't the list that anyone else might make - We might completely skip over one of the things you see as standing out as a huge impact, based solely on that we don't actually think it was that big a deal in the scheme of things.

Continue reading Peering inside - looking back at 2007 [UPDATED]

Peering inside - looking back at 2007 [UPDATED] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Linden Lab polls on voice

Tateru Nino — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life

Linden Lab wants to know your thoughts on voice. As Eric Rice/Spin Martin puts it "after it's installed and after months of community bitching. Awesome."

Feel positive about Second Life voice? Negative? Ambivalent? Take the time to do the survey and let Linden Lab know - but you'll need Javascript enabled for qualtrics.com in order to make the survey work properly and store the results.

Continue reading Linden Lab polls on voice

Linden Lab polls on voice originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Second Life stability problems continue into the new week

Tateru Nino — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Server downtime, News items, Second Life

Linden Lab advises this-morning (and we're certainly seeing it reflected in the figures) that while they thought the issue had been resolved on Saturday evening, that it was not, and that the issues that plagued the Second Life grid over the weekend are still ongoing.

Additionally, all voice services went dark at 2:06AM SLT (US Pacific).

Continue reading Second Life stability problems continue into the new week

Second Life stability problems continue into the new week originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

WarCry's "War on the Impossible" part 4 details EVE's Trinity expansion

Samuel Axon — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Previews, News items

The folks at CCP are nothing if not ambitious. They're more willing to take risks and try new things with EVE Online than a lot of other developers are with their respective games. So far it's paid off; EVE has a very large and passionate fan base. So large and passionate, in fact, that they annually hold a huge Fanfest in Reykjavik.

We provided a list of all the best coverage of the event, but one item on the list stands out enough to warrant a plug of its own. WarCry has been rolling out a series of articles on EVE Online as coverage for this year's conference. All together it's called "The War on the Impossible" after CCP's new slogan. Part IV of this series was just launched. This time the focus is on the Trinity expansion, which includes a graphical overhaul, a revised voice chat system, and many new or tweaked gameplay elements.

In case you missed the earlier articles; Part I was an introduction to CCP's big moves and plans for the game. Part II was about the panel debate between Richard Bartle and Jessica Mulligan on CCP's plans to democratize the world of EVE, and Part III described "Ambulation" in detail. The articles aren't purely informative; WarCry weighs the consequences of each change. If you play EVE, you'll find that this series is one of the best summaries of the changes on the horizon. If you don't play EVE, it's exciting reading anyway because of the audacity of some of CCP's plans.

WarCry's "War on the Impossible" part 4 details EVE's Trinity expansion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Voice system glitches on Second Life grid

Tateru Nino — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Second Life

Linden Lab reports that "many" Second Life users are unable to join or create voice chat sessions. We're not sure what "many" means, exactly. The voice system doesn't actually operate as a part of the Second Life grid, per se, and the servers and software that make it go are all the domain of their voice partner Vivox.

Naturally, many people at both ends are running around in a dignified state of panic as they attempt to diagnose the flaw. Voice is not widely used by Second Life users - however, those that do use it, rely on it heavily.

[UPDATE: The official blog reports this as fixed at 9:19 am Second Life Time]

Voice system glitches on Second Life grid originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments