Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The vet]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Space: the final frontier... except for 4chan, which is a lot scarier to explore. These are the voyages of the Starship Massively. Its five-year mission: to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and blow it out of the sky; to boldly exploit trade routes like no one has done before!

Erp, better stop there before I begin infringing on the Captain's Log's territory! In any event, we at The Game Archaeologist Institute for Fuzzy Nostalgia continue to forge ahead with the Earth & Beyond dig, carefully dusting off memories and screenshots to preserve in a blog-shaped museum.

It's one thing to talk of a game, but another to speak with one who was there at the time, so I went on a hunt through the dark recesses of the internet to find seasoned Earth & Beyonders. This search took me about two minutes before one of my associates practically opened the floodgates of fanboy gushing to drown me in his enthusiasm for this title. One interview, hundreds of screenshots and an Electronic Arts dev bible later, and we at the institute knew that we hit the motherlode.

Join us for a civilized discussion with an Earth & Beyond vet as he shares with us crumpets and recollections.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The vet

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: The vet originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arduacanadacaptains-logcelestial-horizonclaudia-christiancolumbia-disastercommand-and-conquerdev-bibleeaearth-and-beyondechoes-of-nonsenseelectronic-artseveeve-onlineexplorerfantasyfeaturedfederationinterviewirelandJenquaijump-to-lightspeedlord-of-the-ringsnet7sci-fiscience-fictionspace-shuttle-columbiastar-trekstar-wars-galaxiessunsetswgtea-and-crumpetsthe-game-archaeologisttitanwargameswestwoodTue, 08 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[First Impressions: World of Tanks]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-world-of-tanks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-world-of-tanks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/first-impressions-world-of-tanks/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

World of Tanks is one of those games in which you have to wonder how large the target audience is. An MMO revolving around tank combat seems like it would only appeal to hardcore WWII enthusiasts or military hardware geeks. Aesthetically, the tank theme might not appeal to everyone. However, WoT is remarkably easy to get into and enjoy, even if you have no idea what PzKpfw stands for.

At this juncture, I would hesitate to call World of Tanks a true MMO. Wargaming.net is focusing on the gameplay elements for the closed beta, so Westerners have yet to experience the clan war political system that will be in the final release of the game.

I'll be honest, though -- I don't really mind. The game is that fun to play all on its own.

Gallery: World of Tanks

Continue reading First Impressions: World of Tanks

MassivelyFirst Impressions: World of Tanks originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betaclan-warsclosed-betaf2pfeaturedfree-to-playgalleryhands-onpvpshootersimulationtankswargameswargaming.networld-of-tanksworld-war-2World-War-IIwotTue, 17 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Tanks rolls onto the MMO battlefield]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/world-of-tanks-rolls-onto-the-mmo-battlefield/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/world-of-tanks-rolls-onto-the-mmo-battlefield/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/world-of-tanks-rolls-onto-the-mmo-battlefield/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Who needs a human avatar when you can just roll around in a tank all day? That's the idea behind World of Tanks, a new MMO wargame simulation that's putting players behind the pedals of over 130 tanks in World War II.

While the game has just been announced, their website is already featuring a swath of in-game screenshots and their first contest -- design your own tank motto. Players can submit mottos for the tanks at large, or for specific models. If their motto is chosen, they'll win an unspecified gift from the World of Tanks crew.

The game appears to be another hybrid title, meshing a tank simulation with an RPG, as you can upgrade and modify your tanks to your heart's desire. Up to 60 players can roll across an instance at once, and the game will feature a territory control system that sounds like Global Agenda's conquest mode.

For all of your tank information, check out the game's main website. Also, because no post on tanks isn't complete without a bad pun, "Tanks for reading Massively.com."

MassivelyWorld of Tanks rolls onto the MMO battlefield originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>contestmottossimulationtanksupgradewargameswargaming.networld-of-tanksworld-war-2world-war-iiwwiiThu, 18 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Shall we play a game?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/shall-we-play-a-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/shall-we-play-a-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/shall-we-play-a-game/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When you think of a rapidly developing Asian nation, fast becoming a global superpower and now harnessing the potential of supercomputing, what's the first purpose for this supercomputer that comes to mind? Hint: think video games, not war games. Regardless of your first thought, we're betting you wouldn't have guessed "World of Warcraft"... but it's true.

China's World of Warcraft servers are run by The9, who own Blizzard's distribution rights in the country. "Earlier this year, The9 boasted of hosting more than one million World of Warcraft players online at the same time.To support the complex calculations required to create the game's graphics, The9 owns more than 10 supercomputer systems," Ashlee Vance reports for The New York Times.

Continue reading Shall we play a game?

MassivelyShall we play a game? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiablizzardchinafantasymmo-industrynew-york-timessupercomputersupercomputingthe-new-york-timesthe9war-gameswargamesworld-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderTue, 18 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa's new PvP Control Point Wargame]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/tabula-rasas-new-pvp-control-point-wargame/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/tabula-rasas-new-pvp-control-point-wargame/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/tabula-rasas-new-pvp-control-point-wargame/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


We've been hearing word of more exciting variations on PvP coming to Tabula Rasa soon, and in this week's Feedback Friday, we get some more details and screenshots for the new Control Point Wargame. Apparently, in this PvP zone, each team will own a fortress containing a control point. If one team conquers the other's control point, the losing team is imprisoned and subject to humiliation and ridicule, courtesy of the winning team. This battleground will be introduced to the Public Test Server with Deployment 9 and probably stay to iron out bugs at least until Deployment 10.

Also in this report, we get word of Clan Lockboxes which will be introduced as part of the Clan-Owned Control Points feature. At first impression, they seem to operate almost identically to the WoW guild banks, complete with restricted access and clan log tabs. These will be in Deployment 9 on PTS only, but will most-likely be introduced to the live servers with Deployment 10.

MassivelyTabula Rasa's new PvP Control Point Wargame originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clan-controlled-cpscontrol-pointsfeedback-fridaypvptabula-rasatrtr-deployment-10tr-deployment-9wargamesFri, 30 May 2008 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Major changes to TR PvP in the works]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/major-changes-to-tr-pvp-in-the-works/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/major-changes-to-tr-pvp-in-the-works/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/major-changes-to-tr-pvp-in-the-works/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


It's a PvPers delight today, as Tabula Rasa's Feedback Friday features a cameo from designer Chris Strasz. He's stepped in this week to reassure players that the design team is paying attention to the complaints about TR's fragmented PvP system, and there are fixes on the way that he hopes will improve the experience considerably. A big portion of the fixes he talks about have to do with the way that clans function. They're looking to fix many of the smaller problems that have plagued clan participation in the past, such as fixing the problem of leaderless clans and improving the clan roster window to allow players to see when clanmates were last active, as well as providing new incentives to participate like passive buffs.

They're also looking to overhaul the nature of PvP itself. They're hoping to roll out a new system of "PvP contracts" where players, squads, and clans can map out a set number of rules before engaging in Wargames. As the system exists now, squads had to sort of amiably agree to rules before fighting, and with this new system, hopefully they'll be able to write the rules in stone instead of relying on voluntary cooperation. And of course, they're looking to more ably integrate PvP into the main part of the game with clan-captured CPs and the like. While I welcome these sorts of changes, the PvP crowd is notoriously hard to please, and one wonders whether their efforts might not be better directed somewhere where they're more likely to be appreciated... like, I don't know, PvE?

MassivelyMajor changes to TR PvP in the works originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chris-straszclan-captured-cpsclansdestination-gamesfeedback-fridayimprovementspvptabula-rasatrwargamesFri, 22 Feb 2008 18:30:00 EST