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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game world?

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Today we're going to ask you to strip away your normal preconceptions of what makes an engaging MMO, whether it be the combat, the features, the customization, or the IP -- and look at the game world itself without any of those distractions. I guess this goes hand-in-hand with Environment Week that's going on right now in our One Shots column.

Out of all of the MMOs I've played, only a small handful have bothered to construct worlds that teemed with personality, history, and unique flavor. When I'm really honest about it, most of these settings are about as generic as can be, hardly indistinguishable from the others. Yet while many games may tack on interesting elements to the flannel board of a boring world, occasionally developers put just as much time and effort creating a place that dares you to explore and get to know it intimately.

So today I'd like to know what your favorite game world is -- and why. What makes or made it so special? What about it do you wish other MMOs would emulate?

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: What's your favorite game world? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joel Bylos on building a better Secret World

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-fi, Previews, The Secret World, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries

If you were given the chance to build your very own world from scratch, how would you do it? What would you include? Would it be a world of beauty or dark dreamscapes? And would the inhabitants enjoy their stay or flee in terror?

To the team at Funcom tasked with fashioning The Secret World's... world, this isn't a hypothetical question, but a practical one. In a new developer blog post, Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos returns to share a behind-the-scenes view of how a game world is made.

Bylos says that there are four aspects to world-building: identifying purpose, research, building flow, and prototyping and production. Because The Secret World takes place on our planet in the here-and-now, the team has a reference point to begin, but layers a "secret history" on top of it. Bylos explains by saying, "This is the history of an area as only a member of The Secret World can experience it; the footprints of the secret societies and their past conflicts; the truth behind the local myths and legends; the echoes of ancient magic and forgotten rituals."

Of course, it's one thing to design something what you think is interesting and fun -- it's another to see if it works out in practice. All of this planning on paper is just the first stage of getting it in the game, which Bylos promises will come in an upcoming post.

Joel Bylos on building a better Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: Why a Harry Potter MMO makes sense

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

The idea of a Harry Potter MMO is hardly a new one at this point -- we've even speculated on it around Massively for years now. Rumors and wishful thinking have brought up this hypothetical MMO time and again, and for good reason: It simply makes sense.

In fact, the more you think about it, the more surprising it is that we haven't heard official word of a Harry Potter MMO by now. After doing some poking around, the most likely suspects to take on this project would either be Warner Bros. (which owns the rights to the franchise) or Electronic Arts (which purchased a license from WB to make the movie video games). Both companies have MMO studios at their command -- Turbine, BioWare, Mythic -- and both have the resources to make it happen.

So why does Harry Potter make perfect sense for MMO-adaptation? Hit the jump and I'll run you down the top 10 reasons! And if you post a positive comment after this column, I'll add five points to the house of your choice (go Hufflepuff!).

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Why a Harry Potter MMO makes sense

The Perfect Ten: Why a Harry Potter MMO makes sense originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What's the most poorly designed zone?

Justin Olivetti — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

We've all been there: trekking through the levels, traversing the world, and eventually arriving at... that place. The zone that seems to have been designed to irritate you, personally. Either it's laid out too confusingly, or the quest objectives are too hard to reach, or you get turned around every two feet. It's a poorly designed area, plain and simple.

I was pondering this during a recent expedition to the Foundations of Stone in Lord of the Rings Online's Moria. It's not a horrible zone; the creatures are terrifying, the atmosphere is spot-on, and it contains a few of the signature landmarks of the game world. And yet I have to contend that it is a poorly designed place. It's difficult to navigate, the walls are tough on the eyes, and the key quest hub is incredibly hard to find on your first (or second) try. With a few tweaks and a moderate redesign, it could be much more accommodating to the odd traveler.

What other zones fall into this category for you? What zones aren't necessarily bad so much as they're just poorly laid-out and structured?

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: What's the most poorly designed zone? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GenCon 2010: Fantasy fencing with 38 Studios

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, Previews, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage

One thing is for certain: When you are sitting in the crosshairs of Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore during an interview, it's easy to become bowled over by their collective intensity and passion, especially when it comes to their interest in games and fantasy worlds.

While GenCon Indy lacked its usual MMORPG presence this year, Massively was able to grab a few minutes of face time with 38 Studios' founder and lead writer as they passed through the convention. It was a bit of an odd interview, however, as two of the biggest topics -- 38 Studios' move to Rhode Island and any solid details about their top-secret MMO -- were off the table for discussion. Do not fret, as that certainly didn't stop us from trying to pry for a few hints along the way. Schilling and Salvatore were obviously eager to spill the beans about Copernicus, but they are still biding their time until the right moment.

Happily, the duo didn't mind us fencing with them for facts, and were quite open about their single-player RPG lead-up to Copernicus, their general philosophy of designing the MMO, and why they've waited so long to unveil it to the public. Read on, gentle gamers, for a few ripostes, parries and lunges with two of the biggest figures in the industry right now.

Continue reading GenCon 2010: Fantasy fencing with 38 Studios

GenCon 2010: Fantasy fencing with 38 Studios originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Mines of Moria video diary gives insight into world building

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews

We get a double whammy today from Turbine, as they've just released five new screenshots and a new developer diary video for Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria. The screenshots are all from Silvertine Lodes, one of the new areas releasing with the Mines of Moria expansion on Tuesday.

In the video diary, Art Director Harry Teasley and Lead World Designer Matt Elliott talk about how they built the Mines of Moria and how important it was to get everything just right, according to the lore. As they point out in the video, "Moria is really the inspiration for every dungeon adventure, in every game, since the advent of RPGs." Check out the new screenshots in the gallery below, and the video just after the cut.

Gallery: Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Gallery

Continue reading New Mines of Moria video diary gives insight into world building

New Mines of Moria video diary gives insight into world building originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included

Rafe Brox — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Humor, The Gaming Iconoclast

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
- Judy Bloom

(Hey, just be glad you didn't get another Neitzsche quote*)

The fantasy-based worlds our characters inhabit are, almost without exception, richly steeped in legend and brimming with lore. This is doubly true for those that have come to parturition after having existed outside of the digital realm. Frequently, the book or books upon which they are based feature the prominent (occasionally bordering on overwhelming) presence, if not direct and outright influence, of the God or Gods the characters worship... or at least call upon to save their bacon once in a while.

Having been so much a part of the lives of the inhabitants of these universes, at least before they found themselves to be at our command, the relegation of these heretofore great cosmic forces to the essential position of role-playing wallpaper at best is puzzling, the occasional trimming of an Elder God's Toenail notwithstanding. In all these worlds full of powerful wizards channeling arcane energies and hurling bolts of numinous fire at their enemies, or healers using their connection to the divine to aid their allies -- some of whom are called Priests outright -- where are the Gods themselves? And, more to the point, where is the role of religion in the characters' lives?

Continue reading The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included

The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joshua Slack demonstrates NCSoft worldbuilding tool

Adrian Bott — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Maps

In the course of a technical session at JavaOne, Joshua Slack and Rikard Herlitz showed off the kind of tools you can build using the jMonkeyEngine, and used the NCSoft world-building tool as an example. This video shows Rikard putting together a hasty landscape that comes out quite nicely, given that he is 'just a programmer' rather than a professional level designer. (Self-deprecatory humor for the proverbial win.)

Although the video is intended to demonstrate the capabilities of the jMonkeyEngine, it's an interesting look at one of the tools used by a major player in the MMO market. NCSoft has been using jMonkeyEngine for the last two years. Joshua doesn't mention any specific games that have used the tool, though he does hint rather strongly that NCsoft's most recent output might have employed it.

The worldbuilding tool presentation follows behind the break.

Continue reading Joshua Slack demonstrates NCSoft worldbuilding tool

Joshua Slack demonstrates NCSoft worldbuilding tool originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online devlogs explore strange new world-building techniques

Samuel Axon — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:24:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Star Trek Online

If you've been following Star Trek Online, then you know we get the sweetest little tastes of information in Perpetual's monthly devlogs. This month's devlog is about game art -- specifically, putting together different building-block pieces of it to form a variety of locales. This is appropriately demonstrated with pieces of a Vulcan town -- "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations," get it?

While that's (Vulcan voice) fascinating, the highlights of the devlog are arguably the little bits of concept art. Most if it is Vulcan stuff, but devlogger Mike Stemmle did toss in the above-pictured TOS Doomsday Machine. If you're a real Trekkie, that bit alone should make the wait unbearable. We're trying our best to be patient and to not let Perpetual's Gods & Heroes self-destruction get to us. To quote Spock, "you must have faith that the universe will unfold as it should."

[Via Warcry]

Star Trek Online devlogs explore strange new world-building techniques originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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