Massively

Blizzard hiring Diablo III network engineer to work on consoles

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Consoles, Rumors

As 2012 rolls in, many gamers are rejoicing that they might make it to a year that Diablo III actually releases. Blizzard's action-RPG will certainly be a hit on the PC, although console fans may have more hope today that Diablo III could reach the shores of their platform.

According to a job posting on Gamasutra, Blizzard is hiring a "Senior Software Engineer Console Network" to work on the Diablo team. It's a full-time position that will be in charge of designing and working on network systems for a console title. One of the requirements for the job is that the person have worked on a major Xbox 360 or PS3 title and have a good amount of experience with PSN and Xbox Live.

While this is not the first indication that Blizzard is working on a console version of Diablo III, it certainly lends credence to the notion that the company is actively working on it. The studio previously said that the title "is probably coming to consoles."

Blizzard hiring Diablo III network engineer to work on consoles originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Humor, First Impressions, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

A year ago our very own Shawn "The Mittani" Schuster wrote a memorable Soapbox column around the idea that MMOs had an hour to grab his attention or else he was out the door. No, don't go read it now. You're reading this! Stay! Good reader.

I concur with his point that while MMOs may ask us to experience them for the long haul, first impressions still count. And if those impressions aren't favorable right out the gate, it's not likely that we will be around for hour two, no matter how good it is.

I know what you're thinking right now: "What is this itching, burning sensation between my toes?" It's Athlete's Foot, and you need to get on that ASAP. You're also thinking, "But Justin, whose opinions I respect, admire, and use to teach my children, what drives you away from MMOs when you give them a try?" Again, it's an itching, burning sensation between my toes.

No, not really. It's more complicated than that -- so complicated, in fact, that it requires a 10-point presentation on what turns me off when an MMO is making a first impression. Imagine that!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs

The Perfect Ten: First impression turn-offs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Microsoft is 'the MMO graveyard'

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Miscellaneous

Anyone who's been following MMOs for any length of time will have come to the astute conclusion that Microsoft is not a fertile ground for the growth of such projects. In fact, in an opinion piece over at CVG, the author labels the company and Xbox Live as an "MMO graveyard" where good titles go to wither and die.

Citing MMOs such as Mythica and True Fantasy Live Online as evidence, CVG says that Microsoft's "inflexibility" became the company's biggest obstacle to seeing a title through to launch. Instead, MMO after MMO was canceled, transferred to other companies, or promised and forgotten. CVG says that there is enough evidence to suggest that Microsoft is unsure and afraid of the MMO model, and instead of doing its best to be accommodating to such projects, the company made it all but impossible for original projects or PC ports to come to fruition.

The article is a fascinating overview of the games and issues involved in Microsoft's approach to the MMO market, and ends with a handful of "hopefuls" that will prove that console MMOs can be done, and done well.

Why Microsoft is 'the MMO graveyard' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are you an achievement junkie?

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

If you're an Xbox Live player, you're well aware of the power of achievements. They help you show off your versatility, dedication, and overall badassery to your friends. In MMOs, these achievements can unlock certain skills, cosmetic items, or even content. We love our carrot-on-a-stick, but we love it even more if we can grab a bite every so often.

These achievements don't always mean everything to everyone. Many players couldn't care less about a gamer score or special unlocks; they just want to play the game and enjoy themselves. So we're curious to know how you feel. Do you live for achievements, or could you do without them altogether?

[Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes forums]

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: Are you an achievement junkie? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Undead Labs art director talks about the heart of horror

Jef Reahard — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Consoles, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous

So what is art direction and why is it important to video games in general and MMORPGs in particular? That's a good question, and sadly one that can't be answered in a brief news post. What we can do, though, is point you to some worthwhile reading on the subject. Today's lesson comes courtesy of Undead Labs and Doug Williams.

Williams serves as the art director on the firm's upcoming zombie apocalype Xbox Live Arcade MMO (currently codenamed Class3), and while you might expect him to spend time talking about gory effects or the best way to render blood and brains in a dark environment, Williams actually spends a good portion of the latest Undead Labs blog post talking about something called "Faded Americana."

"Faded Americana really resonates with me because there are many analogies between the style and a zombie apocalypse. In both cases, you see society hanging onto the ghosts of its past," Williams explains. The concept goes a long way towards explaining Undead Labs' decision to set the game primarily in a small town environment, and Williams has quite a few interesting anecdotes relating to influential games as well as the challenges inherent in separating the new game from the stack of zombie-themed entertainment products that have swarmed over the popular consciousness in recent years.

Undead Labs art director talks about the heart of horror originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Consoles, The Game Archaeologist

As an extremely amateur historian -- and an extremely attractive archaeologist -- I've always been fascinated with the "what ifs" of gaming's timeline. What if Blizzard had pulled the plug on World of Warcraft during development as it did for Warcraft Adventures? What if Hellgate: London had a lot more time and resources before it launched? What if North America had embraced the free-to-play model much earlier instead of the subscription model? What if Shawn came to his senses before he hired me?

Life would've been a lot better. Or worse. That's the problem with counterfactual history: We can make educated guesses, but we'll never really know. While it's sad to see MMOs shut down due to underperformance, it's especially maddening to contemplate MMOs canceled before they even made it to the starting gate. In a new periodic series here at The Game Archaeologist, I'm going to look at a few of the "what ifs" of prematurely terminated MMORPGs.

And to kick us off, I'm tackling probably one of the most frustrating, painful subjects that still linger amongst potential fans. I'm talking, of course, of True Fantasy Live Online, the game that could've shown the true potential of console MMOs. Or, y'know, not.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online

The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade

Jef Reahard — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, Dungeon Fighter Online

The MMO console line-up just got a bit bigger thanks to the folks at Nexon and Softmax. The latter is porting the former's Dungeon Fighter Online beat-'em-up to the Xbox Live Arcade delivery platform, where the title will boast a freemium business model (meaning you download the client for free and pay for items and upgrades).

Nexon and Microsoft are splitting localization duties as the game will be released in eight languages worldwide. The console title -- Nexon's first -- will be exclusive to the 360. DFO features six character classes (with subclasses available at level 18) and further advancement possible at level 48 via an awakening quest.

[Thanks to Prime Synergy for the tip!]

Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard asks console MMO questions

Jef Reahard — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Consoles, Miscellaneous

Blizzard may be monopolizing today's headlines on account of the juggernaut that is Cataclysm, but the MMORPG giant is also making news on a smaller scale (and on a different platform). In an interview with CVG, Blizzard's Greg Street and David Kosak drop a few hints regarding the company's stance towards console MMOs as well as the challenges inherent in developing for the platform.

"I think the control scheme is a part of it, the traditional MMO has always had a lot of typing and is dependent on the mouse and keyboard paradigm," Street says. He goes on to mention that conventional wisdom used to dictate that FPS titles couldn't work on consoles either, and Halo summarily proved a lot of folks wrong in that regard.

Along the same lines, Kosak addresses the differences in design from a PC monitor to a television. "On PC you're sitting right in front of a screen, you can have a lot of dense information displayed and very complex control schemes. If you're playing on a couch from a distance with a controller, it requires very different design," he says. Check out more of Blizzard's console questions at CVG.

Blizzard asks console MMO questions originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How important are achievements to you?

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Achievements and I have had a rocky past, but we've kissed and made up since then. I never quite "got" the badge system in City of Heroes, and thus did not alter my playstyle one bit to get them. But when I dove into Lord of the Rings Online, I found that snagging deeds was tied to real rewards (titles, virtues), and I started working through them methodically. In 2008, the dual achievement systems of Warhammer Online and World of Warcraft piqued my interest, and I finally crossed over to the dark side to become an achievement junkie.

There's something about that virtual pat on the back that's so addicting for many. Some people love them for the bragging rights, some because of those usable in-game rewards, and some because it gives them new, game-sanctioned goals to achieve.

So how important are achievements to you? Do you avoid them on principle, or chase after them with all of the restraint of a goofy dog who sees something he really, really must check out right now?

The Daily Grind: How important are achievements to you? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively talks with Raptr's Dennis Fong

Beau Hindman — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, Hands-on

Raptr is a pretty ambitious project, even if you think about what has been accomplished so far. Essentially, the service is connecting all of your gaming-related services under one profile, one messenger, and one new iPhone app. Think of it as your Trillian messenger for gamers. I have a short history with Raptr but never really warmed up to it until recently. I wanted a service that would allow all of my friends, across all of the different networks that I visit, to see what and how much I am playing.

Now that I have made a newer profile and have really started adding a few friends, I am sort of shocked at it's usefullness. Not only does it let me sign in to most of the major messaging services, game networks and social services like Facebook, but it allows me to see what my friends are doing as well, in some very specific ways.

I was excited to get a chance to talk to Raptr CEO Dennis Fong and was impressed by how such an ambitious idea has now turned into a real, working application.

Continue reading Massively talks with Raptr's Dennis Fong

Massively talks with Raptr's Dennis Fong originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV not due for the Xbox 360 according to Hiromichi Tanaka

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XI isn't just one of the only console MMOs in existence, it's also the most successful of the lot, due in part to the wide spread of available platforms. Since the game has long been playable on the Xbox, there were several Final Fantasy XIV fans (or Xbox 360 owners) hoping it would eventually come out on that console as well. But it's not happening, and according to a recently translated interview from 4players.de, the reason rests squarely with Microsoft.

When asked in an interview why Final Fantasy XIV wasn't appearing on Microsoft's console, Hiromichi Tanaka explained that Microsoft was unwilling to work with Square-Enix to deal with the Xbox Live setup. As he put it, it seemed the company made a one-time exception with Final Fantasy XI to get the console in people's minds as an online platform, but now that it's established the gates are closed. There are currently no plans to adapt the game for the console, but it will still be coming out for the PC in late September, with a Playstation 3 release due at some point after that. Check the interview here (if you can read German), and the translated highlights can be found here.

Final Fantasy XIV not due for the Xbox 360 according to Hiromichi Tanaka originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Push to blurt

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Voice chat in games -- XBox Live, Vent, TS or whatever poison you prefer -- is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers near-instantaneous communication between players, frees up the need to type out conversations, and adds tone and personality to unseen players. On the other hand, the phrase "speaking without thinking" comes to mind.

In the Massively offices, we were sharing tales of some of the odder Vent outbursts in our history. These included Rubi using her Mom Voice to break up a fight between her kids while not realizing she was accidentally chewing out her entire raid, a guy who was annoyed that his girlfriend went into labor in the middle of a heated play session, and the ever-popular "Holy crap, some idiot just drove their car through the side of my house!"

We've all been there on both sides of disturbing, bizarre, hilarious or just plain weird Vent outbursts -- and we want to hear yours today! When were you the sender or receiver of some crazy Vent outburst that stunned the voice chat room into silence... or sent them to the floor laughing? What string of unfortunate words have you ever heard blurted from a guildie?

The Daily Grind: Push to blurt originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA adds veteran industry talent

Jef Reahard — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA

En Masse Entertainment isn't messing around, judging by today's announcement regarding several game industry heavyweights joining forces with the publisher of the forthcoming TERA MMORPG. "We want En Masse Entertainment to serve as a magnet for creative talent. As we build toward the launch of TERA, we are adding veteran strength to all facets of the company to ensure a topnotch action MMO experience for our customers," said CEO Dr. Jae-Heon Yang.

New TERA team members include Aaron LeMay, a veteran of major action franchises including Halo and Saint's Row. Also signing on are Matt Atwood, former Global Public Relations Lead at BioWare and responsible for overseeing both Dragon Age and Mass Effect. David Noonan, a former Dungeons and Dragons game designer and Aion writer also joins the TERA crew, as does Microsoft Xbox Live Operations Center veteran Markus Schweig.

Head on over to the official TERA forums for the full press release.

TERA adds veteran industry talent originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Attending the 1 vs. 100 season premiere?

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

It's massive. It's multiplayer. And it's adding achievements! 1 vs. 100 is back again on Xbox Live, and the live version of the online game show where you can win real prizes is starting up again on November 19th.

While the game doesn't exactly generate a cash cow of news, it is a lot of fun to play. Plus, you know, it is free if you have yourself an Xbox Live gold account (which almost every Xbox 360 owner does, otherwise you're doing it wrong.) So we want to know are you going to be there? Will you be jumping in with your friends online, or are you assembling yourself a 1 vs. 100 premiere party? Are you going to be aiming for prizes, or are you going to be shooting for all of the achievements you can grab?

Dropping your thoughts in the comment box below and clicking send is way easier than pushing A, B, or X on your Xbox controller! (Ok, so maybe it isn't, but you should really do it anyway. It's fun!)

The Daily Grind: Attending the 1 vs. 100 season premiere? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV release for 360 hindered by Xbox Live

James Egan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

When Final Fantasy XIV was announced by Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Jack Tretton at E3 2009, it was met with no small amount of elation from the crowd. But when he stated that it was a PlayStation 3 exclusive, this no doubt withered the hearts of Final Fantasy XI players the world over who play it on the Xbox. Fortunately, that statement wasn't quite the truth. Square Enix was quick to clarify that Final Fantasy XIV on console is not exclusive to PlayStation 3, just that it will be at launch. While FFXIV will be available for PS3 and PC in the beginning, there is a 360 version in the works as well.

VG247 caught up with Final Fantasy XIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka at GamesCom, who gave an update on FFXIV on the Xbox 360. Tanaka explained some of the hurdles involved with bringing their upcoming title to Microsoft's darling of the console world. He said,"... for FFXIV, because 360 has its own policy with Xbox Live that is different from [the] internet, that's something we're in discussions with Microsoft [about], to come to an agreement. That's one of the reasons it's not going to be launched at that point."

Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV release for 360 hindered by Xbox Live

Final Fantasy XIV release for 360 hindered by Xbox Live originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redefining MMOs: Pesky Persistence

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Exteel, Massively Meta, Consoles, Casual, Virtual worlds, Redefining MMOs

Here in Redefining MMOs we've been over terminology, working with lore, the place of soloing in our online games, players acting as developers, and attempting to get away from the carbon copy feel of the genre. With all of that in mind, where could we possibly head to next? Well, how about dealing with persistence?

One persistent world holding thousands of players simultaneously, a world that continues even when you log off. That was the dream, wasn't it? Having an insane number of players all occupying the same game space? Having you and 100 of your closest friends (or perhaps enemies) battling it out over loot, bosses, pvp, and anything else the game had to offer? Persistence has long been one of the central aspects of the MMO genre, where "one continuous world" rules over all. So is persistence what defines an MMO or is it not that clear cut? Perhaps persistence is nothing more than a pesky piece of unpleasant pie and maybe we shouldn't define our genre by it as we do now.

In this issue of Redefining MMOs, I'm going to tackle the thorny issue of persistence, from its definition down to what we perceive the word to mean. I'm also going to include a discussion on two very different games -- 1 vs. 100 and Chromehounds -- and put both to the MMO persistence test. Then, as the article all comes together, I'm going to tackle the biggest question of them all: "Does persistence matter?" If you have an opinion on this week's subject, feel free to leave a comment on page 3 or even write your own "Redefining MMOs" blog post and leave a comment with the URL.

Continue reading Redefining MMOs: Pesky Persistence

Redefining MMOs: Pesky Persistence originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA and GLAAD to host a panel against homophobia in online games

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry

Tomorrow marks an interesting event in Redwood City, CA as Electronic Arts teams up with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) to host a panel regarding homophobia in online games.

The panel will be featuring some major industry players, including GayGamer founder Flynn DeMarco (AKA Fruit Brute), senior director of communications and industry affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Dan Hewitt, senior producer Caryl Shaw from Maxis Studio, Linden Lab's vice president of customer relations Cyn Skyberg, and Xbox Live's program manager Stephen Toulouse (Gamertag: Stepto.)

Stephen Toulouse's presence at the panel is especially interesting, as Microsoft has come under fire for some rather inflammatory anti-gay policies.

The panel will be moderated by GLAAD's Justin Cole, their director of digital and online media. The panel will take place tomorrow, July 18th, from 11 AM to 1 PM Pacific time.

EA and GLAAD to host a panel against homophobia in online games originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Future Xbox 360 games may award clothing for avatars as achievements

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Previews, Virtual worlds

Rare let it slip earlier today to news site VG247 that they were interested in making avatar clothing and accessories into part of the rewards scheme with achievements in their Xbox 360 games.

Up until this point, the 360 avatars have been dressed in their launch clothing, plus a few additions such as the winter fun pack of avatar coats and gloves. So the idea of being able to play a game on your console, unlock an achievement, and then get a wearable piece of avatar clothing to show off to your friends (especially if it's related to the game at hand) is a really nice touch.

Rare hasn't released any more details on who they're working with or what games this function would be available on, but it's a nice look into the future for what achievements may hold in online settings.

Future Xbox 360 games may award clothing for avatars as achievements originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Virtual worlds, PlayStation Home, Anti-Aliased

Problem number two is Sony's lack of action. Moderators are few and far between, the automated system in place doesn't work too well, and people feel that they can get away with whatever they want. There's no sense of authority or control in Home, and that's a detriment. Now, I'm not pushing for everyone to be horribly oppressed, but there needs to be some sense of order and control that's apparent to the players. When word spreads that you can't get away with certain behaviors, the behavior begins to diminish over time.

And, finally, problem number three -- there are avatars involved. Even if your turn off their voice chat and visual text chat, you still have a crazy annoying avatar chasing after you, clipping your torso when you go to bowl that next frame. The answer to this problem is to simply ignore him, as he will probably go away, but this phenomenon is still annoying and not fun for any user. You just want to play your game sans problems, right?

Xbox Live seems to have have found the solution to these problems by sheer accident. Then answer is simply to avoid these problems by not doing them. It doesn't over-promise content, it does provide control for the users, and it avoids visual avatars in most games. (Except in the case of the Xbox Live vision camera; we're just going to temporarily forget about that. Especially as it only works with a few games.)

The success comes from the fact that if you mute someone and report them for harassment, Xbox Live makes sure you avoid that player in your online play. If the automatic matchmaking has a choice between game A and game B, and game A has a person you hate in it, you'll be placed in game B without noticing it. Home does not have that luxury because the entire world is linked together. You mute someone and there's no guarantee that you'll never see him again.

So what can Home do? I say introduce the ultimate ban -- avatar removal. You mute someone and it removes their avatar from on screen for you. You don't see them, you don't hear them, you don't worry about them. Sure, you might end up banning half of the Home community, but now you have control over what you see and do in Home.

In the end, that's what it all comes down to -- user control. Let the user determine their own experience; don't force it on them.

Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who really likes all of the controls that Xbox Live provides, even if he can't buy a virtual couch for his Xbox Dashboard. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.

Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Virtual worlds, PlayStation Home, Anti-Aliased

If home is where the heart is, then PlayStation 3 users have some pretty cold, racist, and sexually demeaning hearts. Hearts that make Halo 3 players look like cute puppies in comparison. Now I'm not saying that PlayStation Home is not a great idea -- in theory it's a brilliant idea. Play in a world like Second Life, meet other users, play mini games, launch into full PS3 games, what's not to love about any of that?

Well, it seems Sony forgot about the precedents of other virtual worlds. Second Life, while nice, can have the uncanny ability to resemble slums in certain areas thanks to the scary nature of some of the creators. Xbox Live sports some of the most offensive users (NSFW) around. So how exactly was Home suppose to avoid the travesties that affect other worlds?

Sony has already stated that "user behavior and feedback" will shape where they go with the Home beta. If that's the case, where are they going to go? Totalitarian state, anyone?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing

Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft partners with Ankama Games to bring Wakfu to Xbox Live Arcade

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Dofus, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Wakfu

If you have heard of Dofus or Wakfu, then you've heard of Ankama Games, the people Microsoft has just turned to for a new Xbox MMO-esque game. In their partnership announced today, Ankama will be bringing a new title, Islands of Wakfu, to Xbox Live Arcade late next year. Islands of Wakfu will keep the current cartoon style of Dofus and Wakfu, but utilize a more adventure/beat-'em-up style instead of the top down tactical style. Also, it's going to be more of a team play game, where two players work cooperatively together, rather than a full on MMO. The game promises to be set in the same universe as Ankama's other games and reveal new information about the world itself.

So it's not a full on MMO, but the offer certainly does open the doors of hope. Having a known MMO developer working on Xbox Live Arcade titles with their unique IP may herald other game developers to do the same. Who knows, we might end up with a Wakfu MMO on the arcade anyway!

[via TenTonHammer]

Microsoft partners with Ankama Games to bring Wakfu to Xbox Live Arcade originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you want more console MMOs?

Seraphina Brennan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

MMOs are primarly a PC business. They started here, and they're certainly dominating the PC gaming industry, one hard drive at a time. But why must we limit the MMO to simply the PC machine? What about the untouched masses of the console market? Why must we keep our games to ourselves when we should share freely with the others?

Ok, ok, controller vs. keyboard issues aside, what do all of you think about console MMOs? We already have Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox 360 and PS2. We also have The Agency eventually making a debut on the PS3 and the rumored Age of Conan release on the Xbox 360, but 4 MMO games is nowhere near the many many games we have on our PCs.

Do you want to log into Xbox Live or PlayStation Network and boot up your favorite MMO? Would you rather sit on your couch and raid instead of your computer chair? Can cats and dogs live together in harmony? Readers, we need your opinions!

The Daily Grind: Do you want more console MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Guild strikes a deal with Microsoft, becomes a timed Xbox Live exclusive

Samuel Axon — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Culture, News items

The second season of the explosively popular online video series The Guild, which is a fictional story about the lives of a group of World of Warcraft players (and which was created by and stars Felicia Day, later of Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog fame), will be distributed by Microsoft. Each episode will appear first on Xbox Live, and will only be available through the show's website four weeks later.

The entirety of Season One is now available on Xbox Live, according to Felicia Day's personal blog. The first episode of Season Two will start airing via the service tomorrow, November 25th. The show will remain free to viewers through all venues, and ad supported -- including product placement by Sprint. Microsoft will have its hands in the ad revenue, but will give Day free creative reign. Also, the second season will be shot in HD to accommodate the Xbox 360.

Looks like the scrappy underdog TV series about MMO players has hit the big time, and we're cheering Day on. Next stop: movie deal, right? Fortunately, Microsoft's contract promises that Day will be free to shop around outside of the company for movie and TV deals.

[Via Kotaku]

The Guild strikes a deal with Microsoft, becomes a timed Xbox Live exclusive originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard

Samuel Axon — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game mechanics

Blizzard is one of the most prestigious and succesful developers in the world for good reason -- it takes the best ideas from all over the industry (even ones that don't quite work right... yet) and refines them, forcing them to succeed in ways they never did before.

Millions of people are playing World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King today, so we decided this would be the perfect time to dive into WoW's mechanics and see what other games inspired Blizzard when it was creating this monumental phenomenon. We'll look at seven critical predecessors to which Blizzard paid homage with its own design decisions. Join us and learn a bit more about why WoW is the enthralling experience it is today.

Click to start >>

Gallery: The Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard

The Anatomy of WoW: Seven games that inspired Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony claims PlayStation Home will connect gamers like arcades did in the 80s

Samuel Axon — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New titles, Consoles, Virtual worlds, Home

MTV Multiplayer blog contributor Stephen Totilo took a second look at Sony's Home -- a virtual world community for PlayStation 3 users. He had previously previewed the service at Kotaku and given it low marks. This time, though, he seemed a little more impressed. We're not really sure why he flipped, though. He wasn't very clear about it.

Home features several instanced locations where PS3 users may converse and play minigames such as bowling. There are game specific rooms, like, say, for Warhawk, where users can get tips and such. It's a virtual world, not an MMORPG, but there's something interesting stuff in that preview. Obviously, it's most pertinent if you're a PS3 owner.

During the demo, director Jack Buser suggested that the developers might eventually add non-human character models if the community demands it (but it's not part of the plan at the moment). Most of the preview is about how Home differs from its non-virtual-world competitor: Xbox Live. Buser said he hopes that Home will give users a place to meet other gamers in an environment that's more social than the games themselves. According to him, there hasn't been a good way to do that since the arcades of the 80s.

Sony claims PlayStation Home will connect gamers like arcades did in the 80s originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are consoles the future?

Samuel Axon — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, MMO industry, The Agency, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Consoles, Free Realms, DC Universe Online

The MMO genre was born and raised in the PC culture. The reasons are obvious, of course -- personal computers have been connected to networks for a long time, the keyboard was more effective for communication before the advent of Voice-over-IP. That said, a lot has been done to make platforms like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 more attractive for MMO developers and players.

Funcom plans to release Age of Conan for the 360. DC Universe Online, The Agency, and Free Realms will all be available on the PS3. In fact, noted MMO developer SOE was not long ago moved into what is basically Sony's PlayStation division with the explicit intent to focus on console MMOs. Blizzard has hired workers with console experience to work on its unannounced "Next-Gen MMO." Clearly, this generation is going to greatly expand on the pioneering efforts of past console MMOs like Final Fantasy XI. Surely if the genre doesn't explode on today's consoles it will in the next batch, right?

Are you looking forward to leaving behind the mouse and keyboard so you can lounge on the sofa with a wireless controller, or are you concerned that too much will be lost in translation? Maybe you think that attempts like The Agency will fail, and the bubble will burst before anyone even really notices it. There are a lot of problems, such as the expense and hassle of the process of authenticating patches in a tightly-controlled service like Xbox Live. Are problems like that deal breakers?

The Daily Grind: Are consoles the future? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raptr tracks you and your friends' WoW progress, plus more

Kyle Horner — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Fantasy, News items

If you're the type of person who loves to watch (re: stalk) their friends and Twitter just isn't doing it for you, then check out the Raptr beta. This nifty social networking site focuses on gaming and will track your activity over a plethora of platforms and games such as Steam, Xbox Live, Spore and of course World of Warcraft. Now you can gloat about your blue "Pants of Sundering Sauce" even when you're out of the game! If you decide to install the Raptr client it will check on all your PC games and download new updates for them, which is wonderful as we love anything that makes updating our games easier.

With the recent addition of Spore updates to the service, we're hoping that Warhammer Online will get some love from the folks at Raptr as well. How cool would it be if Raptr updated your page as you won Scenarios or captured an enemy stronghold?

Raptr tracks you and your friends' WoW progress, plus more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Insider's top 10 Wrath of the Lich King achievements

Samuel Axon — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Humor

You may have heard that Wrath of the Lich King will add Xbox Live or Steam-esque achievements to World of Warcraft. There are bound to be two kinds of responses to this. Some folks will say, "Oh great, as if World of Warcraft needed to be more mindlessly grind-tastic!" Others, though, will jump at the chance to show just how dedicated they are to their favorite game. The idea's not totally new to MMOs, though; something similar exists in The Lord of the Rings Online's Deed system.

Anyway, our sister site WoW Insider (your source for in-depth WoW news and features -- cha-ching!) has listed its top 10 favorite achievements in the vast new tome of things to go nuts over. Some of them are listed because they're hilarious, like "They Love Me In That Tunnel." Others, because they're historic, like "The Alterac Blitz." You'll need to be pretty WoW literate to get what's so great about most of them, though.

Even if you think achievements are a soul-crushing waste of time, these will still make you smile. So check them out.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

WoW Insider's top 10 Wrath of the Lich King achievements originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Shane Kim on Xbox 360's MMO failures

Samuel Axon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, Marvel Heroes, Consoles

EDGE spoke with Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Shane Kim about the MMO genre's failure to come to fruition on the Xbox 360 game console. Two MMOs that were planned for the platform -- Marvel Universe Online (an in-house project) and True Fantasy Live Online (developed by Factor 5) -- were cancelled. Check out the interview for all the quotes, but we have the gist of it here.

While Kim noted that the cancellation of those specific games was "the right decision," he also said "there's nothing to say those titles can't be successful on the 360."

Some critics (such as NCsoft) disagree. They argue that the Xbox Live service is too restrictive for an MMO developer's workflow. "I think those are real challenges ... we work very hard to create a stable and secure environment on Xbox 360 and that's where you see that tension," said Kim. "I'm sure we can solve that problem though in a way that is good for MMO developers and customers because we want that content: and we're getting very close. But we're late with that, and we feel bad about that."

Microsoft's Shane Kim on Xbox 360's MMO failures originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCsoft licenses texture software used in Xbox Live Arcade games

Samuel Axon — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items

Allegorithmic, the creator of a procedural texture production tool called ProFX, announced that NCsoft has licensed its product. ProFX produces highly compressed textures that are "tiny, typically a few kilobytes" in size. Those textures are expanded and generated on the fly from that data by the system's processor as needed. That means file sizes are very small, but visual quality is maintained. The tech is therefore popular with companies developing games for the Xbox Live Arcade, the Xbox 360's digital download marketplace for bite-sized, casual gaming experiences.

NCsoft plans to use the technology in the future development of MMOs for PCs and the PlayStation 3 console. That choice might imply a comparatively small scope for those projects. ProFX is perfectly suited for games downloadable through the PlayStation Network store (Sony's answer to the Xbox Live Arcade), so this is another clue that NCsoft's PS3 games might be PSN releases instead of AAA Blu-ray titles.

It's by no means definitive though; NCsoft might have just been looking for a way to bring down patch sizes. So move along now!

NCsoft licenses texture software used in Xbox Live Arcade games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talkin' smack to kids in online games

Brenda Holloway — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Kids

Anyone who has ever listened to a teenager on Xbox Live knows how it goes. He's saying WHAT? Racist, homophobic, bigoted language ... and that's just in their handles. Given easy voice chat, conversation heads straight to the lowest common denominator. But unfortunately perhaps, it's not possible to censor voice chat as easily as it is to censor text in order to make the chat safe for children.

That's a pretty difficult design problem. Given you have written a game for children where chatting is possible, is it even remotely possible to make sure conversation stays friendly and helpful? This very question is the subject of this week's Game Career Guide Design Challenge. Now, this would be a hard enough challenge for text alone, and luckily, that's all the challenge covers. With the growing pervasiveness of voice chat, though, even the best text-based filtering solution will fail utterly. SOE has promised to integrate Vivox voice chat technology in its future games, including its "M"-rated The Agency and its "G"-rated Free Realms. This is a challenge SOE will face at launch. How would you guarantee a safe environment for a child, one where they could not give away any personal information, where they wouldn't be exposed to hateful speech or threats, but where they could speak freely with the friends they know?

David Craddock at our sister site, Big Download, reports about a group of kids who are monitoring chat and reporting unhealthy chat or just tasking the game publishers themselves to monitor chat. Club Penguin's developers claim two-thirds of their staff is devoted to monitoring chat and customer service. Kids will always find a way around restrictions, and the only real solution is for parents to closely monitor their kids when they are online in any capacity. No other system can possibly take their place.

[Via Gamasutra]

Talkin' smack to kids in online games originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drawing the line between personal privacy and character information

Mike Schramm — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Opinion, Legal

Chris Dahlen posted an interesting commentary on Gamasutra the other day-- he says that he's getting a tad worried about just how much information is out there on the Internet about him. Thanks to the trend of multi-platform online play and tools like WoW's Armory, Facebook apps, and EVE's API, it's easier than ever for you, and others, to find out what you did in game last night.

There's two ways to go on this. Cameron at Random Battle loves it-- he wants to see his game information in more places whenever possible. And I kind of tend to fall on his side. I've never much cared whether people know who I am in game or not, or how low or high my characters are. It's all just a game, and it's all in good fun, so why not give me (and others) as much access to my information as possible? That's why we play online games in the first place right?

But Gaming Today falls on the other side of the argument-- even gaming information is personal, and giving out personal information makes things less fun, not more. There's a lot of information hidden in your behavior online, and the easier it becomes to track that information and form a pattern, the more advertisers and even your enemies will know about you.

We've already taken the plunge to make our gaming habits known online-- we're playing games where we want to see and be seen by others. But should we be worried if the developers of these games choose to spread that information around further?

Drawing the line between personal privacy and character information originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Expecting stability

Mike Schramm — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Culture, MMO industry, Patches, Server downtime, Opinion

I think I've mentioned before that I really enjoy Sanya Weathers' blog about running communities for MMO games, and in her latest post, she makes a great point about stability and expecting it from the games we play.

The example she uses is Xbox Live, which isn't technically an MMO, but does, as she says, constitute a "massive, multiplayer experience." Microsoft has had trouble over the holidays keeping it up and running, and now they've decided to give out a free download to compensate players. How, says Sanya, can they be surprised at this point that they'd have a surge of users over the holidays? Isn't it common knowledge at this point not to play MMOs when a new expansion comes out or when new users show up in droves?

But then she shares the real insight: this shouldn't happen any more. MMOs are no longer a niche business, something we should have to suffer hardships just to play these games. As she says, "it's time to expect our toys to work when we plug them in."

Of course, any IT guy will tell you that downtime is unavoidable-- accidents happen, and predictions are just predictions. Anyone expecting anything to work all the time is going to get disappointed. But at this point, if you have a game (or a system, or a service) that is supposed to be "massive," you have no excuses when everybody shows up to play.

Expecting stability originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The value of old games (or lack thereof)

Mike Schramm — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Mobile, MUDs, Consoles

With all the crazy MMO games we're playing nowadays, do old, traditional videogames matter any more? Anyway Games, suprisingly, says no-- just like black and white and silent movies, he envisions the game industry abandoning the old formats and standbys and moving on completely to these new heights. When the last Pac Man gamer has moved on to MMOs, AG claims that while the old games will be preserved, there will be no need to play them.

I'm not so sure that's true-- online, multiplayer modes, and persistent worlds aren't necessarily something that's mutually exclusive with "classic" gameplay. Xbox Live is a prime example, even though it isn't traditionally thought of as an MMO-- with achievements and leaderboards, Microsoft has turned old games like Pac Man into games that players can actually play socially, and advance their avatars across games.

In other words, just like movies, old games don't die-- they just get remade. This world of MMOs is a newer one, yes (even compared to the already relatively new world of videogames at large). But nostalgia isn't the only force fueling the drive to push old games into the new worlds-- good gameplay is a forced to be reckoned with as well.

The value of old games (or lack thereof) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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