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Behind the Mask: Preparing for war

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

As many of you will recall, last week we talked about Champions Online's PvP and some basic information on the builds and gametypes currently available. For those of you who watched my livestream this week, I also managed to noob it up in Stronghold quite a bit (plus a game of BASH and a game of Zombies). It was quite fun; I have very little experience in Stronghold compared to other types of PvP, so it was a bit of a learning experience.

I wanted to go back to PvP again this week and cover some basic tools and strategies for all types of PvP, especially the Hero Games group PvP modes. Some of the strategies aren't obvious to beginners, and others are easy to forget in the heat of battle. While everyone can agree on certain basic strategies, it's easy to get blood in the eyes and focus too heavily on depleting some hero's life bar.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: Preparing for war

Behind the Mask: Preparing for war originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:30:00 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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Behind the Mask: Heroes vs. heroes

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

Although I've referenced it a little bit here and there, I've directly avoided talking about PvP in Champions Online. It's a controversial topic -- probably moreso in CO than in most other MMOs. In Champions, there is a massive difference between a hero who is focused on PvP and one who is not. Characters who are well-optimized PvE machines tend to perform acceptably (especially in certain types of PvP). However, if a hero isn't as optimized, he or she tends to get steamrolled by the flavors of the month.

Because most CO players are more casual players (in the sense that they don't plan builds and tend to pick powers that are "fun" or "cool"), they often get quite upset when they are defeated by an optimized PvP build. Most players I know tend to assume that the FoTM builds are unbeatable and that the only way to beat them is to join them.

Experienced PvPers know that this just isn't the case. It is true that an optimized PvP build is a necessity, but the actual optimization can take on many forms. There are dozens of effective "win buttons" in Champions' PvP out of a couple hundred powers. Out of dozens of possible kill methods, picking one and supplementing it with logical choices and personal flavor is a snap.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: Heroes vs. heroes

Behind the Mask: Heroes vs. heroes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's Friday I'm in lab: Undead Labs opens its doors to you

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Video, Previews, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous

"Monday the world can fall apart / Tuesday, Wednesday they eat my heart / Oh, Thursday my chainsaw doesn't start / It's Friday I'm in lab."

We're reminded of the immortal words of The Cure as we watch this neat behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of Undead Labs. Ever wonder what it might be like to actually go to work and spend your whole day creating a post-apocalyptic zombie world? And get paid for it? Watch these devs and feel the bitter sting of envy at the back of your neck.

While the video doesn't go into depth about Undead Labs' as-yet unnamed MMO or the XBLA game the studio is developing, it does offer tantalizing sights such as sheets of concept art, in-game building models, and even a brief bit of man-vs-zombie mayhem. And there are few things more surreal than witnessing a room full of businessmen and women seriously discussing zombie behaviors.

You can watch the full video after the jump!

Continue reading It's Friday I'm in lab: Undead Labs opens its doors to you

It's Friday I'm in lab: Undead Labs opens its doors to you originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brainsss and brawn: Zombie apocalypse hitting Champions Online today

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, Events, in-game, PvP, Free-to-play, Champions Online

Is there a zombie on your lawn? Are you out of happy plants to fight them? No worries, mere citizen! Champions Online's cadre of super-wonders is rushing to protect your home and brains from unwanted undead intrusion!

Cryptic announced that it is bringing back the Zombie Apocalypse event today in Champions Online for a couple of hours. Level 40 players are welcome to fight off the horde from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT and again from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The GM running the event will be in Millennium City beforehand to help answer any questions.

During the event, superheroes are challenged with warding off wave after wave of hungry zombies. The twist is that those who fall in battle respawn as zombies themselves and end up fighting against their former compatriots. Hopefully there will be no hard feelings when your best friend is trying to gnaw on your skull!

Brainsss and brawn: Zombie apocalypse hitting Champions Online today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blood Moon event running in Champions Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online

Why are you still alive in Champions Online when everyone else is dead? Because you follow the rules. Rule number one -- cardio. The ones without travel powers are the first to go. Rule number two -- double-tap. You never know when someone's going to claim the other zombie you want to kill, after all. Yes, the Blood Moon is rising once again, and that means a few days of zombie-killing fun for the heroes of Millennium City.

Running for the first time since the game's free-to-play conversion, the event is currently open and will run until 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday. The full outline of the event lists all of the rewards open to players who take part in thwarting the onslaught of undead, werewolves, and other dark magic. Champions Online players can log in and start enjoying the madness right away, and of course the game's business model means anyone can jump in for a bit of event fun.

Blood Moon event running in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Undead Labs talks about surviving the zombie social scene

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, Previews, Post-Apocalyptic

James Phinney believes in the power of a persistent virtual world, and he's not shy in sharing his excitement when it comes to the landscape that Undead Labs is building for its new zombie-themed MMO:

"We believe a persistent world should be living, dynamic, and evolving. We believe your decisions should affect the state of the world and the state of the world should matter to you. We believe you should get to be the hero; not because you were able grind your way to some artificial achievement that everyone else will eventually grind for too, but instead because you achieved something unique and heroic -- something that people actually care about because it has an impact on the world."

In this post on Undead Labs' site, Phinney talks about how the company isn't trying to build a shell of an MMO around a mere action game, but is actually working hard to build a connected, persistent place where players have meaningful choices that could lead them to being heroes. His vision for this post-apocalyptic world is one that is "living, dynamic, and evolving" instead of remaining static.

And while the MMO will contain zombies, Phinney stresses that the core is about survival, not just a headcount. He sketches out some of the choices that will need to be made, including finding power, scrounging for food and developing safe zones. You can read more about this vision over at Undead Labs.

Undead Labs talks about surviving the zombie social scene originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Undead Labs: Current MMOs are "barely even games"

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, Consoles, Post-Apocalyptic

Undead Labs has a new game designer, and he's come out swinging against the established MMO format. Richard Foge, who previously worked on God of War, SOCOM and Guild Wars, says he "loves the idea of MMOs" but isn't satisfied with the current market.

In a recent manifesto on Undead Labs' site, Foge professes his love for console games and his puzzlement as to why MMOs haven't advanced as far: "MMOs get breaks because of their social nature, but if you really look at them closely they're barely even games. Mario 64 (nearly 15-years-old at this point) feels better than any MMO I've ever played. MMOs aren't even close to keeping up with cutting edge videogames from a gameplay or presentation perspective." The solution, he thinks, is to skew more toward console action titles. "What if we replaced all the math with action?" he muses.

Undead Labs' first MMO, a zombie-themed romp through the post-apocalyptic world, is being made for consoles instead of PCs. The perfect platform for an action MMO, in his opinion, isn't the PC: "I believe that MMOs can and should compete with the best triple-A games. And I believe consoles are the perfect place for MMOs to make this stand."

Undead Labs: Current MMOs are "barely even games" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dev blog sheds light on Champions' Zombie Apocalypse

Kyle Horner — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, PvP, News items, Champions Online

One of the coolest features coming with Champions Online's October 27th Blood Moon update is the addition of Zombie Apocalypse, a PvP map that features a scenario instead of the typical objective involving kill scores. Sound interesting to you? Then we highly recommend this developer blog discussing the entire process of creating the ruleset, as it awards a keen insight on the how and why of said rules.

There are two good things happening here: One is the obvious, that Cryptic is adding a new PvP map that's something more than the launch offerings. The other is that they're being communicative with a new piece of content's development process. This seems like a minor plus but in truth, when a developer demystifies the reasoning behind their content it only serves to elevate player perception and appreciation of said work. Our only suggestion would be to boost the presentation of these dev blogs (behind the scenes in-game pictures are always cool) in order to draw even more attention to them.

Dev blog sheds light on Champions' Zombie Apocalypse originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions Online October changes, Blood Moon releasing on the 27th

Kyle Horner — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, News items, Champions Online

Champions Online has seen a lot of update love since launch. By all accounts it's continuing to throughout October with this look at what's to come by Cryptic. The addition of more missions is always welcome, especially in combination with the mission tracking improvements that'll make grouping easier. Even better is the Power House 2.0 that'll come with a new live combat training room and power tips from trainers. Those power tips are going to help a lot of confused players create builds that both suite and actually work for them.

Last but not least is Blood Moon, which will be released on October 27th and promises to bring a hefty chunk of content for all levels to enjoy. The new PvP map known as Zombie Apocalypse sounds like something out of Left 4 Dead and blasting the undead with superpowers is a wholly new concept that we're behind 100%.

Check after the break for a full rundown of what's coming to Champions Online in the month of October.

Continue reading Champions Online October changes, Blood Moon releasing on the 27th

Champions Online October changes, Blood Moon releasing on the 27th originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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