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 discovers the Island of Kesmai]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/the-game-archaeologist-discovers-the-island-of-kesmai/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Island of Kesmai
It was the mid-'80s, and I was just a kid in love with his family's IBM PC. Not having a wealth of capital at the time, I relied on hand-me-down copies of software that rolled in from friends and family and probably the Cyber-Mafia. Practically none of the disks came with instructions (or even labels, sometimes), and as such I felt like an explorer uncovering hidden gems as I shoved in 5 1/4" floppy after 5 1/4" floppy. Some titles were great fun, some were so obtuse I couldn't get into them, and some were obviously meant for those older and wiser than I.

One game that fell into the latter category was a brutally difficult RPG that smelt of Dungeons & Dragons -- a forbidden experience for me at the time. It was just a field of ASCII characters, jumbled statistics, and instant death awaiting me around every corner. I gave it a few tries but could never progress past the first level, especially when I'd keep running out of arrows, so I gave up.

Unbeknownst to me, I had my first brush with Rogue, an enormously popular dungeon crawler that straddled the line between the description-heavy RPGs and arcade titles like Gauntlet. Rogue defined the genre when it came out in 1980, spawning dozens of "Roguelikes" that sought to cash in on the craze. Not five years after its release, Rogue got a worthy successor that decided it could bring this addicting style of gameplay to the larva form of the Internet. It was called Island of Kesmai, but you may call it "Sir, yes sir!"

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist discovers the Island of Kesmai

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist discovers the Island of Kesmai originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureBill-Loudenclassicclassic-mmosclassicscompuservedungeons-of-kesmaifeaturedgame-archaelogistisland-of-kesmaijohn-taylorkelton-flinnkesmaikesmai-corporationlord-of-the-ringsmegawarsmudmud1nostalgiaopinionrichard-bartlerogueroguelikethe-game-archaeologistuniversity-of-virginiavaxzorkTue, 06 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/05/the-game-archaeologist-plays-with-muds-the-history/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

You know that sinking feeling when you get into something that's way, waaaay over your head and you have no choice but to swim furiously or drown? That's exactly how I felt when I started to do research for this month's series on MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons -- and their descendants.

At first I was thrilled, because I knew that along with Dungeons & Dragons and Bulletin Board Systems, the MUD was one of the key predecessors to the MMORPG as we know it today. It was, and still is, vital gaming history that helped to shape the genre. The only problem was that for various reasons -- mostly a lack of good internet access in college and general ignorance -- I'd missed out on MUDs back in the day.

But it's not like that stopped me from covering any of the other games in this series that I never experienced first-hand way back when; after all, there are few among us who can honestly say they did everything. So the problem wasn't the lack of first-hand knowledge but the sheer, overwhelming scope of this subject. One game alone is a manageable subject -- MUDs are an entire genre unto themselves. It's intimidating, to say the least.

It doesn't still my excitement, however, nor will it stop us from diving into this topic no matter how deep the waters get. This week we'll take a look at the brief history of the MUD/MUSH/MOO/et al. and then get into specific games later this month. So hold your breath and jump on in with me!

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abermudadventurearadatharpanetbbsbritish-legendsbulletin-board-systemcollosal-cave-adventurecompuserved-and-ddikudikumuddont-panicdungeons-and-dragonseqeverquestfeaturedgamers-worldgenielord-of-the-ringslpmudmark-jacobsmeridian-59moomuckmudmud1mud2mudsmulti-user-dungeonmusemushmushesplanetfallrichard-bartleRoy-Trubshawthe-game-archaeologistthe-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxythe-hobbittinymucktinymudultima-onlineuoworld-of-warcraftwowzorkTue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New Zork game no longer an MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/11/new-zork-game-no-longer-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/11/new-zork-game-no-longer-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/11/new-zork-game-no-longer-an-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

If you've been following along with the site, you may remember a story we ran on a brand new Zork game, and the press release that told us that it was to be a casual MMO. In fact, we believe the exact sentence was "designed to provide gamers with a casual MMO game they can play on their laptop, desktop or Apple iPhone (in school, work or on the bus)."

It now appears that the game is no longer an MMO at all, but a "casual persistent online adventure."

ShackNews has gotten the information straight from Jolt's CEO, Dylan Collins, that Legends of Zork will be a casual adventure that will "sneak into your soul" and not an online MMO. Looks like we're back to having daydreams about black screens and white text again.

MassivelyNew Zork game no longer an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbreakingcasual-adventurecasual-mmoiphonejoltlegends-of-zorknot-mmoonline-zorkzorkWed, 11 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zork to return in MMO form]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/zork-to-return-in-mmo-form/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/zork-to-return-in-mmo-form/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/zork-to-return-in-mmo-form/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If you're old like me, you may remember the classic world of Zork. It was a text-based adventure game (and series of games) created in the late 70s that was the inspiration for most, if not all, story-rich computer games of our day. Well, now it will be coming to an internet browser near you as a persistent MMO. Dublin-based Jolt Online Gaming is joining with Activision, who owns the rights to Zork, for a browser-based MMO centered around the world of the Infocom classic.

"The Great Underground Empire has recently fallen and the land is in disarray," the game's website describes. "The stock market has collapsed, leading even mighty FrobozzCo International to fire employees from throughout its subsidiaries. A craze of treasure-hunting has swept through the remnants of the Great Underground Empire. It's a dangerous time to be a newly-unemployed traveling salesman, but it's also a great time to try a bit of adventuring."

Check out the official website for more information and to sign up for up-to-date news on the development of this game.

MassivelyZork to return in MMO form originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbreakingbrowser-basedinfocomjoltzorkWed, 14 Jan 2009 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Splashing through the MUD and the MUSH]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/splashing-through-the-mud-and-the-mush/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/splashing-through-the-mud-and-the-mush/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/splashing-through-the-mud-and-the-mush/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Before forum trolls complained of bad graphics or crappy voice acting, there was text-based gaming. Progressing from the success of games like Zork and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the multi-user dungeons (MUDs) and multi-user shared hallucinations (MUSHes) were our best methods of roleplaying and interacting with other people from across the globe. Without these original text-based experiences, we would not have any of the MMOs we have today.

To pay homage to this fact, Kaila Hale-Stern at Gawker's io9 writes a telling narrative of the old days in MUDs and MUSHes. PernMUSH, a MUSH based on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series was (and still is) an extremely popular online hub for roleplayers. This story tells of Kaila's experiences with PernMUSH and how magical they were "for a sixteen year-old with a 36kbps modem and a family phone line." Be sure to check out the pages of comments as well, as they each tell their own memories of the birth of online gaming and roleplaying.

MassivelySplashing through the MUD and the MUSH originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dragonriders-of-pernhitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxyio9muckmudmushroleplayingrprpingtext-basedzorkMon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Animations to die for]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I was chatting with a friend the other day (shut up! I do too have friends!) and we were playing reference poker -- you know, someone makes a comment referring to some aspect of pop culture, and the other person replies in kind. She said ' ... you are eaten by a grue.' I made the obligatory Zork return reference and we moved on, but the bit about being eaten stayed with me for some reason. That night, I was running around in WoW and realized that nobody in Azeroth is eaten by anything.

Why can't we have encounter-specific death animations? I, for one, would love a chance to be messily devoured by a Sludge Beast! I can imagine the horrific wounds as it slid over me, eating away at my flesh until only bones remained. A much more affecting experience than merely swooning and dropping dead, as though nothing more mortal than narcolepsy had occurred.

Or how about a set of pre-built death animations, available at the touch of a key? Everything from 'clutching at your heart: myocardial infarction', to 'going white as a sheet and dropping dead from fright', to 'Scanners cranial explosion'. In fact, wouldn't this make pulling off the ol' 'Feign Death' trick a lot more fun? I'm telling you, it's the little things in life that make existence bearable. Let's see more creativity with our dying moments, developers! Believe me, you stand to ... make a killing. Hahaha! Oh, I slay me.

MassivelyAnimations to die for originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animationsdeathdyingfeign-deathgruenarcolepsyscannerssludge-beastworld-of-warcraftzorkFri, 18 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/03/lotro-quest-inspired-by-apple-ii-text-adventures/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


It seems that most gamers these days haven't played any of the old Apple II computer games, much less the particularly ancient text-based adventure ones. Most people now see them as arcane and even intimidating. Those black & white fossils bear no relation to something as modern as say, The Lord of the Rings Online, right?

Wrong! Gaming's old-timers will be tickled to hear that a quest in Tal Bruinen was inspired by a gameplay mechanic from an Apple II text adventure game. A Turbine employee revealed this behind-the-scenes tidbit in a thread about the quest on the official LotRO forums.

The Apple II was the first widely successful personal computer. It had a large library of games, many of which are cornerstones of computer gaming history. You can play a lot of those games in your web browser at virtualapple.org, one of the best online emulators. It has many of the all-time classic RPGs like Ultima, Might and Magic, and Wizardry as well.

MassivelyLotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureappleapple-iiemulatorhistorylord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromight-and-magicold-schoolquesttextturbineultimawizardryzorkSat, 03 Nov 2007 15:24:00 EST