Virtual World News
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics
By piecing together the "bricks" that dictate a character's mood, actions, and responses to the player, every encounter in the game turns into a "choose your own adventure" that has a variety of outcomes.
One of the situations that was shown is that of a player encountering an irritated wizard. In the first attempt to interact with him, the player pesters the wizard which prompts the wizard to unleash a zombie. If the player apologizes, the wizard is astonished, unsummons the zombie, and asks to be the player's friend. But in a second attempt, the player chooses to zap the zombie instead and then punch the guard that comes to investigate. This outcome leads to banishment from the city.
Storybricks is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter. It's certainly a promising system fraught with possibilities, so give it a look-see after the jump!
Continue reading Storybricks alpha video shows how you can choose your own adventure
Storybricks alpha video shows how you can choose your own adventure originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: YouTube
Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic
EA's Frank Gibeau says that TOR's 400,000 subscriber drop from its February peak is a result of casual players deciding not to renew after a billing cycle.
Eurogamer reports that TOR falls within EA's top 10 most profitable franchises, but comes up short of the Battlefield, Medal of Honor, The Sims, and Madden franchises. Riccitello also addressed TOR's high profile in both fan and media circles. "So while I understand there's an enormous amount of interest, I don't know that it warrants as much as what we're seeing right now. But we love the franchise, we're going to grow the franchise," he explained.
EA bosses weigh in on SWTOR sub number drop originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Eurogamer
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, New titles, Browser, Mobile
Since the 3DS can't handle Java or Flash, the idea is that the player uses the system's browser to navigate to the official website and use the website to run the game instead. The title looks like a top-down 2D game that relies on the stylus for any in-game conversations.
While interesting, it's certainly a long shot; even the developer says that it might not be released. Still, if you have a 3DS you can currently give the game a try -- for a buck, that is. Check out a demo video of Project Triniate after the jump.
Continue reading Project Triniate attempts to put an MMO on a Nintendo 3DS
Project Triniate attempts to put an MMO on a Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Kotaku, Nintendo 3DS blog
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online
"We have to make our own game," he tells Game Informer. "We want to make a good game first. Not a good MMO, not a good Elder Scrolls game, we want to make a good game first, a great experience for the player."
Elder Scrolls creative director: We want to make a good game first originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Game Informer
Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes
"Their size, power and armament allow heavy fighters to fulfill a great variety of objectives including interception, head-on attacks, and bombing, making them one of the most versatile classes of air forces," the company says.
German heavy fighters include the Fw.57, the Bf.110, the Me.410, and the Me.P.1102. Get a look at the full video clip after the cut.
[Source: Wargaming.net press release]
Continue reading World of Warplanes heavy fighter class revealed
World of Warplanes heavy fighter class revealed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play
Today's gallery features a look at the update's new skirmish, which pits players against a sorceress named Gwyllion at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. The Storm on Methedras instance supports one to 12 players and is designed for levels 70 to 75.
[Source: Turbine press release]
Lord of the Rings Online's Update 7 features new high-level skirmish originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Classes, Expansions, Guild Wars 2, The Game Archaeologist
These are all but a hint of what a fourth Guild Wars campaign could have been, a campaign that was under development in the mid-2000s but was scrapped by 2007. Replacing it was the expansion Guild Wars Eye of the North and the workings of a super-secret sequel to the game (which you've probably never heard of). It was the forgotten campaign, swept under a rug while it was still under the rug.
But what if, in some alternative timeline, ArenaNet had gone ahead with this campaign? What if it became an established part of the Guild Wars legacy, as familiar to us today as Nightfall and Factions?
What if Guild Wars Utopia had lived?
Continue reading The Game Archaeologist looks at Guild Wars Utopia
The Game Archaeologist looks at Guild Wars Utopia originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, The Elder Scrolls Online
Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:
Read below the cut for the full show notes.
Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial!
Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online
And players will need every trick they can get to succeed in the new Safe House Battles, which are 4v4 PvP brawls that involve players invading one anothers' safe houses in order to complete a number of objectives. So much for safe houses being... well, safe. Players thirsting for larger-scale combat will be at home in the new Headquarter Battles, which see eight heroes squaring off against eight villains as they try to take control of the Hall of Doom and the Watchtower, respectively. And finally, the game's first light-powered Legend characters will be making an appearance in The Last Laugh, allowing players to take control of the Green Lanterns' Kilowog and Sinestro Corps' Amon Sur.
The Last Laugh will be available in June for free to Legendary members and for purchase on the market for Free and Premium players. For the full details, check out the official announcement at the DCUO site.
The Joker returns to DC Universe Online in upcoming DLC, The Last Laugh originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, News items, Sandbox
For the most part, the notes are your standard patch note fare: bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, some UI tweaks, and so forth. But there are a couple of gems that stand out among the rest. For instance, players with the Genetic Engineering skill can do some gene-splicing to create their own unique pets. Currently there are 40 different hybrid and pure-species pets that can be genetically engineered, so the mad scientists in the crowd should have many options when it comes to playing God. The site's lore and bestiary sections have also been updated for the lore junkies out there. The full, rather expansive April update notes can be found on The Repopulation's official site, so if you're interested in all of the minutiae, just head on over there and check it out.
[Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]
The Repopulation's end-of-April update includes genetic engineering, bug fixes, and lore updates originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.