Virtual World News
MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, Professions, Free-to-play, Browser, Massively Interviews, Miscellaneous, MMObility
So I decided to ask Ben Adams and and James Niesewand, CTO and CEO of Illyriad Games, respectively, about HTML5. They are really starting to push the boundaries of the language with their game Illyriad. It's fun to learn about this stuff, and it's always nice to know how our mobile games are being made. Click past the cut and read the interview!
Warning: Big words ahead!
Continue reading MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5
MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Races, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
Every so often until the release of the game, I will explore the important bits that lead to the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Unlike other MMOs, this game is developed specifically to draw the player into the story. To help ease you into this rich lore, I am creating a series I call the Holocron Files. And first, I begin with the mysterious TOR species know as the Pureblood Sith. Where do these beings come from? Why are they important to SWTOR lore? And what can we expect to see from them in game? Leap past the break to find out.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith
Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LotRO dev diaries take a look at upcoming Rune-keeper and Hunter changes
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries
With the launch of Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard just a short week away, Turbine is beginning to round out its pre-Isengard dev diaries. Today, we've got a double-whammy for you in the form of some new information on what will become of Rune-keepers and Hunters when the new expansion hits.
On the Rune-keeper side of things, the devs have a variety of goals for the class, such as refining the class' trait trees, allowing the class to perform as a "hybrid AoE damage dealer," and buffing the class' AoE healing slightly. Chisels and rifflers will be seeing big changes in order to allow all of them to be used by Rune-keepers of the DPS and healing variety rather than gearing them toward one or the other. As with all other classes, the team is focusing on improving existing skills rather than introducing new ones, and as such the greatest changes are coming to the Rune-keeper's trait lines. Each trait line's four-set bonus is seeing changes to some degree.
Meanwhile, in Hunter land, the goals for the class are much more concise. The devs want to give players further incentive to use all three of the available combat stances while performing "general cleanup" on the class. All stance-specific bonuses have been removed from all trait lines and redistributed elsewhere, thereby keeping Hunters from being locked into a specific stance based on their choice of trait line. Hunters will also be granted the ability to dual-wield and to wear medium armor from the get-go, which should help new players immensely. Of course, a variety of Hunter abilities have been improved, and the class is also gaining two new skills to round out its repertoire.
For the entire set of changes to both classes, head on over to the dev diaries and soak up all the juicy details. And remember, Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard launches in just a week, so prepare yourselves accordingly.
On the Rune-keeper side of things, the devs have a variety of goals for the class, such as refining the class' trait trees, allowing the class to perform as a "hybrid AoE damage dealer," and buffing the class' AoE healing slightly. Chisels and rifflers will be seeing big changes in order to allow all of them to be used by Rune-keepers of the DPS and healing variety rather than gearing them toward one or the other. As with all other classes, the team is focusing on improving existing skills rather than introducing new ones, and as such the greatest changes are coming to the Rune-keeper's trait lines. Each trait line's four-set bonus is seeing changes to some degree.
Meanwhile, in Hunter land, the goals for the class are much more concise. The devs want to give players further incentive to use all three of the available combat stances while performing "general cleanup" on the class. All stance-specific bonuses have been removed from all trait lines and redistributed elsewhere, thereby keeping Hunters from being locked into a specific stance based on their choice of trait line. Hunters will also be granted the ability to dual-wield and to wear medium armor from the get-go, which should help new players immensely. Of course, a variety of Hunter abilities have been improved, and the class is also gaining two new skills to round out its repertoire.
For the entire set of changes to both classes, head on over to the dev diaries and soak up all the juicy details. And remember, Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard launches in just a week, so prepare yourselves accordingly.
LotRO dev diaries take a look at upcoming Rune-keeper and Hunter changes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated]
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Launches, MMO industry, Star Wars: The Old Republic
SWTOR fansite Ask a Jedi combed through a recent EA Q&A session with investors to pull a few pertinent details from CFO Eric Brown. When asked about the launch date for The Old Republic, Brown replied, "We haven't given a street date yet. We won't do so for some time, possibly at our next upcoming earnings call towards the end of October." This earnings call will take place on October 25th.
EA also continues to stand by its backup plan of a launch delay if SWTOR isn't ready, giving the title room to possibly slip from holiday 2011 to early 2012. Brown explained the conditions that would trigger such a slip: "We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter. And the factors that would cause a slip is, for example, us not being completely satisfied with the scalability testing, and wanting to tune it for several extra weeks."
[Update: SWTOR's Stephen Reid has posted on the forums urging fans not to read too much between the lines of investor calls. "We are still very much aiming to ship in the holiday 2011 window (AKA, before the end of the year)," he says.]
The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: EA
- Via: Ask a Jedi
Fallen Earth dev diary talks economic changes, world events, and more
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Economy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries, Crafting
Producer Marie Croall checks in with us to talk about the game's two-year anniversary celebration, which includes "PvP, PvE, and RP components." She also says that the event will be run at EU- and US-friendly times (though said times aren't specified as of yet).
In terms of game updates, the major portion of the September recap concerns the ongoing economic changes. Inconsistencies dealing with recipe and component rarity have been dealt with, and the dev team has "redone the placement of most of the nodes in the game" to make the rarer nodes more of an incentive to enter PvP-enabled areas. Finally, Croall says that the release of the new world event system has been bumped back to coincide with the free-to-play conversion on October 12th. Grab your favorite wasteland beverage and read all the details at the official Fallen Earth dev blog.
Fallen Earth dev diary talks economic changes, world events, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Fallen Earth dev blog
Dan Stahl leaving Cryptic, Star Trek Online
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Trek Online
Details on the departure are slim, with Stahl telling fans that he has "chosen to move on in my career and pursue new challenges." The resignation is the latest development in what has been an eventful summer for STO faithful, as Cryptic Studios was acquired by Perfect World Entertainment and Star Trek Online was subsequently slated to receive the free-to-play treatment.
Stahl goes on to say that he will be answering questions prior to his end-of-the-month beam out, and he indicates that STO will be in good hands thanks to the leadership of former lead programmer and current Cryptic CTO Stephen D'Angelo.
Look for more insight into this move in this Thursday's Captain's Log column.
Dan Stahl leaving Cryptic, Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: STO website
Immortal King launching open beta on September 22nd
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play
Players who travel to the official site will be given an opportunity to obtain a special "Newbie Card" to get started in the game easily, and high-ranking players in factional duels also have the opportunity to earn in-game gold. There are also forum events, encouraging players to contribute to the game's knowledge base for more in-game rewards. There are only a couple of days left until the open beta goes live, so if you've been staying up late, you can take heart that your oddly specific sleepless nights are soon to end.
[Source: Press release]
Immortal King launching open beta on September 22nd originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze
September 20, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Expansions, Previews, News items
Narrated by Alan VanCouvering and Bob Painter, the video describes both the original concept of Erillion and the challenges faced in designing such an orderly environment. It had to look as mechanical and orderly as possible, after all, but it also had to look organic rather than just being the same building pasted in dozens of times. Click on past the break to watch the video if you'd like to see the city before you can venture there in person.
[Source: Official press release]
Continue reading Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze
Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Daily Grind: Should games cut us off?
September 19, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Massively meta, The Daily Grind, Free Realms, Kids, Miscellaneous
Gamers erupted over what they saw as Sony Online Entertainment's attempt to intrude upon the parental domain, and the company has since rolled back this feature and stated it was "unintended." Still, other games have implemented similar features. What say you, Massively readers? Are you happy for games to nanny you (and your kids), or do you think they should mind their own business?
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: Should games cut us off? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MV Guide: September 19-25, 2011
September 19, 2011
Filed under: Massively meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide
Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)
Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Continue reading MV Guide: September 19-25, 2011
MV Guide: September 19-25, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jump to page:
389