Posts by Kyle Horner at Massively

Kyle Horner

Vancouver, WA - http://

"Let slip the dogs of war." And then, I blogged. Of course, not before taking my dogs out for a walk -- they get antsy.

The Digital Continuum: Can story supplant grind?

by Kyle Horner Feb 8th 2010 (1 day ago)

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars offers a setting with incredible chances at strong storytelling and it's for this reason I've been watching closely for any hints at the story elements in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This recent developer blog on the driving forces behind the Sith Inquisitor's tale really dug its claws into my mind.

Before now, I'd always assumed most choice elements within the story of any given class would be mostly binary. That was the easiest solution for BioWare, who has created quite the challenge for themselves with the premise of a full singleplayer storyline experience for each class within the game.

Captain's Log: A guide to Lieutenant progression page 2

by Kyle Horner Feb 4th 2010 (5 days ago)

Captain's Log: A guide to Lieutenant progression

by Kyle Horner Feb 4th 2010 (5 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

Star Trek Online goes out of its way to make sure the player always has a bevy of mission choices at their fingertips. That makes a step-by-step guide on progressing through Lieutenant (i.e. the first ten "levels") somewhat worthless to write. So, I'm taking a different approach this week.

This guide is aimed at helping to quicken the pace of leveling towards your first new ship. The Miranda class ship is nice and all -- but everyone just really wants their first real ship. Plus, as an added bonus, you can use these tips throughout your entire Star Trek Online experience!

Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp page 2

by Kyle Horner Feb 3rd 2010 (5 days ago)

Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp

by Kyle Horner Feb 3rd 2010 (5 days ago)

SOE

It's been far too long since we first had the pleasure of introducing readers to PoxNora. So long, in fact, that we contacted SOE to see about speaking with the good people in Tucson, AZ about their strategy game that incorporates card collecting, online persistence and progression mechanics into a delightful cocktail of an online game.

There's a lot of changes coming to PoxNora, changes that for the first time will be revealed in this interview with SOE Community Manger Tony "RadarX" Jones. A new website, a new Rune Manager, a new Champions stat system, new maps and hints at the future of PoxNora are just a few of the topics covered beyond the break.

Did we mention all these updates are coming within the next few weeks? Oh, we've also got shiny imagery.

The return of 'Ask Cryptic' for Champions Online

by Kyle Horner Feb 3rd 2010 (6 days ago)

Champions Online

Cryptic

Ask Cryptic is finally back for the Champions Online community. In the past. the feature regularly allowed a Q&A style of communication between curious or concerned players and the developers at Cryptic working on the game. Unfortunately, once Champions Online launched the feature fell by the wayside, at least until now. If you would like to submit some questions (be they about Vibora Bay or other topics) there's only two simple rules given by Cryptic:

Any topic is fair game.
Questions must be written in a respectful tone.

Seems pretty reasonable, no? Head over to this thread on the official forums to post your questions -- just remember you'll need an official forum account to gain access. We look forward to seeing the results of your questions, which you can be sure to find right here on Massively.

Massively's Star Trek Online launch day roundup

by Kyle Horner Feb 2nd 2010 (7 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

Today marks the official launch date for Cryptic Studios' newest title, Star Trek Online. We know there's a massive amount of information for new players to process, so we've put together a nice round-up of our various guides, tips and op-ed features to help out. Follow our advice and you should be more than ready to begin your heady Starfleet (Or Klingon Empire!) career.

Of course, of you're looking for an even more wonderful hub of information, you should check out our shiny new dedicated Star Trek Online page. It'll serve as the go-to place for any new guides, interviews, patches game lore and videos.

So -- as Sera Brennan would say -- without any further delay, let's take a trip down memory lane and look back at the best of our STO coverage...

The Digital Continuum: The 'Next Big Thing' in MMOs page 2

by Kyle Horner Feb 1st 2010 (8 days ago)

The Digital Continuum: The 'Next Big Thing' in MMOs

by Kyle Horner Feb 1st 2010 (8 days ago)

NCsoft

Is All Points Bulletin the "Next Big Thing" in MMOs? While I'm fully aware that Realtime Worlds doesn't specifically prefer to associate the game with this genre, it's very much a part of it -- but it also orbits the fringes of what we commonly refer to as a massively multiplayer online game.

Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 and All Points Bulletin come from a different school of business models. These games hinge on the idea that most people dislike coughing up 15 bucks a month to keep playing their favorite title. Just look to the success of the original Guild Wars, having a year ago passed six million copies sold. That's a pretty great start for non-subscription MMOs, and because of that success we now have GW's sequel and APB on the way.

Star Trek Online official dev blog: Chris Menard

by Kyle Horner Jan 29th 2010 (11 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

For the third and final Star Trek Online developer blog we present to you Chris Menard discussing his experience as a special effects artists for the game. It's a short but fun look into one developer/fan's experience working on a title set within the Star Trek universe, and we think you'll enjoy the read.

It's a funny thing, getting to work on something with such a high profile. We can't imagine that the men and women doing the animations, effects or really any aspect of a high profile MMO would want to put too much thought into just how many people will be seeing (and judging) their work. Our hats off to the hard working developers behind each and every game out there!