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 Daily Grind: You or not you, in Star Trek Online?

by Kyle Horner Nov 21st 2009 (7 hours ago)

STO

Cryptic

This isn't often a question we find ourselves asking others when it comes to character creation in an MMO, but, well Star Trek Online is different in this regard. Considering the very specific sort of wish fulfillment Cryptic's next game offers, do you plan to first create a fictional captain or in-game version of yourself to captain a starship?

You see, we began thinking on this very subject not too long ago and a dilemma struck. While being a Vulcan or some odd new species is undoubtedly a tempting concept, seeing ourselves sitting in the captain's chair is nearly as exciting. Considering Cryptic's knack for powerful character creation tools, we've no doubt that coming up with a close approximation of our likeness wouldn't be too difficult.

We know that every Star Trek fan is going to create themselves at some point but your first "main" is so very important. Since creating a Klingon-sided character is unlocked after some initial Federation play, we're thinking of making ourselves first, and then, wait for it... a Gorn second. Yes!

Everybody loves a good cantina fight in Threat of Peace, issue #20

by Kyle Horner Nov 20th 2009 (16 hours ago)

Star Wars: The Old Republic

And so the plot thickens, as the identity of the man attempting to dissolve the peace treaty between the Republic and the Empire is now closer to being revealed. Yes, this week BioWare continues their free online comic Threat of Peace with issue number 20, which largely focuses on the Bounty Hunter known as Braden.

The developer's propensity for seeding hints at future in-game content through this series continues, and in that statement we mean to say Nar Shadda is most likely going to be a playable planet in Star Wars: The Old Republic. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Dantooine become an in-game destination as well, since it's both a classic location and apparently the future site of some intrigue for Threat of Peace readers.

We suppose it'd be easy enough to assume most planets featured from the movies and previous KOTOR games will end up in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Nonetheless, it's fun to play the guessing game when it comes to a highly anticipated MMO. We're hoping the next official planet announcement goes to Nar Shadda, as it's just such a lovely place to visit.

Steam estimated at selling to 70% of PC market

by Kyle Horner Nov 20th 2009 (19 hours ago)

NCsoft

Where did you buy your last MMO and where will you buy your next? Chances are you'll be getting it on Steam or so the story goes according to Brad Wardell, head honcho over at Stardock. We're inclined to agree with his assertion that Valve's digital distribution platform holds roughly 70% of the PC market as many of us here at Massively have been buying our MMOs -- and PC games in general -- on the service for some time now.

So is it a good thing or a bad thing for MMO players? Our experience with purchasing games like Aion and Champions Online through the service has been positive, and so long as no complications arise via patches or other client issues we see no reason to stop utilizing the service unless better offers appear.

The only real MMO-related issue we can see is with collector's editions. Some games offer a different set of bonus material for people who opt out of the physical copy and go for the digital, but certain items like art books, mouse pads and other bric-a-brac can't be delivered through a wire... at least, not until sometime in the far flung future.

Now, as far as the Steamworks integration issue goes... Well, that's a whole other sack of fishes.

Bill Roper on Champions Online's launch, current state and future

by Kyle Horner Nov 20th 2009 (21 hours ago)

Champions Online

SOE

Cryptic

In a recent interview with Boomtown, Bill Roper spoke his mind on everything from Hellgate: London hate to Champions Online's launch and future. In fact, the man spoke quite candidly on all topics, particularly that of Cryptic's missteps with their second superhero MMO as well as their successes.

Of particular note, there's a mention of how Champions Online will handle DC Universe Online's 2010 launch given that the superhero MMO market hasn't really expanded of late. Curiously, Roper says he feels that the Xbox 360 version will help to vastly expand Champions' user base. There's a chance Cryptic could be pushing to get into the console market by or before SOE releases their superhero MMO. Although given the headaches Cryptic has expressed at getting an MMO on Microsoft's console, we get the feeling much of the developer's focus is presently on Star Trek Online and continued live game support.

Story moments in new Siege of Mirkwood screens

by Kyle Horner Nov 19th 2009 (1 day ago)

LotRO

Turbine

Lord of the Rings Online is well known for its story, which it has Tolkien's works to thank for -- although Turbine does a great job of making it all come alive. These new Siege of Mirkwood screens depict a few of the new epic story moments players can expect come December 1st when the expansion is made available for purchase.

From giant spiders to cozy campfires, much about these new screens inspire. Whether thick with peril or cool and mellow, Siege of Mirkwood looks set to offer its community wonders unparalleled. Yes, we're kind of rhyming on purpose. We blame the poetic imagery seen in the gallery below; its vistas both terrible and cold.

Gallery: LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood - Epic story moments

The Digital Continuum: LotRO's feature future

by Kyle Horner Nov 17th 2009 (3 days ago)

LotRO

Turbine

There are many wonderful features within Lord of the Rings Online, especially with Siege of Mirkwood edging upon the horizon like a merchant's ship carrying treasure chests full of shiny new features. However, for many a person, the game just doesn't click into place. Whether it's because of a missing feature or the pace of combat, some people find themselves unable to acclimate a groove.

So let's talk about features and changes that would help attract fresh blood while keeping the old guard happy -- because changing the core of an MMO is never truly a good idea, but bring in fresh blood doesn't hurt.

The Digital Continuum: LotRO's feature future, part 2

by Kyle Horner Nov 17th 2009 (3 days ago)

LotRO

Official Star Trek Online website revamped

by Kyle Horner Nov 17th 2009 (4 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

An impending MMO launch changes a many things, one of them being official websites. It's basically common practice to revamp a website leading up to a game's launch at this point. Don't get us wrong, we're not complaining, especially since the new Star Trek Online website is quite snazzy and promises new interactive ways to obsess about the game. It's just, well, it's not very surprising and we're disappointed in ourselves for no longer being able to revel in things like this like we used to.

While the site itself has been changed, there doesn't seem to be any drastic difference to the information or media available. Although we're certain that news, previews and interviews are soon to be pouring out of the main news feed over at Star Trek Online dot com -- yes, we spelled it out.

Plasma and Romulans in these five new exclusive STO screens

by Kyle Horner Nov 17th 2009 (4 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

Today we bring you five more exclusive Star Trek Online screens, courtesy of Cryptic Studios. We hope you Romulan fans out there are paying attention, because there's one new screen in particular we think you'll find quite... satisfying. Although, as you can see from the image above, there's a little extra Romulan love.

We find ourselves wanting to express concern for this lone Connie class vessel attempting to take on a Borg cube. That's just dangerous! We're fairly certain such encounters in the game proper will consist of a substantial grouping of players -- we're sure those screens will be quite something, actually.

The fact that many of these screens depict space combat is adventitious indeed, as our current Community Q&A for Star Trek Online concerns the very topic. We'll be taking questions for Cryptic developers until the end of today, Tuesday, November 17th -- so get 'em in while the asking is good.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Gallery

These are the box arts of Star Trek Online

by Kyle Horner Nov 16th 2009 (4 days ago)

STO

Cryptic

Okay, well there's only one of them, so saying, "these are the box arts" was more of an excuse to make a Trek reference.

However, we do find ourselves wondering if there should be more than one cover here, since half the game is dedicated to Klingon play. Sure, you've got some Birds of Prey in the background, but the iconic Federation logo, Constitution-like ship and Captain are most obviously the center of attention.

Then again, so long as the game is fulfilling our deepest Star Trek desires, we suppose it's all a moot point. Plus, we're sure many of you are just going to buy this on Steam or some similar magical online store. That's been our prerogative at Massively as of late, especially since it cuts down on unwanted PC games box clutter that turns into a mountain of excess over several years. You can check out a much larger version of the image right here in our gallery.