Filed under: Real life

The Daily Grind: Do you share what you love?

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 11th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Let's say you had a busy weekend in Final Fantasy XI. After a couple months of practice, your Dynamis group finally managed to down the Dynamis Lord, and you're understandably pretty pumped about that. Especially since you're also getting close to having another job at 75, which has taken you a while because you kept dying while running low-level shellmates through quests.

When you go into work on Monday morning and someone asks you what you did, do you shuffle and stare at your feet while mumbling that it wasn't anything special? Or do they get to hear at least a brief description of what you accomplished?

It's certainly a lot cooler than it used to be to enjoy video games, but some of us can still be reluctant to talk even briefly about our MMO hobbies with others. Sometimes we're afraid of embarassing ourselves, other times we just don't want to bother explaining, and at still other times we just don't think it's worth the effort. Where do you fall on the spectrum? Do your co-workers know that you enjoy frequent sharkish behavior in EVE Online, or do they think you spend most of your weekends and evenings in a catatonic state?

CitiesXL to close multiplayer features

by Rubi Bayer Jan 27th 2010 at 10:45AM

Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, News items, Cities XL

Three months after launch, CitiesXL was forced to make a difficult decision. An email was sent out to all players this morning informing them that as of March 8th, Monte Cristo will be putting an end to the Planet Offer: "Three months after the launch we have to admit that the subscription rate is lower than what we expected and therefore the Planet Offer is not sustainable. Not enough players decided to subscribe."

The CitiesXL team has our sympathy -- it's never easy to make such a decision -- but there is a silver lining. While players can no longer visit other cities, trade tokens, and so on, CitiesXL will continue to exist as a single player game.

Monte Cristo has also added an FAQ to their official site, and the complete letter to subscribers can be found below, just after the jump. Presumably, this will be the last time you'll hear about CitiesXL on Massively, so we wish them the best of luck on the single-player version.

Raph Koster on the future of Metaplace

by Rubi Bayer Jan 5th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, MetaPlace, Virtual worlds

January first of this year brought about the closing of Metaplace, sad news for everyone involved. Shortly before the announcement was made, Eurogamer had an interview with game designer Raph Koster regarding Metaplace. In the end, they made the decision to release the interview in spite of the closing, as it contained some very good insight into the goals of the staff as well as information about the inner workings.

The interview is especially interesting in light of the fact that Metaplace has repeatedly stated that it is not going anywhere, and that we should expect to see more very soon. "Metaplace Inc. isn't about to go away. In fact, we have some pretty exciting plans to announce in the not too distant future," Koster stated. Since we can assume that the basic philosophy and overall goals of the team remain the same, the interview is definitely still relevant for anyone who was a fan of Metaplace. Take a look at the full interview here, and enjoy!

The Daily Grind: How realistic do you like your games?

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 21st 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Real life, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Virtual worlds

In real life, if you've not noticed, we don't have hit points. Getting stabbed by a sword once is pretty much crippling if not outright fatal. Fall too far and you don't suffer some uniform amount of damage across your whole body -- you frequently wind up breaking your legs or your spine, and it can be a slow and painful recovery process if you ever recover. We can't wander through the world without ever bothering to eat, drink, or sleep, and when you get shot to death, there will not be a fresh clone waiting to get you back into the action. In the interests of being polite, we'll not even mention the usual lack of other important facilities.

We accept that there's going to be some degree of unreal mechanics in a video game, of course, but that doesn't mean that some of us don't want the game to stick fairly close to the real world. By the same token, though, some of us take the Mystery Science Theater 3000 mantra to heart -- it's just a game, and it's not all that important if it makes real-world sense in sticky parts. Where do you fall on the scale? Do you like your games fairly realistic, fairly unrealistic, or do you not care so long as the game itself is still fun?

MMOrigins: Life's funny like that

by Brendan Drain Dec 11th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, Virtual worlds, MMOrigins

We all got started gaming somewhere. For a lot of people, it was the Sega Mega-drive, the Atari 2600 or the NES that signaled their first steps into gaming. For me, it was the Commodore Amiga, a machine that was more a complete home computer than a games console. It was on the Amiga that groups like Team 17, Ocean, Electronic Arts and Blizzard first really made their mark on gaming and it was a great time of innovation in the industry. I recall long nights spent playing Frontier: Elite II, scooping hydrogen fuel from the corona of a star or wormholing into deep space. Another favourite that I still play occasionally was K240, an early space 4x game and still one of the best I've ever played.

It was the public domain market on the Amiga that really caught my attention. It's one thing to play a game, but here was the opportunity to make one and sell it via a page in CU Amiga magazine or a PD order disk. I've always been more interested in making games than playing them but being young with no programming experience, I was limited in what I could do. I tooled endlessly with the "Shoot 'em up Construction Kit" and "Reality Game Creator" packages, making countless primitive prototype games that only I ever played.

Cities XL's new content pack to add bus systems

by Rubi Bayer Dec 8th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Real life, Patches, News items, Cities XL

Monte Cristo games announced its second content pack for Cities XL, and it includes some pretty nice items for both planet and solo players, as well as the much anticipated bus system for planet players.

Solo players will enjoy a price drop from the Omnicorp corporation as well as a few new buildings: City Hall and the Central Library of The Hague. Planet players will also receive the new buildings, as well as several more fun features. A New York map -- complete with the Statue of Liberty and some familiar skyscrapers -- is now available. Planet players now also have the ability to construct a fully animated mega-ferris wheel for their citizens to enjoy in their leisure time.

The biggest item in this content pack, however, is one that Planet players have been looking forward to for a while. Bus lines are the latest addition to the growing Cities XL world and a handy solution to increased traffic flow. Larger cities who are beginning to struggle with traffic issues will find this a great help. (Cities under 50,000 can purchase it as well if they use Expert mode.)

The content pack is available now, and more information can be found at the Cities XL site.

Real World Heroes gives titles for charity in City of Heroes

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 26th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Real life, Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, News items

It's trite and cliche, but also true -- the holidays are the optimal time to stop and remember that there are people less fortunate than you in the world. Charity drives step up in frequency and everyone looks for the spirit of the holiday, of giving gifts out of kindness and hope that others can share in your good fortune. That being said, it can help give an incentive for everyone if there's something more to be had than simply the warm fuzzy feeling. Real World Hero, a player-run charity drive, has teamed up with the community team in City of Heroes to provide a little extra incentive for players of the game to step up and do something super.

Running between November 30th and December 24th, players who include their character information when they donate will be eligible for a limited-time special gold title for their character, marking them as a generous soul. The event is not being officially sponsored by the company, but the support is certainly added incentive to take part. With Operation Gratitude, Donate Games, and the ever-popular Child's Play as the designated recipients, it's a good time for City of Heroes players to be a bit more heroic in their day-to-day lives and be known for it in-game to boot.

The Daily Grind: Thanksgiving eating binge edition

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 26th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

Everyone during Thanksgiving Day asks you what you're thankful for. It's a logical if somewhat bland question, given the nature of the holiday. But today, we here at Massively would like to celebrate something equally integral to the holiday -- stuffing yourself until you can no longer move under your own power. Today, we want to know what game you're going to be gorging yourself on today and with any further time off you get in the near future -- what you're going to just play until your eyes roll back in your head.

Really, what better way to celebrate a holiday where our biggest tradition is eating in excess? Perhaps you're going to enjoy some Allods Online in the closed beta, being lucky enough to be in the beta and enjoy a game that's getting some good press thus far. Maybe you'd prefer to wander the wastes of Fallen Earth and take in a full helping of niche gameplay and deep systems. Or perhaps you're just taking a spin through an old favorite like EVE Online and taking comfort in the familiar. When you have the time, what game are you devouring?

MMOrigins: The only living boy in Vana'diel

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 20th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, MMOrigins

When I was still young, I was out on a walk with my father in the woods next to my great-aunt's house. The woods were an offshoot of the Devil's Hopyard state park, which meant that they were old and vast. As the family often congregated around the house, there were a number of paths we knew that wove their way through the forest, but I remember where we always stopped, and I remember the day when I asked what was further along.

My dad grinned, and we kept walking. It was about ten minutes from there to a beautiful, moss-covered waterfall that was right on the edge of the state park, with an alcove just large enough that I could squeeze underneath the falls. That sticks with me every time I start up a new game, because that was when I started to really wonder about where paths might lead. Everything leads somewhere. Finding things out is one of the things I love, probably what attracted me to video games in the first place.

Code of Everand browser MMO teaches kids about traffic safety

by James Egan Nov 19th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, New titles, Tips and tricks, Free-to-play, Browser, Kids

The United Kingdom's Department for Transport has launched a free browser MMO, Code of Everand, that teaches traffic safety to children. It does so through a fantasy theme with direct parallels to real world dangers -- streets are Spirit Channels, glowing energy streams populated with many dangerous beasts. The Spirit Channels crisscross the map of Everand and make travel perilous. That's where the players come in as Pathfinders, explorers trained in the techniques that allow for safe passage across the Spirit Channels. Pathfinders learn important safety lessons along the way in their journey to discover the secrets of Everand.

Code of Everand was developed for the UK Department for Transport by NYC-based firm Area/Code over the course of two years, reports Game Set Watch. Area/Code has a long track record of creating cross-media games for advertising and media firms, television networks, and even major consumer brands. According to Area/Code's site, they've taken innovative approaches to games in the past -- "online games that respond to broadcast TV in real time, simulated characters and virtual worlds that occupy real-world geography" and "game events driven by real-world data". Interesting concepts. If you like the idea of games used as an effective educational tool, you can see the animated trailer for Code of Everand after the jump.

Take part in space exploration with NASA's coming MMO

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 15th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Real life, New titles, Previews, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds

How would you like to take a trip into space? No, not the stylized science fiction that Star Trek Online promises, or the fantasy-with-spaceships of Star Wars: the Old Republic. We've heard the announcement about NASA's coming space MMO, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, but the game hasn't been making the rounds in the usual gaming circuit. An in-depth article about the game's development and planned release is interesting for any fans of the rigors and challenges of spaceflight, not mention a look at a game that's moving far outside the usual realm of our genre.

Much like America's Army, the goal of the game is to try and give players a taste of what it's like to actually work in the field being simulated. While the game is focusing on creating enjoyable gameplay first, players can expect to see landscapes and tasks grounded in solid scientific principles and based upon actual astronaut missions, complete with the real and tangible challenges of exploring inhospitable worlds. The article also discusses the MoonBase module, which is set to be launched as a free standalone component on Steam in January to serve as both a preview and a testbed for the game. Take a look at the full article for a closer examination of what the game could mean, and what it might be like to play a space game where you were less concerned about arming weapons and more concerned with understanding the world around you.

(Or, if you have to, start imagining an expansion set in the 1980s adding the Soviet space program as a new faction. Which is only slightly less realistic.)

MMOrigins: MUD on the tires

by Shawn Schuster Nov 6th 2009 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, MMOrigins

Welcome to MMOrigins, a new weekly series here at Massively where we take a look at what makes us who we are as MMO gamers. Much in the style of our Redefining MMOs series, several members of the Massively team will have their chance to take a look back at their influences, favorite classic games and what got them to where they are today. Then, as we've done before, we'll ask you to compile your own blog posts on the same topic and we'll showcase it for the finale.

So I thought I would kick this new series off with my own influences and origins in gaming and what molded my current enjoyment of MMOs. As anyone who grew up in the 1980s might know, the dawn of personal computer video gaming was an exciting time. With inexpensive hardware such as the Atari 2600 and the Commodore 64 and 128, you didn't have to always get your mom to drive you to the arcade to play some good games.

Meet the Massively team at DragonCon '09

by Shawn Schuster Aug 27th 2009 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Events, real-world

As we are just now recovering from BlizzCon and GamesCom last week, we realize we're not even close to being through the summer convention season yet. DragonCon in Atlanta, GA and PAX in Seattle, WA both start next week, and you can bet there are more than a few of us at Massively who will be attending these major conferences.

At DragonCon specifically, the Massively staff will be in full force as four of us plan to attend in one form or another. Some of us will be speaking at panels, some of us will be doing interviews and one of us is even on the MMO Track planning staff. And then there are the parties! Want to party with us? Follow along after the jump to learn where we'll be and how you can get your hands on some Massively swag.

Former Warhammer Online GM gives perspective on game's decline

by James Egan Aug 7th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, Warhammer Online

At Massively we must often report on declining subscription numbers and subsequent layoffs in the MMO industry, just as we do when the games we love are healthy and growing. When you look beyond the numbers though, such industry statistics are ultimately about people whose lives have been negatively impacted. They face uncertainty in their career and likely have tough times ahead.

Case in point: We've written about the Mythic Entertainment layoffs from the view of an outside observer of the MMO industry, but of course there's a side to this that only someone who's worked there can really convey. Some have a story they'd like to tell, like Jeremy Monken, former games reviewer for a D.C. newspaper turned Warhammer Online GM at Mythic Entertainment.

Do developers consider disabled gamers enough?

by Shawn Schuster Apr 9th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry

Have you ever stopped to consider the large percentage of gamers who are disabled? Do you think game developers consider this as well? In a recent article at MSNBC, the topic has been discussed as it pertains to the public's awareness of disabled gamers. "It doesn't take a whole lot," says Nissa Ludwig, a disabled gamer who was interviewed for the article. "I think if you save one life by changing an interface, you should get on that."

Mythic's Warhammer Online actually won an award last year for the AbleGamers.com 2008 Accessible Game of the Year for adding color-blind features, flexibility for those with mobile impairments and more. Mythic's Paul Barnett is sympathetic to the cause as he himself is color-blind, dyslexic and hearing-impaired. "Some people are, through no fault of their own, living a restricted physical life - on our world, you can fly, ride, get married, run, jump and swim," Barnett points out.