PAX 2009: We travel east with Rise of the Godslayer part 2
Filed under: Age of Conan, Expansions, Massively Event Coverage
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PAX 2009: We travel east with Rise of the Godslayer part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Daily Grind: Apps and MMOs
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, The Daily Grind
These days, without descending into total geek fan girl mode, phones are all about apps. Whether you have a Pre, an iPhone, a Google Android handset or one of the new, shiny Nokia phones, apps (short for applications) are usually an important part of how phones work. Even more so now your humble mobile phone is becoming more like a mini computer. But I digress. This week Blizzard released their second app for the iPhone, which allows you to access the World of Warcraft Armory without needing a PC and, it is, quite simply, awesome.
It got me thinking though, if one MMO can make use of apps, why not all of the big boys? EVE, LotRO and Age of Conan have a huge following and surely there’s the potential for some kind of apps, perhaps ones which will let you check in-game mail or sell gear and mats without actually logging into the game. So, readers, I ask you: what kind of apps would you like to see for your favourite MMOs? Do you think there should be apps for different phones, not just the most popular model (which currently seems to be the iPhone)? What kind of apps do you think would be useful and beneficial to your MMO gaming time?
The Daily Grind: Apps and MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Daily Grind: What part of MMOs do you not like?
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, Aion, EVE Online, Game mechanics, The Daily Grind
MMOs are well known for variety, in fact they’re famous for it. The world (whichever you might choose) is quite literally your oyster, You can mine, you can craft, you can kill and you can quest. Part of the charm of these virtual worlds is the freedom to do or not do whatever you want. Some people, for example, live for PvP, while others spend their time making things, digging up plants or drifting in the depths of space mining asteroids and other celestial bodies.
However most people have one thing that they hate doing. No MMO out there is perfect, there’s always going to be some aspect of them which drives people bonkers. This could be a nitpick with game mechanics, or perhaps a boring quest. What about long flight times to get from A to B or a raid lock out period? Perhaps you hate fishing or squinting looking for herb nodes. Maybe it’s PUGs or running a specific instance. Mine is PvP, waiting for an hour for raids to get started and rescuing scantily-clad maidens tied to trees (AoC I’m looking at you). What’s yours?
The Daily Grind: What part of MMOs do you not like? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The importance of good audio in an MMO
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Culture, MMO industry, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds, Black Prophecy
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the development budgets of new MMOs. To stay ahead of the technological curve, a large portion of the budget invariably goes toward the graphics department. Studios produce impressive graphics engines and mountains of art assets in an effort to make their game one of the most visually impressive out there. Amidst all the fuss over graphics and gameplay, audio is often overlooked and underfunded. It’s been shown that good music and sound effects can have a significant impact on the perceived quality of a game. This is something that some development studios recognise and support but many continue to neglect this vital part of the gaming experience.
In this article, I examine the importance of good audio in an MMO and explain the underlying psychology involved.
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The importance of good audio in an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The MMO launch subscriber bubble
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, Warhammer Online, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds, Star Wars: The Old Republic
It feels like a new MMO is being released every month these days and the market for persistent online games is certainly expanding. At the head of this market is a set of games commonly referred to “triple A” titles. These are popular games from big name studios or games using popular intellectual properties. New games that are considered “triple A” have a unique ability to build unparalleled levels of anticipation and hype around themselves prior to release. In order to draw in as many players as possible, an obscene amount of cash is often spent on advertising to hype these games up for release. But is this appropriate and cost-effective or does it show a fundamental misunderstanding of of the MMO market?
In this article, we look at what can go wrong with over-hyped MMO launches and what happens when the subscriber bubble bursts.
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The MMO launch subscriber bubble originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Daily Grind: Is an MMO’s origin important to you?
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Age of Conan, Aion, EVE Online, Perfect World, Culture, MMO industry, The Daily Grind, Final Fantasy XIV
MMOs fall into two main categories: eastern (titles like Aion and Perfect World International) and western (AoC, WoW and EVE Online). I’ve noticed over the past week’s Daily Grind columns and a piece I did on Perfect World International that a lot of our readers seem naturally wary of any MMOs not made in the west, barring familiar franchises like Final Fantasy.
Now part of this I can understand, eastern MMOs usually have very anime-like visuals and often borrow from unfamiliar Asian mythologies. This can often scare off western players. At the same time, players in Asia seem to lap up western MMOs like WoW. I’m curious, readers, do you judge an MMO the location of the company which made it? Do you prefer western MMOs or are you just as curious to try eastern games which other players just don’t get?
The Daily Grind: Is an MMO’s origin important to you? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Daily Grind: What game mechanic do you dislike?
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Free Realms
For some it’s an ability or a particular boss, for others it’s something not in game that probably should be. I want to know what game mechanics — which are in your game of choice — you really don’t like and why. Speak up, readers, and drop your thoughts in the box below.
The Daily Grind: What game mechanic do you dislike? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The World outside Warcraft
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Vanguard
Blizzard’s fantasy title World of Warcraft is everywhere these days, perhaps the only title to really pierce the veil between MMOs and mainstream media. For some massively multiplayer online gamers, WoW is the end-all be-all of titles out there. Can over 11 million people be wrong? Definitely not, we’d say. World of Warcraft has very much shaped the industry and writers at Massively have racked up ludicrous amounts of time spent in the game. But there are other engaging options out there, which is the point of an article written by Earnest Cavalli for The Portland Mercury’s ‘Blogtown’.
In “What’s Your Anti-Warcraft?” Cavalli looks at the good, bad, and the ugly among the MMOs on the market. He praises the virtues of Lord of the Rings Online with its ability to pull you into the setting, the riskier style of EVE Online, and the personal legacy of achievements you can establish in Warhammer Online. Cavalli takes aim at Age of Conan though, and lambasts Vanguard: Saga of Heroes as well.
If you’re offended by strong language, look away, because Cavalli doesn’t really pull any punches in his assessment of these titles. Check out “What’s Your Anti-Warcraft?” and see if you agree with his take on the MMO world beyond WoW’s ever-expanding borders.
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The World outside Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Behind the Curtain: Multiple MMOs
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Behind the Curtain
Is one MMO ever enough?
Lots of people play more than one MMO. Among the staff here at Massively, you would be hard pressed to find a writer with only one active subscription. Ever the exception however, I am a one-game kind of guy.
“Is that through choice, or necessity though, Craig?” I hear you cry. The answer is that it’s a little of both. It’s easy to say that I don’t have enough time to play a couple of MMOs, but if I was really honest with myself, I’d admit to that being a lie. If I’m able to free up a couple of hours every couple of nights to play World of Warcraft, then why can’t I alternate those nights, for example, between WoW and another game?
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Behind the Curtain: Multiple MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Best of Massively: Our top 5 weirdest news stories
Filed under: Galleries, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Culture, Sword of the New World
Whether you missed these stories or you’re just ready for a refresher, we hope they’ll make you smile and laugh — or at least make you raise an eyebrow or two!
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