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Carbine CM David Bass leaves WildStar
Community Lead David "Scooter" Bass announced today that he has decided to leave Carbine Studios and his work with WildStar. In a farewell letter, Bass notes that the decision was made on his end: "The truth is my personal life's taken a turn and I've made the impossibly difficult decision to leave Carbine. The guys will continue building up the community team, and will share some of their plans with you in the near future, and I have no doubt that you guys will see some amazing stuff as we get ready for launch and beyond." Bass said the community team is hitting its stride and has a great foundation going forward. He also said that he can't wait to experience the game's launch as a regular player.
WildStar's latest AMA features the Warrior
Carbine hosted an AMA session earlier today focused on the Warrior class for its upcoming WildStar MMO. Representing the dev team was lead combat designer Chris Lynch, class lead Hugh Shelton, Warrior class designer Marc Matzenbacher, and senior community manager David Bass. The talk ranged from protective abilities to taunts to underwater and zero gravity gameplay situations. If you're interested in more Warrior-centric info, you can read the whole AMA via the links below. And don't forget about Carbine's Warrior livestream on November 9th at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Watch live WildStar gameplay in pilot of new livestream series
In this day and age, seeing is still believing, so the more game footage we can see, the better! And WildStar delivered just that, displaying live gameplay in a stealthy livestream yesterday. Without any advanced notice or advertisement, Carbine Studios aired the pilot episode of a new livestream series aimed at showing off the upcoming game. In this premiere, Game Design Producer Stephan Frost and Senior Community Manager David Bass took turns playing through some content, including demonstrating the combat system and environmental hazards, all while answering viewer questions in chat. Although there are no big reveals in this particular episode, the hosts hinted that those could be incoming as the livestreams continue. If you want to catch all the WildStar action and get plenty of gameplay hints, watch the full episode embedded below. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
WildStar's devs break all the things in the latest stress test
If you participated in WildStar's first stress test, aka The Stressening, or hope to jump in with its sequel, The Stress Continues, then this week's WildStar Wednesday is for you. Carbine Studios community director Troy Hewitt, live producer Craig Turner, and senior community manager David Bass penned the latest blog entry to discuss how the stress tests are going and what, exactly, the team managed to break this go-round, starting with instances capping improperly and names being distorted. (This last bit is probably a blessing for those testers running around named Legolas and Tyrion Lannister. You know I'm right.) Bass specifically addresses the challenges of herding gamers who are "used to the usual 'STRESS TEST WEEKEND WOOOOOO!' hype," which is, you know, pretty much all of us. "The problem," he wrote, "was that we needed to do an actual stress test... one where we kept adding more and more players until something broke so that we could see where our weaknesses were." Like Bass, we're sure the "promise of a future beta invite" soothed any grumpiness.
Slap a rocket on a pig: WildStar's modding and PGC community
At January's WildStar press event, I had the opportunity to chat with several of Carbine's developers about something near and dear to my heart: modding. During my personal demo, Jeremy Gaffney remarked offhandedly -- twice! -- that people don't really want to play the UI; they want to play the game. I know that he's right about some people, and I'm glad game developers are devoting resources toward designing a seamless blend of UI and gameplay that makes actually healing party members as fun or more fun than playing Grid-style healer whackamole. But whackamole or not, I do want to play the UI. I want to tinker. Fortunately, WildStar intends to accommodate me in a huge way. Read on for the scoop on WildStar's planned modding tools, player councils, and player-generated content.
WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun
Hot on the heels of yesterday's interview with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney, we sat down with another Carbine Studios rep: David Bass, the game's new Senior Community Manager. We stopped David from running around the studio like a madman for 15 minutes, forcing him to let us in on the secrets of why WildStar and Carbine Studios are worth watching. Granted, he couldn't tell us everything -- there has to be a bit of mystery, right? But David did reveal his in-depth plans for the WildStar community and what will set this community apart from any other MMO community you've seen.
Star Wars: The Old Republic releases Episode I of the official podcast
Amidst all the other news from Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's easy to overlook the fact that the game's staff has been at work on an official podcast for fans. The first episode of that podcast is now available. Hosts Brooks Guthrie and Eric Musco have made the podcast available for listeners on YouTube, and the inaugural episode features plenty for fans to enjoy, starting with an interview about the recently released patch 1.2 as well as future content for patch 1.3. The interview covers a number of topics regarding both the present and future patch, including elements such as the refinements to the guild bank system and some of the unexpected additions to the Legacy system (including rocket boots and the brawling system). Community coordinator David Bass also talks about the team's presence at PAX East 2012 as well as the team's convention plans for the rest of the year. So if you're a fan, be sure to give the podcast a listen just after the break.
Hyperspace Beacon: What is this RP-PvP anyway?
At E3, Principal Lead Writer Daniel Erickson expressed that he wanted a roleplay player-vs.-player server for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Granted, BioWare's live team originally intended to not launch with any type of open-world PvP roleplay server. Community Coordinator David Bass confirmed this when he explained that the Guild HQ program will not support RP-PvP servers and that those guilds wishing to roll on those types of servers will have to do it the old fashioned way: in game. According to the Daedalus Project, a study on the habits of MMO players, only 7% of all players actually roll a character on an RP-PvP server. However, when you keep in mind that SWTOR has the largest preorder sales of any PC game as of right now (about 802,000, not including digital and European sales), 7% ends up being a significant number. At least, there are enough people interested in RP-PvP to fill a server. I understand that many people are turned off by the idea of mixing roleplay with PvP. I completely understand that. When the term RP hits people, images of Goldshire and naked Night Elves come to mind immediately. In truth, however, roleplay is really just telling a story through an interactive medium, in this case an MMO. For instance, if in the course of playing SWTOR you find yourself asking, "What would my character do in this situation?", then you have just brushed up against roleplay. In RP-PvP, players enjoy a very similar experience. Today, let's talk about mixing story and PvP. Players have found diverse ways to integrate the two. Beyond the break, I have examples of how you may find ways to do it yourself, even if hardcore roleplay isn't your thing.
Star Wars: The Old Republic releases server details
On top of the exciting news this morning that Star Wars: The Old Republic has launched into its third guild phase, CM David Bass posted a healthy wall of text on the forums listing the server types and details associated with each. It will probably not come as a shock that SWTOR is sticking with the four core server rulesets: PvE, PvP, RP-PvE, and RP-PvP. In PvE, players have to toggle an option to engage in PvP outside of specifically designated combat areas, while on PvP servers everyone is automatically flagged outside of safe areas, such as the starting zones. The RP variants are similar, except that BioWare encourages players to roleplay in character on those servers. There's no word as to whether or not GMs will be enforcing such actions. Because RP-PvP was a very recent addition to the server ruleset list, guilds participating in the pre-launch deployment program will not be able to choose those servers for launch. Instead, BioWare says that players interested in this ruleset will need to manually form a guild on their faction's homeworld after the game releases.
BioWare setting up public TOR demo outside San Diego Comic-Con
Star Wars: The Old Republic community coordinator David Bass unleashed a pleasant surprise on unsuspecting BioWare fans earlier today. In a post on the official TOR forums, Bass told of a playable demo at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. Big deal, I don't have a Comic-Con badge, we hear a few of you saying. Well, take heart. BioWare also recently announced that Mass Effect 3 (as well as downloadable content from Dragon Age II) would be playable at a hotel across the street from the con, and Bass says that The Old Republic will be there as well. "Anyone (yes even you!) can come to the Hilton and wait in line to play any of the BioWare games," Bass wrote. You'd better get there early, though, and plan on packing your patience as well as a slew of your favorite portable Star Wars games to pass the time.
Hyperspace Beacon: Community news round-up
As I mentioned in the last edition of the Hyperspace Beacon, the Star Wars: The Old Republic community played a large part in what made PAX East so great this time around. It would also be silly of me to believe that I could catch every single tidbit at PAX personally or even that Massively could nab every granular morsel of the SWTOR pie. However, unlike some MMORPG communities, our TOR community isn't limited to just one site for all of its information. In fact, PAX East 2011 was probably the biggest showing of SWTOR fansites of any convention. This week, I'm going to take a break from reporting news myself and instead give you a taste of some of the news that was released this week from other sites. As I've said before, I don't expect you to have read or to follow every site that is reporting on The Old Republic. In fact, I think that would burn most people out. However, there are great reporters on other sites, and I think it would be a mistake if I didn't let the Massively audience in on some of their great work.
SWTOR beta scams abound
The community and testing teams at BioWare have been made aware of some beta testing scams related to Star Wars: The Old Republic. As Admiral Ackbar says, "It's a trap!" Earlier today, the community team issued a warning on the official forums and Community Coordinator David Bass sent out an email to the fansites and guilds explaining some of the issues that have arisen. Both announcements explained how to tell the difference between a legitimate invitation and a false one: "If you are invited to the real Game Testing Program, you will receive an e-mail with instructions from no-reply@bioware.swtor.com. Any other e-mail address claiming to offer an invitation is likely to be a scam. If you receive an e-mail and are in doubt or are concerned about its validity, please forward your concerns to bwacommunitysupport@bioware.com. If you do receive a genuine testing invitation from us, you will also be able to view the invitation and testing information at www.swtor.com/tester." BioWare assures us that severe action is being taking against the people who are attempting to sell accounts with access to testing servers. According to the statement, the team is quick to notice when an account changes hands. Be sure to visit the official site for more information.
Hyperspace Beacon: Sithing up for PAX East
If you haven't been paying attention, then you wouldn't know that Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to make a huge appearance at PAX East this year. However, unlike past appearances, this presentation is all about giving the fans a first-hand experience with the game. The SWTOR community team has promised Flashpoints, Jedi classes, and origin worlds that the fans can see, hear, touch, and feel. For a fan who has been following the game since before October of 2008, this is far more exciting than any on-stage performance. With all of the hoopla, it may be difficult to know every single thing that is going on. And as your guide through the vastness of hyperspace, I should give you a guideline so you do not miss a vital piece of the event. Follow me after the cut for a breakdown of the planned events and some suggestions for things to do while attending PAX.
SWTOR fans ask whether Sith are evil and how Crew Skills work
It is always refreshing to fans when developers sit down with them to answer their questions. In recent months -- specifically, when the community team added David Bass -- many Star Wars: The Old Republic fan podcasts, websites, and the official forums have received more traffic from developers. Corellian Run Radio aired an interview with Senior Community Coordinator Joanne Laroche; TOR-Talk spoke to Senior Community Manager Stephen Reid; the TOR Syndicate also had a guest appearance from Stephen Reid. This week is no exception. SWTOR fan site AskAJedi.com was able to sit down with Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert to talk about Crew Skills. Lethality asks some very specific question regarding how a player earns different types of crew skills, what effect Crew Skills have on companions, and how player hubs will survive with so much activity happening on individual ships. Schubert shies away from none of those questions. On the official forums, Lead Writer Daniel Erickson confronts the are-Sith-evil question head on. "We can get into endless philosophical discussions about whether anything is actually evil or actually good but if we are speaking from our modern, western view on the concept of evil then the Sith clearly qualify," Erickson explains, further clarifying that this does not limit the path of your character. Check out the full Crew Skills Q&A on AskAJedi and Erickson's complete explanation on the official SWOTR site.
News article sparks debate among Community Managers
An article at GamePro caused a bit of a stir in the gaming industry yesterday, sparking discussion on a topic covered at this year's PAX East -- namely, that of the history of Community Managers and what their jobs entail. Now, there is a fair amount of background to AJ Glasser's article that we won't delve into, because the comment that many readers focused on was this one: "Before Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb -- who holds the ambiguous title director of programming for Xbox Live -- community managers were mostly forum moderators, people whose job entailed monitoring message boards and weeding out trolls. " Not so, said many current CMs. Familiar names such as Daeke and Aether began popping up in the comments section of the article, contending that Community Managers were much more than forum mods before Major Nelson came on the scene. The conversation began in the article's comments section and continued via Twitter with quite a few people in the industry lining up to join the debate. The discussion offers several varying opinions and is definitely worth following if you've got an interest in the role of community management.
Gazillion Entertainment hires David Bass
Back in February, David "Daeke" Bass, the Community Manager for Champions Online, parted ways with Cryptic. He was replaced by Cryptic_Stormshade, and all was quiet on the Daeke front until today. Massively received word from Gazillion Entertainment that Bass has been hired as their new Community Coordinator. Bass posted the information on Twitter as well: "Hey look! I'm the new Community Coordinator at Gazillion Entertainment! Glad I got that off my chest, finally." Finally, we received a bit of clarification from the man himself: "At Gazillion, I'll be working closely with Stephen Reid (aka Rockjaw) to coordinate all our community efforts across all products. I'll be focusing on all of them, rather than on a specific one." Not many more details are known at the moment, but it's worth noting that this is the second hiring announcement to come from that direction in just a few short days. Can we expect more news from Gazillion soon? Time will tell, but for the moment we'll settle on congratulating Daeke on his new position and wishing him all the best.
Community manager Daeke leaves Cryptic, Stormshade to replace him
Today, Cryptic_Stormshade confirmed what the Champions Online community was speculating on since the early morning hours -- that Cryptic_Daeke, the Champions Online community manager, has parted ways with Cryptic Studios. David "Daeke" Bass's leaving comes amidst heavy fire from the community on Cryptic's most recent endeavor, the addition of Vibora Bay in Champions Online. Daeke was the first member of the Cryptic staff to acknowledge that Vibora Bay would be a piece of paid content, and not a free patch to the game. The switch in community managers is sudden and unexpected, leaving many in the Champions Online community wondering if this event and Vibora Bay's announcement are somehow related. Stormshade, however, has declined to speak any further on Daeke's departure, simply stating, "Daeke has moved on to other things. We wish him the best of luck wherever that path takes him." Stormshade has now stepped away from Star Trek Online to become the new CM for Champions. We here at Massively would also like to take the time to wish Daeke the best and luck with whatever he pursues next.
Champions Online has a secret
And they're not going to tell you! However, you can probably make a few guesses as to the secret if you haven't already, when you participate in their secret playtest tomorrow. Champions Online Community Team member David "Daeke" Bass posted this interesting piece of news today: "We've got a big feature coming out next week, but we want your help to test it before then. We can't give too many details now..." When this super secret new feature hits the PTS tomorrow, it will not be as a timed event, so you can log in and take a look at your leisure. Don't have any speculation as to what it is yet? A few simple instructions on what to bring to the party might help. Daeke requests that you bring a 5-man team of level 40 players and interestingly, a Nemesis. If you want to participate you can either transfer your own characters over from the live server, or level up using the contact outside the Millennium City Powerhouse. Champions Online promises more information tomorrow -- we can't wait!
Get that free respec you've been dying for in Champions Online
One of the things the Champions Online community has been requesting feverishly is the use of a free respec to change their powers. Many recent changes to the monsters and power abilities in the game have left some characters unable to cope with combat. Today's patch was supposed to add in that free respec option, however something has gone wrong with the patch and the free power retcon was left out....Or was it?Cryptic Daeke has just revealed via twitter that it's not impossible to get your character a free respec today! Visit the powerhouse, open up your retcon screen and type in "/character_usefreerespec" into the chat window, without quotes. A system message should appear and your retcon list will be wiped clean, allowing you to completely revitalize your character from the ground up. Enjoy your new power selection!
