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Earthrise devs talk specifics in live chat
During a recent dev chat at MMORPG.com, the Earthrise team answers a ton of fan questions and gives us a better look into this post-apocalyptic MMO. As happens in many of these "live" dev chats, we've come to expect a certain degree of non-answers to specific questions. In this chat however, it seems the majority of questions were answered by someone on the Masthead Studios dev team. Of course, there were two or three questions that just couldn't be answered yet, but even some specific guild mechanics questions were answered in relative detail.If you haven't had a chance to see what this upcoming sci-fi MMO has to offer, check out more of our coverage on the game. Some of its unique(ish) features include an entirely player-run item and economic system, items that decay to uselessness over time and an open-ended faction system, where you are not locked into one faction throughout the game. Be sure to read this entire dev chat, as it reveals a few more exciting tidbits of information for those following along with Earthrise's development.
Turbine dev chat transcript gives more info on Moria
It's been quite a long time since we've reported on a House of Commons dev chat with Lord of the Rings Online's Turbine and Codemasters devs, so this latest one should come as a special treat. In it, we get word of a few new features for the first expansion, Mines of Moria, which was just announced today to have a release date of November 18th! In order to paraphrase this long dev chat, we've bullet-pointed what we feel is the most interesting answers to player questions: No pre-Moria equipment will be part of the Legendary Items system. After Mines of Moria, they'll "most likely" be heading south with future expansions. Although there's word of fleshing out Eriador as well. Capstone skills are used in conjunction with Legendary Traits and Trait sets to make mega powerful skills. These capstones come in three different types: solo gameplay, small fellowship and 6-man instance gameplay. You will get access to another Legendary Trait slot at level 60 Renown and Infamy will be changed to increase the amount gained in a full group and reduce the amount gained in raids. The Elves of Lothlorien will not have accessible reputation until the first book update after launch Suggested improvements to the kinship system include kinbank, plus stablemasters and crafting areas in the kinship house. The entire Book 1 of Volume 2 will act as an introduction to Legendary Items, so you will get them early on. Following the helpful dev diaries on the Hunter, Burglar and Lore-master, Turbine plans to release guides for the remaining classes from 50-60 as well. Inventory problems will be alleviated with quest tokens and key rings. Quest items will be stored in a quest journal, instead of the player's inventory. Key rings will hold important keys for certain doors. You will not need to finish Volume 1 to access Volume 2. No new hobbies releasing with Moria, but there are others in the works for future book patches.
Chat with Stargate Worlds artists on your lunch break
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is hosting another developer chat for fans who want to know more about Stargate Worlds. This time, the participating developers are Lead Artist Austin Germer and Lead Animator Carl Cross. The chat will take place at 11:00 AM Pacific and 2:00 PM Eastern, and will last for one hour. So that falls right on top of lunch for most folks -- or at least it can, if they schedule it right. So sneak in while eating a sandwich at your desk.The place to which you may sneak: IRC chat room #Stargate-Worlds at irc.sgwirc.com. Once you're in, ask up to three questions using the /q command. More info can be found at the Stargate Worlds community website. If you're new to the game and want an introduction before the chat, (shameless plug alert) check out the coverage of our exclusive visit to the game's development studio and our interview with the directors. Hey -- you knew we couldn't help ourselves.[Via Ten Ton Hammer]
LotRO dev chat reveals a bit more on Book 14 and Mines of Moria
The latest House of Commons dev chat has finished for Lord of the Rings Online, and in this one we get a few more small glimpses into what we can expect with Book 14. The usual suspects -- Keth, Scenario, Patience and Avon -- were on-hand to answer player questions live at Stratics.Most of the questions delivered by players concerned seasonal events, as this seems to be extremely popular lately. The devs say there will be another event this summer, and a "scary" event in the fall, presumably for Halloween. They go on to explain some details of Book 14, citing the fact that it will mainly be compiled of small changes and bug fixes in anticipation of the first paid expansion for LotRO: Mines of Moria. This expansion's two new classes -- the Warden and the Runekeeper -- are also explained in relation to their class roles.
Be heard this week with EQII and PotBS IRC chats
Stratics is going to play host to some more "House of Commons" IRC chats later in the week, for both EverQuest II and Pirates of the Burning Sea, giving fans a chance to pose some questions to the teams behind these two games. On Wednesday the 18th at 5PM PDT/8PM EDT, the PotBS chat will take place, and will feature producer Joe Ludwig, lead game designer Kevin Maginn, lead world designer Cory Herndon, community relations director Troy Hewitt and community specialist Tom Atkinson-Edwards. Full details on how to join in on this chat can be found here.The EQII chat will take place a day later, on Thursday the 19th at the same time slot of 5PM PDT/8PM EDT. Representing the game in the chat will be Josh Kriegshauser and Greg Spence from EQII Engineering; Kyle Vallee, designer of "Runneye: The Gathering"; Nathan McCall, designer of the Void Storm quest series; and Tiffany Spence and Aaron Bisnett from the community relations team. You can find out how to join this chat at this page, and don't forget that we here at Massively will be speaking to the EQII team this week as well, so you can also drop any questions you might have in today's Daily Grind for us to bring to them.
Earthrise game mechanics confirmed in Masthead Studios dev chat
The creators of the sci-fi MMO Earthrise have been very active in recent months -- granting a number of interviews, releasing monthly newsletters, and participating in dev chats. Stratics recently hosted the third Earthrise 'House of Commons' dev chat, with three members of the Masthead Studios team.The Masthead Studios devs that took part were Atanas Atanasov (CEO of Masthead Studios), Apostol Apostolov (Lead Game Designer), and Moll (Community Manager). Their discussion ranged from the professions available to players to the extensive crafting system in the game. Read on after the jump for details straight from the devs about what we can expect from Earthrise.
Jumpgate Evolution dev chat to commence June 9th
At 5:00 PM EST on Monday, June 9th, Stratics will host a live chat with several members of the Jumpgate Evolution team -- including producer Hermann Peterscheck, concept artist Kirk Lunsford, community manager Nicole Hamlett, and UI programmer Josh Stefanski. Stratics will also be giving away a beta key and a limited edition print to two lucky participants.The chat will take place in the #straticshoc channel on Stratics IRC. You can use your own IRC client or the Java one provided by the site. A list of servers and ports is included along with further instructions in the announcement, in case you're not a regular.
Empyrean Age details revealed in EVE developer chat
MMORPG.com invited a few of the EVE Online staff from CCP Games to participate in a live developer chat this past Sunday. MMORPG.com was kind enough to provide a complete log of the chat, which was hosted by their own Community Manager, Laura 'Taera' Genender. Among the EVE Online devs present were CCP Greyscale (game designer/factional warfare), CCP Ginger (ISD manager/storyline), t0nyG (lead writer), and CCP Wrangler (community manager). The developer chat was primarily focused on the changes that The Empyrean Age and its factional warfare will bring, but the CCP staff addressed a number of other issues and concerns as well:
LotRO dev chat log gives more insight into Book 14 and Mines of Moria
The Stratics team is at it once again bringing us the most recent House of Commons dev chat log with the LotRO developers. In this one, we get some treats in regards to Book 14 information, and the highly-anticipated first true expansion to the game: Mines of Moria.So we're all busy people right? How about a quick summary of the topics in this log? An improved Monster Play login screen is in the works, with no definite timeframe yet. Since Book 13 focused so much on solo play, expect Book 14 to refocus on group play. Three new 6-man instances will be be introduced, as well as new deeds for the Urugarth, Carn Dum, Barad Gularan and Annuminas instances. Two new session instances will be introduced. These will not be at the level of the chicken play, but they do have plans for several more with MoM. One of the core focuses with MoM is character customization and improvements as far as traits and new features. The next Hobby is almost ready, with many more to come. Poison will not be introduced for the good guys, as it is restricted in Tolkien lore to evil use only. Check out the rest of this dev chat log for more information on each of these topics!
Stargate Worlds developer chat on May 9th
Do you have any burning questions about Stargate Worlds? Something on your mind? The admins of SGWirc have announced a Stargate Worlds special event for May 9th, a developer chat with Aruspex of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. The dev chat kicks off at 4pm EST, or 9pm for those of you on UK time, and is slated to last for one hour. Here's where to find him:Address: irc.sgwirc.comChannel: #stargate-worldsJava: http://www.sgwirc.com/chatWho, or what, is Aruspex? Well the May 9th dev chat announcement is a bit clearer than Aruspex's hidden message from back in January, which was written in Ancient -- or really some variant of a Caesar cipher. His game ultimately revealed that he's in charge of Stargate Worlds' crafting system. While it hasn't been announced exactly what sort of questions Aruspex will field, a moderator at the Stargate Worlds forums hinted that Aruspex may also discuss minigames in addition to crafting. So get your questions into the IRC bot early to grill Aruspex about anything and everything your heart desires -- and if it's about crafting in SGW, so much the better. [Via Curse]
Roleplay tidbits to be revealed in the next Blizzcast
Here's yet another reason for me and all my roleplaying kin to tune in to the next Blizzcast: They will be discussing roleplaying in WoW, says Vaneras. It won't be a major topic, but there is some discussion about plans to continue development of "things that are for roleplaying." So, I am certainly excited. I can't help but speculate where this could go. What could they have planned, development-wise? Will we see more reporting tools for RP server violations? Or will we simply see more character customization options to allow us to submerge ourselves more fully into the Worlds of Azeroth and Outland? I think my big problem is going to be holding back my expectations. They're running so wild, that I can't help but that think I'll be disappointed in what's actually said. That said, Between this information and whatever we learn about the Ashbringer, this Blizzcast should be a great listen for all RP and lore buffs. There doesn't seem to be any word yet about when it will be released, but Vaneras' post makes me think it must be close. Stay tuned here and to the official Blizzcast page.
Interesting Book 13 features revealed in LotRO dev chat
During the most recent House of Commons chat over at Stratics, we got some interesting information from the LotRO devs regarding Book 13, slated to release later this month. Wait, thats like two weeks away!Matt Elliot, Paul Simon (no, not that one), Cardell Kerr, Meghan Rodberg and Aaron Campbell answer the most pressing player questions. We hear a bit about a new shaggy reputation horse created specifically for the frigid climate of Forochel. We also hear the glorious news that more drops will be consolidated to be stackable, creating much more room in our bags for bulbous boar intestines and neekerbreeker filth! Talk of fishing is also prominent on the minds of the developers, mostly in the context of their rods. Oh, you'll just have to read it to understand. So be sure to check out this recent dev chat log for more details on what they have in store for us with Book 13.
Transcript available from March LotRO EU dev chat
The latest Lord of the Rings Online European developer chat has concluded, and the chat log is now available for viewing. Before any questions were asked, it was established that nothing about Book 14 or the Mines of Moria expansion could be answered, so everything we found out is either general stuff or related to Book 13. However, this didn't stop the fans from coming up with quite a few interesting questions to pose.One of the things that the developers were able to confirm with certainty is that an upcoming Book will address issues with inventory space. We were told that bag space will not be increased, but other methods will be used to help improve the situation. Also, with the game's first anniversary coming up next month, the devs hinted that there will be some celebrations, and even competitions, to mark the occasion. Take a look at the transcript for more of the questions that the players managed to get through. The devs also reminded everyone that the Spring Festival will be ending on the 31st of this month, and if you haven't gotten involved yet, our guide to the event is a good place to start.
Vanguard live dev chat scheduled for March 12th
Excited for Vanguard's Game Update 4? Then consider attending the upcoming developer chat which will take place at 8pm EST this Tuesday, the 12th of March, and will focus on this major update. MMORPG.com will play host to the event, and they invite anyone to come along with a question for the Vanguard devs about the upcoming patch, or the future of the game in general.You can join in the chat by visiting MMORPG.com's live chat room, or by using an IRC client to go to the irc.coldfront.net server, and join the channel #mmorpg.
LotRO EU dev chat reveals Book 13 details
At the end of every month the Lord of the Rings Online Europe team sits down for a dev chat. February's happened last night at Stratics and this time we got some juice on the upcoming Book 13 content patch. Here are the highlights: Book 13 will contain a new area to explore that is bigger than Evendim but have a different climate than the recent heavy emphasis on snowy mountains No new 12 or 24 man raids will be introduced. (Note: The recently launched Book 12 introduced new raid content for those hungry for more large group encounters.) 6 man instances work will be limited to the Book 13 continuation of the epic storyline as well as retuning the existing Annuminas 1 group instances. New armor sets are coming to primaily address playstyles not served by existing armor sets Housing is changing in regards to non-payment. Instead of losing your house and all your items going into escrow, non-payment of the maintenance fee will simply lock you out of your house until you can pay. Your house remains and all your items remain within while you are locked out. Only houses that are abandoned will have their items placed in escrow. The ability to turn off the graphic of certain item slots will be independent for each Outfit New non-combat clothing will be coming as well as headgear that doesn't cover your characters hair (i.e. Circlets.) The devs also talked about technology being implemented into the game that will allow them to work in new functionality. Here are some of the features they would like to add at that point: More character slots Guild banks Sending multiple items in the mail at once Expect dev diaries to start appearing soon detailing the major features of the patch as we get closer to its arrival on the Test server. A full transcript of this dev chat can be found at Stratics. %Gallery-10737%
European LotRO dev chat moves to Wednesday, changes host
The Lord of the Rings Online Europe team have announced that they will be switching up the host of their regular developer chats, and moving the day to the last Wednesday of each month. The QuakeNET IRC servers that they have used until now have given them issues in the past, so the decision was made to move to the Stratics IRC channel, which already plays host to the US LotRO dev chats.The first chat on Stratics IRC will take place this Wednesday, 27th February, from 8PM until 9PM GMT. If you've never used IRC before, Stratics has an FAQ to help you get started, or for those who just need the new details: irc.glowfish.de EU - Germany 6667 6668 stratics.frws.com USA - Colorado 6667 6668 7000 stratics.afraidyet.net USA - Texas 6667 6668 irc.gamers-irc.org USA - Colorado 6667 6668 7000 The room the LOTRO chat will take place in is #straticshoc
EQII developer chat coming this Thursday
The next EverQuest II developer chat has been scheduled for Thursday, 28th of February at 4:30PM PST, and will give players a chance to have their questions answered by members of the Developer and Community teams that work with EQII. The session is being hosted by Allakhazam in their IRC channel, and details on joining the channel can be found here. There are two ways of getting your questions answered by the EQII team. The first is to join the IRC channel at the specified time and have your questions ready to ask personally. The other way is to send a private message to an EQII Allakhazam Administrator (as per this thread), and they will be able to bring the questions to the chat. We'll report back when the chat is over with any juicy details that the team feel like feeding us.
Next Monday is "Ask a LotRO dev a question day"
If you're a Lord of the Rings Online player interested in asking the developers as many questions as you can think up, then this should interest you greatly. An open topic developer chat is scheduled for this coming Monday, February 11th at 5pm Pacific (or 8pm Eastern). We're sure that there are plenty of you out there looking to fire your hot, molten questions at the LotRO developers. Information on how to get into the chat can be found over at Stratics -- where the chat is being hosted.Usually when players are unleashed upon developers, many questions about future updates and content are asked. Maybe we'll get a juicy hint or two at possible things to expect from the next patch after Book 12. You never know, sometimes developers can be swayed by hordes of adoring players.
EU LotRO dev chat predicts infamous Shaman fishing
German Lord of the RIngs Online site Lotro-welten hosted its monthly dev chat with LotRO devs and community managers. Many of the questions for this dev chat focused on the new public PvMP dungeon, the Delving of Frór and the changes to the Creeps system. But most were requests for features that the devs didn't have any immediate plans to implement (translation: you no get!) One participant complained that many questions were asked covering information that has already been announced. The devs explained that not all players read patch notes, etc. and the dev chats are another way to get information out to the public. So be prepared for a certain amount of repetition.That being said, there was little new information to be gleaned. The few nuggets we found are: The Hobbies system will be introduced in Book 13 with the long requested Fishing ability. More Hobbies are planned in the future. A Shaman PvMP class is in the works for Book 13. That may not be the final name of the class, but the basic skills and abilities are in place. Monster play Infamy/Reknown costs will be lowered considerably in Book 12 to allow players to level faster in PvMP. A full transcript of the chat can be found on Lotro-welten's site.%Gallery-14799%
Warhammer dev chat next week
Warhammer Online, which is probably (as is often claimed) the most anticipated MMO of 2008, will be having a developer chat next Wednesday, January 30th, at 8pm EST at Warcry. Details about this game are still a bit thinner than I would like, so any information we can get on it is nice to have. To connect, join #WarCouncil on irc.chatspike.net:6667 (#warcry for discussion), or use one of the web clients available on Warcry's page.Personally, I'm not that interested in the game, since it seems quite PvP (sorry, RvR) heavy, and I'm more of a PvE guy. It is, however, still the strongest competition I can see on the horizon for WoW, at least until Blizzard announces their own "next-gen MMO" that they keep trying to hire folks for.
