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Hyperspace Beacon: Community exposé
Do you have a griefing problem? I know someone who does. If you or someone you know has a griefing problem, the Hypersace Beacon is here to help. Our 12-step program will take you from griefer scum to community leader in just a few short weeks. If you need proof of how well it works, just ask some of our satisfied clients, like Zach Brown of Mos Eisley Radio. This young man has completely turned his life around. Even his allies in Battlefield 2 were griefed by his antics. "I would do my best to get them killed, setting explosives in the helicopter," he explained to us this weekend at PAX East. But now he is clean and griefing-free. Don't waste another life because of your need for attention; call us today. For Zach's whole story, send him this tweet -- #effinBobCostas -- then keep watching Mos Eisley Radio's website this week for the full story. Communities are what make MMOs as great as they are. From World of Warcraft to Star Wars Galaxies, games lose their flavor over time, but players stick around because of the friends and communities that have been built through the MMO space. The game has not even announced a release date yet, but Star Wars: The Old Republic already has one of the strongest and dedicated communities. The paragraph above is part of an inside joke that some people who attended PAX will understand, but it's these bonding moments that make a gaming community what it is. At PAX this year, SWTOR fan sites from across America gathered not only at the Boston Convention Center but also at many places in downtown Boston. Although I will not be able give you all the gory details of Zach's griefing adventures -- you'll have to get that directly from him -- if you follow after the break, I will give you some of the inside scoop about other high-profile community members and the community team of BioWare.
GDC 2011: Gods & Heroes hopes to give its audience something unexpected
The in-game story for Gods and Heroes begins with a Roman general returning home after his time in war only to be thrust into battle again. The history of the game itself mirrors this journey: In October 2006, the original creators of the game, Perpetual Entertainment, shut down. However, in August 2010, independent developer Heatwave Interactive picked up the rights to develop and distribute the game. Our hero's journey started once more. Just as your character in G&H returns home to an estate in ruins and a craving for revenge, Heatwave developers are fighting back the old gods and attacking the game with renewed vigor. At GDC 2011, our editor-in-chief Shawn Schuster discussed the rise, fall, and rebirth of the game with CEO Anthony Castoro, Lead Designer Tim Schubert, and Community Manager Donna Prior. "I think a lot of people expected us to go free-to-play and microtransact the minions then put it out there. But in early alpha tests and beta tests, people really wanted a full game out of this and expect us to treat it a certain way. We are working really hard to do that," said Castoro, who went on to assure us that he is not just out to make money -- he hopes to deliver a great game too. Follow after the break to find out what is going to make this game victorious in the gladiatorial arena. %Gallery-118322%
Film yourself playing Gods & Heroes to be immortalised in a trailer
When Perpetual Entertainment closed its doors in 2008, it seemed all hope of the MMO Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising being released was lost. Thankfully, the game was taken up by Heatwave Interactive early last year, and the studio has been pushing it to completion ever since. The game's closed beta is already underway, and the Gods & Heroes team is now offering beta-testers the chance to be featured in an upcoming official game trailer. As part of her ongoing "First Friday" event series, Community Manager Donna "Danicia" Prior wants players to break out their webcams and film themselves playing the game. Rather than asking players to capture footage of in-game characters, the Gods & Heroes team wants to see what the player behind the character looks like. An official in-game meet-up is happening today in Rome at the Forum Romanum from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST to help players partner up and come up with ideas. If you don't make it to the event, the devs at Heatwave Interactive still want to see footage of the player behind your character. For full details on how to enter and the required video specifications, head over to the official Gods & Heroes First Friday announcement.
Gods and Heroes celebrates its first in-game event
Friends, Romans, gamers, lend me your ears; for in the early evening of Friday, December 31, 2010, doth the great Heatwave Interactive strike out with its first in Gods and Heroes in-game event. A new year is nigh, and the creators of the Roman mythological MMO would like to celebrate with the beta testers. If you are one of the lucky ones to have access to the game, you do not want to miss the opportunity to meet and greet the developers in this social event. The Gods and Heroes Community Manager Dancia (Donna Prior) will also be celebrating her birthday that evening, and she thought the best way to commemorate the day was to throw a party in game. The developers will be hanging out in Roma for a couple of hours starting at 5 p.m. EST. You are welcome to come wish Dancia a happy birthday there, just don't ask how old she is. That's rude. For more information on the event or to find out how you can join in the beta, be sure to visit the official Gods and Heroes website.
Hyperspace Beacon: Community guide to SWTOR
The Hyperspace Beacon is a weekly guide and discussion by Larry Everett about the yet-to-be-released game of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Welcome, Massively readers! You, too, must be itching like a freshly shaved Wookiee for the latest news about the greatest thing to hit the MMO world since Al Gore invented the internet: Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game hopes to be the pinnacle of modern storytelling and gameplay. Of course, you can count on me -- along with the rest of the Massively team -- to be on the lookout for the latest news and producer propaganda. But the Hyperspace Beacon will take you beyond the hype and hoopla and delve deeper into the story behind the story, the people behind the production, and the meaning behind the mechanics. (Is that enough alliteration for you?) So if you're ready, angle the deflector shield while I make the calculations for the jump to lightspeed. Hyperspace beacons are unmanned outposts in space which freighters and other starships use to traverse the reaches of the known galaxy in Star Wars. Just like one of those buoys in the black, this first installment will guide your Internet-class cruiser past the space debris to what I believe to be some of the best places to find the SWTOR information currently available for your consumption. Okay, Chewie, punch it.
