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‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ was made possible by fans, for fans
Zack Snyder's Justice League is finally here, against all odds, and you have the fans to thank.
Nerdy, written erotica doesn't need Tumblr to survive
If you lose your copy of Brave New World, it's simple to replace the entire story, word for word, by buying a new version of the book from Barnes & Noble or borrowing one from the library. If your home is burglarized by a bibliophile and every book you've ever owned suddenly disappears in the dead of night, you'd still be able to rebuild that collection with relative ease. There might be a few you couldn't replace -- an old, strange tome that once called your name in the back of a dusty second-hand bookstore; faded covers stamped with out-of-print authors; the only copy of your grandmother's memoir. Barnes & Noble doesn't stock these stories in its back rooms. They're lost forever.
Samsung will reportedly release Note 7 ‘fandom’ edition soon
Samsung continues to deal with the fallout from its exploding Note 7 devices. The company has been sued for the problem, and has issued short-term fixes, apologies and a hurried recall to try and contain the damage to its brand. Apparently it's working, as the Galaxy S8 has gotten a record number of pre-orders despite the issues of its predecessor. Now Samsung is looking to sweeten Note 7 lovers up with the Galaxy Note 7 "Fandom Edition." According to the Wall Street Journal, this FE model will be a refurbished Note 7 with upgraded components.
CBS and Paramount release 'Star Trek' fan film guidelines
While Paramount and CBS's lawsuit against Axanar Productions is still ongoing, the two studios have finally produced a set of guidelines meant to govern fan-made Star Trek productions in the future. While the guidelines might be a good start, and a sign that studios could be warming up to community input, they are still extremely limiting.
Flameseeker Chronicles: When good Guild Wars 2 commentary goes bad
I'm aware that not everybody who reads this column loves Guild Wars 2, and I'm cool with that. Occasionally I'm baffled by a comment or two left by people who apparently just swung by to give a brief, negative review of the game, completely independent of the topic of the article they left it on, but that's mostly harmless. I appreciate the vast majority of thoughtful comments, whether positive or negative; I like to think that most of you love MMOs as much as I do, and I believe that a person doesn't necessarily have to like a game in order to have something insightful to say about it and its role in influencing the industry. I mention all of this because I want to make it clear that when I talk about toxic GW2 commentary, I don't mean people leaving negative criticism in general, or saying that they don't like the game. In fact, the majority of what I'd like to discuss comes from people who apparently play the game regularly and who are deeply invested in it. Some of them say that they love it. And because they love it, it's easy to see why they might feel protective of it and take perceived threats to it personally.
The Daily Grind: What games do you like even though you didn't play them much?
I only played Warhammer Online seriously for the six weeks of my first Choose My Adventure stint. There's no way I could call myself a big fan without being a liar. But despite that -- and despite the fact that the game had been in a steady downward trajectory ever since the first day I started working at Massively -- I still had a lot of affection for the title. I was sad to hear it would be shutting down, because it appealed to me, even if I didn't want it to be my main game. I think we've all had a game or two that we tried or played for a little while without really falling for it. Sometimes we move on peacefully, and other times we still cheer for the game from the sidelines. So what games do you like even without being a big-time player? Are they games you used to play that you eventually moved on from or ones that just strike you as somehow worthy? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
TUG puts out the call for fan-made music
The game of TUG is all about user creations. The entire concept behind the game is making a world in which players can shape land and social structures according to their desires. So it makes sense that the game is looking to see if the more musically inclined community members would like a chance to get their compositions into the game. Because even if the game has plenty of songs for play, there's always space to fit in some talented fan productions. Currently the team at Nerd Kingdom is gauging interest in the idea, which would play a random selection of fan-made music on the game's menu screen. The piece played would include the composer's name, the title, and a link to where more of the composer's music could be found. It's not payment, but if you think you'd benefit from the exposure, feel free to take a look and express your interest.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game that doesn't work in the US?
So we all found out yesterday that MMOs do not work in the US. The only two that have ever been successful at all were EverQuest and World of Warcraft. This much come as a shock to the teams behind EVE Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Secret World, Guild Wars 2, Star Trek Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Second Life, Defiance, EverQuest II, RIFT, Neverwinter, and countless other titles. Or the plethora of titles still running in maintenance mode. You get the idea. So today we're going to just plant our tongues firmly in our cheeks. Pick a game you like that is not one of the two MMOs that has been successful in the US, and explain why you like it. There's no need to say anything bad about the many other games that don't work in the US, just wax poetic about your favorite game that doesn't work. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Breakfast Topic: What's your headcanon?
Headcanon is a concept you may not be familiar with if you're not an RPer or fanfic writer. Simply stated, it's a fan's personal interpretation of events or characters in whatever setting they're a fan of. Sometimes a person may use their headcanon as a way of coping with a story choice they dislike, and sometimes it may just be to fill gaps in the story line. For example, in WoW fandom, you might hear someone say, "In my headcanon, Jaina and Kalec are just good friends, because I hate them as a couple!" or, "I have this headcanon that Cairne and Magatha were actually fairly close at one point, and had a falling-out, and that's one of the reasons she hated him so much and he didn't throw her out of Thunder Bluff." The first is an example of a coping (or "corrective") headcanon, the second is an example of filling in unknown gaps. One of the most fun things I do with my WoW friends is chat about our personal headcanons of the story and characters. What kind of relationships do these people have outside of what we see directly in official lore? Were they childhood friends, were they comrades in arms, were they lovers? Do these folks resent being forced into obligations they never wanted thanks to world events, or are they hungry to wield a power they wouldn't have otherwise achieved? How much does group X actually enjoy being allies (or enemies) with group Y? The "if only" game is endlessly fun! Do you have any WoW headcanons? Did you, by any chance, already tell us about them back in October? Have they changed? For the most part, I only discuss my own headcanons with a handful of people, because I'm way too shy to do it in public! If you're not, though, please tell us in the comments!
The Daily Grind: Is this a great time to be an MMO fan or what?
I don't often let fly with 200-word odes to positivity, but here lately, news from all around the MMO genre is conspiring to put me in a permanent good mood. Let's see, we've got new, shiny, and feature-rich darlings like WildStar and ArcheAge coming up. We've got some interesting developments in the gameplay department of The Elder Scrolls Online, and we've got a handful of promising indie titles including The Repopulation, Origins of Malu, Camelot Unchained, and others on the horizon. And that's without even mentioning quasi-MMO and Kickstarter king Star Citizen, which has both returned Chris Roberts to the public eye and proven that talented developers can give middlemen the middle finger and interact directly with their customers. So, how about it, Massively readers? Are you down on the MMO genre or do you join me in thinking that this is a great time to be a fan? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
City of Heroes fans rally to try to save the game
It goes without saying that City of Heroes fans are no strangers to the idea of a heroic effort. Now they face the greatest possible challenge of the game's existence: try to prevent the impending shutdown. A petition has been formed asking for a stay of execution, and fans are convening at a message board dedicated to averting the closure of the industry's first superheroic MMO. The boards contain a number of suggestions and calls for respectful action to make it clear to NCsoft's management how much the game has meant to the players. The staff of Paragon Studios is just as invested, however. A recent message in-game has confirmed that management is in talks with both NCsoft and investors. Community manager Andy Belford has stressed that these are just talks at the moment and that players shouldn't jump to conclusions. Regardless of the final outcome, it's clear that the game's fanbase will not let the game go quietly, which might be a more earnest show of what the game has meant to players than anything else.
Breakfast Topic: I met the critter guy
It was BlizzCon 2010. I was sitting outside the exhibit hall at the Anaheim Convention Center, pecking out a text message on my phone, when I heard someone say, "Oh hey! You work for WoW Insider!" His voice was so excited that I was a little surprised when I looked up and realized the young man in front of me wasn't just another general attendee of BlizzCon 2010 but an actual employee of Blizzard. "I love you guys!" He exclaimed as I boggled over his official staff shirt and badge. Was this really happening? Wasn't I the one who worked for a fan site? Shouldn't I be excited about him? He didn't notice my cognitive dissonance and motioned to the empty space on the bench next to me. "Can I sit down?"
Anarchy Online gets its own convention in 2012: AO Con
Most MMO communities can only dream that their game would be as popular and supported as to get their own convention. A rare few see either studio- or fan-based efforts make this dream a reality. In 2012, Anarchy Online gamers will finally -- after 11 years -- join these revelers with their own convention: AO Con. GridStream Productions is putting on the first-ever Anarchy Online convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 10th through 12th, 2012. The convention will take place at the Grand Rapids Airport Hilton, and is scheduled to have DJs, costume contests, panels, and meet-n-greets. Registration is affordable -- it's only $25 to attend the three-day convention, but you have to be 18 by August 2012 in order to go. GridStream Productions is an in-game organization that primarily focuses on putting out Anarchy Online broadcasts.
SOE's Fan Faire 2012 moving to the Fall
It's never too early to start planning for next year's convention season, and Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its annual Fan Faire get-together is vacating its traditional summer slot starting in 2012. SOE's Las Vegas shindig will move to the Fall, and the company is currently offering up a public vote to determine the exact dates. Participants can select between the weekends of September 13th through September 16th, September 27th through September 30th, or October 18th through October 21st. In a post on SOE's official boards, Linda "Brasse" Carlson explains that the bump is mostly due to the availability of the venue, which in turn keeps costs down and enables SOE to continue hosting the fan-friendly event.
Star Trek PADD official app creates iPad fact from science fiction
As soon as the iPad came out, Star Trek: The Next Generation fans were comparing it to PADD, the touchscreen device used in the famous sci-fi television series. But now those comparisons have come to life: an official version of the Star Trek PADD is now available in the App Store as a full app. Not only does it recreate the famous LCARS graphic interface from the series, but it's chock full of official Star Trek information from the database, letting you know about all of the series' ships, characters, and timelines. You can follow links to browse through the content, read up-to-date information from the official Facebook and Twitter accounts, and even run "diagnostic modes" on the USS Enterprise (the NCC-1701-D, of course). Very sweet app for Star Trek fans, available in the App Store right now for US $4.99. Just try not to cause any intergalactic incidents while messing around in the ship's databases -- Starfleet doesn't take kindly to anyone breaking the Prime Directive, accidentally or otherwise. [via Los Angeles Times]
The Tattered Notebook: Leapers, gliders, and Beastlords, oh my!
E3 has come and gone, but EverQuest II fans are left with more questions than answers. Children of War has just launched, and already, players are wondering what's coming down the road. We do know about some of the more immediate changes, such as the rebuilding of the Dragon Ring and Spires live event, new mounts, and the Freeport Revamp. But there were some hints at much bigger changes down the road -- and few details on how exactly it would change the game. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll break out the crystal ball and speculate on whether EQII is growing closer to EQ2X and whether we might in fact see the arrival of Beastlords in game.
Star Trek Online Advisory Council formed, wailing and gnashing of teeth ensues
Fan input can be a touchy thing. You get it whether you ask for it or not, especially if you have official forums, and it's usually fairly divided. The fanbase frequently can't agree on what they want as an aggregate, so it's understandable that companies might want to filter some of the input through other sources. It's understandable that Cryptic would want to create the Star Trek Online Advisory Council, consisting of vocal fans that they can use as a barometer of current opinion and compressing the most urgent issues. Especially given the philosophy of player-driven development, it all makes sense. The problems come when they announce this to other players. First response in the official thread is an incredulous statement that one group of fans is getting more input in the game's direction than anyone else for what they consider no logical reason. At 51 pages as of this writing and still going, the thread's response is overwhelmingly negative, ranging from anger to baffled confusion at the program. How Star Trek Online's producers will react is unsure, but it's certain that the announcement hasn't gone over well... a true shame after riding high from the first large content patch.
The Daily Grind: Excited for Star Trek Online?
Admit it -- when you first saw the trailers for Star Trek Online, you started reading the opening monologue in your head. Or maybe that was just us. Either way, there's a lot of cultural weight and expectation going into the game, as you'd expect for a series with thirty-four years of fandom and material. With the doors open and more information becoming available about the game, there's a lot of space (pun intended) for you to start filling in the adventures of the USS Whatever. Not to mention that launch is less than a month away, which always makes it that much more exciting. On the other hand, the evaluations have not been uniformly positive. Early previews might give you the impression that the game isn't polished, or isn't focusing on the areas you really want to see from the game. Perhaps you feel burned by Champions Online and worry that Cryptic isn't going to be able to deliver a better experience this time. Or maybe you're one of the people who just hates Star Trek for whatever reason. With a little less than a month to go, are you excited for Star Trek Online?
BlizzCon 2009: The soundalike contest
Besides the panels, the costumes, and all the game-playing, one of the highlights of BlizzCon's opening night is the bizarre soundalike contest, where contestants jump up on stage to try and win prizes by imitating voices or sounds from the games in the Blizzard universe. The slightly NSFW video after the break capsulizes that experience ... and captures some surprisingly decent comedy. The guy with the 1-900 sex number bit initially looked like he'd cause groans, but he wasn't bad. Plus, is it just us or does the demon hunter impersonator share some buddy-comedy chops with Jay Mohr? There might be a straight-to USA Network movie in the making here.But enough yakkin'. Head beyond the break to see for yourselves.
Waging the war against "lorelol"
So, as you might guess, knowing my previous background, I read WoW-related forums a lot. Old habits die hard, strapping young talbuks need to read a lot, and given that my career path is in Community at game companies, it pays to know what game communities (all of them) are saying. I obviously tend to gravitate toward games and topics that hold my interest (game design, indie games) or games for which I have a particular fondness (sup Aquaria, luv u baby gurl; yo Cave Story, holla back), but I'll read pretty much anything about a game as long as I can follow it.And I'm gonna be straight with you, WoW community. You guys are incredibly fickle when it comes to lore, and it breaks my two-sizes-too-big heart to read your ramblings about how Blizzard "doesn't care" about it.I examined the sitch in detail and I'm ready for you to apologize and mend the error of your ways once you've perused my summary of why you mean well, wrong though you are, when you use the phrase "lorelol". I've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear--I've prepared a lecture.
