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PAX South 2015: Massively's Larry Everett to guest on MMO community panel
For MMO fans headed to Penny Arcade's inaugural PAX South in San Antonio, Texas, this weekend, there's one panel not to miss: Where Did Multiplayer in MMOs Go?. Massively's Larry Everett will guest on the community-oriented panel, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday in the Bobcat Theater. You can probably figure out the topic from the title, but here's the official blurb: In early MMORPGs, interacting with other community members in places like taverns and main cities were a necessity for advancement and survival. Today, interacting with random players has become a rare event instead of the tools for survival. Is this what we all wanted to happen? Join Alex Albrecht alongside Larry Everett and Patrick Mulhern to discuss the future of communities in MMORPGs. Larry will join Zerg ID Co-Founder Alex Albrecht, Lorehound Editor-in-Chief Patrick Mulhern, YouTube Gaming Strategic Partner Manager Meg Campbell, and Camelot Unchained Community Manager Jenesee Grey for the panel. Massively's big sister Joystiq will also be represented at the show; Joystiq Editor in Chief Ludwig Kietzmann and Community Manager Anthony John Agnello will host the In(s)ane Joystiq Quiz on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. local time in the Falcon Theater.
Are Blizzard and Tokyopop going their separate ways?
The folks over at Lorehound are reporting that Blizzard and Tokyopop are, after six years, ending their licensing agreement. This would be the agreement that has given us a great deal of lore development over the years with licensed products such as Dragons of Outland, the various class manga such as Shaman, and the Warcraft Legends series. With no official announcement from either Blizzard or Tokyopop as of this writing, the Lorehound piece and its sources indicate that Blizzard may have pulled out of the deal due to a lack of ability to properly oversee the projects. Meanwhile, Lorehound is also reporting that the recent difficulties of the Borders bookstore chain may have caused problems for Tokyopop, with several people including Troy Lewter being downsized from the company. Troy Lewter, who was the editor of the Warcraft Legends series, was definitely important in the production of the various Blizzard licensed manga. What this means for the average lore junkie is still up in the air, but I know if it's true, I'll definitely miss the Legends series.
Global Agenda getting new mercenary PvP maps, high level PvE content
If you're concerned that Hi-Rez Studios might abandon its Global Agenda MMO in favor of the recently-announced Tribes Universe, you can rest easy. In an interview with Lorehound, Hi-Rez executive producer Todd Harris announced several exciting additions coming to Global Agenda over the next few months. First up is the 1.39 patch, which will bring several new mercenary PvP maps to the team-based shooter. After that, the game will be getting its first shot of downloadable content which will focus primarily on high-level PvE content. "It will contain some PvE open zone content, new themed weapons, a new PvE defense mission, and our first 10-person PvE offensive aid. A 10-person team will be able to infiltrate a hive colony node and fight new Recursive Colony bots and bosses," Harris said. He goes on to state that Hi-Rez will be releasing similar DLC expansions every four to five months going forward. Check out the good news over at Lorehound.
Global Agenda's Todd Harris talks player loyalty and the future
Global Agenda is fairly unique in the massive genre, not only for its blend of sci-fi setting and shooter mechanics but also for the fact that the development team at Hi-Rez Studios is renowned for actually listening to its playerbase. Producer Todd Harris recently sat down with Lorehound for an interesting interview that shows the Atlanta-based game-makers still have their finger on the pulse of Global Agenda's communal desires. Harris touches on crafting additions, endgame raid content, and new PvP maps as specific community ideas actively being kicked around in the dev cave, and also goes into a bit of detail regarding the team's appreciation for the loyalty shown by Global Agenda's early adopters. "The folks playing AvA are our most dedicated and accomplished players, and we've changed the rules on them a lot! I know that has led to some player burnout or frustration," he says. Harris goes on to illustrate how the title's evolving endgame wouldn't be possible without player feedback, and concludes by dropping a hint regarding the game's forthcoming achievement system. Be sure and check out the full interview over at Lorehound.
Blizzard manga giveaway from Lorehound
Lorehound.com once again continues to offer up all things good and manga-related by putting up a fun little contest. Look at your bookshelf. Is it barren of any Blizzard/Tokyopop manga titles? Does it weep silently in the night, wishing it could be graced by the volumes of Warcraft Legends and the Starcraft titles? Hope no more, dear bookshelf, for if you enter Lorehound's Incredibly Short Story contest, you have the potential to win every single Blizzard manga title in existance. Put on your robe and thinking cap and write a 150- to 300-word story on why you think you deserve the book collection. It can be anything: sob story, comedy, thoughtful introspective, a shopping list or whatever. Submit your story, and Lorehound will narrow down the runner-ups. From there, the community will vote on which one is the best. Considering this is nearly $70+ worth of manga, I'd say that's not a bad deal. Best of luck to all who enter!
