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New Firefall hands-on coming to Gamescom and PAX
Those heading to Gamescom and PAX Prime later this month have a treat on waiting for them: a hot new demo of Firefall, the free-to-play persistent world shooter. Red 5 Studios is gracing both conventions with a hands-on experience to let players see if it lives up to the growing hype. The Gamescom crowd can expect to enjoy the full demo and some intense coop events, while PAXers will get to see additional multiplayer maps as Firefall debuts its open-world experience. Not heading to either convention? Red 5 hopes you don't give up hope, and invites you to sign up for the Firefall beta program, which is currently in the friends and family stage but is set to expand significantly after PAX. Firefall is slated to launch this December, which is not a minute too soon to those anticipating this title. Enough talk -- it's time for action! Hit the jump to check out the awesome new trailer showcasing Firefall's gorgeous cel-shaded look, crazy action scenarios, and glowy glider wings.
Retro/Grade headed to PAX Prime with fancy ID cards
Retro/Grade developers 24 Caret Games will print customized ID cards for PAX Prime attendees this August, giving some peace of mind to those dreading sudden separation from their like-minded groups in Penny Arcade's increasingly packed event. The crew from 24 Caret will be at this year's Seattle-based soiree, showing off its game and holding a promotional contest -- and that's where the ID cards really come in. Entry in the high score contest is tied to pre-registering for a card (which you can do right here) for free -- if you're not into that kinda thing, generic Rick Rocket cards will be available otherwise at the show. That said, if you pre-register, it'll also net you a totally swanky identification for the duration of PAX, undoubtedly helpful in your repeated self-introductions as "The guy who plans to conquer your Retro/Grade high score."
Perfect World offers gamers a shot at a trip to PAX Prime
Bummed because PAX Prime is sold out -- and your wallet's looking thin, anyway? Well, how would it sound if we told you that you had a chance to go to the mega-convention in Seattle next month for free, including round-trip airfare? Pretty good, huh? As part of its efforts to promote Rusty Hearts, Perfect World Entertainment is giving away a convention package to one lucky winner (and his or her best friend). If you register for the Rusty Hearts beta by July 27th, you'll automatically be entered to win these two three-day PAX passes. To make a good deal even better, the winners will have the opportunity to have dinner with the producers and developers of the game! Rusty Hearts Producer Mark Hill is flat-out psyched for the event: "This is a great year for Rusty Hearts to make its debut appearance at Penny Arcade Expo. We cannot wait to interact with Rusty Hearts fans on a personal level and we hope to get everyone as excited as we are by giving away these two passes to the otherwise sold out show. We have really been looking forward to bring Rusty Hearts to a gaming-centric consumer event, and I can't wait to see how the PAX crowd reacts to the game." Massively still has a number of Rusty Hearts beta keys to give away, and each of these comes with a special Massively Pack(TM) of in-game items!
Star Wars: The Old Republic lists 2011 event appearances
Are you ready for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Hyperdrive or Bust World Tour 2011? OK, that might not be an official thing (and seriously, wouldn't you love a t-shirt with that on it?), but BioWare has announced the community events that TOR will be attending this year. So if you're willing to make the journey and eager to get some face-time with both the game and the developers, here's where you can make it happen: E3 in Los Angeles, CA (June 7-9) San Diego Comic-Con, CA (July 21-24) Gamescom in Cologne, Germany (August 17-21) PAX Prime in Seattle, WA (August 26-28) Eurogamer Expo in London, UK (September 22-25) New York Comic Con (October 13-16) Paris Games Week (October 21-25) DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden (November 24-27) You can read all of the details of The Old Republic's worldwide journey on the Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Events page.
Registration opens for PAX Prime
PAX East 2011 was more than a month ago, more than enough time for the event to have faded into memory even if you were lucky enough to attend. But that's only one part of the PAX conventions, with PAX Prime on deck for August 26th through the 28th. Registration for the Seattle convention has just opened to everyone, allowing gamers of all ages a chance to gather for news and events in the northwest. As per previous events, attendees can register for all three days at a discount rate or for an individual day pass. (Also per previous events, Saturday is likely to be the most active day of the weekend.) It's worth noting that PAX Prime is a very popular convention, so if you're planning on making the trek, registering sooner rather than later is probably a good idea. And going is probably a good idea, if you're able, as the convention traditionally holds a number of demos, events, announcements, and of course, free-range Massively staffers.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The best souvenir from PAX East
When Massively staffer Larry Everett was writing about a PAX East panel he attended, he asked me to help him find a picture of Colin Johanson. I begged him to use the one above, created by GuildWars2Guru member Rolin, but my pleas were unheeded. Since today's Flameseeker Chronicles is in part about Colin, I finally got my way -- albeit indirectly. Since I didn't get the pleasure of attending PAX East, Larry sent me a wonderful souvenir: recordings of a couple of casual chats he had with Colin and Mike Zadorojny all about the MMO industry and Guild Wars 2's place in it. They were such fun to listen to that I decided to share some of them with you guys in today's column. Follow along after the jump for the best bits of Larry's discussion with these two!
Official video available for the Guild Wars 2 PAX East panel
If you were attending PAX East a couple of weeks ago, the odds are you wanted a chance to get in on ArenaNet's panel. Unfortunately, Guild Wars 2 fans were lined up outside the panel long before it started, filling the room to capacity and dashing the dreams of several hopeful attendees. Luckily, the fine team behind the games took the time time to record the panel in its entirety and has just made the full video available on the official blog. Posted in two parts and comprising just under an hour of total footage, the panel covers a variety of topics related to the development of Guild Wars 2 and includes a lengthy question-and-answer session from the audience. While it's not quite a substitute for being at the convention itself, the full video should prove interesting whether you weren't able to make it to Boston or just couldn't get inside the jam-packed panel session.
The Guild Counsel: An interview with author Adam "Ferrel" Trzonkowski
At PAX East a week or so ago, I had the opportunity to talk with Adam "Ferrel" Trzonkowski, who is a guild leader, blogger, and newly crowned author. After managing his guild Iniquity for the better part of a decade, he decided to write a book about the lesson's he's learned regarding guild management. It's titled The Guild Leader's Companion and is available both in print and as an ebook through Amazon. In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll hear a bit about his background as a guild leader, his motivation to write a book, and his thoughts on why guild management offers important lessons even to those who don't run a guild. Massively: First off, can you give the readers a little background on your gaming experience and how you got into leading a guild? Adam Trzonkowski: I started playing MMORPGs when they weren't even graphical. That means I played in the old chat rooms and MUDs! Those were dark times, but we had guilds back then, and I actually was an officer in one for a few years. That role didn't entail nearly the work that it does these days, but that is how I got into leading people and learning how they interact with each other.
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.
PAX East 2011: One Massive roundup
PAX East has already begun fading into memory, but there was a lot to see and do over the three days of the convention. Even if we disregard the numerous fan gatherings and community events taking place, there were an awful lot of games on the floor, with showings from MMOs that dwarfed last year's offerings. If you were lucky enough to be there, we can only hope that you had fun and got to see all of the impressive displays. Of course, you may very well have missed one or two things, what with all of the sound and lines and people walking around with a pixel costume. Even if you were sitting at home, you might have missed some of our coverage of this event. Just jump on past the break for a full recap of Massively's coverage of the con, covering everything from the venerable City of Heroes to the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic.
PAX East 2011: The future of MMOs from the mouths of the developers
The PAX East panel that almost made me late for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Meet 'n' Greet was a panel hosted by MMORPG.com and featuring some of the heavy hitters in MMO development for this year. I am certainly glad I did not skip this one. This was the chance for the fans to hear what the future of MMOs will bring from the people who are making them. Let me give you a rundown of the panel members -- and tell me you don't just stand in awe of these guys: (from left to right) Curt Schilling, the founder of 38 Studios; Craig Alexander, the VP of Product Development for Turbine; Jeremy Gaffney, Executive Producer at Carbine Studios; Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer for Trion Worlds; Brian Knox, Senior Producer for En Masse Entertainment; James Ohlen, Creative Director for BioWare; and Colin Johanson, Lead Content Designer for ArenaNet. The opening question really set the stage for the panel. It let us know where the minds of these producers and executives are. The question was simple: Where do you see online games going in the next 10 years? Follow after the cut to find out their thought provoking answers.
The Guild Counsel: PAX East panel explores online communities
There were two things that really stood out for me at PAX East: the ridiculously long lines and the throngs of fans who happily sat down together to play games face to face. On the surface, PAX East might seem to be about who has the best card deck or who has the quickest twitch reflexes, but it's actually much more than that. We've looked at the growing importance of online communities and the relationships that have been created by them, so it's little surprise that PAX was full of players who were there to meet and play with friends they met through gaming. And among the many panels this weekend, there was one that explored this very issue. The speakers were all experienced managers of online communities, and they shared their stories of how they got started and why these communities are so important. Read on to hear their stories.
PAX East 2011: Firefall, the non-MMO MMO
Last weekend, one of the biggest booths to dominate the PAX East showroom floor was a game called Firefall by Red 5 Studios. This shooter game has gained a lot of attention in the past because it pulls elements from different games such as Borderlands, Team Fortress 2, and even Halo. However, none of the comparable games is an MMO. Thus, Firefall really stands out among its peers. There are mechanics of this game that really scream "MMO" to the average observer, yet there are very non-MMO designs as well. At PAX, I had a chance to sit down with Red 5's CEO, Mark Kern, to discuss many of the design philosophies behind Firefall -- in particular, I wanted to know why Red 5 doesn't label the game an MMO when it clearly features many of the hallmarks of the genre. "The potential of MMOs is so much broader than the tag would indicate. We are broadening that definition and taking a crowbar to it. If people want to call us an MMO, that's great. We aren't going to call ourselves an MMO, because we want you to think fresh thoughts along with us," Kern explained. I also had a chance to play this unique game, so follow me after the cut as I give my impressions of the game along with some key quotes from my talk with Mark Kern.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Between the lines of PAX
I think that the first year of PAX East spoiled me for any and all future City of Heroes panels. At the time Paragon Studios held that panel, there was a new expansion due out in that marvelous sweet spot when it's just far enough away that a lot of questions are unanswered but not so far away that we can't be told all of the cool parts. Every panel since then has had a bit less to share, but really, that's kind of the nature of the beast. Until we get expansion number three on deck, we aren't going to have another panel with that much information and that many surprises unloaded all at once. Still, another part of my brain can't help but feel as if the most interesting part of this year's presence for City of Heroes wasn't the panel itself but the other elements surrounding the panel. (Considering that I already wrote up what happened there, this may also serve a stunningly convenient purpose for writing a column about the convention.) There's certainly no hints of a big revelation around the corner, but there were little elements hither and yon that piqued my interest for various reasons.
PAX East 2011: Hands-on with SWTOR's Taral V
Star Wars: The Old Republic was an obvious hit at PAX East. Fans stood in line for hours just to get a chance to touch one of the most anticipated games of this year and to catch a glimpse of Taral V, the first publicly shown Flashpoint. The excitement to be one of the first to get hands on SWTOR group content was palpable. Our contributing editors Larry Everett and Eliot Lefebvre scored that opportunity to play the game last Saturday. Read on as our intrepid reporters showcase their experiences in the Star Wars universe. Draw your blaster and ignite your lightsaber as we head to a galaxy far, far away... Larry Everett: There are many things that can distract you from actually playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Who wouldn't be distracted by the incredible layered scenery? I'd think the spot-on animations would make you want to attack more, although it is possible that you could attack the wrong target. Perhaps it was the vivid facial expressions that would cause someone to not make a dialogue choice. These have to be the reasons behind the fact that the Jedi Knight on our team completely failed to do his job in one of the most incredibly polished games and easy-to-slide-into games I have have ever played.
PAX East 2011: Massively interviews Wizard101's Fred Howard
There was a lot of game news to come out of PAX East this past weekend, and KingsIsle definitely arrived with some very big announcements. Wizard101 fans can look forward to a brand-new world called Wintertusk, which completes the epic storyline of Grizzleheim. Both high- and low-level players will have new places to explore and quests to complete. Highlights include brand-new areas for high-level Wizards to discover and explore, new spells, level 58 class pets for each primary school, a revamped underwater introduction zone for lower-level characters (continuing the story of the Crab King), and the ephemeral "more." Massively had the chance to talk with KingsIsle Vice President Fred Howard about Wizard101 and the rapid growth of MMOs aimed at younger players. Read on for his thoughts on player security, the importance of story, and a curious Crab King with a penchant for rock.
City of Heroes posts updates to the global server change
While nothing quite compares to a new expansion pack, Paragon Studios still surprised City of Heroes fans when it announced at PAX East that both the American and European servers were going to be merged into a single list. The team is looking to head off most further questions with a recently released FAQ regarding the changeover, which will also see European account holders rolled into the existing database. It also enumerates the benefits to the community as a whole, allowing both regions equal access to testing and special events while expanding the total number of servers available for each player. In the case of name conflicts for the global chat channel, a player originally from the European servers will be given a temporary handle based on his character's name and a free change to said handle. According to the official statement, the number of affected players is expected to be fairly small, and actual character names will not be affected as the servers aren't merging in any way. Expected to be fully rolled out by the end of the summer, this latest change to City of Heroes won't help any content slumps but will help foster more international community efforts for the game.
PAX East 2011: Massively interviews RIFT's Scott Hartsman
With the launch of RIFT still fresh, members of the Trion team packed their bags and flew to Boston to attend PAX East. Even though they didn't have a booth, their "We're not in Azeroth anymore" banner made their presence known. In addition, Community Manager Cindy "Abigale" Bowens hosted a party in Boston to celebrate the launch with players and fans. Massively had a chance to sit down and talk with Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman about launch day, security, plans for the future, and a whole lot more. Read on for the full interview!
A vision of Lord of the Rings Online's new instances
While we relayed to you several details of the five new dungeons coming with Lord of the Rings Online's Echoes of the Dead update, it's still great to be able to see them as well. Today, Turbine released screens for three of the instances for our visual consumption. Stoneheight is a town under siege in North Downs as Ivar the Gaunt-lord makes a general mess of things as he searches for a very special helm. Meanwhile at Northcotton Farm, Thadúr the Ravager is attempting to poison the poor Hobbits by turning their love of food against them. Finally, the Lost Temple in the Trollshaws is a plague explosion waiting to happen, as Ferndúr the Virulent uses his dark power to modify and kill all who encounter him. Check out the gallery below for five illuminating screens, and don't forget to read our PAX East overview of these instances! %Gallery-101902%
PAX East 2011: Delving LotRO dungeons deeply
Right now, Lord of the Rings Online is in a brief respite between the insanity of PAX East and the upcoming March 21st release date for its next big update, Echoes of the Dead. To say that there's a lot coming with this update is a vast understatement, so it was great to get a sneak peek at the five new instances before they went live. Earlier this year, players started to get rumblings about a major upcoming event as five mysterious relics popped up all over Middle-earth in Evendim, Forochel, Enedwaith, North Downs and the Trollshaws. By finding all five, players completed a special deed and got the title "Calm Before the Storm," foreshadowing dire events to follow. All anyone could do after that was prepare for an uncertain future. It turns out that LotRO's players had good reason to prepare, because as of next week, five new dungeons will open their doors for business -- the business of eating adventurers alive and spitting out their bones, that is. Spurned Gaunt-lords have returned to make life for the Free Peoples of Middle-earth harder by transforming the very landscape into their hellish domain, and it's up to you to thwart their schemes. Hit the jump as we traveled to these new instances at PAX East with LotRO Executive Producer Kate Paiz!
