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Female avatars are likely to be more exposed than their male counterparts
You really needed to be told this, right? You may not have been sure whether a lady-type avatar was more likely to be closer to naked than a manly-type avatar. If you were dying to know and really had no idea, there's an actual study now to get you all informed. Anna M. Lomanowska and Matthieu J. Guitton went into Second Life and examined 404 (192 male and 212 female) avatars of the humanoid-but-not-furry type. They found that 57% of lady-type avatars had less than half of their skin covered, compared to only 10% of masculine-type avatars being similarly exposed. Lomanowska and Guitton were not privy to the actual sex of the folks controlling the avatars. Do you feel enlightened?
Otherland enters phase two of closed beta testing this Friday
Gamigo has announced that the upcoming Otherland MMO, based on the popular cyberpunk series of the same name, is about to enter phase two of beta testing. The new phase of testing is bringing with it a number of improvements and fixes for testers to enjoy. The new beta build includes a revamped tutorial, a new starter zone, a "refined" combat system, and more. If you're in the Otherland beta and can't wait to check it out, you'll have your opportunity when a "short preview and feedback round" begins Friday, December 14th at 4:00 a.m. Eastern time. The testing period will run until Monday, December 17th, so you've got all weekend to see what the new build has to offer. For all the delicious beta details, check out the game's official site.
Linden Lab preps four releases for November
The boys and girls of Linden Lab are expanding their operation. Rapidly expanding, as it turns out. The Second Life studio announced that it has not one, not two, not three, but four titles scheduled for release in November. We've already heard about the first, which is the Minecraft-wannabe Patterns, but the others are just now being revealed. The second is the iPad-only (for now) Creatorverse, which allows users to draw shapes, have them interact via physics, and then share them on the cloud. The final two are Dio, a room creator, and Versu, a storytelling toolset. Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble affirmed that Second Life will remain important to the studio, but it will need to make room for all of the new children coming into the family.
GDC Online 2012: Gamigo showcases Otherland and Grimlands
This week at GDC Online, Gamigo showed off the progress in not one but two of its upcoming titles. Otherland, based on the novels by Tad Williams, has begun to pick up pace lately, with a series of closed beta events in Europe. Meanwhile, Grimlands has also made quite a bit of progress and is working out the finer details as it nears release. Massively sat down with Gamigo CEO Patrick Streppel to get a firsthand look at both games. Read on for highlights from both the Otherland and Grimlands demos!
Free for All: Xulu Universe is more than Second Life-lite
Xulu Universe is a new world built with far-reaching horizons. In reality, those horizons are within reach for anyone who wants to take the time to travel. If you see it, you can go to it. Xulu Universe is also a world of endless building opportunities as in Second Life, although comparing it to Second Life wouldn't quite be accurate. Where Second Life is a sandbox with no set boundaries, Xulu Universe is more of a standardized experience. Sure, there are plans to allow players to add unique touches to creations, but initially, creators will have access to a limited toolset. Don't let that fool you; the tools are quite robust and easy to use. Last week I joined Xulu Entertainment's co-founders, CEO Nanci Solomon and CTO Joe Santos, for a tour around the new building MMO. We drove, flew, ran, shot, stacked, and jumped through the physics-based world thanks to a new peer-to-peer-styled server plan. What does all of this mean? Click past the cut and I'll do my best to explain what Xulu Universe is all about. %Gallery-164207%
Otherland premieres beta weekend trailer
Today's a big day if you're an Otherland tester, as this marks the kick-off of the first closed beta weekend. It's a smaller test, however, so if you're not one of the lucky few, then you might be stewing in mild envy. Envy not, fair fellow gamers, for gamigo has an exciting new trailer to give everyone a taste of the multiverse of Otherland. The trailer begins with a grumpy angel going around a fantasy village and destroying the crud out of it. This prompts a youngster to take up a sword and join the fight against... something. Following that, it's a huge montage across the many genres of Otherland, from sci-fi to Asian-themed worlds. But who needs a description when you can watch it for yourself? Buckle up because you're going for a ride after the jump. [Source: gamigo press release]
Otherland's first beta weekend begins on August 31st
The few, the proud, the Otherland closed beta testers! Players interested in testing the upcoming free-to-play fantasy and sci-fi mixed MMORPG should keep an eye on their email; Gamigo has announced that the first closed beta test for Otherland will be happening this weekend. From August 31st until September 2nd, select accounts will be given access to the beta. This first test weekend, however, will be kept relatively small. Otherland Product Manager Florian Hörpel stated, "A small, manageable group of accounts will be given access to the servers for the first closed-beta weekend. This is because we want to get a feel for the limits of the systems." Interested players who do not receive an invitation this time around shouldn't despair -- they will have the chance to join in future beta events. Sign-ups to participate are on the official site. [Source: Gamigo press release]
Iran blocks Guild Wars, World of Warcraft
Reports are coming in that Iran is moving to block access to several MMOs, including World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. This comes following a conference by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance earlier this month. At the conference, the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community was formed and decided to ban games that promote superstition, mythology, violence, and revealing clothing. Following the decision, the government started cracking down on various services and MMOs, such as Battle.net's library and ArenaNet's Guild Wars series. Other games targeted include RuneScape, Second Life, Dofus, Evony, and Entropia Universe. It's unclear to what extent the government is attempting to enforce these bans, and Iranian players are looking into workaround solutions to access their MMOs. It's interesting to note that Blizzard does not authorize downloads of its products or services in Iran.
New Otherland making-of video shows off Five Isle, Tad Williams
RealU and gamigo have released a new making-of video update for Otherland. The clip focuses on the in-game world of Five Isle, so named for the five elements of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal that feature in Chinese mythology. Interestingly, Five Isle is a new invention created specifically for the MMO and does not appear in Tad Williams' series of Otherland novels. Williams himself does appear in the new video along with a handful of game developers. See what they have to say after the break. [Source: gamigo press release]
MMO Blender: Bree's big-budget sandbox
Writing MMO Blender feels like getting three wishes from a magical lamp and having to think very, very carefully about what you ask for. You have to word it just right and ponder the consequences of each wish on the others because you just know that Genie's going to screw with you. If I were stronger, I'd reject the wishes (here, the 1000 words) outright, knowing they're a trap, but I just can't resist a turn at this column. I want a new sandbox. A good one, not one made by gank-obsessed fanboys on a shoestring budget. I don't think sandboxes are dead; I just know it takes money to make money, and modern indie sandboxes are forgetting that rule. Fortunately, I don't need money for this column. I'll take my MMO Blender wishes and build a sandbox that's more than just a pile of sand and an empty box.
Otherland alpha sign-ups begin
Fancy getting an early peek at the MMO version of Tad Williams' Otherland? Head to gamigo's official forum, then, because the company is seeking a few good alpha testers. This isn't your typical marketing beta, at least according to the sign-up verbiage. "As an alpha tester, you will be asked to focus-test specific game elements, document your user experience, and fill out in-depth surveys each week. Alpha testing is hard work," gamigo says. It's also unpaid work, so only die-hard Otherland fans need apply. If you're not a die-hard but are still interested in the game, check out our GDC impressions as well as this handy post that collects all of the publicly known information in one place.
Second Life used to teach relaxation techniques
Who says Second Life's best days are behind it? Not Medical News Today, which reports that the long-running virtual world from Linden Lab has been successfully used to teach relaxation techniques. Massachusetts General Hospital researchers recently conducted a study that concluded that online worlds like Second Life can be useful in "teaching a mind/body approach that includes the relaxation response." The study found that by doing away with the limitations of face-to-face meetings (and easing the minds of participants who are uncomfortable in real-world group settings), virtual worlds can foster more relaxing and healthy experiences. The study featured 24 individuals who were divided into three groups and subjected to eight weeks of online sessions in Second Life. Researchers found that participants "showed reductions in depression- and anxiety-related symptoms," though it's also important to note that participants had prior experiences with virtual worlds.
Check and mate: A look at Otherland's EightSquared simulation
Fans of Tad Williams' deliciously cyberpunk book series Otherland are almost certainly waiting with bated breath for gamigo and RealU's upcoming MMO adaptation of the universe. In hopes of making the wait just a tad easier, gamigo has released a new developer diary video focusing on the EightSquared universe of Otherland. EightSquared, as you may have surmised from the name, is a simulation in which an entire medieval countryside has sprung forth from a gargantuan chess board on which the Red and White armies are locked in an eternal war/game. But something has gone wrong with the simulation: The armies are no longer following the rules of warfare (i.e., rules of chess), and it's up to players to find out where the problem lies before things get too far out of hand and cause the destruction of the simulation itself. The full dev diary also provides a look at the game's Lifecycle AI, which breathes life into the world by providing NPCs who follow their own day-to-day schedules. So what are you waiting for? Log in to the Net and go take a look for yourself. [Source: gamigo press release]
Linden Lab's Second Life 'extremely profitable,' company looking to expand
Second Life has dropped out of the limelight in recent years, but if a new piece at GamesIndustry.biz is on the mark, the long-running virtual world may be primed for something of a renaissance. Former Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon vacated the throne in June 2010, and veteran developer Rod Humble took over at the beginning of 2011. Since then, the EverQuest and The Sims veteran has been working hard to bring a bit of structure to Second Life's virtual sprawl, and in the process, reinvigorate what was one of the first MMORPG media darlings. "I was taken aback by just how big Second Life was," Humble says. "To be honest, it had fallen off my radar until I got the call offering me the position. And I looked at their numbers; this is a world that has got 1 million people logging in every month, generating well in excess of $75 million a year -- it's extremely profitable." Humble spent much of 2011 refining the product, and everything from the sign-up process to the UI to world transportation received some attention. The result was a 40 percent uptick in new users, and now Humble is bent on expanding Linden Lab's offerings beyond Second Life. "Linden Lab has been very successful with one innovative product, but I want to stretch the company out again, to make it a really exciting place where people can't wait to find out about the next unusual title we're going to release," he said.
Otherland info collected in a single post
We got our first real glimpse of Otherland at last week's GDC, and if you're hungry for more info on the upcoming MMORPG from gamigo, a fansite called Otherland Net Feed has you covered. The Tad Williams-inspired title might be available as early as the third quarter of 2012, according to the site, and to whet your appetite, the admin has collected just about every known game factoid in a single sprawling post. There is plenty of verbiage relating to the title's simulations (that's Otherland-speak for zones) as well as a ton of images from the game's different locales. There are several trailer embeds too, along with concise reviews of combat, crafting, questing, and travel. [Thanks to Travis for the tip!]
GDC 2012: A look at Otherland and Grimlands with Gamigo
Do you prefer a post-apocalyptic world or Tad Williams' vision of the internet of the future? Luckily, you can have them both by the end of the year because Gamigo is working busy at work preparing to launch two new titles. Massively had a chance to talk with Anthony Guzzardo, Gamigo's North American Publicity Manager, as well as PR Manager Dennis Hartmann as they showed off Otherland, based on the works of Tad Williams, and Grimlands, a post-apocalyptic vision in the desert.
MV Guide: February 6-12, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Previously on MV TV: Week of January 30, 2012
Welcome to Previously on MV TV! Our livestreaming schedule has picked up a lot over the past few weeks, and our readers have busy lives, so we know it's impossible to watch every single streaming event live. Fortunately for you, we save all of our streams all for posterity on Massively's Twitch TV channel, so you can view them at your leisure. Even better, we've got a roundup of a few of last week's MV TV highlights from the livestream team. Follow along after the jump for the best of the best!
MV Guide: January 30-February 5, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Previously on MV TV: Week of January 23rd
Welcome to Previously on MV TV! Our livestreaming schedule has picked up a lot over the past few weeks, and our readers have busy lives, so we know it's impossible to watch every single streaming event live. Fortunately for you, we save all of our streams all for posterity on Massively's Twitch TV channel, so you can view them at your leisure. Even better, we've got a roundup of a few of last week's MV TV highlights from the livestream team. Follow along after the jump for the best of the best, and check out our full library of videos for the other games we've streamed last week as we begin to ramp up our streaming even more in February!
