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Dungeon Tours: Wish you were here!
Synergy? We've got synergy! Welcome to the unveiling of Dungeon Tours, a new multimedia miniseries playing out on both the Massively blog and Massively TV. What is Dungeon Tours, you ask? It's a tour. Of a dungeon. Many tours, in fact, of many dungeons. We're sneaky like that. But there's a method behind this particular madness. Have you ever wanted to see and experience every dungeon and instance in a game? Maybe you're interested in getting a sneak peek at what content is in store for you as you advance in a title you already enjoy, or maybe you want to see what you have missed. It could be that you'd like to get a feel for a game before jumping in yourself. And whether or not you ever have any intention of ever playing a game yourself, you're probably curious about what goes on behind those closed doors! This miniseries is your key to those doors.
SOE patches Vanguard database fixes, eyes Cave of Wonders
SOE has patched the latest version of Vanguard to the live server. Today's downtime was used to implement the database performance improvements that showed up on the game's test server a while back. SOE says that after it's satisfied with server performance, it will be looking to "patch out the first wing of the Cave of Wonders," hopefully in time for the Christmas holidays! [Thanks Mikegonz!]
The Stream Team: Decisionally challenged weather edition, October 7 - 13, 2013
I don't know about you, but in my neck of the woods Mother Nature is suffering some kind of identity crisis. In the span of a single day we have had bone-chilling cold and frost, sun-scorching heat, and monsoon-inspired rainstorms. Every time we have a season-appropriate cold snap, the second I go to remove my air-conditioner, we have a blistering heat wave. People were pumpkin harvesting in shorts for heaven's sakes! Is it fall? Or is it summer? If the weather is any indication, we need to institute a new season. We could call it Summall. Or maybe Falmer. Then people can just expect to employ heavy coats and shorts within hours. Like they do in Colorado! Like the weather of late, I'll admit to being decisionally challenged at times (especially when trying to pick what to do in a game with so many options!). Luckily, for any who suffer that same affliction, your favorite Stream Team hosts will never conflict on the Massively TV schedule. So who's playing what when this week? Check out the schedule and see!
One Shots: The people pillar
How are MMOs different than real life? There are many answers to that question, but our opening screenshot today reminds me that I don't actively seek to run into a sweaty, heaving mass of humanity just because they'll provide localized healing and damage boosts. Everyone always tries to use that excuse at conventions, and all I come away with is an intestinal debuff. Reader Eri had this observation while playing a recent beta: "Firefall seems to have quite a few community events regularly going on and it always amuses me at the end how it devolves into the ancient art of people stacking. This tower was during the stress test a month or so ago after a few invasions had finished. There were a lot of people around and a rival tower was being built in Sunken Harbour as well. Everyone was laughing and having a lot of fun, talking in chat while serving as a human pillar, and there was usually a dance party going on at the bottom of it. While this one did get big, apparently the dastardly Sunken Harbour Folks beat us." Are you ready to jump into the people pile? If so, we've got more for you after the break!
Perfect Ten: MMO industry moves I didn't see coming
Despite -- or more accurately, because of -- my love for video games, I would never want to work in the games industry as a developer or what have you. I think it's an industry that doesn't have a good track record of job security, sane hours, or products that you could feasibly spend years working on that might not make it to ship. But I love writing about the industry. I love the news. That's why I adore being at Massively. I also love the news because MMOs and studios constantly surprise me. Hey, maybe you're an amazing clairvoyant person who can not only predict but accurately foresee all of the jukes and twists that the industry makes. I am not. When mental superpowers were being handed out, I got "setting people on fire with a mere thought" instead of what appears to be the widespread "know it all" ability. I don't regret it. I mean, you probably already knew that I was going to post a picture of Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi being attacked by bees on the front page of Massively. But I think that the surprises are part of the fun. No matter what we've seen in the past and no matter how knowledgeable any of us is about MMOs, the strange developments keep on coming. So this week I want to list 10 stories that I really didn't see coming at all.
Vanguard gets a development roadmap
Vanguard's gone and got itself a roadmap. No, really! SOE has issued an upcoming content schedule that includes "major performance upgrades" and the introduction of mentor stones. Said stones will be placed at the entrance to all of Vanguard's dungeons in order to give players the option to set their levels appropriately. The update post also touches on the Cave of Wonders raid content, which SOE says is now slated to go live via four separate installments. There's more on the schedule, too, but you'll need to head to Vanguard's official website to read it all!
The Game Archaeologist: Classic MMOs in August
How few players do you need to have before operating an MMO becomes ridiculously unprofitable and in need of closing? In the case of The Matrix Online, we found out that the magic number was 500. I wouldn't have even guessed that so few people were in that game when its shutdown was announced, especially considering the vocal anguish that arose when SOE lowered the boom. I guess it goes to show that we're often quite clueless what goes on behind the curtain. There's always this balance between the number-crunchers (who need players and money to justify continued operations) and the passionate creators (who are often developers putting in the effort because they simply love the game and its community). If nothing else, it reinforced my belief that SOE does bend over backwards to keep these games running as long as possible, much longer than some other studios would in a similar situation. So what other news regarding classic MMOs happened this past month? It's time for another one of my patented roundups, complete with archaeological commentary!
SOE Live 2013 recapped in just two minutes
SOE Live 2013 was a blur of tournaments, panels, announcements, and keynotes. It brought news for games like PlanetSide 2, Vanguard, Free Realms, Dragon's Prophet, and DC Universe Online, along with the industry-shaking reveal of EverQuest Next. In other words, it was kind of a big deal. And you can see what it was like to be there in person by watching the two-minute recap video just released by SOE. Check it out after the break, and feel free to browse back through our coverage for in-depth looks at everything that was on display.
SOE Live 2013: Looking at the future of Vanguard
"The little game that could" is how Mark Tuttle introduced Vanguard at the SOE Live keynote, and although the game has had its share of struggles through the years, it forges on with a strong community, lots of recent changes, and a roadmap of future endeavors. Now that the free-to-play transition is up and running, the team took some time at SOE Live to give fans a rundown of what it's been up to and what players can look forward to seeing.
Vanguard producer's letter talks Pankor Zhi, bug fixes, and a new network layer
Well, what do we have here? Is... is that a Vanguard producer's letter? It is a Vanguard producer's letter! SOE's Harvey "Rahtiz" Burgess does the honors, and he says that those of you who've been away from Telon for a while will notice some changes starting with a new network layer. "While this won't solve all of the issues that we have had since the launch of Vanguard," Burgess explains, "what it will do is help us track down problematic areas of latency where we will be able to examine and resolve. Before this, we didn't really have an adequate way of troubleshooting these issues." The Vanguard team has also squashed over 50 long-standing bugs and is also still working on Pankor Zhi, though Burgess notes that it "is definitely going to be a long-term project for us." There's more to the letter, of course, so head to the official Vanguard site to read it all.
Some Assembly Required: Five ways MMOs should support player events
Over the course of Some Assembly Required, we've covered a few player-run events out there that haven't been highlighted in their respective game columns. After all, we're all about PGC here, and you can't really get content more player-generated than that! But with all the the possible events across the whole gamut of games, there's no possible way to attend them all, let alone cover them here; there is only so much time in the day and space in the column. Of course, that won't stop me from trying! From Age of Conan to Warhammer Online, a few of the events I've been able to catch are festivals, races, plays, fishing contests, tavern storytelling nights, quests (yes, quests), treasure/scavenger hunts, trivia contests, arena duels, gambling nights, musical concerts, war games, horse races, weddings, dance-offs, terraforming challenges, auctions, jousts, fashion shows, tournaments, funerals, crafter fairs, and more contests than can even be mentioned. These examples aren't restricted to any one genre, either; creatively concocted events run the gamut and include themeparks like Aion, MOBAs like SMITE, and more -- and not just sandboxes. As you might have noticed, that's quite a bit of content, content that comes at no cost to the the studio! So why is it these events can be so hard to find? With so much free content at their fingertips, it would behoove studios to make it the norm to support and promote these events. And the tools they need to do so are already at their disposal.
One Shots: March beneath the raptor's wings
Man, it's downright shadowy underneath the raptor's wings! Reader Draxos is kicking off our player screenshot exhibition this week with an interestingly lit picture from Star Trek Online's new expansion. "This picture is of my new Romulan character inside a Romulan space station that was having a few ... issues," Draxos wrote in. "When the lights suddenly go out in a space station, you become thankful for the brightness outside the window because then at least there is some chance of seeing what may now be lurking within the darkness. Although you could say that my Reman crew members are the true ones to be fearful of in the dark." Couldn't you use the Borg's head as a flashlight? That's what I would do. Join us for more shadowy flights into dangerous worlds of characters who do not exist in today's One Shots!
Jukebox Heroes: Character select music
Character select and creation music has always fascinated me. OK, maybe not fascinated; it's interested me. I've always viewed such themes as the overture of the game, the interlude between the title theme and the game proper to come. These themes don't tend to be rip-roaring in their presentation because that's not their purpose. They have to be pleasant enough without being annoying when looped endlessly. After all, sometimes players spend a loooong time making their characters or sitting there at the select screen, and the last thing you want is for their ears to become fatigued by the experience. So here are six MMO character select and character creation themes that I've enjoyed over the years. And if you saw the title graphic up there and immediately started hearing this song in your head, then you and I probably grew up in the same era.
Player panel submissions open for SOE Live 2013
Last year, SOE threw a new ingredient into its convention mix -- player panels. The result was such a hit that the studio is not only bringing them back this year, but extending their availability; Sunday has been added to the player panels schedule, and that means there are plenty of openings! Do you have a subject involving any SOE game that you think would be of interest and benefit others? Maybe you are a whiz at livesteaming or you have primo tips and tricks on cosplay to dispense. What about sharing your fan site or holding a raid clinic? Whatever your idea, submit your proposal by 3:00 a.m EDT June 1st for consideration. If selected, you and up to three other panel members will receive All Access passes to SOE Live 2013 (no other expenses are covered, including food, travel, or add-ons). Panel selection -- which is not on a first-come, first-served basis -- will be completed mid-June.
NEC launches VersaPro VX business laptop, VG Ultrabook in Japan
You probably won't ever see these latest NEC computers hit retailers on this side of the Pacific, but if you do your laptop shopping in Japan, it's time to listen up. NEC's just flooded the market with a bounty of fresh models, all likely destined for corporate IT departments, and maybe a few homes. There are a few additions to the Mate series, including an MG all-in-one, along with ML, ME and MB slim towers. Then, on the portables front, there's some VB, VH, VD and VA notebooks, followed by two standouts: a VX laptop for 138,500 JPY ($1,400) and a VG Ultrabook priced at a whopping 261,000 JPY (about $2,650). That first model is available with Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, a WXGA 15.6-inch LCD and integrated graphics. The pricey Ultrabook, for its part, can be had with a Core i5 or i7 processor, four gigs of RAM, a 1,600 x 900-pixel 13.3-inch LCD, integrated graphics and either Windows 8 Pro or Windows 7 (huzzah!). There's plenty more to discover, of course, but we'll leave that up to you. NEC loyalists can get their fix (in Japanese) at the source link below.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has that indefinable 'it'?
First off, no, this is not an April Fool's post. With that bit of nonsense out of the way, I must confess to reinstalling Vanguard over the weekend. I don't know why I reinstalled Vanguard over the weekend; I've been having a fair bit of fun with Star Wars: The Old Republic and my extensive Steam backlog lately. I certainly didn't need another MMO to play, and even if I did, I'm not sure why I would choose a fantasy themepark that I've quit at least four times. Vanguard has that certain something, though, a mysterious "it" quality that's always whispering seductively in my ear. Which MMOs, if any, continually rope you in with their indefinable allure? 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!
Vanguard producer's letter talks diplomacy, Pankor Zhi, and more
SOE producer Harvey "Rahtiz" Burgess has penned a Vanguard update letter. In it, he says the dev team is still "cranking away" on both content updates and bug fixes despite the defection of a couple of team members to other projects. The most recent game update features new Diplomacy NPCs in the City of Brass, and Burgess also explains why the Pankor Zhi revamp is taking a bit longer than expected. You can read the full letter at SOE's Vanguard website.
Vanguard merging down to one server
SOE announced today that it will be merging Vanguard's two remaining servers, Halgar and Telon, on April 4th, at approximately 10am PDT. This will mean an end to the European Halgar server for good on April 9, 2013. Any character over level 10 will be moved over automatically, while those characters under level 10 will only be moved if they've been active since October 3rd. Character names will be saved based on a naming priority that is dictated by when the character last logged in. So in other words, if you want to save your stuff, log in now! Head on over to the complete server merge FAQ for more information.
Vanguard revamps its Lomshir region
Vanguard's post-F2P development continues to truck along. SOE recently released an update that revamped one of its starting zones, Lomshir. Lomshir is a level 10 to 20 region that any player can zip to via the riftway. So what's included in the Lomshir revamp? It's basically a pass to tighten up the flow, bring the area up to date, and provide new quests and bosses for players to tackle. The Lomshir changes are part of the Vanguard team's commitment to fleshing out the world with more content and providing additional leveling paths to new and veteran players. [Thanks to Zjeven for the tip!]
The Perfect Ten: Creative MMO minigames
Few people are without opinions on minigames in MMOs. Some love 'em, some hate 'em, and some just ignore 'em. Some even despise that I won't type "th." Takes all types, really. Personally, I'm all for including new types of enjoyable systems that can be repeated, particularly if it benefits my character in some way. There's also this perception that minigames are just for kids. It's true that more kid-centric titles like Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures thrive on minigames like you thrive on deep-fried butter balls, but these little diversions exist all over the place in "grownup" titles too. Holidays are a favorite time to trot them out, although there are plenty that exist year-round. Today we're going to look at 10 creative minigames that have tickled my fancy over the year. Yes, I used the word "fancy." Whatcha gonna do about it?
