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WildStar Wednesday tackles the sandbox vs. themepark debate
Sandbox or themepark? It's a never-ending debate around these parts of the internet. Carbine Studios knows both sides of the argument all too well, and it shows. Which side of the argument does WildStar fall on, though? If today's WildStar Wednesday dev diary is to be believed, the game straddles the fence between the two. WildStar's Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney points out that "developer-directed game play isn't always at odds with the player-directed experience" and notes that sometimes leaning too heavily in either direction can be detrimental to the overall gameplay. As such, the developers are attempting to hit the sweet spot between sandbox and themepark gameplay. If you're interested in finding out how they plan to do that, head on over to the dev diary at WildStar's official site.
WildStar beta sign-ups now open
WildStar fans will find a new destination awaiting them at the game's official site today. Where does said destination lead, exactly? Why, right to the beta sign-up page, which means that -- with any luck -- the game should begin testing sometime in the near future. To sign up for yourself, head on over to the game's official site. [Edit: Apparently sign-ups were active last month. So there you go. Treat this as a reminder.]
Layoffs hit NCsoft's North American offices
Earlier this morning Massively received an anonymous tip that NCsoft terminated an undisclosed number of employees at its Austin, Brighton, and Seattle offices earlier this month. According to our tipster, "many operations jobs are leaving Austin and being contracted back to Seoul," and there were further layoffs in the quality assurance and billing departments, with "with many more put on 60-day notice." We contacted NCsoft for an official comment and received the following reply: "In an effort to put a greater focus on the success of the Western-developed games from NCsoft, and the long-term services MMOs require, we announced a global restructuring to our Western publishing team. To optimize the streamlining efforts, limited functionality is moving to our headquarters in Seoul, and some publishing support has been reduced. As a result, there has been a reduction in force that has impacted less than 2 percent of our global workforce. We remain committed to fully support the development of games from ArenaNet, Carbine Studios and Paragon Studios." We'll keep you up to date on the situation as it develops and as we learn more.
WildStar design director Tim Cain joins Obsidian Entertainment
It would appear that Carbine Studios is down one great talent, as the studio's former Design Director, Fallout designer Tim Cain, has departed for greener pastures. The news was discovered via Cain's Linkedin account, confirming rumors of his departure that abounded over the summer. Greener pastures, in this case, means Obsidian Entertainment, which is perhaps best-known for Neverwinter Nights 2, Knights of The Old Republic 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. The studio is currently working on a game based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series. While it's unknown whether or not Cain will be returning to his old stomping grounds of the Fallout universe, it would be considerably apropos. As for Carbine, it remains to be seen who will replace Cain in the position of Design Director, but here's to hoping it's someone who can do justice to the promising sci-fi MMO.
WildStar Wednesday: The return of Metal Maw
A few weeks ago, the fine folks over at Carbine Studios posted the first WildStar Wednesday dev diary, which took fans through the process of creating a new WildStar creature. Well, it's that time once again, and this WildStar Wednesday features the return of the monstrous Metal Maw. Lead concept artist Andy Cotnam has handed off Metal Maw's design sketch to senior character artist Brandon Dix, who is charged with the task of modeling and texturing the beast. In the post, Dix takes fans through the process of creating a (virtually) living, breathing model of the new creature, from rough sculpture to rendered model. To take a look at the fascinating process for yourself, head on over to the WildStar Wednesday blog post at the game's official site.
WildStar gives players a taste of the sound of the world
It's hard not to find something familiar in WildStar's fusion of the wild west aesthetic with the exploration of an unfamiliar planet in deep space. That having been said, most people anticipating the game would likely find nothing to fault with that combination in terms of visuals. But what will the game sound like? That's what this week's WildStar Wednesday addresses, with a piece by Jeff Kurtenacker about composing the music you'll hear in-game. As Kurtenacker puts it, the biggest challenge as a composer is to create music that combines the game's diverse thematic points into a unified score, producing the right mixture of wonder, adventure, and a bit of old frontier exploration. But if all the technical discussion of composition is a bit beyond you, the post also includes two sample tracks from the game's soundtrack, a chance for players to get a sense of what to expect from the finished experience. The tracks are brief, but they're certainly the sort of thing that gets you in the mindset of the game -- and that's just what they're there for.
WildStar explores its Nexus
WildStar Wednesday is upon us, again! The team at Carbine Studios intends to give a weekly update for its upcoming MMO WildStar. Before finishing off part two of From Concept to Creature, Senior Community Manager Robert "Robeardo" Land decided to sidestep the creature aspect of the world and concentrate on the history of the WildStar central planet, appropriately named Nexus. Robeardo had to call on the talents of Narrative Designer Chad Moore to assist him in the developer blog. Moore explains that Nexus was once the home of the Eldan, an ancient, advanced race that disappeared from the galaxy over a thousand years ago, leaving behind all of its technology to rot. Part of the excitement for the player is exploring the planet and unearthing artifacts. Moore explains further: The rusting wrecks of giant robots lie half-buried in shifting desert sands, and strange and deadly alien creatures prowl in the shadows of extraordinary monolithic machines. And hidden among all of these wonders are the dark secrets of the Eldan themselves, and the answers to why they disappeared from planet Nexus so long ago. WildStar is locking in the explorer type of MMO player, and we at Massively will keep our eyes out to see if it hopes to hook the social, killer, and achiever types, too.
First WildStar Wednesday dev diary takes fans through creature creation
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first (of many, we hope) WildStar Wednesday. The magnificent Robert "Robeardo" Land and the fabulous Andy Cotnam from Carbine Studios have collaborated on a short dev diary to kick things off after WildStar's recent official announcement and convention circuit. The diary focuses on the creation of a WildStar boss by the name of Metal Maw. Metal Maw, for the uninitiated, was conceived at Gamescom during a live drawing session featuring Mr. Cotnam, with the help of some fan input. Now that the creature has been created, Cotnam takes fans through the process of bringing a boss monster from the page to the game. For the full process -- and some lovely concept art, to boot -- head on over to the official dev diary.
Massively's WildStar interview with Jeremy Gaffney
Now that Gamescom and PAX Prime are fading into memory, the rush of information we received on WildStar has slowed once more. But that certainly hasn't driven the game from anyone's memory, considering the unique visuals and gameplay previewed at both events. There are still a lot of questions to be asked about the game, and as the game is still fairly early in development, a lot of time for those questions to be answered... starting now. Jeremy Gaffney was kind enough to answer several of our questions about WildStar, giving us a look at the time Carbine Studios has spent on developing the game and what sort of gameplay we can expect when the game is available for everyone. Even beyond the already-previewed Path system, there's a great deal of interest for excited fans to see, so take a look past the break for our questions and Mr. Gaffney's answers.
WildStar preview: Have it your way
If I were to ask you how you like to play your MMORPGs, you'd probably describe a perplexing predilection for one of the genre's cookie-cutter classes: "Oh, I'm a Mage-guy, definitely." Though NCSoft and Carbine's recently announced MMO Wildstar will allow you to fill that (or any other) professional archetype, they're taking a broader look at that question, not asking what type of character you prefer to be in-game but what type of player you prefer to be. The PAX Prime demo of Wildstar showed off some interesting innovations on the MMO formula, like fast-paced combat and an active dodge system that rewards you with bonus XP for your deft avoidance. The most promising aspect of the game, however, is that very core tenet: Wildstar rewards you for playing the game how you choose to play it. %Gallery-130856%
PAX 2011: Massively's hands-on with WildStar
I'll confess, I didn't want to like WildStar. I was interested to hear that NCsoft and Carbine Studios would be unveiling a new MMO at Gamescom, so I took a look at the trailer as soon as it was released to see what it was all about. At my look of the wasp-waisted, big-eyed bunny girl with the crazy long tail, I rolled my eyes and dismissed the game as silly. For about 10 seconds. By the time I got to the end of the trailer, the self-deprecating sense of humor and quirky style had sucked me right in. I watched pretty carefully for more information and was eager to get a firsthand look at WildStar at this year's PAX Follow along after the jump to see what I found out.
PAX 2011: WildStar panel discusses playing with paths the Bartle way
Before Gamescom, WildStar was nothing more than a title without a hint of what the game would actually promise. But now that the game is being shown off, the combination of a unique aesthetic with a promise of uniquely focal gameplay has gotten a lot of people interested. The visuals, of course, have already been well-displayed by the trailers and preview shots, so this year's panel at PAX 2011 focused instead on the other half of the equation: the paths. The panel began with a brief viewing of the game's cinematic trailer to kick things off, followed by an explanation of the game's core design philosophy. As the team from Carbine Studios (Jeremy Gaffney, Eric DeMilt, and Mike Donatelli) put it, most games are built with a basic set of design assumptions that push players in a fixed direction determined by the designers. WildStar was built from the ground up to let players enjoy the game when they want to, with whomever they want, and most importantly however they want. The paths are the key to that system -- multiple overlaid playstyles that ensure you have your own play experience no matter what class or race you pick.
Massively's guide to PAX 2011
What can be said about PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington that hasn't been said already? Everyone knows that it is the largest public gaming event in North America. Attendance totaled 67,600 last year, not including press and exhibitors. And this year, even more gamers will descend on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The latest and greatest games -- released and unreleased -- will be available for public consumption. Developers will mill around the showroom floor, answering your questions. Not to mention that no one will look at you funny because you play video games! This year, MMORPGs really stand out in the crowd. Seattle native NCsoft has a huge presence at the convention, borrowing a theater just to showcase its games. BioWare comes armed with its heavy-hitter, Star Wars: The Old Republic. And free-to-play titles like Firefall, Lord of the Rings Online, and Wakfu promise to strut their stuff at this year's PAX. Punch past the break as Massively outlines the must-see booths for MMO fans. And don't forget the panels, including a couple of MMO spotlights for PAX Dev, the gathering of fans and developers at Sheraton Seattle Hotel on the 24th and 25th.
Gamescom wrapups for WildStar tease a few more nuggets of information
It remains to be seen what's going to come of it in the future, but WildStar certainly made an impressive showing during its debut at Gamescom 2011. Of course, outside of a trailer and some very early gameplay, potential players still know very little about the meat of how the game plays. But there are nuggets to be found in the wrap-up posts, a few interesting answers that should pique further interest in the upcoming title. The fact that the game will include PvP is almost a no-brainer, but the endgame has been stated to be diverse for all players. If you don't enjoy raiding, the game will still have a world story for players to explore and get engaged by. The world will feature both open areas and instances, as well, with a definite spread of different ways to ensure that players can experience the game with their friends. Last but not least, classes will be versatile and armor will be heavily customizable -- the game is being shaped to be something where each player can make his or her mark and have a unique look. If the game interests you, our own staffers will be getting a hands-on experience with WildStar on Friday.
The Daily Grind: What was the juiciest reveal at Gamescom?
Every summer, the Massively staff spends time lurching from con to con in a drunken haze of MMO reveals. And every summer, we mull over those reveals, mentally ranking each one for quality, practicality, guts, and comic-relief. Gamescom has provided another such opportunity. WildStar? 2007 called; it wants Tabula Rasa back. The Secret World in April? Ambitious. Otherland? About time. Huttball? Wait. Really? Huttball? Then again, we'll play just about anything. So you tell us: What would you deem the best reveal of Gamescom? 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!
Carbine releases WildStar gameplay video
After several weeks of curiosity and anticipation surrounding the new game from Carbine studios, the developers have started releasing information on WildStar in a big way. First there was a trailer, then details on the game's races and classes, and today Carbine has released eight minutes of gameplay footage. Don't let the cartoony graphics and curvaceous bunny-girls fool you -- the gameplay shows dynamic, fairly mobile combat and impressive environments along with a few surprises here and there. Jump past the cut to see it for yourself, and if you want to see even more, keep an eye out for Massively's hands-on impressions of WildStar next week at PAX!
Gamescom 2011: WildStar reveals first three races and classes
After yesterday's unveiling of Carbine Studio's colorful entry into the MMO races, we've been understandably curious about this WildStar and could have s'more, please? Fortunately, a fan site has dug out some details about three of the game's races and classes, all of which can be seen in the hilarious trailer that Carbine released. On the racial side, players have the Granok, Human and Aurin to choose from. The Granok are hulking, cigar-chomping slabs of rage, the Humans are exiles looking for a new home, and the Aurin are cute bunny-people who must go through Q-tips like mad. As for classes, players who prefer to get up close and personal with their enemies would do well to choose the Warrior, who boasts a number of strong tech and melee attacks, which are powered by fuel cells and adrenaline, respectively. Spellslingers use a pair of special pistols to stay on top of ranged damage, relying on a balanced rotation of magic and gunplay to keep up with DPS. And finally there's the Esper, your standard Mage class, who uses psychic spells like Telekenetic Strike to do massive damage to helpless enemies. There are reportedly more classes and races than just these, and we'll keep our eyes on Carbine as more details pour out about this promising title.
NCsoft announces new MMO: WildStar [Updated]
In addition to the Guild Wars 2 PvP news we heard this morning, NCsoft dropped another news bomb regarding the announcement of its newest MMO venture, titled WildStar. Developed by Carbine studios, WildStar is a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid MMO of "high adventure" in which players "lay claim to a mysterious planet on the edge of known space" by playing as Explorers, Soldiers, Scientists, or Settlers. Through a feature known as Momentum Mechanics, players can immerse themselves in a world that actually responds to choices made throughout the game. "Depending on a combination of faction, race, class and path," a press release states, "WildStar will present gamers with unending surprises, mini-quests and challenges, ensuring that their experiences are fun and fresh." We'll keep our eyes on any further developments with Wildstar, including news of the playable demo at Gamescom. [Update: We now have a complete gallery of screenshots and concept art below and the cinematic trailer after the jump.]%Gallery-130867%
WildStar is new MMO from Carbine Studios, NCsoft
NCsoft's long in development MMO by Carbine Studios has finally been revealed: WildStar. Being shown for the first time during Gamescom, the cartoony yet stylish MMO features grand vistas and tight spaces with humorous moments. We get a total Firefly vibe, with that type of grand adventure meets Whedon humor. The game is currently pre-alpha with no release announcement available. If NCsoft keeps with current tradition, it won't announce a date until "it's ready." However, the game is playable on the Gamescom show floor. More details to follow. %Gallery-130856%
Massively's guide to Gamescom 2011
If you've never been to Gamescom before, let's simply put it this way: It's big. Really, really big. Forget most any convention you've attended; this is likely to be even bigger. Billing itself as the world's largest games event, Gamescom sees well over a quarter-million fans, journalists and exhibitors crowd into the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany to check out hundreds of games and companies. Due to its size and worldwide prominence, Gamescom is a significant event for anyone following the MMO genre (and video games in general). There are plenty of MMO studios gearing up to share first looks, exclusive reveals, detailed Q&A sessions, and exciting hands-on demos for attendees. Naturally, Massively will be paying close attention to all of the news coming out of Gamescom this week. For those attending the convention or merely looking to keep abreast of all of the games, studios, and information forthcoming, we've compiled a guide to the hottest tickets at Gamescom as well as a comprehensive exhibitor list of MMO studios after the break.
