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Twitter WoW Developer Chat: Transcript
Starting at 6:00 p.m. EDT, 5:00 p.m. CDT, 3:00 p.m. PDT we'll be liveblogging the Twitter developer chat that's going on with WoW's Director of Production and Game Director. We're seeing how this goes. We know a lot of you don't use Twitter, and that many places of business block Twitter. If this twitter-induced liveblog goes well for us, we'll do it again during future Twitter chats. If not, we won't! Enjoy it now either way. Update: Chat over! The transcript of the liveblog after the break. We'll do a review of this tomorrow, talking about our thoughts concerning the event overall. After you read the transcript you'll likely come to the same conclusion we did: Save for a couple items nothing new was really presented. There was a lot of fluff and very little substance.
Cryptic's Steve Nix explains character progression in Star Trek Online
The next Cryptic Studios MMO Star Trek Online should be an interesting mix of avatar 'away mission' gameplay with the ship-based combat that existing sci-fi titles like EVE Online offer, as well as what's on the way with Jumpgate Evolution and Black Prophecy. We'd mentioned that the STO devs would be answering questions from Star Trek fans for their dev chat yesterday. If you missed it, however, you can still read the transcript on the official Star Trek Online forums. Cryptic Systems Designer Steve Nix (aka "Snix") was on hand to field questions from the fans about player progression in Star Trek Online. Snix discussed a number of aspects of how players will interact and progress, from race selection/Species Traits that allow for character customization beyond aesthetics to STO's take on a sidekick system, which will allow for grouping of players at different levels. He also mentioned some of the tactics involved with avatar ground combat as well. If you're following the development of Star Trek Online, be sure to check out what Cryptic's Steve Nix revealed about the upcoming title in the latest dev chat transcript.
Star Trek Online: Ask Cryptic continues with player progression theme
Today's dev chat in Star Trek Online was all about player progression, but the STO team seems to be getting a jump on things, since yesterday's Ask Cryptic was all about...yep, player progression. (This is actually part two, with previous questions on the same subject being answered in last month's Ask Cryptic.)This round of questions covered several topics including a brief overview of endgame material, and repeating missions to help other players. A discussion of Bridge Officers gave a bit more information on how their skills, traits, and abilities will work together to bring a potentially wide variety of talent to your ship. Yes, your ship -- an aspect of the game that's sparked a great amount of interest and questions. One question addressed the advantages and disadvantages of different tiers, leading to some explanation of the ship categories and the progression through them. This month's Ask Cryptic served as a great lead-in to the dev chat, and is well worth the read. It can be viewed on the official site.
Champions Online devchat Thursday: Blood Moon
There is a lot of excitement about the upcoming Blood Moon event in Champions Online, and we've seen enough information this month to make us very anxious for the 27th. We're about to get more, and this time it's all about what you want to know. This Thursday's Champions Online devchat will be all about Blood Moon: zombies and brains, werewolves and hunters. The majority of the questions will be pulled from the devchat question thread in the forums, so if you've got one, that's the place to ask it. (As one forum poster pointed out, it wouldn't be the worst idea to check out the Blood Moon wiki first and see what's already been answered.) If your forum question doesn't get answered during the chat, you'll have a second chance when they open it up to questions from the audience at the end.The devchat will be this Thursday (the 22nd) in their IRC chatroom at 4:30 PM PDT. Enjoy!
Star Trek Online player progression dev chat October 20th
If you've got any additional questions on player progression in Star Trek Online, Cryptic will be holding a 30 minute dev chat next Tuesday, October 20, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time. The topic's been covered previously -- particularly in the ongoing Ask Cryptic feature -- but as always the developer is more than happy to open itself to follow-up questions from the community.There's a Java client you can access from the web right here, just make sure to type "/join #STO" in the text input field. If you've got IRC, simply point it at #STO on coldfront.net and you're in business. Also, anyone who'd like their question answered but can't make it should post it in this official thread on the Star Trek Online forums. Cryptic will be selecting questions from there as well.We hope you guys have questions, because we're kinda stumped on anything but Klingon specific stuff, which we're sure they're not going to answer right now.
More details on STO progression and Quarks bar
Ship tiers and player progression were the topics of this week's dev chat for Star Trek Online and it yielded some pretty good results. Most of the new information clarifies some of the areas we were fuzzy on up until now. The piece of news we were super happy to see was the confirmation of DS9 and Quarks bar being in the game. Mmm, space gambling. Getting to progression -- and away from gold pressed latinum -- the rate at which a player gains Bridge Officers should ensure that they always have enough to outfit any ship they're using. We also know that BOs get their own pool of skill points as you complete missions. Additionally, anyone worrying about 'nerfing' themselves as they level shouldn't have to, because the BOs a player brings on a ship will help balance out any missing essential skills for a ship type. That being said, a science captain will always excel the most on a science vessel -- the system merely ensures that anyone can sufficiently fill a role if need be. There's plenty more in the transcript itself and we recommend anyone interested in Star Trek Online give it a look.
Upcoming Champions Online dev chat to focus on the Hero Games
We do a lot of talking on this site (readers included) about things that could be changed or improved in the games we play, and Champions Online has been the subject of these discussions perhaps more than any other title in recent times. While some of our collective feedback must get back to the Cryptic Studios developers, one of the best ways to get through to them is by participating in their dev chats. There is one coming up at 4PM PDT this Thursday, October 8th, and the topic du jour will be the "Hero Games" PvP arenas.The main way that the devs will be taking questions is through this forum thread. They plan to go through as many of the questions posted there as they can, but the audience will get a chance to ask some follow-ups or extra questions at the end too. The IRC channel is #championsonline at irc.coldfront.net, or if you don't want to use an IRC client, there is a Java chat client available as well. So, if you think the Hero Games in Champions Online could be improved somehow, get a few questions ready (remember, the questions thread on the forums gives the highest chance of them being answered) and let your voice be heard this Thursday.
Skill and ship progression covered in new STO dev chat
The latest Star Trek Online dev chat was expectedly focused on the skill-based progression system revealed in last week's Ask Cryptic. A particularly interesting answer revealed that although it's possible to eventually earn all the space skills in the game, your ship equipment and bridge officer selection will be a determining factor. Since ground combat is focused around your skill kit, which is based off your career choice, it's restricted by class.We also learned that advancing in rank earns players the right to newer, larger ships. When hitting a new rank, Starfleet will grant one free vessel, but the acquisition of other vessels within that new type will require merit. Knowing that puts us at ease, because we're sure that once Starfleet gets a load of our captaining abilities, they'll have no choice but to give us a trillion merit on the spot.
Star Trek Online developers discuss Away Team game mechanics
Cryptic's upcoming Star Trek Online is boldly going where numerous Star Trek PC games have failed before. Only now, for the first time, the Star Trek IP meets massively multiplayer online games, and we're hoping that Cryptic Studios will release a solid sci-fi title that balances Trekkie canon bliss with gameplay that keeps MMO fans happy. A number of Star Trek fans following along with STO's development clearly have high hopes for the game, and so do we at Massively. What's also unique about Star Trek Online is that it's one of the few sci-fi MMOs that has both starship combat and terrestrial gameplay. Of course, there are many questions that remain about Star Trek Online, particularly when it comes to beaming down to the surface of planets. Have you ever wondered about when you beam down with your Away Team, if you'll visit the planets that are prominent in Star Trek canon, or will these be new worlds? For that matter, will your starship be left defenseless without you there on the bridge? And if you do Away Missions only with other player characters, will your Bridge Officers still level up with you?
Star Trek Online IRC dev chat tomorrow, August 12th
Tomorrow marks another Star Trek Online IRC dev chat, which is scheduled to being at 11:30am Pacific Standard Time and will last 30 minutes. The chat will focus on the recent Ask Cryptic, which was all about ground combat, firing your lasers and guys in big rubber monster suits. Okay, so maybe we made that last part up, but it felt right. Anyhow, if you've still got some burning questions after reading that recent Ask Cryptic, feel free to head over to #STO on coldfront.net or access the chat via the web-based java client -- just make sure to type "/join #STO" in the text field.Thankfully, Cryptic realizes that not everyone will be able to make it to the chat. So if you can't, just head over to this ongoing thread and toss your question into the pile. It's a sure bet there'll be a transcript shortly after the chat ends.
Champions Online dev chat answers questions from the fans
The superhero MMO Champions Online is slated for a launch very soon, right around the corner in September. Cryptic Studios has continued to hold dev chats leading up to the game's release, which can be a good source of info about Champions Online, particularly if you haven't had a chance to check out the game's beta tests. The latest dev chat let the Champions fan base pose questions to the developers, including Lead Designer Randy Mosiondz and Reward Systems Designer Cormac Russell, among other devs working on the game. The dev chat addressed a range of questions and concerns, such as what Champions Online will bring to MMORPGs and the superhero game genre that we don't already have. The title's creators also explained the extent of Champions Online's crafting system, including how players will be able to craft Techniques, essentially items that impart abilities. There's also plenty more about unlockable costumes and how the game is designed to prevent players from creating (overly) godlike custom Power Frameworks. You can check out what the Cryptic devs have to say about Champions Online over on the game's official forums.
Star Trek Online dev chat explains ship classes and configurations
Star Trek Online is a game that's being built upon one of the most popular sci-fi IPs of all time. As such, gamers have certain expectations of the title, particularly when it comes to the ships they'll be flying. As with the Star Trek films and shows, the game will stick to certain ship classes and configurations, but the developers at Cryptic Studios also need to allow for customization within that system -- everyone wants to fly something that's unique in some way. Something that's their own. This customization was the theme of a recent Star Trek Online dev chat with executive producer Craig Zinkievich. Ships in Star Trek Online will have defined purposes, with Escort (cannons, heavy attack rating), Cruiser (general purpose, large crew), and Science vessels (emphasis on deflector dish 'powers') to be in the game at launch. Of course, you'll be able to modify them in various ways. The producer explains that the customization options won't allow players to drastically alter the look or silhouette of any of the ship classes from Star Trek canon, but you'll definitely have options within your chosen configuration.
Fallen Earth dev chat answers barrage of player questions
We don't know about you, but we can feel the era of post-apocalyptic and sci-fi MMOs fast approaching. Definitely on our 'ones to watch' list is Fallen Earth, currently in development at Fallen Earth LLC (formerly known as Icarus Studios). We mentioned the other day that the Fallen Earth devs would participate in a live Stratics 'House of Commons' dev chat, and among the five Fallen Earth team members on-hand was lead game designer Lee Hammock. The Fallen Earth devs responded to a blitz of questions from the game's future players in the Stratics dev chat, ranging from the benefits of capturing 'conflict towns' in PvP to mounted combat on horses and vehicles. In addition, Lee Hammock stated that game play videos should be released at some point in the next few weeks, and more info about the game will be coming out in tandem with this month's Game Developers Conference.Be sure to check out the Stratics House of Commons chat transcript for more on the kind of game Fallen Earth is shaping up to be.
Transcript of the LotRO March 11 dev chat mentions In Harm's Way nerf
The folks over at LotRO Follower have posted the transcript from the March 11 Lord of the Rings Online dev chat at Stratics. Floon, LotRO's Art Director; Amlug, an instance designer; Sapience, a Community Manager at Turbine; Jalessa, a Turbine regular; and Rowan, LoTRO's Live Producer, were all in attendance. The group covered a lot of ground, but one question that kept popping up was about the In Harm's Way nerf. In Harm's Way is a Captain skill that until last month redirected all damage the Captains group took to the Captain; it now only redirects 50 percent of any damage the group takes. The change forced most raiding guilds to rethink their strategy and has bred a lot of discord on the LotRO official forums. Jalessa tackled the issue first, and said, "There were cases where the In Harms Way skill was being used with other skills that trivialized or completely negated content in the game. Our content team did not have any reasonable way to address this - doing so on their end would have meant a severe reduction in the amount of content they could produce over time, due to having to compensate for every 'scenario' that would occur. ... We do not believe there is a place in the game for a 100% fellowship wide damage bubble at this time, so we changed the skill. " Check out the rest of the LotRO dev chat transcript at LotRO Follower.
Upcoming chat with the Fallen Earth devs
There's one thing you really can't deny - the MMO genre has sorely needed some shiny new post-apocalyptic titles for some time now. Thankfully it looks like Fallen Earth's development is proceeding at a solid pace. With any luck we'll be able to jump in and get our post-apocalyptic warfare on before too long. As a way of working with the community to ensure that Fallen Earth is as solid they can possibly make it, the developers from Icarus Studios have been scheduling play-dates with the beta testers, followed by an open chat on Stratics for everyone who is curious - tester and non-tester alike. This month's chat, going on tomorrow at 9:00 PM EDT, should prove to be highly interesting, as not only will there be several developers on hand, but there's been talk of some swag (and beta keys) to be handed out as well! You can get all the details over on the Fallen Earth forums if you're interested in checking out more on this upcoming MMO. [via WarCry]
The Daily Grind: Do you attend developer chats?
Developer chats. For some, it's a great way to reach out into the community and see what the pulse of things is at that given moment. For others, it's just a chance to spread the word on what's going on in their games - or with their upcoming game. The question is really, how far do they reach? Are they as broadly appealing as some feel they are? This morning, we thought we'd take a representative sampling of gamers by asking you - do you attend developer chats - either online or in person? Will you only attend them if, say, you're already attending a convention like BlizzCon? Are you a hardcore developer chat junkie, and can tell people what's coming up on Stratics well into the future? Are you kind of middle of the road - you'll catch them here and there, but only when it's your absolute favorite game, and again, only when it's at a convenient time for you? Or are you wondering what the heck we're going on about, what a 'dev chat' is, and would instead prefer that we get the hell off your lawn?
Join the Jumpgate Evolution developer chat this Tuesday, February 24th
If you happen to have some Jumpgate Evolution questions burning in your brain, then next Tuesday on February 24th we recommend that you join in a developer chat over on Stratics. The actual chat will be held via IRC, which you can find a handy-dandy guide to right here in case you're not overly familiar with the application. For everyone else, here's a list of equally handy, as well as dandy, servers to join: irc.glowfish.de EU - Germany 6667 6668 stratics.frws.com USA - Colorado 6667 6668 7000 stratics.afraidyet.net USA - Texas 6667 6668 irc.gamers-irc.org USA - Colorado 6667 6668 7000 We'll be following up on any transcipts that hit the net afterwords, so if for some reason you're unable to make it (or IRC boggles your mind) you can still partake in new Jumpgate Evolution information as you see fit.
Huge Lands of the Dead update via WAR/Eurogamer dev chat
Eurogamer just hosted a live dev chat with Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online staff. Present in this conversation were Executive Producer Jeff Hickman, Senior Creative Director Paul Barnett, Senior Designer (careers) Rob Hinkle, and Live Producer Destin Bales.Mythic staff elaborated on many parts of their game and business from launching in new countries, to the new Slayer and Choppa careers, and balance. Perhaps the biggest reveal was a plethora of new information about Lands of the Dead. They spilled the beans on a number of interesting details, including a live event leading up to LotD that will essentially be a huge Order vs. Destruction battle for who can gain early and exclusive access to the dungeon (for a limited time). This "RvR-gated ultimate sandbox" zone is expected to change hands nightly and will have content for smaller group sizes up to that of a warband (24 players). Paul Barnett elaborated on some similar mechanics to Darkness Falls from DAOC by saying LotD will have, "tokens, other loot methods, a wide level range, and the thrill of your enemy always breathing down your back."Do yourself a favour and check out the entire dev chat log because there are so many more details than this!
Chat with the Fallen Earth devs on February 12th
Next month's usual dev chat with the Fallen Earth devs will take place on Thursday, February 12th, 2009. This is an ongoing schedule of chats that have been going on for a few months now, where Alpha participants get to interact through in-game events, and other fans of the game get to chat live with the devs through Stratics.This time around, the in-game event will take place at 1pm EST and involve a team-based takeover of New Gallows, one of the conflict towns in Sector Two. Later that day, at 9pm EST, anyone can join in a live dev chat where the topic will be anything goes with Fallen Earth. The devs attending this one will be Alec Masters, RandomTask, Funslayer, Dst3d, Circatrix, Tiggs, Morgana and Quisno. If you've been following along on their "Meet the Team" features, you probably have a good sense of who these people are already. If not, this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know them (and the game) better.
Earthrise dev chat discusses beta and first in-game video dates
For anyone who missed it, the guys over at MMORPG.com have posted the transcript from last Saturday's Earthrise dev chat. The two big pieces of information to come out of the talks were beta start and in-game video dates -- both of which seem to be happening around GDC09 or sometime shortly after the end of March. Although other topics were discussed, such as weapon customization and the issue of having no friendly-fire in PvP combat.In fact, that last question came up twice during the chat, with players wondering how PvP zerg tactics were going to be dealt with by the developer. The general answer was that it will be looked into during the beta testing phase and dealt with then. If there's one thing we've learned from past experiences, it's that players will go to immense lengths to break a balanced system. To that end, we wish developer Masthead Studios the best of luck in balancing this particular issue, as they're probably going to need it.
