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Lord of the Rings fan film to screen at GenCon and DragonCon
Tolkien fans are many, but few have the opportunity to see their creative works honoring Lord of the Rings presented before large audiences. One lucky group of fans will have just that. The fan film The Fellows Hip will be screened at GenCon in Indianapolis this year. Fans can catch the movie on Friday, August 17th, at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the Westin Grand Ballroom IV and Saturday, August 18th, at 9:30 p.m. EDT in the Westin Grand Ballroom V. Folks who miss these showings can also watch the film at DragonCon or even this weekend's Return of the Ring celebration in the UK. In the film, a fellowship of four gamers embarks on their own epic journey to fight injustice, right a wrong, expose evil, and possibly even conquer at a Lord of the Rings Online gaming competition. While noting that the film does include parody, the creators emphasize that the film is an homage to Tolkien's great works, one that combines their love of LOTR with their love of MMO gaming. Watch as a black rider makes the heroes dive for cover in the teaser trailer after the cut. And to learn more about the film, be sure to read Massively's interview with the creators.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Happy half-birthday, RIFT!
It's hard to believe -- but amazing nevertheless -- that RIFT is almost a half-year old. Six months ago, hundreds of thousands of gamers rushed through the gates to become the first to explore Telara, included me, and we were introduced to what's become one of the most dominating MMOs of the year. Following this smooth release (and it was smooth), Trion Worlds set a remarkable standard for itself by pumping out meaty content updates at a steady, rapid pace and marketing RIFT out the wazoo. We've already witnessed two live events, numerous subscription specials, the addition of a ginormous raid, and my not having hit 50 yet -- to my eternal embarrassment. Of course, there have been bumps in the road as well: a lackluster initial world event, a segment of disgruntled players and opponents, and the looming specter of several heavy-hitting MMOs waiting in the wings. But for right here and right now, this is Trion's time, and the company is taking advantage of this half-year milestone to light the fireworks and lay out the good china in celebration. We got on the phone with Scott Hartsman and his Justice League to talk about what the studio has up its sleeves for this event -- and what's next for this rapidly expanding title.
Storybricks: Opening the Pandora's box of MMO design
"I could make a better game than this!" At one point or another, we've all said this, usually in disgust after we've become fed up with another tired MMO trope or lazy quest design. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the good fortune to work for a major game studio and thus will never see our brilliant ideas come to fruition. Except that this may no longer be true. Enter Namaste Entertainment's Storybricks, a bold and intriguing concept aimed at putting game design in the hands of Joe and Jane Gamer. Namaste is a small startup that began in 2010 when its team members got tired of derivative titles and mechanics in the industry. Storybricks is the team's first project, and while it's still in its infancy, it's already started to capture the imaginations -- and excitement -- of gamers everywhere. At this past week's GenCon, I caught up with Brian "Psychochild" Green and the rest of the Namaste crew as they publicly demoed Storybricks to the gaming crowd. Hit the jump as we look at why this program may just be the answer to a question you've never fully asked.
The Daily Grind: What pen-and-paper RPG would make a great MMO?
This weekend thousands of gamers and geeks are descending on Indianapolis for GenCon Indy. Over four days, countless board, card, LARP and RPG games will be played, merchandise purchased in mass quantities, and new friendships formed. GenCon's always been a good reminder that we MMO fans have roots in a much larger community of gamers, and that our interests often converge in unexpected ways. For all of the MMOs we have, there are even more pen-and-paper roleplaying games out there, some of which might just make a good online game if put into the right hands. So how about it? What tabletop RPG would make a good MMO -- and for kicks, what studio would you want handling it? 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!
Cryptozoic and the WoW TCG at Gen Con 2011
From Aug. 4 through Aug. 7, Cryptozoic Entertainment will be hosting the Darkmoon Faire Indianapolis at Gen Con Indianapolis 2011. Players can check out the newest WoW TCG sets, learn from the Cryptozoic pros, compete in a beginner's tournament, and challenge Alexstrasza to become a Dragonslayer. Class starter decks for the WoW TCG will also be on sale at a discount at Gen Con and you can check out board game demos as well. If you're going to be at Gen Con Indianapolis 2011, check out Cryptozoic and the WoW TCG at booth #1749. Cryptozoic loves to teach the WoW TCG to new players and is really welcoming when it comes to learning about the game. You'll have a blast. See if you can try out the Assault on Icecrown Citadel four-player game while you're there. Our own Mike Sacco loved it.
Buffing for BlizzCon: No pigging out at the Great Feast
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010. There are two words that can seriously take the shine off of anyone's efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle: "I can't." The minute you start saying that, you start stacking up the frustration debuff, which almost invariably leads to some kind of indulgent meltdown that can cause a huge setback or completely derail all the good work you've done. We want to feel good about the choices we are making, and most people don't feel good when they say the words, "I can't." ... Unless, you know, they are responding to a question like, "Can you stick this razor-sharp sword into your eye?" That question, fortunately, doesn't come up much in polite conversation. One that does, however: "Would you like to go out to eat?" Ah, yes. Our old nemesis, the restaurant. I've written in the past about how it's easier to eat at a restaurant after some advance research to find the good choices on the menu -- but what if it's a spontaneous outing or the restaurant doesn't have any obviously good choices? What if you don't know where you're going before you get there, or the restaurant doesn't have its menu available online? There are a lot of factors that can make dining out a challenge when you're trying to watch your caloric intake, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid those situations altogether. There are several tricks you can stash up your sleeve to keep the "I can't" debuff at bay and enjoy your meal without taking too much damage in the process.
Rumor: Atari close to announcing a Neverwinter Nights MMO
If you're getting a strong sense of deja vu at the title up above, we can't blame you -- after all, we've been covering this supposed MMO announcement for a couple years now. However, a pair of recent developments have led us to believe that Atari is on the verge of announcing the long-anticipated Neverwinter Nights MMO. The first piece of concrete news is a brief statement from the recent GenCon Indy, where Critical-Hits.com went to a D&D products seminar and heard the representatives state that Atari has an upcoming D&D video game. Unfortunately, they were unable to obtain any further information about it at the convention. Following up on this statement, Superannuation did a bit of digging and discovered that Atari recently purchased a slew of domain names, including visitneverwinter.com, playneverwinter.com and neverwintergame.com. Add these facts together with the promised announcement of Cryptic's new MMO this summer, and we could be hearing official confirmation of a Neverwinter Nights MMO any day now. Stay tuned!
GenCon 2010: Fantasy fencing with 38 Studios
One thing is for certain: When you are sitting in the crosshairs of Curt Schilling and R.A. Salvatore during an interview, it's easy to become bowled over by their collective intensity and passion, especially when it comes to their interest in games and fantasy worlds. While GenCon Indy lacked its usual MMORPG presence this year, Massively was able to grab a few minutes of face time with 38 Studios' founder and lead writer as they passed through the convention. It was a bit of an odd interview, however, as two of the biggest topics -- 38 Studios' move to Rhode Island and any solid details about their top-secret MMO -- were off the table for discussion. Do not fret, as that certainly didn't stop us from trying to pry for a few hints along the way. Schilling and Salvatore were obviously eager to spill the beans about Copernicus, but they are still biding their time until the right moment. Happily, the duo didn't mind us fencing with them for facts, and were quite open about their single-player RPG lead-up to Copernicus, their general philosophy of designing the MMO, and why they've waited so long to unveil it to the public. Read on, gentle gamers, for a few ripostes, parries and lunges with two of the biggest figures in the industry right now.
Buffing for BlizzCon: The Convention Challenge
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010. BlizzCon is still three months away, but convention season is in full swing. The San Diego Comic-Con ended a few days ago, and in the seemingly endless days that stretch out between now and Blizzardpalooza, there are several huge conventions that may be occupying your time. I'll be leaving next week for Gen Con, and a month after that you'll be able to find Rafe and me (along with a large handful of staffers from Massively) at Dragon*Con. I often wonder if we geeks have not subconsciously scheduled some of the biggest conventions of the year over the summer months as a result of the countless dull hours in our youth because we didn't appreciate the "traditional" summer activities. Whatever the reason, though, this is the time of the year when it's truly grand to be a geek. It is not, however, such a grand time if you are trying to make healthy dining choices.
E3 2010: Interview with Warhammer 40K's Mark Downie
Let's face it: At E3, every studio, game and gadget struggles to be the talk of the show, but there's just so much going on that most exhibits and demos get lost in the noise. Therefore, when buzz erupts to eclipse the noise, it behooves the gamer to sit up and take notice. Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online is buzzing strong right now, like thousands of armored, heretic-hunting space bees, especially after revealing the trailer earlier this week. With the previously secretive MMO out in the open, fans are hungry for any and all details about this entry in the beloved 40k franchise. Fortunately, Massively made fast friends with Vigil's Mark Downie, who was more than happy to spill the space beans about the look of the game, faithfulness to the IP and Warhammer 40k's release window. Buckle up, engage thrusters and hit the jump for the full conversation.
The Daily Grind: Are you looking forward to any gaming conventions?
August and September are notoriously known as the months of gaming conventions, and ultimately, two months where we're pretty busy reporting announcements and general event coverage. We have both GamesCom and GamesCon (yes, confusing), GenCon, BlizzCon, GDC Austin, PAX, Tokyo Game Show and Dragon*Con to think about. Plus, there are countless smaller cons all around the world celebrating the gaming and general geek culture.So which conventions are you most looking forward to in the coming months? Since we already have plans to attend a few of these conventions, we're curious to know which ones our readers see as the most important to them. Let us know your annual favorites that you usually attend, plan to attend for the first time or simply want to hear more about.
A Star Trek Online interview about time travel and travel time
We've said before that the main source of information on Star Trek Online at this point is hints and implications peppered through interviews with Cryptic Studios' Jack Emmert. The latest of those interviews is lighter on details than were previous conversations, but it's still worth a read.Speaking to Ten Ton Hammer at Gen Con, Emmert started out vaguely answering questions about character customization. Nothing new there. But it got a bit more interesting when he used time travel as an example of something pivotal to the franchise, but that's made difficult to implement by technological and budgetary limitations. He spoke as if he'd already given a great deal of thought to it; perhaps that's a clue that despite the problems, time travel is something Cryptic intends to put in the game.Other topics included the uniqueness of Star Trek ship design, instancing, procedurally-generated areas for exploration, and travel time.
Gen Con 08: Turbine tells us what's in store for Asheron's Call
At Gen Con, we spoke with Turbine's Andy Cataldo, the Community Manager for Asheron's Call, about the future of this historic game. Cataldo told us a lot about AC's epic 100th update. The update is coming within the next few weeks, and it's a doozy. According to Cataldo, AC players will get a whole new faction system, three land areas to battle over, tons of new loot and spells, and various other improvements to the game, particularly to enemy AI.In addition to working its regular monthly event and patch schedule, Turbine is attempting to respond to player demand for a variety of new features in the 100th and all future updates. Particular emphasis is being placed on adding features common in modern MMOs, such as a quest tracking menu. AC has been around for almost ten years, so it has some catching up to do!Learn more about Turbine's big push to modernize the game, add lots of new content, and more in the interview after the break.
Gen Con 08: Turbine tells us what's in store for AC, Part 2
Given that the game has been around for so long, do you see this addition of modern MMO features as something that the player base is really clamoring for, or are you sort of scaling that against what other games have right now?Really, it's what the players are asking for. That's one of the things we pride ourselves on: listening to the players. Feedback and player concerns are very important to us.
Four Champions Online gameplay videos surface
Fans of Champions Online are getting their first hands-on time with the game at GenCon Indy this year. The superhero MMO is finally being shown openly to the public, which means a fan by the name of ikky68 was able to take plenty of gameplay footage without being melted holy grail-style by Jack Emmert's laser eyes. There are four videos in total and they're each anywhere between two to five minutes long, so we hope you've got a little time to kill. Each of the videos features a different person playing a different character, which means a good amount of variety to each play-through of the demo Cryptic is showing off this weekend. We have to say, the game is looking pretty good -- even through shaky-cam goggles. We loved being able to finally seeing the Snake Gulch robotic cowboy mobs that the players are pummeling. Thankfully, it's very apparent that Cryptic's style of slightly tongue-in-cheek enemy design is fully intact. There's just something about that little bit of cheese that makes our superhero weekend excursions all the more enjoyable. Check out all four videos below the cut!
Massively catches up with Dungeons and Dragons Online at Gen Con
Gen Con is rolling along this weekend in Indianapolis, and Turbine is there showing off their upcoming release of Module 8 in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Massively dropped in on their show floor booth to see what they had to see and chat about the brand new character creation system coming to the game, as well as upcoming enhancements, including an increased level cap and maybe even a chance to see Khorvaire in DDO.Our interview and demo starts after the break, and you can check out the pictures we got of the new content in the gallery below. Good things ahead for D&D fans, especially new players to the game. %Gallery-29742%
Turbine party at GenCon Indy
It's always exciting to hear when dev companies find a way to casually mingle with their communities at gaming expos, more than just sitting behind a booth or at a panel talking and answering questions. Since August is somehow designated as the month for gaming conventions, we are overwhelmed by the after-party announcements popping up for next month's expos.Turbine joins the fray with a recent announcement about their GenCon after-party. It will be held at Jillians in Indianapolis, IN from 8-10PM on Friday, August 15th. You will have the opportunity to meet Eldorudo, Tolero, Patience, Kate Paiz and more from the Turbine team. There will also be food, games, fun and swag for all in attendance. They'd like anyone planning on attending to RSVP for a proper headcount.
Jack Emmert named as GenCon industry guest of honor
Jack 'Statesman Jackalope' Emmert is to be one of the Industry Guests of Honor at GenCon, to be held Aug. 14-17 in Indianapolis. Best known for his work on City of Heroes, in which he took over from original lead designer Rick Dakan, Jack is now the chief creative officer in the Cryptic team working on Champions Online.Jack Emmert is definitely qualified to speak about iterative game design, as the City of Heroes design process featured no small number of clinkers that were identified as such by the player base, despite looking good at the design stage. Jack's self-deprecatingly frank about his early mistakes, and explains how he's learned from them: 'We assumed a player would get the mission, go into the instance, realize that he was facing a "boss," leave the mission, find a friend, and then tackle the "boss" together. I was pretty darn naïve back then.' Jack's willingness to engage with the player base had the unfortunate secondary effect of giving dissatisfied players an articulate target for their frustration. Even now, Jack is still remembered in some quarters as a sort of uber-bogeyman armed with a colossal nerf bat.
The Daily Grind: Planning to attend any conventions?
Tis the season to be traveling! As the summer ramps up, more and more companies are planning different outings and fan events. Blizzard has announced that not only will they have their (now sold-out) Worldwide Invitational in Paris, but also will be hosting another Blizzcon this October. Sony Online Entertainment has announced the next in a long line of highly successful Fan Faires coming to Vegas this August. CCP is expected to host yet another "party at the top of the world" as their EVE Online fan fair returns this year. Funcom will have a great showing as part of the MMO track at Dragon*Con where they've been partying with fans for years. And who can forget all the gaming goodness that goes on at PAX, GenCon, and other related conventions happening all around the world! For today's Daily Grind, we thought we'd ask you what kind of plans you have for traveling this year? Are there any conventions that are absolutely must-see events for you? Which events, if any, are you excited to check out? And if it's a general event like Dragon*Con or PAX, what are your "must see" games while you're there?
Breakfast Topic: Convention chaos
We are just about to hit full steam on the convention season, and Blizzard isn't taking any time off this year. Not only did we hear about BlizzCon on Monday, but we already knew that WWI was going to happen in Paris, and then learned that Rob Pardo would be visiting the Paris GDC. And while Blizzard may not be officially a presence at other cons this summer, their presence is going to be felt for sure -- PAX, GenCon, or DragonCon, whereever there are gamers together, there is WoW. So where are you going to be? Planning on visiting any cons this year? I won't say it's hassle-free -- the crowds, lines, and just plain costs of these things tend to make me avoid them, especially right after I've been to visit one. But then again, every year around this time I start to get excited about maybe going to them again, and while I have no idea what my plans are right now, I can tell you for sure that WoW Insider will have a presence at all kinds of conventions this year. What about you?
