gm
Latest
Warhammer Online NDA lifts tomorrow (August 19th)
The Warhammer Online NDA is expected to lift tomorrow, according to Mark Jacobs, GM of Mythic Entertainment. The announcement has popped up in a few places, but the message is clear: the NDA is lifting. Jacobs' announcement also touched upon why they're running the Open Beta as they are and early client downloads, but it's the NDA lift that seems to be catching most everyone's attention. Jacobs said, "We expect to lift it tomorrow morning. I was hoping it was going to be today but I wanted to wait till I got the beta reports from the weekend and we just didn't have enough time to get everything coordinated with our partners in order for the press release to go out today." Jacobs also stated that he'll explain the reasons for the delayed NDA release tomorrow. WAR bloggers everywhere are already freaking out (in a good way) over the news, so expect a literal flood of Warhammer Online info for tomorrow. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Age of Conan GM fired amidst in-game sex scandal
An Age of Conan player tricked a naïve, Funcom-employed Game Master (an in-game customer service representative) into pursuing cybersex with him. The player posed as a female playing a male character and enticed the male GM with flirtatious remarks and innuendos. After the GM fully threw himself into the moment, the player revealed that he was male, and that the conversation had been a prank.Friends of the player posted screenshots of the conversation on MMORPG's forums, and the ensuing controversy led Funcom to fire the GM for unacceptable behavior and violation of the customer service guidelines. Destructoid then interviewed the prankster and hosted the unedited version of the conversation screenshots.Frankly, we're not sure who is the bigger jackass -- the GM for his unprofessional behavior, or the player for baiting him into it. Everyone seems to have his or her own unique interpretation of this fiasco.[Via Big Download]
GM taunts us with teaser shots of production Volt
Well, it sure looks like GM is intent to be milking the roll-out of its hotly-anticipated Chevy Volt for all its worth (and who can blame 'em), with it first offering a fleeting glimpse of the actual production vehicle on ABC the other day, and it now letting loose its first two official shots of the car that'll supposedly be rolling off the production line in 2010. While it's not much, the more interesting of the two (above) at least gives us a good look at the Volt's headlights, as well as what appears to be an LED fog lamp or daytime running light. Hit up the link below for the second, even less-revealing shot, as well as a few more pics that offer a glimpse of the Volt's design process. [Via DailyTech]
One Shots: Birthday fun on the Puzzle Pirate GM seas
As some of you may remember, we recently sent out a call for different GMs to send along some of their favorite screenshots. The above screenshot was in response to that call, and comes to us from Ocean Master Eurydice. She helps players out in Three Rings' incredibly addictive, free-to-play game Puzzle Pirates! Here's what she had to say:I'm a GM on Puzzle Pirates, although over here we call them Ocean Masters. I saw your call for GM pictures and got this OKd with a supervisor. (Always good to check first...) [This] is a screenshot of my first ship, called the Queen of Shadows. It was colorfully decorated a couple years ago for my birthday by wonderful co-workers -- on their off time! It is where I stand when on duty on the Midnight Ocean (a server). We stand on ships so that we can have quiet while we answer petitions, but we can pop off at a moment's notice and be with the players if we need to. As you may be able to make out from the faint messages in the lower left-hand corner, there are parts of the ship not pictured here that are so decorated that I can't walk around them.That seems like it's definitely a fun place to work if your co-workers decide to pull silly pranks like crowding your ship full of flowers and blocking you from moving around too much! (You know, especially when you also have awesome GM-type powers and can just move the flowers around.) Are you a GM who would like to show off something fun from your game? Send those screens in to us here at oneshots AT massively.com, along with whatever you'd like to say about them. It's almost as much fun as a ship full of flowers.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: It's good to be the (GM) king
We have to admit, we were a little bit surprised when this particular Age of Conan screenshot landed in our One Shots in-box. While we have no way of verifying if the person in question is actually a Funcom GM or if they're just really good at Photoshop, we still thought this one was highly amusing. Confused? We were too, until we read the attached note:After a long hard day of assisting players, sometimes a Game Master just needs a good sit. Where better than the throne of Conan himself? It's good to be the king.-- your friendly neighborhood Funcom employee who happens to read MassivelyIf that really is a GM, we think that's a pretty funny/cool thing to do after a long hard day -- and we certainly don't begrudge them the chair! If you're a GM in a game, feel free to send us screenshots of your particular game (no names required) and if not, feel free to send your screenshots in anyway! All games are welcome, from indie to mainstream! Just send those cool screenshots to us here at oneshots AT massively.com along with a note describing what we're seeing. Pretty easy way to give your favorite game exposure, no?%Gallery-9798%
GM teams with utilities to develop electric car charging infrastructure
General Motors has already gotten a bit of cash from the US Department of Energy to further the development of plug-in hybrids, and it now looks like it's taking things one step further on another initiative, with it teaming up with the Electric Power Research Institute and 30 utilities in 37 states to produce a charging infrastructure for electric cars. Among other things, they'll be working to develop an affordable, reliable electricity source that's weather-proof and child-proof, which they say could be installed in places like public garages, curbside meters, or workplace parking lots. The utility companies, in particular, will also apparently be working to ensure that the grid doesn't get overwhelmed during peak hours. All that, GM says, will be done by 2010, which just happens to coincide with the launch of its much-touted Volt hybrid.
GM designing car windshield that does the looking for us
Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit's R&D division is busy creating a windshield that will, at its core, enable us to stop running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road's edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we'll theoretically react faster. Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don't see why younger motorists won't benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you'll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we're one step closer to full-on autopilot.
EVE Online: Using neutral characters in militia activities is an exploit
Oh you kids! When are you going to learn that you can't cheat at intergalactic war? Following up on the recent exploit of circumventing ship class restrictions in combat zones, EVE Online's GM Grimmi just decreed the following activity to be an exploit as well: "Using neutral characters to tank Faction Navy NPCs to stop them from attacking players involved in Factional Warfare with that faction is considered an exploit. Action will be taken against users found engaging in this activity." So it's official; using draft dodgers as a way to draw fire away from enlisted militia characters is evil, and will presumably get you thrown into a Concord cell with no windows. Be advised. Hippies.
Titan Panel's perpetual GM ticket
Brad Justice (let me say that again, Brad Justice!) sent us a valuable tip about Titan Panel, and it's easily confirmed by a casual look over at the official forums. Let me explain. No, there is too much -- let me sum up.If you use Titan Panel, you may see an unexplainable GM ticket open in the upper right corner of your screen. You may open that empty ticket, and then Abandon it. Your attempt will fail. But don't worry -- it's not your fault. It's Titan Panel. That ticket will linger there like some kind of horrific nightmare. But there's hope.You can either simply disable the AddOn until they get the problem sorted out or attempt a "full UI reset." (A full UI reset is the process by which you basically delete the WTF folder, Cache, and Interface folders and more or less start all over again.) I personally went for the slightly less-intense "disable" option.Anyway, good luck fixing it -- we just wanted to let you know this is what's up, since Titan Panel's pretty popular.Edit: With a ninja-like quickness, Titan Panel has released an update which should help clear this up.
GM dropping Volt's range from 600 to 360 miles
The gas tank in the Chevy Volt is probably the least interesting thing about GM's hybrid concept, but it's causing some waves today, with reports that GM is trimming it in size, effectively dropping the vehicle's range from 600 miles to some 360. Apparently GM found that consumers rarely travel more than 40 miles a day (the range of the Volt's battery pack) and that longer trips didn't require a 600 mile range because "most bladders can't go 600 miles" -- so cutting down the 12-gallon fuel tank saves weight and cost. Sure, we can see that -- most of our cars can only go 300 or so miles before needing gas -- but it sure seems like the Volt is going from marvel of hybrid technology to just another hybrid in a much cooler skin.[Via Autoblog]
Guildwatch: The thread you are looking for has been deleted
There's a disturbing trend happening on the forums lately -- all the great drama threads are getting deleted. It's not like it's not out there -- this week's GW, as usual, is full of good drama, and the truth is that drama threads on guild forums are better anyway. But it seems like every time a tipster kindly sends us a link to an official forum thread, it's mysteriously disappeared? Could someone at Blizzard... not want us to make fun of drama? We'll keep an eye on it.Until we figure that out, keep sending us the tips, whether they be about drama, downed news for your guild or others, or recruiting notices for up-and-coming raiding groups. The place to send it all is wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and clicking the link below will show you just what we heard about from the realms this week.
GM crafting cars from Spanish sun
The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plain, but the summer sun drenches the entire country nearly every day. General Motors intends to make the most of it, covering the roof of its largest manufacturing plant in Europe with 85,000 solar panels, a whopping 2,000,000 square feet of them. That's 10 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to power 4,600 households -- or to build a bunch of Opel sub-compacts. What's not consumed by the robots on the assembly line will be sold back to the grid, funding future rooftop installations at 19 other locations across Europe. We're thinking GM should maybe invest a little of that into powering the cars themselves via solar, or risk getting beaten to the punch by Toyota again.
Empyrean Age factional warfare exploit identified
Factional warfare in EVE Online, by design, ensures that ships of a much greater ship class cannot engage smaller ships in certain deadspace mission pockets. If you and your fellow militia pilots are in a zone designated for nothing larger than frigates, for instance, you shouldn't find yourself getting locked by battleships fighting for your rival militia. Apparently this has started to occur; some players have found that the jump gates to these zones don't actually prevent them from warping in ships of a magnitude not allowed in such areas. GM Grimmi had this to say at the EVE Online site: "Flying bigger class ships than allowed by the jump gates to Factional Warfare complexes has been classed as an exploit. If you are found doing this we will be forced to take in-game actions as abusing game mechanics is not allowed." So there you go. You might still be able to get in there with something obscenely overpowered and pop frigates like balloons, but you'll say goodbye to your account over it.
EQII dev Noel "Ilucide" Walling interviewed
EverQuest II developer Noel Walling (also known as "Ilucide") has given some of his time to let the fans find out more about him. His move into the gaming industry was born from a near-obsession with the original EverQuest, something that a number of readers may be able to relate to. After being a GM with EQ for a while, he moved to work on EQII before its launch, and has remained there since.Ilucide seems to have a hand in everything when it comes to EQII, performing many different roles some days, but enjoys designing group instances the most. He has a level 74 character in the game, and perhaps the reason he's not 80 is due to the amount of other games he is playing on and off: a lengthy list -- and a great list, at that -- ranging from other MMOs to console games. Have a read of the rest of the interview to learn about Walling's interest outside of games, including the ever-important question: "Regular or Decaf?".
CCP Games outlines GM hierarchy in EVE Online
The latest EVE Online dev blog comes from GM Zhainius, who writes about customer support at CCP Games. Over the 5 years EVE Online has been running, the GM staff has answered millions of petitions in addition to writing articles and guides. But their work is typically in the background; it's the devs that really get the attention. GM Zhainius felt like writing to clarify the inner workings of CCP Games in terms of customer support, and to give players a clearer picture of what happens when they file a petition. GM Zhainius dispels rumors that Game Masters at CCP are volunteers. They're all paid employees, some of whom have been doing their job for years. He also cites a low turnover among CCP's GM staff; in fact, a number of them have been with EVE before the game even launched. The GMs work from four locations worldwide: Reykjavik, Atlanta, Düsseldorf, and Shanghai. He lays out the company's entire customer support structure and the groups or 'cells' the support team is divided into. The EVE dev blog is an interesting look behind-the-scenes into how CCP customer support is handled, and whether or not you're a satisfied customer, it's always good to know that at least someone is reading those ship reimbursement petitions.
Guildwatch: His name is Rob Parkins
Whatever you do, don't get Rob Parkins angry. That's the lesson Nucholza learned when he watched a Warlock named Adriyel die to a double pull, and then nabbed one of the mobs (and the Fel Lotus it dropped) away. The good news is, Rob Parkins isn't for sale: Nucholza's account never did get "scrubbed." But be careful whose loot you gank -- you never know who's first cousins with Rob Parkins.That bit of funny drama and more, all after the break in this week's Guildwatch. And don't forget that your tips help fuel our column -- send in drama, downed, and recruiting notices (and make sure to include your guild and server, as in "US Cenarius-A") to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. Whether it's your guild's proud downing, or a rival guild's juicy drama on their forums, send it to us so we can all enjoy it!
Bob Lutz test drives a Volt mule, deems the experience "electrifying"
We already knew that Chevrolet was testing out a fair bit of Volt hardware in modified Malibus, but the time finally arrived for bigwig Bob Lutz to take a test drive in one such vehicle. As General Motors forges ahead with plans to produce the vehicle and have it on the roads by 2010, Lutz was able to get behind the wheel of an "engineering development vehicle" with the 16-kwh Li-ion battery pack system; after cruising about with nary a drop of gasoline to thank, he semi-intentionally coined the experience "electrifying." It seems the version he drove wasn't exactly refined, thus he refrained from commenting (read: blasting) too much about the ins and outs of how it performed. Still, even 'ole Bob missed the "throaty roar of a [traditional] engine." We'll raise our glasses to that.[Via Wired]
The European connection in 9Dragons
Acclaim's martial arts MMORPG 9Dragons is about to gain some more European fans, with the launch of Bardo Euro -- their new European server. Bardo Euro promises to offer the European playerbase an improved game experience with better connections all around.Apparently the players have been calling for a European 9Dragons server for some time; Acclaim is delivering on their promises to improve the game and is holding a number of special events to celebrate the launch: 30% off sale: All items in the 9Dragons Item Mall will be 30% off for 3 days only. June 6-8. Bonus exp rate events: Earn 2 times experience points by playing on the Bardo server. June 3-9. Monster spawn event: High level monsters will invade Bardo. June 3-5, 6, 8-9. VGM/GM PvP event: Test your martial arts skills battling against Acclaim VGM and GM staff. June 3-6, 8-9. Fireworks in Bardo: To celebrate the official launch of the European server, fireworks will light up the sky at random times from May 30 to June 8 on the Bardo server. If you're in Europe, why not give 9Dragons a shot? Roll yourself a Shaolin or Wu-Tang badass and see if you can take down a GM or two in martial arts combat. Via Warcry
Age of Conan's Jorgen Tharaldsen addresses game issues
Jon Wood from MMORPG.com recently interviewed Funcom's Product Director Jorgen Tharaldsen about some of the issues affecting gameplay in Age of Conan. The interview was primarily focused on customer service issues, and hopefully provides a good indicator as to how things are improving in AoC. Some of the key issues that Tharaldsen addressed include: Customer support frustrations expressed by players. Inability to log in to the game's official forums. Funcom's actions taken against exploiters. Poor game performance despite meeting required system specs. Server downtimes during peak hours. Limitations on number of players in certain instances. Increasing the number of GM's to handle the petition backlog. Check out the interview over at MMORPG.com, where's there's quite a string of comments from the readers. Do you think Funcom is handling customer service issues properly (given that AoC had such a recent launch), or are they dropping the ball?
EVE Online: play test factional warfare, June 4-6
CCP Games announced a new series of factional warfare playtests for EVE Online's imminent Empyrean Age expansion, and are seeking help from all available pilots in New Eden. EVE dev CCP Tanis stated that the first release candidate for the Empyrean Age is being put on the Singularity test server, and that CCP is now focusing its attention on the gameplay mechanics of the long-anticipated factional warfare system. The playtest will focus on the offense and defense of capture points and the conquering of solar systems. Players will be divided into either Caldari or Gallente factions; each faction will have an offensive and defensive team. The ultimate goal is to capture as many systems as possible while preventing the opposing faction from gaining any territorial control. CCP developers and ISD will be on hand to answer questions and guide players. When: June 4 to 6 (Wed., Thurs., Fri.) from 11:00 to 14:00 EVE time (GMT).Where: Singularity test serverWhy: "We really cannot stress how important your feedback is to us." Another Why: Each day the players on the winning side will be given a stock of officer modules !! ... *dramatic pause*... on the test server only. (Sorry.) Also the player who submits the best bug report will be given maxed out skills on the test server. How: Join the in-game channel "Faction Testing" for instructions.CCP Tanis also reminds players that the latest Singularity test server patch is required to participate in the playtest. The patch should ONLY be applied to a second copy of the EVE client, and NOT the main client used for everyday play on the Tranquility server. That is, unless you'd prefer to call the test server "home" from now on. Further details can be found in the official announcement; EVE Online account login is required to access this information.
