interviews
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The gentlemen of Smashmuck talk champion design
Smashmuck Champions has a pretty diverse roster of characters, and it took a crazy group of mad scientists to assemble such a motley crew. It has everything from a robotic pop diva to an alien riding a velociraptor. Everything from the appearance to the gameplay of each character is fairly wild and unique, and it's clear that the design team goes out of its way to create avatars that are "not just another frost archer." I sat down with the design team for the game, including Kiz Studios art director Allen White, lead designer Ben Rodgers, and lead developer Jacob Schieck. In-between the jokes (these are some funny guys), we had a pretty deep discussion about the wacky designs and what the team looks for when making a character.
Patrick Mackey11.01.2013
An interview with 2013 SOE G.I.R.L. Scholarship winner Esther Wu
Sony Online Entertainment's G.I.R.L. (short for Gamers in Real Life) scholarship was developed to encourage women to pursue careers in game development and design. The winners are selected via an annual competition and receive a $10,000 scholarship in addition to a valuable in-studio internship working on one of SOE's many games. The submissions, which this year consisted of art design pieces and essays on the topic of women in gaming, are reviewed by a panel of judges from SOE. This year's winner, Esther Wu, spent 10 weeks working with the PlanetSide 2 art team at SOE's San Diego headquarters. We sat down with her to learn more about the G.I.R.L. Scholarship, her internship, and where she hopes to go next.
Mike Foster10.30.2013
Dawn of the Hunter Rangers: Touring Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module
Considering all of the exciting reveals of Neverwinter's second module, Shadowmantle, I think it's prudent to start with the unknowns. No, we don't have a specific date of release (although it will be "by the end of the year"). No, we don't know whether Druids or Warlocks or any other Dungeons and Dragons classes are in development for next year. And no, we can't tell whether there's a massive honey badger conspiracy in the city of Neverwinter. With that said, there's plenty that Lead Designer Andy Velasquez had to reveal to us for this upcoming module. For starters, it's 100% free, just in case you were wondering. Sure, Cryptic will continue to run a robust store (and doesn't seem to have any inclination to rein in the lockbox invasion), but all of the content of Shadowmantle will be available to the entire playerbase on day one. It's shaping up to be an even meatier update than Fury of the Faewild, believe it or not. The big star of Shadowmantle is the first new post-launch class: the Hunter Ranger. But this flexible fighter won't be hogging the entire spotlight; Neverwinter will also be adding a new zone, additional paragon paths, and a spiffy artifact skill system. So read on and prepare for the stampede of players rushing to be the next online Legolas-slash-Drizzt.
Justin Olivetti10.29.2013
A look at the PlanetSide 2 World Domination Series
PlanetSide 2 players have been asking for something that gives their favorite game a bit more persistence. Conquering territories is a lot of fun, but it can sometimes become repetitive and less satisfying when those territories simply turn over to the next empire that decides to take it. This is where the World Domination Series has stepped in to give the game and its loyal fanbase even more reason to log in and fight. The World Domination Series hands out points to factions that hold on to an area for longer periods of time and will eventually give out points to individual players. Even though it just finished a first wave of in-game testing Sunday night, it will soon be accessible through a handy scorecard in-game and lists the daily, weekly, and seasonal scores as well as each empire's server- and game-wide performance. Each territory is worth a certain number of points, but holding a territory for longer periods of time is worth even more points. At the end of each week, rewards will be handed out. During the testing, the rewards consisted of experience boosts, but it'll be expanded later. How does this new system affect the rest of the playerbase, and what's in store for it in the future? We asked Matt Higby, Creative Director for PlanetSide 2, to answer some these questions.
Beau Hindman10.28.2013
The Art of Wushu: Lifting the veil on the winter expansion
Some of you may have heard about new content coming to Age of Wushu in the winter in the form of the Ultimate Scrolls expansion. Although it contains some new content including the much-anticipated marriage system, Snail Games has released scant few details about new features. We went behind the scenes and asked the studio what we can expect in the winter expansion and what we can look forward to in the future. The developers were pretty open about what was coming soon, which -- like Mt. Hua -- is chock-full of new features.
Patrick Mackey10.23.2013
Piecing together the details of LEGO Minifigures Online with the Funcom team
Brick by virtual brick, the team at Funcom has been busy building the upcoming LEGO Minifigures Online. It's been a quiet fall after the big reveal in August at Gamescom, but that doesn't mean the game isn't making progress. Executive Producer Lawrence Poe and Lead Designer Oscar López Lacalle have lots of details to share about the game, and they took the time to answer some questions here at Massively. Read on for a glimpse of the world, the LEGO minifigures themselves, and how this game will appeal to gamers of all ages.
Karen Bryan10.21.2013
City of Titans team discusses following and evolving from City of Heroes
There's a hole in the heart of every City of Heroes fan, a hole that City of Titans intends to fill. With the game's Kickstarter quickly moving toward half a million dollars of funding (for an unknown team of volunteer developers), a lot of attention is being focused on the project. Project lead Chris Hare sat down to discuss some of the team's goals in a recent interview, both in terms of mirroring and building upon the foundation laid by Paragon Studios. Hare explains that while the team at Missing Worlds Media wants to recapture the spirit of City of Heroes, there's also a desire to do things that the original game could or would not do. The active combat of Champions Online is cited as an inspiration, as are the public quests of Warhammer Online. At the same time, promising too much and underdelivering is a trap no one wants to fall in. Take a glance at the full interview for more details about how the game promises to evolve while keeping true to its roots.
Eliot Lefebvre10.14.2013
We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch
By now you have probably heard that EverQuest II is launching a little thing called Heroic Characters today; after all, this little thing is kind of a big deal. How often do players get the chance to jump in and experience a game as a permanent high-level character instead of just being teased with one during a brief tutorial? And for two weeks this possibility is completely free to each and every person, be they new players or veterans. Whether you are eagerly awaiting your chance to jump (back) into Norrath and see what things are like in the newest story arcs or you're eyeing the sudden influx of high level newbs with trepidation, there's no denying that EQ II is going through a fundamental shift today. This patch has the ability to change the landscape of play in the game more so than anything since the free-to-play conversion. When you couple these new Heroic Characters with the lifting of item restrictions, there are literally no more gates barring people from joining and experiencing most of what the game has to offer. In anticipation of this big change, I had the opportunity to sit down with Franchise Director Dave Georgeson and Producer Holly Longdale to talk Heroic Character shop, and they shed more light on this upcoming experience. They also revealed a little something extra coming for the raiders in Norrath.
MJ Guthrie10.01.2013
Some Assembly Required Extra: The scoop on Albion Online
After a long drought in the industry, the tide of the sandbox gaming is finally coming in. This year can definitely be called the year of the sandbox. While not all of them are out yet, many more games promising those features we love are in development now than ever before. In fact, there are so many titles floating about now that it can be hard to keep them straight! One of the latest upcoming titles to be announced is the stylized, medieval sandbox Albion Online. With such offerings as territory control, housing, a player-driven economy, and full looting, this game certainly fits the sandbox bill. Heck, the development company is even named Sandbox Interactive! But what makes Albion Online stand out from the pack is that it will be a cross-platform experience; players will be accessing the game via both tablets and PCs. Of course, as promising as it may sound, just a terse feature list doesn't give players the kind of details we want. So to get the scoop, I had a chat with Sandbox Interactive CEO Stefan Wiezorek, who shared more information about the economy, housing,the skill system, PvP, and territory control.
MJ Guthrie09.20.2013
Massively Exclusive: Reloaded Games' CEO explains APB's layoffs
Massively reported earlier today the unfortunate news of layoffs at Reloaded Games' APB: Reloaded. New producer Joseph "Linus" Willmon, whom you might remember as formerly having been on the Fallen Earth crew, explained to players that at least five APB staffers had been let go but that development would continue on as planned. That's hard news for any community to take, but apparently players have reason to be hopeful all the same. "It's a little more complicated than just layoffs," Bjorn Book-Larsson explained to me during a phone call this afternoon. Book-Larsson is the CEO of Reloaded, part of GamersFirst's assortment of MMO studios. He told me that the layoffs are part of a restructuring that's seen not just layoffs but the movement of developers between the APB and Fallen Earth teams, the latter of which has been given significant autonomy in terms of how it manages its resources.
Bree Royce09.17.2013
No pain, no gain: Bungie on cross-platform development
Bungie has pushed live another lengthy edition of its long-running Mail Sack feature, this one covering questions from the community about board games (the team likes them), podcasts (Bungie's shall return), Destiny's best moments (all too spoilery to reveal), and the reveal date for the release date of the studio's upcoming next-gen shooter-MMO hybrid (totally sometime in the future, maybe). Also discussed? The reason Bungie built Destiny as a multi-platform release. According to the studio, creating a game that isn't exclusive to one console gives the Bungie community an opportunity to "welcome new players who may have never experienced a Bungie game before." Bungie contends, "Developing a cross-platform game is hard, but the perks outweigh the pain." The other likely bonus of going multi-platform, in which a developer practically doubles the potential install base of a title, was left unsaid.
Mike Foster09.16.2013
A day in the life of Blizzard Historian Sean Copeland
If you've spent any time at all on the Timeless Isle, you may have noted and even completed the daily lore quiz from NPC Senior Historian Evelyna, a member of the Timewalkers who is accompanied by Historian Llore and Historian Ju'pa. What you may not have known is that these NPCs represent three invaluable members of the Blizzard Creative Development team: Senior Historian Evelyn Fredericksen, Historian Justin Parker, and Historian Sean Copeland. Together, the three represent a powerhouse of encyclopedic knowledge from each of Blizzard's franchises. That's all well and good, but what exactly does a Historian at Blizzard do with their day? What does being a Historian entail, and what do they do with all that knowledge they've crammed in their brains? The folks over at Blizzard Entertainment were kind enough to let us find out. Read on as we pick the brain of Historian Sean Copeland about lore, historians, and the unusual job of keeping track of all things Blizzard.
Anne Stickney09.12.2013
Massively Exclusive: En Masse talks TERA's Dungeon Assault
TERA: Rising's new Dungeon Assault content patch is prepped for launch today, bringing with it new dungeons, new game modes, new bosses, and high-end gear. Among the added encounters are Wonderholme (a 10-man raid), Channelworks (a three-player mission), Kezzel's Gorge (a seven-player tower defense game), and Shattered Fleet (a five-player "BAM beatdown"). Also new today are the Conjunct, Visionmaker, and Bloodrave armor sets, which represent the most powerful armor on offer once fully leveled and upgraded. We spoke with En Masse about the state of TERA: Rising, the thought process behind the new encounters, and how the studio answers some common fan complaints. Check out our interview and exclusive video and images of the Channelworks dungeon after the break.
Mike Foster09.10.2013
Bungie: Destiny is different 'every time you experience it'
Bungie's David "DeeJ" Dague sat down for an interview with the official PlayStation blog at Gamescom, discussing Destiny's world design, class mechanics, and replayability. According to Dague, Destiny takes place in a world of "mythic science-fiction" where fantasy, mysticism, and technology collide. Destiny's plot revolves around humanity's quest to recover the artifacts of the Golden Age and find redemption in the post-apocalyptic wastelands that its brazen rush for advancement has created. Dague explained that Destiny is about making choices, with one of the most important being the class you decide to play. Whether it's the tanky Titan, the stealthy Hunter, or the magic-y Warlock, class selection will determine how you interact with the world, and groups with mixed classes will see greater success. According to Dague, the dynamic world of Destiny and its reliance on inter-player reactions ensure that no two playthroughs are the same. Bungie is expecting the game to have a very long life cycle due to the idea that "the game is completely dynamic and will be different every time you experience it with other people." Also mentioned was Destiny's focus on dynamic group events and the way in which players choose to deal with them. If you're on your own, you may see a public event and decide that you want to jump in and participate in it, or you can bypass all of the actions over here and continue on your own path. You're going to see other players participating in their own portions of the game and you can decide to participate or just go your own way.
Mike Foster09.04.2013
PAX Prime 2013: Riot Games' Whalen Rozelle on LoL Season 3
I was really excited to step into Riot's press room on Friday at PAX Prime. We had just finished the first series of matches of the day, and it was pretty exciting to talk to people about the matches yet to come. But I don't think anyone was more excited to talk about League of Legends' e-sports scene than Whalen Rozelle, or RiotMagus as he's known on the internet. As the senior e-sports manager at Riot, he's tasked with making sure that events run smoothly, and I took the opportunity to ask him about the format for Season 3 -- especially improvements over Season 2 and the lessons Riot will be taking into Season 4.
Patrick Mackey09.03.2013
PAX Prime 2013: SMITE's graphical updates, 10v10 mode, and e-sports
I found myself in unfamiliar waters as I waded into the Twitch booth at this year's PAX Prime. All around me were gamers -- but not just any gamers. These guys were wearing jerseys with sponsorship logos and carrying custom gaming mice and headsets. These guys were pro gamers, and they were there to play SMITE. I had a different agenda, so I tracked down Hi-Rez chief operating officer Todd Harris to talk about upcoming changes to the game. He admitted to me that his team isn't doing a lot of big changes, but that is largely due to the game's continuing success. He did have a few things to show me, though.
Patrick Mackey09.03.2013
PAX Prime 2013: World of Tanks blitzes onto the 360
While there was definitely some buzz at the PAX Prime Wargaming booth about World of Warplanes, which will get its commercial launch on September 26th, World of Tanks was the main source. Not only is Wargaming planning to integrate accounts for both Tanks and Warplanes, but it also has the XBox 360 version of World of Tanks in closed beta. I sat down with some of the Wargaming guys and attempted to play the new 360 version. I struggled a bit with the console controls, but that had more to do with a lack of familiarity than anything else. As I played, we discussed how Wargaming has rebuilt WoT from the ground up for the console market.
Patrick Mackey09.03.2013
PAX Prime 2013: Behaviour on WAR40K Eternal Crusade's friendly fire, ARG, and more
Massively spoke with Behaviour Interactive at last weekend's PAX Prime, and the topic of the day was of course the company's take on the Warhammer 40K license. Eternal Crusade, as the upcoming sci-fi title is known, is an unapologetically group-focused take on the genre. Join us after the cut as we break down our chat with Behaviour studio head Miguel Caron and talk about space marines, ARGs, and friendly fire.
Jef Reahard09.02.2013
PAX Prime 2013: Guns of Icarus Online's new Adventure mode, features, and PS4 version
Guns of Icarus' Online's concept of crewing airships in a steampunk future might be a little strange at first, but it's something that Muse Games is really passionate about. I linked up with founder Howard Tsao yesterday at PAX Prime to talk about the game's upcoming Adventure Mode, which will add new context to battles over the unfriendly skies. The new online mode won't replace Guns of Icarus' current lobby-based multiplayer mode, but it will add new content, including missions and factions to provide a backdrop for actions in the game's steampunk world.
Patrick Mackey09.01.2013
PAX Prime 2013: S2 Games shows off Strife
I was pretty interested to see S2 Games' newest venture into the MOBA genre, Strife, at this year's PAX Prime. It's a more newbie-friendly take on the traditional DotA concept while still retaining high levels of complexity and a high skill cap. S2 Games has learned a lot of lessons from Heroes of Newerth, and I spoke with creative designer Doug Houserman about what the team is bringing to the table to make Strife a better game.
Patrick Mackey09.01.2013