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Be heard this week with EQII and PotBS IRC chats
Stratics is going to play host to some more "House of Commons" IRC chats later in the week, for both EverQuest II and Pirates of the Burning Sea, giving fans a chance to pose some questions to the teams behind these two games. On Wednesday the 18th at 5PM PDT/8PM EDT, the PotBS chat will take place, and will feature producer Joe Ludwig, lead game designer Kevin Maginn, lead world designer Cory Herndon, community relations director Troy Hewitt and community specialist Tom Atkinson-Edwards. Full details on how to join in on this chat can be found here.The EQII chat will take place a day later, on Thursday the 19th at the same time slot of 5PM PDT/8PM EDT. Representing the game in the chat will be Josh Kriegshauser and Greg Spence from EQII Engineering; Kyle Vallee, designer of "Runneye: The Gathering"; Nathan McCall, designer of the Void Storm quest series; and Tiffany Spence and Aaron Bisnett from the community relations team. You can find out how to join this chat at this page, and don't forget that we here at Massively will be speaking to the EQII team this week as well, so you can also drop any questions you might have in today's Daily Grind for us to bring to them.
PotBS towns to receive attractive makeovers
The folks in the Environment team at Flying Lab Software have decided that some of the towns in Pirates of the Burning Sea look a little bit sad and outdated, and so they will be giving them graphical overhauls in an upcoming patch. The team has been kind enough to provide us with an early look at how these towns will be brought back to life in some before-and-after shots, and we have put these pictures in a gallery for you to check out.According to the patch notes for the Testbed server, many towns have already received their updates and will probably move over to the live servers shortly. We are promised that the magic wand will be pointed at other towns in the Caribbean soon, making your on-land shenanigans a lot prettier to look at.%Gallery-25334%
PotBS ship outfitting balances coming in 1.5
The next major content patch for Pirates of the Burning Sea, build 1.5, is currently being prepared for release to the live servers, and in the meantime we get to find out about some of the features of this update. One of 1.5's main focuses will be a revision of the ship outfitting items in the game, in an attempt to balance things out a bit.At the moment, there are a number of particular outfitting pieces which are just plain better than others, and it is almost essential to own them to succeed in PvP. This takes away from the grand design of the outfitting system, which was supposed to offer players a chance to individualize their setup and to have unique and interesting strategies -- it simply doesn't happen if there are too many of these so-called "must-have" pieces out there, so this is going to be addressed. The other major change will be the scaling back some of outfitting pieces that are too good for their level, outperforming equipment that is much higher. These updates to ship outfitting will be found in Build 1.5 for PotBS, and you can expect some changes to player outfitting later on in 1.6.
Why aren't there more console MMOs?
Joe Ludwig is probably best known for his role as producer on the historical MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea. Today the Gamasutra site is running an opinion article written by Mr. Ludwig, looking into the surprising dearth of console MMOs on the market. He's essentially responding to a post by Dan Rubenfield, a confrontational post that puts MMO developers "on notice". While undoubtedly there are several opinions in the post to take issue with, the Gamasutra article tackles this statement directly: "If you continue to refuse to acknowledge consoles as the de-facto standard for AAA gaming, you will go out of business. Quit making PC games. It's a waste of time and money."Ludwig asserts that he'd love to make console games, but there are numerous barriers between his interest and reality. We've even talked about a number of these problems on the site, but they're well worth exploring again. Problems like the lack of a keyboard, the rarity of a double-console household, and the hoop-jumping required to get content certified all warrant a look. Of these issues, Ludwig sees the console holder's demand for a share as the most daunting obstacle. In the near-future, console MMOs are probably doomed. What the future might hold is another story entirely.
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Flying Lab wants you at their studio to test content
Deep within the jungles, there is a fortress abandoned long ago. Surrounded by mystery, something is stirring within the crumbled walls of this once proud structure. It is a player, stuck in a door, and screaming for help! With your assistance, this certainly will not be the case. The new epic mission is ready for testing, and Flying Lab wants you to be there. Due to the popularity of Pirates of the Burning Sea's first epic mission, a second was sure to follow. Something macabre, supernatural, and dark was on the board when notes for patch 1.5 were released. The mission is now ready for people to jump into and test their skills against something dark and wicked. Players are invited to the Flying Lab studios in Seattle and the only requirement for participating is a level 50 character. Check in for the sessions is between 6:15 and 9:00PM on May 29th, June 2nd, and June 6th. Head on over there and get a one of a kind chance to test the mission at their offices before it goes live.
Massively's chat with Jess Lebow of Carbine Studios
You may not be familiar with Carbine Studios, the new home of games industry veteran Jess Lebow. That's not too surprising as Carbine is still in stealth mode, working furiously on a project that we couldn't touch on at all in a recent discussion with the company's Lead Quest Designer. Mr. Lebow has had a storied past in the industry, just the same, and our discussion touched on a number of different issues.Join us as we quiz Jess Lebow on his work with Dungeons and Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, reflect on his time sailing with Flying Lab, and look ahead to what the future of the industry might hold. Plus, for Guild Wars fans, a few insights into what the granddaddy of the setting thinks about how his offspring is doing nowadays.
Pirates of the Burning Sea Testbed server tournament announced
Pirates of the Burning Sea has plenty to offer in terms of destruction. Sailors can take down ports in group conquest missions or just harass traders around the Spanish Main. However, spending all day chasing after booty is no way to flaunt your PvP skills. After all, you can only sink so many trade convoys before an angry fleet of fire ships is launched at your vessel. Flying Lab is offering a much more enticing form of combat for bloodthirsty sea dogs.This Saturday, May 24th, on the Pirates of the Burning Sea Testbed server, will be your chance to blow your enemies out of the water and win some free game time, a video card, or even your own in-game parrot! As part of an effort to get the kinks worked out of PotBS patch 1.4, a PvP tournament is being organized to attract some traffic to the server. Details and prizes for the Testbed tournament have been announced and players are reminded to offer their feedback on the new patch. If you have a ship-of-the-line ready to unleash a wall of lead, set sail and see what you are made of.
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Customer service at Pirates of the Burning Sea answers your questions
In Pirates of the Burning Sea, finding yourself deep in unfriendly waters without a working compass can be a scary matter. When doubloons vanish, new servers fail to transfer characters, or installations freeze, even the nicest of pirates can start spitting out some nasty language. That 1-800 number or email to a random operator can sometimes lead to even more frustration as emails go unanswered and phone calls remain on hold. For Pirates of the Burning Sea, our glimpse into this dark world of customer service is provided by Misha.In a recent PotBS devlog, Misha talks about customer service and gives players an update to the source of, or solution to, their troubles. Backlogs, angry pirates shooting cannons, and parrot droppings are major problems, but that is not stopping the team from getting down to business. They have setup a new tier system to get problems solved, offer more foreign language options, and are working on improving their research techniques. There is also a handy PotBS support page with FAQs and solutions to common problems. So if you find yourself all alone on some sandy beach with no rum and no way home, the folks at PotBS want you to know they are launching the rescue party and will arrive shortly.
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PotBS patch 1.5 is looming over of the horizon
Pirates of the Burning Sea has seen a few big changes since the game released. The latest addition to the fleet will be new pirate careers in patch 1.4. So what is coming up after buccaneers make their appearance on the high seas? A swabbing of the poop deck to be precise! All that combat and ship destruction leaves plenty of debris around that needs to be picked up. Patch 1.5 is going to do just that.The details were revealed through an interview with Ten Ton Hammer. According to Flying Lab producer Joe Ludwig, the team is "spending the entire month working on nothing but polish." The coffee is brewing at their offices as the entire team focuses on getting the game to a point where it appears just the way they want it. Some pesky annoyances players often report should be getting a swift kick off the plank as well. Those are, of course, not the only things coming in the next update.Joe declares that since users do pay a monthly fee, the team is committed to giving them both polish and new content. That content will be appearing as a second epic mission. Joe says it will be something based on the supernatural, but what exactly this means is not made clear. What is clear is that everyone from the lead developers to the interns are going to be cleaning up the world of Pirates of the Burning Sea for the benefit of swashbucklers everywhere.
The unaddressed impediments to console MMOs
It's a question we often ask ourselves, particularly when games like Grand Theft Auto IV sell over 3 million copies inside of a month: what's stopping developers from bringing more MMOs to the console space? If you ask the console makers, they'll say that the opportunities are there for the taking. They're stable platforms, uniformly online-enabled, and they have captive audiences in the tens of millions. So what's the problem?Joe Ludwig, producer of Pirates of the Burning Sea, explained in a recent blog post that it's really pretty straight-forward. He says that the addition of a platform-owner to the developer/publisher dynamic throws a wrench in the process. Not only do the console manufacturers demand a cut of the already-tenuous profit margins, but their certification processes also slow down the release of patches. Couple that with longer development times and the inherent limitations of voice-chat, and you've got a yourself sticky situation. Will we see successful console MMOs in the future? Undoubtedly. But the prospects of success in the short-term, Ludwig says, are likely slim.
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Pirates of the Burning Sea User Content 2.0 goes live
Ok buccaneers, it is now time for us to offer our own new and improved Caribbean flavor to Pirates of the Burning Sea! User Content 2.0, the new review and submission process, officially became seaworthy on the 15th of May. So what exactly does this mean and how does it make cannon balls fly faster? Ktatroe logged onto the PotBS website and explained what exactly the new system entails.Pirates of the Burning Sea has a creative user content system that allows the lawful and lawless to design their own sails, flags, and even submit designs for vessels. Registered sailors can then vote on the content for inclusion in the game. The PotBS team has streamlined the process for an approval or a broadside by reviewers for all content submissions. The primary motivation has been speed and, so far, over 1,300 new pieces of user generated content have been reviewed. Make sure your trusty pirate flag is up to speed, complete with bullet holes, by viewing this handy 2D content guide, before submitting it for review.
ION 08: Getting the most out of user generated content
One might rightfully acuse the term "user generated content" of being a rather dry way to describe what is really a fascinating trend in media: the opportunity for "users" to contribute their own creations and have them incorporated into traditionally heavily produced "content." By nature interactive, the games industry is taking notice of the power of UGC, and in a panel yesterday at ION 08 we had the chance to listen to Flying Lab's Troy Hewitt and Linden Lab's Rob Lanphier talk about how user content has been working in Pirates of the Burning Sea and Second Life. Attorney Eric Goldman of Santa Clara University School of Law was on hand to discuss some of the legal issues surrounding UGC, and the panel was moderated by Scott Warner, owner and leader of the intellectual property and technology group at firm Garvey Schubert Barer. Scott: Troy, do you want to start us off by talking about how user content has been working in Pirates? Troy: Sure. As some of you may know, we just launched PotBS earlier this year. We have a system in the game where players can create flags and sails for their ships. There's a mechanism to distribute your work and they can actually create and sell their designs as well. Players can also create and model their own ships, and other people in game will be able to use those ships. We have 30 ships now in the game made by players, and these were actually done by only 13 people; so it's a small group of dedicated people creating these ships. With the flags and sails, about 20% of our player base is creating them and a much larger percentage actually use them.
PotBS patch 1.4 available on test server
Those keen to sink their teeth into patch 1.4 for Pirates of the Burning Sea can do so ahead of its release on the live servers, by logging on to the Testbed server. Flying Lab Software is keen to get players to try out some of the new features that this patch brings (like the upcoming class changes) and have set up feedback pages for specific aspects of the game.If you want to leave feedback about career skills in 1.4, you can visit this page, and feedback on the early game missions can be left here, with different forum posts for each nation. Additionally, there is a page for general 1.4 feedback that doesn't fit in these two categories. Don't be scared if you've never been on Testbed before -- there is a handy forum post that will answer all your questions, and you'll be helping test new content in no time.
Anti-Aliased: How to pick the MMO for you
Let's be honest for a moment - there are a ton of MMOs out there. We have everything from fantasy, to dystopian future, to fantasy, to horror, to fantasy, to pirates, to fantasy, to sci-fi, and even all the way down to fantasy. While this is great for people who love choice, this is a complete nightmare (or should I say Bloodymare, ha ha, gaming puns) for anyone who's new to the genre or wants to start off with a fresh game that's different from what they're playing.How do you separate the good from the bad? How do you know if you'll stick to a game? You don't want to gamble with an expensive game only to find out that you totally hate it and wish it would burn in the deepest depths of hell. (I'm looking at you, Risk Your Life.) So, do you rely on what your friends tell you or what reviewers tell you?In my opinion, no one knows you except you. So when you sit down and want to pick the right game the first time, here's a few pointers and suggestions to get you started.
Two new pirate careers coming to Pirates of the Burning Sea
The folks at Flying Lab have sent word that two brand new Pirate careers will soon be sailing along in Pirates of the Burning Sea. The Cutthroat and the Buccaneer are to be the nom de plumes of our swabbie friends. The Cutthroat should be familiar - it's the class you've been playing as a pirate all along. On the other hand, the Buccaneer is a brand new bag: a gentleman adventurer with a taste for the high life on the high seas. We've already talked a bit about the class changes coming in patch 1.4, but these new details throw more light on the update's intention.Buccaneers are intended to be a support class. They offer buffs to allies and debuffs to opponents, all while laying out their own special brand of derring-do. Full details can be seen on the most recent version of the patch notes, but don't believe everything on that list. The patch still isn't set in stone.%Gallery-12977%
PDXMMO: get ready to party
Do you enjoy online gaming? Well, who doesn't, really? Do you like the idea of being surrounded by like-minded folks who're playing World of Warcraft, EVE Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Age of Conan in as obsessive a fashion as you? Think you have the Bawls to play for three days solid? Want to hook up with friends -- and trash-talk a few enemies along the way -- in order to share the MMO love? If so, get ready to visit Portland, Oregon, because PDXMMO v. 1.0 is finally here. You'll need to create a PDXLAN forum account in order to register for PDXMMO, but you'd better hurry: seating is limited to 80, and 20 seats are already claimed.From 6 p.m. Friday, 18 July, through 3 p.m. Monday, 21 July, the Portland Airport Holiday Inn Ballroom is being converted into an MMO-only space. For USD $60.00 -- or, if you prefer, just about the price of a tank of gas -- you'll get:
