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Ask Massively: Bribes are just particularly motivated gifts edition
Once again, World of Warcraft has made itself the forefront of the gaming blogosphere by unrepentantly bribing tanks to run more dungeons. It does seem kind of inevitable that you'd have a shortage of one role when it can only be filled by four specs out of 30, truth be told. So is this a good move? A bad one? A good idea with poor execution? It's not for me to say. This column isn't The Soapbox; that runs on Tuesdays. But it's Thursday, which means that it's time for another edition of Ask Massively, featuring a grand total of zero questions about bribery. Instead, we're fielding questions about years of content and console versions, which should be a fun ride. As always, you can leave questions for the next edition in the comment field or mail them along to ask@massively.com. (I guess you could see having your question put into a column as a sort of bribery.)
The MMO Report: ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL edition
Why is G4's Casey Schreiner hiding behind his notes in this week's MMO Report? Maybe it's that his insurance won't cover the liability of his stunning smile -- or that he simply forgot his contacts. Casey jumps on top of two of the most sensationalistic stories from the past week. The first is the saga of the World of Warcraft player who made it to max level without killing anything or completing any quests. Casey salutes her by saying, "If there was a Nobel Peace Prize for pointless dedication toward arbitrary obsessive-compulsive goals, you'd be a shoo-in. Grats." He's also intrigued about the possibility -- not probability -- of a Mass Effect MMO. "But you guys haven't still put out your first over-hyped MMO based an incredibly popular intellectual property. One disappointment at a time, gentlemen." The MMO Report also covers The Secret World's seven-year plan, The Old Republic's advanced class preview, Global Agenda's F2P move, and another dip into Uncle Casey's mailbag. You can watch Casey's mind unravel during six captivating minutes after the jump!
The Revenant infects The Secret World
Take one snip of Hitler's hair, a joybuzzer from Stephen King's IT, and the charred remains of Darth Vader, stir them all together in the Black Cauldron, and you'll cook up the perfect recipe for evil incarnate -- also known as The Secret World's Revenant. MMORPG.com has the scoop on Funcom's newest monster reveal for The Secret World. Conjuring shades of Lord of the Rings' Nazgul and Silent Hill's Pyramid Head, the Revenants are about as dark as they come: cloaked figures wielding black swords and feeding on pain and death. Plus, they get the nifty ability to turn into icky creatures like rats and worms, so chances are they have one of your phobias tucked up their sleeves. Revenants promise to be tough enemies who throw about plague and disease like it's candy, and players will reportedly encounter them in the Maine section of the game. You can check out more pictures of this big nasty in the gallery below! %Gallery-72395%
The Soapbox: A case for player-generated content (or why MMO story is complete and utter bollocks)
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I read with great interest Ragnar Tornquist's recent blog posting concerning story in The Secret World. After I got over the initial impulse to roll my eyes at yet another developer jumping on the BioWare-induced story, story, story bandwagon, I found that Tornquist had a couple of interesting points to make. Unfortunately, he also missed an opportunity to strike a blow in favor of player-generated story content. While this is totally unsurprising coming from a man who has built his career on interactive storytelling prowess, it was nonetheless disappointing on several levels. Yes, yes, I know, Tornquist is a wunderkind developer, you'd have his babies, and who am I to question his almighty design wisdom? Regardless, I am questioning portions of this particular blog piece, because MMOs are an exceedingly inadequate vehicle for storytelling of the kind that developers are espousing lately. That's not to say massively multiplayer titles shouldn't have a narrative component, though. Join me after the cut to find out why MMO makers ought to stick to systems and math and leave the storytelling to the folks who do it best.
'Everything is True' in The Secret World
Enjoy the first minute or so of this trailer for The Secret World, because that's the only gameplay footage you're going to get. The rest of the trailer is devoted to flashing lots of conspiracy theories. Notably absent from the list: The undisputable fact that Elvis is still alive.
The Secret World readying seven years of content, new trailer released
Someone -- or something -- opened the news floodgates at The Secret World offices today, and apparently the stream was diverted directly to Eurogamer (with a tributary reaching IGN as well). There are several noteworthy pieces of info to pass along regarding Funcom's conspiracy-horror epic, starting with the fact that the Norwegian developer has already laid out seven years' worth of post-launch content updates. "We have actually begun not only design work but art work on content that's due after launch that has been planned from the get-go," game director Ragnar Tornquist tells Eurogamer. Despite assuring GDC audiences that The Secret World "is not a console game, it's not a game that tries to be anything like that," Tornquist acknowledged that Funcom is considering options beyond the PC. While the PC version is still the current focus, he leaves open the possibility of a console port if TSW turns out to be a big success. "You really need to make a different game [for consoles]. How different that will be, it's hard to say," Tornquist explains. Finally, IGN has gotten its hands on the newest trailer for The Secret World, and though the clip (titled Everything is True) manages to avoid showing much gameplay footage during its three-minute running time, it nonetheless delivers a considerable amount of atmosphere due a combination of effective editing, music, and titles. See for yourself after the cut.
The Secret World console game is on the back burner
Four years ago, it was still reasonable to believe that we were on the verge of some kind of console MMO explosion. That's when Funcom unveiled The Secret World, an MMO in development for PC and Xbox 360 -- the first and last time there's been a definitive statement about the console version of the game to date. (A press release in January described The Secret World as "a next-generation massively multiplayer online game for the PC platform.") What a surprise, then, to hear creative director Ragnar Tørnquist tell Eurogamer that he's "been very vocal in saying that when -- I guess also if -- we have a console version of The Secret World, it's not going to be exactly the same game." This is the first we've heard of a change in plans, even if we'd presumed that, at best, The Secret World console game had been secretly delayed. While Tørnquist allowed that he had "a team" working "specifically" on an Xbox 360 version (at least at some point), he noted, "It's not something we're focusing on now. I think it will only happen if The Secret World turns out to be -- as of course it hopefully is -- a huge success. We will want to do things on other platforms; we will want to expand the universe. But it won't be the same game." "You can still have the same setting; you can still have the same philosophies, the same basic systems," he said of a console version. "But you really need to make a different game. How different that will be, it's hard to say." As for the PC version, Tørnquist told Eurogamer, "We're at the point where we know when the game is going to be released, but we're not quite ready to tell people yet." It's a secret.
The fourth pillar of fear: Ragnar Tørnquist dishes on story in The Secret World
BioWare and ArenaNet aren't the only MMO studios to be beating on the drums of storytelling lately -- Funcom feels just as strongly that good stories not only have a place in MMOs but are essential to making memorable games. In a new post over at The Secret World, Ragnar Tørnquist attempts to whet our appetite for a main course of storytelling. "The story in The Secret World is a giant jigsaw puzzle. That's really the only way to describe it. There are thousands of pieces scattered all over the game world, both figuratively and geographically, and as you play the game, you are actively uncovering -- unearthing -- the stories, large and small, that form the enormous tapestry of a backstory that goes back aeons." All aspects of The Secret World are "infused with story," Tørnquist promises; the game will connect players to the world through context and meaning. He hopes that TSW's mysteries will keep players coming back to the game due to our insatiable desire to know the secrets behind them. He also hints that some of these stories will feature tough decisions and painful consequences: "Joining the ranks of the shadow-masters, it's in your best interest to play by their rules, follow their agenda, ensure that the secret world remains a secret, and if that means making compromises and allowing people to get hurt... Well. No one ever said being a hero would be easy." These mysteries will come to light during many of the player missions, which we heard about yesterday. While we wait for the launch, Tørnquist encourages us to check out the elements of story that Funcom's released already such as fake websites and other ARG activities.
Funcom hints at Secret World death penalty, sabotage missions
All is very hush hush around Funcom's The Secret World. While a good bit of new info surfaced at last month's GDC, there are still more questions than answers regarding the firm's followup to Age of Conan. That said, occasionally the devs will dangle a tasty morsel, and in a new interview at Game Snafu, Funcom designer Martin Bruusgaard does just that with regard to TSW's death penalty mechanics. "We will not implement a death system that can be exploited as a fast travel system, because dying in The Secret World should be a sign of failure, and not optimization in any way. We don't want to punish the players in a form where they can lose stuff, neither items nor experience, but rather penalize on time," he explains. Designer Joel Bylos also chimes in with some interesting bits about the game's questing mechanics, chief among them a hint about new sabotage missions. "These missions share a similar gameplay style to the original Deus Ex game -- avoiding security cameras, disabling traps and hacking computers, etc. Generally the traps are dynamic only in the sense that players can disable/enable them in the world. This becomes interesting when other players can accidentally trigger an alarm in the camp you are sneaking through," Bylos says. Check out the full interview at Game Snafu.
Massively's April Fools' Day [adjective] roundup
The favorite day of the year for anyone named April has [verb ending in ed] the internet, making some web surfers [emotion] and others [emotion]. In [adjective] Massively fashion, we felt it best to gather all this news [adverb]. After all, what would an event be without a [adjective] Massively roundup? World of Warcraft [past tense verb] not just one internet prank but four for the [plural noun] of BattleNet. Turbine invited its [plural noun] to be the broccoli for [adjective] race in Dungeons and Dragons Online. The [plural title] of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not want to leave the Wookiee [plural noun] from playing their [adjective] game, so they created a Shyriiwook interface for all those [adjective] people. However, the prank that takes the [food] has to be ArenaNet's new Guild Wars 2 class, the Commando; Anet created [adjective] videos complete with jiggle physics and placed helicopters into the current Guild Wars game. After the cut, we have [past tense verb] all the [adjective] pranks in this year's batch of favorite MMOs. Now you won't have to [verb] around the internet to find them yourself! But if you do [verb] something not on our list, let us know in the comments.
Funcom introduces The Secret World newsletter
Plenty of game developers have a newsletter, and while Funcom is joining that crowd, the company is stepping it up with separate newsletters tailored to its various player groups. The newsletter for The Secret World comes in several varieties: a generic one for anyone not already aligned with a secret society, and others "specifically branded for your secret society." What will they contain? Funcom promises a focus on the newest screenshots, art, and videos as well as news and interviews. The first generic newsletter is on the site now, but future issues will include the branded versions as well. Not already a member of a secret society? The Secret World's initiation test is still available for players who wish to align themselves and receive the newsletters.
GDC 2011: Funcom talks The Secret World's PvE, PvP, and ARG
Many of you are no doubt as anxious as we are to get your hands on Funcom's new The Secret World MMORPG (with a new website!). The skill-based end-of-the-world riff has been shrouded in a good bit of mystery for a good long while, but we've finally managed to snag a few minutes of face time with the title. This year's GDC marked the first opportunity for anyone outside of Funcom's alpha team to lay eyes on the game, and we've got some pretty juicy details to pass on. Join us after the cut for the new trailer as well as a recap of Funcom's presentation, which was spearheaded by Ragnar Tornquist and featured designers Martin Bruusgaard and Joel Bylos. Discussion topics include PvP, PvE missions, and character progression.%Gallery-118804%
Funcom calls The Secret World release date a "misunderstanding"
Did you know that Funcom's The Secret World was due to release "in the next few months?" We didn't either, nor apparently did Funcom despite a published report to the contrary in The Montreal Gazette. The article touches on Funcom's relationship with Electronic Arts and its disappointment with Age of Conan's performance relative to World of Warcraft's. It also intimates that The Secret World (developed at the company's Montreal studio) is nearing completion. "This must have been a misquote or a misunderstanding of some sorts. We have never communicated a release date for The Secret World," said a Funcom spokesperson in a statement to Eurogamer earlier today. Development on The Secret World is ongoing, and the game features a co-mingling of contemporary horror, conspiracy, and fantasy elements with Lovecraftian themes and skill-based progression.
The MMO Report: Premium section
Casey Schreiner is hot on the heels of this past week's biggest news stories, and we can't take our eyes off his scruffy beard as he does so. Seriously, it's like the fabric of the universe condensed down into beard form -- magnificent! Speaking of condensing things down, Casey begins with Lord of the Rings Online's recent financial success as the game has tripled revenues since going free-to-play. He then jumps on the bandwagon by promoting The MMO Report: Premium Section for the low, low price of $8.99 a month. Next up is the news of Funcom's deal with EA Partners to co-publish The Secret World, a deal which he considers a win/win for the two companies. And although Casey doesn't bubble with enthusiasm for DC Universe Online, he at least grudgingly gives the new title props for being the first game to launch simultaneously on the PC and PS3. For more word on RIFT, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and more, hit the jump to watch The MMO Report -- and don't forget to tune in every Thursday over at G4TV.com.
Funcom's 'The Secret World' to be co-published by EA
As the corpses of Asheron's Call 2, Auto Assault, Tabula Rasa and others will attest, it's tough to get an MMO up and running. Now, it seems that Funcom's upcoming challenger, The Secret World, will have a little more muscle behind it as EA revealed today it will co-publish the game. EA's involvement is no doubt encouraging for those following the project, though it's not necessarily a guarantee of success. Over the past decade, the publisher has had a hand in plenty of MMO projects that quickly withered and died, including The Sims Online, Motor City Online, Earth and Beyond and Hellgate: London -- if you want to count that. one (We do.) That said, we're rooting for The Secret World, if only so we never have to go through this sort of heartbreak again.
There's a conspiracy afoot: Funcom and EA co-publishing The Secret World
The Secret World went dark a few months ago -- no doubt to hatch nefarious, world-ending plots that involve brain leeches and alien zombies -- so it's good to see Funcom's sinister child poke its head up for some solid news. It turns out that Funcom's been involved in a conspiracy of sorts: The company has signed a pact with EA Partners to co-publish The Secret World. EA Partners is a division of Electronic Arts that co-publishes third-party games such as Crysis and APB's first incarnation. Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas sees this as a way to propel the company's MMO to world domination: "We are tremendously excited to be working with what is undoubtedly the world-leading games publisher for the past decade, and it is also a great testament to the fantastic work of our development team. The experience and the knowledge that Electronic Arts brings to the table will be instrumental in allowing us to realize the full potential of The Secret World." Funcom's had a rocky few years with its finances, which is why some doubted if The Secret World would ever make it to launch. Fortunately, this co-publishing deal seems to ensure that TSW will go the distance with two companies supporting it. We still have no word on the beta or release date, but this is at least a step toward the MMO seeing the light of day -- or the gloom of the night.
Secret World Twitter accounts offer possible clues
You know it's a slow news day when we're writing about The Secret World blurbs from the deep, dark recesses of the Twittersphere. It's not that we think Funcom's conspiracy-laced Lovecraftian zombie skill-based thing is vaporware, it's just that there's been very little information released on the game since the London hub video several months ago. Now, one of the game's Twitter pages has been updated with a cryptic message that states "they are coming back." Who "they" are -- and why the avatar is now an image of bees and honeycomb -- is anyone's guess. Ten Ton Hammer has also observed that the Twitter accounts of a few Kingsmouth residents, namely Helen Bannerman, Danny Dufresne, Andy Gardener, and Carter, have also been updated. So what's the thread that ties all these clues together? Is this more marketing misdirection or the lead-in to a larger reveal? We'll bring you the latest as soon as we figure it out ourselves.
The Perfect Ten: Halloween MMOs
We're only a few days away from Halloween, and already the Massively office staff is dressing up in anticipation. Shawn's post-apocalyptic gear is at odds with Rubi's tastefully modest Guild Wars Elementalist outfit. Greg's Squig is in the corner battling it out with Larry's Chewbacca. Bree is dudded up as a giant red corrective marker; Jef's free-to-play outfit requires microtransactions to view in full; and Kyrstalle is photographing it all with her Poloroid One-Shot camera. I think Eliot showed up in full plate armor and riding a mechanical bull, but that just may be his normal work attire. So as everyone else is goofing off in the spirit of the holidays, it remains to me, your lovable intern, to hack out a top 10 list in honor of All Hallow's Eve. It's the least I can do since they're paying me in candy. While every MMO incorporates horror at some point (even, yes, Hello Kitty Online's Cat-Tastrophie zone), and it's nearly impossible to escape a clutch of giant spiders in any game you visit, I've picked out 10 MMOs that best deliver a slice of October 31st. Some are old, some new, some canceled and some yet to come, but these are 10 of the spookiest MMOs in the world.
The Daily Grind: When has an MMO creeped you out?
Horror, scares, and heebie-jeebies aren't usually applied to MMORPGs -- after all, when you're playing in a world alongside thousands of other people, it's hard for a game to give you the sense of isolation that is necessary for many frights. And yet, it does happen on occasion. A particular zone begins to get under your skin and makes you all twitchy. You get lost in a dark, forboding section of the game and something finally jumps out at you. The artists create a monster model that makes you scoot your chair back in utter revulsion. You get, to put it politely, creeped as all get out. So when has an MMO ever creeped you out? Maybe none of them has ever outright scared you, but I think we're all grown up enough to admit that there are times we felt more like we were in a horror game than in an action, fantasy or sci-fi setting. Has there ever been a setting, a creature, an instance, or a moment that made you long to bolt back to the warm, comforting lights of civilization? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!
The Game Archaeologist and the Girdle of Anarchy: A chat with Colin Cragg
When I declared September to be "Anarchy Online month" I had no idea how far it would go. I mean, sure, I expected an outpouring of fond memories from players and perhaps a statue erected in my honor, but for the UN to pass a resolution for a worldwide celebration of Funcom's brainchild is quite above and beyond. So really, it's been a wild ride thus far. That's what we game archaeologists prepared for when we attended MMO U (go Fightin' N00bs!) and dusted off old copies of Neverwinter Nights. Be flexible, be enthusiastic, and always be ready for an older title to sweep you off your feet -- these are the sage words of my instructors. Because of this, I didn't find myself tongue-tied when Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg agreed to an interview. I might have blushed and stared at my feet so that I wouldn't become lost in his wizened, sage eyes, but I marched forward nonetheless. So what did AO's head honcho have to say about working on a mature MMO? Click the link and wonder no longer!
