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Behind the Curtain: What's in a name?
How much attention do you pay to the names behind the MMOs we're playing just now? Do you dig up as much information as you can on the developers, producer and designers involved in up and coming games? Do you even pay any attention at all?I'll be honest – I picked up Star Wars Galaxies based on the licence alone. While I've been a gamer since my Uncle gave me a ZX Spectrum as a child, I didn't know anything about the people behind Galaxies. I had heard about Everquest of course – I wasn't stupid after all – but Galaxies was my first MMO, and I was a noob in every sense of the word. I didn't know anything about the designers, the developers, and I didn't even think to check up on them.I was a little more aware when I came round to World of Warcraft. I was, and still am, a big Diablo 2, fan, so I knew who Blizzard were. I hadn't picked up Warcraft 3 when it came out, due to the PC I had t the time not being to run it, but I knew that it'd been a huge commercial and critical success for Blizzard, so I knew that it was a safe bet. Plus, it was taking the world by storm already, so it was a bit of a no-brainer. Maybe I'm just older and wiser now, or maybe the information is just easier to get a hold of, but I pay more attention to the people actually making the game that I'm interested in – I thought this week, we could have a look at some of the names you should be aware of.
Ancient Gaming Noob talks to WorldIV about how far we've come
One of the things I love about being a gamer (and especially an MMO gamer in particular) is that we're here to see history in the making right now. We were around when Ultima was being played, and when World of Warcraft was being formed and becoming known as the first mainstream MMO. The guys writing on blogs right now and the players playing in game at this very moment are literally the pioneers of the field. And so it's exciting to see what we gamers have to say-- that's why this interview with Ancient Gaming Noob is such a great read.Not only does he talk about some of the great MMOs he's played since 1985, but you can get a real sense of how far gamers and games have come. Just thirty years ago, they were the realm of arcade games and quarters, and now, AGN is finding time for them among his family, and picking LEGO Universe as a game he and his daughter can play together. He also has some great insights on blogging about MMO gaming, and it's completely true: "more than crickets" is all you can really hope for.Nice read. So exciting to think that for all the progress and evolution online games and gaming has made, we're still living in the first generation of gamers. Us kids playing MUDs and Asteroids are grown with families of our own now, and it's amazing to look back at all the different audiences playing games nowadays and realize that it's still only the beginning.
Massively looks at MMOG's most influential moments
The MMO genre has come a long way in a very short time, but it's still important to look back at the events which brought us to where we are today. Michael Zenke over at Massively responds to MMOCrunch's list of MMO's most memorable event by citing what he feels to be its most influential, from the high points (Toyota's World of Warcraft commercial), to the lowest (the spontaneous and unannounced addition of New Game Enhancements to Star Wars Galaxies).Were there any obvious milestones in MMO history overlooked in these articles? Were you there when Lord British was assassinated in Ultima Online? Were you or someone you love affected by the Corrupted Blood plague of 2005? Let us know in the comments.
Explore Richard Garriott's secret dungeons
Ever wanted to own a medieval-esque castle with secret passages and a dungeon? Produce one of the most significant gaming franchises in history and that dream could become a reality.The HGTV show Secret Spaces was guided by gaming industry eccentric Richard Garriott, aka Lord/General British, through Garriott's Austin home. Garriott became extravagantly wealthy through his Ultima series of computer games, and has spent some of his money building a house/castle hybrid called "Britannia Manor." The manor is full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and strange artifacts.We have the YouTube video here for you. Unfortunately, they didn't show where he keeps his Sputnik satellite.[Via Joystiq]
LotRO quest inspired by Apple II text adventures
It seems that most gamers these days haven't played any of the old Apple II computer games, much less the particularly ancient text-based adventure ones. Most people now see them as arcane and even intimidating. Those black & white fossils bear no relation to something as modern as say, The Lord of the Rings Online, right?Wrong! Gaming's old-timers will be tickled to hear that a quest in Tal Bruinen was inspired by a gameplay mechanic from an Apple II text adventure game. A Turbine employee revealed this behind-the-scenes tidbit in a thread about the quest on the official LotRO forums.The Apple II was the first widely successful personal computer. It had a large library of games, many of which are cornerstones of computer gaming history. You can play a lot of those games in your web browser at virtualapple.org, one of the best online emulators. It has many of the all-time classic RPGs like Ultima, Might and Magic, and Wizardry as well.
EA celebrates ten years of Ultima Online
By today's lofty standards Ultima Online seems terribly archaic, yet when first released back in 1997, the game, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this week, was the bee's knees. Along with other early MMOs such as 3D0's Meridian 59, Ultima Online helped shape what we now know as the MMO genre, and laid the foundation for more modern efforts like EverQuest and World of Warcraft. To commemorate this milestone, Electronic Arts is trying to win back former residents of Britannia who since have moved on to bigger and better things to retry Ultima Online using the game's recently launched "Kingdom Reborn" update, which will be free to download for past subscribers through October 9 by way of their old, most likely misplaced username and password. Calling the event its "Return to Brittania" campaign, EA will welcome players with a monster hunt and prizes including an ankh pendant necklace, map of Brittania, Ultima Online commemorative sculpture and virtue armor set. Characters will also be given a wand of fireworks and 10 décor tokens, though we haven't a clue what those might be. Happy Birthday, UO. Try not to break your hip fighting ogres.
Richard Garriott calls for MMO devs to innovate
Speaking at the Develop Conference, game designer Richard "Lord British" Garriott (Ultima series) called for innovation in the field of MMO games. "Game design has not changed over 10 years. Fundamentally the gameplay is unchanged," he said, referring to his 1997 Ultima Online title that arguably laid the framework for modern-day MMOs. He later added, "We owe it to consumers to provide new kinds of gameplay." Garriott lamented on the prevalence of level grinding in current titles and emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence as the genre moves forward. We can think of at least nine million people who enjoy the current state of MMOs. Garriott has laid down the gauntlet; time will tell if his latest project, the oft-delayed Tabula Rasa, will advance the genre.
Taking a guild across games
Now, I've played a little Xbox with my WoW guildies, but when it comes to cross-game guilds, that's as far as my experience goes. I used to play in a guild in Dark Age of Camelot, but I can't remember their name, much less know if they ever brought their game over into World of Warcraft.But Guildcafe has an interview up with Lords of the Dead, and these guys define cross-game guilding. They've been around for 12 years, playing all the way back from Ultima Online up to WoW (and now they're making plans, apparently, for WAR.So how do you keep a guild together for 12 years? In the interview, they extol the virtues of "rules, policies and requirements," which makes sense-- you either follow the rules, or you're out of the guild before you can cause drama. In addition, LotD is able to build a strong guild leadership for every game they play-- a good leader will help any guild survive, and great leadership across games is how LotD did it. An interesting read for guild leaders and members alike-- have you been able to follow or lead a guild into or out of WoW?[ via Curse ]
Lord British likes WoW
Well, okay, maybe he doesn't *like* it like it, but Richard Garriott (aka Lord British) certainly appreciates the existence of the World of Warcraft. In an article I came across over at the WoW Vault on IGN, the creator of the Ultima series, and the Ultima Online MMO, discusses his feelings on the juggernaut that is WoW. The article quotes an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, where Garriott states, "We commonly get the question, is World of Warcraft a big competitor that might hurt our sales? It really turns out to be quite the opposite." He then goes on to comment that MMO players typically will only play a game or two at a time, but then move on after a year. I've been happily playing WoW since February of 2004, so I'm into my third year of the game, and nothing else has caught my eye in the MMO market. There are a couple of games on the horizon, but of the folks I'm playing WoW with, the majority have been around from the get-go. Are we just crotchety old-timers who won't admit that the average player only sticks around for a year? Is what Lord British says true? Did any of you ditch other MMO's to come to WoW, or have you ditched WoW for other MMO's after playing for a year?
TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge downloadable demo
One week after the popular Metal of Honor demo hit the web, PSP gamers are being treated to a new demo: TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge. The demo includes three vehicles, the Ultima GTR, Opel Vectra GTS V8 and the classic Mercedes Benz W196, for use in three different challenges. This marks one of the few times where a game demo has been made downloadable before a game's actual release.TOCA will be available for UK buyers on February 16th.1. Download the demo ZIP file.2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.5. Copy ULED90009 folder into the GAME directory. Check out our new demos site:demos.pspfanboy.com
Role-playing titles that made a "quantum leap"
Gamasutra recently polled its readers on which role-playing game made the biggest "quantum leap" at the time it was released. Any RPG throughout the history of the genre was fair pickings, but the top entry was the game that received the most votes from readers identified as industry professionals (because grunts like you and me only dilute the quality of the selection process).Classic heavyweights such as Final Fantasy IV, Neverwinter Nights, EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II, and the Ultima series are celebrated as honorable mentions, which illustrates the impressive depth of the genre. I won't reveal the top five vote-getters, but a certain spike-haired dude with a huge sword is absent from the list -- just one omission of many that should fuel some interesting debates among the RPG faithful. What are your thoughts about the list?See also: "Epic" RPGs: too time-consuming for casual gamers? "RPG" missing from today's MMORPGs
Yet another classics compilation, this time from EA
If the upcoming Capcom Classics Reloaded or the insanely awesome Sega Genesis Collection aren't enough retro games for you, then you might want to check out EA's offering. Gamespot recently spotted a Gamestop listing (these names always confuse me) called EA Replay, and it should feature the following games:B.O.B.--1993--SNES and Genesis Budokan--1990--Genesis Desert Strike--1993--SNES and Genesis Jungle Strike--1993--SNES and Genesis Haunting Starring Polterguy--1993--Genesis Mutant League Football--1993--Genesis Road Rash--1992--Genesis, later on 3DO Road Rash II--1993--Genesis Road Rash III--1995--Genesis Syndicate--1995--SNES, 3DO, Jaguar Ultima: The Black Gate--1994--SNES Virtual Pinball--1993--Genesis Wing Commander--1993--SNES Wing Commander: The Secret Missions--1993--SNESWhile these may franchises may not be as famous as Sonic or Street Fighter, there are still some heavy-hitters there. Personally, I can't wait to get back into Road Rash, while many should get excited about Wing Commander. But, compared to Sega's 30 game offering, will EA's less than blockbuster lineup be able to compete?
