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CCP Games boosts productivity with agile development
When CCP Games developed the Apocrypha expansion for EVE Online, it wasn't only the first time that all three studios -- Atlanta, Reykjavik, and Shanghai -- worked in concert on single project, they also created the game's largest expansion to date in record time. EVE Online's lead designer Noah Ward recently explained how CCP was able to accomplish this in an interview with Gamasutra's Christian Nutt and Chris Remo. The company switched from its waterfall development model to agile methods where the game was developed through the collaboration of small teams that showcase their progress to the rest of the developers frequently. Ward says, "Now that we've switched over, we don't have these huge waterfall phases anymore, it's just iterative, agile two week sprints, and we have a demo day at the end [...] and it's just amazing to see how much is actually produced in those two weeks."
World of Darkness Online to launch in 2010?
Horror hasn't been a widely explored genre in massively multiplayer online games thus far, but there seems to be a shift in focus in the industry away from fantasy titles. Darren over at The Common Sense Gamer came across an interesting bit of information regarding World of Darkness -- the next massively multiplayer online game from CCP Games, creators of EVE Online. Horror fans eager to find details about the upcoming title turned up a business document (dated July 2008) from CCP Games that states World of Darkness is scheduled to launch in 2010.Darren also makes a good point in his post -- there are a number of people who like the idea of EVE, but haven't been able to get immersed in the game. Given that the World of Darkness setting already has earned quite a number of RPG fans over the years, it seems the title is in a position to have a decent-sized following right off the bat. Or, at the very least, is likely to garner a number of people willing to try it out.
Move over Austin; Georgia aims to be the next big thing for game studios
When you think of game development meccas, your mind immediately points to Austin or San Francisco, right? You might even think of Seattle, or Boston too, but what about Georgia? That's right, the state most commonly-known for The Dukes of Hazzard, Jimmy Carter and peaches is fast becoming quite a hub for gaming technology and development studios lately.Not only does the state play host to gaming services such as Gametap and lottery giant Scientific Games, but they also house online gaming companies such as Hi-Rez Studios, Cartoon Network's latest online project and the North American divisions of CDC Games and EVE Online's CCP, who recently merged with Georgia's own White Wolf Studios. Electronic Arts operates an R&D lab in one of North America's premiere design schools: Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia. In fact, you may be surprised to hear that Georgia's video game industry is currently 60-companies strong, employing approximately 2,000 game professionals.
EVE Online: the board game?!
EVE Online's 'Walking in Stations' expansion isn't the only new way fans will be playing the sci-fi title this winter. CCP Games will also be releasing a 'big box' board game called "EVE: Conquests," suitable for two to four players, which will come with a large fold-out board and cards. However, this game won't come cheap; EVE: Conquests will be priced at a steep $75, putting the game -- and its presumably ornate playing pieces -- out of the reach of most casual players. Pop culture-focused site ICv2 got the scoop on this latest game offering and spoke briefly with CCP's Peter Thorarinsson:"It's got a Euro-style mechanic to it," Thorarinsson said. "It's very easy to learn, but has a very deep game play and a lot of strategy to it." Thorarinsson indicated that no knowledge of the Eve universe would be necessary to play the game, and that although Eve Online players would be a natural audience for it, some gamers would undoubtedly be introduced to the Eve universe for the first time by the board game. In addition to his work on EVE: Conquests, Thorarinsson has been involved with creating the card game "EVE: The Second Genesis." While we're fans of all types of games at Massively, the price that's quoted at ICv2 seems mighty high. For you EVE enthusiasts out there, would you spring for EVE: Conquests to play when you're offline, or is this price tag out of step with your expectations? [Via EVE Stratics]
EVE Lead Content Creator discusses new missions
The Empyrean Age expansion has been a significant content update to EVE Online for players interested in factional warfare. Of course, many players aren't willing to enlist in a militia and be under a constant wardec by their factional enemies, and simply prefer to mission run for their agents. CCP Games announced that new content was in the works, back in June, but the latest EVE Online Newsletter has an updated announcement on this from Lead Content Creator, Scott Holden. CCP is getting closer to releasing new PvE mission content, Holden says, with Content Creation now based in Atlanta. This will be sped up by new staff on the Content Creation team in addition to the existing freelance writers already turning out EVE mission content. Holden says that new types of missions are coming to New Eden, and hints at 'epic mission arcs'.
EVE Online targets Battlestar Galactica fans
EVE Online has made first contact with a whole new group of sci-fi fans, through some carefully chosen TV advertising. EVE's first TV ads were shown during the most recent Battlestar Galactica episode on the SciFi network. If CCP Games wanted to target the viewers who would be the most receptive to checking out EVE, they didn't go wrong by choosing Galactica fans. The TV ads were an unexpected move, and came as a big surprise to many EVE players. Ethic at Kill Ten Rats said: "My jaw hit the floor while watching the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica on SciFi tonight. There, before my eyes, was a commercial for EVE Online. Amazing. Nice work CCP!"High visibility TV adverts for an MMO had previously been something only associated with Night Elf mohawks, Shatner, and a company with some rather deep pockets. EVE Online dev CCP Wrangler made a full announcement about the company's leap into prime time advertising.
The Gaming Iconoclast: Whither Shortcomings?
Many MMO aficionados cut their roleplaying teeth on one of the many pencil-and-paper titles that formed the early generation of multi-player gaming. In addition to rolling (and rolling, and rolling, and rolling) some dice to come up with their basic stats and traits, character generation involved a lot of "wet work" when it came time to acquire skills. Often, players would bargain with their Game Master to get special dispensation for pushing the envelope.Player: I want to run this adventure as a zombie elf with three arms.GM: Okay, but if you do that, none of the other characters will trust you. Also, you will spend 50% more on shirts and body armor. Still want to do it?Thus, the mechanic of trading character flaws for enhanced abilities was born. One of the hallmarks of tabletop gaming is this trade-off -- saddling yourself or your character with a shortcoming in order to obtain an advantage elsewhere, either as a skill, or a talent, or just another way to go about Min/Maxing. The huge number of available options in some games (Vampire: The Masquerade, for instance) ensures that any player, with only a few minutes' consideration, will have an almost absolutely unique character, fully their own creation.And yet, almost without exception, the online iterations we all enjoy seem to have omitted this altogether. We are an immense legion of perfectly-formed, mentally-stable, socially-adept übermensch. Even the so-called "ugly" races -- World of Warcraft's Forsaken or Tabula Rasa'sHybrids -- don't explore the depth and breadth of this concept too deeply. Racial traits and differentiation are the merest tip of this particular iceberg.Why does this rich milieu, this fecund ground of roleplay fodder and character diversity, languish? (And who left this thesaurus on my desk?)
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Products of Iceland: Interaction and Evolution
Our time spent plugging away in the virtual world is supposed to fun and inviting. If not, we all tend to feel like rabbits in a cage wishing to experience the world beyond those iron bars. Bearing the light of hope for those of you in a similar situation enters one of the leading brains behind EVE, Reynir Harðarson. "Yes, the key, we still believe, is human interaction. People should really feel it," he continues, "they're not just playing a game...." Remember that innovation in MMOs thing we were talking about? Reynir believes that creating interaction and evolving an MMO are what will drive a game to be successful. The nice thing about that is he fully intends to ensure his new project, World of Darkness, adopts that tantalizing philosophy."It's strange," Reynir offers, "that with so many games that [developers] create it, launch it, perhaps create a couple of expansions and then work on the sequel. These games do not grow. We don't want to think of it that way, we want to keep evolving." To our ears, that's good news! We don't know about you, but we're all feeling the group hug right about now. Ahem. Moving right along.It is wonderful to see a developer that passionate about the worlds he creates. By offering players not only the community they seek, but ensuring that the game evolves and interacts with it, the experience generated should be far more enjoyable. [via CrazyKinux]
Benchmark Capital joins Vivox in 7.8 million USD deal
According to Wagner James Au at GigaOm, Benchmark Capital has joined the board of Vivox. We're not sure how much Benchmark Capital invested directly. The total was $7.8 million US dollars in Series B financing, some of which also came from Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. The man behind the deal was Mitch Lasky, formerly with Eletronic Arts' mobile division, now general partner at Benchmark Capital.
New Module Available for WoW Pen & Paper RPG
White Wolf Games, makers of the WoW pen & paper RPG, have made a new adventure module available for download from their website. 'Bones of Ironforge' is said to serve as an introductory adventure into the WoW RPG world, although I assume players already familiar with the game could still enjoy it.If you're interested in diving deeper into the WoW RPG, White Wolf is also holding a Week of Warcraft special event beginning on June 14 through June 21st; you can read more details at the official White Wolf WoW page.
