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Free for All: Why these are my top five
For some time now, my gaming habits have been morphing. I was worried that I might start having more issues gaming and with finding enough time to cover the games I wanted, but lately the opposite is happening. I have less physical issues now and I tend to do more gaming than ever before. Why is that, I wonder? I decided to sit down and look at my top five most-played games over, say, this last month or two. I love analyzing my own playing because I am a pretty honest gamer. I will never feel obliged to a game or a group of friends; I never log in to grind or raid simply because everyone else does. If I find a game boring, or if it doesn't work out for any number of reasons, I don't play it. Click past the cut to see my list and be sure to leave your top five games in the comments! (If you play that many.)
Wurm's epic cluster coming October 28th
Onetwofree's latest news blurb features some good news for fans of the the firm's long-running Wurm Online sandbox MMO. The game's new epic cluster is officially set to debut on October 28th, and lead developer Rolf Jansson is among those psyched about the launch date. "The epic code is something I've been working on for several years, and it feels really good to finally release it," he says. Epic's aim is to "provide the players with a full circle of purpose and something really big to strive for," according to the Wurm website. The cluster features warring gods duking it out on the moon of Valrei, and players who complete missions (and multi-mission arcs called scenarios) will set dramatic events in motion. What kinds of dramatic events? The release mentions terraforming events tied to volcanoes as well as the chance for players to become demigods and possibly even full deities complete with their own religion and a stake in the celestial battle royal.
The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: A talk with Teppy
I have to say, I have nothing but admiration for lone wolf-style developers who decide to pish-posh giant studio teams and massive budgets and jump into the game-making mosh pit anyway. Andrew "Teppy" Tepper is one of these visionaries who had an idea for a unique MMO and took it to fruition. I mean, most of us come up with "totally tubular" notions for online games, but how many of us make it happen? Outside of a couple of doodles on a Post-It, that is. In our second week covering the fascinating sandbox world of A Tale in the Desert, The Game Archaeologist had the pleasure of sitting down with Teppy to get his perspective on how one man bootstrapped his way into the MMO world. He also dishes on the team's next MMO project, which we'll be talking more about on Massively later this week. So what's it like to create the ultimate sandbox in Egypt of all places? Teppy, take it away!
Wurm Online inviting players to Exodus
In a game like Wurm Online, fresh lands are important. After all, the game places so much emphasis on setting up your own homestead in the untamed wilderness that you find yourself a bit out in the cold if the land is already developed. This was part of what led to the opening of the game's first new server, Deliverance, but the response of the playerbase has been so overwhelming that the development team is doing the time warp again. According to the development team, a new land named Exodus is being added just south of Deliverance. It's intended to give players a new chance to get involved with building in fertile lands untouched by human expansion, and it's set to go live on Thursday at 1 p.m. EDT. For those of you recalling the issues with the earlier server opening, the team hopes that the new region will open without problem. So get ready to go... well, south, young man, because the lands there are ripe for the taking. [Source: Wurm Online press release]
Some Assembly Required: Is the sandbox dead?
Let's face it, folks, 2011 has been a fairly bad year for sandbox MMORPGs. Whether we're talking about the premature (and, ahem, forced) demise of Star Wars Galaxies, EVE Online's public relations disasters and its capitulation to the cash-shop-in-a-sub-based game fad, or Earthrise's rough launch, there hasn't been a lot to celebrate for fans of non-linear MMO gameplay in quite a while. I've even had several friends ask me point blank: Is the sandbox dead? The short answer is not just no, but hell no. Join me after the cut for a few bright spots as we look to the future, take stock of the present, and try to forget about the past.
Wurm Online to open new PvE server 'Deliverance' -- commence land rush!
Wurm Online, the classic sandbox MMO partially crafted from the mind of Minecraft's Notch, has announced today that it will open up another Freedom PvE server on September 6th. This server will be the first time new virgin land has been available in the game for years, setting the stage for an exciting land rush. The server will be named Deliverance (oh, now you get the header image), and will only be accessible through the tutorial portal or the southern edge of the existing Freedom Independence server. So if you're interested in scoping out the newest and best land for your Wurm Online village, get your settlement token ready at 12 p.m EDT on the 6th and good luck!
One Shots: On a grand scale
Wurm Online is center stage again for today's One Shots, and today's entry illustrates the huge scale available for player-created content. This one is a submission from two Massively readers, Acesfury and Shoden, co-mayors of the city of New Eminence: Sorry I couldn't make it a single screenshot, but it's simply too big a place to fit in one image. New Eminence was constructed at the opening of the Freedom server over two years ago. Myself and two others decided the top of the island would be a great place for our new city. However, going from the bottom to top and vice versa wasn't an easy task. This simple fact required the construction of the Eminence Ramp simply to give us better access. Since we had already planted the city up top we built the ramp from the top down and really had no idea how large it was going to become. The hill side was all forest, you couldn't see how high we actually were. It took over 400hrs by two players over a six-week period to complete the ramp and open up access. The Upper City has gone through many reincarnations and reconstructions finally coming the the final version (shown in screen #2). With the excess dirt being generated at the city by all the changes we carted it down and built the port at the base of the ramp to better store and secure our ships. The port is over 30,000 units of dirt to push the land out into the water and create the wharves shown. The alternate views of New Eminence can be seen after the jump. We've got one day left in Some Assembly Required week, so if you've haven't gotten around to sending an image of your favorite creation, the time is now! Next week's theme is pop culture in MMOs. Developers sneak references in all over games, whether it be via NPCs, quests, or items, and we want to see your favorites. Grab a screenshot, tell us a bit about what it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. We'll be featuring the best of these next week.
One Shots: Remembering when
One of the great things about large-scale player-created content is that it continually evolves. Our very own Beau shared an image for today's One Shots that illustrates that perfectly: When I look at this older screenshot of Massively's Wurm Online village, it makes me smile. It wasn't so long ago that the hard working citizens of Hindmania (the official name of the village) planned out a boat dock and started building boats. Now when you approach the village you'll see several huge boats and a lot of lanterns. It's very pretty at night, and makes me feel good any time I return to it after a long voyage. That land in the background is the mainland, and when we want to visit it, the trip might take hours. Now it's your turn to show off your items. This week's theme is Some Assembly Required -- a little nod to the newest addition to our column lineup. Some Assembly Required covers player-created content, so we want to see the best of what you've created. We're preparing for next week's theme too: Pop culture in MMOs. Developers sneak references in all over games, whether it be via NPCs, quests, or items, and we want to see your favorites. Grab a screenshot, tell us a bit about what it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. We'll be featuring the best of these next week. %Gallery-112285%
Free for All: So what else can you get for 150 dollars?
Recently, fans of the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic had the pleasure of plopping down 150 clams to pre-order a special collectors edition of their favorite game they have never played. I've seen this before, and have even pre-ordered a few in my day (I'm looking at you, giant Warhammer Online box.) Pre-orders are the oldest form of virtual goods...they were cash-shops before cash-shops appeared in every game. The funnest part is seeing hardcore cash-shop haters gladly paying huge sums of money for a robot pet or a cool looking cape. Somehow, they see it as a different thing altogether than buying a shiny mount or pink dress from in-game. Still, I understand the impulse. I get it every time I am in the check-out lane and the new flavors of gum have been released. Even worse is when one of my favorite games releases new items in their cash shop. New mounts, housing goods, heck even new weapons or stat-increasing potions...they make me drool. So, I decided to take a 150 dollar budget and see what I could get for it. Click past the cut and let's look at the list!
Free for All: A small case of burnout
Last week, we asked you fair readers what you thought about the sheer number of free-to-play titles out there. Could there be too many? we asked. I read the comments; I even posted one myself. Oh, sure, free choice is always a good thing, but let's be sure to understand what we were asking. The question was not only are there too many titles? or could there be too many titles? but also will quality go down as the number of titles goes up? Or in my particular case on this particular day, is burnout inevitable when we're faced with so many choices? I only ask because I have suffered from a slight case of burnout myself recently. Now, I need to explain. I can already hear the tick-tacking of the keyboards as free-to-play "opponents" rush to say, "AH HA! See? We told you!" in the comments section, without bothering to read the rest of the article. Let me explain, if you don't mind. Then you can make your comments. Click past the cut.
One Shots: Be it ever so humble...
Today's One Shots house comes to us from our very own Editor-in-Chief Shawn, who shows off the fun of player housing in Wurm Online. Player housing in this game might not be as flashy or shiny as in some other games, but there's a lot to be said for creating your character's home piece by piece from the ground up: It might not look like much, but this is my humble deed in Wurm Online. While most players build in the middle of a lush forest, I started my homestead on an empty, jagged mountain cliff. After terraforming and flattening the land with shipped-in dirt from another island and then planting trees for wood and gardens for food, I built my small stone house and fencing for my new animals. There's also an extensive system of mines within the mountain, complete with two forges, an oven, storage crates, and barrels galore. This week on One Shots is all about giving you a chance to show off your character's home, so send us a screenshot at oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the name of the game. Tell us anything you like about the decor, memorabilia, trophies, and so on, and we'll show it off here on One Shots so everyone can admire your digs! Want to get a head start on future One Shots themes? We'll be featuring awesome mounts next week, and then weird foes. Do you have a great shot of a dancing Abaddon in Guild Wars or a nose-picking foe from Gates of Andaron? Send those in too and we'll feature them on One Shots! %Gallery-112285%
The Soapbox: The road (much) less traveled
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. Normally, this column is reserved for some pretty big discussions. This time, however, I would like to talk about one of my specific pet peeves in MMO gaming, or at least one of the problems that I am very interested in solving. If you have ever taken a stroll down a dirt road in your favorite digital world, or if you have found yourself literally taking the long way home, then you might know what I am talking about. Players similar to me really and truly do not care about impressing other players or about how those other players are trying to impress me. When I log into a virtual world, I want to simply meet people and possibly go on an adventure. The problem is that MMO gaming, like any other activity that humans participate in, has become a hobby with rules and proper guidelines on how to get it all done very quickly. What about taking the time to travel, though? What about "it's the the journey, not the destination?" No, I mean the journey -- literally. Join me past the cut and let's talk about the need for realistic travel.
MV Guide: April 25th - May 1st
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of games to take a look at. During Livestream events, you can participate in the live chat to learn about the game, ask questions, and spend some time with Massively staff and readers.
Global Chat: Mostly meta edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! It's a given that a lot goes on at Massively besides what you see on the front page. We're pretty busy behind the scenes -- and sometimes we even find time to play some of these MMO things we've heard so much talk about! This week we've turned the focus a bit inward, so follow along after the jump to take a look!
Free for All: A week of scheduled playtimes
After a loose week of playing scheduled games, I can say that I have a lot of work to do to perfect my system. Once again, Tim and Jon from the Van Hemlock podcast are my inspiration. They are both dedicated to the art of playing games, to "finishing" games, almost to the point of obsession. It's certainly not for everyone, but they seem to maintain a real balance while skipping around. Perhaps the podcast they host helps them with this balance? I've hosted several podcasts over the years, so maybe putting my weekly gaming thoughts into audio form is necessary to keeping my sanity? In reality, what I need to do is just stick it out and stay the course. I am not sure of many things in this world, but I am positive that repetition and scheduling are more powerful than almost any plan. Humans are habitual creatures, even with their gaming. Especially with their gaming. Over this last week, I started to settle into the role of a scheduled player and even looked forward to it each night. Click past the cut and I'll let you know how it went.
Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two
My journey around the world of Wurm Online continues on today through the second half of the trip. In yesterday's story, we explored the eastern and southern shores of the map's mainland, and now we get to see the western and northern shores in all their glory. Although that southwestern-most tip of land is heavily populated, you're back to desolation when you make your way up into the cliff faces of the western shore. I spent one night in the side of a rocky mountain, only slightly protected from the elements as I chiseled my way into the rock just enough for a fire and shelter for the night. I decided to roleplay a bit during the trip, setting up proper shelter before I logged out of the game for the day. What's funny about this particular shelter is the fact that I discovered a very rare diamond only three squares into the cave. I've dug entire mazes of underground mines and never found a diamond before, so this was a sure sign that the rest of the trip was going to be bountiful. And it was! Follow along below for more.%Gallery-120997%
Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one
Wurm Online is a unique MMO. I can't think of many other games that allow the freedom of Wurm, which may be why I still consider it my favorite online game to this date. For anyone who hasn't tried the game or heard me yammer on about it on the Massively Speaking podcast, I'll explain the basics. Wurm Online is a sandbox game created to allow players unbelievable freedom. If you've played Minecraft, you have the basic premise of Wurm, but multiply that experience by about 100. In fact, Markus "Notch" Persson was the co-founder and co-creator of Wurm before moving on to Minecraft and world fame. Wurm Online starts you off as a fairly inanimate and uncustomizable character whose goal is to simply build. Find a spot of unclaimed land, throw down a settlement token, and build to your heart's content. You cut down trees for wood, mine stone for ore, forage and fish for food, and use it all to create the world that lives within your imagination.
Free for All: So what do I play now?
Last week I talked about celebrating your MMO transient status, something that drove some readers into a mini-frenzy. Perhaps my point was not clear enough, or perhaps the two or three sentences I dedicated to clearly stating my satisfaction with the "dedicated" player lifestyle were not enough. I did not talk so much about the players who dedicate most of their time to one or two MMOs because, well, it wasn't an article about them. It wasn't an article about celebrating some kind of digital floozy lifestyle, either, although some readers seemed to take it that way. It was an article about becoming comfortable -- or more comfortable -- with the fact that you, as a ramblin' player, might not gain that virtual glory that your more dedicated buddies will. This week's column will still avoid the topic of the dedicated player simply because I am not one. As I have now indicated several times, I have no issue with such a lifestyle, but I would rather talk about something I am more familiar with. Many of my friends are hardcore dedicated, dedicated to the point of being married to one MMO experience, and although I am somewhat jealous of them, I am even more jealous of a different type of player. Click past the cut and we shall discuss it!
Free for All: The healing ability of instant access
Recently I received a diagnosis from my doctor that did not make me happy. While it was far from a death sentence, it was still pretty heavy news. Immediately I went into information-gathering mode, scouring the internet for other people's stories and possible outcomes. If any of you have gone through this sort of thing before, you know how this type of research can actually have the opposite effect on you, only making you feel worse. So, I decided to stop it. I had my medicine, I knew what I had to do, and I decided to concentrate on ending the speculative thinking. Worse case scenarios are just that, and life is filled with them. Worrying about what might happen in 40, 20 or even five years is sort of a waste of time. Yes, you must be prepared and need to make plans to cover any possibilities, but thinking about all those possibilities can cause stresses of their own, making the situation worse. I had enough of it pretty quickly. I'm not a down person most of the time. I wanted to forget about it for a while, so I sat down and loaded up a game that I had been missing lately. Click past the cut and see what I discovered.
The Daily Grind: What is the next MMO innovation?
Everyone knows how many World of Warcraft clones there are out there, right? "This is just WoW in space." "This is just WoW with tanks." "This is just WoW covered in chocolate." Just after WoW took the MMO world by storm, every gaming company decided that the WoW formula was the only way to make money in the industry. Now, however, we have started to see a move in other directions. But which innovation will come out on top? Some developers have really started to go back to the basics of sandbox gameplay -- like Wurm Online or Minecraft -- or have taken a console approach, like Global Agenda or DC Universe Online. So what do you think will be the next big innovation in MMOs? Will worlds get wider with more depth like EVE times 10? Perhaps they will be come more character-driven and linear like Star Wars: The Old Republic? It's possible that a first-person shooter will be the next MMO wave, isn't it? What do you think developers will make the next big thing? What do you want it to be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their 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 Daily Grind!
