Archive for the 'News' Category
April 24th, 2008 -- Posted in News |
Funcom, WarCry and IGN are proud to offer you a chance to win 1 of 100 Beta Keys to the upcoming MMO Age of Conan. Based on the works of Robert E. Howard, this game offers players the chance to explore the mature and gritty world of Hyboria. Contest winners will be notified via email on Monday April 28th with instructions on how to get a hold of their copy of the game. For more information on AoC, check out Age of Conan WarCry and check back regularly for updates on the beta and upcoming launch of Age of Conan.
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Age of Conan: Win 1 of 100 Beta Keys!
April 9th, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
It’s tonight! Flying Lab Software live on our IRC servers to talk about Pirates of the Burning Sea. For four lucky fans, some time cards await in a random draw, and one will get a t-shirt. So stop in at 8:00pm EST to talk to the developers. Here are the details: When : 04/09/2008 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific (Wednesday) Where : irc.chatspike.net 6667 in #WarCouncil General chat will be available in #warcry Who : The following Flying Lab developers will be on hand. Russell Williams (FLS CEO) Kevin Maginn (Lead Game Designer) Joe Ludwig (Producer) David Hunt (Game Designer) Drew Clowery (Game Designer) Troy Hewitt (Director of Community Relations) Tom Atkinson-Edwards (Community Specialist) Need a way in? No problem just use our Java Client , Chatspike’s IRC Client or an mIRC Client . We look forward to seeing you there!
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Pirates of the Burning Sea Dev Chat: Tonight at 8pm Eastern!
April 2nd, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
In on week’s time, we’ll have ourselves another developer chat with Pirates of the Burning Sea. This is your chance to talk to the people behind the biggest MMO launch of 2008. The chat is on Wednesday April 9th at 8:00pm Eastern (5:00pm Pacific)! Your details: When : 04/09/2008 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific (Wednesday) Where : irc.chatspike.net 6667 in #WarCouncil General chat will be available in #warcry Who : The following Flying Lab developers will be on hand. Russell Williams (FLS CEO) Kevin Maginn (Lead Game Designer) Joe Ludwig (Producer) David Hunt (Game Designer) Drew Clowery (Game Designer) Troy Hewitt (Director of Community Relations) Tom Atkinson-Edwards (Community Specialist) Need a way in? No problem just use our Java Client , Chatspike’s IRC Client or an mIRC Client . We look forward to seeing you there!
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Pirates of the Burning Sea: Dev Chat In One Week
March 31st, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
In the second half of his two part article called “To Be A Hero” ( Part One is here ), Jonathan Steinhauer gives us more of his personal take on how MMORPGs and how players want to be the center of that universe. Every other Monday, Steinhauer brings us his design related MMO thoughts in this column. Another method of achievement is through the use of competitions. Asheron’s Call had a story writing contest that generated over a thousand submissions and the top nine were placed in game as actual books you could purchase from vendors. Other contests games have introduced have been as varied as screenshots and cloak designs. But recognition isn’t the sole property of game designers. Many guilds host contests, the most popular being PvP matches. Back when I played AC, my guild setup its own rank structure which awarded members for participation with the prize being different colored robes. Admittedly, player-based fame has the tendency to be more localized, but it does give the opportunity for increased prominence among the fellow gamers that you know the best. Read more after the leap.
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Steinhauer’s Opinion: To Be A Hero, Part 2
March 17th, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
This Monday, Jonathan Steinhauer begins a look at a new issue in his bi-weekly column. In “To Be A Hero” asks the fundamental question that we all face when it comes to our time, our darkness and MMOs: why do we play? Why do we play MMOs (or adventure style games of any sort)? Fundamentally, one would hope, because they are fun. Aside from that, there are a myriad of reasons, but a major one is that it gives us a chance to be heroic in a way we really can’t in real life (and if we could, probably wouldn’t want to given the massive death rate our avatars suffer). Games give us the chance to be “the hero.” Yet how can we truly be the hero in a world where 100% of the world’s population are hero-aspirants and each step down the road to renown is identical for everyone? Read more after the jump.
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Steinhauer’s Opinion: To Be A Hero, Part 1
March 3rd, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
In the second part of a two part look at The Close Combat Archer ( click here for part one ), columnist Jonathan Steinhauer looks at the design of this tricky class in MMOs. In the medieval era, a man who was struck by an arrow in the chest was either dead or severely injured, whereas in gaming, a man who is hit by ten arrows might very well shrug them off and win the day. What does all this mean for archers? Simply this. The potency of archery is to inflict damage at range before the target can get into melee. But when health is super-inflated to offer the survivability necessary in MMOs it also makes the task of an archer killing its opponent at range almost impossible. Read more after the jump.
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Steinhauer’s Opinion: The Close Combat Archer, Part 2
February 27th, 2008 -- Posted in Gold, News |
In this edition of “Community Column”, Sean Bulger follows on his previous look at pre-made factions with player-made factions and how they relate to community in MMOs. EVE had its empires: the Amarr, the Gallente, the Caldari, and the Mimnatar (woo!). However, in all reality, these empires were largely background for the game, racial options, and a way to divide up ships for players. The Empires weren’t really factions in the sense that the realms of Dark Age were – well, at least not at the time of writing. Instead, EVE focused on the player-created corporations. Now, if you are a new player to EVE, you may not really realize just how much of an effect on the game that these player corporations have. In fact, many smaller corporations have rather small effects. However, out in lawless space, it is player factions that fight over the control of huge sections of the galaxy and resources in a quest to control space, crush foes, and become rich. Read more after the jump.
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Community Column: Player-Made Factions
February 18th, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
In this edition of Steinhauer’s Opinion, Jonathan tells us about the idea of “The Close Combat Archer”. This is part one of a new sub-block of articles from him on this subject. When we play an MMO, much like when we read a book or watch a movie, we expect a certain suspension of disbelief. Goblins and dragons cease to be mythical, and we don’t scoff at the idea of a wizard calling firebolts from the heavens. We rarely even wonder how so many forests can support such large populations of bears, wolves, and other carnivorous creatures nor why such animals don’t avoid humans but rather charge in with teeth bared. Nor do we question why an enemy village is devoid of any common folk like farmers, craftsmen, or children. And, of course, we never doubt the practicality of the close combat archer. Read it all after the click.
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Steinhauer’s Opinion: The Close Combat Archer, Part 1
February 6th, 2008 -- Posted in Gold, News |
This week’s “Community Column” from Sean Bulger looks at the concept of pre-made player factions in games and how they enhance or effect community. In light of the current ‘political season’, so to speak, I would like to take a look at one area of gameplay in MMOs that truly does have a strong impact on player communities: Player factions. Now, when I speak of something like factions, I do not specifically refer to guilds. Rather, factions are groups of players within a game that are, generally speaking, opposed to each other, and/or have some sort of conflict or even more political relations with each other. They are also often encouraged by gameplay. Many games see aspects of factions such as these within them. Dark Age of Camlot, World of WarCraft, EverQuest 2, Final Fantasy XI, PlanetSide, and even games such as EVE Online and ShadowBane have various types of factions that players can join and/or create. Read more after the jump.
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Community Column: Pre-Made Factions
February 4th, 2008 -- Posted in News, WoW |
Jonathan Steinhauer looks more deeply into the phenomenon of level based games in “Breaking the Level Barrier, Part 2″. This follows his piece two weeks ago where he first examined this topic . That’s not to say that step learning doesn’t exist. But it is generally found in activities were you either can or can’t do a thing. For example, in the quest to fly, the Wright Brothers didn’t gradually fly. The first time occurred in a single instant and once that was achieved, they could repeat the feat (although I would argue that the gaining of knowledge that enabled flight was still slope-learning). Some growth in life tends to be a blend, such as studying mathematics. The gaining of knowledge and skill in math occurs on a learning curve, but there are “steps” along the way, such as basic addition and subtraction, Trigonometry, and Calculus. Read more after the leap.
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Steinhauer’s Opinion: Breaking the Level Barrier, Part 2
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