Joystiq

EVE Online players can use in-game currency to pay for real-life graphics cards

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST

Play vidyagames, get real stuff for vidyagames: That's how the EVE Online PLEX-for-graphics-cards thing works. Good night, everyone!

OK, fine, in more detail this time: CCP Games, the developer behind EVE Online, has struck a deal with Nvidia for players to use in-game currency -- PLEX -- to purchase GeForce 560 GTX graphics cards, which run almost $200 at retail. That's fake money for real items, folks. Nvidia and CCP will start by selling 100 graphics cards (limit one per EVE account) to test the demand. After CCP announced its Nvidia deal, the in-game price of PLEX jumped "significantly," CCP said.

PLEX (Pilot License Extension) is an in-game currency that can be used to pay for 30-day EVE subscriptions. PLEX can be purchased with ISK, EVE's main currency that can be earned throughout the game, meaning some dedicated players end up with a free subscription each month. Now they may end up with a "free" graphics card as well.

EVE Online players can use in-game currency to pay for real-life graphics cards originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP considering the cloud, wants to put EVE gameplay on mobile devices

Mike Schramm — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

EVE Online developer CCP is looking for a way to bring its Internet spaceships into the cloud. CCP's chief marketing officer David Reid said at last week's Fanfest in Iceland that the company is in talks with OnLive, Gaikai, and other services to try to bring the popular space simulation MMO to one of their platforms.

Reid said there "isn't some giant announcement" for release on any other platforms but PC and Mac at this time. But he also said CCP is thinking about ways to bring elements of EVE, including the upcoming Planetary Interaction system (in which players can set up to harvest resources from virtual planets) "finding their ways to tablets and mobile devices." CCP is considering a number of ways to do that, and "to add new sorts of experiences" to the game.

CCP considering the cloud, wants to put EVE gameplay on mobile devices originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dust 514 goes free-to-play, Vita version a 'companion app'

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:37:00 EST

Dust 514, the upcoming PSN exclusive MMOFPS connected both figuratively and literally to the EVE Online universe, will launch with a $0.00 price tag, according to Eurogamer. Originally, the game was to launch at $20.00, and the player would be pseudo-reimbursed with $20.00 worth of in-game currency. "We wanted to make it unambiguously that this is a free-to-play game," CCP's Brandon Laurino told Eurogamer. "We probably will still have some kind of pack like that."

The game will still be supported through microtransactions, as was always the plan, although Laurino remains adamant that Dust 514 is "not a pay to win game," and that nothing available for purchase will provide an unfair advantage.

Dust 514's Vita iteration won't be exactly the same as the newly free-to-play PS3 version. Laurino told Eurogamer that the Vita game will be a "companion app," with functionality including character customization, shopping, and setting up "strategies" with other players, all interfacing with the PS3 game.

The Vita may get other exciting functions like "playing a video game" later, as the app will be progressively upgraded. "As we continue to explore what the possibilities are, between Vita and PS3, of which there are many, we'll keep updating the app with stuff like that over time," Laurino said. As for a launch simultaneous with the PS3 game, "We haven't decided that yet."

Dust 514 goes free-to-play, Vita version a 'companion app' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dust 514 supports mouse/keyboard and controller

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST

Dust 514 will support the use of USB keyboards and mice. That's good news for EVE Online players looking to expand the wealth of their galactic empire by partaking in some mercenarial dirty work on the PS3 shooter.

Whether using a keyboard and mouse will provide a mechanical edge over players using a controller remains to be seen, but we feel like the type of input method used isn't as crucial when you're being bombarded from orbit by planet-sized gunships.

Dust 514 supports mouse/keyboard and controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP launching EVE character names and pictures into space via giant balloon

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST

Well, it's not technically space, but it's as close as you can get without the help of some Russian rocketeers and their flying machines. As a token of gratitude, the Icelandic MMO moguls at CCP will be placing the names and pictures of every currently subscribed player character in EVE Online (as of 23:59 GMT tonight) into a capsule, which will then be sent into near-space via high-altitude balloon.

High-altitude balloons cannot actually leave the Earth's atmosphere and enter legit outer-space, but they are capable of traveling hundreds of thousands of feet into the air; high enough to see the curvature of the Earth against the blackness of space. The event will take place during CCP's own Fanfest 2012 in beautiful Reykjavik, Iceland.

CCP launching EVE character names and pictures into space via giant balloon originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dust 514 preview: Contractual murder

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST

Here's that Gamescom preview where I tell you how shocked I was about a game I didn't expect to be all about. You've been warned. Still with me? Great. Dust 514, a first-person shooter MMO cross-platform experience from CCP Games, is without a doubt the biggest surprise for me of Gamescom. At the end of a long week of previewing dozens of games, I didn't expect to be blown away by the little hyped game from the Icelandic devs at CCP, but here we are.

As promised, Dust 514 ties the bizarre, often unbelievable world of EVE Online and its reality reflecting politics into an instanced first-person shooter MMO, seamlessly combining both games into a universe ("New Eden") that's been thriving for years now on PC. But CCP did more than offer lofty promises in a preview session I attended earlier today in a private hotel suite near Gamescom -- a team of devs from various CCP offices demonstrated the madness in real-time.

Make no mistake, Dust 514 is no Huxley. It's a very real MMOFPS with very deep economics and political systems tied to EVE Online, and it's already incredibly impressive, even though it's not set to launch until next summer.

Gallery: Dust 514

Continue reading Dust 514 preview: Contractual murder

Dust 514 preview: Contractual murder originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's how Dust 514's microtransactions work on your PS3

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST

When Dust 514 was revealed back in 2009, its Icelandic devs at CCP also explained that it'll be microtransaction-based when it launches sometime next summer. Given that the game is now heading exclusively to Sony's PlayStation 3, I couldn't help but wonder exactly how PlayStation Network would handle microtransaction purchases in the game, not to mention what kind of price point Dust 514 would launch at given its business model.

"You effectively pay what we call a 'cover charge,' we're looking at likely around $20 for the initial download. That download gets you the game client plus a bundle of virtual currency which has the equivalent in-game value of $20. So you're basically getting that bundle of cash that you're using to start the game, and from there if you choose to play for free and just grind, you're welcome to do that. But of course we know a lot of people will convert," a CCP rep explained to me this afternoon. As of now, the plan is to release Dust 514 exclusively via the PlayStation Network.

Additionally, the player-driven marketplace so popular in CCP's other big MMO, EVE Online, will also be made available to Dust 514 folks, giving gamers a chance to build up their virtual empires without the use of their hard-earned spondulicks. "Bought currency items and non-currency items can be freely exchanged between the players," creative director Atli Mar Sveinsson added. To CCP, the free flow of the two marketplaces will keep the user base from splitting into two separate factions. "It avoids the buy/win problem that some microtransaction-based games have."

Like EVE Online, CCP expects some players to never even touch the actual first-person shooter gameplay of Dust 514, and simply spend all their time acting as virtual businesspeople. "I wouldn't be surprised if we get quite a few EVE players that join Dust but actually don't play Dust at all, they're just on the market speculating ... and they never go into a match," the rep added with a laugh. Here we go again!

Gallery: Dust 514

Here's how Dust 514's microtransactions work on your PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now)

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:09:00 EST

Lulzsec, the anonymous anti-security task force responsible for hacking Sony Pictures, Nintendo, EVE Online, Minecraft, and The Escapist, announced today that its 50-day tour of internet pillaging has come to an end.

In a press release posted on The Pirate Bay, the team of six hackers used confusing metaphors about Hitler and cats (seriously) to justify their attacks, citing the "chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy" as their main motivation. While the group claims that they had always planned to call it quits after 50 days, we think this retreat has more to do with the British arrest of 19-year-old Ryan Cleary.

Lulzsec's six hackers hope that their "movement" can continue without them, writing, "Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve." We don't know about you guys, but we can't remember ever feeling oppressed by Super Mario Bros. Peep the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now)

LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LulzSec attacks Escapist Magazine, EVE Online, and Minecraft

Mike Schramm — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:15:00 EST

Hacker group LulzSec, the same group that's attacked Sony and Nintendo in the past, has tweeted that it's committed three distributed denial of service attacks against gaming companies today, bringing down EVE Online's Tranquility server, Minecraft's multiplayer services, and the Escapist Magazine's website. EVE Online's CCP has confirmed both the outage and the attack, the Escapist is unreachable at the moment, and Minecraft creator Notch says that things were down, but supposedly service has been restored.

LulzSec hasn't shared a reason for the attacks just yet, but we can only guess it's, as they say, "for teh lulz."

Update: The group has gone after Riot Games' League of Legends servers as well. Attempting to log in to the game gives a "server busy" message, though there's no official word from the company yet.

Update: Statement from CCP after the break. EVE Online still seems to be down.

Continue reading LulzSec attacks Escapist Magazine, EVE Online, and Minecraft

LulzSec attacks Escapist Magazine, EVE Online, and Minecraft originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP shares big plans for Dust 514 and EVE Online at E3

Mike Schramm — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST

The MMO market may be dominated by World of Warcraft, but while other games have come and gone, there's always been one other constant in massively multiplayer games: Icelandic company CCP's EVE Online. Since 2003, CCP has kept EVE's gigantic galactic server Tranquility going, allowing the game's over 350,000 users to fly around, blow up ships, trade and earn ISK, and make this virtual world that has held over 60,000 players together at one time surprisingly real.

But that's not enough for CCP. EVE has always been singled out for its precipitous difficulty curve -- because the game faithfully models everything from power management and targeting systems to realtime stocks and industrial economics, it's a tough climb for new players not necessarily interested in the ins and outs of advanced capacitor control schemes.

Enter Dust 514, then, a brand new game being developed by CCP that's designed to scoop up all of those players who've been scared away by the learning curve in EVE Online. What's the opposite of a hardcore, complicated, PC MMO? Apparently it's a massively multiplayer first-person shooter, available only on Sony's PlayStation 3. (Extensions of the game are set to be released as well, including one on the new PS Vita.)

Gallery: Dust 514/EVE Online (E3 2011)

Continue reading CCP shares big plans for Dust 514 and EVE Online at E3

CCP shares big plans for Dust 514 and EVE Online at E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile version of EVE Online demoed for smartphones and tablets

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:00:00 EST

No longer satisfied with completely absorbing the lives of its spacefaring businessmen via their personal computers, CCP Games recently demonstrated a simpler version of its MMO EVE Online that runs on Tegra 2-powered tablets and smartphones. CCP Chief Technology Officer Halldor Fannar explained that the application -- which was given absolutely no release details whatsoever -- could be used for "doing market transactions, managing your skill queue and, for instance, fitting your spaceship."

Wait, there's more to EVE Online than those things? Here we just thought it was a game about interstellar business mergers and hypergalactic corporate greed. You know: stuff like that seems like a pretty natural fit on a thing that could easily fit in the pocket of a tailored pair of business pants.

Mobile version of EVE Online demoed for smartphones and tablets originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online trailer shows upcoming collaboration with Dust 514

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST

During the EVE Fanfest held earlier this week, the MMO's developers revealed a new three-minute cinematic trailer demoing the game's interactivity with its upcoming sister title, Dust 514. Sorry, that sounded way more boring than it is: Watch the trailer below, because it has so many explosions.

Continue reading EVE Online trailer shows upcoming collaboration with Dust 514

EVE Online trailer shows upcoming collaboration with Dust 514 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online gambling group robbed of 125 billion ISK and a friend

Mike Schramm — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 03:00:00 EST

Much of EVE Online's MMO gameplay is governed by the in-game economy, and whenever you've got large amounts of virtual money (ISK, in EVE's terms) passed around, you're going to have a little theft from time to time. It happened again just recently, when a group of players called Somer.Blink (named after founder Somer), who'd been running some in-game lotteries, had 125 billion ISK worth of cash and items stolen out of one of their in-game safehouses. Like most MMO schemes of this nature, someone had access who shouldn't have, and in this case it was a player called Daquaris. Daq, as his former friends call him, had been a trusted member of an in-game alliance a while ago, and was one of the players responsible for handing out lottery prizes. He decided to end that trust, though -- he grabbed the items and cash out of the group's Jita hangar and split, eventually selling it back to the group for billions of ISK in ransom.

Don't worry about Somer.Blink, though -- they're actually pretty blasé about the crime, and say they're more bummed about the lost friend than the lost materials. "Had Daq asked for exactly the things he had stolen, Somer would have given them unflinchingly, without a doubt," says one member of the group. "Blink can always earn more ISK, it's the loss of someone we trusted as a valued part of the business, and a long time friend." Go figure -- in a game mostly about spaceships and spreadsheets, turns out it's the people who matter most.

EVE Online gambling group robbed of 125 billion ISK and a friend originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online raising money for Pakistan flood victims

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

In a second act of charity springing from the eerily lifelike financial depths of EVE Online, players are being offered a chance to donate to victims of flooding in Pakistan using 30-day subscription codes (or "PLEX") as currency. The game's proprietor, CCP Games, will convert the month's worth of playtime into actual, real-life dollars -- worth between $11-$15 each, depending on the subscription plan -- which will then be given to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. Players are allowed to donate as many times as they'd like.

CCP raised over $40,000 for Haiti during its last PLEX donation drive, though we're sure the game's economically studious players can do even better this time around. Right?! That said, we should probably note that CCP sees "any scamming attempts surrounding this effort to be morally reprehensible" and warns that "they will be met with swiftest action." For specific details on the donation process, the CCP dev blog and FAQ page have more.

EVE Online raising money for Pakistan flood victims originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online devs opening new UK studio

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST

Other than birthing one of our favorite female singers and one of our favorite unicorns, Iceland isn't a country that comes up a lot around Joystiq. Today, however, we've got one such occasion where Iceland-based CCP -- developer of EVE Online and upcoming MMO FPS Dust 514 -- was able to bring our Scandinavian friends to the front page. According to a GamesIndustry.biz report, the developer is expanding, announcing plans to open a new studio in Newcastle, UK.

Apparently the studio will be "initially targeting" a 10 - 20 person head count, with a handful of ex-Midway Newcastle employees being picked up in the process. Additionally, the company confirmed that the UK-based offices would be targeting "current and future" console projects, rather than the PC-focused content CCP has been known for in the past. Presumably, this means the aforementioned MMO FPS, said to be headed to current-gen systems. With a mess of trade shows in the not-so-distant future, we'll likely see what CCP has cooking fairly soon.

EVE Online devs opening new UK studio originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dust 514 trailer: see the MMO FPS of the MMO

JC Fletcher — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:10:00 EST

If you like the setting of Eve Online, but don't find the dense, economics-heavy gameplay scintillating, CCP is making Dust 514 just for you. You can still inhabit the Eve universe, but you're pretty much just shooting guns at it instead of destroying financial systems.

Unfortunately, while the kind of grim space setting is fairly unique for an MMO (as is just about everything about Eve), it's kind of ... well-heeled in the FPS world. As in, there's nothing particularly novel about seeing an FPS that takes place in a gritty sci-fi world. That said, this looks like a good ... one of those, and the MMO idea and Eve integration still manage to be interesting. And in general, we like the idea of using the same universe to express totally different game concepts -- like how WWE Crush Hour spun off from the wrestling games. Bad example.

Download in HD (84MB)

Dust 514 trailer: see the MMO FPS of the MMO originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Direct2Drive's anniversary sale continues with $5 RPGs and MMOs

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Digital retailer Direct2Drive continues its seemingly endless parade of values this week with a number of MMOs and RPGs which you can acquire for a single five-dollar bill. These titles include Neverwinter Nights 2, EVE Online, Age of Conan and Assassin's Creed Director's Cut. Well, fine -- that last one isn't exactly an RPG, unless what the director cut from the original version was turn-based random encounters.

If you're not a fan of playing roles, you'll be happy to know that D2D has kept a number of the previous weeks' deals alive, adding BioShock, Civilization 4, Assault on Dark Athena and many other titles to the pile of $5 games. If you're looking to expand your PC library on the cheap, it's definitely worth checking out.

Direct2Drive's anniversary sale continues with $5 RPGs and MMOs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's largest player-run bank freezes accounts due to massive deficit

Xav de Matos — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST

Stick with us, because this could get confusing: EVE Online has a long and storied history of in-game corruption, chock-full of enough political and social drama to make Ron Moore's head spin. The latest -- and actually, ongoing since June -- problem comes in the form of financial woes. On August 26, EBANK -- EVE Online's largest player-run financial entity -- revealed it currently has a (roughly) 1.2 trillion InterStellar Kredits (ISK) deficit and would freeze all player and organization accounts that were investing with the bank.

As with other MMOs, EVE Online's economy is completely player-driven. Users can adopt various play styles which affect the world's economic machine, allowing players to create and topple empires within the fictional world of New Eden. Where EVE Online differs is how users have expanded the tools given to them by developer CCP Games. Using the game's developer-provided API to create tools that can monitor various pieces of data, players have developed their own financial organizations, complete with standards and rules, like real world banks.

Sadly, EVE Online's largest player-operated bank mimicked real world financial institutions too closely.

Continue reading EVE Online's largest player-run bank freezes accounts due to massive deficit

EVE Online's largest player-run bank freezes accounts due to massive deficit originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DUST 514 details revealed, gameplay intertwines with EVE Online

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST

A recent interview from German gaming blog Gamona with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson is likely going to turn a few heads in the MMO gaming realm -- it reveals a few savory details about the recently revealed spin-off of EVE Online, titled DUST 514. It sounds like they're trying something groundbreaking with this new title -- it'll be a console MMOFPS with real-time strategy elements, in which mercenary players take job contracts from EVE Online players.

Considering the constant power struggle between EVE's player alliances (that's space-talk for "guilds"), there'll be no shortage of odd jobs available for DUST 514's hired guns. For more information on how these two games will interact, you can check out the full video interview after the jump.

Continue reading DUST 514 details revealed, gameplay intertwines with EVE Online

DUST 514 details revealed, gameplay intertwines with EVE Online originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online developer trademarks 'DUST 514'

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST

EVE Online developer CCP Games is set to announce its upcoming project at the swiftly approaching GDC Europe in a little under two weeks. The identity of said project has heretofore been unknown, but a recent trademark filing may have parted the veil -- the company just reserved the title DUST 514, as well as the gas mask-equipped logo you see above.

What could be the premise of this new title? Our MMO-lovin' brethren over at Massively have spun a few theories, including the overdue appearance of the oft-rumored World of Darkness MMO, as well as an EVE Online spin-off game (as evidenced by the similar-looking logo, also seen above). Our hypothesis? Given that 514 is the area code for areas in the province of Quebec, we're guessing CCP is working on an MMO about Canadian silt.

EVE Online developer trademarks 'DUST 514' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST

Between OnLive and Gaikai, we're not sure who to trust less. Both systems are clearly operating under some form of unknown dark magic, allowing the mysterious services to stream high-def gaming directly into your television and computer browser. Both services though -- luckily and necessarily -- have representatives willing to happily test our skepticism in OnLive's Steve Perlman and Gaikai's Dave Perry.

The video (found after the break) has the latter demoing Gaikai, streaming games from Mario Kart 64 to Spore to EVE Online, all from his Vista-powered PC running Firefox on an 800-mile trip between the server and his home. He claims in the video to be streaming all of the games demoed from sub 1-megabit internet speeds and says that "even a NetBook" could run Gaikai with no problems. From what we can see, things are running smoothly, though unlike OnLive, we've yet to get our hands on the equipment. Perry says we'll see more at this month's Develop Conference, so for those of you itching for more Gaikai, you've got a two-week wait on your hands. Perhaps you should play some of those old, less magic-filled gaming consoles you have.

[Via Edge Online]

Continue reading Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai

Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively week in review

Joystiq Staff — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, PC, MMO

Joystiq's sister site Massively.com has all the news you'll need about MMOs. Here's the best, brightest, and most interesting stuff from the last week, all in one convenient place for your MMO minute.

Massively's complete coverage of Warhammer Online Patch 1.2
Dwarf Slayers are just about ready to start hitting the live Warhammer Online servers for all their worth. With the orange tide imminent, I've been running around the test server for the past several days, looking to learn all I could about these wonders of Dwarven kind. Including -- but not limited to -- the underlying cogs of their special mechanic, how they handle PvP and PvE, and most importantly where they hide their booze -- here's a hint: it's underneath something.

EVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview
As March 10th draws ever closer, EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion is coming more and more into focus. Information on the new game mechanics and content is being released in the form of developer blogs and the official expansion page complete with screenshots and artwork is already up.

Continue reading Massively week in review

Massively week in review originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively week in review

Joystiq Staff — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:02:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, PC, MMO

Visualizing Free Realms: An interview with Art Director Rosie Rappaport
If you've been following the development of SOE's Free Realms lately, you're probably pretty excited about everything it has to offer. If you haven't been following its development, check out our extensive coverage and exclusive interviews with its developers. Ready for even more exclusive interviews? Good, because just last week Massively sat down with Rosie Rappaport, the Art Director for Free Realms, to chat about the game's distinctive art style and the concept process involved.

Massively's pre-launch interview with Runes of Magic
With the game set to launch in just about a month from now, we jumped at the chance to have a chat with the folks at Frogster concerning their much-anticipated fantasy MMO. Are they on track with this March launch date? How has beta reaction been so far, and what do they have to say about the growing concern that the game is "nothing more than a cheap WoW clone"?

Continue reading Massively week in review

Massively week in review originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively week in Review

Joystiq Staff — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, PC, MMO

	Massively's exclusive pre-launch Moria interview with Jeffrey Steefel Massively chats with Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer for Lord of the Rings Online the night before the release of LotRO's first expansion. Mines of Moria is now live, and from the sounds of things the servers and players are having a great time of it.
	Massively's ArenaNet interview: The past, present and future of Guild Wars PvP Massively catches up with ArenaNet Game Designer Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright for a brief interview regarding the past, present and future state of PvP in Guild Wars. Follow along after the cut for the full interview and some exclusive PvP screenshots supplied to us by ArenaNet.
	Massively checks in on The Agency with Lead Designer Hal Milton Massively talks over the current state of The Agency's development with the animated and always-interesting lead designer Hal Milton. Hal shares with us a bit of insight into what they're currently working on, give us a few fun facts to chew on, and makes us actually look forward to next year's summer con season.

Continue reading Massively week in Review

Massively week in Review originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online devs to birth FPS

Justin McElroy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, MMO

We don't, exactly, know anyone who plays EVE Online, but we imagine they might be excited by the news that developer CCP is working on a first-person shooter set within the EVE universe. We hope they're excited, because we just don't know what to think.

After a torrential downpour over the past couple of months, our gut reaction is "No! Stop! No more games!" but we guess it could have promise. We'd be especially open to it if they planned on introducing some MMO elements, to fill the hole Planetside left in our hearts when we stopped caring about it.

[Via Massively]

EVE Online devs to birth FPS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online source code stolen, seeded

Ross Miller — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

Space piracy has transformed into actual piracy, as source code for EVE Online has been stolen and unleashed onto the web via torrent. While it may not be the full source code -- one Slashdot commenter said it was just Python source -- developer CCP is expectedly none too happy.

According to Community Manager "CCP Wrangler" on the official forums, "Anyone found distributing or discussing decompiled client code will face an in game ban." As to how they know who's distributing the code, various reports say CCP is seeding the torrent themselves and using the associated IP to ban the related accounts. Now that's just dirty.

[Via Massively]

EVE Online source code stolen, seeded originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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