MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively
by Shawn Schuster 
Jan 26th 2010 at 9:00AM
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Captain's Log: A non-trekkie guide to Star Trek Online Perhaps you've been hearing a lot of buzz about Star Trek Online lately. Or, perhaps you're reading this article in the year 2018, after the robots have begun their bloody revolt. Either way, you've never been way into Star Trek, but find yourself curious about this new MMO based on the franchise. In that cast, this iteration of Captain's Log is just for you. |
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Court documents say Bethesda's MMO already under dev, rumor says it's Elder Scrolls In this most recent round of court scuffles between Interplay and Bethesda over the Fallout MMO rights, it would seem that some details are coming to light about what's going on at Bethesda's MMO "branch", Zenimax Media. According to filings, the word is that there are close to 100 people working on an MMO that costs "tens and tens of millions of dollars" and has been under development since late 2006. |
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The sounds of Guild Wars 2: a Q&A with ArenaNet's Audio Director A recent discussion has been going on regarding sound effects and ambient sounds, with everyone generally agreeing that those details are a wonderful addition to a game environment -- the more the better. Guild Wars is a game that already does this well, with details such as a change in the sound of footsteps depending on the surface one is walking on. Fans have the expectation and hope that things will be even better in Guild Wars 2. |
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Masthead Studios and Interplay finalize agreement for Fallout MMO We have another step forward in the long-running saga of the Fallout MMO. Late last week, Interplay announced that they had signed "definitive agreements" with Masthead Studios regarding Project: V13, the highly contested post-apocalyptic MMO. We knew this development was a possibility, but things have been delayed by the legal battles with Bethesda. |
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The Virtual Whirl: Community guide to Virtual Worlds Welcome to The Virtual Whirl, a new weekly Massively column covering virtual environments generally. The term 'virtual world' is slowly seeing less use, being supplanted by the more general 'virtual environment', but the world term still has a fair bit of life left in it. |
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The Mog Log: Community guide to Final Fantasy XI and XIV The great thing about being a fan of Final Fantasy XI is that you're not lacking in any sort of resources online. After such a long lifespan, pages have been created to suit almost any need the community might have. And for a game whose mechanics can be obtuse at times, that's a good thing. |
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The Flameseeker Chronicles: Community guide to Guild Wars Guild Wars has been around for a while now, and has the advantage of a strong, knowledgeable fan-based community. There are literally hundreds of fan sites and forums, Twitter pages and Facebook pages all devoted to Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. It's very easy to get overwhelmed, so view this as a guide to where you can find the most comprehensive information for whatever you are looking for, be it gameplay information, news on game development, skill and build help, and much more. |
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Fan questions answered in DCUO Q&A video SOE Austin recently put up a call for DC Universe Online fans to ask questions via Facebook for a video Q&A. Well, the team's answers are now live over at the social networking site and we think you'll be pleased with the results. |
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Star Trek Online 101: Currency Welcome to the first edition of Star Trek Online 101. Over the next week and a half we'll be taking a look basic skills and information you need to be successful in STO. Each day we'll look at a different subject, and we'll kick it all off by talking about the different types of STO currency. |
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Global Agenda early start and preorder bonuses detailed You've gotten all the news and updates, and you've even gotten a handy guide to conquest mode for Global Agenda. If you're ever going to be ready for Hi-Rez Studio's high-action game, it's now. So it's no coincidence that we've gotten news on the game's pre-purchase options, as well as the early start details for all players and the chance to reserve your character name prior to the February 1st launch date. After all, if you've gotten the game via Steam, don't you want to just download and start playing right away? That little grayed-out name is mocking you. |
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Star Trek Online character customization in pictures Cryptic Studios, the developer behind Star Trek Online, is well known for their character customization options. I know that I spent more time making characters in City of Heroes than beating up bad guys. Cryptic has brought that same design aesthetic to STO. For those of you not currently in open Beta, I've captured a gallery of shots below spotlighting all the available races in open beta (Federation and Klingon factions.) |
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Massively's Guide to the Character Traits of Star Trek Online Star Trek Online offers several levels of character customization beyond the visual aspects, and that first level the player is introduced to is character traits. You select these traits when creating your character, and the choices are numerous. In Massively's guide to the character traits of Star Trek Online, we'll look at the different classes of traits and suggest some builds to get you started. |
Filed under: MMO Roundup
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tainnym Jan 26th 2010 9:11AM
An Elder Scrolls MMO!?
Bye WoW.
Deathknighty Jan 26th 2010 1:25PM
THEY'RE FINALLY CONTINUING THE ELDER SCROLLS SERIES! YAHOO!
Now that I think of it, WoW vs ESMMO will be tough. :P
But seriously, Oblivion is the only game which got => play time than WoW. Playing it every day for several hours didn't get old for almost a year. (And I had it on rent for 9 months before I finally stopped playing it long enough to buy it)
traptinacivicsi Jan 26th 2010 4:30PM
I could never stand the look of Oblivion. The graphics engine, while on effects like grass and water look fine, just makes people and armor like like garbage from a CGI movie in the late 90's..
I have yet to see another MMO with an art direction worthy of replacing wow :P
BlackTiger™ Jan 26th 2010 9:18AM
Screenshot in header is ... AWFUL!
Terrible ugly "pseudo-realistic" graphics...
Raze Jan 26th 2010 9:24AM
I could be wrong but I believe that's a screenshot from Oblivion.
That goes to show: shooting for straight realism and not stylizing your graphics (ala Mario or Warcraft) is a bit of a crapshoot given how quickly hardware evolves.
snowleopard233 Jan 26th 2010 9:39AM
That’s an especially cheesy looking photo. Oblivion doesn’t quite have the stylized panache of WoW, but it’s still a very beautiful game. Don’t believe me? Ride up to the nearest mountain top and just look out across the gameworld’s sprawling horizon or launch a fireball down a dark tunnel and watch as it lights every nook of the inky blackness. WoW’sone of the best looking games in the industry, but between all the graphical collisions, disparities in character scale, and flat numerous flat surfaces, I’m always reminded of the show behind the curtains. Not sure I can say the same when I’m playing Oblivion.
Reuben Jan 26th 2010 10:32AM
Is it really that bad? It looks fine to me. The game is a few years old, but when it was released it was touted as being absolutely gorgeous, and I think it holds up fairly well. It's just a guard in a city.
I have to admit, however, that I am very biased. Oblivion was one of the best games that I've ever played
TxAg Jan 26th 2010 10:42AM
The following is an exert from a slate.com article about how games start looking too real that they begin to feel less realistic. I think this is the beauty of Warcraft. I think the "cartoonish" design actually lends itself to immersion better than a realistic game like the one above.
"After a certain point, the more "real" a game gets both graphically and experientially, the harder it is for that game to seem real. When it comes to the way video-game characters appear, this phenomenon is known as "the uncanny valley." As technology improves, on-screen avatars look more and more like real people. When they start looking too real, though, we pull away. These almost-humans aren't quite right; they look creepy, like zombies."
http://www.slate.com/id/2132591/
snowleopard233 Jan 26th 2010 11:21AM
I understand what you’re talking about concerning the uncanny valley. World of Warcraft has enjoyed tremendous success because it uses stylized graphics rather than relying on realism. However, although such an aesthetic works for Blizz, I’m not going to the one to say such an approach should be the be all and end all of visual design or that Blizz’s style is the most superior. A stylized art style works for WoW’s over-the-top story and humorous elements, but would it be appropriate for games like Call of Duty or Dragon Age? These are two titles that quite plainly, seek to visually portray accurate and grim details. A bright green orc with ridiculous biceps and glowing crystal axes would feel downright inappropriate in such a setting.
Overall, Blizz’s formalistic art style works great for its franchises, but it’s not necessarily something I would prescribe for every developer or game.
Exodus Jan 26th 2010 2:31PM
Im waiting on Star Wars: The Old Republic....that will most definitely end my WoW playing days, But Elder Scrolls....look forward to that one too.
Mark Jan 26th 2010 4:24PM
Considering how terrible Bethesda programmers are and how pathetically buggy their games have always been I find it hilarious to think of them trying to maintain an MMO.