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a lengthy devblog from CCP t0rfifrans on what would be involved

EVE Evolved: Incarna and the captain's quarters

When we first heard about Incarna, it was as "Walking in Stations" back in 2006. At the 2006 EVE Online Fanfest, details of the ambitious project were released to excited fans, which was followed by a lengthy devblog from CCP t0rfifrans on what would be involved. The sheer scope of Walking in Stations seemed immense, but in-engine screenshots of what came to be known as "Ambulation Man" created a sense that a lot of work had already been done on it. Over the years following that announcement, we saw snippets of information and work-in-progress screenshots from various prototypes. Players saw those prototypes as the current state of the feature in development, and it became reasonable to expect a release in the near future.

Miscommunication

In reality, CCP's insistence on doing the feature right has caused several prototypes to be completely scrapped. Walking in Stations became Ambulation, and we were shown a full work-in-progress demo of a character walking around in a bar and playing a minigame. That prototype was similarly scrapped, being reborn as Incarna at the 2009 Fanfest. In developing each of these prototypes, CCP quickly discovered that the underlying technology to do it the way the team wanted to simply didn't exist.

In this opinion piece, I look at the summer expansion's planned captain's quarters event and what it could mean for EVE Online.

With several years of that groundwork in the form of the Carbon framework behind them, developers have only recently begun producing Incarna as it should be. The perception of Incarna in the media and among the EVE playerbase is that the feature has been in heavy development since 2006 or at least 2008. If that perception has been wrong, it's because CCP has given the wrong impression to the press and to players. By keeping us updated on the progress of Incarna, developers have given the false impression that it's been nearing completion for several years.

Those first few steps

The first stage of Incarna's release was arguably the introduction of the new character creator in the Incursion expansion. This was the first time we've been able to design full-body avatars, complete with all those interesting bits like arms and legs. For CCP's major release this coming summer, we'll finally be able to get out of our pods and stretch those legs. The summer release will replace the current station docking screen with a new captain's quarters interface. Rather than staring at your ship in the hangar, you'll now be able to walk around as your avatar and use objects in that environment.

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Computer consoles, holographic screens and other objects in your quarters will give quick access to a few new tools. A new corporate recruitment interface will provide new players with percentage match-making results; a planet management interface will allow players to manage planetary industry without undocking; and a new market ticker will let players track the prices on items they typically trade. Perhaps the most interesting thing being introduced is a news window showing all the player-made news from across EVE. Sovereignty changes, titan kills and anything else of interest will display here to immerse players in the wider world of EVE.

Forced usage

One of the biggest complaints players have had with CCP's plans to roll out captain's quarters is that it goes against the promise that players would not be forced to take part in Incarna. Many current players aren't interested in walking around space stations, and they don't want to be forced to do it.

While the prospect of walking out onto a balcony and seeing your ship in its true scale is very exciting, there were fears that CCP would design the system such that we'd be forced to walk over to our ships to get into them. This would drastically increase the amount of time it takes to perform normal operations like docking to switch ships. Players expressed similar concerns over actions like accessing EVEMail, setting up manufacturing jobs and talking to mission agents.

This is where the CSM stepped in and relayed those concerns to CCP. In the end, CCP promised that no action would take longer after the release of captain's quarters than it did before. Fast-forward to Fanfest, where developers gave a talk on exactly how the captain's quarters will work. All of the current station services and neocom options will still be present, so you can still do everything you normally would at exactly the same speed.

What will the impact of captain's quarters be?

I don't think the captain's quarters will necessarily change the way most current players play the game. It gives us a bit of eye-candy when we dock, and some of the new features like planetary management, the market ticker and the news feed are really good for immersion. What the captain's quarters should do really well is bridge the gap between EVE and other MMOs.

New players will start life inside their captain's quarters, which will introduce them to themselves as avatars rather than as spaceships. This should help get across the idea that ships in EVE are tools we use to get a job done and losing them isn't such a big deal. If it can achieve only this, the captain's quarters will be an incredibly important thing for the growth of EVE.

Ultimately, the first release of the captain's quarters is for new players. It's designed to give players a better start at the game. The trial system will be modified to begin inside the captain's quarters, and the starting missions will send a player out into the universe to complete objectives. The interactable objects in the captain's quarters will introduce a set of new tools aimed specifically at new players. A new corporate recruitment system will provide more meaningful match-making results to help players find a corp that's doing something they want to try out in EVE.

 

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It attracted a legion of players to have a try at G-star 2010 in Busan

Gun Smoke Fills the Air over the Korean Game Market in Q2

Korean game companies have noticeably accelerated their pace of game operation in Q2, 2011. As most of them focused on self-rectification in Q1, they will take the offensive officially in Q2, 2011. In addition to huge game companies like NCsoft, Choi Rock Games, Neowiz, Actoz Soft & Mgame, medium-sized companies are also busy with their deployment. All of them indeed gear up to greet the upcoming summer holiday.

NHN occupied  the whole game market by TERA in Q1, & it is NCsoft's turn in Q2. NCsoft is expected to make a huge stir in April, May & June, thanks to its eye-catching new titles & the largest update of an elderly game.

Blade & Soul

Lineage II

Doubtlessly, Blade & Soul is the brightest one among all NCsoft's games & will kick off its 1st CBT in Q2, 2011. It attracted a legion of players to have a try at G-star 2010 in Busan, South Korea at the finish of last year, which proved that lots of players were looking forward to this game. Moreover, this game has even gained much attention from abroad players, since it's ranked the top six on the most-anticipated game list for a long time in both Japan & Europe.

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NCsoft is going to release the largest-ever update for Lineage II. This update will distinguish the existing Lineage II from other games by means of changing its graphics, storyline & classes. NCsoft may march in to the game market with the two games in May or June.

NCsoft's cooperative strategies will even be implemented in Q2. Its new cooperator iHQ announced the partnership with JYP Entertainment early, & the cooperation with Wonder Girls & Miss A will be put on the agenda soon.

The medium-sized game company Choi Rock Games is impatient to seize the market in Q2. It's recently recruited 10,000 players to participate in Berkanix's 2nd closed beta check & achieved an online rate of  68% with averagely 3.33 hours of playtime.

Berkanix

Choi Rock Games is now preparing to ally its online karaoke dance game Tremendous Star King with a popular TV dance program, & will provide rich prizes to hype up the game.

 

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Some people are particularly tired of the current quest model

Ask Massively: Singing the praises of things edition

Holy crap, guys, have you heard about this? The world is full of things. There are big things, small things, some things to set other things on fire -- we've got tons of things. Unfortunately, you can only access most things via various cash shops that cost real money, so that's kind of lackluster, but some things don't cost any money and they're pretty cool. Those green leafy things look fun. I wonder if I can equip one as a weapon or a trinket. Let's hear it for things!

If singing the praises of things isn't the sort of thing you're looking for today, however, you're in luck -- we have a different thing ready for you, an Ask Massively thing. It's the usual discussion of MMO things, in this case what players are actually looking for out of new things and this Star Wars: The Old Republic thing. If you've got a thing to ask about other things, you can leave your question in the comments, or you can mail it along to ask@massively.com.

uberman3000 asked: I get the vibe that some people think it's BioWare forcing the hype down our throats, and it's not true. If [the Star Wars: The Old Republic] community weren't as big as it is (and the game hasn't even shipped) then why would BioWare bother putting any trailers or any information out for us to see?

Well, it's a bit hard to drum up enthusiasm for a game when you don't release any sort of promotional material ahead of time.

It's hard to argue that BioWare isn't doing its collective best to keep the game on everyone's mind, since that ensures that there are more people likely to purchase it on release. On a game that's been in development as long as SWTOR, it's almost inevitable that people will start to get a little tired of the slow reveals and updates, which results in some less-than-kind words about the idea of the game being "overhyped." That, of course, leads to the people who are still excited about the game hyping it up more, to contrast the un-hyping of the first group. Which leads to even more declarations that it's being overhyped...

It's certainly drumming up enthusiasm, like every game before it. Whether or not it will live up to some of its loftier promises remains to be seen.
Samael asked: Every time a new MMO comes out (RIFT) or is close to coming out (SWTOR), people get all upset that they follow the same old MMO format. What I would like to know is what are people looking for in new MMOs?

It depends. The staff has talked about this a bit (when looking at what we want from games that we're not getting), but the fact is that wanting something "new" is an easy patch on a complicated question. More often than not, it's a case of knowing what you want only after you see it in action, which is why other games and examples are frequently pointed to as beacons of elements done correctly.

Some people are particularly tired of the current quest model, which is almost ubiquitous through the genre at this point. RIFT and SWTOR both use a similar model, so despite whatever new elements the games do contain, for some players, it's the same old song and dance.
JuliusSeizure argued with last week's premise: Hey, hey. Last time I totally contributed additional perspective to an answer you gave. Didn't say a damn thing about the picture.

 

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Torchlight XBLA launch provided Runic its best sales day ever

Runic Games announced today that last week's launch day of Torchlight's solid, gamepad-friendly Xbox Live Arcade port, was the company's "best sale day in its history."

Torchlight XBLA launch provided Runic its best sales day ever

"We're very excited to bring Torchlight to the 360, & have been gratified by the positive reaction," said President Travis Baldree. "It's affirming to know that console players love this style as much as they do. They think the experience translates much to the couch."

Runic is currently working on Torchlight 2 for PC, which will "probably" launch in July. We are sure Blizzard is taking note of Torchlight's console success for its upcoming Diablo 3.

The unannounced downloadable content (DLC) for Mass Effect 2 has yet to be confirmed by Bioware, but that hasn t stopped activity on their official Facebook page. The developer has began to release screenshots of the update, dubbed  Arrival , for every 750,000 impressions received. So far there s been one images released, here s the scoop.

Mass Effect 2 DLC leaked in Bioware screenshots

Last last month the first screenshot of the Arrival DLC was leaked by an update to the Playstation 3 version of the game. Follow the leak, Bioware released a screenshot on their Facebook page, promising to release a second picture if 750,000 impressions were received. With fan support that objective was reached, leading to today s screenshot. Without official word from the developer confirming the DLC, these images open the door to serious speculation.

Assuming the update checks out & they track down a release date, what do you predict is in store for Mass Effect 2  Arrival ? Go ahead & give it your best shot, we ll compare notes when the update is released.

 

 

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You choose a class from the typical five choices of melee

The Gods have ruled the world according to their whims. Both the Egyptian and Greek Pantheons have been unchallenged for long. The Fates themselves have decided to alter the rules. Mortals have been given a chance to show their worthiness for self-rule. They have granted man and god similar the access to the powers of Mytheon!

Casual Game enthusiasts Point of view Mytheon Closed Beta Review

Mytheon is an "Action-RPG" set in a very fascinating world. Think a majorly updated Diablo 2 meets the modern version of Clash of the Titans. This is the simplest way to report Mytheon. For those who are not familiar with those references this means a third person top-down view for play style, and a setting of ancient Greece (with ancient Egypt thrown in for lovely measure).

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You choose a class from the typical five choices of melee, offensive caster and healing caster. Then you start adventuring, using the Stones to cast your spells. The Stones are pulled randomly from your spell book, or an active set of Stones, like a hand drawn of five cards in Magic the Gathering. Your spells vary greatly in form. They can range from stationary structures with an area of effect assault or buff/debuff allies and enemies, to summoned units that can get bonuses from having multiple of the same element or type of creature out; from area of effect spells that stun or slow your enemies to targeted lightning bolts and fireballs. There is small that is not covered in even the most basic Stone collection. As you level the power of your stones increases, and you can get better equipment (not a giant alter from other games) - however you are not limited to a specific type of stone for your class. There is a slight penalty to using stones designed for other classes, but the advantages can definitely outweigh the penalties.

To me the largest draw is the fact that you get to meet and fight with a number of the better known mythological creatures and beings, even to the point of challenging the Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses. The game is geared more towards party play, but in case you are cautious you can do moderately well solo. At least that has been my experience.

In addition to this, you can forge new stones, with several parts you need to either loot or purchase from vendors. PvP is feasible, even popular. There's stones that are designed more specifically for PvP, but still work well for PvE.

"The Fates gifted these warrior priests with stones imbued with defensive than destructive powers. Recognizing the Eidolons� tendency for balance and harmony, the Fates bestowed Mytheon Stones with the power to enhance and heal companions, fortify structures, and dispel negative effects."

 

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they round up the best & most popular news tales

Week in Review: The next big thing

At the end of every week, they round up the best & most popular news tales, exclusive features, & insightful columns published on the site & then present all of them in one convenient place. Miss a big story last week? Curious about what is going on next door at our mother site, WoW Insider? Don't fret -- they've you covered.

Lambda Sector trial on deck for preview in City of Heroes

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There's palpable relief among the people we are meeting in Trion's freshly pre-launched RIFT -- relief that the game is finally here & doing well, perhaps even doing better than expected. The last few years have been rocky territory for many new AAA titles, so there's many pressure on each new game to be the next big thing. With over a million players signed up & long queues forming as players scramble to log in to an ever-expanding server list, RIFT  might be pulling it off. This week, in honor of RIFT's head-start launch, they got the scoop on the last three souls, highlighted a collectors edition unboxing, & offered a guide to your very first day in the game. Happy rifting!

Taking place on the check server, the trial will be walking on March 1st on the European check server & March 3rd for the U.S. servers. Both events will also include a random code giveaway for all players in attendance, including new Animal Pack codes & the rare Rikti Mentalist costume. City of Heroes players owe it to themselves to check the times & attend if at all feasible, as it promises to be a fun ride for everyone involved.

So you have got a newly animal-themed hero from last week's Animal Pack launch in City of Heroes & you are  not sure what to do with him. Well, there's excellent news -- the developers at Paragon Studios will be hosting another preview event for an Issue 20 trial on the check realm. The last preview event covered the historicallyin the past announced Behavioral Modification Facility, but this check wll be centered around the heretofore unseen Lambda Sector trial.

 

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High Five is all about meeting player demands

We've heard tell of lowered difficulty on epic bosses. Can you give us specifics? All epic bosses? If not, which ones? Also, are the encounter mechanics being adjusted or is it a matter of lower boss health (or higher player abilities)?

Currently, Lineage II boasts an extremely high number of raid bosses. We haven't gone in and made revisions or changes to all of them, but we went in and revamped the bosses that we felt needed changes to accommodate the current game status. Each boss revamp is different and suits that character, so you'll really have to come face to face with each one to see how different and more exciting they have become. As you and our players know, raids are all about strategy! So we'd like to challenge everyone to find their own ways and methods of taking the new bosses down.

How do the matching systems work? Is it like traditional looking-for-group tools in that it lists similar classes/levels/desired encounters or is there a bit more under the hood?

For Olympiad, opponents are now matched based on similar point levels rather than being selected randomly. For Party matching, players can now search by name or class, and they can display a user's class, location, and determine whether they are in an instanced dungeon.

Lineage II is still hugely popular in the east, but here in America it's taken a bit of a back seat to more traditional western MMOs as well as newer eastern imports. Is this High Five update part of a larger initiative to keep the game visible, and if so, can you talk about other plans for the game (long or short-term)?

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High Five is all about meeting player demands; it's only the beginning. In the future, we plan on rolling out more long-term changes to make Lineage II more fun and exciting, and major patches like this are just one sign of commitment we've made to accommodate the ever-evolving playstyles and preferences of our players. We're hopeful that we'll continue to make and develop a game that only gets better and better.

Along the same lines, what separates Lineage II from other current MMOs -- i.e., what do you feel is the game's biggest selling point for someone who either hasn't played it yet or hasn't played it in a long while?

The beauty of Lineage II lies in its complexity, easy-to-manage control system, beautiful graphics and rich content. It's been seven years since the game launched, but the graphics of Lineage II are still some of the most captivating of all MMOs out on the market today. At the same time, characters are still easy to control so that new players can jump right into the game and maneuver through the game with ease. And at the end of the day, you can't beat seven years' worth of rich storylines and lore, which all add up to Lineage II's being a captivating MMO.

 

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As a fan (but not a raving fan) of AoC

The Anvil of Crom: Player feedback and "Raving Fans"

A long time ago on a career path far, far away, I served as a director in a small business consulting firm. The project was spun off from a larger, older company, and its aim was to provide better and more personal services to a subset of clients that the parent firm was struggling to connect with. Along with my new assignment, I was handed a copy of the book Raving Fans by our CEO and instructed to commit its principles to memory and to     maplestory mesos,     tibia gold,     lineage 2 adena,     buy rom gold,     best place to buy wow gold, integrate them into my daily workflow (despite the fact that said workflow had little to do with direct client/end-user interaction).

How does any of this relate to Age of Conan or The Anvil of Crom? Well, the book is basically the businessman's customer relations Bible, and I was reminded of it earlier in the week when Funcom's Craig "Silirrion" Morrison commented on a Daily Grind that I wrote about game developers and the large gap that often exists between their products and their customers' desires.

Stark-raving fans

Actually, I already need to back up and correct myself, as MMORPGs are services first and products second, and as such are subject to ever-changing customer service demands and challenges. Along the same lines, though, they offer a much wider opportunity to create raving fans due to the pervasiveness and virility of internet message boards, Twitter, and the connected (and somewhat narcissistic) mentality of the gaming community in general.

So what is a raving fan, then, and why does Age of Conan lack them?

Raving Fans, authored by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, posits that successful businesses don't settle for "satisfied customers" and instead actively try to turn their clients into raving fans (meaning people who use/like/recommend the product to the extent that it ceases to be simply a product and takes on some sort of significance in their lives, as does their relationship with the company providing it). Raving fans are in turn an extension of the sales force, as word of mouth results in a tidal wave of goodwill, new business, and ultimately, profit.

It sounds pretty simple on paper, but relatively few companies do it, and only a handful do it really well. The best example is Apple, as anyone who has ever talked with Mac fanatics can attest to the fact that they're fairly obsessive (some would say cultish) over a line of products that are really no different than your average bargain-basement Dell in terms of components, construction, and functionality.

Due to masterful marketing and customer relations, though, Apple has created an aura of cool around its product line that compels people to not only purchase at inflated prices but talk about said purchases to anyone who will listen. There is no real Apple analog in the gaming world, though a case could be made that Blizzard comes close by virtue of its Diablo and StarCraft titles (the mere mention of the former sends many hardcore gamers into an omg-my-life-is-going-to-come-to-a-screeching-halt-when-Diablo-III-arrives orgasm).

Communication breakdown

This is where Funcom (and to be fair, every other game company not named Blizzard) falls down. Communicating and connecting with its hardcore base (the members of which have the potential to be raving fans and consequently infect more of the general/casual MMORPG population) is simply not something that Funcom does well, or by all appearances, spends any money on. Sure, Craig Morrison is one of the more visible and accessible MMO developers out there. He's always posting on the AoC boards and also appears in the Massively comments section semi-regularly. It's not so much the fact that he doesn't talk, though, as it is that he doesn't say much when it comes to details.

Take the response to the aforementioned Daily Grind. Morrison's overall point is a good one: You can't please all of the people all of the time. His secondary point -- that nearly all of AoC's post-release changes, tweaks, and updates have been the result of player feedback -- is a little harder to digest. Essentially he's asking us to take this on faith, as Funcom doesn't publish feedback results (aside from the very general surveys from summer 2010). Going a step further, we don't even know how (or whether) player feedback is collected and analyzed. Is it solely from these infrequent surveys? Does it come from the forums? Is it from the users on the test server? Are people submitting reams of private feedback via the help systems or website?

If Funcom really is making AoC for its players, the question then becomes: Who are these players, and who is giving the feedback that is acted upon? As an example, if you scour the official boards, you'll find few, if any, requests for horse racing, freeze tag, and insult contests (all of which Funcom implemented in a recent patch). You will find a plethora of posts asking for other social gameplay options, though (specifically, appearance slots). Why was one prioritized over the other? Was this truly because more people asked for it? This seeming discrepancy is exactly the sort of thing that causes players to doubt developers who say they listen to feedback, and it could be probably be avoided with a little more developmental transparency.

Maybe a lot of people really did want horse racing, so why not publish the data that show it? At the very least, Funcom could point to hard statistics any time the PvP crowd screams about Bori or the roleplayers ask for appearance slots or the casual PVEers ask about account-wide tokens and reducing the Khitai grind.

The perception problem

To the hardcore (i.e., potential raving) fan, MMO developers sometimes seem to have an attitude that approximates "to heck with the players; I'm going to make the game I want to make, and if people don't like it, they can play something else." I say "seem" here because obviously no dev in his right mind would ever admit to such a thing. Even the Mark Jacobses and Derek Smarts of the world know better than to drop that kind of incendiary soundbyte. It's more what's not said, though, and what kinds of updates are continually talked about at the expense of others that have been asked for time and again. In my opinion, the only way to truly combat this negative perception is with hard data.

For the most part, MMOs are one of the very few service industries in which the service providers can get away with effectively saying "take it or leave it." This is mostly because gaming is a completely optional and frivolous leisure activity, and the well-adjusted people don't go away mad. They just go away (and are theoretically replaced by the never-ending churn of tire-kickers and returnees). This is also touched on in the Raving Fans book and cited as a major concern for businesses everywhere. It strikes me as even more pressing for businesses focused on luxury products and services (i.e., games that we really don't need).

In summary, while I've never worked in the games industry, I imagine it's not that different from any other specialized business. The numbers may be larger than your average small business (and the client base certainly is), but at the end of the day, everything boils down to making people feel good about your product. As a fan (but not a raving fan) of AoC, I'd like to see Funcom take a serious stab at improving this aspect of its operation going forward. One way to start is by making clear the most effective avenues for players to get their feedback heard (and acted upon) and by offering a bit more insight into the development process. In the meantime, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I am a raving fan of this concept art.

 

 

Mytheon releases class trailer & internal Q&A

What's next for the makers of Mytheon now that its trans-continental relocation quest is complete? How about a brand new class trailer & a lengthy internal interview session detailing various behind-the-scenes development initiatives? The clip sports some  high production values as well as in-game footage related to the Warcaster, Eidolon, & Elementalist classes. While the video is  short, it does whet our appetites for more footage from the forthcoming free-to-play fantasy title.

Mytheon releases class trailer & internal Q&A

UTV True Games has also released a Q&A document outlining a quantity of its aims for Mytheon's beta phase & beyond. Join us after the cut for discussion about high-level content, guild improvements, & more.

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what have been your top priorities since taking over development of Mytheon?

How are they improving guilds?

First & foremost they wanted to make definite that players are able to enjoy a seamless experience from the time they download to the point where they're in the game questing. they did a lot of research on the challenges players were having historically, in terms of server performance & so on, & recognized immediately that improving upon game features & new content would be fruitless until there was improvement in these specific areas. That's not to say the team hasn't been working on the game play side of things as well; but, performance & new user experience have been our top priority for the upcoming closed beta.

what are they adding to level 30 content?

In addition to working on streamlining the existing system, we're planning on adding more advanced systems in the future -  things like Guild levels, rankings, & Guild specific cash. Guilds will then have access to shops with rare items that can only be bought with guild cash. These advanced features are still a tiny ways out, but definitely in the works right now.

How are they improving structure stones?

they actually have a lot of designs for high level content - some in progress now & some scheduled for soon after down the road. Besides our already advanced designs for the Egypt content update, that will raise the level cap & more, they are also working on features such: as hero-level difficulty dungeon settings for max level characters only, new maps & boss battles specifically for max level characters, as well as all of the new items, equipment, & other matchless rewards that go along with the new content. they've even more features in the pipeline as well, but as mentioned, performance & new user experience are our top priories for closed beta.

How are they improving camera angle & movement?

 than just structure stones, we've actually taken a long look at all stone types & developed designs for an overall balance pass - which we're looking forward to the beta community contributing heavily to. Later down the line they also have designs to expand upon the existing stone combat system itself, which includes more customization,
forging, & specialization.

they felt like the best approach to nailing the camera & controls was to provide the player as much customization as possible, without compromising game performance. they think we've gotten both of these areas to a point where they feel  nice at the default settings, however players will have the ability to make minor adjustments that best suit their play styles.

what are they doing to reduce the downtime (run back) after a patch?

This is definitely one of the items that falls under performance improvements, & we're ensuring that this technique is as seamless & rapid as possible. Again, we've spent a great deal of time researching the prior challenges & feel like we've made some great strides in those areas.

How are they making it simpler to find & join other players in parties?

How are they adjusting looting when in a party?

An improved party finding system is another of the top items on our list. although it won't be prepared for a short time, we've already begun work on adding a more robust & user friendly system that will permit players to quickly find others to join their party for either dungeons or PvP.

We've completed  a tiny bit of work on the loot distribution balancing not only for parties, but also for the categories of drops a player will get while soloing. But specifically for parties, they plan on adding a more robust set of looting options that the leader can modify at any time.

How can they help players differentiate between allies & enemies?

they definitely agree that it can sometimes receive a tiny chaotic when you've got a group of four players all casting stones on top of what stones the AI has summoned. & so we've been working on  a lot of items to help make the differences a lot more obvious. for example, names & decals of enemies will always be one specific color that is seldom used by players in order to quickly identify your foes. We've also got a few other items we're testing out, but either way this is something we're focused on improving.

What would you like to see in future content expansions?

This is an area we've been  excited to start planning, given the way Mytheon's lore lends itself to almost any culture's mythology. But of coursework, being based in China, we're  familiar with all of the rich & exciting Chinese mythology stories & so you are able to probably imagine it's near the top of our list when it comes to where we'd like to go after expanding to Egypt ; )

Anything else you'd like to share with the Mytheon community?

We're excited to be able to work on Mytheon & generate game content that our community  desires! they are looking forward to opening the doors & interacting with our community again, so that being said, welcome back Stonecasters!

 

 

Does livestreaming make you more or less inclined to play an MMO

CCP extends promotional EVE accounts until 31st Jan as a show of nice faith

Back in November, CCP was gearing up for the release of EVE Online's whole Incursion expansion. Although the expansion wasn't  ready, CCP's developers felt committed to their planned release schedule. Player feedback on the issue was in strong opposition, with players worried that the expansion might be released in an unfinished or rushed state & then not be revisited for months to come. In a promising move, CCP opted to switch to a staged release plan. Parts of the expansion that were ready were released immediately, with an additional release in December for parts that had been completed that month. The final phase of the expansion was released yesterday, containing the impressive new character generator & all the content & mechanics for the upcoming Sansha incursions.

To be sure those affected could participate in the Sansha live events & the invasions that will follow, CCP has extended over 5,000 of these promotional accounts until 31st January, free. When contacted for query, a CCP representative gave the following statement: "This is a one-time thing. It appeared  unfair to me we'd sell that content in an offer then move part of it within a week like that, thus not honoring what they sold anyone on. The aim is to actually honor the offer they made, in writing, to these people."

The modified release schedule has been nice for current EVE subscribers due to the added quality & polish of the expansion's features, but there's one group for whom the new release date was less than fair. Several months ago, CCP mailed out a five-day free reactivation offer to thousands of expired accounts. These players were also offered the special deal on game time with the intention of letting them experience the Incursion expansion. Since the expansion's release schedule had been pushed back, lots of of the players who took up this offer with the intent of trying out Incursion would not have been able to participate.

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The every day Grind: Does livestreaming make you more or less inclined to play an MMO?

Livestreaming & video game, er, videos, are all the anger these days. Whether it's through YouTube channels filled with game "playthroughs" or Massively's own livestreaming endeavor, expertise advances have made it feasible to experience your favourite games without actually playing (or purchasing) them.

From a business point of view, widespread adoption of livestreaming could conceivably affect game sales,  as the video quality gets better & game enthusiasts grow in to real-life duties that eat away at their free time. Today's every day Grind is all about enjoying video games vicariously. Does livestreaming make you more or less inclined to invest time & funds in to gambling?

While this can be a boon to folks who never have  time to play all the fascinating games coming out, it can also take away from the experience a tiny bit by relegating a form of participatory entertainment in to something more akin to the passive experience you get by viewing films or tv.

 

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