Jef Reahard
Atlanta, GA -
Hands-on with The Secret World's mission system
by Jef Reahard 
May 17th 2012 (3 days ago)
FunCom
For the rest of us, there's a nifty interface, some challenging puzzles, and plenty of well-written quest text and dialogue to keep us entertained for weeks at a time.
New Embers of Caerus website boasts extensive sandbox feature list
by Jef Reahard May 17th 2012 (3 days ago)
Backstory is a big deal to the devs as well if the new site's lore section is anything to go by. There's plenty of reading material about the world, its factions, and a bit of story to pass the time while you're waiting for the game.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Daily Grind: Do you judge all MMOs by the same standard?
by Jef Reahard May 17th 2012 (3 days ago)
And yet, many so-called sandbox fans seem to expect games like Xsyon, Darkfall, and others to be as polished as World of Warcraft, RIFT, and other themeparks with fewer features and several times the budget.
For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know how much (if any) slack you cut developers of sandbox and/or indie MMOs. Do you hold these games to the same standard that you hold a triple-A themepark?
Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!DCUO's Last Laugh features Hamill as the Joker, lots of new content
by Jef Reahard May 16th 2012 (4 days ago)
DC Universe Online
SOE
Hamill is joined by DC stalwart Arleen Sorkin (that's Harley Quinn to you, mistah), and Adam Baldwin returns to the role of Superman for the first time since DCUO's launch. The Last Laugh also features a new shield weapon, four new safe house battles, and 8v8 throw-downs in both the Watchtower and the Hall of Doom.
The Last Laugh will be freely available to legendary DCUO members, while free and premium players can purchase it via the in-game marketplace, the official website, or the PlayStation Network.
[Source: SOE press release]
Guild Wars 2 writers talk (at length) about MMO story
by Jef Reahard May 16th 2012 (4 days ago)
NCsoft
The interview is a lengthy one (who knew that writers could be so wordy?), and it covers a bunch of ground including the megalithic sprawl of GW2's narrative, the challenges inherent in writing particular races, and the differences between in-game dialogue and cutscene exposition. There's more to it, of course, but honestly the thing is so huge that we're going to go finish reading it after we've jotted down this here news post.
Hands-on with The Secret World's combat system
by Jef Reahard May 16th 2012 (4 days ago)
FunCom
There's also the whole I-don't-get-to-keep-this-character thing, not to mention the wow-this-is-cool-and-I-don't-want-to-spoil-it-for-myself-post-launch thing.
On the other hand, I've had plenty of time to muck around with game systems and minutiae, something that my card-carrying membership in the crazy carebear immersionist secret society often precludes. For this week's press beta article, then, I thought I'd give you guys a primer on The Secret World's combat system.
MindArk giving away Entropia Universe land deeds
by Jef Reahard May 16th 2012 (4 days ago)
Each land deed carries a real-world value of $100 (and deeds are often sold for much more on the open market), according to a MindArk press release. The deeds also provide revenue sharing through the game's citizenship program. Deeds began dropping yesterday, and MindArk says that they will continue to do so throughout 2012.
Planet Calypso is the oldest planetary playfield in Entropia Universe. The game boasts more than one million registered accounts and over $400 million in annual user-to-user transactions.
[Source: MindArk press release]
BioWare prepping another SWTOR free Weekend Pass
by Jef Reahard May 15th 2012 (5 days ago)
Star Wars: The Old Republic
As with the preceding promotions, no credit card is required. Your characters will carry over should you choose to convert to a full account, and you'll be able to experience SWTOR's first 15 levels as well as all the character classes and origin worlds. PvP warzones and flashpoints are yours for the taking too, so head to the official website to learn more and get started.
The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak
by Jef Reahard May 15th 2012 (5 days ago)
Language is a pretty fascinating thing, and studying a second one is something I've long intended to do. Aside from entertaining thoughts of learning Korean to play ArcheAge, though (seriously, I looked into it), I haven't gotten around to much beyond college-level Deutsch.
But as I watched last week's interview with The Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage, I realized that I already have some pretty good second-language skills. I'm fluent in both English and MMO dev-speak, so as a public service, I'm going to translate some of what Sage said into the former.
World of Warplanes video diary details classes, roles
by Jef Reahard May 15th 2012 (5 days ago)
The clip introduces us to some of the dev personalities working on the game as well as the three main aircraft classes (fighters, heavy fighters, and ground attack planes). "Fighters top the food chain," according to historical consultant Yuri Pasholok. "They are the most widespread, versatile, and -- pound for pound -- the deadliest class in the game."
In comparison, ground attack birds are "slow, clumsy, and very heavy." Pasholok says, "To imagine what flying a ground attack plane is like, think of flying a tank." Why would you want to fly a tank? Well, for the ridiculous amounts of destructive firepower, of course. Finally, heavy fighters are something of a middle ground between the previous two classes. They can take a beating better than their light fighter counterparts, but their main objective is defense and interception. Click past the cut to view the full video, and be sure to check out The Firing Line this Friday for an exclusive World of Warplanes producer interview.
