Massively http://www.massively.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://www.massively.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Factional Warfare]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/06/22/under-the-hood-factional-warfare/http://www.massively.com/2008/06/22/under-the-hood-factional-warfare/http://www.massively.com/2008/06/22/under-the-hood-factional-warfare/#commentsFiled under: ,


As sort of an addendum to the last Under The Hood on player choices and consequences, I present to you this article. I didn't have room to add my thoughts on factional warfare, unfortunately, and it's a system that really deserves an article all its own. Why is this such a major factor in most MMOs? Why is it that most major MMOs today have clearly defined sides? Why are those Horde jerks so mean in World PvP? It all boils down to the classic factional warfare model.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Factional Warfare

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Factional Warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eveeve-onlinefactionsfeaturedfeaturesgame-mechanicsjoystiqfeaturespvpunder-the-hoodwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftworld-pvpwowSun, 22 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Choices and Consequences]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/06/14/under-the-hood-choices-and-consequences/http://www.massively.com/2008/06/14/under-the-hood-choices-and-consequences/http://www.massively.com/2008/06/14/under-the-hood-choices-and-consequences/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Despite the persistence of most MMOs, there's one thing that the majority of them lack. I am, of course, speaking about consequences for your actions. Sure, you can kill some NPCs for experience and you yourself level up, but what about the world? The NPC just respawns and continues on his merry way, ready to become fodder for another adventurers weapons and skills. You gain some money and items. There's no real tangible effect on the world as a whole. What about exploring the truly excellent part of MMOs, the persistence? What about making a player's choice actually affect the game world?

Continue reading Under The Hood: Choices and Consequences

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Choices and Consequences originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eveeve-onlinefeaturedfeaturesgame-mechanicsjoystiqfeaturesmechanicsunder-the-hoodworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 14 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Colored Segregation]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/05/24/under-the-hood-colored-segregation/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/24/under-the-hood-colored-segregation/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/24/under-the-hood-colored-segregation/#commentsFiled under: , ,


There are a lot of different game mechanics, ranging from the downright simple to the ethereal and hard-to-explain. I've talked a lot about the more subjective stuff, such as lore and paradigms and this and that, but only a few times have I hit the nitty gritty. So this week, I'm taking things to a controversial (not really) place. Judging items based on their color and how fantasy MMOs follow the same color patterns for identification, at least to a certain point.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Colored Segregation

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Colored Segregation originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drdungeon-runnersfeaturedfeaturesmythosunder-the-hooduthworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 24 May 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: New Beginnings]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/05/17/under-the-hood-new-beginnings/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/17/under-the-hood-new-beginnings/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/17/under-the-hood-new-beginnings/#commentsFiled under: ,


Part of any MMO is starting from scratch. Whether you just started a new MMO, or a new character, the first few hours playing can determine whether or not you want to keep playing that game or character. So why is it that most MMOs have a lack of early game content? Countless times I have heard players complaining how hard it is to get into a game because the early content is all about grinding. In a sense, though, this ties into last week's article, and the desire of developers to have you keep giving them all your wonderful green money.

Continue reading Under The Hood: New Beginnings

MassivelyUnder The Hood: New Beginnings originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eveeve-onlinefeaturedfeaturesmechanicsunder-the-hooduthworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 17 May 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Stories and Lore]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/05/10/under-the-hood-stories-and-lore/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/10/under-the-hood-stories-and-lore/http://www.massively.com/2008/05/10/under-the-hood-stories-and-lore/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Part of any game is how the lore of the world interacts with the players although a lot of times the players don't realize it thanks to boring quest descriptions. World of Warcraft has the rich Warcraft universe behind it, Lord of the Rings Online has its own lorebook, and City of Heroes and Villains has a richly detailed history of super-powered beings. So why is it that we don't see the lore at the spotlight all that often?

Continue reading Under The Hood: Stories and Lore

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Stories and Lore originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's an interesting counterpoint to the increasing amount of games following the traditional MMO mechanics layout. No, I'm not talking about space MMOs and the mechanics they follow. We covered those last week! I'm talking about the gradual seepage of puzzlers into the genre. It's a budding paradigm, and has both failings and virtues. Naturally, it's time to dissect them.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Puzzling Developments

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Puzzling Developments originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ddodungeons-and-dragons-onlineeq2everquest-2featuredgame-mechanicspuzzle-piratespuzzlesunder-the-hooduthworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 21 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: The Depths of Space]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/03/14/under-the-hood-the-depths-of-space/http://www.massively.com/2008/03/14/under-the-hood-the-depths-of-space/http://www.massively.com/2008/03/14/under-the-hood-the-depths-of-space/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Riding on the coattails of my last article, I realized that it would be a good idea to explore that new frontier. No, not cowboys and Indians. Outer space in MMOs is rapidly becoming the new "generic fantasy continent(s)" that almost every other MMO takes part in. It's also pushing the envelope, in one case letting players practically run your game, and in another cases exploring new and varied game mechanics.

Continue reading Under The Hood: The Depths of Space

MassivelyUnder The Hood: The Depths of Space originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earth-and-beyondeveeve-onlinefeaturedmankindmechanicsunder-the-hooduthFri, 14 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Strategy on a Massive Scale]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/03/07/under-the-hood-strategy-on-a-massive-scale/http://www.massively.com/2008/03/07/under-the-hood-strategy-on-a-massive-scale/http://www.massively.com/2008/03/07/under-the-hood-strategy-on-a-massive-scale/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Ask any MMORPG player out there how much time it takes to play their game of choice, and the answers will range from the incredibly long to the delightfully short. And they will almost always be measured in how long it takes for you to level (one hour, one day, one year, etc). But real-time strategy games don't have any dependable way of measuring player level, and still need to keep the player playing for a long time.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Strategy on a Massive Scale

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Strategy on a Massive Scale originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boundless-planetdarkspacefeaturedinfinity-empiremankindmechanicsmmorpgmmortsshattered-galaxyunder-the-hooduthFri, 07 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Player Economics 101]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/02/15/under-the-hood-player-economics-101/http://www.massively.com/2008/02/15/under-the-hood-player-economics-101/http://www.massively.com/2008/02/15/under-the-hood-player-economics-101/#commentsFiled under: , ,


One of the more contentious points of an MMO is how it treats its economy. The average MMO runs the gamut of no real economy to speak of (besides vendors and drops), to a fully player-run economy such as the one in EVE Online, and everywhere in between (the middle point seems to be crafting and auction houses). So which is best. Well, if the EVE players and, by association, elite-like players in general are to be believed. It's the player-run economy.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Player Economics 101

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Player Economics 101 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpeconomyeqeveeve-onlineeverquestfeaturedmechanicsunder-the-hoodFri, 15 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Character Customization]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/02/08/under-the-hood-character-customization/http://www.massively.com/2008/02/08/under-the-hood-character-customization/http://www.massively.com/2008/02/08/under-the-hood-character-customization/#commentsFiled under: ,


One of the biggest complaints about Tabula Rasa (as well as one of my personal issues with the game) was the lack of impact character customization had on your actual character. More and more players are putting stock into a large amount of customization options, wishing to look, move, and sound different from their herd of fellow players. When a game, such as Tabula Rasa, ignores this vital aspect of the social experience of MMOs, they garner a lot of criticism. Especially from very vocal British expatriates.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Character Customization

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Character Customization originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There is a veritable glut of free-to-play MMOs, both in development and on the market. This much is certain. It especially originates around the Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China. And some of the smart designs of these free-to-play games are gradually working their way into more mainstream, American and European MMOs. But how do these games stay in business? And how do they relate to the traditional design of monthly fees?

Continue reading Under The Hood: Free For Now

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Free For Now originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anarchy-onlineaofeaturedfree-to-playjoystiqfeaturesmaple-storymechanicsmspay-to-playunder-the-hoodworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 04 Jan 2008 15:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Running Out Of Time]]>http://www.massively.com/2007/12/21/under-the-hood-running-out-of-time/http://www.massively.com/2007/12/21/under-the-hood-running-out-of-time/http://www.massively.com/2007/12/21/under-the-hood-running-out-of-time/#commentsFiled under: , ,


It's very debatable, but the biggest investment into any MMO is time. It's one thing to just pay to play the game, as there are several per-month services you can pay for, such as cable television, or car insurance, or sometimes simple things like a book club. But no normal service, however, require both the time and monetary investment like an MMO does. They are designed from the ground up to be full of grinding, time-wasting, and slow experience gain. But why is that?

Continue reading Under The Hood: Running Out Of Time

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Running Out Of Time originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxeqeverquestfeaturedmechanicstabula-rasatrunder-the-hoodworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 21 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Going Live]]>http://www.massively.com/2007/12/14/under-the-hood-going-live/http://www.massively.com/2007/12/14/under-the-hood-going-live/http://www.massively.com/2007/12/14/under-the-hood-going-live/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Live events. Where developer interacts with players. Traditionally, this has been a pretty contested battlefield, ranging from forums, to chat rooms, to game masters. Where it really comes together, however, is in the classic legacy of live events, where developers and game masters interact with the players in-game. But not only that, they assist in furthering the story, or fleshing out the game world. But where did live events come from?

Continue reading Under The Hood: Going Live

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Going Live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In most MMOs, once you hit a certain level, quests from before you hit that level turn useless and defunct. This sort of mechanic keeps players from going back and experiencing old stories because they leveled too fast, and really detracts from the overall feel of a game. What if I wanted to go back and play old quests (World of Warcraft, I'm looking right at you) and get some reward for them? Well, thankfully, City of Heroes/Villains has just implemented the Ouroboros System to allow you to go back and play previous missions you couldn't. But how is this going to affect the industry?

Continue reading Under The Hood: The Ouroboros System

MassivelyUnder The Hood: The Ouroboros System originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>badgesblizzardcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxfeaturedjoystiqfeaturesmechanicsncsoftouroborostitlesworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, part two]]>http://www.massively.com/2007/11/30/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-two/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/30/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-two/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/30/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-two/#commentsFiled under: ,


I realized in my last article I promised to explore the viability of pseudo-MMOs as an expanding market, but it appears I will have to renege on that pledge. I've been getting a veritable glut of the names of games that incorporate MMO-style play in a distinctly non-MMO structure or environment. So instead, here is a brief exploration of the Massive Single-player Offline, or MSO, market, as well as a few online games which share MMO elements.

The one which absolutely fits every single criteria for an MMO except for online play (and a rare few others) is Final Fantasy XII. This game, like no other, incorporates MMO-style play into an expansive and engaging single-player environment. Friendly NPCs, hunting quests, main story quests, instanced environments (monsters respawn after leaving and reentering a zone), real-time combat, non-random encounters (you see it, you fight it), and a distinct waypoint system. It's best described as the solo player's MMO.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, part two

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, part two originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bethesdafffinal-fantasymassive-singeplayer-offlinemsoobliviontabula-rasatrunder-the-hoodFri, 30 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, Part One]]>http://www.massively.com/2007/11/09/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-one/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/09/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-one/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/09/under-the-hood-pseudo-mmos-part-one/#commentsFiled under: ,


The world of MMO-making is more and more competitive by the hour, with many big-name developers throwing their hats into the MMO development ring as time goes on. But where does this leave us? Are all of these games requiring subscription fees? Will I be left out in the street playing Star Trek Online because I'm paying hundreds a month in fees? Not if the "pseudo-MMO" has anything to do with it.

The pseudo-MMO is a game which is similar to an MMO, but lacks things that an MMO often has, such as subscription fees, a truly massive environment (as opposed to a very large environment), a centralized server, or non-instanced zones. They aren't "real" MMOs, but they come very, very close. By offering persistent worlds, large amounts of players on a server at any one time, and sometimes even single-player, these doppelgangers can capture the "feel" of an MMO without (or with, in some cases!) a subscription fee. So let's walk down the list.

Continue reading Under The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, Part One

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, Part One originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>diablodiablo-2eveeve-onlinefeaturedflfreelancerguild-warsgwhellgate-londonhljoystiqfeaturesmechanicsneverwinter-nightsnwnstar-trek-onlinestoFri, 09 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Under The Hood: Of Titles, Badges, and Achievements]]>http://www.massively.com/2007/11/04/under-the-hood-of-titles-badges-and-achievements/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/04/under-the-hood-of-titles-badges-and-achievements/http://www.massively.com/2007/11/04/under-the-hood-of-titles-badges-and-achievements/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Say what you will about achievement points on the Xbox 360. They may cheapen the experience, or reduce elements of skill down to raw numbers, but anyone who has ever played a 360 knows how addictive the little "Achievement unlocked!" message is. So what happens when you toss that into an MMO? Titles.

It seems that a recent trend in MMOs is "titles". When they first debuted in the mainstream with City of Heroes, they didn't do much. All they did was add bragging rights for the person who has them, and a displayable title above the person's head. They were worthless (Well, mostly worthless). And most of the titles in CoX are still worthless.

"Oh, I killed 200 Circle of Thorn members. I've got that sweet new title."

Some MMOs are actually starting to change things up now, though, including the pioneers of the "Titles" system. Getting the exploration titles in City of Heroes/Villains will enable your Supergroup to teleport to that map from your Supergroup base. Getting certain titles in Guild Wars will allow you to increase your holding cap on faction. Getting all titles in an area in Tabula Rasa gets you a huge experience bonus (noticing a trend here? NCsoft developers seem to love the use of titles).

Continue reading Under The Hood: Of Titles, Badges, and Achievements

MassivelyUnder The Hood: Of Titles, Badges, and Achievements originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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