Everyone has a fighting chance
This is it, folks. The final round of this inaugural Great MMO Face-Off. Fans of LotRO and ESO have fought hard to get their games into the final round, while EVE and TSW are facing off for the third-place prize. Who will win? Click through to cast your vote!
It has been many years since I last sat on Santa’s knee or wrote a letter to make sure he’d know what gifts I wanted him to bring. Although I’m not inclined to do either ever again, I haven’t forgotten the seasonal tradition of listing my wishes. This year, as usual, I can enumerate quite a few things I’d like to see within the MMOG category. There are far too many to consider discussing them all, so I decided to limit myself to a manageable selection.
Another year has come and gone, and with that flurry of levels and experience points goes many of our most-wanted RPGs finally delivered. 2014 was a good year for roleplaying games with the likes of Dragon Age: Inquisition leading the pack but 2015 looks to be downright spectacular. We here at MMORPG have spent a lot of time discussing this year’s games, but with New Year’s Eve fast approaching, let’s look ahead to what next year has in store.
When it comes to the question "Where do you start in developing the game world?", I have a rather standard answer: everything begins with the idea and then thinking over the game world in detail. In contrast, when I was writing the book, "The Skies", I wasn’t thinking of the game in detail. The world and the storyline were appearing while I was writing and I actually didn’t know what it would be fully until the end, so the story revealed itself over time.
One of the best ways to spread holiday cheer is to give presents to other people, but let’s be honest: getting a gift that you want (or one that you didn’t know you wanted) is sure to make you feel just as warm and tingly inside. Last week, David Jagneaux shared 5 Awesome Gift Ideas for the MMO Gamer, and I’d be just as happy buying one of those items for myself as I would be getting it for one of my guildmates.
Yesterday’s announcement of the formation of ArtCraft and a new game with new approach to MMORPG design should have people talking by now. We were lucky enough to go right to the source and spend some time with founders Todd Coleman and Gordon Walton talking about their philosophy on MMOs, their new project, and all that we have experienced over the last decade of online gaming.
Though out for iOS tablets for awhile now, Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic Android fans have been waiting for their chance to play one of the most heralded RPGs of all time. With today’s deployment to Google Play, Android fans can now set out on an epic journey through the Star Wars universe. Even better, to celebrate the launch, KOTOR is only $5, half off what will become its normal price.
Industry veterans Todd Coleman (W101, Shadowbane) and Gordon Walton (Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies) just announced the formation of their own new studio ArtCraft in Austin, Texas. Guess what they’re making? That’s right… a brand new MMORPG.
We are down to the Final Four in this year’s inaugural Great MMO Face-Off! Can EVE beat down Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings? Can Elder Scrolls Online defy the niche powerhouse known as The Secret World? Click through and cast your votes!
This being my final Free Zone column for 2014, my first inclination was to choose a topic in the looking back vein. When I started considering possibilities, I immediately dismissed the idea of doing something "me too" like best of awards, which the site does far more prominently than I could anyway. Instead, I decided to discuss a few ways I’d like to see the MMOG development and publishing industry change, however unlikely they may be.