MMORPG Engine For Everyone
June 30, 2005
Amateur developers who would so much like to design their own MMORPG, yet are short on staff, millions of dollars and whatever else is needed to do that, may have a nice opportunity to still fulfill their dream, thanks to Kaneva. Indeed, this Atlanta company seeks to develop a game engine that could be used to create various kinds of MMOGs, from the RPG to the FPS kind - all of this for free.
The engine supports the latest in 3D graphics technology, as well as the import of 3dsMax art assets for every kind of customization one would like to add to characters and NPCs. Other aspects of the game can also be customized by the more technical-savvy ones. As a demo of what the engine is able of, Kaneva.com has put online the beta version of a MMOFPS called A Gorilla Paintball Game, which looks functional and decent-looking enough to show that there may be a real future for this kind of development.
Free? Too good to be true? What’s sure is that they won’t work for nothing. While Kaneva will host content on their own server and retain non-exclusive rights to it, they’ll also hold the business end of the deal, and split the prices fifty/fifty with the developers. This could be a good middle ground between developers who couldn’t give life to their dream anyway without an appropriate opportunity, and the company who would cover its costs without involving full teams in the making of one game. Time will likely tell if this can work or not, along with the fact that user votes may or may not be a good choice when it comes to separate the grain from the chaff.
More can be read in this article at MMORPG.com.
Batman returns … err begins (in a new game)
June 30, 2005
Batman’s been my favorite superheroes of all times. Probably because of the realistic and human factor. Well if I had the money like Wayne and the access to technology, I’d be batman too (ok a fat batman :-P). I remember playing the old Batman game, pretty much like other games of its times, proceeding in a 2d world. Lets hope I get a bite at the new game sometime soon. Although my first live is FPS. But wth …. its BATMAN 
This review is somewhat disappointing though …. 
Fun Never Begins in Batman Game
The video-game version of Batman Begins captures the movie’s atmosphere nicely. Too bad it’s marred by a linear game design that keeps players locked in a narrow path through the Dark Knight’s world.
Courtesy:Wired News Read More …
Cold War Officially Announced
June 30, 2005
Rejoice, ye Eve Online players, for the Cold War upgrade is now officially announced, and scheduled to be available for the first week of July.
From MMORPG.com:
“Apart from being a major content upgrade to EVE Online, this update also represents our focus on the global market for EVE,â€? says Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. “Not only does it include a totally reengineered new player experience, but the tutorials will be translated to 9 different languages and include improved Unicode support. This will give the players the chance to communicate and create communities based on their own language.â€?
EVE Online®: Cold War Edition will put the fragile peace sustaining the Empire territories at risk, as sovereignties secretly vie for advantage over their foes. Empires will unite to form pacts, old superhighways will be changed… a new world order is forming. Dozens of new passageways into the deep space regions will create unprecedented opportunities for both veteran and new pilots alike.
New features include the Dreadnoughts, the implementation of outposts, pirate factions and better combat abilities.
Xenosaga III In The Making?
June 29, 2005
From GameSpot:
TOKYO–According to a report from Japan, the next installment of Monolith Soft’s Xenosaga role-playing game series is already in development. In a recent update to his personal site, voice actor Koji Tsujitani disclosed that he has been working on Xenosaga III.
Tsujitani revealed that he is playing the role of Voyager, a bald character who held a key role in the mobile game spin-off, Xenosaga: Pied Piper. Voyager also appeared for a brief moment in Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose.
Tsujitani does not list a release period or targeted console for Xenosaga III, though it’s most likely to be released for the PlayStation 2 like the past two installments. Monolith Soft has not officially announced the game.
Publisher Namco hasn’t announced a third game in the series yet, and has remained properly elusive when asked the question, simply saying that they haven’t “confirmed any plans for Xenosaga III coming to North America”. No system has been announced either, even if PS2 could likely be a safe bet.
Blizzard in Orange County, Cali.
June 29, 2005
Blizzard gaming festival coming this Oct.
World of Warcraft maker Blizzard Entertainment has announced plans for BlizzCon, a gaming festival to celebrate the company’s popular game franchises Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft. The event is scheduled to take place on October 28 and 29, 2005 in Orange County, Calif.
New Civilizations
June 28, 2005
After having seen it last at E3, Steve Butts from IGN.com couldn’t resist and posted last week a preview article about Civilization IV:
Gamers who’ve had to struggle with the complications of the interface are also in for a treat. The actual game map now reveals which terrain tiles are being worked and shows off a number of civic improvements. Little pop-up windows and small suggestions about how to improve the area around each city will definitely help new players get started quickly. Those players who do choose to dive down into the detail of city view will find that information is much clearer there as well. Each city improvement will list the specific bonus it imparts to a city’s coffers, contentment and culture. No more guessing or thumbing through the civilopedia to find out just how much those temples are helping you.
When you start a new game you’ll have the option to select from a variety of civilizations, each with their own historical rulers — Gandhi for the Indians, Elizabeth for the English, etc. About eight of the eighteen civilizations in the game have a pair of rulers to choose from. Each ruler has their own personality and preferences and you’ll be able to tell a lot about a ruler just by watching their reactions on the diplomacy screen. When dealing with the flirtatious Hatshepsut or the jowly dandy Louis XIV, you’ll be able to see their attitudes and personality in their animations. If you’re making an offer in their favor, they’ll act pleased and happy.
Due to ship this Fall (when exactly is another matter), this fourth opus sure seems to own some very interestic characteristics. One will for instance be able to focus along certain lines of technology only, instead of having to research them all.
What’s more, Games Domain announces that the game will be open up to 18 players… this is implicitly offering the possibility for nifty LAN parties at home, right? Where again did I put the box of cookies for all of these starving gamers?
And The Point Is?…
June 27, 2005
Although buying MMOGs accounts from eBay isn’t something new (albeit forbidden by many of said MMOGs companies in their respective TOS), Wired News published last week an article regarding a newly started company that focuses on exactly that – levelling characters that they’ll then hand out back, fully geared, to the people who payed for them:
Want to play massively multiplayer online games, but don’t want to spend time building up your character’s stats? A new service launched Tuesday gives anyone the ability to bypass the countless hours it can take to advance deep into online games like World of Warcraft by renting the use of such characters by the month.
For years, despite a ban on such behavior by most publishers, people have been able to buy fully developed accounts to play online games. But the new subscription model from GamePal of Belmont, Michigan, takes lack of commitment to these games into virgin territory.
GamePal customers pay a $300 deposit, $150 for the first month and $130 for each subsequent month for access to their choice of 50 accounts (available initially) for 14 popular MMOs, including EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, City of Heroes and Ultima Online. […]
One would really wonder what the point is. Being powerful and having an uber character, most likely? I still have in mind this level 200 Agent in Anachy Online that asked us how to run, and our whole team went “eBay” without having to know what the other members of the group were thinking. There’s just no sense of accomplishment in all of this, though. Who really wants to get pride on saying that someone else levelled their toon and that they just reaped the benefits? Not me.
Maybe I’m a very simple person, or one without much ambition, but to me, part of the MMOG experience is precisely to learn the ropes by yourself and build a character that will truly be “yours”. Sure, this takes time, isn’t done in two days, and can be frustrating when you’re stuck at work thinking of your friends playing at the same moment. But, hey, it’s life. And a game is made to be played - not to let others play it.
A Little Dose of History
June 27, 2005
What happens when interests for both History and MMOGs meet in the same person? You get the Yza becoming more and more curious about a game still in its alpha version, yet holding interesting premises, provided things go the right way: Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising.
From Ogaming:
Set in Rome around 300 BC, a time when the Republic is powerful, but Roman enemies including the Carthaginians, Gauls, and Samnites threaten the fledgling imperial holdings. Worse, the land is beset by terrible creatures, such as Gorgons, Cyclopes, and Furies. As heroes of Rome, players will take on missions to expand and protect the Republic, her interests, and her citizens, and will serve one of the twelve great Roman gods. Future expansions are planned to open up new lands and new pantheons of gods.
Now to hope that my own knowledge in History matters won’t impede my enjoyment of the game (and that I won’t rant out loud at every little Latin typo or not-completely-exact detail)!
