Rift Executive Producer Scott Hartsman explains how dynamic content drives the world of Telara
As extra-planar invasion-themed MMO Rift passes the one year mark, I caught up with Executive Producer Scott Hartsman to dive deep on one of Rift’s more unique aspects: its dynamic world.
In our chat, Hartsman explains how Rift was initially conceived as a completely dynamic, unpredictable MMO, and why Trion had to step back from that ambition in the face of underwhelming playtests. What’s happening underneath the hood when a rift opens, spilling forth a planar invasion force? How has Trion turned Rift into an “entertainment on demand” experience with its instant action feature, without detracting from the unpredictability and sense of discovery that Rift’s dynamic content makes possible?
Even if you’re not a Rift player, Hartsman gives provides a great perspective on the process behind building a different kind of MMO, and how that leads to unforeseen consequences like a cataclysmic battle in the least exciting place in Telara.
Gamigo services affected by “illegal intrusion”
It looks as though German MMO publisher, Gamigo, has been hit by hackers. Trying to access their site brings up a publisher message saying that the company have “detected an illegal intrusion” into the gamigo Account System, and have “turned off all possibly affected services to investigate.”
SOE announce deal with new European publisher, Planetside 2 will be region-locked
Sony Online Entertainment have announced that the running of many of their games is transferring to German publisher ProSiebenStat.1 Games Group in Europe. Games affected include EverQuest II, DC Universe Online, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Free Realms, and this year’s Planetside 2.
While SOE will continue to manage the European servers for their games, European players will no longer be able to play with friends in the US. The two providers will use separate account systems and virtual currencies, effectively splitting each game in two.
EverQuest finally going free-to-play in March
Thirteen years ago, EverQuest opened a door that would influence online gaming forever. It taught us how to camp world bosses, how painful dying can be, and most importantly, how to make a ham sandwich and take a shower in under five minutes so you can get back to the game ASAP. It isn’t the flashiest or the most beginner-friendly of MMOs, but it was certainly the foundation for games like World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic. And finally, more than a decade and nearly 20 expansions later, it’s going free-to-play.
APB Reloaded review
Not revamped, not rejigged, not redesigned. Reloaded. APB’s new suffix is apt, as this free-to-play reincarnation of 2010’s deflated cops and robbers MMO is a retread of the same ground. The same drab city, the same hollow combat, the same lopsided results.
The original city of San Paro has been left standing, a monument to badly judged level design and the colour grey. The first game’s devs, Realtime Worlds, intended the place to live and breathe. Instead, it spluttered a few times before its life support failed. Its resurrection is a miserable one.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria preview
For the past seven years, there’s been a darkness on the edge of Azeroth. The Burning Crusade brought a host of demonic forces. Wrath of the Lich King saw an invasion of the dead. Cataclysm destroyed the very world itself, a manifestation of evil that cracked earth and boiled seas with a flick of its maleficent wings.
What next? What hideous mindrending monstrosity, dredged up from the abyss of the human psyche, could follow a villain as truly malevolent as Deathwing? Now we know. Pandas.
Rift’s mobile app adds guild chat, mini-games, and invasion alarms
High school reunions, terrible plays, and the trunk of a murderer’s car all have one thing in common: they’re places we’d rather be playing Rift. The new free mobile app from Trion Worlds brings these and other on-the-go moments a little more Rift from the convenience of your phone, with some pretty novel features.
Games of 2012 – Planetside 2
I feel like I know Matt Higby. PlanetSide 2’s creative director lives half a planet away from me in San Diego, where he’s currently helming development on SOE’s second shot at the MMOFPS. But he once flew Reavers for the New Conglomerate in PlanetSide. He piloted a gunship, screaming through the sky over hundred-man battles. He rained rockets down on enemy tanks, he lanced snipers with his chaingun. He’s me, in a suntan and a nicer suit.
Games of 2012 – Guild Wars 2
As the MMO coalesced into its modern form, quirks that were initially necessary compromises became widely-accepted features. Mute characters that embody utility rather than personality; quest objectives that only relate tangentially to the story that frames them; raid bosses designed to be killed and killed again by the same groups of people. Good games have been made – and are being made – on those principles, but it’s hard to argue that they’re sacred cows. Instead, they’re the elephants in the room that Guild Wars 2 is setting out to slay.
“MMOs aren’t always great RPGs,” says Eric Flannum, lead game designer. “Most MMOs try to set a tone for the world, but they don’t necessarily try to tell you a story about your character.” Guild Wars 2 isn’t alone in placing renewed emphasis on the player’s story, but it is making the most comprehensive array of changes to the way the MMO functions in order to do it. Everything from quests – sorry, events – to guilds and grouping has been rethought in order to create the most dynamic and finely crafted experience.
The Old Republic beginner’s guide
The launch of an MMO is a confusing time. The world is fresh and new, and everyone is still learning how to play it. Which is why, now that The Old Republic has launched, we’ve put together a list of our top 50 tips, learned from hours of beta play to help you get to grips with the new game. For MMO newcomers and veterans alike, we’ve created a definitive guide to classes, companions, conversations, crafting and every other aspect of the game.
Check inside for the full list of our fifty things you need to know about The Old Republic.
Ultimate Christmas Giveaway: Win one of 150 copies of Rift
Welcome to the PC Gamer Ultimate Christmas Giveaway! This is the biggest competition we’ve ever done: packed with peripherals, games, and exclusive items signed by some very important people. Why are we doing this? Because it’s Christmas! And we love you.
The Ultimate Christmas giveaway will run until Christmas Eve. Every day we’ll be posting about a new prize that’s up for grabs, and you’ll have 24 hours after the time of publishing to enter. Sadly, we’re only able to open this competition to UK residents.
Our stockings are stuffed full of prizes today readers, because we have an astonishing 150 copies of Rift to give away. No, that is not a typo, one hundred and fifty lucky readers will win a boxed copy of Rift, complete with 30 days playtime. We gave Rift 86% back in PC Gamer UK 226, and you can read the US team’s Rift review online. If you’re planning to join in, why not check out the PC Gamer Rift Guild to find someone to play with?
Check inside for details of how to enter.
DC Universe Online review
Setting the land-speed record for going from a subscription to a free-to-play MMO isn’t something to hold against DC Universe Online. It’s a good game, if not a great one. It’s got some of the best MMO combat around, well-designed missions, and what seems at first glance like a ton of content that makes great use of its comic-book universe. However much you enjoy City of Heroes, or even Champions Online (hey, it’s possible), it’s only here that you get to officially tag along with Batman or beat up cops with Harley Quinn until she likes you enough to let you wear her hat. And who could say no to that?
Star Wars: The Old Republic hands-on
I’m a telepathic warrior-diplomat in a skirt, and my best friend is an eightfoot lizardman with a stick. Take away the big words, and the fantasy of inhabiting the Star Wars universe is an odd one: yet in my case it’s something that has survived nearly fifteen years of dodgy movies and hit-and-miss games. You could write three paragraphs of deeply personal insults and I wouldn’t mind as long as they flew past me in giant yellow letters accompanied by a horn section.
Dragon Nest in-game goodies giveaway [US only]
You put in your time with the family. You ate the cookies, you sat by the fire, you pretended that you could hear whatever grandma was mumbling just fine. But now it’s you time. With skill-shot combat and an adorable anime-esque visual style, Nexon’s action-MMO Dragon Nest is the perfect way to enjoy the rest of your holiday break. Battles aren’t just passive skill rotations—you’ll need to dodge attacks and string together combos if you want a chance at surviving. Yeah, cake-induced blood sugar spikes might set your reflexes back a bit, but you can give yourself an edge with a free digital bundle of Dragon Nest loot from Nexon itself.
Seize power with TERA’s intriguing political system
Do you fancy yourself a born leader? What if you could prove it, without the fake photo smiles, baby-kissing, or mud-slinging of real world politics? With TERA’s upcoming political system, you can set out on a campaign for control from the comfort of your butt-contoured chair. In this exclusive video, hear from TERA producer Chris Hager as he explains the ins-and-outs of taking office in an MMO. Whether you attain leadership through brute force or popularity, you’ll have a heck of a time working to please the people and get the server population on your side. But hey—isn’t that what politics are all about?
