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As game worlds become more and more advanced, they also grow larger and larger. The by-product of this improvement is the long distances that must be traveled between locations. For some reason, with this increase in world size, there is not a corresponding improvement in traveling systems. Indeed, there seems to be almost a perverse joy in sending players on quests that involve running back and forth between two distant points with no other objective but carrying a bickering message between a pair of NPCs.

Codemasters Online has been a big name in the MMO business starting way back when with RF Online and Archlord. Moving into more recent history, Codemasters has been very successful with Lord of the Rings Online as well as Dungeons & Dragons Online. That said, GameIndustry.biz has interviewed David Solari about considering the development of an 'in house' MMO:

Q: You just made the point that Codemasters Online Gaming titles are all licensed. Are you currently considering bringing development in-house, because obviously the bigger Codemasters group successfully develops titles, it has it's own engine for titles like DIRT and GRID?

David Solari: We always had a five year plan and it was always in the middle of that five year plan that we would start developing our own games. We are looking at that and we have to think very carefully about what title is right, what will work in the future. These aren't easy questions to answer and it's very easy to fail in the MMO market so you've got to take your time, be careful and be sensible.

Check out the rest at the link above.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"

Computer & Video Games has a preview of Jumpgate Evolution for morning reading pleasure. The preview also sports four or so screens.

While the words "space" and "MMO" make you think "EVE" and "grind", Jumpgate: Evolution appears to be the yin to CCP's yang. NetDevil are emphasising that the game will be about slick, fast-paced combat rather than routine repetition of hotkeys. From what we've played, Jumpgate: Evolution feels like its expanding the genre in
a direction nobody seems to have noticed was there.

Purely as a game, without the online elements included, Jumpgate would be something to get excited about, but the MMORPG parts make it a red hot pepper in our exhausts. We advise wholeheartedly that you sign up for the beta at NetDevil's website, or plug your ears and wait until later in the year for the game's release.

It sounds promising!

Sean Bulger's periodic community column today looks at the concept of Open PvP (player vs. player) and what it does to games and their communities.

A while back we talked about conflict between players and what sort of a role that it can play in a game and for communities. During this, it was noted that player competition can be implemented in numerous different ways. This week, I would like to revisit this discussion and talk about one of those particular methods: the open PvP world.

Open PvP is one of the more controversial topics in MMO circles and plenty of people have fairly strong opinions one way or the other on the subject. That said, I would like to explore both the positive impacts and negative ones on the player community. Open PvP has the potential to help bond a community fairly tightly, but it also has the potential to truly tear it apart as well.

Read more after the leap.

Last week, Jonathan Steinhauer's column looked at the design of outdoor areas in The Dangerous Wilderness, Part 1. In Part 2, he continues his thoughts on the basic challenge most every MMO faces.

The easiest solution, though it avoids the root of the problem, is to disperse the ground spawns to a more realistic population level. There are areas where one would expect to encounter monsters, and that is where the heavy concentrations should be. Hard core hunting should occur in the fortresses and camps of the various villains, monsters, and animals that are the bane of the adventurer, not every time you step off the path. This opens up the wilderness for travel and casual hunting while giving players the kind of combat that exist in epic stories: battle in the lairs.

Read more after the leap.

Vault Network is featuring an interview with NetDevil's Community Manager Nicole Hamlett. The interview covers Hammett's work in the industry as well as some thoughts about Jumpgate. Here's a snip:

Beibhinn: Is the game going to be graphics heavy that people will need to prepare for, that it'll affect how they play?

Nicole: I'm really glad that you asked that.

You would be surprised at how little polygons are in the detail of our game. The mantra that we use is "How does it run on min spec?" Our art team is constantly working and re-working assets to ensure that they create as little client side lag as possible in the sectors. Because our game is free form / twitch based flight, the greatest concern is going to be lag. If we have assets in the different areas where people may be engaged in PvP, or even just PvE fighting, how are those assets going to affect their play experience?

Also, we don't want people who may not have top of the line machines to be excluded from our game. Again, the key is as accessible as possible. There are some games that are releasing that require at least a 256MB video card with 2GB of RAM, and while it may be somewhat standard in this day of computers, the requirements just seem to be getting larger and larger. Eventually only the hardcore will be playing some of the newer games because the average Joe who is just getting into these games either won't see the value of continuously upgrading, or won't understand that there are games just as viable and gorgeous that don't require the higher end machines to play.

So, the basic answer to that is that our graphics will have little impact on your gameplay because of the low polygon count.

Check out the rest at the link above.

Jim Moreno looks at the biggest question for the modern MMO roleplayer: how do you keep in character in an instance? They're here to stay, so it's time to learn how to deal with them.

Hear me now and believe me later, there is no reason why roleplayers cannot and should not engage in the same high quality RP within an instance as without. Personally, I'm not at all knowledgeable as to where the notion started from, but I absolutely aim to crush it here and henceforth. More than that, I want to share with fellow roleplayers why I think instances are the best places for RP, and provide some tips on how to take on these adventures with RP in mind. I hope they help!

Read more after the leap.

In a new editorial, columnist Jonathan Steinhauer embarks into "The Dangerous Wilderness". He looks at the concept of pf the wild and how it's presented in MMOs.

As I've wandered through the wilds of various games, I've been stunned by the panoramic vistas that have opened out before me. Trees sway in the light breeze, their leaves rustling softly through my speakers. A stream trickles by, the sunlight gleaming of the whorls and eddies of the current while in the distance, purple mountains capped with white glaciers scrape the billowing clouds. The imagery is so detailed, I could almost believe it is real.

Read more after the leap.

*wink wink* Jumpgate's "NetDevil" announced today that a name change will go into effect on April 1st:

Today, NetDevil announces a new name change to NetAngel. This new company name establishes a clearer link to our commitment to make immersive and socially responsible massively multiplayer online games. This change takes effect on April 1st, 2008.

I can't wait for April Fools Day to pass.... *g*