BioWare likes WoW but wants to improve it

In a recent Interview with GameInformer, BioWare’s President Greg Zeschuk and CEO Ray Muzyka admitted to be avid WoW Players and fans of the game but they also stated that they find some aspects of the game too tedious and time consuming and hope that BioWare can do better.

“it’s almost like having another job.” They said they are thinking about ways to make the genre more accessible and easier to “pick up and play and have fun.”

BioWare is currently working on an unannounced MMO which many believe to be set in the Star Wars KoTOR universe.

Tags: BioWare, Blizzard, KotOR MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, World of Warcraft

Blizzard’s next-gen MMO(s) might appear on consoles

Blizzard’s latest MMO job opening (this time for a physics programmer) requires would-be applicants to have “programming experience on both console and PC titles.” This suggests that Blizzard is either making an MMO that will be released for both the PC and one or more consoles.

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Tags: Blizzard, Consoles, Game

Jumpgate Evolution - AI

MMORPG.COM posted another issue of the Jumpgate Evolution Developer chat with Lead Producer Herman Peterscheck. This time Herman shares his thoughts on the implementation of the AI in the NetDevils upcoming space MMO. Being a programmer myself I found it quite interesting that it is planned to run the AI code on it’s own dedicated server in order to improve scalability which also means that it’s going to be be harder for the rest of the engine to interface with the AI.

“SAL-9000: “Will I dream?”
“Dr. Chandra: “Of course you will. All intelligent beings dream. Nobody knows why.”

I can distinctly remember this scene from 2010; and it is a most amazing moment in a Science Fiction movie, I find. Amazing not only because it shows some kind of sentience in a machine (we got plenty of that in 2001), but because of the response. Nobody knows why. When you consider how things in games work, that mantra comes up over and over again. Most things in games are the result of nobody knowing why. Why is that wonderful thing that happens when all the pieces come together and things just seem to work. It’s a moment we all work for. It’s a moment we all hope for. It’s what games are all about …”

You can read the full article at MMORPG.com.

Tags: AI, Game, Jumpgate Evolution, NetDevil