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Exclusive Features : Devloper Journals

Title Date Game Overview Author
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Accessibility 12/03/07 Jumpgate Evolution The team from NetDevil's upcoming sci-fi MMORPG Jumpgate Evolution have provided us with this new edition of our dev journal series. This week's contribution uses a quote from Einstein to talk about accessibility in video games in general, and designing a sequel to a classic game. Guest Writer
Wrap-Up 12/11/07 Jumpgate Evolution For the last four weeks, we have presented a developer journal from Hermann Peterscheck, the Producer of NetDevil's Jumpgate Evolution. In this final installment, Peterscheck talk about creating a space action game. Guest Writer
Response to Feedback 12/12/07 Pirates of the Burning Sea Flying Lab Software's Rick Saada takes the time to respond to some of the feedback that the team has received here on our MMORPG.com forums. Remember, sometimes, the devs are listening! Guest Writer
Flight Dynamics 01/09/08 Jumpgate Evolution In this new Developer Journal, NetDevil Programmer Steve "Istvan" Hartmeyer talks about flight in their upcoming MMORPG, Jumpgate Evolution. Guest Writer
AI System: Nuts & Bolts 01/16/08 Jumpgate Evolution Steve Hartmeyer, a programmer on NetDevil's upcoming Jumpgate Evolution, files this Dev Journal on the game's AI system. Guest Writer
The Outfit System and Barbershops 01/21/08 Lord of the Rings Online Turbine has released a new internal Dev Journal on the Outfit System and the Barbershops that will be introduced in the upcoming free update, Book 12. Guest Writer
Official Conan Blog Updated 01/22/08 Age of Conan Jason Stone, better known as Athelan, has updated his official Age of Conan Blog with info and his opinion of the delay. Guest Writer
Designing Fault Lever 01/25/08 Tabula Rasa Tabula Rasa world builder David Vargo guides us through the design process and philosophy behind the Fault Lever instance in Tabula Rasa. Guest Writer
User Interface: Accessible Functionality 01/30/08 Jumpgate Evolution Today, NetDevil's Steve "Istvan" Hartmeyer submoits this new developer journal looking at the user interface in the upcoming Jumpgate Evolution. Guest Writer
State of the Game: February 2008 02/13/08 Age of Conan Age of Conan Game Director Gaute Godager recently wrote an article describing the current state of the game of AoC. He elaborates on his role in the game's development, and he describes the reasons behind the recently announced release date push back, the melding of certain classes, and other changes that have occurred throughout Age of Conan's development. We're pleased to present the entire article here. Guest Writer
PvP: Conflicts and Considerations 02/13/08 Jumpgate Evolution NetDevil Programmer Steve "Istvan" Hartmeyer stops by once more to talk about the upcoming MMORPG, Jumpgate Evolution. In this new developer journal Hartmeyer talks about PvP in the sci-fi game. Guest Writer
Non-Exclusive Dev Journal: Ship Tuning 02/22/08 Pirates of the Burning Sea The folks at Flying Lab Software have been churning out dev logs all week in advance of the release of the 1.2 patch for Pirates of the Burning Sea. Today we present a recent dev log which goes into detail about the fine tuning of specific ships, and ships in general. Guest Writer
Non-Exclusive Devlog - Introducing Bey's Retreat 02/26/08 Pirates of the Burning Sea Flying Lab Software has published a new devlog which introduces players to Bey's Retreat, a near impenetrable fortress used by the Corsairs of the Main, and a large group mission in Pirates of the Burning Sea. Guest Writer
Episode 2 Information 03/11/08 Cabal Online The folks from Games Masters, the company behind the European version of Cabal Online, have sent over this developer journal with detailed information on the changes that came as a part of the Episode 2 update. Guest Writer
Art Journal: Shorath Mesa 03/13/08 The Chronicles of Spellborn The folks at The Chronicles of Spellborn have released this new Art Journal focusing on the Shorath Mesa area of the game. Guest Writer
An Introduction to CoS: Part One 03/20/08 Citadel of Sorcery The team at MMO Magic has provided us witha great Developer Journal that gives us all an idea of what their game is all about. Today, we provide you with Part One of this journal, the introduction that will whet your apetite for Part Two, where the devs go into more detail about their plans. Guest Writer
CoS Introduction - Part Two 03/21/08 Citadel of Sorcery Yesterday, the folks from MMO Magic presented the basics behind their upcoming MMORPG, Citadel of Sorcery. Today, they go into more detail about their plans for: PvP, Combat, Rces, Classes and more. Guest Writer
Non-Exclusive Dev Blog: A Day in the Life of Jack Emmert 03/25/08 Champions Online Jack Emmert of Cryptic Studios has written a dev blog where he describes a day in the life of the Chief Creative Officer of Champions Online. Guest Writer
Dev Diary #4 03/25/08 Face of Mankind: Rebirth Face of Mankind's Marko Dieckmann pens this new Dev Diary that outlines the general concept of their game in terms of both features and gameplay. Guest Writer
Combat for Beginners 03/26/08 The Chronicles of Spellborn The folks over at The Chronicles of Spellborn have released this great new Game Design Journal that focuses in on just what it is you, as a beginner, need to know about TCoS's unique combat system. Guest Writer
Crafting the Content of Forochel 04/03/08 Lord of the Rings Online The official Lord of the Rings Online website has a new developer journal concerning some of the elements of the upcoming Book 13, including solo info and info on the new area known as Forochel. Guest Writer
Mekhi Mechanaught, Territory Control and Weapons 04/03/08 Exteel The folks from NCsoft have sent along this developer paper on the Mekhi Mechanagught, Weapon Highlights and Capture the Flag. While the robot battle game doesn't meet our criteria for listing, it certainly shares a number of traits with MMORPGs, including a persistent character. Guest Writer
The Sound of Shorath Mesa 04/04/08 The Chronicles of Spellborn The Chronicles of Spellborn developer Matthew Florianz has penned this new developers journal on The Sound of Shorath Mesa, giving us a look at the way that ambient sound is offered in TCoS. Guest Writer
Hellbound’s Steel Citadel 04/07/08 Lineage 2 NCsoft recently prepared this non-exclusive dev journal which provides an overview of the Steel Citadel in Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne – The Kamael: Hellbound. Inside the dangerous Steel Citadel, players will need to take advantage of the new level 85 level cap to battle against the epic boss Beleth. Guest Writer
Book 13: Welcome to Forochel! (or…How to Make a Region Without Trees) 04/11/08 Lord of the Rings Online Turbine has posted this great (and interesting) dev journal about designing Forochel from a World Builder's perspective. In MMO production, World Builders are the ones who populate the world withe verything from hills to rivers to buildings to deserts. Guest Writer
Better Together: Grouping Improvements in Book 13 04/14/08 Lord of the Rings Online Book 13: Doom of the Last-king, the upcoming free content expansion for Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar, will feature a number of big changes and improvements to the way players find and assemble their fellowships, and Turbine has provided this non-exclusive dev journal which describes those changes. Guest Writer
Group Combat Missions 04/14/08 Pirates of the Burning Sea The folks from Flying Lab Software have released a new Dev Journal on their official site talking about Group Combat Missions. Guest Writer
Hellbound Pet System Enhancements 04/17/08 Lineage 2 The good folks over at Lineage II have provided us with this dev diary concerning the pet system enhancements that are coming with the Hellbound expansion due later this month. Guest Writer
The Orc Defiler 04/18/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have added a new dev journal to their official website. This one talks about the Orc Defiler, the new Monster Play class coming in Book 13. Guest Writer
What’s So Cool about Hellbound 04/23/08 Lineage 2 The Lineage II North American Dev Team has provided us with this new developer diary entitled, "What’s So Cool about Hellbound and the 4th Anniversary Edition". Guest Writer
Issue 12: The Midnight Hour and Me 04/30/08 City of Heroes City of Heroes Senior Designer Joe Morrissey writes this developer journal telling us about the Midnight Squad, a group of heroes that has appeared in past lore, but makes their first appearance in Issue 12. Guest Writer
Moving Beyond the Wall 05/06/08 Stargate Worlds Nick LaMertina, a Sound Designer for Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Stargate Worlds has written a fantastic blog post over at the game's officil site. We have asked for permission to re-publish it here at MMORPG.com as it serves as a grreat example of a developer struggling to do the best job possible on a project and also of an artist struggling to ply his trade in the games industry. Guest Writer
Building a Guild City 05/12/08 Age of Conan The folks at Age of Conan have provided us with this new developer journal on the guild cities system. Guest Writer
Reawakening Developer Journal 05/12/08 Dreamlords: The Reawakening When Dreamlords announced that they would be returning with Dreamlords: The Reawakening, MMORPG.com wanted to get the behind-the-scenese dirt. Dreamlords: The Reawakening Lead Designer Iona Rosin gives us her thoughts on the upcoming game. Guest Writer
Magma Caverns - Michael Hutchison 05/20/08 Tabula Rasa NCsoft has been kind enough to supply us with a pair of developer diaries discussing the rework of Magma Caverns. In this first diary, Lead World Designer Michael Hutchison gives us his take. Guest Writer
Stretching the Genre: Creating Cimerora 05/21/08 City of Heroes With the release of Issue 12: the Midnight Hour for City of Heroes and Villains, NCsoft has prepared a non-exclusive dev journal by Senior Art Lead, Ken Morse, which looks at the process behind creating the new Greek and Roman inspired area of Cimerora. Guest Writer
Mini-Game Design in Stargate Worlds 05/27/08 Stargate Worlds Steve Williams of Firesky, the company creating the MMORPG Stargate Worlds, writes this dev log on the game's official page which highlights mini-games in the upcoming MMO. Guest Writer
Ambush Gameplay 05/30/08 Pirates of the Burning Sea Kevin "Isildur" Maginn, Lead Designer for Pirates of the Burning Sea, has written a devlog explaining the original concept of ambush gameplay, or in other words, a gang of pirates sneaking up on a merchant vessel on the high sea. In the devlog he describes how the original design concept failed in practice, degenerating into what can more accurately be described ganking, and their current efforts to reduce the occurrence of ganking. Guest Writer
Dev Paper - Trooper Mechanaught 06/03/08 Exteel While it doesn't quite meet our requirements for listing, NCsoft's Exteel is certainly an idea that is appealing to MMO gamers. In this developer paper, the game's devs give tips and strategies for Trooper Mechanaught, a weapons overview and the "last stand" battle mode. Guest Writer
Letter From the Director: Roadmap for the Future 06/03/08 Age of Conan The Age of Conan website has been updated with this letter from Age of Conan Game Director Gaute Godager. In the letter, Godager lays out plans for the game in the near future. Guest Writer
The Weapons of War 06/04/08 Battleground Europe: WWII Online The folks over at Battleground Europe are celebrating their astounding seven year anniversary and have been kind enough to provide us with this developer journal talking about what go into creating a new armored vehicle for their game. Guest Writer
Soloing in Champions Online 06/09/08 Champions Online Cryptic Studios has published a dev diary which details the level of solo content in Champions Online, revealing that the game will not only be solo friendly, but will also feature end game content specifically designed for the solo player. Guest Writer
Seven Year Anniversary Dev Journal 06/09/08 Battleground Europe: WWII Online Celebrations for the astonishing seven year anniversary of Battleground Europe: World War II Online began on Friday. Today, we present a dev journal that is designed to both introduce new players to the game and talk a little bit about the events of the last seven years. Guest Writer
Walking the Plank: Ship Outfitting is a Balancing Act 06/12/08 Pirates of the Burning Sea The most recent Devlog from the folks at Pirates of the Burning Sea looks at the art of item balancing, and some of the changes that will be made in version 1.5 of the game. Guest Writer
Dev Paper - Boomrocker Mechanaught 06/24/08 Exteel While it doesn't quite meet our requirements for listing, NCsoft's Exteel is certainly an idea that is appealing to MMO gamers. In this developer paper, the game's devs give tips and strategies for The Boomrocker Mechanaught, weapon highlights and the Defrosted Summit Battle Map. Guest Writer
On the Combat System 07/03/08 Atlantica Online The developers of Atlantica Online have provided us with this exclusive developer journal discussing the unique combat system in their upcoming MMORPG. Atlantica breaks with MMORPG tradition to bring players a turn-based combat system that the developers hope will set their game apart from other MMOs. Guest Writer
Behind Velon Hollow 07/09/08 Tabula Rasa Tabula Rasa game designer Brian Hudson recently completed work on a new instance named Velon Hollow, where the minds of once intelligent beings have been overrun by an unknown toxin, turning them into ravenous zombies. In this dev journal, Brian shares his influences and inspirations in making this new replayable instance. Guest Writer
Instance Updates 07/10/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online have released this new developer journal that talks about instancing in the upcoming Book 14 launch. Guest Writer
Gracia Update Revealed 07/15/08 Lineage 2 NCsoft has announced several changes to Lineage II with the upcoming Gracia update, which include the introduction of the Vitality System, and efforts to reduce 'the grind' and entry barriers to new players by allowing players to level faster. Guest Writer
Book 14 Dev Journal: Moving the Fellowship 07/18/08 Lord of the Rings Online As the storyline in The Lord of the Rings Online goes ever on, the developers at Turbine have run into the problem of what to do with certain NPCs who move around a lot, specifically the Fellowship of the Ring. This latest Dev Journal from Turbine looks at how they solve these problems in Book 14. Guest Writer
Friday Night Fights Q&A 07/21/08 Tabula Rasa Friday Night Fights have been a popular event in Tabula Rasa since the game was in beta. NCsoft's Amy “Critters” Crider guides us through the evolution of the event, introduces the new boxing ring, and lets players know how they can join in. Guest Writer
Exclusive Dual Class System Journal 07/28/08 Runes of Magic The folks behind Runes of Magic have released ythis new developer journal outlining the game's dual class feature. Guest Writer
APB Update 08/13/08 APB Chris Dye, the Community Manager for Realtime Worlds' upcoming MMORPG APB pens this developer journal that brings us up to speed on APB's development, their absence from this year's E3 and beta sign-ups. Guest Writer
Zone Overview - The “Ystra-Highland” (Region 4) 08/15/08 Runes of Magic The folks from Runes of Magic have provided us with this great overview of The Ystra-Highland, giving us a look at a number of different locations. Guest Writer
Mines of Moria: The Rune-keeper 09/11/08 Lord of the Rings Online The Mines of Moria, the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online which is currently in beta, offers many new dark places for adventurers to explore and a new class for players to use while exploring these places. Today the folks at Turbine have released detailed information on these Rune-keepers and their secrets. Guest Writer
Combat System Dev Journal 09/12/08 Runes of Magic The folks from Runes of Magic have provided us with this new developer journal covering the combat system in the upcoming Free 2 Play MMORPG. Guest Writer
Item System in Runes of Magic 09/19/08 Runes of Magic The folks from Runes of magic have provided us with this great new Dev Journal on the Item System in the upcoming Free2Play MMORPG. Guest Writer
Issue 13: So big it can’t be contained in a single update! 09/25/08 City of Heroes City of Heroes Lead Designer Matt Miller wrote a letter to the game's player base today detailing a change in the planned update, Issue 13: Architect that will see the Mission Architect feature removed (to be published in Issue 14) and the name of the update changed to Issue 13: Power and Responsibility. Guest Writer
The Dustdevil Canyon 09/26/08 Runes of Magic The folks at Runes of Magic have written up an overview of the Dustdevil Canyon, a sun scorched region on the world of Taborea. Guest Writer
Burglar Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/08/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Burglar. Guest Writer
Lore-master Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/08/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. This time we take a look at the Lore-master. Guest Writer
Hunter Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/09/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Hunter. Guest Writer
Champion Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/15/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Champion. Guest Writer
Minstrel Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/15/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Minstrel. Guest Writer
Rune-keeper Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/15/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Rune-keeper. Guest Writer
Dev Journal: Warden Mastery 10/17/08 Lord of the Rings Online With the launch of the Mines of Moria looming closer, the folks at Lord of the Rings Online have prepared an in depth look at the Warden, one of two new classes that will be introduced in the expansion. Guest Writer
Focusing on the Multiplayer Part 10/20/08 Atlantica Online MMORPG.com has teamed up with the NDoors, the folks developing Atlantica Online to bring you this first developer journal from the game's Producer, Kim Tae Gon, discussing some of what he feels are the game's unique multiplayer elements. Guest Writer
Captain Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/20/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Captain. Guest Writer
Guardian Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/21/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Guardian. Guest Writer
Faction Gear Sneak Peek: CHOTA and Enforcers 10/22/08 Fallen Earth The dev team at Fallen Earth has prepared a three-week series of Dev Journals which take a look at the faction gear you’ll see on NPCs in the game. Today, we’re taking a look at the CHOTA and Enforcers. Guest Writer
Warden Advancement Beyond Level 50 10/22/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have prepared a series of Dev Journals which take a class by class look at level advancement past level 50 in the Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria expansion. Today we take a look at the Warden, one of the two new classes to be added with the expansion. Guest Writer
A Look at the Sascilia-Steppes 10/23/08 Runes of Magic Continuing their series on the various regions that make up Taborea, the folks at Runes of Magic have have prepared a look at the Sascilia-Steppes. Guest Writer
Considering the Turn-Based MMORPG 10/28/08 Atlantica Online Kim Tae Gon of Atlantica Online writes this second developer journal in our series for the game. In this journal, Kim tells us a little bit about the company's decision to created a turn-based MMORPG. Guest Writer
The Ettenmoors Re-vamp 10/28/08 Lord of the Rings Online The folks at Turbine have been working hard on the Mines of Moria, the first expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, and they've been even busier getting the word out about all of the changes and new features that they've been crafting for us. Today they share some of the changes and improvements that will be showing up when they bring another round of re-vamps to the Ettenmoors. Guest Writer
Dev Journal Part Two, Faction Gear Sneak Peek 10/31/08 Fallen Earth Fallen Earth Lead Game Designer L