Last weekend, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood traveled to Stone Mountain, GA to attend the opening of the new CCP / White Wolf offices there. In this report, Wood tells us about the new offices, and what they're going to be doing there.

This has been a monumental year for the folks over at CCP, the company most famously responsible for the creation of EVE Online, a sci-fi sandbox MMO. What started as a small company making a board game to grow capital to finance a video game has now become a big name in the MMO world, with offices on three continents and employees from every continent (except Antarctica). Whether you like them or you hate them, it’s hard to deny their impressive rise.

This past Friday, I (along with numerous other press and guests), attended the official opening of the CCP / White Wolf offices in Stone Mountain, GA. For White Wolf, the building houses the staff working on the popular pen and paper World of Darkness series, For CCP, the building houses some support staff for EVE Online. For the two combined, however, it houses the development team for the much-anticipated (but still very, very early in the development process) World of Darkness MMO.

When I toured the building, I was first surprised at how small the pen and paper team is for White Wolf’s World of Darkness series. Like many, I’ve been hearing about White Wolf games for years. In fact, my very first role-playing experience came at a local convention where a game of Vampire was being played. Naturally, I assumed that this game (which was very cool) must be made in a huge office by an enormous team. As it turns out… not so much.

Read it all here.

Very nice read.

CCP rocks :)

Originally posted by Stradden

 For the two combined, however, it houses the development team for the much-anticipated (but still very, very early in the development process) World of Darkness MMO.

 

Read it all here.

This is very interesting news indeed.   I have spent many hours with White Wolf's gaming material and loved it very much so an MMO based on that is an exciting prospect.

We got Blizzard, SOE, EA... and thankfully we got CCP.

Best MMO company ever + Best RPG company ever = double win

Can you please hire me now ?

Originally posted by wumptrooper

Best MMO company ever + Best RPG company ever = double win

Can you please hire me now ?

 

 

Of course ! And as a member of Band of Developers you will be imba!

Awkward looking bunch aren't they :P

2 Canucks!

Its awsome news ... I'm just surprised they chose the Stone Mountain area!  I guess they're employees commute out to that area some of its neighborhood areas are ... well quite frankly the dregs of Atlanta!  Though I hear if your far enough out your away from all of that.  Maybe thats the case here, I certaintly hope so.

Have to like a company that includes a chef in it's business model

Funny thing of course, that's precisely what many militaries have been doing for centuries.  You work, you go and have a meal at the mess with other officers, and you can relax and talk about things you can't talk about once you are in the company of civilians.  Wonderful way to keep the lines of communication open, and your secrets in the office.

This is sucky news

Atlanta?!  You know how much work is going to be lost due to hang-overs and one-night-stands?  I mean have you scene these Georgian women?!  They are hot!!

Okay, this doesn't happen often, but I'm really excited about the prospect of this potential upcoming MMO. I've been waiting for a vampire/warewolf type MMO for... well since I was about 13 I guess, and with a company like CCP (who we KNOW can make a decent MMO), good lord.. It's possibly the most exciting news I've heard since they announced UO2 (only to can later :().

Originally posted by elvenangel

Its awsome news ... I'm just surprised they chose the Stone Mountain area!  I guess they're employees commute out to that area some of its neighborhood areas are ... well quite frankly the dregs of Atlanta!  Though I hear if your far enough out your away from all of that.  Maybe thats the case here, I certaintly hope so.

it has to be there....
thats white wolf's home location and they cannot move away from the bar they (white wolf) owns...

As a WoD fan, I definitely look forward to their MMO.

Ghouls or Werewolves are probably better to fit in a MMO; I think it would be cool if the vampires would be something to unlock, and not necessarily better then a ghoul on every layer.

If anyone is not sure...let's resume what a MMO is:  A game where you fight non-stop.

What is a ghoul/werewolf: A killing machine on a rampage for it master/Cairn/Goal.

Don't read me wrong, a vampire would be great, but even the worst vampire is not usually on a non-stop killing streak...anarchs and sabbats abide by some rules...and camarilla are definitely not going to be killing non-stop.  Unlocking the vampires could unlock variants gameplays, thereby it should not be hard to unlock, but even if it is an intro to unlock it, it would be cool that way, as it lead to other gameplays which are more refined...

I really think they need to break some rules followed by other MMOs, maybe you would have to play more then 1 character...and please don't go weird as in Wraith, that didn't work well.  But maybe you play the ghouls of 1 vampire and unlocking this vampire is a goal in itself, so you can play him, at night  (auto-switch to last ghoul played at sunrise).  Kinda like you create a vampire, then plays his first ghoul...to play other ghouls or the vampire himself you need to unlock some stuff...it gives you various goals, as you can progress each ghoul individually, the vampire individually...or you can promotes the overall power of the group (leaded by the vampire of course).

It would be more in keeping with CCP's style if you started out as human

Remember that their EVE design is can be anything through getting the right skills, but that they also have a very complex friend/foe standings system that unlocks various things so I would back them to come up with some fair controls.

Besides, when did the Caldari State ever not look like the Technocracy?  All those missiles fitting into that sized hull, that just ain't right...

Edited due to not clicking on the map :P

Originally posted by MR-Bubbles

 

Originally posted by Koroshiya

As long as they do not employ the CCP GM staff or customer service model I will be happy.

 ETC ETC........

Do you really think this belongs here and isant a bit off topic?

 

Anyway im looking foward to palying a Wherewolfey.

the topic was about CCP and Whitewolf joining teams, my topic was directly related to my concerns for them doing so.

since it was a post against "ccp" it got deleted and I got a warning, but since it was on topic I basically told them to shove it.  This post will be deleted too so ciao =)  At least I posted my reasons for saying what I did, I was not trolling just stating my opinion on the situation and topic at hand.

Well, I'm excited now. The rumors of the Whitewolf MMO has been confirmed, so now we can all sit in trembling anticipation.

I can only hope they eventually use all 6 big venues, though Whitewolf will start with it's golden children, Werewolf and Vampire. In the following years of it's release I can see them release expansion packs for Mage, Promethean (not going to say that will actually work at all), and Changeling. The 6th venues is Mortals, of course, which someone mentioned, should be what your character starts as, no matter what you want to play.

It's going to be really interesting to see how they translate this into a MMO since the World of Darkness is devoid of monsters to grind on and dungeons to loot.. Well, maybe not entirely, but still, there's not going to be any mindless repetitive gameplay.

Originally posted by ChrowX

Well, I'm excited now. The rumors of the Whitewolf MMO has been confirmed, so now we can all sit in trembling anticipation.

I can only hope they eventually use all 6 big venues, though Whitewolf will start with it's golden children, Werewolf and Vampire. In the following years of it's release I can see them release expansion packs for Mage, Promethean (not going to say that will actually work at all), and Changeling. The 6th venues is Mortals, of course, which someone mentioned, should be what your character starts as, no matter what you want to play.

It's going to be really interesting to see how they translate this into a MMO since the World of Darkness is devoid of monsters to grind on and dungeons to loot.. Well, maybe not entirely, but still, there's not going to be any mindless repetitive gameplay.

 

Well when CCP made EvE they didnt go down the Mob grind route either so i guess that could be a clue for how charecter advancment could work in a World of Darkness game. To use a direct EvE anology and this is not to say it will be how it is. You could go find trainers to buy there skill and train it to a usable level somehow [in eve it was time based].

i live near stone moutain...and they ahve alot of ppl from different places 

zOMG someone from Portland, Maine works for CCP! I'm from Lewiston, about 30 minutes away!

I wonder how hard it is to get an internship. Doesn't sound all that difficult on the White Wolf site, and I'm about 10 miles away from there. I wonder when fall starts for "Internships in the MMO department will start to be solicited in late Fall of 2007." Course, I'd love to work in the tabletop department too.