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America's Favourite Game Goes Massively Multiplayer.
Next Generation has posted an interview with Gabriel Law of Netamin discussing the upcoming massively multiplayer online baseball game, Ultimate Baseball. Pete Rose has nothing to do with this game and also didn't say this:

"Netamin is taking the MMOG market in new directions and opening up new markets with its sports products. Next Generation talks Ultimate Baseball with producer, Gabriel Law."

You can read the entire Ultimate Baseball Interview at Next Generation.

Phinney's Fantabulous Foray into Fan Feedback!

James Phinney, lead designer for Guild Wars, posted his responses to a player roundtable hosted late Thursday based on Phinney's "State of the Game" letter. Guild Hall improvements, changes to PvP and ladder sessions, and general room for improvement were on the docket.

Despite the cries and tumult of numerous guilds warring in the hallway outside, Phinney managed to poset a few responses:

Question: What is the one area of GW *you* would like tweak?

James: "One" area? You must be kidding. As a game designer, you have to be incredibly foolish or incredibly egotistical to not see a ton of things to improve in any game you've worked on. The way I see it, every game you make is a learning experience. Usually, you just have to take the lessons with you and try to apply them to your next game, but with Guild Wars we have the opportunity to keep making the game better.

There's a lot of passion for Guild Wars on the team. We like to play the game. We experience a lot of the same things everyone else does. We know that at its best, Guild Wars offers experiences that are unique and insanely fun. We're going to keep working to make every part of the game live up to those moments. The user interface guys are always looking to make improvements where and when they can. The mission and quest design guys are really looking forward to taking the lessons we learned in Chapter 1 (oh so many lessons) and making Chapter 2 that much better. We're currently reviewing balance on all the Chapter 1 skills in preparation for the first official ladder season. The artists are doing amazing things for Sorrow's Furnace and for Chapter 2. And, of course, we're always looking at the economy and rate of character advancement.

Click here for answers to more of your Guild Wars questions!

Arrrr, have you ever been to the Burning Sea Billy?
MMORPG has posted a Pirates of the Burning Sea developer diary featuring Russell Williams. Do they have boats made of asbestos in the burning sea?:

"Since I last wrote, we finished our previous milestone and have started a new one. Our milestones are usually 6-8 weeks, but this one is a bit shorter. The reason for this is PAX (pennyarcadeexpo.com), the game show in Seattle being run by the Penny Arcade guys. We’re looking forward to meeting our fans who’ve been coming by the forums, and we’ll be out in force staffing our demo stations. This is the first time that we’ve shown the game to the general public, and this milestone is all about finishing off the basics and putting a nice sheen of polish on top of it."

You can read the entire Pirates of the Burning Sea Developer Diary at MMORPG.

Vanguard Interview - Posted in an EQ Section.
The Druid's Grove has posted a Vanguard Interview featuring Darren McPherson. Tree huggers were heard saying:

"Myself, Darrin McPherson. Originally the Druid was a member of our healer archetype. Following traditional MMO convention was that the Druid was a nature healer. We reached a point in our planning not too long ago when we needed to make a change. One of our senior designers suggested that the Druid be moved to the arcane damage dealer archetype…and I really liked that. I have always loved the primal, natural disaster side of the Druid and that is the direction we are taking him. My favorite feature? That is still a secret…for awhile longer at least."

You can read the entire Vanguard Interview at The Druid's Grove.