Ask Massively: The best part is where attractive hipsters have fun outside edition

Music videos are a tricky business. Sometimes a rather neat song will have a correspondingly neat video. Sometimes the video consists of just the band standing in place and singing the song, which is technically reasonable but kind of defeats the purpose of having a video. And sometimes the video is just a bunch of hipsters running around and committing periodic acts of vandalism. So you can understand why MTV has essentially stopped showing anything that might be construed as a music video, although it's debatable whether the current lineup is any better.

In a Python-esque segue, it's time for something completely different: Ask Massively. This week's edition features a question about EVE Online and the fate of Cryptic Studios, albeit not in the same question, as that would be a bit of conceptual whiplash. As always, if you'd like to have your question answered in a future edition, send a message along to ask@massively.com or leave your question in the comment field.

Bramen asked: Is CCP's EVE Online expansion just practice for making an MMO based on human models vs. spaceship for the upcoming vampire MMO? Should we view Incarna as a sneak peek?

No, at least not in the strictest sense. It's no real secret that human models in EVE have been a long-requested feature, so it seems reasonable that the company would have worked on that regardless. That having been said, odds are good that the development team has put more work into it with the understanding that it will have future applications. So while it's not exactly a test drive, it's probably a preview of coming attractions.

Pegjay asked: So with the changes Atari is making, what does the future for Champions Online and Star Trek Online really look like? Does this mean the free-to-play change was a failure?

When this question was asked, we had no idea what the future held for Cryptic, but as of two days ago we know exactly what company is taking over: Perfect World Entertainment. And while it might seem like a bit of an odd acquisition for the company, it's also a show of just how big the bigger free-to-play companies have gotten. Considering that, we suspect that the conversion of Champions Online has been at least successful enough to look attractive to its new parent company.

Star Trek Online, oddly, is the game whose fate is most thoroughly up in the air at the moment. Certainly it wouldn't be surprising to see the game make the free-to-play shift now, but it would also make a certain amount of sense for it to keep going in its current business model. Whichever turns out to be the case, however, it's a foregone conclusion at this point that the games will still be online and active for some time, something that the fans were no doubt wary about.

Suhaira asked: There is an Amish MMO on the way!?

Expect the game to utilize advanced modeling technology to create lifelike barn raising. Also, shunning will be overpowered.

Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!