WildStar Wednesday is upon us once again. Last week brought us Chad "Pappy" Moore explaining to us how the Narrative Design team is working to bring life to Nexus and the rest of the WildStar universe. This week brings us more from his team, with Part 1 of a series from Senior Narrative Designer Cory Herndon.

In last week's post Chad talked some about the work that goes into creating a universe like WildStar's. Developing the setting and characters for the universe, figuring out how everyone fits together and reacts with one another, writing a history to provide meaning for the characters and the conflicts they're involved in - a great deal of work goes on creating a setting like this. In Cory's first post, he talks about the struggles in getting all of that history and lore into a form players are willing to read.

I'm a bit of a lore nerd for most MMOs I play, but even I don't read all of the quest text and I know that I'm not alone in that regard. Sometimes I can just tell that a quest is filler and I only need to note the "Kill X kobolds" bit. There's also the case where you might have people waiting for you to finish reading the quest; anyone who's space-barred their way through a SWTOR flashpoint will know this feeling. Cory talks about this in his post and some of the ways they're working to convey the story to the player, but without crossing that "TLDR" line.

If you're interested in quest design or just curious how Carbine is planning on making you care about something other than the quest rewards, head on over to the WildStar blog and read Cory's post. When you're done, come back and discuss this in the comments. Do you read all of the quest text in MMOs? Would the ideas Cory has in his post get you more engaged in the world around you or is all text merely getting between you and precious loot?

If your Friday is anything like mine, it generally involves a little light reading and a glass of whiskey to gently ease me into the weekend. That would normally be the plan until the klaxons sounded, signalling a message straight from Carbine!

And what a corker it is! Today we’re able to bring you not one but four new and exclusive screenshots, all of them hinting at further mysteries within the world of Nexus. From robots with lazers to crashed spacecraft, you can find it all in our Exclusive Screenshots Gallery!

But what could they mean? Are there hidden messages or strange patterns in the images? Check them out, leave comments and be sure to tell us what you'd like to see in future screenshots!

Fridays are usually my favourite day of the week. They’re a gateway to the forthcoming 48 hours of delicious sleep, all waiting just around the corner. WildStar Wednesdays are catching up fast, however, with Carbine battling those midweek blues with scrumptious updates and delectable artwork.

I should eat before I write these news posts.

Moving along, this week’s update is brought by Chad "Pappy" Moore, the Lead Narrative Designer over at Carbine. In his article, "The Story of an Epic World," Chad gives an overview on how his team started building the Nexus from its initial concepts through to the stories and conflicts that shape WildStar. It gives a real idea of why world building is such a huge challenge.

Chad also brings up how important the personality of WildStar is and how it influences several parts of the game. If you’ve seen the introductory move trailer, you’ll understand how strongly that personality comes out (and if you haven’t, go watch it now!), so it’s great to hear it’s also going to be firmly embedded in the game.

You can find more detail in Chad Moore’s update on the WildStar Website. We’ve been promised more news in the months ahead and we can’t wait to hear it!

We don’t get many of these, but when we do... we jump to it with the enthusiasm of a million kittens! An urgent message has just come in from Team Wildstar asking for your help! They want to know what you’re interested in hearing more of so that the community team (and us!) can share the information that you crave.

But what is it? Do you seek knowledge of mysterious lore and uncharted lands. Perhaps you want to get under the hood and dig into the game systems? Are you eager to hear word of future beta testing? Maybe your home theater system needs a new Cinematic Trailer to give it a proper work out?

There’s just one snag. Carbine’s instructions were quite clear on this one - to create a poll in my own language. Since I’m an absurd Brit, that means the choices will be presented to you in Absurd British!

• We’re always First Class here, but does knowing more about the character classes intrigue you? You may have a job to do, but By George it’s how you do it that counts!
• Are you a practicing xenobiologist? Would you care to know more about the races of beings you might portray?
• There are many journeys to greatness, but knowing which path is best for you can be daunting. Perhaps knowing more would be your ticket?
• What with war going on all over the place, knowing who you're fighting for is a sterling idea! Shout if more faction news is your cup of tea!
• Budding History Professor or reciting the Classics? You must be keen on digging up some spiffing new Lore!
• Keen to get your hands dirty? Pull on some overalls and grab that oilrag if you want to pull out the cogs and wheels of Game Systems!
• You could pull on your finest Eveningwear, buff your top hat and take a stroll down the promenade to the local picture house. Perhaps you’ll chance upon a New Cinematic Trailer?
• Finally, we leave you with the increasingly generous Open Choice. Should none of these options from our menu sate your appetite, simply declare what you hunger for and we will convey it to the good Chefs at Carbine!

Leave your choices in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to hand them on. Don’t feel you have to limit yourself either - pick as many or as few options as you like! Once you’re done here you can also cast your opinion on the poll over at the Wildstar Facebook page.

And... we're back! WildStar Wednesday has returned with everyone's favorite Metal Maw! In Part 2 of Rigging Metal Maw, Senior Technical Animator Chris Hale has returned to show off some of the more intricate animation and FX details of this biological oddity. Will Metal Maw be taking his first steps soon? We'll see!

Happy Holidays from the Staff at Carbine and WildStar Source!

It’s that time of year where seasonal joy fills the air; where we get some precious time away from our jobs to cram in some serious gaming, plus the occasional visit to friends and family. With a d-pad in one hand and an eggnog in the other, we’re ready for winter!

But this year is a little different from previous ones. You see, here at WildStar Source, we’re not bothered by Santa and his reindeer. Instead there’s a hope that maybe, just maybe, the Ark Ship will one day pay us all a visit. Our stockings might be hanging on the mantelpiece for several more months to come, but here’s what the team has on their wish-list.

Earlier this week Carbine and MMORPG.com brought us interviews with Sarge the Granok and Liara the Aurin. That just leaves one for the final interview of WildStar Week: Buck the Human.

Like Sarge and Liara's interviews, Buck gives us an idea of where the Exile Humans in WildStar are from and why they're heading to Nexus, as well as giving us some insight into the mind of an Explorer to go with Sarge's Soldier and Liara's Scientist paths. Now all we need is a fourth race to be announced for all the Settlers out there.

For the full interview, head on over to MMORPG and see what makes someone like Buck tick. Once you're done, come back to the forums and discuss this or any of the WildStar Week interviews. Did you prefer the character interviews? The voice casting one? Was there something else you were hoping would come out of this week? (Don't say beta invites - I'm guessing they've heard that one before.)

For many of us the best part of an MMORPG is the ability to play with friends. Whether it’s investigating mysterious dungeons for hidden treasure, riding onto the battlefield to face other players in combat, or organising celebrations and other events, some of our best in-game experiences are when we’re together. Guilds are an extension of this group play, providing various tools to regularly create more awesome moments.

With guilds being so important to an MMORPG, it was no surprise to see that they were central theme of last week’s WildStar Uplink. In the Facebook-based discussion, Carbine asked what we’d like to see from the perfect set of guild tools. There were three central themes: Identity (making the guild look and feel unique), Organization (supporting guild management), and Communication (helping members stay in contact).

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WildStar Week continues with another feature over at MMORPG.com. In today's interview Charley Lanusse, Audio Director at Carbine Studios, discusses the process behind giving WildStar a voice all its own. He touches some on the feel they're going for with audio as a whole, but the bulk of the interview is focused on voice acting. Charley describes some of their screening process for choosing the right voice for each character. I was pleasantly surprised to see that both the Art Department and Narrative Design are included in picking the right actors for each role.

If you're interested in voice acting in games, be sure to head over to MMORPG and read the full interview. There's also some information on the voice actors for Buck and Sarge from the WildStar trailer as well as outtakes from their recording sessions.

It's another interview from WildStar Week! Carbine and MMORPG.com are teaming up to bring us all sorts of WildStar information, and this week the focus is on the the WildStar trailer's resident bunny-girl Aurin, Liara. Pretty light on information, but they do talk about how Liara's homeworld, Arboria, was wrecked by the Dominion, as well as admiring her lovely... erhm... ears. That's about it!

Check out the full interview over at MMORPG.com