MMO Updates

Rise and Shiny: Heva Clonia Online
One Shots: Certifiably Insane
The Daily Grind: Does underwater combat add that much?
Camelot Unchained's second Piercing the Veil Q&A released
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV is (not) Halloween
The Tattered Notebook: Navigating EQII's Nights of the Dead
New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting

Posted: 27 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Interviews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

Heva Clonia Online, by publisher OGplanet, is a cutesy, Anime-style MMORPG that offers tons of combat, a lot of quests (mostly from kill-X-rats territory), a bunch of other players to join up with for dungeon-running, a pet collection system that borders on Poke-something, and quite a few other activities. I've seen my share of games from Korea, China, and Japan and know that the details of each game are what set them apart from each other. The foreign games can seem the same, just as many Western titles can, so to know the difference, you simply have to play them.

I gave my usual Rise and Shiny treatment to the game and enjoyed it over the last week, casually poking around town, jumping into dungeons, collecting monster DNA, and trying to understand some of the strange, mistranslated quest dialogue.

As I finished up my time with the game (for now), I discovered that I had quite a bit of fun, but I also ran into many of the same problems that I have had with other titles from the same area.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Heva Clonia Online

Rise and Shiny: Heva Clonia Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Certifiably Insane

Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT

Filed under: Screenshots, EverQuest II, Final Fantasy XI, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, One Shots, DC Universe Online, Miscellaneous

One of the things that I love the very most about superhero MMOs is that they give players a great platform to show off their creative designs. Yeah, they can be eyesores too, but I find that that's also a blessing in disguise because it's an easy visual indicator of lazy players whom I probably want to avoid.

I wouldn't want to avoid reader Carla, however, because she's bringing her crazy-A game to DC Universe Online today. "Here is a photo of my supervillain, Certifiably Insane, posing before the city she's conquered," she wrote.

So my question is, what do you do with a city once you conquer it? Get mired in administrative red tape? Does Certifiably Insane have to preside over council meetings and sewage labor union debates now? How does a supervillain deal with zoning issues, anyway?

The answers to that and so very much more are all after the break in this week's One Shots.

Continue reading One Shots: Certifiably Insane

One Shots: Certifiably Insane originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Does underwater combat add that much?

Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

The Daily Grind Does underwater combat add that much

Underwater swimming and combat is one of those tetchy subjects that people seem to have strong opinions regarding, even though I personally don't think it makes much of a difference whether you can do these things or not. Games that haven't had underwater combat didn't make me miss it, and games that had it made me feel like I was flying very, very slowly.

So let's tack this today: Does underwater combat really add that much to an MMO? Is it a waste of developer resources or an important part of creating an immersive world? As a bonus question, when's the last time you went underwater to fight jellyfish with a spear gun in the real world?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Does underwater combat add that much? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Camelot Unchained's second Piercing the Veil Q&A released

Posted: 26 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Community Q&A, Camelot Unchained

Camelot Unchained's second Pirrcing the Veil Q&A released

Two weeks ago, CityState treated us to Camelot Unchained's inaugural Piercing the Veil Q&A. Now a second act has followed that first performance, complete with all new community questions and Community Manager Renee Machyousky's official responses.

This time around, the questions run the gamut from character characterization to advertising to lore dissemination. While not all of the addressed questions have definitive answers (groups size is still under discussion, and 3-D sound bites haven't even been considered), there's still information to be found. So feel free to take a moment and peek behind the development curtain to catch the latest answers to fans' questions.

Camelot Unchained's second Piercing the Veil Q&A released originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Piercing the Veil 2

The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV is (not) Halloween

Posted: 26 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Events (In-Game), Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

It's my favorite time of the year again. Really; there is absolutely nothing I love more than the relentless Halloweening through October. I love the decorations, I love the genuine scares, I love the humorous antics, and I love the whole atmosphere. So you can be sure that I was as enthusiastic about Final Fantasy XIV's newest incarnation of All Saints' Wake as possible. I was up early just to try out what the game had to offer.

Afterward, I was somewhat less than impressed. It's not that I think it's a bad event, just that it's a bit lackluster, something that the game has suffered from thus far on the holiday front. So let's talk about what went right, what went wrong, and what can be improved for the next few years of the game's operation for at least this one holiday because darn it -- Halloween events matter.

Unless you really don't like holiday events, in which case I don't know what to tell you.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV is (not) Halloween

The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV is (not) Halloween originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tattered Notebook: Navigating EQII's Nights of the Dead

Posted: 26 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Tattered Notebook, Guides, Dungeons, Crafting

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday, and EverQuest II is easily one of my favorite games of all time. So when the two combine, it's a match made in heaven. But just like the game itself, the Nights of the Dead live event has so much to it and so much to do that it is easy to become overwhelmed. Cue The Tattered Notebook!

I know what it's like to want to participate fully in an event but not know where to start. And now with so many more new players (thanks in large part to the Heroic Characters), it's not even a matter of finding the little changes to this year's event. Let's be honest: Even those of us who have taken part previously can't remember every detail from year to year, especially when more is added each holiday season! So today I'm going to provide a guide to introduce you to all things Nights of the Dead.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Navigating EQII's Nights of the Dead

The Tattered Notebook: Navigating EQII's Nights of the Dead originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting

Posted: 26 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding

If you dropped a ton of rocks and a ton of feathers from the top of Nerd Kingdom's office, which would hit the ground first? It doesn't matter; the fun is in watching them fall! And you can watch a variety of things falling in TUG's newest video, from stools to rocks to torches -- even trees! The video gives a visual lesson on the physics of the world, with items rotating naturally in the air then bouncing and rolling around once they hit the ground or each other. Add to that some horizontal velocity as things are hurled through the air and the whole things feels very organic.

The gameplay display continues with a course in resource acquisition and combination; the natural elements gathered nearby are crafted into a simple weapon/tool. Study these new elements for yourself in the video below, then class dismissed!

Continue reading New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting

New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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