MMO Updates

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• The Tattered Notebook: Down but not out!
• WRUP: OK, I could be down with WildStar edition
• BioWare announces PAX 2011 plans for The Old Republic
• The Daily Grind: Are you among the 10% who finish what they start?
• Allods Online prepares the Ritual of the Damned
• Betawatch: August 19-25, 2011
• Storyboard: Making it worse
• Wasteland Diaries: Mutations 2.0
• Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3
• EVE dev blog talks Incarna 1.1, additional captain's quarters
• GamesCampus to take over 9Dragons in September
• The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost
• Gamescom 2011: Get an eyeful of Trion's promo reel
• One Shots: Invasion incoming
• Gamescom 2011: LotRO's Rise of Isengard screen captures on display
• Make your own browser-based MMO, just like the pros!
• Exclusive: Referee Ruby makes friends in Free Realms
• SWTOR presents the next great galactic sport: Huttball
• Wysteria ho! Wizard101 launches August update
• Carbine releases WildStar gameplay video

The Tattered Notebook: Down but not out! Posted: 20 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Tattered Notebook I was closely watching our Choose My Adventure poll last week and had a flashback to 1986, when I was torn between rooting for my two favorite teams, the Red Sox and the Mets. There I sat, staring at my Cabbage Patch Red Sox doll and my Cabbage Patch Mets doll, trying to decide which one I would embrace as I tuned in for the first pitch. Whom would I root for? Hurst or Darling? Dewey or Nails? Mookie or Billy Bucks? Carter or Geddy? Boggs or Ho-Jo? I chose the Red Sox, and I'm still trying to get over that memorable World Series. The CMA poll had me right back in that seat, as I found myself rooting for both frontrunners, RIFT and EverQuest II. For EQII fans, the vote tally ended up somewhere under Bill Buckner's cleat, and RIFT ended up winning. Take heart, EverQuest II fans: We have a great game, and like an aged wine, it's getting more buttery with a hint of raspberries and a taste of oak. So raise your glasses because it's time to toast the reasons EverQuest II is a great game! Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Down but not out! The Tattered Notebook: Down but not out! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: OK, I could be down with WildStar edition Posted: 20 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Miscellaneous I hadn't really expected to care about WildStar, but from what I've heard so far, I could actually get cozy with this game. We've just got to get a few things squared away here, starting with giving us women that aren't floofy bunny-things. Like one of those gray-skinned stony guys, that'd be keen. Keep the mechanics engaging; don't start going into pin-up status with all of your ladies -- we could be in good, WildStar. We could be straight-up friends. That having been said, I'm not playing it this weekend. None of the Massively staff members is playing it this weekend, as it happens -- and that's relevant because it's time for this week's installment of WRUP. So jump on past the cut to find out what we'll be up to over the weekend along with our feelings about the option of playing solo, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: OK, I could be down with WildStar edition WRUP: OK, I could be down with WildStar edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare announces PAX 2011 plans for The Old Republic Posted: 20 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Are you going to Penny Arcade Expo? Is the Force strong with you? If you answered yes to these questions, then holster your blasters for just a hot second while we give you the skinny on BioWare's plans for Star Wars: The Old Republic at PAX 2011. For those of you interested in just getting your nerf-herding hands on The Old Republic for some one-on-one time, all you have to do is swing by booth 914, where demos will be running that allow players to experience content from each of the game's four origin worlds as well as letting players drop into the Alderaan Warzone for some Republic vs. Imperial action. If you want to go more behind the scenes, don't fret! At 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be overtaking the Paramount Theatre for a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel. New reveals! Question and answer sessions! Live demonstration of the endgame Operation, the Eternity Vault! All of this and more can be yours if you manage to weasel your way in. And lastly, if you're more of a social butterfly, BioWare will be hosting a community meet-and-greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel. The soiree begins at 7 p.m., so dress your fanciest and don't be late! BioWare announces PAX 2011 plans for The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Are you among the 10% who finish what they start? Posted: 20 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, Massively meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Last week, CNN published an article declaring that video game attrition is significantly higher than we might have suspected. According to the post, 90% of gamers don't finish the video games they start. CNN lists several possible reasons for this phenomenon: the rising age of the average gamer (37), shortening attention spans, different life focuses, gaming platforms, game lengths, and a roster of new games -- particularly the more profitable and time-consuming multiplayer games -- that's becoming increasingly bloated. Setting aside the question of whether MMOs even have endings at all, we have to wonder whether MMO gamers suffer this same inability to see a game through to the finish line. Whatever you consider the "end" of your MMOs, do you ever get there? Are you among the 10% of gamers who finish what they start? 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: Are you among the 10% who finish what they start? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Online prepares the Ritual of the Damned Posted: 19 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online Following in the wake of The Crucible, The Heart of Fire, and the Astral Cemetary, a new event will soon test the mettle of mid-level Allods Online players. Welcome to The Ritual of the Damned. Yasker and Aidenus have decided to submit players to yet another "educational experience" to help hone the players' skills in preparation for the threats that lie before them. Well, either that, or kill them. One of the two. Players from levels 30 to 36 will be recruited by Allods' GMs to participate in the Ritual, which takes place on the ominously named Isle of the Damned. The event is said to be more than just a jovial time of killing monsters and shooting the breeze; it will test "your strength, your endurance, your reactivity, and your team spirit." Throughout the ritual, GMs will pass judgment on the players to deem whether they are worthy of participating in the ritual itself or they are fit only as sacrificial victims. The event will be taking place Tuesday, August 23rd, beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT, with an encore on Wednesday, August 24th at 1:00 p.m. EDT. So, are you worthy? Log in and find out. But be careful, lest you find yourself under the ritual knife. Allods Online prepares the Ritual of the Damned originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Betawatch: August 19-25, 2011 Posted: 19 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Massively meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Welcome to Betawatch, Massively's weekly report on the state of MMO betas. In each installment, we'll report everything from the latest open betas, closed betas and even alphas in one convenient place. Plus, we'll make sure to include as much info on each game's current status, including projected release dates (if known) and links to the sign-up forms to get yourself into that beta you've been seeking. Scarlet Legacy moved to open beta this week, offering a few incentives for players to jump in -- 40,000 of them, in fact. The newly-announced Planet War is zooming through the various beta phases and has also joined our open beta list this week. We bid farewell to both Age of Empires Online and Troy Online, both of which launched earlier this week. Follow along after the jump for the full Betawatch list! Continue reading Betawatch: August 19-25, 2011 Betawatch: August 19-25, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Storyboard: Making it worse Posted: 19 Aug 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Last week, I talked about how cross-eyed the whole roleplaying dynamic looks when compared to MMO progression models as a whole. Some of you probably looked at that column and shook your head in confusion, either because you don't roleplay or because you have a much lighter method for RP (which is perfectly fine -- I wrote a little while back about the fact that there's a lot of RP that covers a very wide band). Others probably looked at my litany of recent misery-inducing events in my character's life and wanted to know how to get to that same point. The former group I can't help a whole lot, but the latter group is the focus of today's column. If you know you want to get your favorite characters up into a tree while being pelted by rocks, you need an idea of what sort of rocks make the best projectiles and what the worst trees are to climb down. So let's take a look at ensuring that your character pretty much fails at everything he or she tries to do -- and how to succeed after all. Continue reading Storyboard: Making it worse Storyboard: Making it worse originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wasteland Diaries: Mutations 2.0 Posted: 19 Aug 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, MMOFPS, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic We have a new skills and abilities system in Fallen Earth. I wrote a short guide about the new skills a couple of weeks ago, so this week I'd like to cover the new mutations. If you haven't played Fallen Earth in the past few months, you will log into a very empty hot-key bar and have a very messed-up build. You will have a lot more AP than you did, though. But that AP is useless if you don't know how to spend it. There are no more capstones to plan builds around; you'll have to build a clone that will suit your particular play-style. My skills post and this post will give you a pretty good idea of what each line does and what abilities or mutations they offer. All clones still have alpha mutations, but they are only low-level mutations and are intended to introduce new players to the mutation system. These mutations are based soley on Charisma now rather than Willpower. Every mutation line also has a primary stat attached to it, which determines 75% of the maximum attainable skill level. The other 25% is determined by Willpower. Total gamma (gamma is the mutation stamina pool that you deplete when you use mutations) is now determined by Charisma and Intelligence. Willpower is not nearly as important to mutation-heavy characters as it used to be. Those are the fundamental changes to mutations, and after the cut I'll describe what each line has in its arsenal. Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Mutations 2.0 Wasteland Diaries: Mutations 2.0 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3 Posted: 19 Aug 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Screenshots, Video, News items, Consoles, Miscellaneous Following last week's dev diary featuring Undead Labs' art director Doug Williams and his talk on the "heart of horror," the most recent dev diary from the studio shifts in a more technical direction. In particular, executive producer Jeff Strain focuses on the game's engine. Even more particularly, he announces that the tentatively named Class3 will be running on the powerful CryENGINE 3. Of course, the devs over at Undead Labs are quite familiar with the traditions of the internet and anticipate shouts of "pics or it didn't happen" with a lovely screenshot from an early version of the game. But wait, there's more! Call now and you'll receive not just a single screenshot, but an entire video! Just click past the break and check out an early version of Undead Labs' Class3 in action, then skip on over to the dev blog to read the full entry. Continue reading Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3 Undead Labs brings Class3 to (un)life with CryENGINE 3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE dev blog talks Incarna 1.1, additional captain's quarters Posted: 19 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox So what's the story with the next iteration of EVE Online's Incarna expansion? The newest CCP dev blog has your answer, and that answer is basically "more captain's quarters." You may recall that EVE's ambulatory makeover launched earlier this summer to a chorus of boohoos from the game's gangster elite, but CCP is nonetheless pressing on with its nefarious agenda to make New Eden into more of a sandbox. CCP Fallout says that the devs are continuing to "improve the Minmatar CQ while pushing forward with the development of the remaining racial quarters, as well as working apace on establishments." Incarna 1.1 will show the fruits of these labors in terms of the existing avatar environment, while the remaining quarters and establishments should make their way to the Tranquility test server "later this year." EVE dev blog talks Incarna 1.1, additional captain's quarters originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

GamesCampus to take over 9Dragons in September Posted: 19 Aug 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, 9Dragons, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Free-to-play MMO publisher GamesCampus announced today that it will be taking control of martial arts MMO 9Dragons' North American operation. The game is currently provided by GamersFirst, but GamesCampus will begin its run with the game on September 20th. GamesCampus has stated that it will allow any player with an account in good standing to transfer his or her character, complete with any purchased items, as long as players opt-in by September 15th. The GamesCampus launch of 9Dragons will introduce the new region of Tibet, which will include additional content for each faction. So remember, 9Dragons players, if you want to keep your precious accounts intact, opt-in with GamesCampus prior to September 15th, and be ready to jump into Tibet on the 20th. GamesCampus to take over 9Dragons in September originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost Posted: 19 Aug 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor These are exciting times for Lord of the Rings Online, for sure. The Fellowship -- and hundreds of thousands of groupies following in its wake -- has moved south, and we are growing ever closer to Mordor and Mt. Doom. In a month, Middle-earth will grow significantly with the addition of Rise of Isengard, and level-capped players will suddenly have a whole new buffet of content to devour. It's also a good era for exposure for the game, as plenty of people will get to see the expansion at Gamescom and PAX, not to mention those already in the beta proper. While we haven't heard anything about the game's finances or player numbers lately, there's no reason to believe that it's not still going strong. That said, I want to take a step back today, as I sometimes do, and look at the larger picture. How is LotRO positioned against the current competition and the heavy-hitters yet to come? What does Turbine need to be working on over the next year or two? Are we just wandering aimlessly, or is the path laid out for journey for a long time to come? Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2011: Get an eyeful of Trion's promo reel Posted: 19 Aug 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Free-to-play, MMORTS, Massively Event Coverage, RIFT One of the cool parts of visiting any video game convention is to check out all of the trailers blasting over each booth. A good trailer not only raises goosebumps but conveys crucial information about the game in a short span of time: the game's tone, genre, playstyle, graphics, lore, and ability to have a bad-ass hero fall from a great height to land on one knee with a fist on the ground. We've gotten ahold of some of the visual goodies Trion Worlds has been showing at its booth this week at Gamescom, highlighting both RIFT and End of Nations. The promo reel, which you can watch after the jump, begins with a combination of RIFT's cinematics and in-game footage. Then, around the 10-minute mark, the video shifts focus to the upcoming free-to-play End of Nations, ending with an interview with some of the devs. Unfortunately for non-German speakers, all but the interview may be linguistically inaccessible to your ears, but you should be able to follow along just fine. We also have several new official RIFT screenshots to show you, just in case you haven't gotten enough of this rip-roaring title! Gallery: RIFT: Core Gallery Continue reading Gamescom 2011: Get an eyeful of Trion's promo reel Gamescom 2011: Get an eyeful of Trion's promo reel originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

One Shots: Invasion incoming Posted: 19 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, One Shots, Champions Online Today's One Shots image might be a familiar one to longtime Champions Online fans. Massively reader Teranu is one of those fans: Here's a rare one for ya -- this one's during Champions Online's end of beta event, during which they drastically altered the lighting of Millennium City to coincide with the destructoid invasion. I thought it was remarkably effective. The incredibly high contrast really made the buildings pop out in a way that's very much unlike the relatively flat version you see when you log in today. The missing citizens also really helped to drive home the apocalyptic scenario. Everyone has either taken shelter or been evacuated, leaving only the bots and the heroes to fight for control (a fight that would inevitably be lost by the heroes, I might add) over the ghost city. We're revisiting an old favorite theme all this week and next on One Shots: environments. The game world is an area that most developers put a huge amount of effort into, and it shows. Do you have a favorite landscape, particularly eye-catching weather effect, or hidden jewel in an out-of-the-way location? Snap a screenshot of your favorite MMO area, tell us a bit about what and where it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. Gallery: One Shots: 2011 One Shots: Invasion incoming originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2011: LotRO's Rise of Isengard screen captures on display Posted: 19 Aug 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play If you're not in Turbine's Rise of Isengard beta, A Casual Stroll to Mordor has some Gamescom screen caps you might be interested in seeing. Even if you are in the testing phase for Lord of the Rings Online's next expansion, it's worth a look-see if only to glimpse a few things you might've missed. The screens were captured on a cell phone camera, so the quality isn't worth writing home about, but they do show off an early version of the Isengard map as well as new wound pots, Forthbrond Village, a portion of the Gap of Rohan, the tower of Orthanc, and Saruman impaled on a giant spike just like in the movies! OK, just kidding about that last part, but it was funny seeing you lore-monkeys twitch. Gamescom 2011: LotRO's Rise of Isengard screen captures on display originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Make your own browser-based MMO, just like the pros! Posted: 19 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Browser, Miscellaneous I think we've found it. We've found the demon gate in which all browser-based MMOs are summoned. Its name is MakeMMO! OK, we kid, we kid. I'm sure these MakeMMO folks have nothing to do with any of the poorly made browser-based MMOs out there -- or demon summoning -- but now you can! That's right, if you have an idea for a new MMO but don't have the programming licks, MakeMMO might be able to help you out. According to the website, you can even make money from your MMOs, as the service can publish your game to a Facebook platform. Now, we imagine you're not going to be able to create the next Star Wars: The Old Republic here, but it seems like a fun project builder for those of us who say, "I can make a better game than that!" Make your own browser-based MMO, just like the pros! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Exclusive: Referee Ruby makes friends in Free Realms Posted: 19 Aug 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Free-to-play, Browser, Humor, Free Realms, Kids, Family Not everyone can be Referee Ruby, but everyone can make friends in Free Realms, or so says today's exclusive video from Sony Online Entertainment. Ruby is back with tips on how players young and old can win friends and influence people in the free-to-play MMO. Mind your manners and don't be a jerk, she says (a simple lesson ignored by too many gamers), but above all else, get a boombox with the hottest tunes, trick out an awesome house for entertaining, and throw a party -- because everyone loves a party. Naturally, the very best party supplies and structures are purchased in the Free Realms cash shop, and Ruby shows viewers how it's done. Hey, no one said friendship was cheap! Grab your favorite boombox and hit the break to see Free Realms' Making Friends video in full. Continue reading Exclusive: Referee Ruby makes friends in Free Realms Exclusive: Referee Ruby makes friends in Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR presents the next great galactic sport: Huttball Posted: 19 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Lore, New titles, PvP, Star Wars: The Old Republic Forget your regular PvP, in which the objective is to take down the other faction base or capture the flag. Star Wars: The Old Republic introduces us to a new way to face off against your enemies. Of course, we're talking about Huttball. Massively introduced you to this Nar Shaddaa sport earlier this week, but in this latest video, Director of Production Dallas Dickinson explains the rules and story behind this PvP arena. The highly lethal sport consists of two teams that each attempt to grab the ball from the middle of the Pit and cross that ball over the other team's goal line. It sounds a bit like soccer, but in this game of soccer, lethal force is encouraged. In fact, the Czerka Corporation has provided fire jets and acid pits just to make the game that much more dangerous. Beyond the break we've provided the full video introduction to this next sport sensation! Continue reading SWTOR presents the next great galactic sport: Huttball SWTOR presents the next great galactic sport: Huttball originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wysteria ho! Wizard101 launches August update Posted: 19 Aug 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101 According to Wizard101's history, Wysteria was an insignificant town until one day a magical accident caused a vine to go haywire and overgrow the place. Since then it's become a hotbed of mystery, and with the game's August update, players are invited to explore this new land to see what it holds. Wysteria is a mid-level zone that consists of a city, another magical school (Pigswick Academy), and two adventure zones. During their adventures, players can enter into a magical tournament, fight new creatures, and brave a level-60 gauntlet known as the Tower of the Helephant. Players can either subscribe to the game or purchase the zones individually to see the glories of Wysteria. Also included in the update are house teleporters (which allow you to quickly zip between your estates) and a number of minor gameplay tweaks. Recently KingsIsle announced that Wizard101 would be heading to China in 2012. Wysteria ho! Wizard101 launches August update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Carbine releases WildStar gameplay video Posted: 19 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, New titles, WildStar After several weeks of curiosity and anticipation surrounding the new game from Carbine studios, the developers have started releasing information on WildStar in a big way. First there was a trailer, then details on the game's races and classes, and today Carbine has released eight minutes of gameplay footage. Don't let the cartoony graphics and curvaceous bunny-girls fool you -- the gameplay shows dynamic, fairly mobile combat and impressive environments along with a few surprises here and there. Jump past the cut to see it for yourself, and if you want to see even more, keep an eye out for Massively's hands-on impressions of WildStar next week at PAX! Continue reading Carbine releases WildStar gameplay video Carbine releases WildStar gameplay video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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