MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Funcom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

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Age of Conan - Forgotten City
It's been a while since we checked up on Age of Conan game director Craig Morrison's personal blog, and the latest update is a lengthy morsel designed to get gamers thinking about MMO story as something more than a marketing bullet point. Along the way, we get a glimpse of Morrison's thoughts on games ranging from MMOs, to Brink, to id Software's forthcoming RAGE.

While you might think that story is all about narrative and characterization, Morrison opines that a sense of place and attention to world-building details like societal structures are equally important. Quest text can be crucial too, and while gameplay is obviously a big deal, Morrison says that it's only part of the equation.

"Sure, a game can be good on its own mechanical merits, and first and foremost a game must be a compelling gameplay experience... but those truly great games? Those are the games that also create a sense of place for the player. A world they can believe in," he writes.

MassivelyFuncom's Craig Morrison on background, story, and immersion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE's Fan Faire 2012 moving to the Fall

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 10:30 AM PDT

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Fan Faire participants
It's never too early to start planning for next year's convention season, and Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its annual Fan Faire get-together is vacating its traditional summer slot starting in 2012. SOE's Las Vegas shindig will move to the Fall, and the company is currently offering up a public vote to determine the exact dates.

Participants can select between the weekends of September 13th through September 16th, September 27th through September 30th, or October 18th through October 21st.

In a post on SOE's official boards, Linda "Brasse" Carlson explains that the bump is mostly due to the availability of the venue, which in turn keeps costs down and enables SOE to continue hosting the fan-friendly event.

MassivelySOE's Fan Faire 2012 moving to the Fall originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Maplestory Age of Triumph trailer

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT

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Last week, Nexon announced the conclusion of the Chaos series in their free-to-play fantasy side-scroller MapleStory -- Age of Triumph. Today, the studio offers Massively an exclusive video trailer for a peek at the action that is scheduled to release on August 17th.

The video highlights the three main features coming up in this patch: The new PvP game Capture the Flag; footage of the new Silent Crusade story line, a full-length quest for players level 37-110; and even the new Crusader Codex, a book highlighting the various monsters that roam Maple World which players can add to after defeating new monsters.

Click past the cut for a look at these upcoming features in Age of Triumph.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Maplestory Age of Triumph trailer

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Maplestory Age of Triumph trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Planet War closed beta launches today

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

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Last week we told you about a new sci-fi browser MMO called Planet War. YooGames' space-based opus looks to add a couple of new wrinkles to web-based strategy titles including alien foreign policy and large-scale conquest.

Don't take our word for it, though.

The closed beta is currently underway, and YooGames is accepting new testers via their website registration form. Planet War also boasts a special gift event for closed beta players who are present for the unveiling of the Bellona server. Each individual will receive a VIP code that grants resources, coins, a point voucher, and five in-game construction robots. Head to the official Planet War website to learn more about the game, and don't forget to view the trailer after the cut!

Continue reading Planet War closed beta launches today

MassivelyPlanet War closed beta launches today originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ether Saga Odyssey's Future's End update coming next week

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT

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Ether Saga Odyssey - Risen Phoenix
Ether Saga Odyssey is due for an update later this month, and Perfect World Entertainment has let a few details slip through the PR cracks in anticipation of the August 17th street date. The mortals of ESO's middle kingdom must join together to save one another from the evils of the monstrous Risen Phoenix, and the update promises "even tougher monsters" as well.

New world bosses are the order of the day, including the aforementioned phoenix and the fearsome Astral Overlord. That's not all, either. A new glyph system and the new Dragon Lord and Genesis gear are some of ESO's best and most desirable equipment, and of course there's Future's End itself. The titular adventuring area is intended for levels 106 and up and features mobs that are "much stronger than anything that players have ever experienced."

You can view the Future's End trailer after the cut, and be sure to log in starting today, as PWE is rolling out the double XP from August 10th through August 17th.

Continue reading Ether Saga Odyssey's Future's End update coming next week

MassivelyEther Saga Odyssey's Future's End update coming next week originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2 video talks Sylvari background and design

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:45 AM PDT

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Sylvari week image from video
"Trust me, you have not seen every story that a fantasy world can tell. The Sylvari are new." Guild Wars 2 game designer Ree Soesbee emphasizes how different this new race is in today's new Sylvari Week addition.

In the three-minute video, Ree talks about the origins of the Sylvari from a story viewpoint, explaining the history of the tree that bore their race, and how that forms the basis for who they are.

ArenaNet artist Kristen Perry provides a counterpoint from a design perspective. She talks in depth about her desire to design a creature in keeping with the Sylvari race's unusual origins and background as described by Ree: "I didn't want to just make a painted human with pointy ears."

Jump past the break to take a look at the full video for Sylvari Week.

Continue reading Guild Wars 2 video talks Sylvari background and design

MassivelyGuild Wars 2 video talks Sylvari background and design originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Referee Ruby shows off Free Realms' housing

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:30 AM PDT

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All right, Free Realms fanatics, it's time for another visit from the fabulous Referee Ruby. Today she's focused on Free Realms' housing options. After giving viewers a small sampling of the housing lots available to players (as well as a... toilet theme park?), she shows us how a player can take their creative masterpiece -- such as, Ruby suggests, a theme park dedicated to a certain referee -- and share it with the rest of the world. To watch the full video, and maybe get some ideas for your own Free Realms lot, jump on past the cut!

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Referee Ruby shows off Free Realms' housing

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Referee Ruby shows off Free Realms' housing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Namaste Entertainment charts the history of MMOs [Updated]

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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History of MMO infographic
It's one thing to have a vague sense of what MMOs came out when, but it's another thing entirely to see a huge chunk of history plotted out in one comprehensive chart. It's also dang cool to see.

During her research into user-generated content in MMOs for Storybricks, Namaste Entertainment's Kelly Heckman built a giant graphic to get a handle on how games developed over the years. She not only plotted them by year released, but also lumped them in with their respective genres and showed which games inspired others. The end result gives the viewer a bird's eye view of the industry as it's grown in the past decade and a half.

"It turned out so well we made the movie with it and plan to release the source so anyone can make a movie with it," Heckman said. You can walk through this giant infographic in the gallery below, and make sure to hit the jump to watch the accompanying video that makes use of the chart.

[Update: Here's a direct link to a much bigger version of the infographic.]

Continue reading Namaste Entertainment charts the history of MMOs [Updated]

MassivelyNamaste Entertainment charts the history of MMOs [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perfect World Entertainment completes acquisition of Cryptic Studios

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:30 AM PDT

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Perfect World Entertainment: I will be reborn as many times as it takes! Bison is eternal!
A couple of months back, we announced that Atari was in the court to sell off Cryptic Studios, and that Perfect World Entertainment had stepped up to the plate to take the studio off Atari's hands. Well, as of now, the sale is complete and Cryptic is now firmly in the grasp of free-to-play leviathan Perfect World Entertainment.

According to reports, the sale cost Perfect World a staggering $49.8 million, and $30.7 is said to be going straight toward paying off Atari's existing debt. As for the projects Cryptic was previously working on -- namely Star Trek Online, Champions Online, and the upcoming Neverwinter -- it remains to be seen what will happen, but you can be sure we'll bring you the latest as soon as we get word.

MassivelyPerfect World Entertainment completes acquisition of Cryptic Studios originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA integrates technology to combat gold farming for North American launch

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT

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When Scott Hartsman made his comments regarding gold selling, it's unlikely he planned it to become such a focal point for so many other companies and games. But it's certainly become a focal point for players, and TERA's development staff has decided to take the war on gold selling a step further. It was announced today that the game's launch will see the integration of the Crisp Platform, an automated service set to monitor in-game behaviors to try and detect cheating, gold farming, and botting before a player has even noticed these things taking place.

According to the official release, the platform is based around a steady analysis of player behavior, looking for erratic patterns and unusual behaviors to flag potential abuses. In theory, this will allow En Masse Entertainment's support staff access to easy data at a glance, allowing any attempts at gold farming to be detected and stopped before the point that the money gets put up for sale. How successful that will be is going to depend on the implementation, something we won't know about until the game's launch in spring of next year.

MassivelyTERA integrates technology to combat gold farming for North American launch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Which MMO are you sorry you missed?

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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The Matrix Online screenshot
Time is always against us, a wise man once said, and truer words were never spoken regarding the MMORPG genre. The glut of titles released over the last few years means that fans have some hard choices to make, and when those choices are coupled with the inevitable game closures, it's rare that even folks with huge amounts of free time have time enough to play everything.

And since we're speaking of time: If you spend enough of it reading and talking about our favorite genre, you'll inevitably come across a game that sounds right up your alley. If you're lucky, said game will still be available to you. If not, well, you might have the answer to this morning's Daily Grind question. Which MMO(s) are you sorry you missed?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Which MMO are you sorry you missed? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Guild Wars 2 blog post discusses the Sylvari Soul

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDT

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Guild Wars 2 Sylvari screenshot
After a minor delay due to technical difficulties, the latest information on Guild Wars 2 Sylvari Week made it to the ArenaNet blog.

"I love how their virtue blends with their innocence and then contrasts with the darkness of the world surrounding them. This disparity illuminates the sacrifices, gallantry, and tragedies of Tyria's war with the dragons," Design team member Angel McCoy writes. She delves into the lives, loves, and duties of the Sylvari race, answering several questions that fans have been asking, such as how they're born, the intricacies of their emotional attachments, their view of the world around them, and much more.

This entry follows the fashion of previous GW2 race weeks and includes several audio clips to flesh out the text, so be sure you give them a listen. The blog post and audio clips can be found at the ArenaNet blog.

MassivelyNew Guild Wars 2 blog post discusses the Sylvari Soul originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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Elsword Online - Screenshot
Part three of Elsword's Massively-exclusive dev diary is now available for your perusal. This time around, the devs talk about their long-term goals for the game, character favoritism, and the relation between Elsword and fellow side-scroller Grand Chase. Dash on past the cut for their answers.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Elsword community Q&A, part the third originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Vault partners with OnLegends for Mortal Online distribution

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 05:00 PM PDT

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Mortal Online elf girl
OnLegends, a Berlin-based "licensing and internationalization specialist" firm, has entered into a partnership with Star Vault, developers of Mortal Online. A new press release states that OnLegends beat out "many major publishers [...] to secure the global exclusive licensing rights" to the indie sandbox MMORPG, and is now in the process of preparing the title for worldwide distribution.

The release also states that Mortal has attracted over 170,000 players thus far despite the lack of any marketing presence, and OnLegends seems enthusiastic about Mortal's place in the expanding MMORPG pantheon. "We strongly believe that Mortal Online can play an important future role on both PC and console MMO markets and we expect Mortal to be one of the trendsetting next-gen titles," said OnLegends vice president Julian Migura.

MassivelyStar Vault partners with OnLegends for Mortal Online distribution originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes explores the process of making missions

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:30 PM PDT

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Random City of Heroes screenshot
It's been a little while since the last installment of City of Heroes' developer dispatch newsletter, the Intrepid Informer, due in no small part to the upcoming hybrid business model domination the news sphere. But the second part of the series on designing missions for the games has just recently been posted, giving players a look behind the scenes at the process that goes into crafting compelling arcs for players to enjoy time and again.

Penned by Matt Miller, the installment explains some of the thought processes that go on during mission development. For example, as Miller explains, the main reason that level bands restrict available enemy groups is simply plausibility -- if you're still seeing Hellions at level 50, it implies that the Rikti are essentially equivalent to punks in red jackets. Miller also talks about the importance of finding little quirks to help the mission feel unique and memorable, an important element in a game that allows you to flash back to older missions at almost any time. It's sure to be an interesting read for longtime fans interested in seeing how the team goes about taking a broad concept and turns it into a playable arc.

MassivelyCity of Heroes explores the process of making missions originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earth Eternal pushes the do-over button as it goes into open beta

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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Earth Eternal
Clinging to the last vestiges of life, Earth Eternal has been brought back from the brink of destruction for another try at glory, as Outblaze announced that the game has gone into open beta mode as of today.

Players interested in seeing what the new and revised version of Earth Eternal looks like are encouraged to sign up for the beta on the website and jump into the game post-haste. Testers will not only get to see the newest features in the game, but will receive a nice in-game goody bag with a banner, helmet and XP boost. There's also a special reward for those who hit level 30 or higher during the beta period.

This unique MMO combines a hodge-podge of seemingly contradicting flavors -- including a post-apocalyptic setting, sentient animals, and magic across Europe -- and melded it together into a delightful concoction. If you're interested in what we think about Earth Eternal, you'd do well to check out Beau's Rise and Shiny impressions of the title!

MassivelyEarth Eternal pushes the do-over button as it goes into open beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Jim Lee talks Batman, canon, and DCUO

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 03:00 PM PDT

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This is a big week for DC Universe Online, mainly because Sony Online Entertainment is forging ahead with its "megaservers" population consolidation. To mark the occasion, we sat down with DC Comics legend Jim Lee for a brief Q&A.

OK, you got us.

We sat down with Jim Lee because he's Jim Lee, and we're unabashed Batfans who will jump at every opportunity to talk to the artists behind the cowl. In any event, Lee did have some interesting things to say about MMOs in general, canon in particular, and his experiences with SOE and DCUO. Join us after the cut to read all about it.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Jim Lee talks Batman, canon, and DCUO

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Jim Lee talks Batman, canon, and DCUO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Dodging booty traps

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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Lord of the Rings Online image
Today's One Shots image is a Middle-earth-style homage to The Goonies -- a movie that is 26 years old, in case you didn't already feel old today. Check out this familiar image from Lord of the Rings Online:
Lord of the Rings Online's new Inn of the Forsaken instance is, by developer admission, heavily influenced by the movie The Goonies. It takes place in caves under an inn (similar to the film), where many traps await (ditto), culminating in a giant waterslide that leads down to an abandoned pirate ship (yup). Here you can see the ship as it prepares to sail out of the cave and into Middle-earth. What adventures lie in store for One-Eyed Willy and his crew? Only time will tell.
We're celebrating pop culture in our MMOs this week. Developers sneak references in all over games, whether it be via NPCs, quests, or items, and we want to see your favorites. Grab a screenshot, tell us a bit about what it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. We'll be featuring the best of these all week.

MassivelyOne Shots: Dodging booty traps originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online's Dine with the Devs event details -- Vegas edition

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT

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With the Star Trek Las Vegas convention coming up this weekend, trekkers and trekkies are sewing the final buttons and putting the finishing touches on their costumes. With estimates of over 15,000 Humans, Klingons, and Romulans -- among others -- attending the event at the Rio Convention Center, there is bound to be a massive turn-out of Star Trek Online players, including a handful of Cryptic developers. Just like last month, there is a special event being planned that will bring players and devs together for an evening of fun.

Priority One, the STO podcast for which I am Executive Producer, is proud to be hosting another Dine with the Devs event this Saturday evening, August 13th. While not affiliated with Massively, the casual meet-up will be within walking distance of the convention. As we dine, the devs will be answering players' questions and talking more in depth about some of the projects they have been involved with. It is important to note that each attendee's expenses are their own responsibility. For more information, including location and time, visit the event's information page.

MassivelyStar Trek Online's Dine with the Devs event details -- Vegas edition originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMObility: More new games and news from mobile MMOs

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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Outer Empires screenshot
Finding mobile MMOs for smartphones, slates, and browsers is not easy. I will often lump games that can run on a basic laptop into this column, but the specific games for those wonderful mobile devices are still rare. Yes, there are quite a few games in the Mafia Wars-style, but I have been scouring the internet to find games that actually resemble "real" MMOs -- you know, the ones that have persistent worlds and interaction with large numbers of players.

They're out there, but the faucet is at a slow drip. It must be hard to make mobile games, especially MMOs, especially in a market that is not only new but such a niche. Granted, titles like Order and Chaos Online and Pocket Legends have shown that great success is possible, but in this columns, I like to highlight the little guys and the hidden gems.

So click past the cut and I'll share with you a few updates on some of my favorite lesser-known mobile MMOs.

Continue reading MMObility: More new games and news from mobile MMOs

MassivelyMMObility: More new games and news from mobile MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Be here now

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

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Fond, sepia-toned memories of SWG.
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Games die. It's an unpleasant reality but a reality just the same, with the highest-profile death on the horizon being Star Wars Galaxies. Business decisions get made, and unfortunately, sometimes those decisions boil down to "this game is no longer worth the money to keep it running." If you're lucky, the announcement comes with a great deal of time for you to wrap up what you've always wanted to do in the game; if you're unlucky, you might have a couple of weeks before the servers go dark.

So what do you do as a player? How do you cope with the fact that the game is shutting down? There are a lot of approaches, but I think it's unfortunate that most of the reactions seem to center around some last-ditch effort to save the game from oblivion. It's entirely missing the point to try and pull the game back from the brink of death, and it does a disservice to both the game and the players when you spend your last days desperately fighting a foregone conclusion.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Be here now

MassivelyThe Soapbox: Be here now originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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