MMO Updates |
- Neal Stephenson talks MMORPGs and virtual economies
- Stay on target: SWTOR's guilds begin to align with phase 2
- Enter at Your Own Rift: Hal Hanlin and Scott Hartsman on Update 1.5
- Pando Networks trumpets global download data
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival
- The Daily Grind: Will 2012 be our last chance?
- Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze
- Dan Stahl leaving Cryptic, Star Trek Online
- Immortal King launching open beta on September 22nd
- The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated]
- Fallen Earth dev diary talks economic changes, world events, and more
- Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith
- LotRO dev diaries take a look at upcoming Rune-keeper and Hunter changes
- MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5
- The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: A talk with Teppy
- Blade & Soul closed beta phase reviewed
- One Shots: Overlooking Khitai
- TERA unleashes serpentine BAMs
- Firefall brings on Frag Dolls founder as head of e-sports division
- SOE webcast fielding your DCUO F2P questions tonight
- Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online
- RIFT veteran rewards coming with 1.5 update
- The Soapbox: How raiding turns you into a horrible person
| Neal Stephenson talks MMORPGs and virtual economies Posted: 21 Sep 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Economy, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  In a new interview at Forbes, Stephenson talks up his latest sci-fi opus, Reamde, and also offers his opinion on everything from the Metaverse, to gamer stereotypes, to players converting their in-game labor into real money. "It's undoubtedly happening right now on an informal level all over the place. A huge amount of money is changing hands, and the thing that prevents it from coming out into the open and working the way it's depicted in the novel is a number of legal and regulatory hang ups," Stephenson says. He also mentions his own gaming experiences as well as his new novel's tendency towards adventure in place of the brainiac speculative fiction he's famous for. Head to Forbes for the full report.
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| Stay on target: SWTOR's guilds begin to align with phase 2 Posted: 21 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Guilds, Star Wars: The Old Republic  During this phase, guild leaders can establish up to three guilds as their Allies or Adversaries (depending on the target guild's faction). Not only will this help to cement friendships and rivalries, but BioWare says that these connections "will have the highest chance of being placed in the game together, allowing these guilds to coexist on the same server." This won't happen if the guilds have chosen different server rulesets, however. Another new feature that's come with this phase is the ability for leaders and officers to begin inviting people to the guild by email. The SWTOR website has a helpful FAQ for all three phases of guild preparations. The third phase, deployment, is scheduled to occur shortly before launch and will begin placing guilds on servers if these guilds have met certain criteria.
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| Enter at Your Own Rift: Hal Hanlin and Scott Hartsman on Update 1.5 Posted: 21 Sep 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift  Whether you're an experienced veteran or a brand new player, there's something for everyone in update 1.5. Read on for the full rundown of what's on the way, then take a look at our gallery at the end for the newest Ashes of History screenshots. Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Hal Hanlin and Scott Hartsman on Update 1.5
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| Pando Networks trumpets global download data Posted: 21 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Massively meta, Miscellaneous  There's a whole host of socioeconomic and political reasons for these data over which armchair gameologists can salivate, but we should note that Pando is by definition tracking only game-related downloads, not the greater internet. Why not click past the cut to check out the charts for yourself? Continue reading Pando Networks trumpets global download data
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival Posted: 21 Sep 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  Last week, for those of you who've forgotten already, I wrote a piece specifically about surviving the release when it went live. Now that we've had a chance to go through it, there are some things I got wrong, some things that need more elaboration, and some things that I've just revised my opinion on. Since we've all survived the head start at this point, let's look at what it actually entailed, yes? Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival
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| The Daily Grind: Will 2012 be our last chance? Posted: 21 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  But 2011 has been our gateway to something different. Business models are changing, indie games are getting more recognition, failing games are getting a second chance, and developers are realizing that the customer's (almost) always right. This brings us to 2012, which will be upon us in a little more than three months. With Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, The Secret World, and other highly anticipated games on deck for 2012, we have a lot to look forward to. But what if those aren't as successful as they need to be? Will we see a drastic change in MMOs as we know them, or is it simply part of the evolution process for technology and gaming? Let us know what you think!  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!
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| Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze Posted: 20 Sep 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Expansions, Previews, News items  Narrated by Alan VanCouvering and Bob Painter, the video describes both the original concept of Erillion and the challenges faced in designing such an orderly environment. It had to look as mechanical and orderly as possible, after all, but it also had to look organic rather than just being the same building pasted in dozens of times. Click on past the break to watch the video if you'd like to see the city before you can venture there in person. [Source: Official press release] Continue reading Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze
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| Dan Stahl leaving Cryptic, Star Trek Online Posted: 20 Sep 2011 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Trek Online  Details on the departure are slim, with Stahl telling fans that he has "chosen to move on in my career and pursue new challenges." The resignation is the latest development in what has been an eventful summer for STO faithful, as Cryptic Studios was acquired by Perfect World Entertainment and Star Trek Online was subsequently slated to receive the free-to-play treatment. Stahl goes on to say that he will be answering questions prior to his end-of-the-month beam out, and he indicates that STO will be in good hands thanks to the leadership of former lead programmer and current Cryptic CTO Stephen D'Angelo. Look for more insight into this move in this Thursday's Captain's Log column.
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| Immortal King launching open beta on September 22nd Posted: 20 Sep 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play  Players who travel to the official site will be given an opportunity to obtain a special "Newbie Card" to get started in the game easily, and high-ranking players in factional duels also have the opportunity to earn in-game gold. There are also forum events, encouraging players to contribute to the game's knowledge base for more in-game rewards. There are only a couple of days left until the open beta goes live, so if you've been staying up late, you can take heart that your oddly specific sleepless nights are soon to end. [Source: Press release]
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| The agonizing wait for Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date continues [Updated] Posted: 20 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Launches, MMO industry, Star Wars: The Old Republic  SWTOR fansite Ask a Jedi combed through a recent EA Q&A session with investors to pull a few pertinent details from CFO Eric Brown. When asked about the launch date for The Old Republic, Brown replied, "We haven't given a street date yet. We won't do so for some time, possibly at our next upcoming earnings call towards the end of October." This earnings call will take place on October 25th. EA also continues to stand by its backup plan of a launch delay if SWTOR isn't ready, giving the title room to possibly slip from holiday 2011 to early 2012. Brown explained the conditions that would trigger such a slip: "We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter. And the factors that would cause a slip is, for example, us not being completely satisfied with the scalability testing, and wanting to tune it for several extra weeks." [Update: SWTOR's Stephen Reid has posted on the forums urging fans not to read too much between the lines of investor calls. "We are still very much aiming to ship in the holiday 2011 window (AKA, before the end of the year)," he says.]
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| Fallen Earth dev diary talks economic changes, world events, and more Posted: 20 Sep 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Economy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries, Crafting  Producer Marie Croall checks in with us to talk about the game's two-year anniversary celebration, which includes "PvP, PvE, and RP components." She also says that the event will be run at EU- and US-friendly times (though said times aren't specified as of yet). In terms of game updates, the major portion of the September recap concerns the ongoing economic changes. Inconsistencies dealing with recipe and component rarity have been dealt with, and the dev team has "redone the placement of most of the nodes in the game" to make the rarer nodes more of an incentive to enter PvP-enabled areas. Finally, Croall says that the release of the new world event system has been bumped back to coincide with the free-to-play conversion on October 12th. Grab your favorite wasteland beverage and read all the details at the official Fallen Earth dev blog.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith Posted: 20 Sep 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Races, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  Every so often until the release of the game, I will explore the important bits that lead to the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Unlike other MMOs, this game is developed specifically to draw the player into the story. To help ease you into this rich lore, I am creating a series I call the Holocron Files. And first, I begin with the mysterious TOR species know as the Pureblood Sith. Where do these beings come from? Why are they important to SWTOR lore? And what can we expect to see from them in game? Leap past the break to find out. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files - Pureblood Sith
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| LotRO dev diaries take a look at upcoming Rune-keeper and Hunter changes Posted: 20 Sep 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  With the launch of Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard just a short week away, Turbine is beginning to round out its pre-Isengard dev diaries. Today, we've got a double-whammy for you in the form of some new information on what will become of Rune-keepers and Hunters when the new expansion hits. On the Rune-keeper side of things, the devs have a variety of goals for the class, such as refining the class' trait trees, allowing the class to perform as a "hybrid AoE damage dealer," and buffing the class' AoE healing slightly. Chisels and rifflers will be seeing big changes in order to allow all of them to be used by Rune-keepers of the DPS and healing variety rather than gearing them toward one or the other. As with all other classes, the team is focusing on improving existing skills rather than introducing new ones, and as such the greatest changes are coming to the Rune-keeper's trait lines. Each trait line's four-set bonus is seeing changes to some degree. Meanwhile, in Hunter land, the goals for the class are much more concise. The devs want to give players further incentive to use all three of the available combat stances while performing "general cleanup" on the class. All stance-specific bonuses have been removed from all trait lines and redistributed elsewhere, thereby keeping Hunters from being locked into a specific stance based on their choice of trait line. Hunters will also be granted the ability to dual-wield and to wear medium armor from the get-go, which should help new players immensely. Of course, a variety of Hunter abilities have been improved, and the class is also gaining two new skills to round out its repertoire. For the entire set of changes to both classes, head on over to the dev diaries and soak up all the juicy details. And remember, Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard launches in just a week, so prepare yourselves accordingly.
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| MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5 Posted: 20 Sep 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, Professions, Free-to-play, Browser, Massively Interviews, Miscellaneous, MMObility  So I decided to ask Ben Adams and and James Niesewand, CTO and CEO of Illyriad Games, respectively, about HTML5. They are really starting to push the boundaries of the language with their game Illyriad. It's fun to learn about this stuff, and it's always nice to know how our mobile games are being made. Click past the cut and read the interview! Warning: Big words ahead! Continue reading MMObility: Illyriad devs shine light on HTML5
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| The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: A talk with Teppy Posted: 20 Sep 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, A Tale in the Desert, Interviews, The Game Archaeologist, Sandbox, Crafting  In our second week covering the fascinating sandbox world of A Tale in the Desert, The Game Archaeologist had the pleasure of sitting down with Teppy to get his perspective on how one man bootstrapped his way into the MMO world. He also dishes on the team's next MMO project, which we'll be talking more about on Massively later this week. So what's it like to create the ultimate sandbox in Egypt of all places? Teppy, take it away! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: A talk with Teppy
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| Blade & Soul closed beta phase reviewed Posted: 20 Sep 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Blade & Soul  While it's worth noting that some of this information may change prior to release -- to say nothing of the differences between the Korean client and what we're assuming will be a localized Western version -- there's still lots of interesting info to digest. There's the good (visuals, combat), and the not-so-good (linear exploration and lots of zoning), and the review is one of the more comprehensive hands-on pieces covering NCsoft's upcoming martial arts MMO. Head past the cut for a couple of videos and then click over to Steparu to read the author's impressions. Continue reading Blade & Soul closed beta phase reviewed
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| Posted: 20 Sep 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Age of Conan, One Shots  OK I admit this isn't exactly an aerial shot, but in AoC this is about as close as you can come to one. This is my Ranger Zothan high on top of the Great Wall of Khitai overlooking the valleys and mountains of the beautiful nation. You can actually climb even higher, but the view will be blocked by the windows, so this is the best view in AoC.We're all about looking up this week on One Shots! Show us your favorite aerial image -- whether it be taken from the ground looking up or from atop a high-flying mount or tall perch, we want to see! Add your name and a little bit about the image, send it in to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll feature it in this week's One Shots!
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| TERA unleashes serpentine BAMs Posted: 20 Sep 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lore, Previews, Races, TERA  Check out the gallery below for the visuals, and head past the cut for the official descriptions of these two baddies. Continue reading TERA unleashes serpentine BAMs
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| Firefall brings on Frag Dolls founder as head of e-sports division Posted: 20 Sep 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Sandbox  Firefall has made no bones about its desire to fill the niche of a competitive e-sports game, but the team's most recent update certifies its sincerity on the matter. Red 5 Studios announced in a press release today that Morgan "Rhoulette" Romine, founder of the all-female gaming clan the Frag Dolls, has joined the team to head up Firefall's e-sports division. Red 5 CEO Mark Kern said of the decision, "We're thrilled to have Morgan join the Red 5 'Tribe' and know that with her caliber of experience and deep community roots, Firefall is poised to take the world of e-sports to the next level." Morgan herself has high hopes for the game's e-sport potential, claiming, "I believe this game has awesome e-sports potential because Red 5 is committed to creating a competitive experience that is as fun to watch as it is to play." So if you're the competitive type, keep your eye on Firefall as it gears up for launch. [Source: Red 5 Studios press release]
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| SOE webcast fielding your DCUO F2P questions tonight Posted: 20 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online  Executive producer Lorin Jameson and creative director Jens Andersen will be fielding your questions about superhero-sized free-to-play and the future for digital denizens of Gotham City and Metropolis. The webcast happens on SOE's Stickam channel; you can also catch it via the Stickam tab on SOE's Facebook page. What time, you ask? Set your alarms for 7:00 p.m. EDT, and check out this handy timezone conversion link if you're unsure how that equates to your local time.
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| Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online Posted: 20 Sep 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on  If you've been curious about how the game looks, plays, and feels, click past the cut and join me for a preview! Bear in mind that I was given a very decked-out character, so combat was a breeze. Other than that, everything else was a normal tour through a very cool-looking world! Continue reading Massively sneaks a peek into Bounty Hounds Online
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| RIFT veteran rewards coming with 1.5 update Posted: 20 Sep 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, RIFT  Beginning with the game's 1.5 update, "being a veteran Ascended means honor, respect, and awesome rewards," according to the informational blurb on RIFT's website. We'll leave the honor and respect bit to your fertile imaginations, but the awesome rewards are quite tangible. They include full Guardian and Defiant uniforms, personal vendors, and on-the-go mailboxes. You can also buy your way to full veteran status (and unlock the high tier rewards immediately) by purchasing a multi-month subscription. Look for more details in our upcoming interview with Trion. [Thanks to Ren54 for the tip!]
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| The Soapbox: How raiding turns you into a horrible person Posted: 20 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Endgame, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous  I remember raiding at the start of Wrath of the Lich King very well. My Shaman was one of the first people in my guild geared up to run Naxxramas, and the oft-mentioned Ms. Lady was herself one of the first tanks to be ready to last through the boss fights. We were a casual guild, sure, but even in a casual grouping you have stars, and we were stars. We were experts on the content, we destroyed the fights, we marched around dripping in epics. I was the highest DPS in the guild, she was the tank there for nearly every session, and we were known and respected. It was absolutely awful. Of course, it didn't start like that. But there was a very good reason we finally decided that this was not only unfun but actively harmful to our relationship. We left and didn't look back, and we never moved back into raiding in a real way -- nor did we want to. Our time at the top made it very clear how raiding changes you and how you move from not caring about a stupid pretend sword to being absolutely livid when someone else wins a roll for that pretend sword. It's not a case of taking the game too seriously or not having a grip on reality -- it's the way that endgame raiding is structured that drives you, inexorably, to that point. Continue reading The Soapbox: How raiding turns you into a horrible person
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