MMO Updates |
- The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down
- WRUP: Some rules of the Massively garden edition
- The Daily Grind: How much time do you spend on character concepts?
- Champions' Art Corner shows Golden Age costumes, new Powerhouse locales
- Star Trek's Online path to F2P delves into Lore Missions
- Betawatch: October 1-7, 2011
- The Old Republic playable at New York Comic Con
- Wasteland Diaries: Player-run economy
- Storyboard: The leveling effect
- Lord of the Rings Online dev diary outlines Epic Story design
- Massively exclusive: Introducing WindSlayer 2
- Aeria teases Eden Eternal's Templar class
- MMObility: The rise of the browser
- SWTOR dev diary comments on companion control
- This Week In MMO: Night at the movies edition
- Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies
- SWTOR asks who's better: Jedi Knight or Bounty Hunter
| The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down Posted: 08 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Free-to-play  In any case, while I enjoy the ding as much as anyone else, levels have lost their luster to me. The fact that Rise of Isengard added 10 new ones versus, say, five or none, doesn't really mean much in the long run. There isn't a lot tied to these new levels other than a small handful of mostly recycled skills and the typical increase in stats, so for me there's really no rush to climb through them. However, as with any first week or two out of release, leveling seems to be a huge area of focus for many players as they seek to hit that end cap once again and re-establish the status quo. Still, it's important to some, and our kinship has spent a good amount of time chewing over these new levels, how to get them, and whether or not they're worth a hill of beans in this crazy, messed-up world. Today in our laser-focused Lord of the Rings Online column, I'm going to sort those beans. I may even eat one or two; beans are great for protein and fiber. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down
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| WRUP: Some rules of the Massively garden edition Posted: 08 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Miscellaneous  In other news, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP. This time around, in addition to talking about our weekend plans, we've decided to discuss whether or not you can have too many options at character creation. So jump on past the cut to see what we're up to, and let us know what you've got planned for the next few days in the comments. There are no flowers in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: Some rules of the Massively garden edition
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| The Daily Grind: How much time do you spend on character concepts? Posted: 08 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind  Sometimes it's a roleplaying thing, and sometimes it's just a min-maxing thing, but it's possible to take a character concept very seriously before you hit the "create" button. Or you could be perfectly happy with something that looks cool and just move on from there. So how much time do you spend on your concepts before you make your character? Do you have a clear picture in your head of whom you want to play before the game launches, or do you just decide at the moment and roll with it?  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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| Champions' Art Corner shows Golden Age costumes, new Powerhouse locales Posted: 07 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Dev Diaries  Lead artist Brad Stokan takes us through some new bells and whistles in development for Champions' Powerhouse locale. If you're unfamiliar with the game, the Powerhouse is a type of testing ground where heroes can sample new abilities and work on their builds. This week's Art Corner shows off several new customizable dueling arenas as well as a theater designed to host a variety of in-game events. We also get a glimpse of Champions' new Golden Age costume set, and as the name indicates, the set is all about paying homage to a period in comic book history that featured "edgy anti-heroes who went to war with crime fully decked out with weapons, equipment, straps, pouches, and more pouches!"
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| Star Trek's Online path to F2P delves into Lore Missions Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Lore, News items, Star Trek Online  Star Trek Online's path to F2P continues today with a sneak-peek at the game's upcoming Lore Missions. It's no secret that Star Trek has quite the hardcore following of lore junkies whose very lifeblood is fueled by the franchise's canon. In light of this, Cryptic is introducing Lore Missions, which are "non-combat daily missions available to all Federation and Klingon Defense Force characters." Completing a Lore Mission will grant players a history datachip, and each datachip contains a record of a piece of the timeline that spans between Star Trek: Nemesis and the current year 2409. The missions will also test players on their lore knowledge, and correct answers will grant a reward which includes the much sought-after Dilithium Ore. There's much more in store for Lore Missions in the future, as well. Future installments will include "stories from the Federation's past, tales of the great heroes of the Empire, briefings on the many antagonists in Star Trek Online and more." So get out there and start researching, people!
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| Posted: 07 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Massively meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  It's been a very quiet week on Betawatch, but we do have some post-apocalyptic goodness for you with the addition of Living After War to our closed beta list. Follow along after the jump for the latest Betawatch list. Continue reading Betawatch: October 1-7, 2011
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| The Old Republic playable at New York Comic Con Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  BioWare's Hutt-sized Star Wars MMO will be hogging the spotlight at this year's New York Comic Con, and you'll have a couple of opportunities to get some hands-on time with the highly anticipated sci-fi title. The Alderaan and Huttball warzones will be playable at SWTOR's booth, while a few of the developers will be featured on three separate panels over the course of the event. If you like a little alcohol with your Star Wars, you'll also want to make note of a dev-hosted meet-and-greet at District 36 on Wednesday, October 12th. All the details are available at the official site, so what are you waiting for?
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| Wasteland Diaries: Player-run economy Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Economy, Patches, PvP, PvE, Opinion, MMOFPS, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic  All that has changed now, and the Fallen Earth team has made some massive changes to the way the economy works. In this post, I'll take a look at what has changed. I'll try to give my best guess about what will happen to the economy in the coming weeks. A great many players are already freaking out about this concept on the forums and in global chat. While I admit it's too early to tell what will become of us in the near future, there's no need to panic. People were rage-quitting the game mere hours after the changes were made. If you ask me, it's a bit premature to make a decision like that. Nobody really knows what will happen, but click past the cut to see my best guesses. Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Player-run economy
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| Storyboard: The leveling effect Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  Of course, to some people, the very idea is ridiculous. There's a reason why gameplay and story generally remain in two different baskets: When you start trying to mix them too closely, everything gets dicey. The problem, of course, is that level isn't just a mechanical concept; it's tied to almost everything in the game world. And that begets all sorts of questions, the same sort that you start asking when you ask yourself about time, but from a different angle. Continue reading Storyboard: The leveling effect
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| Lord of the Rings Online dev diary outlines Epic Story design Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Lord of the Rings Online fans, we know you've all probably been quite busy adventuring through Isengard, but perhaps it's time you take a break. We've got just the thing for you to read while you relax, too. Light up some pipe-weed and have a seat as Turbine's Jeff Libby takes you on a tour of the design of Rise of Isengard's epic questline. Libby expounds on the "T-Factor," or the Tolkien Factor, which governs the design of the game and the Epic Story in particular. In essence, the iconic characters and locations from Tolkien lore are said to have a higher T-Factor, and the devs aim for the Epic Story to have a particularly high T-Factor. The devs also introduced phasing with Rise of Isengard, which allows the environment to change based on players' actions. For the full, spiffy details on Rise of Isengard's Epic Story, head on over to the official dev diary.
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| Massively exclusive: Introducing WindSlayer 2 Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser, Dev Diaries  With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to WindSlayer 2, a 2-D side-scrolling title that keeps the action fast and furious. Ignited Games is understandably excited to show off WindSlayer 2 as it enters closed beta and is prepared to woo you with a series of developer diaries showing off this fun little sequel to WindSlayer. So gird your loins, hold on to your butts, and hit that jump to see what WindSlayer 2 is all about! Continue reading Massively exclusive: Introducing WindSlayer 2
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| Aeria teases Eden Eternal's Templar class Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Actually, scratch that. Today's press release -- and the accompanying video -- doesn't feature much info at all beyond a tease for what Aeria calls "a very important class [for] those who wish to fight their way through all the new dungeons in the new upcoming content." In any event, the Templar is currently scheduled to go live in "early October," and you can watch the teaser clip after the break. [Source: Aeria Games press release] Continue reading Aeria teases Eden Eternal's Templar class
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| MMObility: The rise of the browser Posted: 07 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Browser, Miscellaneous, MMObility  In short, I knew that the browser market was huge, and I knew it was only going to grow bigger. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and yes I am claiming that we are starting to see the end of the heavy-duty client and demand for expensive hardware and upgrades. It's a big prediction, but click past the cut and let me explain. Continue reading MMObility: The rise of the browser
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| SWTOR dev diary comments on companion control Posted: 07 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries  Wallace admits that BioWare's vision for companions has been augmented based on how players actually used the NPCs during gameplay. The team added passive and active controls over companions. In fact, if a player only wishes to control some companion actions but not others, BioWare provided ways to do that, too. We also know that sometimes groups can be split up. Wallace explains how SWTOR works around that: If a player leaves the group or its proximity, to travel to a vendor for instance, he is able to summon his companion for the journey. Upon reentering proximity of the group, the companion is automatically dismissed. The remaining group can temporarily substitute the missing player with one of their companions if desired.Companions are a staple in BioWare games. Developers promise to continue to make the companion gaming experience better -- meeting or exceeding your expectations.
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| This Week In MMO: Night at the movies edition Posted: 07 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, MMO industry, Opinion, Miscellaneous  What about movies becoming MMOs? Jasmine Hruschak, of Gamebreaker's The Sanctum, is scared of any movie becoming a game. Traditionally, these platform conversions are disastrous, according to IRLJasmine. However, Gary Gannon agrees with Avatar director James Cameron's sentiments and believes that the world of the Nav'i could one day be comparable to the world of World of Warcraft. Catch all this and more movie-to-MMO comparisons after the break on Gamebreaker.TV's This Week In MMO! Continue reading This Week In MMO: Night at the movies edition
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| Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies Posted: 07 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play, MMORTS  In this patch, players can upgrade their tanks with a variety of new modules, starting with experience modules. These do pretty much what you'd expect: increase the rate of XP gained as you plow through the chaos of the fight. The Warfare update is also adding a marketplace for players to purchase better goods for their machines, new weapon systems like the Kinetic Deflector and Mazer Cannon, and an oil refinery that can be fought over for control of the liquid black gold. Steel Legions is a free-to-play browser-based MMO that takes place in an alternate timeline when steam-driven tanks clash for control over the world. You can watch the trailer for the Warfare update after the jump. Continue reading Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies
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| SWTOR asks who's better: Jedi Knight or Bounty Hunter Posted: 07 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Classes, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Senior Writer Hall Hood expresses that although the Jedi are typically good guys, "you get to be whatever kind of Jedi Knight you think is best. You don't necessarily have to follow the Jedi Code. In fact, you can violate it pretty regularly." On the other side, Writer Randy Begel explains that the Bounty Hunter does not have to be the most evil all the time. "The Bounty Hunter can live by a code as much as the Jedi does. It's just that they don't always see eye to eye on how that plays out," Begel explains. Decide for yourself after the break; we have the complete video for your enjoyment. Continue reading SWTOR asks who's better: Jedi Knight or Bounty Hunter
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