MMO Updates |
- Fallen Earth launches F2P, postpones world events
- DDO Update 11 gets a ginormous patch
- Wings Over Atreia's Aion 2.7 sneak-peek: Dev death match
- GDC Austin 2011: Spacetime Studios talks Star Legends
- Allods Online: Undaunted goes live with gifts for all
- 'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem
- Riot reveals new League of Legends champion
- The Daily Grind: What's your favorite quirky dev studio name?
- Hackers compromise 33,000 SOE accounts
- EverQuest's Temple of the Sea unveiled in new video
- Forsaken World unveils the trailer for Storms of War
- Lineage II adopting a hybrid business model
- RuneScape is losing the war on bots
- Zynga's CastleVille hopes to enter MMO territory
- A look behind the scenes for City of Heroes' first signature arc
- 'Quality concerns' keep user-created content out of World of Warcraft
- Hyperspace Beacon: More beacons
- More Age of Wulin closed beta videos revealed
- SWTOR invites Australia and New Zealand into testing
- EQII patch features Beastlord prelude quest
- GDC Austin 2011: CCP on virtual goods in EVE Online
- Fallen Earth's spiked chopper debuts in new trailer
- RIFT's Ashes of History world event begins tomorrow
- Dark Age of Camelot unveils its 10th anniversary masterpiece
- Mark Jacobs: 'I've never been against F2P'
- SOE enlists comic book writer Marv Wolfman to pen PlanetSide 2 backstory
- The Soapbox: Watch out BioWare, it's a (WoW) trap!
| Fallen Earth launches F2P, postpones world events Posted: 12 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Economy, Patches, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox  As part of the F2P launch, patch 2.0 has hit the servers, and with it several changes and hotfixes. Loot drop rates from mobs have been increased and crafting has been tweaked as GamersFirst continues its efforts to rebalance the economy. In a new dev blog, GamersFirst discusses what's going on with the economy and why these changes are taking place. The primary reason that the devs are monkeying with this system is to get players interacting more and to introduce an element of challenge for crafters. Unfortunately, the world events that were scheduled to go live today have been postponed until next week following the discovery of several bugs and performance problems.
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| DDO Update 11 gets a ginormous patch Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons, Crafting  Much of the virtual ink is devoted to describing a myriad of small fixes. That said, there are a couple of interesting nuggets related to the new Artificer class that was added to the game back in September. The steampunk ranged damage-dealer is now able to access the sneak feat at level one, and he's also able to revive dead Iron Defenders (even if said Iron Defenders are in another instance). Turbine has also adjusted DDO's user interface based on player feedback, and the changes are most notable when viewing party vitals. Head to the DDO compendium for the complete list of updates.
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| Wings Over Atreia's Aion 2.7 sneak-peek: Dev death match Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Video, Aion, Expansions, PvP, Opinion, Hands-on, First Impressions, Wings Over Atreia  Unfortunately, logistical and technical difficulties stretching for days plagued this endeavor. Yours truly was especially cursed. However, just when it seemed like the event wouldn't happen, there we were, standing in Kaisinel's Academy in spiffy new duds and queued to enter what is arguably the highlight of 2.7: the PvP arenas. At this point, I forgave all previous problems because I got to commence some slaughter on a few NCsoft employees. What?!? You all know you want to! I tested my dagger and sword against Scott Hannus, producer of the game guide; two members of the game guide team, Sean Orlikowski and Ryan Compton; Adam Christensen, Associate Producer; Dom Wai, Brand Manager; and two members of the community management team, Felicia Johnson (Nyx) and Curtis Grooms (Anhtoo). Oh, and I learned some pretty neat things about the upcoming patch as well. So how was the experience? And just exactly how tasty are Aion's forthcoming goodies? Whet your appetite past the cut with my impressions of the two instances and the new PvP gear as well as check out a video. Then join in on the PTS server to experience for yourself. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia's Aion 2.7 sneak-peek: Dev death match
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| GDC Austin 2011: Spacetime Studios talks Star Legends Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual  Spacetime Studios is quickly establishing itself as a leading name in the mobile MMO market. Its two titles, Pocket Legends and Star Legends, have proven extremely popular choices for players who want to get their MMO fix on the go, and this week at GDC Austin, our own Beau Hindman got to have a chat with the games' creators about what's on the horizon. The big news is Star Legends' upcoming Google Chrome release. That's right, the truly hardcore Star Legends players will soon be able to play from the comfort of their home computers. With the upcoming release of Chrome 15, the title will be available in the browser's app store. But what if you've got a bunch of phone-exclusive friends without whom your game experience just wouldn't be complete? Not to worry! PC and mobile players will inhabit the same server, so you don't have to leave your friends behind for the comfort of your mouse and keyboard. What else is coming for the mobile title? Head past the cut for the full scoop. Continue reading GDC Austin 2011: Spacetime Studios talks Star Legends
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| Allods Online: Undaunted goes live with gifts for all Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, in-game, Patches, Free-to-play, Giveaways, Allods Online  Well, Allods Online is certainly lavishing affection on the beginner experience in its October update, Undaunted, although high-level players have quite a bit to enjoy as well. Undaunted is removing the fatigue system and lowering enemy health, which should expedite the leveling process. There's also a new level five zone for Imperial players and an additional class for each faction: the Elven Psionicist and Xadaganian Mage. Experienced adventurers can try their hand at the Mausoleum of Sparks, a "survival mode" dungeon that seeks to pick off players one by one until only the toughest remain, or the new high-level zone, Kingdom of Elements. Allods Online's arena system now boasts a matchmaking feature that allows players to jump into PvP bouts anytime from anywhere. To celebrate Undaunted's release, gPotato is handing out boxes of Gem Shards (US) and Boutique Coins (EU) that are worth anywhere between $1 and $100 worth of in-game currency. New players will have to wait until level 20 to receive their prize box, however. You can watch the trailer for Undaunted after the jump! [Source: gPotato press release] Continue reading Allods Online: Undaunted goes live with gifts for all
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| 'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Sandbox  Bjorn describes the game as "a similar premise" to Wurm Online, in that everything in the world is player-made with the exception of natural objects. It's not just a bland Wurm clone, however. The world of Salem is a little darker, with a harsh justice system, witchcraft, and otherworldly creatures like Hide-Behinds -- creepy predators that hide behind things as they stalk you. Bjorn explains part of the justice system, discussing what happens when a player kills another (or commits any crime, for that matter): "He leaves a little scent behind, called the Stench of Crime, a kind of clue. Those clues can be used to track the crime; I get up this little window here, where I can choose to track the perpetrator, the claim of the perpetrator, or the item that was stolen. [...] And if the crime is serious enough [...] I can also use this clue to summon the character into the game, if he is offline." There's much more, so head to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the full interview!
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| Riot reveals new League of Legends champion Posted: 12 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play  The LoL website highlights Graves' buckshot, smokescreen, quickdraw, collateral damage, and true grit abilities, while also giving players the skinny on Graves' lore. Yes, League of Legends does have lore, and once you've had a good chuckle over that fact, you'll want to head to the official site to check out the new champion's details.
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| The Daily Grind: What's your favorite quirky dev studio name? Posted: 12 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  With some good ones out there like Working As Intended, OneTwoFree, and The Amazing Society, we can see that these companies don't take themselves too seriously -- and that's a good thing! But now it's your turn. Not only do we want to know what your favorite quirky dev studio name is (MMO or otherwise), we also want to know what quirky name you'd call your own studio, given the chance.  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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| Hackers compromise 33,000 SOE accounts Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Miscellaneous  The good news is that less than 0.1% of Sony's entire playerbase has been affected. The bad news is that that leaves around 33,000 SOE players -- in addition to Sony Entertainment Network and PlayStation Network customers -- whose accounts were hacked. Following the intrusion, Sony temporarily locked the accounts and is investigating the situation. "Only a small fraction of these 93,000 accounts showed additional activity prior to being locked," Reitinger said. He assured customers that credit card numbers were not leaked and that any purchases made during this intrusion will be restored. SOE customers with locked accounts will receive an email with instructions on how to validate their credentials and restore their service.
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| EverQuest's Temple of the Sea unveiled in new video Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, EverQuest, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, News items  Sony Online Entertainment is ramping up the publicity for EverQuest's 18th expansion. The Veil of Alaris content pack is scheduled to debut this November, and the latest teaser on offer from SOE takes us deep inside Rubak Oseka (otherwise known as the Temple of the Sea). In terms of EQ lore, the temple was constructed using an enormous conch shell and is dedicated to one of the greatest heroes of the Alaran people. In the real world, the zone is the handiwork of designers Ed Hardin and Norm Freeman, along with environment artist Alan Bond. All three offer a bit of insight via the latest Veil of Alaris preview video, and you can see it after the break. Continue reading EverQuest's Temple of the Sea unveiled in new video
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| Forsaken World unveils the trailer for Storms of War Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  Clocking in at just under a minute, the trailer admittedly doesn't offer players promises of dynamic new game systems or wholesale upheaval of what the game already provides. What it does promise are new explorable areas filled with new creatures to kill, several of which look appropriately otherworldly and menacing. So if you want to see what you'll be facing off against in Forsaken World in the near future, jump on past the cut to view the trailer in its entirety. Continue reading Forsaken World unveils the trailer for Storms of War
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| Lineage II adopting a hybrid business model Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  While specific details regarding the new model have yet to be announced, the press release promises that it will allow players of all varieties to enjoy the game's several years of content. Considering the game's latest expansion, Goddess of Destruction, is promised for later this year, this seems like good news for anyone looking for a new title to try out in the near future. [Source: NCsoft press release]
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| RuneScape is losing the war on bots Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, MMO industry, News items, RuneScape  The letter goes on to urge players to not utilize these services and report anyone known to be using them and outlines the steps being taken to try to beat back the tide. But as Clough puts it, while the staff sinks significant time and money into fighting the problem, it's fighting an opponent whose only business goal is to get back into the game. It's grim news for the game's players, certainly, and it doesn't bode well for the many other games waging the same battles.
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| Zynga's CastleVille hopes to enter MMO territory Posted: 11 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual  You can build your castle, show it to your friends, and craft things like potions or armor. You can follow the game's story and its characters. You can trade and barter with friends by visiting their towns. And you have to defend your town against beasts who are outside the walls. The game has more personalized storytelling; players explore the world around them. You meet characters and make them happy and unlock new characters as you progress.Chief executive Mark Pincus echoed his company's bold plans: "We want to give you more of a World of Warcraft feeling, but packaged up in something you can understand in three clicks and five or 15 minutes."
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| A look behind the scenes for City of Heroes' first signature arc Posted: 11 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, News items, Free-to-play  As laid out in the video, one of the major pushes for the signature arc wasn't just to engage the players who were already committed to the game but to attract new players to City of Heroes Freedom because of the major changes being wrought upon the lore. Check out the full documentary just past the cut, with a few hints about where the arc might end up when the dust settles. Continue reading A look behind the scenes for City of Heroes' first signature arc
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| 'Quality concerns' keep user-created content out of World of Warcraft Posted: 11 Oct 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items  Metzen also discussed some of the pressures the Blizzard staff faces with Titan's design, since the game is explicitly not set in one of the company's existing and long-running franchises. While he doesn't reveal any major details regarding the upcoming game, if you're eager for every scrap of information about the secretive project, it's well worth taking a look.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: More beacons Posted: 11 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  Last week, we took a trip across the Star Wars galaxy discussing the different planets in the Core Worlds and the Outer Rim. Most of those planets should be partially familiar to you because of the Star Wars movies. However, today's territories may be a bit less familiar to those who have not played other Star Wars games or read Star Wars books. After the break, I will take you on a tour of these worlds, but if you have any questions, I invite you to post them in the comments at the end of the article. In the words of Admiral Ackbar, "All craft, prepare to jump to hyperspace on my mark." Three... two... one... mark! Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: More beacons
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| More Age of Wulin closed beta videos revealed Posted: 11 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  Age of Wulin eschews the traditional +1 system of gear upgrading and instead opts for an interesting mechanic that basically boils down to meeting whatever requirements are described when you mouse over a weapon. The stated example involves reaching level 10 in a particular life skill as well as possessing certain inventory items. While we're a bit dubious about the fact that your cooking prowess may relate to your ability to wield a sword, we're also cognizant of the fact that it's an early Chinese beta build, so we're looking forward to seeing the system develop. Head past the cut for a combat video and some clips of Wudang. Continue reading More Age of Wulin closed beta videos revealed
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| SWTOR invites Australia and New Zealand into testing Posted: 11 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Today, hot on the heels of the official European testing announcement, BioWare Community Coordinator Allison Berryman announced that the latest round of testing invites just left the Austin offices. This smaller group is designed to test out the west coast server for a limited time, and much to the delight of players, the group includes players from Australia and New Zealand. Berryman reminds readers that this does not mean BioWare has a defined release date yet for that region, but the community team will let everyone know as soon as it does.
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| EQII patch features Beastlord prelude quest Posted: 11 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Classes, Lore, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  EQ2Wire has the details, and also assuages our fears a bit about the necessity of completing the quest prior to the class's official introduction in next months Age of Discovery expansion. As it turns out, today's quest is the second in a series, and it's entirely optional. The quest line provides interested players with some background lore on where the Beastlords have been and why they're now returning to Norrath.
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| GDC Austin 2011: CCP on virtual goods in EVE Online Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, MMO industry, Massively Event Coverage, DUST 514, Sandbox  Read on for a look at why virtual goods were introduced into EVE Online and what the team has learned so far. Continue reading GDC Austin 2011: CCP on virtual goods in EVE Online
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| Fallen Earth's spiked chopper debuts in new trailer Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Fallen Earth, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic  Anyway, as we reported earlier this week, Wednesday marks the final day to subscribe to Fallen Earth prior to its free-to-play/hybrid makeover, and the faithful will receive a new spiked chopper mount for their trouble. You can take a good long look at the bike -- as well as plenty of post-apocalyptic wasteland visuals and the aforementioned chicken -- in the latest game trailer after the cut. Continue reading Fallen Earth's spiked chopper debuts in new trailer
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| RIFT's Ashes of History world event begins tomorrow Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Events, in-game, Lore, News items, PvE, RIFT  The world event opens up new daily quests for players to try out, and participants will be able to collect a rare Magma Opal currency from frequent rift events and invasions. The opals can be spent on rare equipment, companion pets and an exclusive Ash Strider mount.
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| Dark Age of Camelot unveils its 10th anniversary masterpiece Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Dark Age of Camelot, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Previews  In addition to this poster, Mythic's unleashed Producer Stuart Zissu to film a video laying out the plans for the game's celebration. Zissu talks about the new training hubs designed to get beginners on their feet, epic encounters in the world for groups to tackle, moral arcs that give players concrete choices to make, UI changes, and the 10th anniversary t-shirt. Players logging into the game in October will also find that they'll be enjoying several bonuses to XP, crafting, and more. You can watch Zissu get the crowds pumped up for the party after the jump! Continue reading Dark Age of Camelot unveils its 10th anniversary masterpiece
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| Mark Jacobs: 'I've never been against F2P' Posted: 11 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  Jacobs is best known to gamers for his previous roles with Mythic Entertainment and Electronic Arts on such games as Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online, and his opinions on the subject of gold-farming are infamous, possibly even extreme. We can't be the only ones who remember the early days of WAR when a crusading, irony-immune Jacobs spammed players' screens with popups whenever gold-spammers were banned. But in this interview, Jacobs aimed to set the record straight: He's against gold-farming specifically and how gold-farming hurts legitimate players, not the free-to-play model. I've never been against F2P. What I was and still remain strongly opposed to is gold farming in games, especially MMOs that weren't designed from the beginning to handle those kind of transactions, and also to the groups that seek to profit from such transactions. What I really dislike isn't so much the gold farming/selling itself, but certain behaviors that occur in games where this happens.He goes on to suggest that the F2P model has surged to prominence due to the weak economy and "a lack of really interesting MMOs," noting that we're due for a shift in the market but that the success of Star Wars: The Old Republic (and its "license to print money" IP) will determine the viability of the subscription model in the future. Jacobs has plenty more to say in the full interview over at MMORPG.com.
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| SOE enlists comic book writer Marv Wolfman to pen PlanetSide 2 backstory Posted: 11 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, PlanetSide 2  Wolfman is in charge of writing a series of fictional episodes depicting the life and history of the people of Auraxis and the rising war between the three factions of the game. He's pretty jazzed about the opportunity: "I'm thrilled to be working with SOE again. Not only do I get to take elements from the original PlanetSide and further develop an extensive backstory that can help players more fully understand this incredible new world, but even better, I get to create dozens of individual characters that I hope will help bring alive the story of PlanetSide 2 for the entire player community." In a dev diary, Creative Director Matthew Higby stresses that it's important to have not just a solid game but a believable world in which that game can take place. "Beyond grounding the design of the world, the story gives meaning to who the people fighting on it are, how they got there, their motivations and what their conflict signifies," Higby writes. The first of these episodes will be released on the PlanetSide 2 site later this week.
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| The Soapbox: Watch out BioWare, it's a (WoW) trap! Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Soapbox  I want to be up front about one thing first: World of Warcraft was, to me, a truly great game. It was. No matter how easy and trendy it is to take swings at the popular kid, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I had a few really terrific years in Azeroth. So as I go on to criticize aspects of the World of Warcraft phenomenon, I don't want to give you the impression that I'm filled with nothing but loathing for my time spent there. There are many factors -- including plain old burnout -- that drove me away from WoW, but the one thing I never liked from my earliest days in the game until now was the attitude and approach that Blizzard gave. These were relatively minor flaws that became magnified with the game's staggering popularity and size, and they stand as proof that even great game designers can be blind to their own shortcomings. Why do I bring up WoW today? Because with the unprecedented build-up to Star Wars: The Old Republic, I see BioWare teetering on the edge of these same traps that ensnared Blizzard and tainted that company's product. BioWare and EA may be betting on WoW 2.0, but if the people behind the scenes are smart about it, they'll take a lesson from history instead of discovering that they're just as prone to fumbling the ball as anyone else. Continue reading The Soapbox: Watch out BioWare, it's a (WoW) trap!
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