MMO Updates |
- GDC Online 2011: A nostalgia trip with the original EverQuest team
- The Repopulation influenced by UO and SWG
- GDC Online 2011: Raph Koster speaks on the gamification of real life
- Star Trek Online dev blog clarifies free-to-play currency trades
- Square-Enix announces end of Final Fantasy XIV's free play and roadmap for next year
- The Daily Grind: Is your glass half empty or half full?
- SOE releases second PlanetSide 2 short story
- Wakfu unveils the nation of Sufokia
- Star Trek Online's free-to-play starships prepare to leave spacedock
- THQ says WAR40K release date, features list is 'pure speculation'
- The MMO Report: Angular blocky dragons edition
- Champions Online offers temporary free premium archetypes
- Eligium using Facebook to start the beta push
- City of Heroes adding a haunted house to the Halloween event
- Returning EVE players receive discount as part of CCP apology
- LEGO Universe offers $15,000 US in prizes in the Nexus Force Championships
- The Secret World dev diary video delves into The Secret War
- Dark Millennium Online has conflict of interest with potential Space Marine sequel
- Behind the Mask: Practical indestructibility
- Patch notes for Final Fantasy XIV's 1.19a update unveiled
- Ask Massively: Alan Smithee edition
- GDC Online 2011: RIFT's Scott Hartsman on surviving and thriving in today's MMO climate
- Blizzard auctioning off retired WoW servers for charity
- Lineage II celebrates Play Your Way with October Bonanza
- Paragon Studios games for charity with Extra Life
- Captain's Log: The voices of reason
- The Guild Counsel: Why not all guild departures are equal
- Former Diablo III dev decribes his work on post-apoc L.A.W - Living After War
- Conquer Online arrives on Facebook
- Transformers Universe gives fans a chance to name two classes
| GDC Online 2011: A nostalgia trip with the original EverQuest team Posted: 14 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Event Coverage  Continue reading GDC Online 2011: A nostalgia trip with the original EverQuest team
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| The Repopulation influenced by UO and SWG Posted: 14 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  The piece covers a lot of ground, and Smith talks about everything from inspiration for the sci-fi title to the current state of the cluttered MMO market. "I think this market still has room for growth, and that the main reason we see some of these titles as failures is due to elevated expectations and bloating budgets," Smith explains. What's going to set The Repopulation apart, then? That's a much longer answer, and portions of it will no doubt set sandbox fans' hearts aflame. "We probably drew more influence from Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies than we have from any other MMOs," Smith says. "To me, UO was what I expected from an MMOG."
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| GDC Online 2011: Raph Koster speaks on the gamification of real life Posted: 14 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  Unsurprisingly, the former sandbox maestro (and current social gaming evangelist) had a lot of positive things to say about Facebook. On the other hand, he said that going too far down the accessibility road can lead to "bad art." He also opined that "design is about constraining people," but that games still have the potential for player creativity, and that Facebook has more user-generated content than games or virtual worlds. If you're confused yet, you're not alone, as Koster also mentioned something about wizards, magic circles, and his belief that the world is becoming more game-like (and thus there's no one better to shape it than game developers). "Let's watch out not to let the pointsification and rulesification, quantification, and reductionism that we have always loved about what we do -- let's not let that change who we are," Koster said. Check out his notes and slides from the talk via his blog, linked below.
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| Star Trek Online dev blog clarifies free-to-play currency trades Posted: 14 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Energy credits will be used for practically everything encountered in normal gameplay, functioning like gold in most fantasy MMOs. Players can expect to use energy credits every time they play, and receive them as rewards. Dilithium will be used by hardcore players to get high-end gear, but the average casual player will never need it in significant quantities. Cryptic points will be reserved for cash shop items like new ships, but Cryptic aims to let players trade their cryptic points to other players for dilithium. When the system goes live, players will be able to grind for dilithium in order to buy cash shop items without paying cash. At the same time, hardcore players will be able to short-cut the dilithium grind and quickly obtain high-end equipment with an injection of cryptic points. This system mirrors the diamond trade in Runes of Magic and the PLEX trade in EVE Online, both systems that have proven highly effective at allowing cash-rich players to shortcut grind and letting time-rich players play their way to everything the game has to offer.
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| Square-Enix announces end of Final Fantasy XIV's free play and roadmap for next year Posted: 14 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  Several design documents have been posted along with this update, making it clear that the changes will be observed and influenced by players taking part in content during this time period. And these changes will be massive -- the new UI will not only look much cleaner but also be able to support player add-ons. With a promised redesign of maps, changes to the landscape, the upcoming PlayStation 3 version, and major updates to the battle system and armoury system, it's going to be very busy over the next few months as Final Fantasy XIV moves toward version 2.0.
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| The Daily Grind: Is your glass half empty or half full? Posted: 14 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Launches, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Fallen Earth is only one example (and not even close to the worst), but especially at launch, our favorite MMOs are rarely problem-free. Some players are willing to skip over those problems to enjoy the new shiny, while others won't tolerate these games unless all problems are fixed immediately. Of course, the issue of fixing problems in our MMOs is important, but we're curious about your typical reaction to launch-day problems. Do you give the devs the benefit of the doubt and a certain grace period, or do you head straight for the forums on day one with a list of demands. Let us know!  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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| SOE releases second PlanetSide 2 short story Posted: 13 Oct 2011 10:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  Yes, shooters can have lore (Global Agenda has quite an extensive backstory, for example), and SOE seems determined to keep its Forgelight-powered MMOFPS in the news without revealing much more about the mechanics. The latest salvo comes courtesy of celebrated comic scribe Marv Wolfman, who is busily creating PlanetSide 2's factional history via a series of short story vignettes. Today's reveal, the second in a series, centers on characters from the Vanu Sovereignty, some of whom buy into the faction's zealotry. "Today we have declared our Sovereignty, a Vanu Sovereignty. Only one force can live on Auraxis, and it must be us," one of them declares. You can read the full text at the official PlanetSide 2 website, and don't forget to check out our exclusive Wolfman interview from earlier this week.
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| Wakfu unveils the nation of Sufokia Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  Players of the upcoming tactical MMORPG Wakfu will be able to visit all sorts of interesting, exotic places. One such location is the freshly announced Sufokia. The paradisiacal archipelago is not all sunshine and shining seas; it holds its fair share of dangers, like the irritable Albatrocious and the deadly Zordfish. Sufokia will be available for players to experience in the next beta patch. If you're not in the closed beta and would like to jump in and see what the big deal about this uniquely strategic MMO is, just head on over to the official site and register for an account. [Source: Ankama Games press release]
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| Star Trek Online's free-to-play starships prepare to leave spacedock Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Previews, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Because not every tier had enough for six starships, Cryptic is adding a number of spiffy C-Store versions for Federation players, including the new Exeter cruiser, the Sao Paulo escort, and the Bellerophon science vessel. The Klingon Defense Force is receiving a similar restructuring, with new ships like the Norgh Refit and Orion Dacoit Flight Deck Cruiser making their way into the store. D'Angelo admits that C-Store starships are slightly stronger and carry a special piece of gear that can be transferred from ship to ship as the player levels up. D'Angelo also stresses that any C-Store starships are purchased for an entire account, not a single character. Cryptic is also planning to re-instate the free starship token at Lt. Commander and Commander ranks for everyone.
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| THQ says WAR40K release date, features list is 'pure speculation' Posted: 13 Oct 2011 08:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Rumors, Warhammer 40k, Miscellaneous  THQ sent a letter to several media outlets clarifying the situation: It has come to THQ's attention that some media are reporting that we've announced game details and a release date for our upcoming massively multiplayer online project, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online. At this time THQ has not officially announced a release date and any reported features are pure speculation. THQ will announce confirmed game features and an official release date at a later time.We will keep an eye on this title and the news coming out of THQ as it develops.
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| The MMO Report: Angular blocky dragons edition Posted: 13 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, MMO industry, News items, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous  Finally, Casey allows his ego to be inflated by Uncle Casey's Mailbag and announces he's headed to a geeky event to which he'll bring "a picnic basket, six changes of pants, four boxes of Kleenex, and one candy cigarette." You'll just have to tune in past the cut to find out where. Continue reading The MMO Report: Angular blocky dragons edition
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| Champions Online offers temporary free premium archetypes Posted: 13 Oct 2011 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Classes, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Promotions  The Savage archetype is first up; he's accessible for seven days starting today, followed by a week each for the Void, the Master, the Inventor, the Tempest, and the Devastator. If you roll a character to try out the weekly premium archetype, you can either retrain him as the next trial archetype (or any other free or previously purchased archetype) or pony up for the premium one after you've tested him out in person. As an added bonus, Cryptic is offering all players a free character slot -- just log in between October 14th and November 3rd and claim yours through the C-Store's "bonus" tab.
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| Eligium using Facebook to start the beta push Posted: 13 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions  To help drum up the game on social media, the game's Facebook page is the nexus of the beta push; players who choose to Like the game and comment spurring more beta invitations being sent out. Of course, you can't get invited if you don't register, can you? While the solid details on the gameplay are still a bit sketchy, if you'd like to see what the developer of Runes of Magic is working on this time, you should probably head over to Facebook and start commenting. [Thanks to Piaskowy for the tip!]
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| City of Heroes adding a haunted house to the Halloween event Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons  Accessed via the Team-up Teleporter, the house will be a cooperative venture for four players between 15-50, with heroes and villains alike seeking to prevent Dr. Kane from unleashing the unquiet dead upon the world. That's in addition to the usual festivities for the event, which include costume slots and zombie invasions across the game world. With City of Heroes Freedom in full effect, everyone can enjoy the celebration this year, even if you might not make it out of the new haunted house in one piece.
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| Returning EVE players receive discount as part of CCP apology Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:15 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Promotions  Today CCP continued show its commitment to this new development direction with a special reactivation offer for returning players. Most account-holders whose subscriptions lapsed during or before the Summer drama have been sent an email offering a special rate of $4.95 US for 30 days of subscription time. While reactivation offers like these are commonplace, this offer made a point of CCP's new-found direction and contained this concise quote from EVE's senior producer Arnar Gylfason: "A significant part of that plan is the immediate refocusing of all the EVE development teams on EVE's core gameplay: spaceships." [Source: Reactivation discount email]
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| LEGO Universe offers $15,000 US in prizes in the Nexus Force Championships Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, LEGO Universe, Kids  The eight-week-long Nexus Force Championships start today, challenging players to win as many in-game events and contests as possible before December 8th. Participants will collect points for winning contests and events in a bid to win some truly massive prizes. The single player with the highest number of points at the end of the eight weeks will win around $5,000 US worth of LEGO sets and a new laptop. In total, over $15,000 US of prizes will be given out during the event. [Source: LEGO Universe Press Release]
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| The Secret World dev diary video delves into The Secret War Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:45 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Video, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, The Secret World, Dev Diaries  Time to don your tin-foil hats, conspiracy theorists. It's time once again to delve into the mysteries of The Secret World. Funcom has released a new developer diary video outlining The Secret War, which is the PvP component of the upcoming horror title. We got our first look at the PvP aspect of the game back in August at PAX Prime. This is the first time, however, that we have video to show players just what they can expect from the three-faction paranormal brawls. The video highlights both small-scale PvP, such as the game's Stonehenge and El Dorado battlefields, and the game's large-scale, persistent PvP. For the full video, click on past the cut. Continue reading The Secret World dev diary video delves into The Secret War
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| Dark Millennium Online has conflict of interest with potential Space Marine sequel Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Warhammer 40k  Revealing that the MMO would contain more action-based gameplay than the MMO norm, Bilson painted a picture of Dark Millennium Online as an online spiritual successor to Space Marine but with the other 40k factions similarly explored. "It may be that the next iteration of Space Marine is a much bigger universe, where if you love Space Marines you can play that way," he told Shacknews, adding that "there was a creative overlap going on with Dark Millennium Online's development" and "there's not room in the world for that overlap."
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| Behind the Mask: Practical indestructibility Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  This week, we'll cover what Invul/dodge is, how it works, and some popular variants. We'll also discuss its limitations and counters. While Invul/dodge is probably the most situationally durable build in the game, it has its weaknesses. Some players might delude you into thinking that Invul/dodge is good at everything, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Continue reading Behind the Mask: Practical indestructibility
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| Patch notes for Final Fantasy XIV's 1.19a update unveiled Posted: 13 Oct 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  Aside from the addition of the third beastman stronghold and the implementation of levequest history evaluations, the patch will bring the long-desired feature by which the game remembers your bar layouts when you switch classes rather than forcing you to re-arrange bars each time. There have also been several bugfixes and price reductions on several vendor-sold items across the cities. While this latest bridging patch won't be the game-changer of its predecessor, it should still be welcome when the servers come back online from the patch process.
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| Ask Massively: Alan Smithee edition Posted: 13 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  That's not a photo of Alan Smithee; it's a photo of a funicular credited to Smithee. It's the best I could do. Unlike last week's column, this week's edition is about far less weighty manners, instead discussing candidates for potential free-to-play adventures in response to a very large question from a long-time reader. As always, questions may be mailed to ask@massively.com or left in the comments for inclusion in a future edition of Ask Massively. Continue reading Ask Massively: Alan Smithee edition
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| GDC Online 2011: RIFT's Scott Hartsman on surviving and thriving in today's MMO climate Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, RIFT, Miscellaneous 
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| Blizzard auctioning off retired WoW servers for charity Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Promotions, Miscellaneous  Recently Blizzard upgraded its fleet of World of Warcraft servers and has decided that instead of mothballing the old ones, it will auction them off and donate the proceeds to a worthy charity. The auctions will be handled by eBay, as any interested parties can place a bid on the actual server shard that hundreds of thousands of players used for years. Each of the auctioned server blades is a self-contained unit and will have the World of Warcraft logo emblazoned across it, with a plaque attached detailing the server's usage dates and the signatures of the development team. Bidding will begin on October 17th and proceed through November 14th as Blizzard auctions the dozens of HP p-Class server blades off in groups, and the winnings will be given to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which helps combat pediatric cancer and other diseases that affect young kids. If the thought of owning a piece of MMO history appeals to you -- or if you're looking for an interesting Christmas present for that WoW friend of yours -- then check out the auction dates on eBay.
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| Lineage II celebrates Play Your Way with October Bonanza Posted: 13 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, Business models, Events, in-game, News items, Giveaways  Lineage II players, are you ready for a bonanza!? If you said no, then too bad! To celebrate the game's new Play Your Way business model, NCSoft is throwing an October Bonanza that players surely don't want to miss. It all kicked off on October 12th with new Loyalty Subscription Gifts. Any player who purchases a new subscription between now and the 31st of October will receive some fine gifts, including a Dynasty Weapon Box and five Birthday Present Packs. On top of that, from October 19th until November 2nd, players will be receiving weekly thank-you gifts from NCSoft to show the studio's gratification to them for their loyalty. These gifts are Potion Support Packs, a Supplies Support Pack, and a Dimensional Support Pack. And last up, NCSoft's Player Commendation event will be beginning on the 19th and continuing until November 9th. During this event, players will receive a 50% XP bonus and a 100% Fame boost, a buffing blessing, and the ability to gain Player Commendation points, or PC points. PC Points are points earned just for being logged into the game, which accumulate over time and can be exchanged for a variety of useful items. For the full details on the upcoming event, check out Lineage II's official site.
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| Paragon Studios games for charity with Extra Life Posted: 13 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, News items  Paragon Studios, being the charitable bunch that it is, has announced that on Saturday, October 15th, it will be taking part in the Extra Life charity event. The game-for-charity marathon benefits the Children's Miracle Network and its associated hospitals, making it a more-than-worthy endeavor. The studio will be streaming its contribution to the event on its Ustream channel this Saturday, so players can tune in, relax, and banter with the devs. And of course, if you're feeling particularly generous, you can donate to Paragon's Extra Life marathon. For more information about the event, check out its official site, and be sure to tune in to Paragon's stream this Saturday.
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| Captain's Log: The voices of reason Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log  Hello, computer (and players)! It is often said that the voices of the gaming community are some of the loudest, and most passionate, around. This is especially true within the Star Trek Online community. While some may see particular posts made in Cryptic's forums as trolling or whining, others see passion and dedication for making the game they love the best it can be. There is no denying that there will always be those who love to hate and hate to love, but there are also community members out there who are the voices of reason -- they take their time to carefully examine something and provide appropriate and well-thought feedback on how to make something better. As STO is preparing to re-launch with its F2P model, many changes are being pushed to the Tribble test server for players to playtest and provide feedback on. Before the test shards ever open, debates based on the patch notes begin. After a few hours of testing on Tribble, players make their feedback posts public in hopes that developers notice and hear their opinions. The great news here is that the developers are reading each post and have vowed that feedback does not go unnoticed. Since I have been following this feedback closely myself, I thought I should share some of it here. Ensign, warp 10! Let's share some recent community feedback on two of the hottest topics out there... Continue reading Captain's Log: The voices of reason
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| The Guild Counsel: Why not all guild departures are equal Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Why not all guild departures are equal
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| Former Diablo III dev decribes his work on post-apoc L.A.W - Living After War Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic  In a recent interview with ProSiebenSat.1 Digital, Lee Jang Wook, founder and CEO of development studio Nitrozen, discusses the game in more detail, including an array of fan-submitted questions. Wook, who once worked as the lead concept artist on Diablo III, also discusses the relationship with alaplaya, who have already made a name for themselves in the MMO space. L.A.W aims to release in the first quarter of 2012, and you can check out more information on the game through the link below. [Via alaplaya press release -- sorry, we weren't given a direct link to the interview itself]
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| Conquer Online arrives on Facebook Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play, Browser  The Facebook version is very similar to the regular Conquer Online except that the default screen size is smaller (it can be expanded to full-screen mode, however). NetDragon hopes that by expanding to the popular social networking site, Conquer Online will gain an even larger audience. You can watch the trailer for the Facebook edition after the jump -- and we dare you to do so without thinking of the Roseanne theme song. You can't, can you? Continue reading Conquer Online arrives on Facebook
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| Transformers Universe gives fans a chance to name two classes Posted: 13 Oct 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Promotions, Transformers Universe  Two polls will help the company make its decision. The first is over at Transformers Universe's Facebook page while the second is on MMORPG.com. Both polls will continue until 6:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The choices for the Autobot class are Scholar, Engineer, and Counsel, while the Decepticon class has the possibility to be called a Technician, Specialist, or Informer. Players also have the option to write in a name as well. Of course, there are a few disclaimers involved, including this common-sense move: "Hasbro and Jagex reserve the right to not use any suggested name, even if it's a name with the most votes, if it does not fit the brand or is disparaging, derogatory, or offensive."
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