MMO Updates |
- Massively's double-dose of SWTOR beta impressions
- The Guild Counsel: A look at Race to World First
- Ignited Games begins WindSlayer 2 closed beta with a key giveaway
- World of Warplanes turns off the 'no forums' lights
- The Daily Grind: Should more MMOs implement sidekicking?
- City of Heroes updates players on the coming summit
- Aion's patch 2.7 goes live
- Massively Speaking Episode 170
- Choose My Adventure: On to Eorzea
- MMO Family: Why games are good for family
- Mythos Europe shutting down October 27th
- Order & Chaos security compromised, accounts hacked
- Hear me roar: Become the voice of a monster in R.O.H.A.N.
- Jagged Alliance Online closed beta registration now open
- Free for All: An inside look at Illyriad Games
- Aeria reveals new Lime Odyssey website, trailer
| Massively's double-dose of SWTOR beta impressions Posted: 20 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Larry is our SWTOR columnist; he's been following the game for us for more than a year and a half. And Jef is our Age of Conan specialist (and former Aion and EverQuest II writer) whose love for sandboxes and soapboxes is well-known. Both are die-hard Star Wars fans. Sit back and savor a double-helping of SWTOR beta impressions!  
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| The Guild Counsel: A look at Race to World First Posted: 20 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Culture, Events, real-world, Guilds, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, Massively meta, The Guild Counsel, Dungeons  Continue reading The Guild Counsel: A look at Race to World First
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| Ignited Games begins WindSlayer 2 closed beta with a key giveaway Posted: 20 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-play  The game is WindSlayer 2, a fast-paced, 2-D game that we took an exclusive look at earlier this month. Those who join the beta test will be able to participate in special GM events like hide and seek, not to mention the ominous-sounding Monster Invasion. They'll also receive a "symbol denoting their status, which will appear next to their character name and remain even after WindSlayer 2's official launch," and some more surprise goodies. Want to check it out? Good, because we've got a giveaway page full of beta keys waiting for you! Simply get your key, create an Ignited Games account, and then redeem your key on the WindSlayer 2 front page. 
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| World of Warplanes turns off the 'no forums' lights Posted: 20 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Culture, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes  World of Warplanes, the upcoming fighter plane MMO from Wargaming.net, has launched its official forums. The categories are quite extensive, ranging from developer feedback to a place to write poems about flying. There are even several sub-forums that cover the history of aviation if you're looking to brush up on your basics. The title is the third in the "World of" series, and is currently in closed alpha testing. By having the forums up, Wargaming.net hopes that it'll be useful for refining the testing process and to balance the title before it's ready for the masses. World of Warplanes covers combat aviation from the 1930s all the way up through the 50s. Potential pilots are encouraged to read our conversation with Wargaming.net about the game from GDC earlier this month.
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| The Daily Grind: Should more MMOs implement sidekicking? Posted: 20 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Miscellaneous  To help alleviate that problem, games like City of Heroes and EverQuest II pioneered "sidekicking" and "mentoring" systems, which allow highbies to partner up with lowbies, effectively boosting the noobies' levels and enabling their access to high-end content. Other games shun such systems, perhaps because they're difficult to balance and allow players to (at least temporarily) skip grindy level-based content that's meant to slow them down and keep them paying. What do you think -- should more MMOs implement sidekicking systems?  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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| City of Heroes updates players on the coming summit Posted: 19 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play  Held at the Dinah's Garden Hotel and starting at 11:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. PDT), the event includes panels on design of new powers, interactive panels on the art of the game, and talk about working to the current endgame and beyond. Tickets are available for $40 from Brown Paper Tickets, so if you're in the area on November 19th, it might well be worth the cash to attend and hobnob with the design team.
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| Posted: 19 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, News items  Aion's patch 2.7 is here, and a healthy number of new features has arrived along with it. Players can now take part in the Crucible Coliseum PvP arena or test their mettle in the Arena of Discipline for one-on-one battles. If you're more interested in a no-holds-barred battle royal, the Arena of Chaos may be more your style, as it features a six-player death-match battle. Balaurea's PvP battles have seen a number of refinements and adjustments as well. If you're more of a PvE sort of player, you can bring some friends to Padmarashka's Cave in hopes of taking down the legendary creature for loot and glory. A number of skills have been adjusted as well in hopes of creating a more enjoyable, balanced gameplay experience. Aion players can scour the whole of the new patch notes over at the official site.
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| Massively Speaking Episode 170 Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, News items, Opinion, Massively meta, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  This is probably the last time we'll use Mumble for recording, as the sound is pretty horrible. Apologies! Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes.  Massively Speaking is the official podcast of Massively.com. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer, Massively Speaking takes on the week's biggest news and dev interviews with plenty of opinion, rants, and laughs thrown in for good measure. Join us every Wednesday afternoon to listen in and see what we'll say next!Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 170
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Choose My Adventure: On to Eorzea Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Massively meta, Humor, Choose My Adventure, Final Fantasy XIV  I would like to take a moment to highlight the disconcerting number of people in the comments who voted for Final Fantasy XIV in hopes of causing me some kind of lasting mental harm (I'm looking at you, Bree). Well, you played right into my hand! After hearing Eliot's emphatic reassurances that the game has improved by leaps and bounds, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the game again. But now, I get to do it for money! Eat that, suckers! Ahem. Now that that's out of the way, head on past the cut for the moment you've all been waiting for: the opportunity to choose what character I play! Continue reading Choose My Adventure: On to Eorzea
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| MMO Family: Why games are good for family Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous  I'm excited to have the opportunity to start the column up again because I think a lot has changed in the short time since the column went on hiatus. We'll revisit a few issues that Lisa brought up and some of the more recently released MMO titles to see which ones are the best for family-centered gaming. To kick things off, I'd like to explore why MMOs are good for kids and for the family unit as a whole. When it comes to talk about kids and gaming, the discussion tends to revolve around the negatives, like violence, antisocial behavior, or lack of physical activity. No one will argue that MMOs, as with most anything, can have detrimental effects when played to excess. But to focus on the negatives is to ignore the vast amount of benefits that gaming can provide. Read on for a few examples. Continue reading MMO Family: Why games are good for family
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| Mythos Europe shutting down October 27th Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, News items, Mythos, Free-to-play  European Mythos fans should say their farewells, as Frogster has announced that the game's European servers will be shutting down on October 27th. According to the official forum post, while "MYTHOS enjoyed great popularity with the launch in April and the numerous registered users ensured a good start [...] The desired long-term success unfortunately did not follow," and for that reason, the game's service is being discontinued. In order to make the game's twilight hours enjoyable for players, the dev team is sending missing quest items to all players so that they can go into the great beyond with a clean quest log. Purchases from the cash shop are no longer possible, and all servers have the maximum experience and luck buffs. Players whose accounts have been registered and active in the past three months will also be given vouchers redeemable for diamonds and/or mounts in Runes of Magic, in hopes that players will find a new home in Frogster's other popular title. For the full server shutdown details, check out the forum post over on the Mythos official site.
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| Order & Chaos security compromised, accounts hacked Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile  Bad news for Order & Chaos Online players today. It would appear that the popular mobile MMO from Gameloft is suffering from some security issues resulting in a number of players' accounts being compromised. The issue seems to be stemming from two major holes in the game's security. There is reportedly an exploit with Gameloft's website which allows players to change another player's password, and usernames and passwords are sent between the client and server in plain text, which makes it a breeze for anyone with the smarts to run interception. Hopefully these issues will be fixed soon, but until then, stay tuned in the event that more develops. [Thanks to Andrew for the tip!]
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| Hear me roar: Become the voice of a monster in R.O.H.A.N. Posted: 19 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play  The best sound clips will be implemented into the game as the voice of the Boreal Hell Demon, a two-headed monstrosity in the Elemental Dungeon. Players are asked to record three phrases, including the lovely "I can just taste your filthy blood," in an effort to not just become part of the game, but to win prizes like a Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset, in-game currency, and in-game items. YNK's Derrick Lee thinks this contest meshes well with the season: "Just in time for Halloween, the Roar & Win event will surely release the monsters within our players. Our year's focus is the community, and this event is a great way for our players to be a part of the game they love." The contest ends at midnight on October 26th, and the winner's voice will be added to the game on November 1st.
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| Jagged Alliance Online closed beta registration now open Posted: 19 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, News items, Free-to-play  In a press release today, gamigo announced that its MMO resurrection of the Jagged Alliance franchise, Jagged Alliance Online, will be beginning its closed beta test sometime before the end of this year. For those who can't wait to get in on the action, beta sign-ups are now available over at the game's official site. Until the beta begins, though, check out the gallery below for four new screenshots from the title. [Source: gamigo press release]
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| Free for All: An inside look at Illyriad Games Posted: 19 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Culture, Interviews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, MMORTS, Free for All, Sandbox  Niesewand started with no experience in the gaming industry, but he did have some coding background. He writes the back-end material (the information that is queried), and his co-conspirator Ben Adams writes the front-end (the stuff that you interact with and see). Of course, I am simplifying this, but for the sake of keeping this article under 15,000 words I will attempt to sum up the conversations James and I had at GDC Online last week. They covered the start of his first browser-based game as well as some of the inevitable growing pains that come with being an indie developer. Click past the cut! Continue reading Free for All: An inside look at Illyriad Games
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| Aeria reveals new Lime Odyssey website, trailer Posted: 19 Oct 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Crafting  Now, though, Aeria has ponied up a press release that adds a few more details into the mix (including a new website as well as a trailer comprised of the game's opening cinematic). Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta will feature three races -- Humans, Turga, and Muris -- as well as three adventuring and three crafting classes. Players may choose from traditional Thief, Mage, or Warrior archetypes for the former and Tailor, Chef, and Blacksmith disciplines for the latter. Gameplay revolves around the collection of a sacred substance known as lime, and players will "traverse mountains, deserts, and oceans on [a] quest for peace and harmony (while killing lots of mobs, of course). Hit the jump for the cinematic. [Source: Aeria press release] Continue reading Aeria reveals new Lime Odyssey website, trailer
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