MMO Updates |
- DragonSoul pries a website and trailer out of its opponent's cold, dead hands
- Behind the Mask: How freeforms work
- Maverick Studios working on Unveiled: The Supernatural horror MMO
- BioWare launches phase three of SWTOR's guild program
- The Repopulation update talks tutorials, testing
- Try the newest Flyff expansion exclusively from Massively
- Warhammer 40K planning multiple payment options
- The Daily Grind: Are you tempted by Lineage II's 'truly free' model?
- EVE Online reveals Amarr tier 3 battlecruiser, the Oracle
- Choose My Adventure: Story time!
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: My plans lie in shambles!
- Massively Speaking Episode 171
- Guild War 2's art director illustrates cover of National Geographic
- Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A
- Runewaker Entertainment announces Dragon's Prophet
- Vindictus EU updates with Lost Artifact episode
- League of Legends spotlight introduces Shyvana, the Half-Dragon
- RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November
| DragonSoul pries a website and trailer out of its opponent's cold, dead hands Posted: 03 Nov 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play  This PvP MMO with political underpinnings has reached two milestones today. Neonga AG has opened the official DragonSoul website and released the first trailer for the game (which features plenty of white blood splatter). There's plenty of information about the game that's posted on the site, including several (but not all) of the classes, screenshots, game systems, and community networking. There's even a place for you to register for the upcoming beta program. You can watch the SFW trailer after the jump and get a feel for what might make DragonSoul stand out from the crowd. Continue reading DragonSoul pries a website and trailer out of its opponent's cold, dead hands
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| Behind the Mask: How freeforms work Posted: 03 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  Freeform characters differ dramatically from archetypes. However, they follow a concrete set of rules on how they must be built. A hero can't just select Gigabolt, Ego Storm, or other high-level powers right from the start; there's a list of power restrictions that must be selected first. The power restrictions basically correlate to level restrictions, although there are some ways around that too. While this may be familiar to Gold players, it will serve as a primer for those who are not experts at maneuvering around the power selection process. Continue reading Behind the Mask: How freeforms work
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| Maverick Studios working on Unveiled: The Supernatural horror MMO Posted: 03 Nov 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Miscellaneous  MMO Culture recently posted a few screenshots as well as some Unveiled concept art, and there's even a trailer floating around the intertubes that offers a glimpse into the game's brooding aesthetic (but sadly no gameplay footage). Can Unveiled satisfy our blood-lust for a horror MMO now that World of Darkness seems further away than ever? It's too early to tell, but you can bet that we'll be keeping an interested eye on Maverick Studios. Head past the break to check out the trailer. Continue reading Maverick Studios working on Unveiled: The Supernatural horror MMO
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| BioWare launches phase three of SWTOR's guild program Posted: 03 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Guilds, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  You'll also want to make sure that at least four members of your guild have pre-ordered the game (and redeemed the associated code). BioWare notes that it has removed the requirement for the guild leader to log into the website and confirm an active guild. Finally, each guild page has been given a status indicator that shows the number of member pre-orders as well as whether or not your guild meets the deployment criteria. More info is available via the Guild HQ page and the official site.
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| The Repopulation update talks tutorials, testing Posted: 03 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  The lion's share of the work during the past month went towards preparing the sci-fi sandbox for testing, and the news blurb mentions a new tutorial system that focuses on repeatable training scenarios. While many sandbox MMOs have simply thrown players into the middle of the action and expected them to figure out complex systems as they go, The Repopulation looks to be placing a premium on educating new users before turning them loose. Also on the testing front, the devs are targeting "early 2012" for beta, and the exact date will depend on how quickly the team can develop content and stockpile enough of it "to keep players busy during the initial months." Finally, there are quite a few patch-note-style updates in this month's recap, and you can find the full post on the official Repopulation website.
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| Try the newest Flyff expansion exclusively from Massively Posted: 03 Nov 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Flyff, Free-to-play, Giveaways  That day has arrived, and you can download the open beta exclusively through Massively. It couldn't be simpler; just use this download link and you're on your way! If you're looking for something to do while the beta client is installing, we've got you covered on that front as well. We've received some gift packages from gPotato, each containing seven event gift boxes, a pair of angel wings that last for three days, and 10 Scrolls of Amplification. Those can be used in the current live version of Flyff, so grab your code, apply it in game, and have fun! 
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| Warhammer 40K planning multiple payment options Posted: 03 Nov 2011 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Warhammer 40k  Speaking at a recent earnings call, CEO Brian Farrell addressed what model WAR40K would adopt. "What we've done is make the business model within Dark Millennium Online flexible so we can use different business models in different territories and exploit the game on a worldwide basis," he said. "We will have not just one business model, like subscriptions. There will be other monetisation mechanisms in the game... The team there is being very thoughtful about how we maximise monetisation in this game." Seeing as how WAR40K is costing the company over $50 million to create, it seems wise to offer multiple options in order to draw in the largest amount of players possible. The title is being developed by Vigil Games and is slated to release in 2013.
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| The Daily Grind: Are you tempted by Lineage II's 'truly free' model? Posted: 03 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, PvP, Endgame, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind  The new press materials highlighted some 400 hours worth of content, and as a former player, I'd say this estimate is probably a bit on the conservative side. L2 is truly a massive title, and getting to endgame is really the halfway point since you've still got all kinds of EVE-like territorial PvP and metagaming shenanigans waiting for you after you've maxed out a character. For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know if the recent announcement piqued your interest. Will you be checking out Lineage II when it goes free-to-play?  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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| EVE Online reveals Amarr tier 3 battlecruiser, the Oracle Posted: 02 Nov 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, Previews, News items, Dev Diaries  In a new devblog today, CCP Guard revealed the Amarr tier three battlecruiser: the Oracle. Originally named the Mentor by its creator Alexey M, the Oracle appears to quite literally be a stripped down forward section of the popular Armageddon. The ship joins the Minmatar Tornado and Gallente Talos as yet another entry from last year's design competition to be implemented in the game. The Caldari battlecruiser is still to be revealed, but we got a first glimpse of the ship from yesterday's In Development video devblog and can confirm that it is also a player-submitted design.
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| Choose My Adventure: Story time! Posted: 02 Nov 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Screenshots, Hands-on, Humor, Choose My Adventure, Final Fantasy XIV ![[Insert Final Fantasy victory theme here]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v_ZTdOFMB-SfbXvKKCiN0zwXEfAGMKLUpxzBhocSmVgNFl03myL9xyoDXMlO15iYcM73fk0gBo1Sg2xMD4CAnkGbaQWpbo6zek3wmzfwxP_s6FqqlibWWNaVyj3Tt0EhjxmnVH0XMxlg=s0-d) So strap yourselves in and head on past the cut and let's see what Eorzea had in store for me this week. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Story time!
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: My plans lie in shambles! Posted: 02 Nov 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  Wait, what? You mean I already did that? Foiled again! Of course, it's not really a surprise. It's hard to picture a world without the villains running around, even if the world conspires to give them a bad name -- not to mention the bad name they give themselves. But in honor of this anniversary, I want to look back and reminisce about a couple of nefarious features that the expansion brought with it that haven't held up quite as well, for better or worse. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: My plans lie in shambles!
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| Massively Speaking Episode 171 Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  As a very special bonus to this week's episode, we also have an interview with Tiny Speck's Stewart Butterfield. Not only is Stewart the co-creator of Glitch, but he is also a co-founder of Flickr and was once named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Oh yeah, he was on the cover of Newsweek, too. 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 171
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| Guild War 2's art director illustrates cover of National Geographic Posted: 02 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Guild Wars 2  Dociu currently holds the positions of both creative director and art director for Guild Wars 2. His skill and prestige certainly isn't hurting the game's profile any, as this achievement comes on top of the Exposé 9's Grand Master Award he won this past July. The National Geographic issue is on news stands (or, to you whippersnappers, the "website") now.
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| Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A Posted: 02 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox  Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did. A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.
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| Runewaker Entertainment announces Dragon's Prophet Posted: 02 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, News items, Miscellaneous  Runewaker Entertainment, creator of the popular free-to-play title Runes of Magic, has announced its newest upcoming title, Dragon's Prophet. Players will be able to capture a large variety of dragons, each with its own statistics and attributes. After a dragon has been captured, players will be granted a stat bonus based on the stats of the dragon. That's all the information we have for now, but jump past the cut for the game's announcement trailer, and stay tuned for more information. Continue reading Runewaker Entertainment announces Dragon's Prophet
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| Vindictus EU updates with Lost Artifact episode Posted: 02 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus  Vindictus may be a relatively new arrival on the European gaming scene, but Nexon is wasting no time updating the hack-and-slash game with a new episode. The Lost Artifact content pack comes loaded with a level cap increase, new bonus missions, and a new area called the Hilder Forest. Players will journey to the "icy caverns of Hoarfrost Depths and face fearsome foes," among them various Yeti clans, Formors, and new raid boss monsters. New skills are also the order of the day, and abilities like shield charge and reverse gravity are designed to decimate foes and add a bit of oomph to the game's combat visuals. Finally, new gameplay styles are coming to the EU client, and Hero Mode bumps up the difficulty level while Gauntlet Mode pits players against their "most dreaded enemies, one right after another." Surviving the gauntlet brings several rewards including a rare title. More info is available at the EU Vindictus website. If you're an American Vindictus player and all this is sounding a bit familiar, well, it should. The Lost Artifact update went live in the States back in February. [Source: Nexon press release]
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| League of Legends spotlight introduces Shyvana, the Half-Dragon Posted: 02 Nov 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Not So Massively  Where Shyvana really comes into her own is with her ultimate -- a spell with no cooldown that transforms her into a dragon. Shyvana leaps in the target direction and deals damage to everything in the area as she transforms, and gains bonus armour and damage while in dragon form. Shyvana must gain 100 fury by landing enough basic melee attacks before she can transform, and while in dragon form her fury meter depletes over time. Fury is still gained by landing melee attacks while in dragon form, which can be used to extend the duration of the form. Skip past the cut to watch the full League of Legends Shyvana champion spotlight video in HD. Continue reading League of Legends spotlight introduces Shyvana, the Half-Dragon
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| RuneScape sings, gobbles, and slays its way through November Posted: 02 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Previews, RuneScape, Free-to-play  Speaking of the holiday, a turkey invasion led by the fearsome Captain Turkerton is imminent and only the players will be able to negotiate a truce before the gobblepocalypse arrives. As incentive for participating in the event, RuneScape is planning to award Thanksgiving crests and turkey pets for the diplomatically savvy. Jagex has a lot more on its plate for November, including revamping elements of the interface, overhauling the website design, and introducing the Slayer-centric Polypore Dungeon. Additionally, the November quest, "One Piercing Note," is a first for the game: a fully voice-acted experience that will incorporate singing and dancing into the story! Following Bot Nuking Day and the resulting dip in population, Jagex has consolidated several servers into new multi-country European worlds. The team is also hard at work addressing some current issues with players having problems logging in and experiencing lag. A fix is scheduled for later today.
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