MMO Updates |
- Teenage killer confesses crime in World of Warcraft chat, sentenced to life in prison
- Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter
- WRUP: Let's do the crafting edition
- The Daily Grind: Are we witnessing the bursting of a gaming bubble?
- Prime Battle for Dominus plans website relaunch, new title
- The MMO Report: The beard is gone edition
- Betawatch: October 29-November 4, 2011
- Overhaul to skills coming to Star Trek Online
- Storyboard: The reflection lies
- Agent progression revealed for Star Wars: The Old Republic
- The Old Republic pre-order head start 'up to five days' [Updated]
- Darkfall announces reactivation weekend
- Zynga reports record revenue in last quarter
- WindSlayer 2 enters open beta testing
- DUST 514 dev blog introduces Mobile Command Centers
- SWTOR's Georg Zoeller salutes the Trooper class
- MMObility: Ten terrific titles for this nifty new netbook
- LEGO Universe shutting down January 2012
- The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez
- Recruit for Ryzom, win fabulous prizes!
| Teenage killer confesses crime in World of Warcraft chat, sentenced to life in prison Posted: 05 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Legal, Miscellaneous  Kruse Wellwood and Cameron Moffat spent time planning the assault beforehand, and Wellwood even mentioned his desire to do the crime to a guild friend in WoW. Following the 2010 crime, Wellwood logged back in World of Warcraft to talk about the murder to his online girlfriend in Halifax, sending her links of the news reports as proof of his story. Amazingly, his girlfriend mildly chided him to "just don't do it again." The in-game chat logs were part of the mountain of evidence collected by the police. The pair pleaded not guilty to the crime.
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| Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter Posted: 05 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  In the latest In Development video, Guard talks to the EVE feature teams about the absolutely massive list of balance changes and features coming with the winter expansion. CCP Soundwave admits that developers have "probably done more rebalancing in the past month than we have in the past two years," before rattling off an impressive list of changes and new features. Skip past the cut for a brief summary of the changes and to watch the video in HD. Continue reading Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter
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| WRUP: Let's do the crafting edition Posted: 05 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  In other news, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what they'll be up to for the weekend and whether or not they stay subscribed to a game to support it after we're no longer playing it. Click on past the break for our weekend plans, and let us know what you'll be up to down in the comments! Continue reading WRUP: Let's do the crafting edition
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| The Daily Grind: Are we witnessing the bursting of a gaming bubble? Posted: 05 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion  What do you think? Are we dealing with a "gaming bubble" on the verge of bursting? Did MMOs become too popular too fast, such that the industry is now bloated and unsustainable? Is a culling of the MMO herd a necessary evil to improve the overall quality of MMOs? Or is this flurry of layoffs and closures merely a coincidence, a temporary downsizing due to end soon?  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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| Prime Battle for Dominus plans website relaunch, new title Posted: 04 Nov 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, PvP  In a brief tweet to the game's followers, the devs posted the following: "The guilds page on our site is down until Monday, when we relaunch our website. Not changing the game, just changing the name." Considering that the official forums now say "Welcome to Prime Online!" we have a pretty good guess as to what that new name might be. That's right: World of PrimeCraft. [Thanks Johannes for the tip!]
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| The MMO Report: The beard is gone edition Posted: 04 Nov 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Interviews, Previews, Endgame, RIFT, The MMO Report, Dungeons  (*Casey's de-bearding was, he claims, "for the greater good," and by the greater good, he means in the service of a swanky Petyr Baelish Halloween costume. How cool is that?) Hit the jump for the special edition MMO Report! Continue reading The MMO Report: The beard is gone edition
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| Betawatch: October 29-November 4, 2011 Posted: 04 Nov 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  We're saying goodbye to Earth Eternal this week, but unfortunately not because the game has launched. In a this-might-be-all-we-ever-get announcement this week, the developers informed players that the project is on hold and the game's development team has been reassigned to other projects. On a happier note, Castlot joins our open beta list, as does WindSlayer 2. Follow along after the jump for the latest Betawatch list. Continue reading Betawatch: October 29-November 4, 2011
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| Overhaul to skills coming to Star Trek Online Posted: 04 Nov 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play  A list of the new skills and their effects are included with the newest installment of the Path to F2P blog, with the changes allowing players to more easily switch between ship types and weapon types without feeling unduly penalized. In addition, skills are now clearly separated into buffs to click abilities or passive benefits, rather than having them tied together in several cases. It's a wide-sweeping set of revisions but hopefully one that will help make the system more transparent for all players.
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| Storyboard: The reflection lies Posted: 04 Nov 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  At least, it's theoretically different. I've talked many times about how roleplaying is many things to many different people, but one of the big potential pitfalls comes when you're roleplaying with people you know because some people play characters that are still, fundamentally, part of the player. And if you're plaing alongside someone whose characters are more personal than yours, it can cause some very odd disconnects that you might not even recognize until after the fact. Continue reading Storyboard: The reflection lies
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| Agent progression revealed for Star Wars: The Old Republic Posted: 04 Nov 2011 04:45 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  On the Operative route, armors tend toward hooded attire as the character employs a variety of blades, bombs, and short-range blaster attacks to keep enemies pinned. Snipers, meanwhile, are sleekly armored ranged dispensers of death, with their abilities culminating in a large-scale orbital strike to take out inconvenient enemies. If you're itching to play an Agent, you'd be well-served to take a look at the full trailer to see all that the class is capable of doing in the name of the Empire. Continue reading Agent progression revealed for Star Wars: The Old Republic
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| The Old Republic pre-order head start 'up to five days' [Updated] Posted: 04 Nov 2011 04:25 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  As The Old Republic's release date draws ever closer, fans are starting to dig into the nitty-gritty of what they can expect from the game's launch. Well, one intrepid investigator over on the official forums has dug up this nugget from the official pre-order page: CUSTOMERS WHO PRE-ORDER STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY THE GAME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH. EARLY GAME ACCESS IS THE PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL GAME LAUNCH WHEN PRE-ORDER CUSTOMERS MAY ACCESS THE GAME. EARLY GAME ACCESS MAY BE UP TO 5 DAYS. THE LENGTH OF YOUR EARLY GAME ACCESS DEPENDS ON THE DATE AND ORDER IN WHICH YOU REDEEMED YOUR PRE-ORDER CODE AT THE CODE REDEMPTION CENTER. SEE PRE-ORDER FAQ FOR MORE DETAILS.So there you have it, folks. You can expect anywhere up to a five-day headstart with your pre-order. Of course, we expect we'll have confirmation on the matter from BioWare soon enough. [Updated: The official site has updated to confirm the speculation, and we've tucked the full text behind the break. BioWare has also issued an official FAQ and chart to outline which pre-order benefits come with each edition.] Continue reading The Old Republic pre-order head start 'up to five days' [Updated]
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| Darkfall announces reactivation weekend Posted: 04 Nov 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Events, in-game, News items, Sandbox  Are you a Darkfall fan who just never got around to giving the game a shot? Or maybe you're a former player who's been waiting for the right time to make a return. Well, the Darkfall team has an opportunity for you. In two weeks, Aventurine will be hosting a free reactivation weekend. All previous accounts will be reactivated for a weekend full of accelerated skilling and shiny loot. So mark that one down on your calendars, Darkfall fans, and go give the game another whirl.
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| Zynga reports record revenue in last quarter Posted: 04 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Economy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  A recent SEC filing from Zynga, creator of the social gaming epidemic known as FarmVille, revealed that the company is reporting a record quarterly revenue of over 306 million USD, though -- bizarrely enough -- profits are almost 54 percent lower than they were this time last year. Revenue isn't the only thing that's on the rise, either. The company reports 152 million unique monthly players, compared to the 151 million the company reported in June. The average number of daily players, however, dropped from 59 million to 54 million. At any rate, the company seems to be going strong, with new titles such as the recently announced (supposed MMO) CastleVille just on the horizon.
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| WindSlayer 2 enters open beta testing Posted: 04 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play  We've had a number of dev diaries from the WindSlayer 2 team in the past month, covering everything from melee classes to ranged combat to the game's economy. Now you can try it all out for yourself. The game has just entered open beta, and to celebrate the occasion, the devs are holding a number of events through which players can rake in all kinds of nifty loot. If you want to get the full details on what these events entail and to sign up for the game's open beta test, head on over to WindSlayer 2's official site. [Source: Ignited Games press release]
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| DUST 514 dev blog introduces Mobile Command Centers Posted: 04 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514  DUST 514 commanders, your attention please. The latest blog post from CCP Remnant over on the official PlayStation blog provides some insight into the massive Mobile Command Center ship, from which the team's commander gathers intel, issues orders, and orchestrates the battle. Of course, due to the MCC's pivotal role on the battlefield, ground troops would do well to ensure its protection. As the blog mentions, the destruction of a team's MCC is no small feat, but success in the endeavor can often mean assured victory. For the full details on the game's Mobile Command Centers, head on over to the official blog.
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| SWTOR's Georg Zoeller salutes the Trooper class Posted: 04 Nov 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Interviews, Star Wars: The Old Republic  In an interview on RepublicTrooper.com, Zoeller fields a number of questions about the Trooper's capabilities in combat, especially in regard to how a ranged class can function as a tank. After struggling with these unique problems, BioWare tuned the Vanguard (the Trooper's advanced tanking spec) to be a mid-ranged tank with visual effects to show when the class was warding off melee attacks. "Statistically, their tanking ability is based more upon absorption and shielding and less about avoidance, making them the slightly more predictable tanks (Medics love that)," he wrote. "Finally, they are visually very different when in action, as most of their abilities are themed around technical attacks " Zoeller said that all-Trooper guilds are entirely possible, given the flexibility of the advanced class roles, as Troopers cover the gamut of the Holy Trinity. He sees Trooper healers as being extremely desirable: "Commandos are the only medic class capable of increasing their target's mitigation and receptivity to heals. They are also the only Advanced Class that features a 'smart heal,' an auto-response heal that triggers on the target when they take damage."
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| MMObility: Ten terrific titles for this nifty new netbook Posted: 04 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Ultima Online, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Hands-on, Casual, MMORTS, Mabinogi, Kids, Wizard101, Sandbox  After I tweaked it and purged it of bloatware, I had to get some games going on it, and not just casual Facebook games but real MMOs. I spent a few days going through my list of titles to see which ones would work on the netbook and how many will work well with the touchscreen. I wanted games that would give a normal netbook fits but not lag excessively. Note that my netbook's screen is 1366x768, while the cheapest ones out there are normally 1024x600. Adjustments might need to be made there. I came up only with 10 games for now, but expect more in the future. Click past the cut to see the list! Continue reading MMObility: Ten terrific titles for this nifty new netbook
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| LEGO Universe shutting down January 2012 Posted: 04 Nov 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Free-to-play, LEGO Universe, Kids, Family  The news was posted just moments ago on the official forums along with a more in-depth FAQ: Hello Adventurer, today we are very sad to announce that LEGO Universe will be closing on January 31, 2012. This was a very difficult decision to make, but unfortunately LEGO Universe has not been able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.Unfortunately, this closure means that the associated studios, including one in Colorado and one in Denmark, will be shuttered and 115 employees will be affected. LEGO Universe launched in October 2010 and converted to a free-to-play model this past August. We've included the official press release behind the break. Continue reading LEGO Universe shutting down January 2012
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| The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez Posted: 04 Nov 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Business models, Classes, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, The Firing Line  So what will we be talking about in The Firing Line? Well, this is the part where I rub my hands together in anticipation! Naturally we'll spend a lot of time with the genre's big guns (sorry, I had to use that at least once), so I'll be playing huge amounts of PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, Firefall, Global Agenda, and the semi-obscure free-to-play titles crowding the market -- all in an effort to bring you the very best news and views from the world of pew pew. Continue reading The Firing Line: Tribes impressions and a visit to Hi-Rez
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| Recruit for Ryzom, win fabulous prizes! Posted: 04 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Ryzom, Free-to-play  Each player is tasked with recruiting friends and family members via a unique link that will count toward their tally during the month of November. After November 30th, the Ryzom team will see which players have netted the biggest catch and will dole out rewards accordingly. The first place winner gets a choice of tempting prizes: either an original concept art drawing or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 graphics card. Second place can choose from the drawing or a lifetime subscription to the game, and third through sixth place winners will receive a three-month subscription. Ryzom is currently free-to-play with an optional subscription package.
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