MMO Updates |
- 38 Studios opens a website portal to Project Copernicus' world
- CCP talks EVE UI scaling
- Isometric DarkEden vampire MMO enters closed beta
- Nexon's Japanese IPO aims at raising $1.3 billion
- DCUO producer's update says login fixes are coming
- ArcheAge gears up for its fourth closed beta test
- The Daily Grind: What turns you off to a game before you even try it?
- G-Star 2011: NCsoft announces Lineage Eternal
- Monster Galaxy Facebook game coming to the big screen
- Mabinogi announces The Merchant of Venice, California contest
- Star Trek Online outlines the next several veteran rewards for players
- Ultima Online producer's letter promises revitalization of classic content
- BioWare steps up The Old Republic account security
- Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades
- Piranha: MechWarrior's F2P model not pay-to-win
- Spanish version of Perfect World International is on the way
- Free-to-play Nadirim launches today
- RIFT Ember Isle developer diary talks art and lore
- DC Universe Online boasts 1000% playerbase growth
- Valve's Steam forum security compromised
- Prime: Battle for Dominus undergoes a quick name change
- Rumor: Senior Titan designer laid off by Blizzard
- New trailer for APB: Reloaded encourages you to be someone else
- EverQuest: Veil of Alaris walkthrough video highlights the Pillars of Alra
- EVE dev blog outlines starbase-related tweaks
| 38 Studios opens a website portal to Project Copernicus' world Posted: 08 Nov 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Previews  The studio launched a pair of websites devoted to the game world and its first game today. Over on Amalur, 38 Studios has unleashed its loremasters to share with you the stories, features, histories, and settings of this fantasy landscape. And while Reckoning is just a prequel to the eventual MMO, its website contains quite a few lore snippets as well as a world map to pour over while you're planning your future conquests. As part of the twin projects, R.A. Salvatore has created over 10,000 years of fictional history for the world of Amalur, stretching from The Deep Gloam to the Age of Heroes. Reckoning takes place during the Age of Arcana, with Copernicus happening some time thereafter.
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| Posted: 08 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  The latest EVE Online dev blog does just that, and CCP Punkturis says that while a full-scale UI revamp is quite difficult and time-consuming due to the original design, the dev team is nonetheless hard at work on the next best thing: UI scaling. The feature is currently in testing and while there's no official date for its deployment to the live Tranquility server, Punkturis does provide a few nifty screenshots if you're curious to see how it looks.
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| Isometric DarkEden vampire MMO enters closed beta Posted: 08 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  The game features three races and "distinctive gameplay mechanics and methods for character progression such as the vampire's need to drink blood to gain experience points," according to a new press release. DarkEden's closed beta phase is currently live, and you can sign up for a chance to test at the game's official website. [Source: Ignited Games press release]
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| Nexon's Japanese IPO aims at raising $1.3 billion Posted: 08 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Miscellaneous  The Korean company recently moved its headquarters from Seoul to Tokyo, and is well-known for its popular MMOs such as MapleStory, Mabinogi, and Vindictus. Nexon has over 3,000 people in its employ across the world, and previously said that it is open to purchasing more companies in Japan after the IPO. The company commented on its post-IPO strategy in a brief statement: "As we pursue our strategic objectives, we regularly review our options for accelerating our growth. We have made no decisions or announcements about any specific financing or other plans and cannot comment on rumors." The IPO will be handled by Nomura Securities, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. Nexon is hoping that the move will raise its market cap to $9 billion, which will make it the biggest online gaming company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company is currently worth $7.7 billion.
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| DCUO producer's update says login fixes are coming Posted: 08 Nov 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online  Producer Lorin Jameson says that SOE is working hard to alleviate the problems, and the company released a PC client patch last night while a PlayStation 3 patch is awaiting Sony approval. "In the next couple of days we will be deploying other improvements like priority queuing for Legendary and Premium players, and soon we will be releasing Game Update 6 which has the conclusion to the Fortress of Solitude raid series and other game enhancements," Jameson wrote on the game's Facebook page.
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| ArcheAge gears up for its fourth closed beta test Posted: 08 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, ArcheAge, Sandbox  The good folks over on the ArcheAge blog have translated the news for us. If you've already been a part of the third beta test, you'll automatically be rolled over into this next one. If you haven't gotten into the beta yet, you can apply for CBT4 from today through Sunday, December 4th. Of course, you might need to brush up on your Korean if you do. Lucky beta testers will be informed of their status by December 7th, with the beta test kicking off on the 8th of next month. ArcheAge's closed beta test 4 will have approximately 5,000 players when all is said and done.
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| The Daily Grind: What turns you off to a game before you even try it? Posted: 08 Nov 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  With so many choices and so much information available, gamers can afford to be choosy and make some decisions even before installing. Today we want to hear what you look at before you try a game. There are plenty of details that we know we do want, but what about the things that make you cringe and reconsider playing the game? Be it a free-to-play business model, a particular genre, a particular engine, or reportedly long download times, what is your dealbreaker? Hit the comment button and tell us all about it!  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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| G-Star 2011: NCsoft announces Lineage Eternal Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, New titles  One exciting mechanic said to be in the game is "drag-and-hold" combat, where you will literally drag your mouse to strike or cast at enemies in a pattern you draw on your screen (shown in the header image above). We'll be sure to keep you updated on every tiny bit of new info we can get from NCsoft on Lineage Eternal as it develops.
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| Monster Galaxy Facebook game coming to the big screen Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:30 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Casual, Miscellaneous  The two firms have just released a new press blurb trumpeting the fact that they've formed an alliance to bring Monster Galaxy to the big screen. What the heck is Monster Galaxy, you say? Well, it's a Facebook title that "has reigned as a top 10 game on the platform for six consecutive months," according to the release. The film version of Monster Galaxy will feature its unique "Moga" characters as well as "rich story and charming artwork." Gaia Interactive was founded in 2003 and claims to be one of the world's most active social gaming communities. Radar Pictures is owned by Ted Field, an entertainment executive with producer credits on films including Pitch Black, The Last Samurai, and Jumanji. [Source: Gaia press release]
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| Mabinogi announces The Merchant of Venice, California contest Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, News items, Free-to-play, Mabinogi  Mabinogi's latest content update followed the Shakespearean themes of the game's recent additions and added an in-game version of the Bard's famous play The Merchant of Venice. Now, Nexon is giving one lucky player the opportunity to become the merchant of Venice. Venice, California, that is. That's right, Nexon is giving away a trip for one player and a guest to sunny Venice, California, where they will receive 500 USD in spending money, three-night hotel accommodations, and a tour of the Nexon studios, complete with lunch with the Mabinogi team. To qualify for the contest, players much reach Merchant level 9 in each of Mabinogi's towns. Completing this task by November 28th will enter them into the drawing for the grand prize. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and peddle your wares. [Source: Nexon press release]
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| Star Trek Online outlines the next several veteran rewards for players Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play  The 600-day reward will change to a free token at level 51 (Vice Admiral) allowing players to pick a free ship, something that is currently the case but is being changed with the upcoming patch. This veteran reward means long-time players will still be eligible for a free ship, a benefit that should help assuage at least some of the issues seen with the payment model shift. The subsequent rewards range from new Android bridge officers to free respec tokens, all of which should make long-time players rather pleased.
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| Ultima Online producer's letter promises revitalization of classic content Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Ultima Online, Dungeons  In fact, some of that older content -- Shame, one of the original and iconic anti-virtue dungeons in classic Britannia -- is due for its revamp sooner rather than later. Publish 73, now on the test server, retools Shame with a truly massive itemization overhaul and difficulty scaling as players descend the dungeon's depths.
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| BioWare steps up The Old Republic account security Posted: 07 Nov 2011 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  As Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch date draws ever nearer, BioWare has announced that it is stepping up account security for the game. Any players whose accounts were created prior to October 21st will be required to change their passwords in order to conform to the new standards. Those standards, for the curious, dictate that the password must be between eight and 15 characters and must contain at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, and one number. For the full details, head on over to The Old Republic's official site.
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| Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades Posted: 07 Nov 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively  League of Legends' second competitive season approaches, and with it comes a series of summoner spell changes designed to encourage a more aggressive playstyle. Unused summoner names from season one were deleted as part of a database cleanup, opening 460,000 old names for registration. Firefall celebrates Halloween this week with a pumpkin-carving community roundup special featuring a giant carved pumpkin made in Minecraft. As Blacklight: Retribution continues its closed beta, developers discuss the game's high-technology battlefield and introduce a grenade that makes your opponents bluescreen. Read on for this week's top news stories from popular MOBAs and other online games that aren't quite MMOs. Continue reading Not So Massively: Competitive tournaments and bluescreen grenades
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| Piranha: MechWarrior's F2P model not pay-to-win Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  "One of our core pillars is role warfare and [it] is designed to, well -- level the playing field -- another concept from our original design. We're doing away with the arms race and making battle mechs of all shapes and sizes have a purpose and role on the battlefield," Ekman says. Why should players spend any money, then? That's not as clear, though the blog does touch on the usual F2P bullet points of convenience and acquisition speed. Get out your PR decoder rings and head to the official MechWarrior Online website for more info. [Update: A second blog post outlines the team's reveal plans in the coming weeks. Thanks to nimzy for the tip!]
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| Spanish version of Perfect World International is on the way Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Perfect World International, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  The official site for the Spanish version is up, along with registration options for players hoping to take part in the testing and refinement of the title. We've also received a few preview screenshots of the game in its current incarnation, although ironically enough none of these screenshots features text in any language. If you're hoping to be able to play the game in a language other than English, keep your eye on the localization of this title in the coming months. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
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| Free-to-play Nadirim launches today Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser  Beginning with just a small weapon and some basic armor, players are challenged to roam through the empire of Nadirim. Customizing their hero to their liking, while exploring the enchanted settings, players can join forces to defeat the legions of the Nadir, the evil djinn bringing darkness to a world where eternal sunshine has been present for generations.Our own Beau Hindman featured Nadirim in his Rise and Shiny column last August. Work on localization and an expansion are already underway, but in the meantime, you can start playing right now on the official site. [Source: Twisted Tribe press release]
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| RIFT Ember Isle developer diary talks art and lore Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lore, Patches, Previews, News items, RIFT, Dev Diaries, Dungeons  Hit the break to review the video in all its green glory. Continue reading RIFT Ember Isle developer diary talks art and lore
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| DC Universe Online boasts 1000% playerbase growth Posted: 07 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online  DC Universe Online has been free-to-play for just under a week now, but SOE is already reporting huge spikes in player population. SOE president John Smedley has been tweeting constantly since the transition, with the most recent tweet announcing that population is up 1000% from its pre-F2P numbers. It's not all sunshine and butterflies over in DCUO-land, however. Players have been experiencing a number of issues with the F2P transition, such as astoundingly long server queues, endless loading screens, and other gameplay-inhibiting problems. Smedley says that the team is "on it," though. If you want to be part of the game's booming playerbase, just head on over to the game's official site (or download the game on Steam) and jump on in.
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| Valve's Steam forum security compromised Posted: 07 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  Kotaku reports that the Steam forums were hacked last night, with the paper trail leading to a cracker website known as Fknowned.com. The gentlemen in question are of course denying all responsibility for the mischief, and thus far Valve has offered no comment on the situation. It's worth noting that the Steam forum account info is separate from the actual Steam service account info, but it's also likely that some users employ identical sets of credentials. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.
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| Prime: Battle for Dominus undergoes a quick name change Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items  Confirmed via an official tweet, the name change is hardly the first time that a game in production has undergone a shift in title (the most recent MMO example being RIFT and its multiple sobriquets). Nothing else appears to have changed for the title, although it's quite likely that the official site address will be changed and the current site will be used as a redirect. And it will be a lot easier to remember the name, since Dominus doesn't come up frequently in other conversations.
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| Rumor: Senior Titan designer laid off by Blizzard Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:15 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Rumors  John Staats, the senior level designer on Blizzard's secretive Titan project, has been let go, according to our tipster. Staats has been with the company for over a decade and is responsible for some of World of Warcraft's most celebrated content including all the raid dungeons, Blackrock Mountain and Booty Bay, and numerous other instanced dungeons. Staats was also described by Jeff Kaplan as the "hero of the WoW dev team." [Thanks to Steve for the tip!]
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| New trailer for APB: Reloaded encourages you to be someone else Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Real life, Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Humor  The trailer's goal is to highlight some of the gameplay and customization possible within the engine, encouraging players to be more than is possible within the real world. (Well, to be fair, it's very possible to have shootouts with the police in the real world, but it's not something you can log off from.) Click on past the break to see the whole trailer in all its glory. Continue reading New trailer for APB: Reloaded encourages you to be someone else
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| EverQuest: Veil of Alaris walkthrough video highlights the Pillars of Alra Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Expansions, Previews, News items  EverQuest: Veil of Alaris is only about a week from release, and SOE is keeping the hype train a-goin' with a new zone walkthrough video. This time around, the focus is on a zone known as the Pillars of Alra, where each of the eponymous pillars of the zone is dedicated to a different school of magic. To get a look at the new zone and hear what the designers of the Pillar of Alra have to say about the area, head on past the cut and check out the video. Continue reading EverQuest: Veil of Alaris walkthrough video highlights the Pillars of Alra
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| EVE dev blog outlines starbase-related tweaks Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox  CCP Greyscale gives us the skinny on tweaks to jump bridges, timers, and fuel blocks, and all of the adjustments are being made with an eye towards increasing capsuleer quality of life across the board. If the balance change theme sounds somewhat familiar, it's because CCP is making a habit of saying all the right things lately.
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