MMO Updates |
- Skyrim Online mod aims to take the game, er, online
- On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me...
- Final SWG producer's letter thanks community
- Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg steps down as producer and game director
- The Firing Line: Aiming to misbehave
- MMObility: A first look at Conquer Online for the iPad and a giveaway
- The Daily Grind: Now that all Guild Wars 2 professions are revealed, which will you play?
- Flyff releases New Beginnings to the German and French servers
- The MMO Report: This is why we can't have nice things edition
- Clone Wars Adventures launches open-world combat expansion
- Ask Massively: Not everyone wants to be your friend edition
- APB: Reloaded cracks into Steam's most-played games
- Behind the Mask: A way to improve microtransaction consumables
- End of Nations Warfront 03: Interrogation edition
- Conquer Online's Invasion of Pirates expansion slated for January
- Blizzard introduces universal BattleTags to its titles
- Guild Wars' Wintersday 2011 brings new costumes, holiday cheer
- BioWare announces SWTOR grace period, scheduled maintenance windows
- The Guild Counsel: What if the game leaves you?
- The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
- Try the Eligium closed beta this weekend exclusively through Massively
- Wargaming.net releases World of Tanks' 7.0 update
- Super Hero Squad Online wishes you a merry X-Men Month
- Winners chosen in Star Supremacy ship design contest
- Pando Networks studies growth of F2P MMOs, makes infographic
- Lineage II goes F2P in Europe tomorrow
| Skyrim Online mod aims to take the game, er, online Posted: 16 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, News items, Miscellaneous  GameFront is reporting on a new mod for the PC version of the game (you did buy the PC version, didn't you?) that takes the celebrated series into the online realm. According to the mod's author, it will allow you to "play with your friends, chat with people worldwide, [and] trade with other players." No word yet on lootstealing or ganking noobs. FPSWin has some early video footage of the Skyrim Online experiment which we've embedded for you after the cut. It's definitely not polished (the animations are poor and the player characters are glitchy), but there is a functioning chatbox. If nothing else, it's a start, amirite? Continue reading Skyrim Online mod aims to take the game, er, online
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| On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me... Posted: 16 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MapleStory, Contests, Free-to-play, Giveaways, Dragon Nest  On the third day of giveaways, Wargaming.net gave to me... three premium years! On the second day of giveaways, BioWare gave to me... two warring factions! On the first day of giveaways, Turbine gave to me... a lifetime VIP! MapleStory fans, your day is here! Nexon is joining the 12 Days of Giveaways event again this year with some fun MapleStory pet packs. Each package contains four items: a permanent pet (either a White Bunny, a Mir, or a Jr. Reaper), a permanent pet equip, pet food, and a pet scroll. We've got 20 of these pet four-packs to hand out to our readers, but that's not all! If Dragon Nest is more your speed, Nexon has you covered as well! We have four Dragon Nest prize packages, each containing 10 Dragon Eggs. Each egg opens to reveal a random prize -- anything from yellow or black Cupid wings to a Royal Crimson Stallion, and many other possibilities. If you want to pick up one of these prizes, just enter by leaving a comment to tell us which of these two games is your favorite and why. The entry deadline is tomorrow, December 17th, at noon EST. Check out our contest rules to make sure you're eligible, and best of luck!  
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| Final SWG producer's letter thanks community Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars Galaxies, Sandbox  Tyson touches on several highlights including housing, crafting, entertaining, and space-sim mechanics that were unique to SWG, and he ultimately concludes that the game "was, and will always be, a meaningful and memorable part of my life, an experience I'll treasure and share with anyone who wants to hear a good story." SOE launched SWG on June 26, 2003 and powered down the servers one final time early this morning.
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| Anarchy Online's Colin Cragg steps down as producer and game director Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, MMO industry, Free-to-play  "When I look at the passion this team and the community has for Anarchy Online it has always made me feel privileged just to get to be a part of it," Cragg wrote in his farewell letter. "It has been an incredible honor to get to spend the last eight years working with Anarchy Online and being a part of the Funcom family." Two Funcom employees will split his former duties. Dave "Ilaliya" Williams, who has worked on both Age of Conan and The Secret World, will take over as producer. Filling the game director shoes is Fia "Lindelu" Tjernberg, a long-time member of the Anarchy Online dev team.
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| The Firing Line: Aiming to misbehave Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, The Firing Line  Now, when I say obscure, I don't necessarily mean shoe-string budget indie productions. The games I've got for you after the cut feature a cross-section of both big IPs and big-name development studios, but for whatever reason, they're still a bit under the radar when compared to the likes of PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, and Firefall. Turn the page to read about four online shooters you should be excited about. There might even be some video involved if you play your cards right. Continue reading The Firing Line: Aiming to misbehave
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| MMObility: A first look at Conquer Online for the iPad and a giveaway Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Mobile, Hands-on, Giveaways, MMObility  I was told that Conquer Online should feel a bit like Ultima Online on the iPad, but I'm not sure about that. Yes, it features the isometric view that we are all so familiar with in UO, but I don't think the comparison holds up beyond that. Click past the cut and I'll break it down for you. Also, if you would like to receive a free super item pack for the game, you'll find it at the end of the article! Continue reading MMObility: A first look at Conquer Online for the iPad and a giveaway
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| The Daily Grind: Now that all Guild Wars 2 professions are revealed, which will you play? Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, The Daily Grind  But now that we can flip through the entire array of Guild Wars 2 professions, we're left with the question about what class to play... or play first. Will you be burning stuff with the Elementalist, bashing stuff with the Warrior, or shooting stuff with the Ranger? Perhaps you'd like to pander to your inner kleptomaniac by playing a Thief or dance with the dead as a Necromancer. Throw in the Guardian, Engineer, and Mesmer, and it's fairly impossible to pick just one. So which will you play first? Let us know your profession plans for Guild Wars 2 in the comments below.  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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| Flyff releases New Beginnings to the German and French servers Posted: 15 Dec 2011 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Flyff, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  To help promote the patch, the community team is launching a Lights, Camera, Action! promotion. A group of eight players can register and then upload a video to Own3D.tv, with in-game rewards coming as the video accumulates more likes and shares. The total value of all potential rewards goes up to 1,000 Euros, which should help encourage the French and German players of the game to get in on the action. There's also a trailer for the patch just after the break, although if you're not familiar with French, the language barrier might be an issue. [Source: gPotato press release] Continue reading Flyff releases New Beginnings to the German and French servers
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| The MMO Report: This is why we can't have nice things edition Posted: 15 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Opinion, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous  Finally, Casey dips into Uncle Casey's Mailbag to read an email from a fan who believes Casey is a dead-ringer for Christopher Eccleston (of Doctor Who fame), which gave The Beard an opportunity to plug next week's special edition MMO Report, in which the crew will dish out some insider info on the inbound Doctor Who MMO. The full video is tucked behind the break. Continue reading The MMO Report: This is why we can't have nice things edition
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| Clone Wars Adventures launches open-world combat expansion Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Clone Wars Adventures  The list of features on the new world is quite extensive, including a new mission instance for multiple players to experience and special abilities beyond weapons available only to Jedi members. Players can also assemble a collection of special equipment, slip the surly bonds of gravity with the newfound ability to jump, and ride around on their very own AT-RT mounts from the marketplace. It should be an interesting addition for fans of Clone Wars Adventures -- after all, who doesn't like the option to blast droids? [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
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| Ask Massively: Not everyone wants to be your friend edition Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  Lots of of people do find that fun. But I'm personally not keen on that as a motivational technique. I don't want to level up so I can be one of the bullies instead of the bullied; I'd rather just opt out. Why did I tell you that story to lead off Ask Massively? As Bill Cosby would put it, I told you that story so I could tell you this one, or at least so I could answer one of this week's questions about Lineage II. Also, thermodynamics. If you've got a question for a future installment, you can leave it in the comment field or mail it along to ask@massively.com. Continue reading Ask Massively: Not everyone wants to be your friend edition
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| APB: Reloaded cracks into Steam's most-played games Posted: 15 Dec 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime  According to Rahul Sandil, SVP of marketing and business development for GamersFirst, "[GamersFirst] recognized the potential for APB: Reloaded to be a true breakout hit in the Free2Play category all through beta testing." The game's new Fight Club gameplay mode hasn't hurt the game's popularity either, which is all pretty good for a game that originally set a record for its quick shutdown. The future of APB: Reloaded remains to be seen, but the present is certainly looking bright. [Source: GamersFirst press release]
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| Behind the Mask: A way to improve microtransaction consumables Posted: 15 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Economy, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  Improving the value of C-Store consumables won't appease the vocal minority whose sense of entitlement tells them that they deserve the ultra-rare grab bag items. These people only see the grab bags as chances for costume unlocks, so making the consumables worth the 80 CP ($1 US) won't matter to them. For the general public, though, making the consumables worth the gamble makes the grab bag items much more desirable. This week on Behind the Mask, we'll look at the C-Store consumables and weigh in on whether they're worth the money. If they're not, we'll look at what could be done to fix it! Continue reading Behind the Mask: A way to improve microtransaction consumables
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| End of Nations Warfront 03: Interrogation edition Posted: 15 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, News items, War, Free-to-play, MMORTS  It's time for another episode of End of Nations Warfront, and this week, Cole Marshall takes players' questions from last week's warfront and interrogates Community Manager Myll_Erik, also known as Lance James. James answers players' questions as best as he can, speaking on PvP tournaments, tutorial videos, and life at the Trion Worlds offices. He also discusses the challenges of being a CM and details how the forums will be handled when the trash talk begins. For the full video, just click on past the cut and have a look for yourself. Continue reading End of Nations Warfront 03: Interrogation edition
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| Conquer Online's Invasion of Pirates expansion slated for January Posted: 15 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  NetDragon is also gifting players with additional abilities, among them new cannon bomb and pistol skills that are a must for any Pirate. The company's press release is light on gameplay details, but it does promise "an epic journey full of hidden treasure, ancient evils, dangerous traps and other mysterious challenges [that] await new and old players alike." Invasion of Pirates is scheduled to sail sometime in January of 2012. [Source: NetDragon press release]
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| Blizzard introduces universal BattleTags to its titles Posted: 15 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, News items, Miscellaneous  When Blizzard first rolled out Battle.net's Real ID feature, many players were timid (read: incensed) about using it due to the fact that it revealed players' real-life names to fellow gamers they added. These worries can be easily laid to rest with Blizzard's latest announcement: the addition of BattleTags. What's a BattleTag, you ask? Well, simply put, it's a screen name by which you are identifiable across all Blizzard games, only without the privacy concerns of Real ID. Real ID, however, will continue to exist along with BattleTags, so players can use whichever method they so desire. BattleTags are currently being tested in the Diablo III beta, and the feature will be available to Diablo III players when the game launches. The feature will also be rolled into World of Warcraft and StarCraft II, but the studio isn't ready to give solid dates on when that may take place. For the full details on BattleTags, including instructions on how to claim your own, head on over to WoW Insider and have a read.
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| Guild Wars' Wintersday 2011 brings new costumes, holiday cheer Posted: 15 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, News items  It's the most wonderful time of the year in Tyria because Wintersday 2011 has begun. And there's certainly no shortage of events for Guild Wars players looking to get into the Wintersday spirit. Lion's Arch, Kamadan, Ascalon City, and the Eye of the North will all provide players with holiday quests, while more pugnacious revelers can get into the spirit of the season with 8v8 snowball tournaments. As usual, players can take part in the annual Grenth vs. Dwayna holiday event in order to receive a spiffy Wintersday mask, and two new costumes are also available for purchase in the NCsoft store. The new costume sets, known as Augur of Kormir and Vision of Lyssa, are available for $6.99 US each. Players can also buy them as a bundle for the discounted price of $9.99 US, or they can shell out $29.99 US for the Limited Edition Pantheon Pack, which includes six deity-themed costumes. But act quickly! The limited edition pack is available only until January 16th. For the full details, head on over to Guild Wars' official Wintersday site. [Thanks to Tanek for the correction!]
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| BioWare announces SWTOR grace period, scheduled maintenance windows Posted: 15 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Put down your torches and pitchforks, Star Wars: The Old Republic early access players. Greg Zeschuk stopped by the official SWTOR forums today in order to announce that the team has listened to the cries for a grace period from those who may not have access to their boxed copies of the game come launch day. In response, BioWare has granted players a two-day grace period from launch. What this means is that players have from the beginning of launch on December 20th until 12:01 a.m. EST on December 22nd to enter their game registration codes. It's also worth noting that the team has announced three scheduled maintenance windows spanning from tomorrow until December 22nd. The first maintenance period will take place on Friday, December 16th, beginning at 3:00 a.m. EST, and it is "expected to take no more than two hours." The second window will begin at 7:00 p.m. EST on December 19th and will mark the end of early access. The final scheduled maintenance window will take place on December 22nd at 3:00 a.m. EST. So keep that in mind, TOR players, as you plan your play times. For the full details, head on over to the SWTOR official site.
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| The Guild Counsel: What if the game leaves you? Posted: 15 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Guilds, MMO industry, Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Livestream, The Guild Counsel, Sandbox  This week, Star Wars Galaxies' eight-year-plus run will come to an end, and the servers will shut down at midnight EST tonight. I saw a terrific tribute video made by Kyranna Mythina from the Starsider server, and I wanted to get some thoughts about the game and its closing. Read on for Kyranna's best memories of the game as well as thoughts about the end... and where to go from there. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What if the game leaves you?
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| The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots Posted: 15 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, World of Darkness, Fallout Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, Transformers Universe, Otherland, MechWarrior Online  That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right. Deep breath -- let's give it a go! Continue reading The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
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| Try the Eligium closed beta this weekend exclusively through Massively Posted: 15 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-play  Frogster has arranged for exclusive early access for players via Massively. Simply register for the beta using this link. After doing so, you'll be able to download the game. Can't get enough Eligium after your early access weekend? Keep an eye on Massively Monday -- we might just have something extra for you. In the meantime, enjoy your exclusive weekend testing period!
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| Wargaming.net releases World of Tanks' 7.0 update Posted: 15 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Real life, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks  First up are two new game maps, the Swamp and the Fjords, and there's also a bit of tank customization in the offing thanks to new camouflage and various horn effects. Tank company levels are also being tweaked, as are the game's visual effects (including smoke, shots, and explosions that have been tuned to allow for lower system requirements). If you've ever wanted to relive your multiplayer battles (and you don't have a copy of Fraps handy), you can now save and view replays at will. Finally, new technology will allow for users "to play on any cluster of the server group with same unified account." Head to the official site for more, and don't forget to fire up your patchers to start the update! [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
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| Super Hero Squad Online wishes you a merry X-Men Month Posted: 15 Dec 2011 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Casual, Family, Super Hero Squad Online  Enrollment is open for the School for Gifted Youngsters, and signing up for superhero mayhem are several brand-new heroes for the game. The MMO is also unleashing four new quests -- two for Wolverine and two for Rogue -- to go with its signature card battles. Vice President Jay Minn is (sorry) super-psyched for the theme month: "X-Men month has been a long time coming since the launch of our game. Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Angel, Iceman and Shadowcat have always topped our list of most-requested Marvel heroes. We are very excited that our fans will finally be able to show off and fight evil as the X-Men! Happy holidays everyone and Hero Up!" [Source: Gazillion press release]
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| Winners chosen in Star Supremacy ship design contest Posted: 15 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Browser, MMORTS  The devs recently held a design-your-own-starship contest, and according to a post on the game's official boards, the results are in. Barbily Games is also open to player suggestions for similar events in the future, and the company is actively soliciting related feedback on the forums. Star Supremacy is set in the far future and it features three human factions locked in a struggle for expansion and conquest in the wake of a resource shortage on the planet Earth.
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| Pando Networks studies growth of F2P MMOs, makes infographic Posted: 15 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  Pando Networks, creator of the ubiquitous Pando Media Booster, has done a study on the growth of the F2P MMO industry. The data, which can be viewed in a handy infographic after the cut, shows that the number of people downloading free-to-play online games grew by 450% between 2009 and 2011. According to the study, the increase in players has come from a number of large titles -- such as Lord of the Rings Online -- making the switch to a F2P model. Also mentioned is the ever-popular MOBA, League of Legends. The study also notes that this huge growth isn't just happening in the United States or Europe; it's a worldwide phenomenon. In Latin America, the number of people downloading F2P titles rose by 595%, while the number of people downloading free-to-play titles in Japan and Australia rose by 392% and 234%, respectively. For the full infographic, just click on past the cut and have a look. [Source: Pando Networks press release] Continue reading Pando Networks studies growth of F2P MMOs, makes infographic
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| Lineage II goes F2P in Europe tomorrow Posted: 15 Dec 2011 09:15 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, Business models, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  Innova CEO Gevork Sarkisyan says that there's big demand for the PvP-centric fantasy title in Europe. "We have already seen our Lineage II community grow significantly during the beta phases, and we are looking forward to opening the full service to everyone tomorrow," he said via press release. Lineage II recently launched the largest expansion in its history, and NCsoft is advertising the game as the first "truly free" free-to-play MMORPG on the market. [Source: Innova press release]
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