MMO Updates |
- SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only
- WRUP: No edition
- The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
- Monkey Quest goes portable
- Jade Dynasty: Legacy expansion goes live
- Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011
- Storyboard: Different points of view
- New video highlights the political system of TERA
- Lord of the Rings Online discusses this year's Yule Festival
- Win a free Guild Wars costume set from Massively!
- Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out
- Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video
- Randall Bills talks about shaping the future of MechWarrior Online
- The Secret World unveils new horrific creatures
- This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition
- Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed
- SWTOR brings up six new servers to match demand
- Gameforge offers a few Aion F2P details
| SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Business models, Promotions, Miscellaneous  Triple Station Cash works much like you'd imagine: Any game card redeemed or Station Cash purchased will register as three times that amount. So that 1000 Station Cash code you've got lying around is now worth 3000 points. Station Cash is SOE's multi-game currency that's used to purchase premium benefits, in-game items, and game time. This promotion is part of SOE's "12 Days of Holidays," in which the company is offering a different promotion or activity every day through Christmas Eve.
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| Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  If someone tells you no, of course, scream and curse. Now that we've gotten that lesson out of the way, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, in which the Massively staff members let everyone know what they'll be up to for the weekend. We also talk about how many MMOs we have installed on our computers and how many we've played over the last month, in case you're keeping track. See what our plans are after the break, then leave your plans in the comment section, and don't you dare refuse. Continue reading WRUP: No edition
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| The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders? Posted: 17 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Am I alone in loathing MMO patchers that are really torrents I can't disable, launchers that lump the entirety of a company's games together, and third-party download whatever-ware that won't go away?  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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| Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Kids  Gameplay is managed in a similar style as the popular Angry Birds games, with the caveat being that Angry Birds doesn't allow you to earn special items and equipment for use in the main Monkey Quest game. Regular updates are planned for the game to help keep players engaged and interested as Thunderbow continues his quest. So if you've got one of the portable devices and your child can't get enough monkey business, it's worth a look. [Source: Nickelodeon press release]
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| Jade Dynasty: Legacy expansion goes live Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Jade Dynasty  Last week we reported that Perfect World Entertainment's free-to-play title Jade Dynasty would be receiving a new update known as Jade Dynasty: Legacy. The company announced in a press release today that the update has now gone live, and players can experience all of the joys of the Legacy update on the live servers. With this new update, players can explore the mysteries of Incense Valley as one of two new classes: the pyromancy-practicing Incense Valley Mage and the melee expert Forta. Players will need to band together with their allies in order to conquer the treacherous Crimson Peaks instance, which is touted as being "one of the largest in the game." For the full details, and to get in on the action yourself, just head on over to Jade Dynasty's official site. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
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| Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011 Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  Eligium's closed beta is underway this weekend as well. If you still need a key, we have a few left! Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup past the break. Continue reading Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011
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| Storyboard: Different points of view Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  This is not news to anyone who has been reading this column for a while. I've talked about dealing with the lore twice, both times pointing out that there are spaces for you to drive your character. Sometimes it's comfortable, and sometimes it's like wedging a needle into your gums and trying to kill a dental nerve at the root. But whether or not it has parallels to my recent dental surgery, there are places in the lore where you sort of have to just fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, this creates major issues when you intend to interact with another player, which is something that will be happening roughly all the time in roleplaying. So you might very well come up with an answer for something that isn't just different from everyone else's answer, but you might wind up with an answer that's outright mutually incompatible with someone else's. And while you sometimes can take comfort in the fact that the lore will eventually steamroll both of you, sometimes it's just the two of you trying to deal with a part of your fictional world that is now being disbelieved by someone else. Continue reading Storyboard: Different points of view
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| New video highlights the political system of TERA Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, TERA  As the video outlines, players can win their office through direct battle with other candidates or via popular vote, depending on which method suits each individual. Once in office, players will have a variety of powers -- taxes can be raised or lowered, important NPCs can be added or removed, town features can be edited, and a player can make a lasting impact on the game world for good or bad. Check out the video embedded just after the break, especially if you've already got your campaign pins ready to go. Continue reading New video highlights the political system of TERA
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| Lord of the Rings Online discusses this year's Yule Festival Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play  As outlined in the new developer diary, the original incarnation had a lot of space in Winter-home that didn't tie together, leaving the area feeling empty despite the abundance of content. The changes were thus focused around making full use of the space as well as making the existing quests a bit friendlier to players to address some long-standing complaints. The overall effect should make the area feel more lively and the event more fun for everyone, whether you've done it for years or this is your first Yule in Middle-earth.
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| Win a free Guild Wars costume set from Massively! Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Contests, Giveaways  If that's a little much for your wallet during the holiday spending season, Massively's riding to the rescue. We've got 15 codes for the costume bundle packs to share with you guys! All you've got to do in order to enter is leave a comment here wishing us a Happy Tyrian Wintersday. We'll pick out our 15 favorite Wintersday wishes as soon as the entry deadline hits, and then we'll send the codes on their way. When is the deadline, you say? That would be tomorrow, December 17th, at noon EST. Check out the contest rules below for eligibility, leave those Wintersday wishes, and good luck! 
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Classes, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  We know you're all busy, Star Wars: The Old Republic fans, but try to pry your eyes away from the shiny new game for just a minute because it's time for the final Choose Your Side video. This time, the match-up is between the wily, conniving Smuggler and the vicious, rage-driven Sith Warrior. So who will emerge the victor and who will be left eating the pavement? That's ultimately for you to decide, but if you'd like a little bit of help formulating your argument, just give the video a look and see what the game's developers have to say. All you have to do is click on past the cut. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out
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| Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox, Dungeons  As of today there's a new video on the official site that gives us an early glimpse of Agon 2.0. It's worth mentioning that Aventurine has been slaving away on a completely retooled Darkfall client for months now, and even though today's clip clocks in at a relatively paltry 47 seconds, it's good to see some of the fruits of that labor. Hop past the cut for a look at new water effects, dynamic lighting, a human NPC city, and a new dungeon. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras also notes that the team plans to issue a development update sometime next week. Continue reading Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video
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| Randall Bills talks about shaping the future of MechWarrior Online Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Lore, MechWarrior Online  Currently, Bills says that he fills two roles on the team: continuity editor and fiction content manager. In the former, he helps to inspect what the developers are working on and give them feedback and notes from his well of expert knowledge on the subject. In the latter, he's spearheading the team responsible for writing the lore behind the online game universe. So what would Bills like to see happen in MechWarrior Online? Orbital insertions ("That's a level of action and immersion that would take MechWarrior Online to a whole new level.") and physical attacks ("It shouldn't work very well and be hard to pull off... but when you do pull it off it should be a move everyone in the game talks about for some time to come."). As for what he's most excited about in the upcoming MMO, he's just glad that he'll be able to emulate the board game in a virtual environment: "To know that I can jump in a light 'Mech and do exactly what you can pull off in the board game (and just as important, what the fiction depicts for the universe) with a true melding of multiple tactics to achieve victory... that'll be a truly spectacular geek-out moment to experience." Look for our own upcoming interview with the MechWarrior Online team coming soon.
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| The Secret World unveils new horrific creatures Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Lore, Previews, News items, The Secret World  More creepy-crawlies are emerging from the shadows to join the ranks of Funcom's upcoming horror-inspired title, The Secret World. The studio revealed today three new creatures that players will face in-game: the Bogeyman, Jack O'Lantern, and the mud golem. The first of the three, the Bogeyman, should be familiar to anyone who was once a child (if any of you weren't, please let us know). He is "a being of pure evil" who feeds on fear, and considering that terrible visage up there, we doubt he ever goes hungry. Meanwhile, Jack O'Lantern, is some poor sod who fell under a wicked curse, and is now driven only by vengeance and bloodlust. To take advantage of his pumpkin head, Jack O'Lantern tends to bury himself beneath the ground in pumpkin patches in order to take passers-by by surprise. And finally, we have the mud golem, which is pretty much what it says on the tin. A being of pure earth, the mud golem is created for one purpose: to perform the (almost certainly nefarious) will of its master. For the full details on each of these creatures, head on over to the official site.
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| This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Video, Warhammer Online, News items, Opinion, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous  Of course, the world does not revolve only around SWTOR, so the guys also take some time to highlight other goings-on in the MMO world. Warhammer Online will be merging servers once again, which does not forecast a sunny outlook for Mythic's PvP-focused title. Also on the table is talk that the gradually less sane Richard Garriott will be returning to work on the Ultima universe. What could this mean to MMO players? Well, click on past the cut and find out for yourself. Continue reading This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition
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| Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox  The fact that I even used the word eulogy in reference to a video game says it all, really. Join me after the cut for as brief a remembrance as I can manage. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed
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| SWTOR brings up six new servers to match demand Posted: 16 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  As more players flood through the gates of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the team is keeping busy behind the scenes. On the game's Facebook page, BioWare has announced that it has brought up another six servers to accommodate the new players. The new servers are all PvE, and three cater to the East coast, while the other three cover the West coast. For those interested in rolling on a new server, the servers are Kathol Rift, The Constant, and Krayiss Obelisk on the East coast and Wall of Light, Darth Sion, and Kaiburr Crystal for the West coast. Good luck, and may the Force be with you.
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| Gameforge offers a few Aion F2P details Posted: 16 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  Essentially there will be two access levels when the transition occurs in February. New players (or Starters, in Gameforge lingo) get free access to the entire game. Limitations on free play include "reduced access to functions such as the chat and the auction house," though Gameforge has not specified exactly what that means as of yet. Aion veterans will also enjoy free access to the complete game as well as reduced instance cool-down times and increased PvP coin rewards. There is a cash shop, of course, which will include avatar customization items that may be used to individualize your character. Gameforge's press release also mentions a Gold Pack option that will grant time-limited bonuses, and we'll have more details for you as they become available. In the meantime, check out the official Aion free-to-play website for more on the game's move to F2P. [Source: Gameforge press release]
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