MMO Updates |
- Korean gaming giants adjusting data collection policies
- BioWare taking SWTOR queues 'seriously'
- Tiny Speck and Trion Worlds make gaming headlines in 2011
- MV Guide: December 19-25, 2011
- The Daily Grind: Will SWTOR succeed in Asia?
- Champions Online introduces Star Warsy archetype
- New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration
- MMO Week in Review: Into the sunset
- EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga
- League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox
- Perfect World announces Fantasy Condor Heroes MMO
- On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me...
| Korean gaming giants adjusting data collection policies Posted: 19 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MapleStory, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  Korean gamers will still need to fork over the number to play NCsoft games, though, according to a report at ThisIsGame.com. Players need only an email and password to register for the PlayNC portal, but the RRN may still be required to verify that new registrants aren't bots, and NCsoft has handed off the collection responsibilities to a third-party agency. "We have acknowledged the importance of personal information for a long time. So we have collected minimum personal information and have asked another agency to do the sensitive information work including the RRN on behalf of us," said an NCsoft official. ThisIsGame also reports that NHN Hangame has decided to stop collecting personal information, while Nexon and Neowiz are formulating new collection policies.
|
| BioWare taking SWTOR queues 'seriously' Posted: 19 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  There were 140 servers open for business this past weekend (a pre-launch period in which BioWare staggered waves of invites to legions of early release customers), and more are being added due to queue times approaching two hours. With Star Wars: The Old Republic's actual launch day looming tomorrow, BioWare's Jeff Hickman did his best to deflect criticism and soothe the impatient rumblings of disgruntled players. "While we can't promise that there won't ever be queues, we can promise you that we are taking this matter seriously and constantly reviewing them to make sure that they are manageable and reasonable," he said.
|
| Tiny Speck and Trion Worlds make gaming headlines in 2011 Posted: 19 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, RIFT  Trion's story is seen as one of high risk and higher rewards, especially considering that it was bringing in no revenue before last March while developing three titles. "RIFT has had tremendous success -- the commercial results are just astounding -- but we've got two more big games coming... There is no joy in Mudville," said Trion's David Reid. The article notes that once a MMO breaks even, the profit margin can be as high as 70%. Trion is reportedly adding 100 new people to the team in the first part of 2012, which will put this studio in giant-sized territory: 520 employees in total. Tiny Speck may not be as large, with just 41 employees, but the team is growing due to Glitch's success. Even though the potential to make money is there, co-founder Eric Costello says that the team puts in long hours as primarily a labor of love: "The game industry is famous for running their employees into the ground, and we definitely don't want to do that, but we've also found that building a game is a lot harder than we thought it would be."
|
| MV Guide: December 19-25, 2011 Posted: 19 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide  MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule. Continue reading MV Guide: December 19-25, 2011
|
| The Daily Grind: Will SWTOR succeed in Asia? Posted: 19 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous  One thing I haven't seen mentioned is a prediction on whether or not SWTOR will succeed in the Asian market. We know, for example, that a huge portion of WoW's 12 million users came from the Far East, and sales suggest that Eastern gaming audiences are very different from their Western counterparts (see the ongoing popularity and profitability of games like Aion and Lineage II, which draw contemptuous sneers from American audiences -- if they notice them at all). When you compare BioWare's focus on narrative with Blizzard's focus on progression, it's very possible to see TOR falling short of WoW's Asian success. What do you think, Massively readers? Will TOR conquer the Asian MMO market?  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!
|
| Champions Online introduces Star Warsy archetype Posted: 19 Dec 2011 04:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online  The Unleashed is a new brawler role that looks quite a bit like your average Sith lord, right down to the dual red blades and sinister black robes. Cryptic's archetype description features phrases like cosmic knight, dark inquisitor, and militant monk, and the release blurb says that the Unleashed is coming to Champions today, December 19th. Is it a tongue-in-cheek homage or a shameless attempt to capitalize on the biggest hype-train the MMO space has ever seen? You decide, and be sure to head to the Champions website to learn more.
|
| New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration Posted: 18 Dec 2011 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  ArcheAge's oceans are apparently vast, as the party makes use of the fastest ship in the game and still spends quite a lot of time looking for an island to call home. There's also a bit of island exploration footage, and you can find the first video after the break. Continue reading New ArcheAge beta videos feature sailing, exploration
|
| MMO Week in Review: Into the sunset Posted: 18 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous  MMO closures don't happen all that often, and those that die tend to do so in a fireball of bankruptcy and layoffs not long after launch rather than through peaceful contact negotiations after almost a decade of successful operation, but Star Wars Galaxies joined the latter group this week, sunsetting its servers on Thursday night. If you missed the finale, you can catch up with our recorded livestream of the last hour of the game and our sandbox column's touching eulogy. And there's always that other Star Wars game... Join us past the break for a glimpse of this week's other top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Into the sunset
|
| EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga Posted: 18 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox  The Caldari Naga is the very definition of a glass cannon, able to output more damage than a Megathron or Rokh but at the cost of having practically no tank. It can be sniper-fit to deal around 650 DPS at ranges of 100-130km, blaster-fit to output a raw 1,500 DPS at ranges below 10km, or even set up to fight effectively with blasters outside web range. Its high top speed and cruiser-like agility add new gameplay options to existing sniper and heavy damage-dealer fleet roles, providing battleship-class damage for roaming cruiser gangs. It's a potential game-changer for nullsec alliances engaging in hit-and-run style warfare, but as with all new ships it can be difficult to figure out an effective ship fitting. In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore three solid fittings for the Naga designed to fill common PvP roles. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga
|
| League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Guides, Dev Diaries, MOBA  In a new champion spotlight video, LoL's resident strategic expert Phreak discusses each of Ahri's abilities in detail and gives tips on playing the champion effectively. Ahri is a mage assassin, able to dish out considerable damage in a short space of time. After landing a number of spell attacks, Ahri's next spell will hit with a huge bonus to spell vamp. By sending an Orb of Deception through a whole wave of enemy creeps once the spell vamp buff is active, Ahri can heal herself for a significant amount. Her ultimate allows her to quickly dash around the field of play, either to chase down a fleeing champion or evade pursuit. Skip past the cut to watch the full champion spotlight video in HD, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for more LoL news and updates. Continue reading League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox
|
| Perfect World announces Fantasy Condor Heroes MMO Posted: 18 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  If you're a student of Chinese popular culture, that name may ring a bell since it's taken from a wuxia novel called Return of the Condor Heroes. The book was written by author Louis Cha (under the pen name Jin Yong) and originally serialized in the late 1950s. Thus far Perfect World has not made any feature- or gameplay-related details available, nor do we know when Fantasy Condor Heroes will be released.
|
| On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Contests, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Giveaways  On the fifth day of giveaways, Trion gave to me... five subscription codes! On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me... four pet items! 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! We're at the halfway point of our 12 Days of Giveaways thanks to GamersFirst and APB: Reloaded. Remember earlier this month when we told you about the new retail boxed edition of the game? Well, if you liked it, you're in luck. GamersFirst has put together six digital copies of that edition, wrapped them up in a big bow, and put them under our virtual tree. Six lucky Massively readers will win a bundle containing 30 days of premium access, 500 G1 credits, a faction-specific sports car, and a special secondary weapon. If you win, look very carefully because Santa Paro (/rimshot) has slipped one more extra special item into each pack. We'll save that one for a surprise! Want to get your hands on one of these codes? To enter, simply leave a comment answering the burning question: enforcer or criminal? The entry deadline is tomorrow, December 19th, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Once the deadline hits, we'll choose six winners and award the gifts. Check out the contest rules below, and best of luck!  
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
