MMO Updates |
- Hyperspace Beacon: Top five SWTOR launch day secrets
- Eligium enters closed beta today -- get your key from Massively!
- World of Warplanes reveals American tech tree, new trailer
- Yes, someone made a SWTOR hip-hop song already
- Massively Speaking Episode 179: Mesmeriffic
- World of Tanks 7.1 update to feature French armor
- BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga
- The Daily Grind: Are you glad to see the end of the SWTOR pre-launch frenzy?
- Flameseeker Chronicles: Why must they starve then drown us?
- Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business
- Lord of the Rings Online releases new Armies of Isengard screenshots
- Star Wars: The Old Republic goes dark in preparation for launch
- Wings Over Atreia: Free 2 pain
- TERA producer's letter discusses new launcher, development progress
- Massively talks Mesmer: Our exclusive interview with Guild Wars 2 designer Eric Flannum
- On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me...
- CCP reveals DUST 514 dropsuits
- Marvel announces official MMO title: Marvel Heroes
- Analyst claims SWTOR could already have 1.5 million players
- Black Prophecy releases Episode 3: Rise of the Boids
- Leaderboard: Hybrid vs. specialist
| Hyperspace Beacon: Top five SWTOR launch day secrets Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  Now that you have the game in your hands, what do you do? Of course, you enter in the code to your SWTOR account, but I mean, what do you do once you get into the game? First, if you have absolutely no clue which direction to go, you should read a couple of the class introductions in Massively's giant SWTOR pre-launch guide. Once you've decided on a class, hop past the break as I give you my top five things you must watch out for very early on in the game -- things that will make your launch day experience just a bit more interesting. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Top five SWTOR launch day secrets
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| Eligium enters closed beta today -- get your key from Massively! Posted: 20 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play  Just head to our giveaway page and pick up your key. Register on the Eligium home page if you haven't done so yet, and then you can go to the redemption page to enter your key. That's all there is to it; you're set for download and launch! You'll have plenty of time to play and content to experience, as the closed beta lasts until January 18th and has a level cap of 45. Make sure you take some time while you're installing to check out the closed beta forum, and have fun in Eligium! 
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| World of Warplanes reveals American tech tree, new trailer Posted: 20 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes  The American lineup also features a unique branch of carrier-based fighters that won't be available with the German and Soviet tiers that will ship with the finished game. World of Warplanes is currently in closed alpha testing and Wargaming.net tells us that the game is scheduled for a 2012 release. You can check out the American tech tree and a new teaser trailer after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Warplanes reveals American tech tree, new trailer
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| Yes, someone made a SWTOR hip-hop song already Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Fan art, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Yep, there's now a hip-hop song all about SWTOR entitled Cold Republic, created by the already-established hip-hop artist Richie Branson. It seems Richie enjoys playing his Empire character Kazen on the Ven Zallow RP-PVP so much that he stopped playing just long enough to write and record a song about it. According to his website, he plans to create more SWTOR-related songs, using samples from the game itself. *Most of these items are not real. [Thanks Matt for the tip!]
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| Massively Speaking Episode 179: Mesmeriffic Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 179: Mesmeriffic
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| World of Tanks 7.1 update to feature French armor Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks  The new tech tree boasts 18 new French fighting vehicles (there's a pacifist joke in there somewhere) divided into light, medium, and heavy flavors. Wargaming.net also says that the French armor will "enrich the combat and bring all-new tactics into the game." We're not sure how the new tactics will work as of yet, but we'll bring you the very latest as the devs make it available. Finally, Wargaming.net says that French SPGs and tank destroyers are planned for a later update. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
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| BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga Posted: 20 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Launches, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries  The team spends the time making a case for why the game is not only special but how it should appeal to the Star Wars fan in all of us. Covering the bases of story, voiceovers, companions, exploration, graphical style, and more, the developers hit on all of the selling points of the game while giving first-time viewers a good reason to give this title a shot. Even if you're a veteran of the Mandalorian War, there should be a tidbit or two in this documentary that's new to you, whether it be the behind-the-scenes voice recordings or to see just how big and bushy some of the devs' beards have become. You can watch the full documentary after the jump -- and don't forget to check out our comprehensive guide to launch and beyond! Continue reading BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga
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| The Daily Grind: Are you glad to see the end of the SWTOR pre-launch frenzy? Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The launch of a game from BioWare with the Star Wars IP attached to it was bound to be a huge deal, and as today approached, both fans and developers pulled out all the stops on the hype-train. Now the big day is here and things will start quieting down a bit over time as players settle in to finally enjoying the game. Sure, there's sure to be ongoing discussion of the game as it develops post-launch, but the pre-launch excitement is wrapped up. So are you relieved to see this? Were you enjoying the festivities or just wishing they were over and done with already?  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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| Flameseeker Chronicles: Why must they starve then drown us? Posted: 19 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Classes, Events, in-game, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles  I need to lie down. While I do that, follow along after the jump for a rundown of all the excitement of last week. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Why must they starve then drown us?
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| Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business Posted: 19 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Trailers, Video, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Not So Massively, MOBA  Blizzard revealed its new Battle.net Battletag system this week, giving thousands of fans RealID flashbacks. The new system will allow cross-game communication between StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo III and other titles without disclosing players' email addresses. Blacklight: Retribution's development continued at pace as the game adds European servers to its third round of closed beta. Brawl Busters saw its official release this week, and the first ever standalone MOBA, the 2009-released Demigod, finally made its way to Steam. Finally, Bloodline Champions hosted a new competitive online tournament and... a bakery contest? Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs. Continue reading Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business
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| Lord of the Rings Online releases new Armies of Isengard screenshots Posted: 19 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Lord of the Rings Online's latest update, Update 5: Armies of Isengard went live last week, signaling the first major update since the Rise of Isengard expansion was released. The update brings five new Isengard-themed instances (as well as a group finder function) to the game and continues the epic story. Perhaps in order to draw in some unsuspecting souls, Turbine has released a new set of screenshots showing off the new content. To see the screenshots, click on through the gallery below. Then head on over LotRO's official site to get in on the action. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release]
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic goes dark in preparation for launch Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Star Wars: The Old Republic  And you thought that intro smelled bad... on the outside! OK, it's all out of our system -- as is Star Wars: The Old Republic. As the game nears its official December 20th launch date, BioWare is bringing down both the servers and the website in preparation for the momentous event. From 7:00 p.m. until 12:01 a.m. EST, SWTOR will be inaccessible. BioWare says that as the game comes back online at midnight, the studio will be adding "a large number of new servers" to facilitate the influx of launch players. Even so, the studio predicts that queues on popular servers will be present and urges players to consider rolling characters on lesser-populated realms. Because of the recently instituted grace period, early access players have until 3:00 a.m. EST on December 22nd to register their product codes or be cut off from gameplay.
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| Wings Over Atreia: Free 2 pain Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia  For the second time in less than a month, NCsoft has shown wanton disregard for my already-prepared comments for the week, derailing the scheduled Wings Over Atreia with some out-of-the-blue announcement. And not just any announcement, but one that can have a profound effect on Aion in the coming months. What is this announcement, you say? Shall I help you out from that rock you've been slumbering under? Why, last Wednesday's bold free-to-play announcement, of course! Now, before hyperventilation sets in -- either from glee or disgust -- note that there are set parameters to this specific conversion, including first and foremost that it is for the European market only. And while details aren't exactly pouring forth, there are a few tidbits to pass along, just enough to whet the appetite of future F2P Daevas or enrage current ones. Breathe into the paper bag and join me past the break for a look at the details that have been revealed and some thoughts on those that have not! Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Free 2 pain
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| TERA producer's letter discusses new launcher, development progress Posted: 19 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News items, TERA  A new holiday edition producer's letter has been published on the official TERA site, and in it Chris Hager announces that he is currently using the studio's new launcher to log in to the game. Why is this such a big deal? Hager explains that it "represents a huge leap for us here at En Masse." He goes on to tell how, over the past year, the team has worked "directly and intimately with the Bluehole development team to... add features that appeal to western gamers." But why is the new launcher so important? Because it's one of the features that the studio built from the ground up. Hager also notes that the game has been in alpha for "about 4 months" and that this week is the last week of alpha testing. He says the team is also looking forward to "the next step in TERA's journey toward launch next spring." Here's to hoping that next step is a beta test. For the full letter, just click on over to the official TERA site.
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| Massively talks Mesmer: Our exclusive interview with Guild Wars 2 designer Eric Flannum Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Classes, Interviews, Guild Wars 2, Massively Interviews  Here at Massively, we're just as excited about it, so we took some time to sit down with game designer Eric Flannum and chat about some of the background and design details of the eighth and final Guild Wars 2 class. Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say!
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| On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me... Posted: 19 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, Contests, Free-to-play, Giveaways  On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... six retail packs! 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 carrying on with the 12 Days of Giveaways! Day seven has arrived, bringing seven years of history, development, and memories. That's right: Lineage II. While free-to-play games are a dime a dozen these days, it's much more rare to be handed a free-to-play game that already has seven years of content, polish, and updates behind it. NCsoft has given us a great Lineage II item to celebrate those seven years and the transition to free-to-play: a Darkmane Pacer mount bracelet. We've got 12 of those to hand out to some lucky Lineage II fans. Even better, the Darkmane Pacer comes bundled with a sampling of awesome items from the rest of NCsoft's lineup: a digital copy of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, a Guild Wars mercenary hero, 30 days of City of Heroes VIP status, an Aion Collector's Edition upgrade, and a pack of five True White dyes for an Aion character. Enjoy the mount in Lineage 2 and treat your gamer friends to some holiday goodies or enjoy a sampling of the NCsoft lineup all for yourself! In either case, enter by telling us about your Lineage 2 gameplay: Are you a longtime adventurer, a returning player, or just now setting foot in Aden for the first time? Let us know before the entry deadline: tomorrow, December 20th, at 3:00 p.m. EST. Check out the contest rules for eligibility, and best of luck!  
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| CCP reveals DUST 514 dropsuits Posted: 19 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox  What's a dropsuit? Well, aside from the latest in sexy sci-fi outerwear, it's also standard equipment for New Eden infantry types and it comes "in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with a unique slot configuration, powergrid, and CPU that inform [customization decisions]." Slot types include light, heavy, sidearm, high, low, equipment, and grenade, and CCP mentions that dropsuits will define your role on DUST's battlefields (as will your choices for the aforementioned slots). Head to the official PlayStation blog for a bit more info as well as a selection of Caldari and Amarr dropsuit images.
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| Marvel announces official MMO title: Marvel Heroes Posted: 19 Dec 2011 11:15 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Free-to-play, Marvel Universe Online  The Marvel Comics MMO formerly known as Marvel Universe Online has finally been officially christened. Gazillion Entertainment announced in a press release today that, due to the central role that classic Marvel heroes play in the upcoming title, the game will be known as Marvel Heroes. And to back up the news, Gazillion has also released a new teaser image displaying everyone's favorite web-slinger. For the brand new Spider-Man art, just click on past the cut. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release] Continue reading Marvel announces official MMO title: Marvel Heroes
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| Analyst claims SWTOR could already have 1.5 million players Posted: 19 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  It's not exactly a secret that big things are expected of BioWare's recent entry to the MMO market, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Cowen & Company analyst Dough Creutz speculates that the game could have up to 1.5 million players already, even though the game doesn't officially launch for another day. This conclusion comes about based on the fact that EA had 140 servers running by last Saturday. If that's the population right now, we can assuredly expect that the game's official launch will see big numbers indeed. We'll just have to wait one more day to find out.
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| Black Prophecy releases Episode 3: Rise of the Boids Posted: 19 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy  It's been a big week for sci-fi fans, but what about the fans who are less about space-knights and melodrama and more about blowing things into oblivion with big spaceships armed with big guns? Don't worry, gamigo has you covered with Black Prophecy's newest addition, Episode 3: Rise of the Boids. So wtf is a Boid, you may wonder. Well, according to this press release, "the Boids are a robotic race who have been waiting eons for a mysterious, universe-altering event to occur." Ominous. On the gameplay side of things, Episode 3 raises the level cap to 50 while also adding "new story missions, one new warzone, a new open world sector for players level 40 and up, 11 new job missions and a brand new PvE raid system." That's right, a brand new raid system, which will allow large groups of players to band together to tackle the two newly added raids. And all of this comes with a few tweaks and fixes for various mishaps. For the update's official release trailer, click on past the cut, then head on over to Black Prophecy's official site to get in the game. [Source: gamigo AG press release] Continue reading Black Prophecy releases Episode 3: Rise of the Boids
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| Leaderboard: Hybrid vs. specialist Posted: 19 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Classes, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard  But which is better, overall? Is it better to gun for a specialized class? After all, this allows you to be the absolute best you can be at a singular role, to get those high numbers and fulfill your purpose well. Specialists are prized in endgame activities, since being at the top of one's form is vital to helping your group succeed. However, are hybrids ultimately better due to their jack-of-all-trades flexibility? Is having the option to switch between roles on the fly more crucial to individual and group success than being locked into one thing only? Hybrids also allow for more choice down the road, especially when you might be getting bored of a particular role and want to experiment with something else. So which will top today's Leaderboard: hybrids or specialists? Hit the jump to cast your vote! Continue reading Leaderboard: Hybrid vs. specialist
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