MMO Updates |
- Play Face of Mankind with a free seven-day premium pack from Massively
- Even SWTOR's website has a queue!
- DragonSoul eyes early 2012 release, reveals Bard class
- Ask Massively: Christmas Eve eve eve edition
- The Daily Grind: Do other media releases make you revisit MMOs?
- Pathfinder Online looks to Crusader Road
- Joyfort releases sci-fi MMORTS Light of Nova
- SOE accepting PlanetSide 2 beta signups
- Ground skill revamp previewed for Star Trek Online
- Star Supremacy needs space-men to help Santa find his space-sleigh!
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story's the thing
- Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Android authenticator and upcoming test server
- Choose My Adventure: Exploration week
- Free for All: Jagex answers more questions about nuking bots
- Dominus December beta invites delayed [Updated]
- On the ninth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me...
- Massively Exclusive: World of Warplanes producer talks mechanics
- SOE's John Smedley expresses regrets over SWG mishaps
- BioWare defends its decision to not have individual SWTOR server forums
- Enter at your own Rift: A holiday wish-list for Telara
- BioWare: SWTOR could've been a Game of Thrones MMO
- ArcheAge team releases holiday greetings video
- Treat yourself to a Cool Player Pack from Jade Dynasty and Massively!
- Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter looks back on 2011 and forward to 2012
| Play Face of Mankind with a free seven-day premium pack from Massively Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Giveaways  The free-to-play title offers its players a paid premium upgrade that adds a long list of perks to the account: an increased rank cap, more storage and inventory, increased cloning speed, and much more. We've got some codes for you that include a free week of premium account access to Face of Mankind along with some cool starter items. Pick up your code on our giveaway page, then register for a Face of Mankind account if you haven't yet. After logging in, add your code to the "add product key" link on your account page. Once you've done that, you're all set for premium access to Face of Mankind! 
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| Even SWTOR's website has a queue! Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The irony of launching a game in tiers, only to have a forced bottleneck at this point isn't lost on us, but BioWare reassures its players that relief is coming soon: "Due to the high volume of new game codes being redeemed on SWTOR.com, some users may currently be seeing a waiting page. We are intentionally controlling the flow of traffic and letting as many people through as possible." So if you can't play the game because you can't access your account (or read the forums for updates and more info...), you're not alone. As annoying as this may be to players, it's a good problem for BioWare to have.
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| DragonSoul eyes early 2012 release, reveals Bard class Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  The Bard is a support class that "prefers fighting in the second row," according to Neonga, and it offers an alternative playstyle that meshes well with the Warrior, Assassin, Mage, and Hunter classes. DragonSoul is a PvP-focused fantasy MMO, and you can sign up for the open beta (and download the free client) at the game's official website. [Source: Neonga AG press release]
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| Ask Massively: Christmas Eve eve eve edition Posted: 22 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  Moving on... this week's installment of Ask Massively is not all about Star Wars: The Old Republic, but as you probably expected around now, it's still poking its nose in. Also, last week's Lineage II questions continue. As always, further questions for future editions can be left in the comments or mailed along to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for grammar and/or clarity. Continue reading Ask Massively: Christmas Eve eve eve edition
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| The Daily Grind: Do other media releases make you revisit MMOs? Posted: 22 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Super-hero, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, DC Universe Online  What the heck do either of these blessed events have to do with MMORPGs? Well, not a lot, admittedly, unless -- like me -- you're now seriously considering a return to DC Universe Online and Lord of the Rings Online. In any event, the trailers are so collectively awesome that I can't help but make a Daily Grind out of them. The traditional question goes something like this: do big-name IP releases make you want to revisit MMOs?  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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| Pathfinder Online looks to Crusader Road Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News items, Miscellaneous  Goblinworks' upcoming Pathfinder Online was only just announced last month, but already the team is giving fans a look at what to expect from the online iteration of the popular pen-and-paper title. In a new post on Goblinworks' official site, players are given a glimpse of where their adventures will be taking place within the world of Pathfinder Online. According to the post, the entirety of Pathfinder Online at launch will take place in a 133-square-mile region known as the Crusader Road area. To get an idea of how absurd this is, look at this post's header image. See that little red box? That's the Crusader Road area. And the remainder of the map that it's shown on is only a small fraction of the entire Pathfinder world (as an image on the blog post shows), so players should likely expect a lot of exploration in a massive-scale world. For the full details on Crusader Road, head on over to the Goblinworks official site and take a look.
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| Joyfort releases sci-fi MMORTS Light of Nova Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS  A new MMORTS bursts onto the scene as Joyfort releases its latest title, Light of Nova. The title takes place in a sci-fi universe "thousands of years in the future after humans have colonized outer space." Players are tasked with building the ultimate spacefaring armada, destroying their enemies, and uncovering the mysteries of the universe through the game's storyline. For the full details on this new F2P title and to get in on the action for yourself, just click below to go to Light of Nova's official site.
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| SOE accepting PlanetSide 2 beta signups Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  You can sign up with an existing SOE Station account, or create a new one in fairly short order. Curiously, there's no beta questionaire and no system requirements displayed during the signup process, and there's also no indication of when the testing will begin. We'll keep our eyes peeled for further info, and we hope to see you in the beta, soldier! [Thanks to Valru for the tip!]
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| Ground skill revamp previewed for Star Trek Online Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play  Ground skills now have two skill tracks -- one set of skills that's shared among all characters and one that's unique for each career. The shared line of skills provides straight buffs to general abilities, such as damage and shield values, while the unique line of five skills buffs career-specific abilities such as pets for Engineers, healing for Science, and buffs for Tactical. Players should peruse the full list of updates to get a sense of what ground skills will look like after the change -- they're simpler, but there's still a great deal of room for differentiation.
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| Star Supremacy needs space-men to help Santa find his space-sleigh! Posted: 21 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Patches, Free-to-play, MMORTS  Barbily Games is also preparing to roll out its Gemini update, which will bring back three PvP systems for players to conquer. The update will also include a helping hand to lowbies' energy regeneration, new equipment, improved construction, and the ability to retreat. You can get a good look at the update in our new Star Supremacy gallery below!
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story's the thing Posted: 21 Dec 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  OK, maybe that correlation isn't quite one for one, but the point is made. Stories are a big deal, and as a result, the way story works in City of Heroes is worth examining, especially since another game has recently come out with an emphasis on storylines. So, doubly relevant. If you're only going to read the introductory blurb here, though, I can bottom-line it for you without the rest of the column -- the approach is pretty schizophrenic. The game has some moments of brilliance and some moments of idiocy, and there are also some near-choked with a general apathetic vibe. It's kind of what you'd expect from a story told by hundreds of people over seven years. The times when it's on, sadly, are somewhat scattershot, which makes it hard to say, "This is worth playing just for the story." Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story's the thing
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Android authenticator and upcoming test server Posted: 21 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Once you've gotten through the authenticator stage, however, perhaps you'd like to see what's coming next for the game? Ask a Jedi reports that it looks like BioWare is in the process of setting up a public test server, giving every subscriber a chance to enjoy the upcoming patches and updates before they go live. While players will not be able to copy characters from the live servers to the test environment at this time, the team behind Star Wars: The Old Republic seems to be polishing up the game on a daily basis even though it's just launched, so that likely won't remain the case for long.
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| Choose My Adventure: Exploration week Posted: 21 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Polls, Video, Lineage 2, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure, Livestream  I discovered a monster racetrack, ran into raid bosses in the middle of nowhere, discovered a vast undersea temple, and so much more. I've also added 47 more screenshots to the gallery, uploaded a walkabout video, and have another livestream this week. We still aren't done yet. There are more chances for you to decide my fate in this week's Choose My Adventure. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Exploration week
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| Free for All: Jagex answers more questions about nuking bots Posted: 21 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Massively Interviews, Free for All  I wanted to know more, and Daniel Clough, VP of RuneScape, was nice enough to answer several of my questions about the event. Did the nuking work as well as the team hoped? Will the bots stay dead? It didn't work in the Terminator, so why now? Click past the cut for all of the answers! Continue reading Free for All: Jagex answers more questions about nuking bots
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| Dominus December beta invites delayed [Updated] Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items  "The content is basically fine. But the animations are borked, and the lighting is all off, and everything needs to be re-optimized," explains Pitchblack community manager Sanya Weathers on Dominus' official forums. The bad news is that those players who were promised a spot in the December wave of beta invites are out of luck for the time being. The good news is that the spots aren't going anywhere, and you'll be able to do your part in Dominus' testing phase when new player acceptances resume after the new year. [Update: We've corrected our erroneous references to Dominus' old title.]
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| On the ninth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fallen Earth, Contests, Star Wars Galaxies, Free-to-play, Giveaways, Post-Apocalyptic  On the eighth day of giveaways, Enjin gave to me... eight guild-wide gifts! On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me... seven years of memories! 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! Your eyes do not deceive you: GamersFirst is making an encore appearance on Massively's 12 Days of Giveaways. Furthermore, today's entry in the list does in fact say "Star Wars Galaxies mementos." The team at GamersFirst loves MMOs just as much as the rest of us and wanted to add a little something to our virtual gift pile to remember SWG by. Therefore, we've got nine Fallen Earth prize packages, each containing a Supreme Commander Mask and a Lava Stick. When paired, the items bring a little Vader to the Wasteland. All you have to do to enter is get a little creative. Leave your best Star-Wars-style battle cry in the comments below -- with a Fallen Earth Wasteland twist. Check our contest rules below for eligibility, enter by the deadline of tomorrow, December 22nd, at 5:00 p.m. EST, and good luck!  
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| Massively Exclusive: World of Warplanes producer talks mechanics Posted: 21 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes  This week saw the release of the game's first advancement tree, and we took the opportunity to ask producer Anton Sitnikov a series of questions covering everything from game mechanics to player perceptions regarding the pay-to-win stigma. Continue reading Massively Exclusive: World of Warplanes producer talks mechanics
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| SOE's John Smedley expresses regrets over SWG mishaps Posted: 21 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Star Wars Galaxies, Free-to-play  What would Smedley do if he could go back and give it another try? His first regret is launching the game before the space combat system was done, and his second is that SOE didn't talk and listen to its players more. "We would have encouraged more in-depth discussion with the community surrounding the idea of any game modifications," he said. Smedley is highly optimistic for the studio's future, particularly in its fervent belief in the free-to-play business model: "We think that 'Free to Play, Your Way' is our future. Giving players choices is the theme of how we're moving forward as a company, which means greater flexibility for our player base."
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| BioWare defends its decision to not have individual SWTOR server forums Posted: 21 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Interviews, Launches, Star Wars: The Old Republic  TOR-Talk got in touch with BioWare to ask about why the individual server forums were cut down to four ruleset forums. Senior Community Coordinator Allison Berryman says the decision was a matter of practicality as there would be too many forums and not enough moderators to go around: "Generally speaking, server forums for many MMOs tend to be largely un-moderated and can become unpleasant to visit." Instead, BioWare hopes that server communities create and moderate their own server-specific sites and forums. "This is also a great opportunity for the community to come together in their own ways - on fan sites and through other resources," Barryman said. "Of course, we want people to visit the official forums, and will use them to provide information that's of specific interest to the community, but we also love to see the community coming up with cool stuff on their own."
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| Enter at your own Rift: A holiday wish-list for Telara Posted: 21 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift  Since I'm on a roll with making wish-lists this year, this week's Enter at Your Own Rift will give a rundown of what should be added to the game in 2012. Read on for the list, and then add your own below! Continue reading Enter at your own Rift: A holiday wish-list for Telara
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| BioWare: SWTOR could've been a Game of Thrones MMO Posted: 21 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  "If we were going to do a Game of Thrones MMO, what kind of rules and what kind of gameplay elements would really bring that world to life? Each [design document] had that, but we always focused on the story at the fore," says BioWare's James Ohlen. Ultimately, the devs forsook Westeros for the fertile setting they helped create in the Knights of the Old Republic series, and George R. R. Martin fans are left to ponder the differences between a huge BioWare production and a Bigpoint browser title.
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| ArcheAge team releases holiday greetings video Posted: 21 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  Grinch impressions aside, the new holiday video shows off some of the game's weather effects as well as a veritable winter wonderland complete with snow and player-placed Christmas tree decorations -- not to mention dancing and fireworks. You can see all the festive sights after the cut, and we'll take this opportunity to say that all we want for Christmas is an English-language client! Continue reading ArcheAge team releases holiday greetings video
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| Treat yourself to a Cool Player Pack from Jade Dynasty and Massively! Posted: 21 Dec 2011 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play, Giveaways, Jade Dynasty  On our giveaway page, you'll find a code for a Jade Dynasty Cool Player Pack. It contains a three-day Kirin fashion set for your character, some Health and Spirit remedies, temporary attack power and defense buffs, and a "Cool Player" title to show off in game. Pick up your code, redeem it on the Jade Dynasty redemption page, then take your character to his or her racial starting zone. Talk to the Courier (211, 49 in Sunstream City or 337, -412 in the Divine Realm), open your mailbox, and find your gift! Enjoy your new items, and join us in thanking Perfect World Entertainment for the Cool Player Pack.
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| Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter looks back on 2011 and forward to 2012 Posted: 21 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Final Fantasy XIV  In Final Fantasy XIV's latest producer's letter, producer Naoki Yoshida stopped by the forums to reflect a bit on 2011 and give fans a look at what's coming up in 2012. Yoshida notes that September 2011 marked the one-year anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV as well as the one-year anniversary of Yoshida's installation as producer and director of the title. He goes on to state that "2012 will see [the game] making even larger strides and will prove to be an even bigger test for FFXIV." Next year's first new patch, 1.20b, is already in development, and Yoshida says the team is working diligently on 1.21 features such as the job system, job quests, and two new dungeons. As his final announcement, Yoshida reveals that QA testing for the battle system for the 2.0 client will begin shortly after the new year. For the full details, click on over to the full producer's letter on the FFXIV official forums.
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