| The Anvil of Crom: Six reasons why Posted: 21 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Anvil of Crom Normally I avoid top 10 (or top five, or top whatever) lists like the bubonic plague. I've talked before about how they're not my thing, and with the exception of our own Justin Olivetti and his always chuckle-worthy Perfect Ten, I tend to avoid reading them (not to mention writing them)! This week, though, I'm indulging in The Anvil of Crom's second top-random-number list, and I'm doing it in response to two reader mails that asked me why their respective authors should give Age of Conan a second shot. In short, there's never been a better time to try (or return to) AoC, so join me after the cut for six reasons why. Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Six reasons why  The Anvil of Crom: Six reasons why originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Global Chat: Rose-colored glasses vs. realism edition Posted: 21 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Global Chat, Miscellaneous Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! There's a lot of hype and excitement floating around the gaming world these days. Exciting titles are in various stages of development, and speculation is the name of the game. Titles still in development aren't the only source of excitement, though. Players love to talk up their favorite games and sometimes the industry in general. Some of our readers jumped in on various Massively stories this week with some slightly more down-to-earth thoughts -- not that this is bad! Follow along after the jump to see what some of our most astute readers of the week had to say. Continue reading Global Chat: Rose-colored glasses vs. realism edition Global Chat: Rose-colored glasses vs. realism edition originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Guild Wars 2's crafting system detailed and demonstrated Posted: 21 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, Professions, News items, Guild Wars 2  Guild Wars 2 fans, it's time to get out your smithing hammers and fire up your forges. Freshly imported from Gamescom 2011 is a new video outlining Guild Wars 2's crafting system. The game offers eight different professions, and -- like many other MMOs -- you are granted your choice of two of those professions at any given time. However, unlike many MMOs that give you a set list of recipes based on your crafting level and then limit you to crafting only those recipes, Guild Wars 2's system allows players to experiment with different combinations of materials to see if they form a new recipe. Only guy on the server who's figured out how to make that badass warhammer? Don't tell anyone and monopolize the market! Also gone are the days of skill points. Rather than giving crafting recipes a somewhat random chance to give you a skill-up, Guild Wars 2's crafting system provides you with an experience bar for your tradeskill, with each completed recipe providing a set amount of experience toward the next level. But what if you're not happy with your profession choices? While the game only allows you to have two active professions at any given time, you're able to freely swap one profession for another while retaining progress made in your former profession. So if you want to drop your level 50 profession to mess around with another, you can pick back up where you left off at a later time. For the developer commentary and a whopping 20 minutes of hands-on time with two different professions, hop on past the cut for the full video. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!] Continue reading Guild Wars 2's crafting system detailed and demonstrated Guild Wars 2's crafting system detailed and demonstrated originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What was the juiciest reveal at Gamescom? Posted: 21 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Every summer, the Massively staff spends time lurching from con to con in a drunken haze of MMO reveals. And every summer, we mull over those reveals, mentally ranking each one for quality, practicality, guts, and comic-relief. Gamescom has provided another such opportunity. WildStar? 2007 called; it wants Tabula Rasa back. The Secret World in April? Ambitious. Otherland? About time. Huttball? Wait. Really? Huttball? Then again, we'll play just about anything. So you tell us: What would you deem the best reveal of Gamescom?  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!The Daily Grind: What was the juiciest reveal at Gamescom? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gamescom 2011: More details on RIFT's patch 1.5 Posted: 20 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT RIFT hasn't been out for all that long, but the game is already rapidly approaching its fifth major patch since launch. A recent demonstration at Gamescom reveals more of what will be coming along with the patch, which promises more options for endgame players as well as for players without a great deal of time. For the former group, the game is adding a new Planar Achievement System that will give players points to spend in unique supplemental skill trees, adding some fine-tuning and character customization. For the latter group of players who don't have time to delve into large-scale group content, solo instances will be added, with one or two players easily able to clear the area depending on equipment. Hammerknell will be one of the first sorts of this dungeon, allowing players a chance to see more of the game as a whole. Higher-end players aren't forgotten, however, with a new Master Mode added to give dungeons extra sting and rewards. It looks like patch 1.5 will be a good time for all RIFT fans, whatever their level of commitment to the game. Gamescom 2011: More details on RIFT's patch 1.5 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gamescom 2011: CCP talks DUST 514 microtransactions Posted: 20 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox Joystiq caught up with CCP at Gamescom, and the Icelandic dev house responsible for EVE Online and its first-person shooter spin-off called DUST 514 dropped a few hints as to how the microtransaction business model will function in the latter game. DUST, which is launching exclusively on the Playstation 3 in 2012, will carry an initial $20 digital download fee, after which the user will receive access to the game as well as approximately $20 worth of virtual currency. "You're basically getting that bundle of cash that you're using to start the game, and from there if you choose to play for free and just grind, you're welcome to do that," a CCP rep said. CCP also said it expects many gamers to avoid DUST'S shooter gameplay altogether and focus on playing the market, as many capsuleers do in EVE Online. Head to Joystiq for the full report. Gamescom 2011: CCP talks DUST 514 microtransactions originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Heroes profiles the Carnival of Light Posted: 20 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Previews, News items  Attention all City of Heroes Freedom players! We have a new dossier from the Direct Urban Strike Team regarding the organization known as the Carnival of Light. Unfortunately, due to the sheer amount of Carnival counterintelligence, the dossier is regrettably incomplete. At first glance, the Carnival seems to be made up of your garden-variety magicians, mediums, and mystics, with a smattering of civilian members (often under psychic control). The decentralized nature of the organization's leadership makes it difficult to pinpoint a figurehead, but Vanessa DeVore seems to feature prominently within the Carnival's membership, and kill teams are ready to take her out as soon as the order is given. Lastly, there are rumors that the organization is behind the Resistance, but the veracity of said rumor is dubious at best. To be certain, the Carnival is a force to be reckoned with and preferably eliminated. The full dossier is available at the official City of Heroes site, in case you need to brush up on your intel before you take to the streets. City of Heroes profiles the Carnival of Light originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Wasteland dawn Posted: 20 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Fallen Earth, One Shots, Post-Apocalyptic Massively reader Bede is in the One Shots spotlight today with a Fallen Earth screenshot: Docuer's Court is a little village tucked away in the Kaibab Forest, cobbled together from bits and pieces assembled by the hardy survivors that inhabit the place. Kaibab Forest is a heavily forested region, providing a welcome respite from the dry desert of the Plateau Region or the dusty plains of Northfields.
Life is simpler here; what conflict one may encounter focuses on protecting the town from the low key threats represented by rogue humans, and coping with the aggressive wildlife that roams the valleys behind the town. We're revisiting an old favorite theme all this week and next on One Shots: environments. The game world is an area that most developers put a huge amount of effort into, and it shows. Do you have a favorite landscape, particularly eye-catching weather effect, or hidden jewel in an out-of-the-way location? Snap a screenshot of your favorite MMO area, tell us a bit about what and where it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. One Shots: Wasteland dawn originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Mog Log: Swimsuit edition Posted: 20 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log On Saturday, I spent a downright embarrassing amount of time in Final Fantasy XIV getting a set of clothing that I had no intention of actually wearing. The former part isn't that unusual; I'm a roleplayer, so I'll happily hold on to equipment that I have no use for in game terms if I can see a use for it as part of a roleplaying outfit. But this was precisely the opposite situation: There were no character benefits to be derived from the clothes, nor would I ever have my character parade around Ul'dah wearing it. No, my motivation was as out-of-character as you could get. I wanted a wallpaper. If it weren't obvious, I've been digging on the Firefall Faire event as a whole, both for the general atmosphere and the rather unique reward at the end. And luckily, if you haven't finished unlocking your cheesecake wallpaper just yet, there's still time. So jump on past the break for a discussion of how to win at ash collection, my own thoughts on the event, and yes, cheesecake wallpaper shots. (Hey, I might as well use them, right?) Continue reading The Mog Log: Swimsuit edition The Mog Log: Swimsuit edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Readers of Maximum PC probably don't need to be told that PC Gaming isn't dead, however gaming peripheral maker Razer claims they have proof, and it will be revealed on August 26th 2011 at their brand new domain 
Apple CEO Steve Jobs went on the record several years ago describing the modern day desktop as "a truck", suitable for some, but not practical for the mass market. He went on to define the iPad as the first "post PC device", and has trumpeted his tablet and iOS platforms as flagship products for this ideology ever since. Microsoft and its partners have listened to mainstream media run with his comments as gospel ever since, but some have finally had enough.
HP's decision to scrap the first, and perhaps only product resulting from its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm was by far one of the most unexpected news stories we've seen in years. But just when we thought things couldn't get any stranger, HP announced it was shopping for a buyer for their PC division as well, a move that would take the company in a radically different direction going forward. As the number one OEM PC manufacturer in the world this came as a bit of a shock to everyone, that is unless your number two. For Michael Dell the HP announcement represents a huge opportunity to grab market share, and the charismatic CEO wasted little time going after HP over twitter.
