General Gaming Article

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• Apple Founder Steve Jobs Is Dead
• Sprint Will Keep Unlimited Data for iPhone Buyers
• Samsung CTIA Video Teases Nexus Prime
• Microsoft Reveals Huge Xbox Streaming Deal
• Cheat Sheet: 8 Head-Banging Spotify Tips And Tricks
• Facebook's Active Users Dwarf Most Continents' Total Internet Users
• Physicists Receive $1.85 Million Grant to Reinvent Electronic Computing
• Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: eBay
• Mozilla Blocks Crash-Prone McAfee Firefox Add-on
• Italian Version of Wikipedia Taken Down To Protest Proposed Law

Apple Founder Steve Jobs Is Dead Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:15 PM PDT Steven P. Jobs, the founder of Apple, passed away today after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Although we've voiced a lot of complaints about Apple over the years, there's not one of us on the Maximum PC staff (even Gordon) who isn't saddened to hear this news. Steve Jobs was a one-of-a-kind figure in the tech community, and his passing is a tremendous loss. Rest in peace, Steve. You were a true innovator and you've left a hell of a legacy.

Sprint Will Keep Unlimited Data for iPhone Buyers Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:46 PM PDT Prospective iPhone buyers have been aching to know if Sprint would be keeping its unlimited data plans in place when it begins offering the device, and the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Sprint PR has confirmed to All Things D that the existing unlimited data plans will apply to the iPhone when pre-orders begin in just a few days. Sprint is likely to use this as a selling point to lure users from AT&T and Verizon. Sprint offers unlimited smartphone data plans for as low as $69.99 per month with 450 minutes. Unlike T-Mobile which also advertises an unlimited plan, Sprint does not throttle data after a certain cut-off. AT&T and Verizon both have capped data with 2GB being the maximum on AT&T, and the basic tier on Verizon.  Sprint claims that its 3G data network can handle the load, and there's no reason to think it won't. The carrier has quite a bit of experience with Android users, who actually use as much or more data on average.

Samsung CTIA Video Teases Nexus Prime Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT In the wake of a lackluster iPhone 4S announcement, many phone fans are looking forward to next week's CTIA event where Google and Samsung are expected to make a big Android announcement. In an apparent effor to stoke the fires, Samsung has released a teaser video that contains a glimpse of what is likely to be the Nexus Prime. This new flagship device is expected to be a major departure from last year's model. Near the end of the video, the phone is seen edge on, with a glowing line tracing the curve of the Contour Screen. The severity of the curve seems to have increased from last year's device, but the body is markedly thinner as well. There is a substantial bump at the bottom of the device, like many Samsung phones as of late. We also catch sight of what appears to be a dock connector on the side of the device. The Nexus Prime (the name of which is in dispute) is expected to run a dual-core SoC, possibly an OMAP. The screen is rumored to pack a whopping 1280x720 pixels and be about 4.65-inches diagonal. The Nexus Prime will run Google's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system update. How does this tease strike you?

Microsoft Reveals Huge Xbox Streaming Deal Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:15 PM PDT We've been hearing for several weeks that Microsoft was close to finalizing content deals that would allow the Xbox game console stream TV. Today Redmond announced the program, and the partner list is impressive. The deal encompasses cable providers like Comcast and Verizon, but some individual stations like Bravo, BBC, and HBO are also on board. However, this isn't the kind of service that encourages users to cut the cord; there are conditions.  Most of this content will be available as apps for the Xbox Dashboard, but users will have to authenticate via an existing cable subscription. Additionally, Verizon will only be making part of its channel lineup available. Some content is country specific with BBC exclusive to the UK and Canal+ in France. YouTube integration will be more or less universal, though. The Dashboard Metro-style redesign that allows this service should be out sometime in November. At that time, we are also expecting Windows Phone integration that turns the mobile device into a remote control. Would this sway you to get an Xbox over other consoles?

Cheat Sheet: 8 Head-Banging Spotify Tips And Tricks Posted: 05 Oct 2011 12:36 PM PDT After months of rumors, whispers, and flat-out teasing by CEO Daniel Elk, Spotify finally hit the U.S. back in July. Even though the streaming music service is still a bit green behind the ears in America, Spotify is no rookie; it's been the proverbial 800 lb. gorilla on the European front for years. Now that you've had a couple of months to get used to Spotify's deep catalog and basic abilities, it's time to get serious and slip on your Maximum PC power user hat.  That European gestation time gave Spotify a chance to jam-pack the application with all kinds of secrets, shortcuts, and features – and we're here to give you the grand tour. But why are we still blabbering when we could be educating? Let's get this Spotify guide going! Ditch The Mouse We'll start off by improving your navigation skills. If you're the kind of person who glares at a mouse with the same look of disdain that Neil Young reserves for rampant file sharers, you're in luck! Spotify includes tons of keyboard shortcuts. Here's a few of the more useful ones: "Spacebar" pauses or unpauses the music. "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "Down" controls the mute function. "Crtl" + "Up" increases the volume, while "Crtl" + "Down" decreases it. "Crtl" + the right arrow key skips forward one track; "Crtl" + the left arrows key skips back. "Crtl" + "L" plops the cursor in the search field. For a complete list, check out the keyboard shortcut page in the Spotify help section. Make Mobile Music Available Offline Image credit: musicnews.omio.news Ponying up the $10/month for a premium subscription does more than just kick the ads to the curb and increase the bitrate to 320Kbps. Your cash also opens up the ability to listen to Spotify playlists on up to three mobile devices, even when you're offline. Simply connect your phone to the Internet and open up a playlist you want to be able to listen to at any time, then slide the Available Offline switch to "On." Spotify downloads the tracks to your computer for Internet-free listening. You can save up to 3,333 songs in offline mode on three separate devices, and it's included on the desktop client for Premium subscribers. That's 10k songs at your Internet-free fingertips. Advanced Search Options Check out all the hot and heavy advanced filter action in the search bar, Anybody can type in "Kelis" and be shaking their milkshake in the yard before they know it, but if you want to dig out obscure gems or simply tighten up your search results, you're going to want to use Spotify's advanced search options. Prefacing a search with "album:", "title:", or "artist:" limits the search to that aspect of a song. Don't include a space between the colon and the target of your search. If there are multiple words in your search parameter, bracketing them in quotation marks will only return results that carry every word inside the quotes. For example, artist:"Black Keys" only offers results that include both words, whereas the search results for artist:Black Keys (without quotes) will toss up anything with the word "Black" or "Keys". You can also limit searches by prefacing them with "year:", "label:" and "genre:", which could be useful for indie fans. Boolean operators? Spotify's got those, too. Use multiple filters at once – similar to the AND command – by including a space between them, such as genre:rock artist:"Queens of the Stone Age. Adding "OR" between two sections of a search will have the service scour its catalog for both sections separately, rather than treating it as a single search, and return them on one results page. Finally, you can place a dash (-) in front of a word to exclude searches that include that term from the results. For example, searching for beck –artist:jeff will keep guitar god Jeff Beck from clogging up your searches for Beck, the guy who made "Loser" back in the 1990s. Sharing Is Caring Look at all those social options! Spotify doesn't focus on social media with the same relentless obsession that Rdio does, but it still includes plenty of options for sharing your favorite songs and playlists. Simply right-click on a song or playlist and select "Share To" to quickly and easily share the information to Facebook, Twitter, Messenger or a specific Spotify user. You can also copy an HTTP link for the song or playlist to link to it on a website. "Copy Spotify URI" creates a link that opens Spotify and plays the song when someone clicks on it. Focus On The Blistering Solo, Not The Boring Intro Spotify URI's let you link to specific parts of specific songs. Building off the last tip, Spotify allows you to alter its direct URI links to start song playback at a specific point in the track. Simply add # to the end of the Spotify URI, then entire the time stamp for the part of the song you want to link to. Need a visual? spotify:track:4MB8cfTICv4aCpZplYUENd opens up the track "Sun Dance" by the band Tomahawk, which happens to have a withering burst of Native American-inspired rock about 50 seconds in. Typing spotify:track:4MB8cfTICv4aCpZplYUENd#0:50 when you include it as a link opens the track right at that spot. To do the same with an HTTP URL, replace the # with "%23" – minus the quotes. It's excellent for when you want to share a cool part of a track with a pal. Add Music From Unusual Places To Your Library Adding local files to Spotify via the Local Pages tab. You've probably already noticed that Spotify makes all the music you have on iTunes or in your Music and Download folders available in the Local Files tab on the left side of the screen. But what if you keep your music on an external hard drive or an oddly named folder? (For example, I keep mine in a folder dubbed "The Savage Beast".) Simple: open the Local Files tab, then click on the "Music from your computer" link at the top of the page. Scroll down a bit until you see "Local Files," then click on "Add Source" and include the location of your hidden music directory. The same menu allows you to enable Last.fm scrobbling, by the way. Eenie, Meenie, Mini, Moe An expanded view of a single track with multiple cuts. When you search for a song that an artist cut several times, it will only display the most popular version. If your favorite singer recorded several live or recorded mixes of a single track, just click that little circle to the left of the artist's name in the track's search results. The screen expands to show every version of the same song title that artist offers (or at least the ones offered on Spotify). That way, you can pick which live version of The Toadies' "Backslider" you want to hear. Utilities Pump Up The Jams ShareMyPlaylists.com lets Spotify users rock each others' socks. There are tons of websites out there that add useful functions to the Spotify experience. Some of our favorites: ShareMyPlaylists.com allows you to share your favorite playlists and listen to the playlists of others (yes, there is a rating function to cut down on the signal-to-noise ratio); SPNotify.com shoots you a notification whenever new music is available from your favorite artists; while Spotibot.com works similarly to Pandora in that you type the name of your favorite bands, then the site creates custom playlists of songs it thinks you'll like. There are also browser control extensions available for Chrome and Firefox, so you won't have to hop between the two windows to change tracks. Seriously, there's a ton of stuff available. Check out this Lifehacker article for the most comprehensive list of Spotify utilities we could find. So, what helped? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

Facebook's Active Users Dwarf Most Continents' Total Internet Users Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:35 AM PDT While we were busy listening to all the Spotify coverage at F8 a few weeks back, the Zuck let a little something else slip that we missed at first: Facebook's active user base is now over 800 million strong. Let that number sink in. 800 million. It's utterly massive. How massive? One website crunched the numbers and found that the Facebook of 2011 is as big as the entire Internet of 2004 and a whole host of other things. Just to play the devil's advocate, we'd like to point out that the Internet usage stats that Royal Pingdom linked to shows that the Web crossed the 800 million mark around October 2004, but we get their point nonetheless. Some other fun bits: Facebook's user base is larger than any continent's Internet population except for Asia's, and Facebook users outnumber the combined population of Russia and all of Europe combined! Plus, Facebook citizens outnumber US citizens 2.5 times over. When you put it that way, Google+'s 30 million-plus users suddenly don't seem quite as impressive…

Physicists Receive $1.85 Million Grant to Reinvent Electronic Computing Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:24 AM PDT Talk about a monumental task. Roland Kawakami, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Riverside, is leading a team of physicists on a multicampus research project aimed at replacing conventional silicon electronics with a new way of computing better equipped to process large scale applications. The team's budget is $1.85 million. That's the amount of grant money it received, according to UC Riverside. It was awarded to UC Riverside for winning the national Nanoelectronics for 2020 and Beyond competition. Kawakami says his team is looking at ways of improving computing that go beyond simply building a better transistor. He believes conventional silicon electronics can only go so far and it won't be long before the technology hits a wall. Then what? "Our approach is to utilize the spin degree of freedom to store and process information, which will allow the functions of logic and memory to be fully integrated into a single chip," Kawakami explains. It starts with developing a new type of building block device called a magnetologic gate (pictured above). This will serve as the basis for the technology, much in the same way transistors are the backbone of conventional electronics. The magnetic gate is made of graphene with a bunch of magnetic electrodes. These electrodes store data, while electrons move through the graphene to use the spin state to compare the information, according to UC Riverside. More geeky details on the topic here.

Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: eBay Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:17 AM PDT We know what you're thinking: Ebay? Really? Obviously readers of this site are familiar with the auction mega-site, even if you don't use it on principal. Ebay's selection as App of the Week has a lot to do with their use of new capabilities offered by the Mango update for Windows Phone. For those that are fans of both Windows Phone and Ebay (yes, all three of you), the Ebay app is a thing of beauty.     Being a client app for Ebay, you can make some assumptions regarding features you will find in the app. Auction listings can be searched and browsed, items can watched or bid on, and the app will allow you to configure notifications for when you are outbid or a watched item is ending. The best feature of the Ebay app is a new capability in Mango. Individual searches or bids can be pinned to your Start Screen for easy (and quick) access later.     The Ebay app for Windows Phone is available as a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Mango is a requirement however, so you'll need to update your device if you haven't done so already.

Mozilla Blocks Crash-Prone McAfee Firefox Add-on Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:11 AM PDT Mozilla just can't catch any slack; the new, memory-improved Firefox 7.0 is barely off the virtual printing presses and already some users are complaining that the thing is crash-tastic.  Not so fast: Mozilla pays attention to those crash reports that users send back, you see, and the company noticed that McAfee's ScriptScan add-on was the cause of a lot of those fatal errors.  In fact, ScriptScan was creating such a high volume of crashes that Mozilla tossed the add-on in their blocklist yesterday. ScripScan is part of McAfee's VirusScan antivirus package and is designed to scan websites for malicious code. Unfortunately, the add-on does more harm than good, at least in Firefox; Mozilla says all versions of ScriptScan version 14.4.0 and below crash every version of Firefox and SeaMonkey. "Users are strongly encouraged to disable the problematic add-on or plugin, but may choose to continue using it if they accept the risks described," Mozilla's website says. On McAfee's end, the problem only appears to be with Firefox; other browsers appear unaffected by crashes. McAfee is well aware of the problem; on the company's forums, volunteer moderator Ex_Brit has confirmed that there is a bug report filed about it, and says McAfee is working with Mozilla to fix the problem. In the meantime, he suggests using another browser or installing McAfee's SiteAdvisor add-on in ScriptScan's stead.

Italian Version of Wikipedia Taken Down To Protest Proposed Law Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:45 AM PDT Wikipedia. It's so substantial and all-encompassing that it could kind of be considered a repository for the collective knowledge of our species. Since it's all ones and zeros stored on servers around the world, there's no threat of it burning down like the ancient Library at Alexandria did – at least not physically. Digital law can still bring it crashing down. The Italian version of Wikipedia is currently offline due to a law being proposed by the Italian Parliament that could have serious repercussions on Wikipedia – and all free speech – in that country. A message that serves as a placeholder for the site warns that the content is only hidden at the moment, but it may deleted if paragraph 29 of the proposed "Wiretapping Act" is adopted into law. "This proposal, which the Italian Parliament is currently debating, provides, among other things, a requirement to all websites to publish, within 48 hours of the request and without any comment, a correction of any content that the applicant deems detrimental to his/her image," Wikipedia summarizes. Note that there is no third party arbiter or judge of whether the content is detrimental or not – the final legal say lands in the lap of the aggrieved, regardless of whether the originally reported story is true or not. Wikipedia takes extreme offense with that. From the placeholder message: "The obligation to publish on our site the correction as is, provided by the named paragraph 29, without even the right to discuss and verify the claim, is an unacceptable restriction of the freedom and independence of Wikipedia, to the point of distorting the principles on which the Free Encyclopedia is based and this would bring to a paralysis of the "horizontal" method of access and editing, putting - in fact - an end to its existence as we have known until today." Critics of the proposed law say that it was designed solely to silence critics of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose lavish, lady-filled, and movie star-esque lifestyle is the subject of derision of many Italian publications.

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MMO News

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• Closed beta date announced for Blacklight Retribution
• Starcraft 2 Starter Edition Gameplay – First Look HD
• Elsword Online launches new pet system
• Rappelz Expansion to launch in November

Closed beta date announced for Blacklight Retribution Posted: 05 Oct 2011 03:05 PM PDT Perfect World Entertainment has announced that its upcoming MMOFPS, Blacklight Retribution, will begin closed beta testing on November 10, 2011. Players who have applied for closed beta will be admitted in waves to allow for focused testing. Blacklight Retribution is developed by Zombie Studios, and has won several awards from the press, including “Best Multiplayer” and “Most Valuable Game.” It is the second out-of-house developed game that Perfect World Entertainment will release to its gamers (the first being Rusty Hearts). Perfect World also publishes Jade Dynasty and Forsaken World. Blacklight Retribution Gameplay Screenshot Source: BLACKLIGHT RETRIBUTION GOES INTO CLOSED BETA ON NOVEMBER 10 October 5, 2011 — Foster City, Calif. — Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), unveiled today that its upcoming, next-generation first-person shooter (FPS), Blacklight Retribution, will be going into closed beta on November 10, 2011. Select players will be invited into the closed beta on day one, followed by additional waves of players in the following weeks. “The development of Blacklight Retribution has been a hard earned labor of love and after receiving praise from both fans and media, we’re confident that our work will pay off,” said Jared Gerritzen, Creative Director at Zombie Studios. “Closed beta is another step towards a game that we know people will have a great time playing.” “We’ve been looking forward to getting Blacklight Retribution into the hands of gamers, so we’re excited to open the game up to thousands of players,” stated Andrew Brown, Executive Producer for Perfect World Entertainment. “We are confident that many gamers out there will be pleased and will finally have a real first person shooter experience in a F2P environment.” Blacklight Retribution has already been the recipient of several awards, including “Best Multiplayer” from Machinima during the game’s showing at PAX Prime, and Most Valuable Game from PC Gamer while at E3. For more information about Blacklight Retribution , please visit http://www.playblacklight.com. To join the Blacklight community for the latest news and videos, go to: http://www.facebook.com/PlayBlacklight

Starcraft 2 Starter Edition Gameplay – First Look HD Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:50 PM PDT To Learn More About the Game, Check out our Starcraft 2 Page. Starcraft 2 is a 3D real time strategy game published by Blizzard – the same company behind the enormously popular World of Warcraft MMORPG. Starcraft 2 is the much anticipated sequel to the original Starcraft game and features a free trial dubbed “Starter Edition”. The free trial is restricted to only one of the three races (Terran) and a handful of non-ranked custom maps. To learn more about Starcraft 2 check out the official MMOHut Starcraft 2 page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Elsword Online launches new pet system Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:33 AM PDT Elsword Online, published by Kill3rCombo, has released a pet system.  Currently, there are three options to choose from, with more to be released at a later date. The pets offer various attacks and buffs that get stronger as they are fed and grow.  How the pets are treated will also affect their development as well. The pet system is available at level 10, and pets can grant attack and buff skills, and require care as they mature to adult forms and gain personality. Elsword Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: Elsword Officially Launches New Pet System IRVINE, Calif. – Oct. 5, 2011 – Players now have the help of an ally as they make their way through the formidable dungeons and cutthroat side-scrolling bosses of Elsword, the massively multi-player online action game. The all-new pet system makes its in-game debut today, giving players the opportunity to traverse the anime-themed world with new companions at their side. The pet system introduces gamers to the Pocket Phoru and Ancient Phoru, with Tree Knight and additional pets coming soon. Upon reaching level ten, players will have the opportunity to utilize their pet of choice to help them in quests. Though they may look cute and cuddly, pets actually have powerful attacks and buff skills that will prove integral to dungeon crawls. Pets also are maturing creatures with evolving personalities, and require care from their masters to maintain peak performance. They grow up as they are fed, progressing from infant to teen to adult, gaining stronger attacks and prowess with every change. How players treat their pet also will shape its personality, changing the range of combat performed. "Introducing pets to Elsword adds another dimension to the game and allows players to become fully immersed in the comic book style world," said Ben Colayco, CEO of Kill3rCombo. "By echoing character evolution and growth within the pet system, we wanted to reinforce that Elsword offers a unique and dynamic environment to players, while at the same time maintaining the key differentiators that set us apart, such as maturation of characters." In Elsword, players can currently choose from four specialized and customizable characters as they explore immersive maps and battle to complete dynamic quests. As gamers progress through the game, they will have the opportunity to evolve their fighting styles by upgrading to new job classes and watching as their chosen character matures and gains more abilities and combos. With intuitive and straightforward controls, Elsword offers players of all skill levels the chance to defeat enemies and deal damage, either on a solo mission or cooperatively in a party of up to four players. For those who welcome a challenge, Elsword also delivers action-packed player-versus-player (PvP) combat. To play Elsword and get your own pet, please visit: http://www.elswordonline.com/.

Rappelz Expansion to launch in November Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT gpotato has announced its ninth expansion for Rappelz will be released in November.  To celebrate, players will receive 55% more health and mana from October 5 to October 18.  New events are also scheduled every two weeks until the release. The expansion itself promises new monsters, new areas and a new dungeon that scales to the player’s level. gpotato also publishes Allods Online and AIKA Online. Rappelz Gameplay Screenshot Source: Rappelz Announces Major New Expansion for November Rappelz Epic VII: Ascension Joins the 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Sunnyvale, Calif.  October 5 – Five years ago, Rappelz had just entered beta in North America. Today, the classic MMORPG announces its ninth major expansion! Due out mid-November, Rappelz Epic VII: Ascension will introduce new monsters, new bosses, and an exciting new dungeon. On top of all that, players can enjoy immediate server buffs as the countdown to the game's 5 Year Anniversary continues! A portal has opened into Rappelz and Epic VII: Ascension will flood the world with tons of new monsters! This thrilling conclusion to the Epic VII storyline introduces the sinister Vulcanus and his harrowing dungeon of fire. Newly re-awakened, the ancient menace has summoned an army of fierce monsters to serve him in his lair. Now the warriors of Rappelz must conquer and contain him before he escapes to do any more harm to their world. Players can enter the Vulcanus Dungeon through shrines located around the world and challenge the great Vulcanus at any time – and any level! The dungeon scales to match each player's ability so even newcomers can get straight into the action. Only the strongest will make it to the very end, as waves of more and more difficult monsters wait in each new room. Cowards can take the easy way out and flee at any time, but the bravest will forge on to face Vulcanus himself.  More details will be unveiled before Rappelz Epic VII: Ascension's November release! Preparation begins now with the ongoing Rappelz 5 Year Anniversary Celebration. From October 5 through 18, players can take advantage of a +55% HP and +55% MP buff to rip through mob after mob without stopping. With more events scheduled every two weeks and an expansion on the way, it's a great time to get into the game. Visit the official Rappelz website and start playing today!

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MMO Updates

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• Age of Conan long-term subs available, Funcom gifting weekly consumable packs
• Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone
• The Repopulation adds action mode combat toggle, military system
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Outcasts
• The Daily Grind: What's your end-of-the-year MMO to-do list?
• Testing players to receive rewards in Star Trek Online
• Luck be a lady tonight! LotRO lotteries returning
• Win an Age of Conan lifetime sub in new Funcom sweepstakes
• Take justice to the streets in City of Heroes
• The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The highlights
• Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons
• The Soapbox: It doesn't have to be for you
• Uncharted Waters Online celebrating first anniversary with special events
• FFXIV's 1.19 patch features new group content, Ifrit primal
• Trion Worlds treks to NYCC with a trio of games
• Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond handing out trips to the (virtual) moon!
• DCUO's latest update takes you to the Fortress of Solitude
• Star Wars: The Old Republic increases invitations to this weekend's beta test
• Cryptic explains Star Trek Online's quick turnaround time
• Black Prophecy celebrates World Space Week with bonus events

Age of Conan long-term subs available, Funcom gifting weekly consumable packs Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions We've got more Age of Conan-related subscription news for you this morning. Yesterday we mentioned the lifetime sub sweepstakes currently ongoing at AoC's Facebook page. Today we came across some new time-limited sub offers on the game's forums as well as a blurb about free weekly login items. The sub offers come in three-, six-, and 12-month flavors, and each also features a bundle of in-game goods designed to make your Hyborian life a little easier. All three packs give you assorted potions and the basic riding skill, while the six- and 12-month varieties give you mounts to go with it. The weekly login items feature packs of consumables and are available via the special offers tab of the in-game store. This week's pack is labeled A Bountiful Harvest, while subsequent weeks will feature A Hearty Harvest, A Fine Harvest, and The Harvest Reward packs. Age of Conan long-term subs available, Funcom gifting weekly consumable packs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: AoC forums

Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone Posted: 05 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Roleplaying, Humor, Sandbox When SOE announced that Star Wars Galaxies would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off, all the activities they just hadn't gotten around to. There hadn't been time. The game is too big for anyone to do it all. And that's precisely why Star Wars Galaxies is a legend among sandbox fans despite the NGE disaster. It's a living museum of great MMO ideas from the past, of player-driven economies, of open-world housing, of high-end, game-supported roleplay, of roaming in a game that lets you dictate the terms of your play. It's a rare relic you should see in the flesh, today, right now, before it's gone. You can pick up a weapon and fight in any MMO (excepting A Tale in the Desert, that is), but there are so many things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies that you can't do anywhere else with the same level of immersion. And I'm going to tell you which 10 you should do first... before it's too late. Continue reading Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Repopulation adds action mode combat toggle, military system Posted: 05 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox Last week we told you about a new three-faction sandbox MMO called The Repopulation. Today we've got the very latest on the game courtesy of Above & Beyond Technologies' end-of-September progress report. As it turns out, some of September was dedicated to preparing for the game's initial announcement and piecing together the accompanying trailer. Other than that, though, the devs did make a bit of progress on gameplay proper. Action mode combat was the biggest addition, and the update describes an interesting mechanic that allows users to "toggle between action- or RPG-mode combat at any time during gameplay." The other big addition is The Repopulation's military system. In a nutshell, it's a ranking system that allows players to gain military XP while performing various duties for their nation's armed forces. Ranks, medals, and perks like armor, weapons, vehicles, robotics, and special abilities are among the system's rewards. The Repopulation adds action mode combat toggle, military system originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Repopulation September update

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Outcasts Posted: 05 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter One of the elements that doesn't get explored often enough in MMOs is the concept of the people who didn't quite make it. It's generally accepted on some level that adventurers or superheroes or whatever you play are a cut above normal people, but there's still a point at which you stop being a Assault Rifle/Devices Blaster and start being just a guy with a gun and some toys. And the people just below that mark, just shy of reaching the big time, have a story to tell, just like the player characters. So today's look at City of Heroes' villainous groups highlights one of the game's suggestions about what happens to those people. It's a group composed of those not quite strong enough to make a name beyond thuggery but just strong enough to be more dangerous than the low-level mooks you don't even notice. I'm talking, of course, about the Outcasts, the elemental-themed gang of mutants that terrorizes Steel Canyon, goes to war with the Trolls, and makes a cottage industry out of being almost good enough to hit the big time. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Outcasts A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Outcasts originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's your end-of-the-year MMO to-do list? Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous With only a little less than three months left in 2011, it's time to start thinking about what we want to accomplish before 2012's crop of MMOs arrives. Maybe you want to reach level cap in some of 2011's launches like Allods Online or DC Universe Online, or dive into the newest shinies like LotRO's Rise of Isengard. Either way, there's a good chance you're completing your goals with one eye on 2012, which looks to be quite a year for the MMO industry. So tell us what your end-of-the-year goals are. Is it something related to completing a current game, or some kind of rigorous sleep-deprivation exercise that gets you ready for the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, or another anticipated MMO? 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's your end-of-the-year MMO to-do list? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Testing players to receive rewards in Star Trek Online Posted: 04 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play One of the little carrots that Star Trek Online has always given its players is a reward for playing on the test server. Specifically, by playing on the Tribble server, players receive a unique "bonus" tribble for their captain on the live server. The fourth entry in the Path to F2P blog series promises that players who take part on the test server will once again receive a special ball of fluff to call their own... but there's more on the way. The special reward tribble will be given to anyone who either reaches level 6 on a character created for the test server or transfers a higher-level character over once the transfers become available. Current subscribers who clock in time on the server will also be eligible for several other small rewards -- nothing spectacular individually, but enough so that players who log in regular testing will feel a bit of an extra bonus. The test server will get the KDF faction opened this week, so Star Trek Online players will have plenty to test in the name of easily replicating cooing dustbunnies. The fifth Path to F2P blog post has also gone live this evening with more details on how to rack up these test points and a deeper explanation for why you'd want to do so. Testing players to receive rewards in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Path to F2P entry #4, Path to F2P entry #5

Luck be a lady tonight! LotRO lotteries returning Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play You feelin' lucky, punk? You... You are? Oh, OK then. Well, that may just be for the best because from the looks of things, Lord of the Rings Online's lotteries will be making a return very soon. Over the next few days, Turbine will be running some "small, short, unannounced lotteries" to stress-test the feature, and if all goes as planned, players should expect the lottery to make a triumphant return by this weekend. So if you want to try your luck for some fabulous prizes, just head on over to my.lotro.com, click the lottery button, and cross your fingers. Good luck, ladies and gents! Luck be a lady tonight! LotRO lotteries returning originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Via: A Casual Stroll to Mordor -- LOTRO Lotteries Close to Returning!

Win an Age of Conan lifetime sub in new Funcom sweepstakes Posted: 04 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Contests, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions Feeling lucky? If so, you want might want to enter Funcom's new Age of Conan sweepstakes. One grand-prize winner will take home a lifetime premium sub to the fantasy MMORPG along with 6,000 cash shop points and the opportunity to have an in-game NPC named after one of your characters. Five first-prize winners will grab the ultimate Conan fan pack, which includes an in-game pleasure companion (nope, we're not kidding), 2,500 Funcom points, and three purebred mounts. Finally, second-prize winners will receive 1,000 Funcom points. The sweepstakes starts today, October 4th, and runs through November 22nd. Check out the details on the Age of Conan Facebook page, and don't forget to take a look at the official contest rules while you're at it. Win an Age of Conan lifetime sub in new Funcom sweepstakes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: AoC Facebook

Take justice to the streets in City of Heroes Posted: 04 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries If you're not satisfied taking out thugs with merely a katana or a kick, then Paragon Studios has your answer: Street Justice. It's a brand-new powerset just released in City of Heroes Freedom, available to Scrappers, Brutes, Stalkers, and Tankers. It looks like a flashier mashup of the Martial Arts and Super Strength sets, and according to a post by Paragon's Phil "Synapse" Zeleski, Street Justice is like many of the newer CoH sets in that it comes with a special mechanic, in this case, combo levels and finishing moves that give more freedom to the player than does the similar gameplay hook of Dual Blades. Street Justice is available for purchase in the game's cash shop for 800 Paragon Points (about $10 US). It is one of two new powersets not granted freely to VIP subscribers. Check out the video after the break to peek before you buy. Continue reading Take justice to the streets in City of Heroes Take justice to the streets in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: City of Heroes Street Justice

The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The highlights Posted: 04 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Asheron's Call, Classes, Expansions, The Game Archaeologist MMO sequels are funny animals. Sequels (along with prequels and "reimaginings") are ingrained into the entertainment industry so deep that it makes sense that MMO studios would follow suit. And yet these types of games -- with their ever-growing nature and heavy involvement with loyal playerbases -- are not always conducive to such projects. More often than not, a sequel to an online game becomes its ancestor's main competition, which is not a desirable outcome for the studio. Perhaps back in the early 2000s, studios simply didn't know better. There's good evidence that the typical "hit video games need a sequel" mindset ran rampant across the industry, from the multiple attempts at Ultima Online 2 to the release of the don't-call-it-a-sequel sequel of EverQuest II. Perhaps developers didn't realize that MMO players didn't necessarily want to be uprooted and moved to a new game every few years. While sequels, spin-offs and remakes are still present, the genre learned a hard lesson with Asheron's Call 2 in the first half of the decade. Asheron's Call was a success on Microsoft and Turbine's behalf, and a sequel -- with vastly improved graphics and deeper gameplay -- seemed like a logical next step. Unfortunately, it was a Greek tragedy in the making, destined for a short but memorable life in our world. This month we're going to look at the brief shining star of Asheron's Call 2 and get all sorts of misty-eyed romantic over it! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The highlights The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The highlights originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons Posted: 04 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon A hyperspace beacon in Star Wars lore guides a space traveler from one safe lightspeed jump to the next. Basically, a nav computer communicates with a hyperspace beacon, requesting jump points to its intended destination, and the hyperspace beacon, being in contact with other hyperspace beacons, replies with the fastest route to that star system. Explorers, like Gav Daragon, would take risky jumps in directions beacons didn't point to. That is how they found Korriban. By the time period of Star Wars: A New Hope, hyperspace beacons were no longer in service. However, we know for certain that less than 300 years before Star Wars: The Old Republic, hyperspace beacons were still in use. Since technology appears to advance quite slowly, I can only assume that they are still used in some capacity during SWTOR. As evident by the galaxy map that BioWare launched this past Friday, the worlds of this time period are strongly divided into territories. The planets of the movies appeared to be united under one banner (although that's not entirely accurate). What I'd like to do today is give you a little tour of the galaxy, comparing this map to something you may be a bit more familiar with: the Star Wars movies. So strap yourself in, kid -- we gotta make the jump to hyperspace! Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons Hyperspace Beacon: Hyperspace... beacons originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soapbox: It doesn't have to be for you Posted: 04 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. It's a natural problem: MMOs are all about making you feel invested in your character and your playstyle. The best games let you choose your style, your preferred content, the way you want to level, the times you want to play, and so forth. And so it's only natural that you'll gradually start to think of the way you like to play as the one part of the game that actually matters. Sure, you aren't going to say it out loud, but you still think in your heart that PvP or raiding or small-group content or roleplaying or dancing naked on a mailbox is the real core of the game. Or you think that free-for-all PvP or crafting sandboxes or directed themeparks or whatever are the real kind of MMOs and everything else is a pale imitation. And that's a shame because even if you like those sorts of things, not everyone does. Continue reading The Soapbox: It doesn't have to be for you The Soapbox: It doesn't have to be for you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Uncharted Waters Online celebrating first anniversary with special events Posted: 04 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Birthday cakes and kazoos are the order of the day in Uncharted Waters Online. The nautical MMORPG is celebrating its first anniversary, and the team at gPotato has prepared a series of events designed to reward long-time players and entice new captains into the fold. First up is the premium ticket blast, and funnily enough, it rewards players with a premium ticket, provided that they are logged in at precisely 8:00 a.m. on October 8th. The ticket is, well, your ticket to trying out a "coveted sailing vessel or other valuable prizes." There's also a three-week marathon event in which players will receive daily boosts and free items simply by logging into UWO. Beginning on October 5th, you'll want to check in once a day to claim your prizes, skill proficiency buffs, and extra fame points. Finally, the devs are hosting a UWO writing contest, and there are 13 prizes up for grabs (including a few custom ships). [Source: gPotato press release] Uncharted Waters Online celebrating first anniversary with special events originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

FFXIV's 1.19 patch features new group content, Ifrit primal Posted: 04 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Final Fantasy XIV, Dungeons It's patch day in the world of Eorzea, and today's 1.19 update looks to bring quite a bit of new content to Final Fantasy XIV. Said content includes a new confrontation with Ifrit, a fiery primal who waits for brave adventurers at the end of one of the game's newest quests. Final Fantasy XIV's lodestone has all the details, and apparently the Ifrit encounter comes in two distinct flavors. One is designed for level 30 light parties (four members), while the other is a hard-mode run intended for eight-man level 50 groups. Ifrit wears his badassery on his sleeve if the accompanying video clip is any indication, and the lodestone entry describes him as "a demon spawned by the seven hells" whose exhalations "produce heat of such torridity as to reduce iron to pools of white-hot liquid." See for yourself after the break. Continue reading FFXIV's 1.19 patch features new group content, Ifrit primal FFXIV's 1.19 patch features new group content, Ifrit primal originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: FFXIV lodestone

Trion Worlds treks to NYCC with a trio of games Posted: 04 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Massively meta, MMOFPS, MMORTS, RIFT Trion Worlds has three gaming worlds up its sleeve right now, and it aims to talk about all of them at this year's New York Comic Con. In fact, the company has announced that several of its developers will participate in a panel "to discuss the future of [its] online gaming portfolio." RIFT junkies can look forward to a chat with Design Producer Hal Hanlin and Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart about the studio's upcoming plans for the fantasy MMO, while MMORTS fans will get their PvE and PvP on with Senior Producer Chris Lena from End of Nations. And attendees looking for their shooter fix won't be left out: Rob Hill, Senior Producer for Defiance, will be on hand to cover the MMOFPS and its integration with the Syfy show. The panel takes places on Friday, October 14th, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. EDT in room 1A24. Tickets for the con are still available on the official NYCC website. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Trion Worlds treks to NYCC with a trio of games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: NYCC Official Website

Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond handing out trips to the (virtual) moon! Posted: 04 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond, Promotions, Miscellaneous As Project Whitecard wraps up its Kickstarter fundraiser to raise funds for Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, it wants to give a little extra incentive for any would-be donors. Anyone -- past, present and future -- who gives to the NASA project will be entered into a drawing for one of 50 free copies of Project Moonwalk. Project Moonwalk is a video game simulation of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, designed to be not only fun but also educational. The game hits the high points of space race history, from Sputnik's launch to the lunar landing and subsequent return to Earth. Made with the Unreal Engine, Project Moonwalk will be released this fall. Currently, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond has raised over $41,000 through Kickstarter, well exceeding its $25,000 goal. If you're interested in helping in the second great space race, then you have six days to get your pledge in to the cause before the fundraiser ends! Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond handing out trips to the (virtual) moon! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Project Moonwalk

DCUO's latest update takes you to the Fortress of Solitude Posted: 04 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online, Dungeons We still don't have a date for you with regard to DC Universe Online's impending payment model switcheroo. We do have the latest Sony Online Entertainment press release, though, and it's full of details about the superhero MMO's latest content patch. Listen up, Superman fans, as today's patch brings about the second phase of a three-part raid in which players must stop Brainiac from harnessing Kryptonian technology and using it to destroy the entire planet. The update, appropriately titled The Fate of the Fortress, features Superman's iconic arctic hideout known as the Fortress of Solitude, and the patch allows would-be heroes to team up with Kal-El, Lex Luthor, and their fellow players to tackle a challenging eight-man group combat raid. There's a bunch of new loot to be had as well, and today's update also features a new hard-mode option for the HIVE tier-two alert as well as a new Batcave PvP map. Finally, SOE has incorporated a new dueling mechanic into DCUO, so fire up your launchpads, button up your underoos, and get ready to save Gotham City and Metropolis from the clutches of the megalomaniacal Brainiac. [Source: SOE press release] DCUO's latest update takes you to the Fortress of Solitude originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic increases invitations to this weekend's beta test Posted: 04 Oct 2011 11:45 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Star Wars: The Old Republic While Star Wars: The Old Republic's beta test weekends thus far have been small and intermittent, BioWare hopes to make it up to anxious fans by kicking off a much larger beta event. The studio posted that it is in the process of inviting "more players into testing than [it's] ever invited before in a single weekend" over the course of today in preparation for this weekend's test. This next beta weekend will take place from October 7th through the 11th and is separate from the ongoing closed beta. BioWare also asserts that players who aren't accepted into this test will have future opportunities in the additional beta test weekends before the launch. SWTOR beta test invitations will come straight to players' emails and can be verified by logging into your account to see whether the beta client is available for download. [Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip!] Star Wars: The Old Republic increases invitations to this weekend's beta test originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic

Cryptic explains Star Trek Online's quick turnaround time Posted: 04 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play Star Trek Online fans have occasionally wondered whether Cryptic Studios felt pressured to rush the game toward its February 2010 launch date. Recent comments by new executive producer Stephen D'Angelo indicate that the company was under the gun due to a pre-existing licensing agreement between the Star Trek IP owners (CBS) and Perpetual Entertainment (STO's original developer). D'Angelo states that Cryptic acquired the license from Perpetual and had to abide by the original agreement in order to keep it. That meant that the new dev team had approximately two years to crank out an ambitious sci-fi MMO based on one of world's most beloved IPs (and featuring one of the world's most notoriously obsessive fan bases). The comments come during the course of a video interview on the STOked podcast, which you can watch after the break. [Thanks to The Grand Nagus for the tip!] Continue reading Cryptic explains Star Trek Online's quick turnaround time Cryptic explains Star Trek Online's quick turnaround time originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: STO forums

Black Prophecy celebrates World Space Week with bonus events Posted: 04 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy, Promotions Did you know that it's world space week? Yep, it is, and gamigo is leveraging the occasion to hype its free-to-play Black Prophecy MMORPG. A new company press release has the details, and they boil down to a couple of special events both in and around the space shooter. First up is an XP boost that grants players a 25% increase on both missions and enemy kills. gamigo is also offering an additional 15% extra cash on all cash shop packet purchases. Also of note is Black Prophecy's first official expansion. Episode 2: Species War is out now, and you can view an official trailer for the new content after the break. [Source: gamigo press release] Continue reading Black Prophecy celebrates World Space Week with bonus events Black Prophecy celebrates World Space Week with bonus events originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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