MMO Updates

MMO Updates

The Road to Mordor: Resolutions, Baggins and Took-style

Posted: 07 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST

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The Road to Mordor
Mmm... smell that? It's the smell of a fresh new year, that is! Rolled right off the factory floor with no dings, the warranty still intact, and a tank full of gas and dreams. Makes one want to abandon the routine and head out onto the open road, does it not?

I'm one of those old fuddy-duddys who actually does New Year's resolutions, whether or not I'm actually capable of keeping them. I think it's important to try to better oneself and keep reaching for higher goals and standards, and if a new year is a convenient excuse to get my butt in gear, then I'm not complaining.

So right now I'm staring at a field of endless potential for Lord of the Rings Online in 2012. I've actually been giving it a lot of thought -- what do I want out of this year? As LotRO heads toward its fifth anniversary, is there really anything new left that I haven't experienced? And what the heck am I going to write about for 52 more weeks?

Never fear because the more I pondered, the more I realized that there's plenty of content yet to plunder (plus, of course, whatever Turbine has up its sleeves for the year). So for today's column, I sat down and drew up a list of resolutions in two parts: "Bagginsish" resolutions that are all about fluff and creature comforts and "Tookish" resolutions that are more concerned with high adventure.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Resolutions, Baggins and Took-style

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Resolutions, Baggins and Took-style originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    WRUP: Remaining a horrible person edition

    Posted: 07 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST

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    This is not a picture of me. By the time I'm passing out drunk on a street corner, I have long since parted company with my shoes and shirt.
    We are horrible people. Well, OK, not all of us are horrible people -- I'm pretty sure that Justin is a good egg, for instance. But I know for sure that I'm a terrible person, and most of my resolutions for the next year don't even touch on fixing any of that. It's another year of being morally and fiscally irresponsible, cursing in front of children, putting my foot in my mouth, and laughing at fart jokes for me. Stick with your strengths, right?

    Anyway, it's time for the first edition of WRUP for the new year, and clearly nothing has changed. After all, it's still a recounting of what the Massively staff will be up to over the weekend, complete with our own resolutions for the new year as they pertain to gaming. So jump on past the cut to see what we're up to, and let us know what you'll be doing on this first full weekend of the year in the comments.

    Continue reading WRUP: Remaining a horrible person edition

    MassivelyWRUP: Remaining a horrible person edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: When does a clever loophole become a bannable exploit?

    Posted: 07 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST

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    SWTOR's Ilum
    Trouble has been brewing this week over a Star Wars: The Old Republic "exploit" in which people use seemingly legitimate (but perhaps unintended) game mechanics to tip the balance of the game in their favor. Of course, this is nothing new to veteran MMO players, who have seen hundreds, even thousands, of such loopholes and bugs spackled and patched since first MMO came online. Entire World of Warcraft guilds have been banned, however temporarily, for "exploiting" poorly coded raid AI, for example.

    I've always felt that it's the game company's responsibility to counter loopholes before anyone takes advantage of them; the onus should be on the developer, not the player, to set the rules of the game using hardcoded mechanics. The players can't be expected to suss out the game-designers' intent, after all. Other gamers believe that "exploiters" really ought to know better and deserve whatever punishments the game's GMs mete out. What do you think? When does a clever loophole become a bannable exploit?

    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!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: When does a clever loophole become a bannable exploit? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Betawatch: December 31, 2011 - January 6, 2012

      Posted: 06 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST

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      Betawatch
      This week as promised, the North American open beta test for Wakfu got underway. We also learned of Trion's new beta-status iOS app for RIFT, listened to the Eligium devs explains why the "testing" part of beta testing actually matters, and uncovered how Funcom's The Secret World, currently still in closed beta, might bring the company out of its slump.

      Enjoy our whole Betawatch list after the break!

      Continue reading Betawatch: December 31, 2011 - January 6, 2012

      MassivelyBetawatch: December 31, 2011 - January 6, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        SWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint

        Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:30 PM PST

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        Star Wars: The Old Republic - Smuggler freighter, which has little to do with this article other than being cool
        Star Wars: The Old Republic's next big update is live on the game's public test shard. BioWare says that the 1.1 patch is chock full of bug fixes and is "the first of many content updates" for the sci-fi MMO.

        New stuff includes a level 50 Flashpoint (Kaon Under Siege) and four new bosses for Operation: Karagga's Palace. Also of note is an anti-aliasing option in the preferences menu and a correction for the problems plaguing Kira Carsen's affection conversations. The full patch notes are viewable on the official SWTOR website.

        MassivelySWTOR's 1.1 patch adds anti-aliasing, level 50 Flashpoint originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        World of Warcraft is going down in Europe... in price, that is

        Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST

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        Of course, if you're playing WoW and don't have the expansions, something seriously weird is going on, but whatever.
        Reports of the demise of World of Warcraft have been greatly exaggerated, but the price of the game is falling. This isn't entirely unexpected, but the game's two more recent expansions have just seen a significant drop in their EU prices, with Wrath of the Lich King dropping to €19.99 and Cataclysm dropping to €29.99. If you've been playing the game in Europe but have yet to pick up the later expansions, this might be your incentive.

        While some retailers have instituted their own price cuts in the time since the release of these expansions, these latest price drops come from the upper management at the company rather than being a limited-time sale or a reduction of overstock. The price move seems to be a result of the newly free-to-play nature of the early game and the upcoming Mists of Pandaria. No word yet on whether or not a similar official price drop will be mirrored in the US.

        MassivelyWorld of Warcraft is going down in Europe... in price, that is originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        CCP lays out the path to attend the EVE Fanfest

        Posted: 06 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST

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        No, you may not attend in your internet spaceship.
        At the end of March, it's time for EVE Online players the world over to once again come together in their shared love of backstabbing, corporate management, and monocles. Yes, the EVE Fanfest is approaching swiftly, and if you're planning to head over to Iceland for the event, now is probably the time to start making some plans about how to get there. Fortunately, CCP Games has made some accommodations for players so that getting to the event and in the door can be a wee bit easier.

        Tickets to the event can be purchase from the game's account management page, with a special early bird discount available through the end of January and bulk discounts on groups of 5-10 tickets. You can also book Fanfest activities through the same purchase page, allowing you to save time when you actually get on the ground. There are also deals available for players flying in via Icelandair, making it easier than ever to get to the convention -- a welcome change for the legions of fans not already based there.

        MassivelyCCP lays out the path to attend the EVE Fanfest originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Fallen Earth lays the foundation for 2012 in its January state of the game address

        Posted: 06 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST

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        Fallen Earth
        Senior Game Designer Marie Croall sounded the klaxons and ran up the flag for the wastelanders of Fallen Earth in the latest state of the game address. For her and the team, it's time to shake off the ravages of holidays and get to work on laying the foundation for the game in 2012.

        Croall says that this month players should expect to get the ability to use bombs in Territory Control, which should change things up somewhat. The Territory Control PvP feature will be significantly expanded in the months afterward as well.

        Also on tap for the near future are additional mid-level quests, the augmentation system for customizing gear, improving the flow of starter areas, and better rare drops across the board. The art team is excited to move on to giving Haven a facelift much like the work the team did on the recent Embry Crossroads revamp.

        Perhaps the most intriguing is that Croall hints at a major top-secret project in the works: "This month we're also breaking ground on one of the biggest systems we've ever done. It's still too early to really get into details on but we'll make sure this one was worth waiting for."

        MassivelyFallen Earth lays the foundation for 2012 in its January state of the game address originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Storyboard: Let the gate be

        Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST

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        It's been a while since a Rhio picture.
        Over the past two weeks, I've been essentially playing politics. That's a bit glib, sure, but if you have a better term for arguing two sides of the same issue over the course of two separate essays, I'd love to hear it. Of course, turning around and arguing the other side of my own points is something that I've been doing for years now; it's really not surprising.

        For those of you just catching up, we've been discussing player-generated story in games -- whether it deserves to be the only form of story and whether or not it's any good at that goal. Today, I'm going to try to wrap up this discussion forever, or at least for the purposes of this little mini-discussion. That requires a bit of re-framing, since I think that like a lot of other issues, this one isn't nearly as monochromatic as we like to pretend it is. There are virtues to both sides, and the real danger lies not in preferring one but demonizing the other.

        Continue reading Storyboard: Let the gate be

        MassivelyStoryboard: Let the gate be originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup

          Posted: 06 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

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          Some Assembly Required header
          If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player.

          With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more.

          To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.

          Continue reading Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup

          MassivelySome Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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