MMO Updates |
- Namco executive: F2P titles 'can't be high quality'
- RIFT revenues reached $100 million in 2011, Trion secures new funding
- Elsword unleashes a new update for the new year
- New TERA video features Castanic race
- Allods Online bringing out Game of Gods next month
- SOE shows off PlanetSide 2's Galaxy transport
- Turbine makes 'biggest announcement since free-to-play' for Dungeons and Dragons Online
- SWTOR unsubscribe option goes missing for some
- The Daily Grind: How political should game companies be?
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Be the nemesis
- Turbine: LotRO cash shop stat armor 'creates solutions for players'
- Pathfinder Online takes a look at death
- Tell us your most epic MMO stunt and win a copy of the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition!
- City of Heroes sets the date for the next Freedom Player Summit
- Free for All: A second look at Fallen Earth's free model
- Silkroad-R R-elaunches
- MechWarrior Online Q&A gives you six devs for the price of none
- SWTOR's new patch makes a mess, BioWare looking into it [Updated]
- Enter at Your Own Rift: Server merges? Call Henny Penny!
- Choose My Adventure: The sequel!
- Vindictus invites players to explore sewers and fight with monsters in newest update
| Namco executive: F2P titles 'can't be high quality' Posted: 19 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  The senior vice president recently spoke at the Cloud Gaming Europe conference, and he had some pretty harsh words for the industry's new business model darling. "Free-to-play games can't be high quality," Comte said. "The business model for smaller, easier titles is making an expectation to consumers that is whittling away at AAA development." He went on to stress that larger companies have to think long-term, and he opined that the proliferation of cheap games is going to be problematic for the industry if the trend continues.
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| RIFT revenues reached $100 million in 2011, Trion secures new funding Posted: 19 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, RIFT  CEO Lars Buttler told Reuters that the company is still considering an initial public stock offering, and it has also secured an additional $85 million in funding as it readies RIFT for the South Korean and Chinese gaming markets later this year. Trion is also developing an MMO shooter called Defiance and an MMORTS known as End of Nations.
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| Elsword unleashes a new update for the new year Posted: 19 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Trailers, Video, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, Dungeons  Each new dungeon is meant to challenge players at a variety of skill levels, from experienced veterans to relative newcomers. Players who find that even the hardest challenges of the dungeons aren't enough can also turn on "Hell Mode," which promises to give players exactly what it says on the tin. A trailer for the new dungeons is just past the break, showing off the new areas and new enemies included in the update -- and really, who wouldn't like a new fistfight for the new year? [Source: Kill3rcombo press release] Continue reading Elsword unleashes a new update for the new year
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| New TERA video features Castanic race Posted: 19 Jan 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Races, TERA  Today the company has partnered with IGN to release a new gameplay video focused on the Castanic race. The clip runs for about a minute and a half, and features a smattering of action vignettes starring our favorite horned warriors. Check it out after the break. Continue reading New TERA video features Castanic race
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| Allods Online bringing out Game of Gods next month Posted: 19 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online  But in true TV-product-announced style, there's still more, including a bump in the level cap, and epic quest to improve your character permanently, and expanded astral space to explore. There's also a teaser trailer and gameplay trailer just after the break to drum up further excitement. While an exact date in February hasn't yet been announced, considering that the month is nearly over it likely won't be too long. [Source: Gala-Net press release] Continue reading Allods Online bringing out Game of Gods next month
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| SOE shows off PlanetSide 2's Galaxy transport Posted: 19 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, PlanetSide 2  The Galaxy is a heavily armored troop transport designed to "hot drop" 12 soldiers into the heart of enemy territory. What's a hot drop? It's basically the game's sci-fi twist on the traditional parachute, and SOE says that it "automatically encapsulates any soldier or MAX unit that bails out with a protective barrier that slows their fall." Galaxies are also sturdy enough to serve as mobile infantry bases after landing, and the ships feature respawn tubes, equipment terminals, and four weapon systems that may be operated on the ground.
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| Turbine makes 'biggest announcement since free-to-play' for Dungeons and Dragons Online Posted: 19 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Expansions, Professions, Free-to-play  Have you enjoyed the past year or so in DDO? Well, hang on to your hats because we spent some time chatting with Eric Boyer and Fernando Paiz and... well, those updates aren't the only thing the developers have been working on. Click past the break to see what's about to take DDO by storm.
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| SWTOR unsubscribe option goes missing for some Posted: 19 Jan 2012 05:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Some players have found a workaround link, but have received a warning and seen their threads shut down by moderators as violating the Rules of Conduct. BioWare is investigating the situation and has alluded to an issue with certain types of browsers. In the meantime, the CS team has asked for those affected customers to contact the company by phone if looking to cancel their subscription. For those looking to stay subbed, BioWare is awarding those who pay for an additional month of game time by March 19th with a special "Founder" title. [Thanks to the many, many people who sent us in this tip!]
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| The Daily Grind: How political should game companies be? Posted: 19 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  When you read about game companies boycotting SOPA/PIPA, the reaction is mixed among players. Some respect the fact that these companies are rising up against this piece of legislation while others think these studios should just concentrate on making (or fixing) their games. But the entertainment industry is far from a stranger to politics. From Neil Young to Dave Mustaine to Kanye West, politics are a staple of music, and movies usually do their part in portraying every opinion on major political issues. So why should games and game companies be any different? Let us know what you think of the mix of politics and gaming in the comments below!  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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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Be the nemesis Posted: 18 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  Given enough time (about seven minutes), people will figure out the best builds and abilities for pretty much every single character class in any game. This is great if all you're interested in doing is banging out the best possible character to tackle endgame challenges, but it's kind of disappointing if you like creating odd characters, ones that play strangely or feature under-utilized abilities or specs. That's the sort of stuff that I like, the things I find fascinating. City of Heroes is hardly the first game to do this, so I've had plenty of time to learn how to fight my nemesis. And so I offer you today the lessons of nemeses, the path to figuring out how to make your bad character into a force to be reckoned with. There are certain rules to being a nemesis rather than simply an adversary, and some of them aren't what you think. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Be the nemesis
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| Turbine: LotRO cash shop stat armor 'creates solutions for players' Posted: 18 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  As we reported last Friday, the company has reversed course, first by selling stat tomes and PvMP gear, and now with new low-level stat armor pieces. Turbine's Adam Mersky tells Gamefront that this is a matter of the firm looking out for its customers. "This is us coming up with solutions to problems players are reporting to us. We're trying to create solutions for players," he says, before stating that Turbine is "not averse to puling things off the store if they don't work." What about the eventual sale of high-level stat gear? Mersky says Turbine has "no intention at this time of selling any raid gear in the store."
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| Pathfinder Online takes a look at death Posted: 18 Jan 2012 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Sandbox  The death system is reminiscent in some ways of what would happen on death in EverQuest. You respawn at a predetermined location, and while you keep any equipment you were wearing, the rest of your inventory is on your soulless husk of a body. Retrieve it first and you get everything back. If someone else loots your body first, though, he or she gest a random assortment of items from your inventory and the rest are destroyed. The blog entry also covers the issue of bounties, player-killing, and attempting to dissuade others from killing players in lawful regions. Players can set bounties on their killers, potentially refreshing the bounty each time said killer is successfully killed in retaliation, making a bounty hunter or group of same very rich indeed. Those interested in Pathfinder Online should check out all the details and keep watching as the game moves through development.
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| Tell us your most epic MMO stunt and win a copy of the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition! Posted: 18 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Contests, Giveaways, Miscellaneous  If you'd love to have a copy of the book we'll save you some money and let you do a little bragging at the same time. Guinness World Records has provided us with two copies of the Gamer's Edition to share with a couple of our readers. All you have to do is enter to win one by leaving a comment here telling us about the biggest highlight of your MMO gaming time. It can be your first big achievement, your most impressive battle, or your most epic fail. Impress us, make us laugh, make us wince in sympathy. No matter what you do, do it by this Friday, January 20th, at 5:00 p.m. EST. We'll choose two winners once the deadline hits and send out the books right away. As always, read the contest rules for eligibility information, and best of luck!  
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| City of Heroes sets the date for the next Freedom Player Summit Posted: 18 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play  It's also quite possible, of course, that you did attend the first summit and found certain areas of the event to be sorely lacking. That's something that the staff at Paragon Studios is looking at very seriously; it's made a change to a single panel track rather than multiples and will host more interactive panels instead of static ones. Keep an eye over the next few weeks for more details on pricing and location if you're interested in going; for fans of the game, it's a great chance to get your feedback heard in person.
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| Free for All: A second look at Fallen Earth's free model Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, Free for All, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox  I gave up on the title after a while and became too busy with other games to return. Then, the free-to-play version of the title came out. I still ignored it because of scheduling, but recently I have been returning to it. I am finding a lot of bugs and an overall lack of polish that I had forgotten about, but it's still a really cool game. So how does the free version stack up to the subscription model? How free is it? Let's take a look. Continue reading Free for All: A second look at Fallen Earth's free model
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| Posted: 18 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Launches, Silkroad Online, Free-to-play  Silkroad-R will exist on its own servers, seperate from its Silkroad ancestor. Joymax is particularly proud of a "buffed-up" cash shop, as CEO Nam-chul Kim explains: "There's many aspects of Silkroad-R that we changed or improved based on user feedback, and we took a long time investigating the cash shop and evaluating each item." To celebrate the relaunch, Joymax is sponsoring a string of giveaways through February 7th. Players who reach specific levels have a chance at Amazon gift cards and in-game boosts and items. Other launch events include a special XP-boosting NPC and a player-submitted wallpaper/greeting card contest. You can check out the official trailer for Silkroad-R after the jump! [Source: Joymax press release] Continue reading Silkroad-R R-elaunches
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| MechWarrior Online Q&A gives you six devs for the price of none Posted: 18 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play, MechWarrior Online  MechWarrior Online continues to unleash a steady barrage of new information with today's newly released developer Q&A. Piranha Games has outdone itself with the latest post, which brings you answers from not one, not two, but six MWO developers. The devs begin by giving fans some insight into how BattleMech modules will work to augment pilot abilities; for example players can sacrifice night-vision distance for higher visual detail. The remainder of the Q&A covers a great wealth of different topics, such as intelligence-gathering, the BattleGrid, and -- most importantly -- hula girls. For the full Q&A, just click on through the link below to the MechWarrior Online official forums.
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| SWTOR's new patch makes a mess, BioWare looking into it [Updated] Posted: 18 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, PvP, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  "We're currently investigating potential issues related to the Ilum open world PvP area post-1.1. We understand that this is a topic of much discussion and we ask that you please direct all discussions to this thread," writes Joveth Gonzalez on the official SWTOR forums. The devs adjusted both daily and weekly missions to require the killing of factional enemies, and they also increased the PvP currency rewards for doing so. As of right now, it's anyone's guess what the fix will entail, and we'll keep our eyes on it as the situation develops. [Update: BioWare has issued a formal statement, which we've posted in its entirety after the break.] Continue reading SWTOR's new patch makes a mess, BioWare looking into it [Updated]
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| Enter at Your Own Rift: Server merges? Call Henny Penny! Posted: 18 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift  Last week, 11 more servers were flagged as trial, and while players were given suggestions on which servers to transfer to, everyone is free to transfer to any non-trial servers. But how should we interpret the news, and what does it mean for RIFT players? Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Server merges? Call Henny Penny!
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| Choose My Adventure: The sequel! Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Humor, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous  And as we all know, sequels have to be bigger. They have to be louder. And they need a bigger budget. We've got nine games listed past the cut, all candidates for my play for the next several weeks. Some of these games are returning old favorites, and some of them are new to the cut, but all of them should provide for some interesting adventures. So check out the descriptions, make your vote before 11:59 p.m. EST on January 21st, and tune in next week when we kick this sequel off properly. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: The sequel!
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| Vindictus invites players to explore sewers and fight with monsters in newest update Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus  If you'd rather go for the PvP route, however, the update is introducing a new combat mode known as M-Match. It's two teams of players pitted against one another, with the added twist that each side has a boss monster under its control. The first team to take out the opposing team's boss is the winner. The new arena also contains a number of chained boss fights for players to pit themselves against, either one at a time or multiple bosses in sequence, just to reward players who decide to hack their way through greater challenges. [Source: Nexon Europe press release]
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