MMO Updates |
- Massively Speaking Episode 184
- EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog
- Browser-based FPS sets world record for simultaneous players
- A sneak peek at Guild Wars 2's PvP Scholar armor
- The Daily Grind: When do you alt?
- Global Agenda celebrates its second birthday with free booster codes for Massively readers
- Newest Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter talks patch 1.21 release
- Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?
- Turbine: Subscription model isn't dead
- DC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping
- ArenaNet reveals new PvP map with four new screenshots
- Warhammer Online releases patch 1.4.5 highlights
- Leaderboard: Mechanized vs. monster mounts
- Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!
- A Vanguard fifth anniversary year-in-review
- RIFT introducing some big PvP buffs in patch 1.7
- Xsyon hosting month-long architecture contest
- It's official: EverQuest goes free-to-play
- Pack up your toys: LEGO Universe is shutting down at midnight
- Hi-Rez handing out prizes for Global Agenda's second anniversary
| Massively Speaking Episode 184 Posted: 31 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 184
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| EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog Posted: 31 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  In a new video devblog, web-developer CCP Alice shows off some of the features of EVE's brand new website. Built using HTML 5, the new page will feature a full built-in renderer able to show prospective players the EVE Online universe map and interactive renderings of every ship in the game. "Now that we have a better eveonline.com, the focus after this one is to focus on the community," says CCP Alice, hinting that new community tools will soon be on the way. In a follow-up devblog today, Community Manager CCP Guard confirmed that players will soon be able to start their own corporation forums hosted on CCP's servers. Check out the full video after the cut. Continue reading EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog
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| Browser-based FPS sets world record for simultaneous players Posted: 31 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, News items, Browser, MMOFPS  MuchDifferent CEO Christian Lonnholm says that Man vs. Machine smashed the previous record of 600 simultaneous combatants held by Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide, and he also viewed the event as a resounding success despite missing the stated 1,000-player goal by a single digit. "I am very proud that we could show the world such a massive game with no lag and great responsiveness," Lonnholm said. "We never managed to get the full thousand, though, because of the inherent unpredictability of the internet with players constantly timing out and logging out." Head past the cut for a video of the record-setting event. Continue reading Browser-based FPS sets world record for simultaneous players
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| A sneak peek at Guild Wars 2's PvP Scholar armor Posted: 31 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Previews, PvP, Guild Wars 2  In fact, if fancy armor gets your motor running, Guild Wars Insider has a treat for you: two pictures of Guild Wars 2's PvP Scholar armor set modeled by a majestic Norn Elementalist. While the armor may not maximize skin coverage, the detail and design is certainly fetching. These pictures were taken inside of the PvP lobbies, which are breathtaking environments all to themselves. The picture on the left was taken in the Battle of Khylo lobby. ArenaNet has been rolling out the news of Guild Wars 2's PvP system ever since Gamescom last year. [Thanks to Seven for the tip!]
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| The Daily Grind: When do you alt? Posted: 31 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  For some players, it's a matter of boredom. Some players make new characters based on roleplaying demands. Some just love to roll new characters on a regular basis whenever one character hits an important milestone. And for some of us, it's just a matter of whenever the whim strikes, whether or not that whim makes a lot of sense at the time. If you don't make alts, of course, your answer is "almost never." But if you do, we ask you -- when do you make your new characters? What motivates you to start again from the bottom on a regular basis? When is it time to make another character?  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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| Global Agenda celebrates its second birthday with free booster codes for Massively readers Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Free-to-play, Global Agenda, Giveaways  We've got some booster codes to give away: three days of extra experience, credits, and tokens, free for the taking. Picking one up for yourself is a snap: Go to our giveaway page to pick up your code, then log into game and type "/claimpromotion Promocode". Enter your code and that's it -- you've got your three-day booster! Enjoy your booster code and join us in thanking Hi-Rez for the gift! 
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| Newest Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter talks patch 1.21 release Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  While the team had originally aimed for a launch in the second week of February, Yoshida notes that the patch will likely be delayed two weeks due to the sheer amount of content going in. He also discusses what he calls temporary server merges prior to the launch of 2.0 in November; as he puts it, the main concern is allowing players, especially from European regions, to have an ample playerbase to adventure with. It's a bit of unpleasant news for Final Fantasy XIV players, but it's packed in amidst many things to look forward to.
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| Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta? Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA  League of Legends spilled the beans on its brand-new psychotic yordle champion Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert, this week with a full gameplay reveal, art spotlight and patch preview. Diablo III seems slightly nearer to release this week with the news that Blizzard has cancelled BlizzCon 2012 in order to focus on getting the game to release as soon as possible. Heroes of Newerth player Fatmilk set a new world record by playing the game for 76 hours straight and raised pver $3,700US for charity as a result. Finally, the Rise of Immortals developers discussed the latest immortal, Ukkonen, and other topics in the first part of a new developer podcast series. Continue reading Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?
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| Turbine: Subscription model isn't dead Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  "It's probably not right to say the subscription MMO is dying, it's probably more right to say the idea of forcing a player to only have one option for having to consume your content -- that's probably dying," says spokesman Adam Mersky in a piece at Eurogamer. Mersky goes on to say that brave new business models are the norm across the entertainment spectrum, and he also claims that Turbine "certainly pioneered" free-to-play in the online gaming space (though it's worth noting that Funcom introduced a F2P option for Anarchy Online in 2004, five years before Dungeons and Dragons Online took the plunge). Finally, the Eurogamer piece touches on the upcoming Menace of the Underdark expansion as well as the unnamed "future project" that the company first hinted about in 2009.
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| DC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Endgame, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online, Dungeons  Of course, if you're not into the endgame rush, you've still got something to look forward to with the new role-optional alerts system. In essence, players will now be able to queue for Alerts without needing to put together a balanced group; in the event that a role is missing, a team buff will be applied to ensure that the area can still be cleared. That means that even with nothing but Damage characters, you can still explore all of DC Universe Online's group content, something that should allow for some novel player approaches once the update goes live. [Update: SOE has also issued a statement about plans for the game's PvP in 2012. The full quote is after the cut.] Continue reading DC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping
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| ArenaNet reveals new PvP map with four new screenshots Posted: 30 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, PvP, News items, Guild Wars 2  Now that it finally has a (rumored) tentative launch window, fans can officially get hyped for Guild Wars 2, only to have their hopes dashed when the release is pushed back. OK, not really (hopefully), but we do have some fancy new screenshots for you folks today courtesy of Guild Wars Insider. ArenaNet has released four new screenshots of a to-be-announced PvP map. Though we have all of no idea what kind of map it is, how it plays, or even what it's called... doesn't matter, new screenshots! To get a look at the new map in all of its splendor, just click on through the link below to Guild Wars Insider.
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| Warhammer Online releases patch 1.4.5 highlights Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, Warhammer Online, News items, Free-to-play  Despite Mythic Entertainment's recent winnowing of the Warhammer Online servers -- bringing them down from four servers to a measly pair -- the company is still hard at work developing patches for the RvR-based title. Patch 1.4.5 will be hitting the live servers tomorrow, January 31st, and it brings a number of interesting changes and also ushers in the return of fortresses, which should be good news for open RvR fans. With the recent Skaven invasion, a number of relics have been found in myriad underground tunnels dug below the game's fortresses. Players will be charged with guarding their faction's relics while attempting to purloin those of the enemy. The Grovod Cavern scenario is also making a return, allowing two teams of 12 players to duke it out in the crumbling cave. But this time, there's a twist: Players will be taking control of two teams of Skaven; hilarity will ensue. To top it all off, 1.4.5 is bringing fortresses back into play (after they were removed some time ago), which should hopefully encourage players to head back into the open RvR lakes for fun and profit. For the full details, just head on over to the Warhammer Online official site.
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| Leaderboard: Mechanized vs. monster mounts Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Humor, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard  But it wouldn't be a Leaderboard if we didn't force you to choose between your '67 Mustang and your pet Tauntaun, and so it shall be. In the world of mounts, there are two categories: the mechanized and the monsters. Vehicle mounts may be more rare due to fantasy's dominance over the genre, but they're still there and quite popular for the set that doesn't appreciate staring at horse doody all the live-long day. Then again, the fantastic creatures that have served as animal mounts are unceasing in variety as they are in style. So what shall it be? Will you plug Old Yeller and go with your motorcycle, or will you mothball your favorite dune buggy in favor of Seabiscuit? Vote after the jump! Continue reading Leaderboard: Mechanized vs. monster mounts
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| Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my! Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia  Quick quiz now: Other than involving Aion, what else do these three subjects have in common? Give up? Time. While this column usually delves into single topics at a time, the fact that two of these are time-sensitive necessitates that they share face-time, else the news most relevant to Daevas would become obsolete. The third is less time-sensitive but more time-relevant. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!
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| A Vanguard fifth anniversary year-in-review Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Vanguard  We took a look back on the last year to see what the larger announcements were. There were some surprises and even updates (yes, actual updates to the game), something that is still affecting the community. While other games might publish monthly or even weekly updates, the Vanguard players are the camels of the greater MMO community and have learned to live off very little development fuel. Bear in mind that as I type this, an update is being played through on the test server. Continue reading A Vanguard fifth anniversary year-in-review
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| RIFT introducing some big PvP buffs in patch 1.7 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, RIFT  PvP souls are being outright abolished, with the abilities rolling into the new Attunement Path of War that works just like other Planar Attunements. There's also the addition of the "mercenary" option for queueing, allowing players to fight with the other faction during PvP matches in order to ensure a balanced and full group. All of this combines with across-the-board item improvements to ensure that following the patch release, taking part in PvP should be quite a bit more fun.
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| Xsyon hosting month-long architecture contest Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, Crafting  Since it's an architecture contest, you'll obviously need to construct (or re-construct) your tribe settlement. Notorious will be judging your creations for originality, uniqueness, design, layout, and beautification. The dev team is remaining coy when it comes to contest incentives, but the latest Xsyon press release does say that "there will be a large prize for the winning tribe in each group."
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| It's official: EverQuest goes free-to-play Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play  Continue reading It's official: EverQuest goes free-to-play
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| Pack up your toys: LEGO Universe is shutting down at midnight Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Free-to-play, LEGO Universe, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous  The shutdown FAQ encourages LEGO Universe players to share their favorite memories on the forums and ends with a heartfelt message from the team: "Our decision to end LEGO Universe is similar to decisions we also make with LEGO Product collection, where favourite sets come and go to make space for new sets. It was time for LEGO Universe to end and hopefully new digital LEGO experiences will come in the future."We first heard of LEGO Universe's closure last November, when the studio announced that the game's freemium model was not bringing in enough paying customers to keep the title afloat. LEGO Universe is a youngling in the MMO genre, having released in October 2010, making the game one year and three months old at the time of its shutdown. Refunds for those who had a paid subscription on file after December 31st, 2011 will be distributed early next month. Unused LEGO game cards may also be exchanged for LEGO e-gift cards.
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| Hi-Rez handing out prizes for Global Agenda's second anniversary Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Events, in-game, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Global Agenda  Starting today, any Global Agenda player who wins an instanced PvE or PvP mission before February 6th will receive a mini Switchblade pet to parade around Dome City in between matches. Hi-Rez is also sponsoring a 6-on-6 PvP tourney that features a dragon helmet for all participants and an unnamed exclusive item and cash prize for the winning team. But wait, there's more! Check out Chloe's Burning Fashion for an extensive back catalog of previously retired flair pieces. There are over 100 items available for purchase using Hi-Rez's cash shop currency, including some headgear from past holiday events. Finally, check out this Friday's The Firing Line for more info on Global Agenda at the two-year mark. [Source: Hi-Rez press release]
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