MMO Updates |
- WRUP: This is kind of a silly demo edition
- The Daily Grind: Do you think MMO exit surveys are a waste of time?
- Betawatch: February 11 - 17, 2012
- Storyboard: Not in control
- Star Wars: The Old Republic community Q&A addresses mobile apps, ops, and more
- Final Fantasy XIV server merges reassessed; merges to take place in March
- Some Assembly Required: A look at Vendetta Online
- TERA reflects on lessons learned from first CBT weekend
- New DUST 514 dev blog has autocannons
| WRUP: This is kind of a silly demo edition Posted: 18 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  I'm not saying I can resist it, mind. But it seems a bit silly. In other news, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, where the Massively staff members talk about what they plan to do over the weekend. This week, we're also discussing whether or not we'd fund an MMO project via Kickstarter. So storm on past the cut for our weekend plans, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments! Continue reading WRUP: This is kind of a silly demo edition
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| The Daily Grind: Do you think MMO exit surveys are a waste of time? Posted: 18 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, Miscellaneous  But wait, what's this? The "what other games do you play" question seems to be way out of date, listing games that have closed but none at all from the last few years? The "what features do you want to see" question includes features that have already debuted in the game? And the custom field is barely long enough to type "this game sux" let alone anything poignant? It's enough to make you wonder whether anyone reads these things. So do you bother with exit surveys? And if so, do you believe that anyone with the ability to improve a game will ever hear your feedback?  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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| Betawatch: February 11 - 17, 2012 Posted: 17 Feb 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  Finally, for those curious about TERA's ongoing closed beta tests, we delivered our official preview. The full Betawatch roundup beckons you past the break. Continue reading Betawatch: February 11 - 17, 2012
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| Posted: 17 Feb 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  I don't mean in the narrative sense, although that's also true. I'm talking about the simple fact that my characters have minds of their own, and that's half of the entertainment value. I see something happening, I know it's going to be bad, and I find myself thinking that the best thing my character can do is keep his or her mouth shut. And then I'm hammering away at the keyboard because even though I think otherwise, he or she has a very different opinion. Writers are familiar with the idea, of course. Characters wind up talking to you, even when you don't mean for it to happen. But it happens with roleplaying just as surely, and you wind up with a character driving in a totally different direction than you had planned, with your main-line character sitting on the side while some C-list concept takes center stage. And the funny part is that it all feels right, all the way through. Continue reading Storyboard: Not in control
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic community Q&A addresses mobile apps, ops, and more Posted: 17 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Classes, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  It's time once again for another riveting episode of Star Wars: The Old Republic's community Q&A. This time around, the BioWare team covers a variety of concerns from SWTOR players ranging from the addition of a /roll command to the possibility of a mobile app. SWTOR's lead combat designer Damion Schubert had a bit to say regarding the latter, teasing that "it's almost as if this [crew skills] design was created specifically with [a mobile app] in mind, doesn't it?" Unfortunately the studio isn't prepared to give an ETA on the feature, "as [it] is a significant technical endeavour." Non-Force-using healers also have plenty to look forward to as well, as the Q&A reveals that they'll be getting some love in patch 1.2, while Consulars and Inquisitors will have their heals brought back into line so that all healing classes and specs are (theoretically) viable. To get the full details on these subjects and more, just click on through the link below to the community Q&A at SWTOR's official site. Oh, and while we're at it, the game is on sale for $49.99 US on Origin, so if you want to get in the game and see what all the hubbub's about, now's your opportunity to do so while keeping a cool Hamilton to yourself. The sale is only happening for a limited time, though, so be sure to act quickly.
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| Final Fantasy XIV server merges reassessed; merges to take place in March Posted: 17 Feb 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Final Fantasy XIV  Only four days ago, Square-Enix announced that it would be reevaluating the previously announced Final Fantasy XIV server merges based on player feedback. Well, it looks like the reassessment is complete, and the server merge details have been solidified. In a post on FFXIV's Lodestone website, the studio announced that server merges will be taking place next month on Tuesday, March 27th. The stated reason for the server merge is "to improve the player experience during the period up to the launch of FFXIV version 2.0." The studio goes on to add that "new worlds may be added in the future, for example after the relaunch or when player numbers increase." Beginning on March 1st, players will be able to use the site's world transfer application page in order to declare their destination servers. It's worth noting that the early bird gets the worm, and by worm we mean server of choice, due to the fact that once a world reaches its population cap, it will (obviously) no longer be available as a destination. To get the full details on the upcoming server transfers, just click on through the link below to the official Lodestone announcement.
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| Some Assembly Required: A look at Vendetta Online Posted: 17 Feb 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox  It's an MMO, it takes place entirely in outer space, and your avatar is your spaceship. There's a lot of trading, a lot of missioning, and PvP if you want it -- possibly even if you don't. Crucially, there's freedom to go your own way and precious little hand-holding. It's clearly inspired by Elite, and there's a fair bit of the X series in there as well. Nope, I'm not talking about EVE Online but rather Vendetta Online, an indie sandbox MMORPG that actually has more in common with classic space-trading sims than it does with CCP's New Eden. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: A look at Vendetta Online
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| TERA reflects on lessons learned from first CBT weekend Posted: 17 Feb 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, TERA  It's been a week since the first TERA North American beta weekend, and European players are getting their first swing at the game as we speak. But before En Masse Entertainment opens the floodgates to NA players once more next weekend, the studio is taking the opportunity to recap the events of the first closed beta test. Overall, the studio seems quite pleased with the results of the test but notes that "the weekend was not without some hiccups." One such hiccup that beta players will certainly be well acquainted with is the chaos that ensued as dozens of players simultaneously tried to kill the quest mob Vekus, which led some players to actually form organized queues to ensure that everyone got a chance at him. But the studio assures us that we need not worry, as "the En Masse team learned a great deal from CBT1 and will put those lessons to good use as we ramp up for CBT2." The studio also brings us a couple of interesting statistics from the first beta test. For instance, the most popular race-gender-class combination was the Castanic female Warrior (which we're sure has absolutely nothing to do with the Castanics' apparent aversion to modesty). And of course, beta participants will be very familiar with the basilisk BAMs in Oblivion Woods, which apparently accounted for almost two-thirds of all player deaths over the course of the weekend. Gotta watch out for those bodyslams, guys. They'll getcha. Ultimately, the studio concludes that "this weekend was a big success both in terms of players getting hands-on time with TERA and for showing the team what they need to refine before the game's May 1 release." To sign up for the game's future beta tests, just head on over to the game's official site, linked below. [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
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| New DUST 514 dev blog has autocannons Posted: 17 Feb 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  While a previous DUST blog entry introduced the heavy, medium, and light weapon classes, this one gets down and dirty with three variants designed for maximum destruction. First up is the Minmatar personal autocannon, followed by the Gallente plasma shotgun and the Caldari Nova knife. What about the Amarr? Sadly EVE's fourth player faction is nowhere to be found, but there's still plenty to read about on the official DUST 514 website.
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