MMO Updates |
- The Secret World launching June 19th
- See Otherland's Lambda Mall in new developer video
- ArenaNet blog update details changes to Guild Wars 2's boons and conditions
- Trion signs another RIFT publishing deal, brings game to southeast Asia
- Yarr! ArcheAge CBT4 video shows player piracy
- Jagex CEO predicts the imminent demise of physical game retailers
- Queue no more thanks to Guild Wars 2's overflow servers
- World of Tanks iOS app rolls off the factory line
- The Daily Grind: Have media impressions affected your excitement level for Guild Wars 2?
- Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes
- Next TERA CBT weekend brings level cap increase, new dungeon, and PvP
- Wings Over Atreia: Ode to 3.0
- SWTOR devs leaving BioWare to make indie game
- Mortal Online hacked, Star Vault encourages users to verify accounts
| The Secret World launching June 19th Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World  Creative director Ragnar Tørnquist says the new launch window will allow Funcom to make the title that much more compelling. "Allowing for even more time to polish the game really shows just how much faith Funcom as a company has in The Secret World, and how committed we are to making it the best it can be," he explains. Tørnquist also hints at further beta opportunities for both fans and curiosity seekers. "The additional time will also allow us to carry out even more quality beta testing, and soon we will also be announcing several public beta events where hundreds of thousands of gamers will get to test the game prior to launch," he says. The Secret World is a skill-based MMO set in the modern age. It mixes traditional MMO progression with a unique skill deck system and story-driven questing. [Source: Funcom press release]
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| See Otherland's Lambda Mall in new developer video Posted: 21 Feb 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  Lambda Mall is basically a futuristic version of the internet, and in the game it functions as a social and questing hub complete with shops, bars, and plenty of space for your avatars to mix and mingle. The video shows off quite a few locations throughout the sprawling space, as well as plenty of sci-fantasy cyberpunk visuals. There's also a little preview of Otherland's character customization options toward the end of the clip. Feast your eyes after the cut. Continue reading See Otherland's Lambda Mall in new developer video
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| ArenaNet blog update details changes to Guild Wars 2's boons and conditions Posted: 21 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  He starts things off with a look at Guild Wars 2's unique "downed" mode, which is basically a pre-death state wherein you have a limited selection of abilities to rally and potentially save yourself. The blog goes on to detail changes to the game's compass, tweaks to its meta-events, and an extensive look at the updates to boons and conditions. Head to the official ArenaNet website for all the details.
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| Trion signs another RIFT publishing deal, brings game to southeast Asia Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, RIFT  The company is partnering with Asiasoft to make it happen, and CEO Lars Buttler says it's another example of what sets his firm apart from the competition. "Trion has a global view when it comes to delivering premium games, and our initiatives to bring RIFT to Asia through some of the industry's biggest collaborations sets Trion apart from other Western game developers." [Source: Trion press release]
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| Yarr! ArcheAge CBT4 video shows player piracy Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  A new player-made video shows off the game's naval combat potential, and the clip is basically three minutes of jaw-dropping PvP action. There's plenty of carnage courtesy of player-manned ship cannons and destructible hulls, and we can also see combatants crossing swords on the decks of enemy ships (if you look closely you'll catch a glimpse of a player using a hang-glider to travel from one ship to the next). The video also gives us a good look at ArcheAge's functional ship rigging, and you can see players unfurling sails, interacting with various ship controls, and even climbing a mast to the crow's nest. Check it out after the break. Continue reading Yarr! ArcheAge CBT4 video shows player piracy
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| Jagex CEO predicts the imminent demise of physical game retailers Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Miscellaneous  Gerhard says that these retailers, such as UK's GAME, will be gone within a decade. "The writing has been on the wall for quite some time," he said. "I think, 10 years out from now, we'll be talking about [physical] retail nostalgically, as a museum piece." He sees this as a positive development for the industry, saying that retailers take a slice of profits away from studios and make it hard for indie games to succeed. "People are still playing games. They're still doing business; they're just doing it in a different place. If you don't adapt you die. It's as simple as that," he said.
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| Queue no more thanks to Guild Wars 2's overflow servers Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2  Picture this: You've just come home from a hard day of work and you want to relax by gaming and perhaps responsibly enjoying a delicious beverage. But wait -- there's a queue for your server! What are you going to do? You could reroll and get into the game faster, but then you can't play with your friends on your precious main character. You can also sit it out and just twiddle your thumbs for a bit, but otherwise there's not a lot to be done. Or at least, there wasn't until Guild Wars 2 got into the picture. Martin Kerstein, ArenaNet's community team lead, stopped by the Guild Wars 2 Guru forums to give players a peek at the title's server overflow feature. With this feature, the above scenario plays out a bit differently. When there's too much traffic on one server, your character will be temporarily sent to a different server. Once you've reached the front of the queue, you'll be asked if you want to transfer back to your original server, and voila: home, sweet home. Any progress made on the overflow server will be carried back to the home server, so you can even be productive while you're waiting in a queue. How's that for efficiency?
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| World of Tanks iOS app rolls off the factory line Posted: 21 Feb 2012 05:30 AM PST Filed under: Historical, War, Free-to-play, Mobile, World of Tanks  The World of Tanks Assistant is designed to give players access to in-game information while they're on the go. Players can access their profiles, read up on the latest news, check out combat stats and global ratings, and stay in touch with friends. Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi hopes that this will be a useful tool for WoT fans: "What I like about the Assistant most is its convenience. Even if you're away from your computer, there's always an app at hand that will give you everything you need to know at any given time."
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| The Daily Grind: Have media impressions affected your excitement level for Guild Wars 2? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, The Daily Grind  Whether you're anxious to discover more about the game's combat, intrigued by an MMO that lacks dedicated healers, or looking forward to a transformed Tyria some 250 years after the original Guild Wars, there is plenty to chew on. Even those of us on the periphery of a game's fan community can get caught up in the pre-release groundswell, and though I've barely played the original game, I find myself quite intrigued by the reports coming from my colleagues. What about you, Massively readers? If you weren't already on board the fan train (or even if you were), has the recent media coverage upped your excitement level for Guild Wars 2?  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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| Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes Posted: 20 Feb 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends  Diablo III took another step toward release this week by finalising a replacement for the scrapped rune stone system and cutting socketable runes from the list of potential features at the same time. Torchlight II teased players with six new screenshots, and Path of Exile discussed the design process behind the game's unique items. Finally, Blacklight: Retribution announced its public open beta, which is due to start next week. Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's rune system and new MOBA heroes
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| Next TERA CBT weekend brings level cap increase, new dungeon, and PvP Posted: 20 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, News items, TERA  Here we are at the beginning of another week which TERA fans are certain to be anxiously waiting to end because this weekend marks the game's second North American closed beta weekend. During the last test, players got to experience the game's PvE content all the way up to level 22, including the Bastion of Lok instance. Well, this time around En Masse Entertainment is going to be opening up the gates to five additional levels of content, allowing players to progress to level 27. Testers will also gain access to a new dungeon known as Sinestral Manor, and each player will get two character slots per server rather than just one. Oh, and speaking of servers, we hear there's going to be a new one. Players will be able to test their skills against one another on Valley of Trials, the new PvP server. To top it off, En Masse has also revealed a bit of new information on how PvP combat will work. Open-world combat will be initiated when a player uses an ability known as Outlaw Declaration, which does what it says on the tin: It declares the caster an outlaw, allowing him to attack (and presumably, be attacked by) other players for 60 seconds or until combat is over. But single combat isn't the only way to get your PvP fix. Guilds can also declare war on other guilds by using the item Bahaar's Spark of War Declaration, which can be purchased in capital cities. After war has been declared, members of opposing guilds will be able to attack one another on sight. So there you have it, folks. That's what we've got to look forward to this next beta weekend. We hope to see you all on the battlefield.
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| Posted: 20 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Expansions, Patches, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia, Guides  Twinkle, twinkle, little patch, How I wonder where you're at? In the East they play with ease, In the West you're just a tease! Twinkle, twinkle, three point oh, Hurry please I want you so! I've tried to be patient. I really have. I even avoided any wayward glances at Aion's Korean patch notes (translated, of course) for 3.0. That way, I could contain my excitement a little better. I mean, we already know I am dying for housing, and I also know mounts are involved. But there is always so much more, and I was trying to make the wait more bearable. I stood firm in my resolve. Then I broke down. I peeked. And oh how the many-tendriled beast of anticipation took hold of me once again! Of course there is always the requisite "fixed this bug" and "changed that appearance" filler, but when mining deeper, you also find some definite valuable nuggets. Aion's next patch has some "how cool," some "oh wow, that's really unexpected," and some "about time!" thrown in as well. From new zones to new instances to new features, there is plenty coming our way. Don't want to tax your scroll wheel and sift through the entire patch notes yourself? Wings Over Atreia delves in to uncover some of the most tantalizing treasures for you. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Ode to 3.0
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| SWTOR devs leaving BioWare to make indie game Posted: 20 Feb 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The trio spent the past half decade slaving away on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and now they're striking out on their own to make an indie title described as "roleplaying meets turn-based strategy, wrapped into an adventure miniseries about vikings." Watson was SWTOR's lead combat programmer, while Thomas and Jorgensen filled the senior environment artist and lead concept artist roles, respectively. The trio has formed an indie studio called Stoic, and the company's maiden offering is apparently "coming soon."
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| Mortal Online hacked, Star Vault encourages users to verify accounts Posted: 20 Feb 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Mortal Online, Sandbox  The company says that customer payment information was not affected, but users are encouraged to verify their account status and passwords anyway. As to the breach itself, details are understandably scarce, but Star Vault does say that a member of the GM staff had his account compromised and his details used to carry out the aforementioned mischief. [Thanks to slapshot1188 for the tip!]
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