MMO Updates |
- MMO Family: What kids MMOs can learn from markers, Jackpot, and Chutes and Ladders
- Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black
- CCP touts EVE growth, considers IPO
- Eden Eternal calls forth the Ranger
- The Daily Grind: Have you ever been a part of a regular group?
- Age of Wushu shows off a documentary from its Chinese testing tour
- The Soapbox: The illusion of balance
- New Star Wars: The Old Republic video celebrates a successful launch
- Hyperspace Beacon: Call the exterminator
- SOE opens up about multi-year European partnership
- The wait is over: Aion's 3.0 and F2P conversion announced
- How do you like your MMOs? Let us know!
- The Game Archaeologist chats with John Smedley about EQMac's salvation
- Flameseeker Chronicles: The I-word
- Massively Speaking Episode 187: Hodor! Hodor!
- Go behind the scenes with EVE's art department in new video diary
| MMO Family: What kids MMOs can learn from markers, Jackpot, and Chutes and Ladders Posted: 22 Feb 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous  Kid-friendly MMOs are a relatively new segment of the MMO industry, but it often feels like they're just grown-up MMOs with kid-friendly graphics. Sometimes, the games are even stripped of the grown-up features in an attempt to make them easier, but that often results in a less than compelling game. Here's a quest; do it. Here's a creature; zap it. Here's a pet; hug it. Here are some clothes and decorative items; buy them. I may sound a bit jaded, but that's only because I think kid-friendly MMOs can be so much better than they currently are. To do that, we have to step back and examine how kids play, and studios must concentrate game design around that. In this week's MMO Family, I'll be looking at three areas of kids' play and exploring why games should look to Magic Markers, Jackpot, and Chutes and Ladders for inspiration. Continue reading MMO Family: What kids MMOs can learn from markers, Jackpot, and Chutes and Ladders
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| Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black Posted: 22 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Ryzom, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure, Sandbox  And so it was that Corlede obeyed the will of the people and headed off for the Zorai city. Once there, I set about the important business of getting Corlede outfitted, taking some advice, and assembling a team to plant an idea inside the head of a talking lion meant to represent a well-known religious figure. Or something like that. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Mainland in black
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| CCP touts EVE growth, considers IPO Posted: 22 Feb 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox  The website reports that EVE's revenue features a compound annual growth rate of 53 percent, and the title has also generated $300 million in total revenue since its 2003 launch. Interestingly, the article avoids all mention of 2011's Monoclegate brouhaha and the resulting player protests that led CCP to refocus its development plans. It also paints a rosy picture of New Eden's future, and CCP head honcho Hilmar Petursson says an IPO is a possibility. "We want to be ready for an IPO from a policy standpoint," he explains. "We're quite a substantial company, so we're thinking, OK, what is the next step?"
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| Eden Eternal calls forth the Ranger Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Classes, Patches, Free-to-play  Perhaps they should check out the new Ranger class, which excels at ranged damage with a bow, artillery gun, or eagle (don't scoff -- a face-full of eagle will ruin anyone's day). If Rangers aren't your bag, then there's an increased level cap to 65, PvP improvements such as a 3v3 matchmaking system, and new high-level areas and dungeons to explore. Eden Eternal just added the Samurai class to the game last month. You can get a peek at all of this update goodness in the gallery and video below! [Source: Aeria Games press release] Continue reading Eden Eternal calls forth the Ranger
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| The Daily Grind: Have you ever been a part of a regular group? Posted: 22 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Regular groups -- if you can pull them off and stick with them -- can offer a singular experience in which friends bond over a continuous shared journey, one in which they become a fully functional team from the onset. Plus, being part of one means that no content is too big or too small, and one never need worry about having to troll the LFG channel or dungeon finders for strangers. So I'm curious: How many of you have been a part of a regular MMO group? How do you make it work, and what did you take away from it?  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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| Age of Wushu shows off a documentary from its Chinese testing tour Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play  The documentary mixes in developer presentations, player impressions, and some live gameplay footage from this large-scale beta event, all of which combine to paint a picture of the game as it continues development. The full documentary is 15 minutes long and embedded just after the cut, so if you can't wait to see more of the game, check it out and keep your eyes peeled for more updates as the game approaches localization and launch. Continue reading Age of Wushu shows off a documentary from its Chinese testing tour
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| The Soapbox: The illusion of balance Posted: 21 Feb 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous  Somewhere, on a lone computer in a lonely room, sits the archetype for a balanced MMO, one in which every set of abilities in a skill-based MMO is just as useful as every other set of abilities and every class in a class-based game is just as potent as every other class. There are no disparities in terms of power level, no massive gaps in gearing, and no issues with the specific fights. It is an entirely balanced machine. And as long as we're creating a myth with no place in reality, let's assume that it's being guarded by unicorns. That's the problem with balance -- it's an idea that doesn't actually work in a real environment. We talk a lot about wanting games to have balanced systems, and there are players devoted to declaring with great fervor that classes aren't balanced against one another, but balance is such a hazy concept that no matter how much you want a balanced game, it doesn't really exist. Continue reading The Soapbox: The illusion of balance
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| New Star Wars: The Old Republic video celebrates a successful launch Posted: 21 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Even two months after its launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic continues to pick up steam and shows no signs of stopping. Needless to say, the folks over at BioWare are immeasurably pleased with the game's success, so to commemorate the game's recent launch and explosive growth, BioWare has released a new video that lets fans hear from the game's devs and players alike. So if you'd like to take a few minutes to listen to BioWare devs wax nostalgic on the game's development and launch, or if you just want to hear what some of the game's players have to say about their experiences so far, just click on past the cut for the full video. Continue reading New Star Wars: The Old Republic video celebrates a successful launch
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Call the exterminator Posted: 21 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  When we -- the press and other fansites -- gave our impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic, we were at conventions or at lower levels in the game. Level 28 was the highest I ever reached in any beta, and conventions set us on a predetermined path. At that time, I was completely impressed with the level of polish the game had received. I still believe that this game has fewer bugs than a good chunk of MMOs; however, there are certainly more bugs in this game than I'd expect from a single-player release. I could probably spend a whole article just listing unintended issues with the game, but I do like to be the voice of reason as well. On top of that, I want to see SWTOR succeed. Therefore, beyond just talking about bugs, let's deal with the overall issue of why these critters pop up in the first place. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Call the exterminator
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| SOE opens up about multi-year European partnership Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Legal, Free Realms, DC Universe Online, EverQuest Next, Miscellaneous, PlanetSide 2  According to the deal, ProSiebenSat.1 has the license to officially publish eight of SOE's titles in 40 countries. These MMOs include DC Universe Online, EverQuest II, Free Realms, PlanetSide 2, and EverQuest Next (although not, oddly enough, EverQuest itself). SOE hopes that ProSiebenSat.1's location and expertise will result in in a greater audience for its games as well as more support and better localization for those under ProSiebenSat.1's umbrella. SOE even hopes that the partnership will result in "special content" for European players. Previously, SOE had distribution agreements for Europe but nothing on the scale of what it now has with ProSiebenSat.1. It looks like EU players will need to transfer their accounts and characters over to ProSiebenSat.1's domain, although SOE promises that this will be an easy process. It's also important to note that these games and their servers will not interact with their North American counterparts, effectively separating the communities.
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| The wait is over: Aion's 3.0 and F2P conversion announced Posted: 21 Feb 2012 12:15 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Expansions, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, Free-to-play  Ascension will bring with it the long-awaited housing and mount systems shown in the visions trailer many moons ago in addition to two new zones, six new instances, and an increased level cap (60) along with many tweaks, fixes, and other features. NCsoft will also be hosting a Rallying the Troops event to give new players a head start in experiencing the game. This event is an extended trial with an increased level cap of 40 and no time limit. Veterans will enjoy a head start as well with free reactivation for 14 days. Need an extra incentive to check the game out (again)? A permanent boost in XP will also be implemented to help Daevas prepare for the upcoming new lands that can only be accessed by levels 55+. Eager Daevas and Daevas-to-be can expect these changes this spring. We will keep you posted with more details as they become available! In the meantime, the full press release is behind the break. Continue reading The wait is over: Aion's 3.0 and F2P conversion announced
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| How do you like your MMOs? Let us know! Posted: 21 Feb 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Polls, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  To participate, head over to our survey page and answer the questions listed. We appreciate your help in making Massively the best MMO website for its readers!
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| The Game Archaeologist chats with John Smedley about EQMac's salvation Posted: 21 Feb 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Mac, Massively Interviews, The Game Archaeologist  That was a week ago. Boy, what a difference a week makes, right? Since the writing of that article, we received word that not only did Sony Online Entertainment reverse its decision to kill EQMac but that it will be making the server completely free for its community for the indefinite future. I learned that while under the influence of a 102-degree fever, so I initially thought it was just my brain cooking in my skull. But no, it was the truth. So what happened in the span of that week? Why did SOE do a 180 and keep alive an ancient relic of its flagship MMO? For the whole, unadulterated truth, I called up SOE President John Smedley to get the full scoop on the wild rollercoaster he's taken this loyal community on these past few weeks. Finding out what he said will only cost you one click. It's worth it, trust me. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist chats with John Smedley about EQMac's salvation
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: The I-word Posted: 21 Feb 2012 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Hands-on, Flameseeker Chronicles  It's nice to see that concept of iteration lending real benefit to the game. Sure, it's caused forumites no little angst; when we heard that the trait system was being reworked, for example, certain people were convinced that the iterative process meant that the game would never launch. I don't understand the panic-stations mentality. Any game company exists to make money, and you don't make money by spending five years developing a game, taking a demo on the road for two years, and never releasing it. You also don't make money by releasing a crap game. ArenaNet wants to make a lot of money. That does not make the company evil. It motivates the team to make as good a game as possible because people like buying good games. Despite those so-called fans who look for the slightest provocation to bring out the sackcloth and ashes, the strength of the iterative process is shown every time we get to see a new demo of Guild Wars 2. Beyond just seeing a higher level of polish, we can see that certain events have been reworked, and the changes are to only the players' benefit. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The I-word
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| Massively Speaking Episode 187: Hodor! Hodor! Posted: 21 Feb 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Podcasts, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Massively Speaking  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 187: Hodor! Hodor!
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| Go behind the scenes with EVE's art department in new video diary Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  The blog entry features a video clip that takes us behind the scenes at CCP's art department, and there are plenty of talking-head interviews as well as a few glimpses of sexy internet spaceship concept art. The five-minute clip is basically a crash course in the lengthy process of adding new art assets to EVE, and you'll find it after the jump. Continue reading Go behind the scenes with EVE's art department in new video diary
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