MMO Updates |
- Ask Massively: A week to sleep edition
- Ultima Online inducted into new MMO Hall of Fame
- Aika releases dragons, Epic II Saga: Hestia content
- Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida talks patch 1.21 and the future
- GDC 2012: Locking on to MechWarrior Online
- STO's lead ship designer deserts to Bungie
- The Daily Grind: Have you ever traveled specifically for a gaming event?
- EVE Online's latest devblog is on a big bunch of little updates
- Cutter's Cry previewed for Final Fantasy XIV
- MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: That's really super, Super Pack
- TERA recaps the most recent closed beta weekend, concludes that PvP players enjoy PvP
- GDC 2012: A look at Dark Legends with Spacetime Studios
- GDC 2012: A look at Otherland and Grimlands with Gamigo
- GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development
- Free for All: Two years and counting
- MechWarrior Online kicks off Mech Warfare Month
- LotRO prepares for imminent Update 6 release
- City of Heroes goes beastmode
- Massively Speaking Episode 189: GDC Tuesday
- Have a bloody good time with Wakfu's Sacrier and Xelor classes
- Choose My Adventure: Insert cartridge
- Firefall video diary talks open-world design, shows pretty vistas
| Ask Massively: A week to sleep edition Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  What? Animals do it all the time, and they seem pretty happy. Especially the orange killing machines in the picture. Anyhow, this week's Ask Massively is briefer than the last installment, but it still covers some Massively meta-issues as well as the looming prospect of ArcheAge's hopeful release stateside. If you have a question for a future installment of the feature, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for brevity and/or clarity. Continue reading Ask Massively: A week to sleep edition
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| Ultima Online inducted into new MMO Hall of Fame Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Ultima Online  Oh, and they decided to induct Ultima Online -- a game for which we have something of a soft spot. In any event, the site features an MMO timeline, a World of Warcraft timeline, and a listing of UO releases, expansions, and special editions. You can also view the site's voting committee, which includes Blizzard, Sony Online Entertainment, and Wizard101 developers as well as MMO writers and fans. [Source: MMO HoF press release]
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| Aika releases dragons, Epic II Saga: Hestia content Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Aika  Two new level-80 raids are in the mix, and there are challenges aplenty in the Hestian city of Drago (so-named because it's built "within the coiled body of a sleeping dragon"). Squads of players may take missions from Hestia and set out on epic adventures to reclaim the holy cities of Aquados and Tyriantor, which have been occupied by the vile Zereca. gPotato says that the Aquados catacombs are also home to a water dragon named Reagor, and he and his minions require the services of 24 skilled (and high-level) players. There's also an undead dragon named Dariadra, and he loves to reanimate holy soldiers and bend them to his nefarious will as he squats over the Tyriantor keep. More info -- as well as the client download -- is available at the official Aika website.
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| Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida talks patch 1.21 and the future Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  But even 1.21 isn't the big end goal of the game; that's the 2.0 relaunch happening in November. We had a chance to ask a few questions of the game's producer, Naoki Yoshida, regarding both the updates coming with patch 1.21 and Final Fantasy XIV's ongoing road of improvement as version 2.0 draws nearer. So what can players look forward to when they download the patch? What's coming before the relaunch? And how fashionable will your new armor make your chocobo look? Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida talks patch 1.21 and the future
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| GDC 2012: Locking on to MechWarrior Online Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Previews, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage, MechWarrior Online, MOBA  The team is filled with huge fans of the MechWarrior and BattleTech franchises, so the devs were eager to construct a proper MechWarrior title when Piranha got ahold of the license this year. The studio seized upon the free-to-play model early on as the best way to draw in as many potential 'Mech pilots as possible. It also snagged the CryEngine 3 to provide the best possible graphical fidelity for its product. Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to categorize MWO as "massively," as its non-persistent arena maps will host up to only 24 players in 12v12 fights. Setting-wise, MechWarrior Online begins in 3049, but that date will keep tempo with the real-world calendar (so tomorrow it'll be March 9th, 3049, and so on). As events happen in the story according to the game's canon, the game will change to reflect that in real-time. Read on to hear what the devs had to say about two of the game's four pillars: mech warfare and role warfare. Continue reading GDC 2012: Locking on to MechWarrior Online
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| STO's lead ship designer deserts to Bungie Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play  "I have bad news and good news. Bad news is I'm leaving STO and Cryptic in two weeks. Good news is I'm going to Bungie to work on their new title. Ian Richards will be replacing me permanently. Thanks for the wishes all. Ian is highly skilled. Trained in ships by yours truly."You can check out Williams' various STO model designs on his personal blog.
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| The Daily Grind: Have you ever traveled specifically for a gaming event? Posted: 08 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  While lots of gamers spend lots of money on subs, cash shop items, and upgrades to their gaming rigs, the aforementioned shindigs tend to attract only the hardest of the hardcore fans. What say you, Massively readers? Have you ever traveled specifically to attend a game-related event?  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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| EVE Online's latest devblog is on a big bunch of little updates Posted: 07 Mar 2012 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Patches, Previews, News items  Among the more immediate changes are several additions to quickbar functionality as well as proper menus for the quickbar. There's also a revised blueprint folder, the ability to see at a glance what market stops are along your plotted route, a character display as you type an in-game mail... you get the idea. These aren't tools that will make it easier to undercut other players or blow up opposing ships; these are tools that make each step along that path just a little bit easier. It makes a big difference in the long run.
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| Cutter's Cry previewed for Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Previews, Endgame, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Dungeons  The dungeon is meant to be an extremely challenging encounter for players at level 45 and up, and the preview video shows off several characters in full Job regalia tackling its challenges. There are the beasts you'd expect to find within a cave in Thanalan, of course, including the requisite antlings and peistes. And of course, there's something worse waiting at the end -- but you can take a look at the video and see that for yourself. Continue reading Cutter's Cry previewed for Final Fantasy XIV
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| MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1 Posted: 07 Mar 2012 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Clone Wars Adventures, Super Hero Squad Online, Miscellaneous  I decided to take a peek at some of my (and the kids') favorites, along with a few games that we've done first impressions on, to see what they've been up to lately. Since there are too many great kid-friendly MMOs out there to fit into one column, this will be the first of what will probably be many follow-up entries covering other games, so if you don't see your favorite family-friendly game here, fear not! Continue reading MMO Family: Kid-friendly MMO roundup, part 1
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: That's really super, Super Pack Posted: 07 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  My feelings haven't changed. But while launching into a full-on rant was certainly cathartic and managed to hit a lot of good points, there were a lot of good points brought up in the comments that I simply hadn't touched on. So it's time to address some of the those ideas and complaints, both the good and the bad. (Although under the circumstances, it's pretty much all bad in varying flavors.) Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: That's really super, Super Pack
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| TERA recaps the most recent closed beta weekend, concludes that PvP players enjoy PvP Posted: 07 Mar 2012 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, News items, TERA  As it turns out, it wasn't just the players doing the testing; the developers were also putting together a small guild and going out among the people, as it were. It seems as if the game's PvP is humming along smoothly, and with the next closed beta coming up in just a couple of days, it'll be worth watching to see how the rest of the game stacks up. And for those players participating in the closed beta weekends, the third edition begins Friday!
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| GDC 2012: A look at Dark Legends with Spacetime Studios Posted: 07 Mar 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Horror, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Previews, Free-to-play, Mobile, Hands-on, Casual, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous  Continue reading GDC 2012: A look at Dark Legends with Spacetime Studios
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| GDC 2012: A look at Otherland and Grimlands with Gamigo Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Screenshots, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Previews, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Post-Apocalyptic, Otherland  Continue reading GDC 2012: A look at Otherland and Grimlands with Gamigo
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| GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews, News items, World of Darkness, DUST 514, Sandbox  While many EVE Online players aren't thrilled with DUST 514's PlayStation 3 exclusivity, there may be hope for a PC release yet. And while the devs weren't ready to make any official statements on the spot, a bit of wink-nudging indicates that a PC release may still be in the cards. As the devs note, mouse and keyboard controls are already supported in the PS3 version of the title. "I wonder why we did that," Hilmar joked during the interview. Continue reading GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development
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| Free for All: Two years and counting Posted: 07 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Free for All  The discussions have been open, frank, and sometimes infuriating. It's easy for me to write so simply that it can seem as though I am attempting to make a larger point, and it's much easier to make much more of the term "free-to-play" than is necessary. I have seen the lines being drawn by many players who feel that free-to-play is a sort of scary neighbor who threatens the peaceful existence of their neighborhood, while many others couldn't care less. Like I said, I have learned a lot. Continue reading Free for All: Two years and counting
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| MechWarrior Online kicks off Mech Warfare Month Posted: 07 Mar 2012 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Dev Diaries, MechWarrior Online  This is why Piranha Games has launched Mech Warfare Month on the official MWO site, giving us a full run-down of how movement and combat is handled in the game. Concepts such as 'Mech "torso twists," jump jets, environmental obstacles, and heat management have to be taken into account from the onset. To bring down the hammer on enemy 'Mechs, players will use a balance of energy, projectile, and ballistic weapons -- and they have to keep track of ammo while doing so. Piranha wraps up the post with a lengthy list of keyboard and mouse commands that will be necessary to learn for safe 'Mech operation. While the full list of controls and HUD details may send some running for their nearest touch-screen device, this level of detail is exactly what attracts such a devoted fanbase to the franchise. We're speaking with Piranha Games at GDC this week, so stay tuned for an in-depth interview as to how this game is shaping up! [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
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| LotRO prepares for imminent Update 6 release Posted: 07 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Previews, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Today's dev diary discusses the fleshing out of the Instance Finder, which will now offer players tailored rewards and the ability to pick specific dungeons and skirmishes. The diary goes into detail about how the rewards work, but the basic version is that players get better currency, power, and morale bonuses when they sign up for more skirmishes and instances at a time. This gives players an incentive to look for a wide range of instances while at the same time it facilitates match-ups between interested parties. We've also got several new screencaps from Update 6 for your viewing pleasure, including four exclusive pictures and many more showing off the new "soldiers on landscape" feature. You can scope them out in the gallery below.
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| Posted: 07 Mar 2012 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Patches, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  The Mastermind archetype in City of Heroes is in for a treat with a new primary power set in the form of Beast Mastery! Masterminds will soon be able to call upon all sorts of animal allies to harry their foes. The Intrepid Informer: Issue #19 introduces the new power set and goes into great detail about its function. The Beast Master's pets, which range from a swarm of stinging insects up to a dire wolf, have limited ranged attacks but are potent in close-quarter combat. To make up for that, the Beast Mastery power set includes three blast attacks that can help Masterminds take control of the battlefield. Secondary powers can help define the way that a Beast Master interacts with summoned pets. A more defensive or supportive secondary power set will allow players to heal or buff their pets through battle, while Storm Summoning and other potent offensive power sets will help weaken foes before they become too much of a threat. Along with some tasty abilities, Beast Mastery also brings a new mechanic to the game: Pack Mentality. This buff can stack up to 10 times and boosts Beast Mastery pets' damage by 2% each time it's applied. Additionally, Pack Mentality fuels Fortify Pack, a player-based AoE Defense and Regeneration buff that helps protect offense-oriented pets. This allows players to decide when their pets need to go into all-out damage mode or play it safe to get through a tough battle. The Beast Mastery power set has been a long-time request from fans of the game, so start cooking up an origin story and taste the sweet, sweet reward for all your patience!
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| Massively Speaking Episode 189: GDC Tuesday Posted: 07 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Podcasts, PlanetSide, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, MMOFPS, Massively Event Coverage, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, PlanetSide 2  Stay tuned for tomorrow, when the pair will be joined by fellow Massively staffers MJ Guthrie and Karen Bryan. Our ground crew will be reporting back on DUST 514, Trion Worlds, MechWarrior Online, and more over the next few days. (And don't worry; the Justin and Bree show will return next week.) 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 189: GDC Tuesday
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| Have a bloody good time with Wakfu's Sacrier and Xelor classes Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, News items, Free-to-play  Ankama Games' quirky tactical MMORPG Wakfu went live about a week ago, but the studio is continuing its steady drip of promotional material. Today Ankama is giving players not one but two new videos highlighting a couple of the game's classes. In the red corner, we have the Sacrier class. These bloodthirsty berserkers channel pain into power and will stop at nothing to ensure that their enemy doesn't make it out alive. Meanwhile, in the blue corner, we have the Xelor class, which brings the power of chronomancy to the table. Thanks to their ability to expertly manipulate the flow of time, the disciples of Xelor are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. To see the Sacrier and Xelor classes in action, check out both new videos after the cut. Continue reading Have a bloody good time with Wakfu's Sacrier and Xelor classes
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| Choose My Adventure: Insert cartridge Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Polls, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous  It's a scary thought, putting the fate of my gaming time into your hands, but so be it. Life is about getting out of your comfort zones, then realizing why those zones were so comfortable in the first place and racing right back to them. But before I reclaim my own destiny, I must navigate this dark valley of capricious voters. I guess it's tradition to kick off a new series by giving y'all the chance to pick my new game of choice, and so until Sunday, you can attempt to dictate to me which title you'd like to see in the spotlight for the next couple of months. I thought long and hard about what games I was OK with trying and ended up with a list that fell into one of three categories: the old-school, the modern F2P wave, and the promising Asian imports. Read on to see the possible paths for my future, and choose wisely -- I'm counting on you! Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Insert cartridge
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| Firefall video diary talks open-world design, shows pretty vistas Posted: 07 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play  As world-builders Bobby Ross and Nick Keith explain, the game's jetpacks allow players to traverse vast distances and explore every little nook and cranny to their hearts' content. One example of Firefall's breadth comes courtesy of "Mushroom Island," a huge rock formation that's initially visible on your first drop-ship ride. Ross says that scaling the enormous formation is a reward in and of itself, with a spectacular view of the game's newbie area waiting at the top of the path. Keith goes on to explain how Firefall integrates its PvP maps into the rest of the open-world design, primarily by giving non-combatants the option to stop over and watch arena matches and various conflicts in certain designated cities. Check out this and more via the full video after the break. [Source: Red 5 press release] Continue reading Firefall video diary talks open-world design, shows pretty vistas
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